Between Betrayal And Salvation

Chapter 6

Warning: Yaoi, shounen ai, mature themes, angsty, sexual and emotional abuse.

Disclaimer: I don't need to tell you guys so many times...

The mug was placed on the table with unnecessary force, making a loud bang. When this elicited no response, Lyserg briefly toyed with the idea of hitting his companion with the ceramic mug, but pushed aside the thought immediately. ''Well? We've been here for almost an hour. What do you want? You said you would tell me everything if I come over to Starbucks so here I am! Don't keep me waiting.''

Yoh took a final noisy slurp of his milkshake and sat back, his brown eyes shining with faint amusement. ''You know what your problem is, Lyserg?''

''Oh, I don't know, tell me, Asakura,'' replied Lyserg sarcastically.

''You keep too much in. You never talk about what's bothering you, what's hurting you. Whining doesn't help you either.''

''What are you talking about? Nothing's hurting me.''

Yoh looked up and smiled. ''Something's obviously hurting you, or you wouldn't be hurting everyone else. You acted like an independent lone ranger to keep people away. You're afraid.''

''Hey, maybe I acted like a jerk because I am a jerk, you ever think of that?''

''Yep, I did. But you didn't look like a jerk to me after that kiss. You looked like a kid who just got scared out of himself.''

Lyserg paled and turned scarlet.

''Relax,'' Yoh said soothingly before the boy could snap at him. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment before the older teen looked away. Yoh laid his hands flat on the table in a slow motion and stared at the back of them. ''Do you know why I'm doing this, Lyserg?''

''No. That's why I came, remember?''

''What I did to you that day, I did it to scare the hell out of you.''

Lyserg scowled, but held his tongue as Yoh continued. ''You just looked so…you. So darn cute and beautiful yet freakishly cold and untouchable. I got sick of it. Every time I see you it's like you're made out of plastic with that same smile always stuck on your face. I wanted to do something that I knew would make you really feel something. I guess I just figured out that that would rattle you.''

He looked up to see how Lyserg was taking his words, but the flat, cold expression in his companion's eyes gave nothing away. Looks like someone had been reading a lot of psychological warfare books and had aqquired the skill of making poker faces, but oh Yoh had his own fair share of tactics in this game too. Yoh isn't so ignorant that he didn't know part of being a detective is to intidimate suspects or at show the enemy that he is unaffected by his or her words. Resisting the urge to bite his lip, he pressed on. If he didn't get the dowser hooked now, this entire thing was gonna blow up in his face.

''At least, that's how it started, and then-'' he leaned forward earnestly and startled Lyserg by suddenly reaching up and tenderly cupping his cheek in his hand, ''-and then, I just couldn't get you out of my head.''

Lyserg's eyes flickered and Yoh almost smirked. When the boy didn't make any attempt to move away from him, Yoh moved closer and dropped his voice to whisper. ''So I went to see you at that motel that you stayed in right now to convince myself that it was nothing and that I was imagining things. But then I saw you standing there, looking so small…and I couldn't. Because I knew that it was more than my imagination.''

Yoh was halfway standing now and he leaned closer to Lyserg over the table, indecently close. He noticed with distracted amusement that the dowser's eyes were slightly glazed and he could taste the cappuccino Lyserg had just finished as the green-haired boy's soft, panting breaths brushed his lips. Yoh leaned forward a bit more so that his lips brushed Lyserg's ever so slightly as he spoke. ''You're so beautiful when you're angry, Lyserg my dear…''

He leaned just a little bit more and…

Lyserg jerked back so quickly that he knocked the wind out of himself when his back hit the booth. No one has seen them. Lyserg blushed a delicate rose color.

Yoh sat back and looked down at the leather of his seat. ''I'm sorry. I forgot myself.''

''I'm going to be late.'' Lyserg stood mechanically and pulled out his wallet out of his pocket. A gentle hand reached out and caught him as he removed the wallet. Lyserg looked up and felt a muscle in his jaw clench. ''Let me go, Asakura!''

''Give me a chance to do this in a better way Lyserg.''

Lyserg tossed some money on the table and it was more than enough yen to cover their tab. ''For what?! To be your partner in some freakish, perverted, faggot sex ritual?!''

Several heads in the café turned around in surprise. Neither teen noticed.

''No. to be your lover. To-''

''I don't need to have a lover!''

Both Amidamaru and Morphine, who had been silent throughout their master's conversation, knows that something bad is up. But despite both of them want to intefere with this in a manner where both their masters won't get hurt, both physically and emotionally, they knew that there's not much they can do at a public place like this, filled with the average people ignorant about shamans and spirits.

The tanned skinned boy narrowed his eyes and Lyserg suddenly felt very, very small like he's gonna break into tiny pieces and he wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Yoh as humanly possible.

''Please?''

It was only one little word and Lyserg would never know why or how he was swayed by it, but something in it made Lyserg hurt. He looked away.

''Fine.''

''Yoh-dono, please…reconsider. Anna will not be happy about your actions!'' Amidamaru tried to plead Yoh. Morphine attempted to pull Lyserg by his cloak to keep him away from Yoh. In the end, Amidamaru and Morphine sighed. They gave up. They probably knew that their respective master's personal affairs is up to their masters to handle.

''Thank you,'' said Yoh.

Lyserg stared after him blankly for a moment. Something had just happened there…something important…just what is this crushing feeling I have towards Yoh?...

''So… I'll see you tomorrow?''

''Tomorrow?''

''Yep!''

''Errr… I have things to do.''

''Like what?''

''Avoid you.''

''Aww…did you already forget your promise? Besides, that cute face of yours could stand to smile once in a while. Meet me at the park in Tokyo at 4.30pm?''

''Look, Yoh, I don't want to be the third party, I fully support you and Anna together that's why-''

''Great!'' Yoh winked at Lyserg. ''It will be a blast.''

And then Yoh just leave, Amidamaru followed behind him sadly. Lyserg stared after him for a moment, thinking of not going at all tomorrow, but then shook his head. ''I'm sure I deserve this on some cosmic level, it's not like I was curious to see Yoh again. Certainly not.''

I can hear your voice,

The ring of yesterday,

It seems so close to me,

But yet so far away…

I should let it out,

And save what's left of me,

I close the doors of doubt,

Revive my dignity…

But I can't go on,

As long as I believe,

Can't let go,

When I keep wondering…

That song is the continuation of the song from Chapter 3.

NOO! POOR LYSERG!