When The Truth Collides
The Case of Zero Kiryuu #3.5

'Those warm brown eyes that emphasized the ice they held within…'

Zero woke up that Sunday morning, alone and shivering in his mess of a bed, with that very thought in mind the moment he had regained consciousness.

Bed…why am I on my bed…? Zero thought aimlessly. Last night…I…

"Aaargh! No no no no no!" Zero whispered-yelled to himself, clutching onto his head dramatically and shook his head vigorously, as though it would help remove his memories of the night before.

No, this is a nasty nightmare, this is all just a really bad dream, Zero managed to convince himself that the events that had occurred throughout the whole of yesterday was utterly fictional, and walked out of his bedroom, a completely refreshed man.

Purposefully ignoring the stinging pain at a certain part of his body (he probably slept in a bad position last night), Zero went into the kitchen to get a nice cup of coffee, getting ready for the beautiful Sunday ahead –

Why is the electronic boiler on 'keep water warm'? Zero was pretty sure he didn't turn it on, unless yesterday really did –

He pressed the button of the boiler anyway, and a trail of hot water splashed into his coffee cup.

Wow, what was I thinking just now? Zero laughed merrily to himself while tearing open an instant coffee stick and pouring the contents into the cup, watching the particles swirl and collide with the water molecules, giving rise to the brown, delicious smelling concoction. I did not just remember what happened last night…

(…)

"Oh, God…" Zero groaned, slumping against the counter, fingers resting on his throbbing temples. A huge migraine was coming right up, and he (somehow) knows the reason why.

His emotions were in turmoil, as though a bullet train at full speed is running across them over and over and over again, tossing and turning them, tormenting his poor tired mind. Last night was a terrible mistake, probably even the worst mistake Zero ever made in his entire life. And the dumbest person in the world award goes to Zero Kiryuu!, he thought sarcastically.

He needed someone here, so badly. Zero felt like he might kill himself any moment now.

Senri. He needed Senri. He'd always been there for him whenever Zero was down in the dumps, whenever he failed his horribly nasty end-of-years, whenever Ichiru had to be taken to the hospital yet again. Zero smiled wryly at the walk down memory lane, and picked up his phone, lying unceremoniously on the table.

The phone picked up after three rings.

"Hey, Shiki," Zero's voice was shaky, uneven. "Got any time for your best bud here?"

The Case of Takuma Ichijou #1

"The number you are calling is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

Takuma sighed heavily and locked the screen of his Blackberry, raking his slender fingers through his pale blonde hair.

Thirty-two times. That was the amount of tries Takuma attempted on contacting his childhood friend, and the one he secretly loved all these years, Kaname. He was worried, of course. Kaname never pulled off a stunt like that – the only other time this happened was when his mental walls broke down completely from all the stress he was handling; his schoolwork, his position as the student council president, the burden of carrying the weight of the company on his shoulders from a very young age.

That was ten years ago. The memories of that rainy night were still etched vividly on Takuma's mind. The search, the tears, the hugging, the comforting.

Takuma sighed yet again, his frown lines surfacing. Where are you, Kaname?

Almost instantly, his phone rang. Takuma's heart skipped a beat, and he whipped out his phone hastily. It was Kaname. He picked up the call, his heart a tumbling mess.

"Kaname!" Takuma exclaimed. "You finally picked up! I tried calling you so many times; where the heck are you! Your butler couldn't contact you, your chauffeur couldn't contact you, your parents couldn't contact you; heck, even Yuuki couldn't contact you!" He spat out the last name mentioned with a rather large amount of venom. Kaname having an arranged fiancée pissed him off considerably.

"Takuma," Kaname sighed from the other side of the line exasperatedly. "I'm fine. No need to make such a huge fuss about things."

"'Make a huge fuss out of things?'" Takuma was yelling into the phone by now. "I was – we were worried about you! And all you could say was 'no need to make such a huge fuss about things'? At least tell me where the hell you were!"

"…" The other side of the line was quiet, and all Takuma heard was Kaname's steady breathing.

"Kaname…?" Takuma started to sound worried by now. This wasn't how Kaname usually was; he would either lie through his teeth casually, or wave the matter off completely. Kaname never kept quiet; something was definitely up. "What's wrong? You could tell me…"

"I went to my secretary's place, it was late. I'm in the limousine now. So, don't worry anymore, Takuma."

Takuma's heart wrenched at Kaname's words. He knew exactly what Kaname was implying; about how Takuma would cry whenever Kaname was upset while they were still kids; even up till now.

But Kaname doesn't know exactly why, Takuma thought bitterly.

"Takuma? Are you there?"

He snapped out of his melancholic thoughts, and laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry for…annoying you again. Goodnight."

"…You know that's not the case, Takuma. You don't have to fuss over me anymore; we're both grown adults now."

"…" Takuma kept silent.

"…Well, goodnight. Don't think so much anymore."

Kaname hung up. Takuma's eyes stung and he wasn't surprised to find a thin trail of tears running down the side of his cheek.

"Stupid…stupid Kaname…" He sniffed silently, grasping the phone tightly.

The raindrops start to fall gently onto the concrete pavement.

The bar was crowded and noisy, as per any normal Sunday at two in the morning. Takuma frowned as he gulped down the remaining drops of his gin, landing the glass down onto the counter with a heavy thud.

"Yagari-san!" Takuma called out, a little drunkenly to the bartender. "Another glass of gin!"

Said eye-patched bartender eyed him warily, huffing while he wiped a glass clean.

"Ichijou-kun, it's already your third glass; wouldn't you like to take a break from the alcohol? Your mum wouldn't let me have the time of the day if she ever finds out you're binge drinking again," Yagari sighed exasperatedly, setting down the clean glass.

Takuma frowned, glaring at the bartender. "I don't care! Get me another glass!" He whined childishly.

Yagari scowled. "Kids these days…" He muttered, filling the empty glass from a full bottle.

Takuma immediately made a move on the glass of liquid, gulping it down whole, before making a face and slamming the glass down back to the counter.

"The heck…? That was orange juice! You sneaky old man…!"

"Now now, did your parents teach you to speak this way?" Yagari smacked him squarely on the head with the wiping towel. "Now go be a good boy and sit there quietly with your juice. No more alcohol for you tonight."

Pouting, Takuma sat obediently on the counter stool, glaring at the eye-patched man fussing about at the bar, creating concoctions from little bottles of liquid. He was a close friend of his; Yagari's Guilty bar was the place Takuma always visited whenever he felt like, well, shit.

The clientele of Guilty wasn't usually so rowdy; it was just that today was the weekend, and everyone was headed out to party their hearts out. Takuma felt like a fish out of water in this place, but where else could he have gone to?

Takuma was just about the order another glass of juice, when a mass of astonishing silver hair caught his attention. His eyes widened. Could it possibly be…?

"…terrible mistake," The silverette mumbled. Takuma strained his ears. Eavesdropping had never been his favourite hobby, but if it concerns Kaname, he would do anything to find out about the conversation.

It was hard to hear through the thick, crowded conversations around, but Takuma managed. He prided himself in his acute sense of hearing.

"I invited him over…and things…sort of got carried away," Zero's voice trembled. "It wasn't entirely his fault, I couldn't control myself either…we were too clouded over by lust. Damn…"

'Carried away'? Takuma thought frantically. 'Lust'? No, it couldn't be…Kaname couldn't…could he?

His mind was in a torrential mess; everything – his thoughts, his emotions, were going haywire. Did he just imply that they had…sex?

"Ichijou-kun? Hey, are you okay? You look really pale," Yagari's concerned voice broke Takuma out of his destructive train of thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine, really," Takuma replied quickly, quietly. "I'll just…go to the washroom for a little bit. Thanks for your concern, Yagari-san."

Standing up from the barstool shakily, Takuma made his way to the washroom, with Yagari's concerned gaze following him. Yagari sighed. That kid could never control his emotions properly, ever since he was a teenager.

Shiki gave Zero a once-over. Dark circles, check. Accentuated eye bags, check. Diluted irises, check. Worried frown lines, oh hell, check.

This was going to be one long night.

Shiki sighed as he listened to Zero's current woes. The guy had just had sex, and, frankly speaking, considering that he is Senri Shiki, sex god of the stardom industry, it wasn't actually much of a big deal.

Only that this was the virginal Zero Kiryuu they are talking about here.

"Oh man, I can't believe what I have done!" Zero whined, grabbing his second shot of whiskey and downing it.

"There there," Shiki offered, patting his back half-heartedly. "At least you didn't sleep with his fiancée, did you? That would be even messier."

"Senri…you're a lousy consoler, I hope you know that," Zero replied, eyeing him through lilac slits.

Shiki shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his Johnny Walker black label.

"Well, at times like these, you've just got to loosen up on the alcohol limit and drink as much as you want," Shiki said nonchalantly.

"I'll pass. I can't handle my alcohol like you do."

"Suit yourself."

The two friends drank in silence, enjoying the tiny tranquility it offered in the noisy bar.

"Alright, I'll be heading home now," Zero said finally, setting down his now empty shot. "I'll leave my credit card with you, okay? I owe you drinks from last time anyway."

"You sure you don't need a ride home?" Shiki offered, setting down his glass of alcohol as well.

"No, it's okay," Zero smiled bitterly. "I guess I just need some time alone. Goodnight, Senri."

"Yeah, goodnight." Shiki muttered, his eyes downcast.

Zero left the bar, and Shiki sat alone at the counter, nursing his drink.

Truthfully, Shiki had always had a soft spot for the silverette, ever since they were in junior high. Shiki had been the quiet, popular teenager of the school, whereas Zero was the social outcast, the oddball, the one who constantly stuck with his sickly twin brother, who hardly even showed up in school. He supposed that their relationship changed little by little as the days went by, while they were placed next to each other in class.

He smiled nostalgically at the boy's antics, how he made Shiki break his barriers and made friends with him. But he doesn't know that Shiki was actually bisexual, albeit with a long line of ex-girlfriends and potential ones back during his schooldays.

I doubt he'll ever know, Shiki mused, as he watched the mass of silver disappear from his sight.

Takuma plopped back onto his barstool, refreshed after a good splash of cold water on his face.

"Feeling better?" Yagari asked, glancing over at the blonde.

"Yeah," Takuma smiled sardonically, picking up the juice he left behind. "Get going with your orders, old man; don't you have a business to run?"

"Tch," Yagari eyed him disdainfully. "You sure turn into one foul-mouthed kid after your drinks, don't ya?"

Takuma laughed and waved him off. He noticed that the silverette was out of sight now; did he leave already? Doesn't matter, Takuma thought bitterly, and took a sip from his orange juice.

A mass of striking purple hair caught his attention, and Takuma observed the young man a little longer. He was really fine-looking, boyish even. I wonder if I've seen him somewhere around before? Takuma pondered.

Said young man turned around, and their eyes locked for a moment; emerald green orbs widened the moment they met steely blue ones, and Takuma looked away quickly, blushing a little.

Oh God, did he just notice me staring? He blushed even harder, the alcohol getting into his head. What if he thinks that I'm some perverted stalker? Wait, what if I am a perverted stalker? Oh dear oh dear oh –

"Is this seat taken?" A smooth, velvety voice sounded out, and Takuma glanced up quickly. The handsome young man was standing right next to him, indicating the empty barstool at his right.

"Ah, no, it isn't…" He murmured, too surprised to say anything else. What…the heck is happening right now?

The mysterious guy sat down suavely, calling out his order. "Another Johnny Walker, Yagari."

Takuma's eyebrows shot up. "You know Yagari-san too?" He asked inquisitively.

"You could say that," He replied monotonously. "My friend frequents this place, and I usually just tag along."

"Oh…"

Takuma looked back down at his juice. This is such an awkward situation. Takuma had never been a person of awkward atmospheres – he was the social bunny, the one going around making friends, and even making friends for others. A new experience? Takuma toyed with the idea.

"Your Black Label, Shiki," Yagari called out, setting down two glasses in front of both the males. "And another brandy for you, Ichijou-kun, since you're being such a quiet lad. Be friends, okay?"

Takuma gaped at the eye-patched man, while the latter smirked back at him and continued around with his business. He heard 'Shiki' chuckle, and turned his attention towards him.

"…What?" Takuma asked, a little embarrassed by how Yagari had just treated him like a kid in front of a total(ly hot) stranger.

"The both of you act like you're uncle and nephew," Shiki continued chuckling.

"Well, I've known him ever since I was a kid," Ichijou mumbled sheepishly, scratching his head. "My mum was a good friend of his back in high school…"

"Guess that explains it," Shiki smiled, and Takuma's heart melted just a little. He looked so…adorable…

Stop it, Takuma Ichijou! He mentally smacked himself. You hardly even know this guy! Stop perving on guys who are probably even younger than you!

"So…'Ichijou', eh?" Shiki smirked, extending out an amicable hand. "Nice to meet you; I'm Senri Shiki."

"Nice to meet you too, Shiki-san," Takuma shook his hand nervously. "I'm Takuma Ichijou." He swore he saw sparks fly, but really, this isn't a Taylor Swift music video. Stop your schoolgirl fantasies, Takuma, he scolded himself.

Shiki gave him a weird look, and Takuma looked at him innocently.

"Is…Is there something on my face?" Takuma asked, retreating his hand to touch his cheek.

"No, it's just that…" Shiki replied, observing him intently. "You've…never heard of my name before?"

Takuma stared at him blankly. Is this supposed to be a cold pick-up joke or?

"Um, I…don't think so?" Takuma finally answered, dumbstruck. "You do look kind of familiar, though…"

It was Shiki's turn to stare at him blankly, before he snorted, trying to stifle his laughter. Takuma looked at him, flummoxed.

"Had…had you never watched tv?" Shiki's hand was over his mouth, his shoulders shaking from the feat of keeping his laughter down."Or even picked up a magazine? Ichijou-san, were you living in a cave all this – this time?"

Shiki snorted again, and slivers of laughter managed to escape.

Takuma huffed, the sides of his lips twitching albeit feeling a little offended over the fact that a stranger was ridiculing him in public. "I don't watch the television, my job is too time-consuming. Also, just so you know, the only magazine I ever read is Jump." He clarified with an air of dignity.

"Pffft," Shiki clamped his hand over his mouth yet again. "Ichijou-san, aren't you a grown-up? How could you still be reading Jump?"

"I beg to differ," Takuma argued back, protecting his manly Jump pride. "I may be an adult, but I will always be a boy at heart!"

"Ah, no truer words could be said," Shiki joked sarcastically, wiping the tears from the ends of his eyes.

"Hey hey hey, I can hear you from over there, blondie!" Yagari came back, scowling.

"Hey hey hey, Yagari! This guy hasn't even heard of my name!" Shiki announced, humour still evident in his velvety smooth voice.

"Ichijou-kun, are you serious?" Yagari deadpanned. "He's the most famous model in the industry right now! You mean you don't even know who is the Senri Shiki?"

"Yagari, I don't need your sarcasm," Shiki deadpanned back. Yagari waved him off.

"I'm not going to obstruct your fun, kids, but try to keep it low, alright? I've got a business to run here after all." Yagari scolded, placing three shots of something at the counter. "Your favourite, Shiki. Make sure he's alright." He said the last sentence in a half whisper to Shiki.

His eyes widened a little, but he nodded his head anyway. Takuma tilted his head to the right, wondering what they had just exchanged.

"So," Shiki glanced at him. "I gather that you're some high-position working in the city? What're you doing all alone on a weekend night, anyway?"

At hearing Shiki's words, Takuma immediately retreated back into his somber mood, remembering everything that he found out earlier. He picked up his glass of brandy, and downed it whole.

"Nothing much," He replied quickly.

Shiki stared at the blonde, noticing the sudden tense and upset atmosphere around him.

"Are you okay? You seem pretty down. Liven up, you only live once," Shiki offered, returning to his drink.

Takuma frowned. How was he supposed to…'liven up', when his crush ever since he was a child slept with a nobody who he only knew for, what, three days?

"Those are yours, aren't they?" Takuma pointed at the three glass shots in front of Shiki.

"Ah, yes they are. Is there something wro –"

Before Shiki could complete what he was about to say, Takuma grabbed two of the three shots and gulped them down like they were water.

"I hope you have a high tolerance level for alcohol," Shiki stated, raising his brows.

"Ahhh, that was – " Takuma made a face, clearly drunk. "O-Ow! My throat burns!"

"Well of course it does! You didn't even lick the salt," Shiki rolled his eyes, shoving a slice of lemon towards Ichijou. "Suck on that; it'll help."

Takuma winced, doing as what Shiki had instructed.

"W-What was that?" He finally managed out, feeling the burn at his throat go away as the juices of the citrus attacked it.

"Tequila," Shiki replied nonchalantly. "People usually get knocked out after one shot. I could handle my alcohol like a bull, so three shots are enough for me to make my way home."

Takuma didn't reply, and Shiki glanced at him. He was greeted by the sight of a passed out blonde, obviously very drunk.

Oh, wow, so what do I do now? Shiki thought.

"Hey, Yagari," Shiki called out, gesturing towards Takuma. "He's passed out cold."

"Man, not again," Yagari muttered, massaging his temples. "Do me a favour and help me get him up to a hotel nearby, would you? It's really busy today. Drink's on the house."

Shiki sighed. How troublesome, he thought, glancing at the blonde. He looked so child-like, his head resting on his arms, his long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks.

Kinda cute, Shiki mused.

Pulling Takuma up by the arm, Shiki maneuvered his way through the thick and suffocating crowd, darting eye-contact to avoid being recognized as a popular figure in the country.

After managing to escape from the bar, Shiki checked up on the hotels nearby, he finally decided on the Hilton Tokyo Hotel; he had money to spare, so why not? He doubts that anyone would be pleased to wake up in a dingy motel anyway.

Shiki shoved the unconscious Takuma into his black BMW Z4 Convertible, and revved the engine up, following the directions his trusty GPS sent him.

"A single room, please."

Shiki hid behind his Armani shades as he handed his credit card over to the receptionist, all the while supporting a sleeping Takuma on his left shoulder.

"Kindly sign here to complete the transaction, sir," The pretty little reception smiled over the counter, handing over the leather clipboard. Shiki signed off under his alias, grabbed the cardkey and made his way up to the assigned room. "Thank you," He murmured.

He swiped the cardkey across the door signal, and stepped into the room. It was classy and neat, as what most luxury hotels would boast about, but Shiki didn't pay much attention to his surroundings. What matters most at hand currently was this blonde thing resting idly on his left arm.

Shiki helped Takuma onto the queen-sized bed, when Takuma's vivid emerald green orbs made their appearance and stared at Shiki closely. This was followed by a long staring match, and Takuma seemed to be on the winning end.

"You…why're you helping me?" Takuma asked quietly after a long pause.

"…It was a favour for Yagari. Don't think too much about it," Shiki assured monotonously. "Well, if there's nothing else, I shall take my leave. You can choose to stay here or go home; it's totally up to you. I've already paid for the room, so you don't have to worry about it."

Shiki stood up from the bed, getting ready to leave, when all of a sudden, Takuma reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Please…don't go…" He murmured sadly, his fringe covering his eyes. "Everyone…leaves me…even…"

Shiki studied the blonde carefully, sitting back down, steely blue orbs trained at the deep depths of emerald green. And the next thing happened so suddenly, Shiki didn't have time to think; Takuma closed the teetering gap between the two males and placed his lips gently against Shiki's.

The Case of Zero Kiryuu #3.5 (cont.)

Mysterious tall man holding a box at 12 o' clock, Zero thought, strangely calm. 12 o 'clock, a.k.a My Apartment's Doorstep.

He felt a stinging fear towards this mysterious man (who visits people randomly at five in the morning?), and felt complied the run towards the lift and make a quick escape. But since this is a highly cranky Zero Kiryuu who dearly wants his sleep we are talking about here, he made his way towards the tall man cautiously.

"Can I help you?" He asked wearily, the lethargy evident in his voice.

"Are you Kiryuu-san?" The spiky orange-haired man asked in a slightly roguish voice.

A thug! Zero thought. An orange-hair, wild-looking yakuza member is here to get me!

"Y-Yes…" He replied shakily, clearly intimidated by this tall figure.

Said tall figure handed over the box he held in his hands. Zero stared at it warily. It might be a bomb; these damn terrorists are attacking again!

"I am sorry to interrupt your morning; I am Kaname Kuran's right-hand man, Akatsuki Kain, and he has sent me here to deliver this to you," 'Akatsuki' handed over the box he held in his hands.

"Oh…thank you."

Zero received the rather heavy box, and wondered vaguely what was inside.

"Goodnight, Kiryuu-san," Akatsuki took a deep bow, and strode off, leaving Zero standing at his doorstep, staring blankly at his newly received parcel. The box depicted an iPhone 4s, and a chill ran down his spine. Whatever Kuran has up his sleeve, Zero had better be prepared for it.

A/N: Waddup lovelies, I'm finally done with this chapter! I added some Zero into it because, well, I can. But hey, Shiki and Takuma need some love too, alright? ^-^ (I feel like I'm going to lose a ton of reviewers because this chapter doesn't feature Kaname and Zero *sighs*)

These two were pretty fun to write, albeit tiring! School is being such a little shit to me, I feel tired all the time. Also, I doubt I'll have the time to reply to all the lovely reviews you readers have sent me so far, I'm really sorry! I'm just really busy these days; this chapter already gave me a huge headache, struggling between my schoolwork and wttc

Also, since I don't have a chance, I would like to thank my readers and reviewers for my oneshot, disintegration! It made me happy that most of you are pleased with it n-n & I might start a new oneshot on a whim; you'd never know ;)

Well, I don't have anything more to say…I hope you enjoyed this chapter! n-n please review if you have the time to spare, sankyou!~ they make so feel so fluffy inside :"D

Rusty xx