No Money, No Love
By: Witch Baby
A/N: Hello everyone! Another update for you all. I know my updates aren't very consistent and I apologize. I'm really just posting it as it comes. Plus, chapter five was a big concern. Nothing much is done in this chapter but it's a necessary filler that leads into the epic parts of the story. Still, there were a few things I was unsure about doing. In the end though, I realized that this is my story and I will write it how I see fit. I do hope people will continue to read it though and enjoy it. Thank you to all the wonderful readers! And now…chapter five of 'No Money, No Love'.
"Sometimes it takes a second to sink in,
That your life is never going to be the same again
Breathe in, breathe out, it'll be okay
Breathe in, they say the pain will fade away…"
Chapter Five: One step at a time
Ayase woke with a start the next morning to heavy pounding on his front door. Heart racing, he scrambled out of bed to hurriedly pull on some clothes. Oh Gods! Was it Kanou again? Was he here to make him go back?
"Aya-chan~! Wakey, wakey!"
The blond visibly relaxed as he recognized Buruko's gruffly sweet voice. "Coming!" he called, sighing with relief as he tugged on a clean shirt.
He opened the door with a smile, hoping his eyes weren't too red from crying most of the night. Ayase felt drained, but didn't want Buruko to worry since most likely she would tell Someya. The last thing Ayase wanted was to worry his friends.
"Aya-chan!" Buruko greeted cheerfully, her arms stacked with boxes, "I'm surprised you're still sleeping at this hour!"
The blond tended to be an early riser, and he frowned as he realized he wasn't even sure what time it even was. "What time is it?"
"Around noon."
Ayase frowned at the unfamiliar voice, and he motioned for Buruko to step inside to peer curiously around the burly okama. Following the blond inside was a much younger and smaller male. He smiled at Ayase warmly, carrying an assortment of bags in his arms. With golden blond hair that spilled down to his waist and a slim build, he looked as petite as any female. In fact, Ayase might have been fooled into thinking he was a girl if he wasn't seeing him up close. 'This must be what people think when they first see me.' he thought sarcastically. The young male must have the same people problems as he did with such effeminate features and large stormy blue eyes.
"Nice place you got here," the stranger greeted, setting down the load he had been carrying to shake Ayase's hand, "I'm Ashihara Skyler."
"Are you an American?" Ayase asked, curious of the males sun kissed complexion and foreign name.
The male grinned sheepishly. "Only half, on my fathers' side."
"Isn't he just darling Aya-chan?" Buruko gushed, "Someya-mama just hired him! She thought he'd appeal to those 'exotic types' that come into the shop!"
Skyler shrugged. "It seems like a fun job. My first assignment was to help Buruko-chan drop off your stuff."
Ayase offered them both a strained smile, feeling much more exhausted then he was letting on, but still trying to be polite. "Well, I look forward to working with you Skyler-san."
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal, just call me Skyler." He gave Buruko a smirk, "Or as the girls at the shop have started calling me 'Sukai-chan'."
Ayase chuckled. "It's better then 'Aya-chan' at least."
"Now now you too, let's go unpack everything else!" Buruko cut in, ushering the two young males outside.
"_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_"
Half an hour later, everything had been unpacked and Ayase was busying himself making tea for Buruko and Skyler. His mood had improved immensely since the okama and the blond had arrived. It was becoming habit for Ayase to bury all unwanted thoughts deep away, refusing to let anything deter him from the task at hand. While a part of him knew that such things probably weren't healthy, they nonetheless allowed him to enjoy the company of his friends. Step by step it was becoming easier to just relax and listen to Buruko talk about the girls at the shop, Skyler listing pleasantly.
Ayase had learned a little about Skyler over the last half hour. Surprisingly the male was younger then Ayase, barely 19, and lived alone in an apartment just down the block. He seemed very quiet, though Ayase wasn't sure if he always acted as such or if he just felt uncomfortable being in a different place. Skyler was slender and graceful, as well as unnaturally pretty for a male. Though Ayase had a similar demeanor, Skyler seemed much more at ease with his looks then Ayase usually did.
All in all, he seemed to be very nice and Ayase looked forward to getting to know him better.
"This is wonderful tea Aya-chan," Buruko interpreted Ayase from his quiet musings, "You should bring some for Someya-mama!"
The blond smiled. "I'll have to bring some for her when I come in tomorrow then."
"That reminds me, I should be heading back to the shop." The brawny okama turned to Skyler. "You can head home for the day if you want Sukai-chan."
"Thanks Buruko-chan. I'll see you Tuesday."
As Buruko left, Skyler offered Ayase help in cleaning up. "I've got a few hours to kill, so it's no problem."
"Thank you!" Ayase gushed, glad to have the help. He had quite a lot to do and was unsure he could get it all done by himself.
Moreover, and though he didn't want to admit it, he was afraid to be alone after the episode with Kanou the night before. Without distraction, he would surely collapse. And if he had guests over Kanou was, hopefully, less likely to bust in and make a scene.
They talked idly as they cleaned and organized, getting to know one another. Ayase babbled about his decorating plans for the rooms, and Skyler told him how he knew someone giving away furniture and appliances. "He's a good friend of mine and he's moving in with his boyfriend." Skyler explained, "He offered the stuff to me if I wanted and was going to just sell the rest. I can call him up and tell him I'll take it for you if you want."
"Really?" It would sve Ayase a lot of money and hassle if he could get it.
Skyler shrugged and smiled. "Well you need the stuff and he wants to get rid of it. Its win-win."
By the time evening set in, Ayase was immensely happy. He would be getting furniture for the apartment, he'd been able to get everything he wanted done, and he'd had a great time with Skyler. The male wasn't as outlandish as the okamas at the shop, but he still seemed very open and fun.
Someya was always telling him that connections with people where important. Already he was realizing just how good it was to have a friend. Someya had been a godsend when he desperately needed someone to help guide him, and the girls at the shop were always there to make him smile and forget his worries. Now Skyler was becoming someone else he could get along with. 'A new friend in my new life. I wonder who else I'll be able to meet.' he thought wistfully as Skyler got ready to leave.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for dinner?" Ayase asked.
"I'm meeting my brother tonight and have some errands to run before that. Another time, okay?"
"All right. Until then!"
As he shut and locked the door behind Skyler, Ayase immediately felt uneasiness creep in around him. While he had enjoyed the day and had kept himself busy, a part of him was still waiting anxiously for Kanou to suddenly jump out and snatch him up.
Now alone, all his doubts and fears were suddenly at the forefront of his mind. He could easily picture Kanou's face from the night before, so full of rage. And pain too. Ayase had seen the hurt underneath all the fury and it made his heart ache. He hated feeling like that.
He was realizing more and more a part of him wished to return. This new life was terribly lonely, leaving too much room for apprehension and uncertainty. He had always functioned better when he felt useful. Some may call him 'co-dependent', but was it so wrong to want to be needed?
Sighing, he opted to skip dinner and took a hurried shower instead. He practically crawled into bed, the physical and emotional exertion of the day finally getting the better of him. He hadn't felt this tired in forever. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions and Ayase would love nothing more then to climb off the ride and fall into mindless oblivion.
If only for a little while.
A/N: :O I ended the chapter with Ayase sleeping again…..dang. It's just such a natural break to end it with someone going to bed…..oh well….
Anyway, I think this is the last filler chapter I have written. The next chapters are where the drama starts happening. Hahahaha! I'm actually really excited! I hope everyone else is too. Can't wait to see everyone's reactions when all the pieces start to fall into place.
Lyrics used for this chapter are "One Step at a Time" by Four Year Strong. It's actually a really really sad song about someone remembering their loved one dieing and about having to take everything day by day, even though you miss them. It kind of fits I guess, but no one died…
By the way, is anyone interested beta'ing No Money, No Love? I have a beta but they've never read Okane Ga Nai so it's hard to have her beta it when she doesn't know the characters…Let me know if you're interested! :3
Until next time chicklets!
Review Replies! Even if I don't get to you, your reviews make my day worth living! Thank you and continue to read and reply! :3
Onige-a: Thank you for the long review. Those are the best! In a perfect world, I'm sure he would be the romantic seme. But, then he wouldn't be the brute we all know in love. He seriously needs to learn how to woo a person though, instead of bursting through the door and kidnapping them. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! :D
XxMyth MakerxX: In the end, I don't really think Kanou ever really wanted to hurt Ayase. He's just so fragile and naïve, hurting him just seems inevitable. I am so very happy that you thought I got Kanou's reaction right. I had a lot of angst about the chapter seeing as how it was so important. Your reviews always make me happy! Thank you again!
See1like: Uh, if you meant 'new characters' as in Buruko, Todo, and Hida, their actually in the manga. They're not central characters, but they're okama's at Someya's shop. In fact, the only OC as of now would be Skyler which I introduced this chapter. Don't worry though, Todo and Buruko or only mentioned on the side. :) I hope that's what you meant. If not, then I'm sorry for being such a ditzy writer…..
Kanou is a very stubborn character, and the cave attitude (which I loved that reference by the way!) is such a hard habit to break since it's worked for him in the past. But your right, he'll have to break that habit at some point if he ever wants to win Ayase's affection! :3 Keep reading!
NowakiStar: Thank you so much for the review! I know there aren't many great stories for Okane Ga Nai. It was really frustrating me too so finally I just decided to write my own! And thank you also for reminding me that it's my story and I should write it the way I want. You were a great help since I had been feeling so angsty about how my story was going…
A Dangerous Notion: As always, you make me so happy when I read your reviews! I work really hard to try to make sure everyone stays in character, but at the same time so much time has gone by that I need to fit their maturity in.
You're right, I probably haven't included Someya as much as a should have, at least where Ayase is concerned. I don't think Kanou will be seeking out her advice as of right now though since he feels angered and betrayed that she helped Ayase. However, she is an important character, in fact she is one of my favorites, and I don't plan on her being just shoved off to the side!