No Money, No Love

By: Witch Baby

A/N:Congratulations to Onige-a for being my 100th reviewer!

"What do you say in a moment like this?

When you can't find the words, oh, to tell it like it is,

Just close your eyes and let your heart lead the way,

Let's get out of here,

Oh, what do you say?"

Chapter 13: If you love something...

"I'm n-not so sure about this Thomas-san..."

"C'mon! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah," added Skyler, "It only stings for a second, then your blood starts pumping and you get really into it!"

Vaguely, Ayase felt like he had heard that before, though he couldn't remember where or why. "I just... have to hit it?"

Thomas patted the side of the punching bag he was standing behind, holding it steady for the shorter blond. "Yep. Form your fist like I showed you and hit it."

Even though he knew the bag had no feelings, nor would it hit him back, Ayase still didn't really want to punch it. He wasn't a violent person by nature. The very thought of violence made him cringe, even if someone deserved it.

However, Skyler said it would help him to get stronger. And... he didn't want to be a victim anymore. Determination taking hold, he took a deep breath, formed a fist, and swung.

"Ow!" he whimpered, shaking out the sting in his hand, "That hurt!"

Skyler and Thomas did their best not to laugh too loudly at the pouting blond. Ayase bit his lip, feeling embarrassed. Couldn't he do anything right? "I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean-"

Thomas shook his head, still smiling. "Why are you apologizing? You did great. No one gets it the first time, even Skyler."

The younger blond pretended to be offended. "What? Lies! I'm amazing at absolutely everything!"

"Sure you are." Thomas sarcastically agreed, then leaned towards Ayase to whisper, "The first time he tried, he slipped and fell face first onto the floor!"

"Stop talking about me!" Skyler whined, kicking Thomas playfully.

Ayase smiled as the brothers continued to banter. Thomas had been teaching them moves and stances for a good hour now, and Ayase had watched them play fight and tease for most of it. He could tell they where really close, and it made him wish he'd had a brother growing up, or maybe even a sister. He hardly remember his mother, outside of a handful of memories. His only close connection with family had been his grandmother. His cousin's however... it was still too painful to think about.

Ayase jerked back as a damp wash cloth was waved in front of his face. "Getting lost in thought?" Skyler teased, taking Ayase's bruised hand and wrapping it carefully. The coolness felt wonderful.

"Sorry."

"Ug,stop apologizing! You didn't do anything!"

"I'm so-" he stopped, slapping his hand over his mouth.

Skyler looked at him sternly for a moment, before laughing. "You really are too nice for your own good."

Not knowing what to say, Ayase just smiled sheepishly. Thomas handed them both some water. "You should come by with Skyler when he comes for his lessons. I'd be happy to teach you some more things."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem."

"How much will it cost?"

Thomas shook his head. "I'm not gonna take your money. Knowing that you guys can protect yourselves, even a little bit, is payment enough."

Ayase was shocked. "Really? Are you sure? I don't make a lot of money but I'd feel bad for-"

Thomas held up his hands to stop him. "Seriously, I don't need your money."

Ayase sighed in defeat. "All right...but, are you sure I can even learn?"

Thomas smiled. "If someone is willing to be taught, then they'll learn."

"I'm not so sure," Ayase confessed, "I only hit the bag once and... well..."

The taller male looked at him thoughtfully, before getting to his feet. "Let's try something then. Does your hand hurt to much?"

Ayase flexed his fingers, wincing slightly. "No, I'll be fine."

"All right, then I'm going to show you a move, and then I'm going to pretend to attack you. Just do what I show you, all right?"

Ayase nodded, listing intently as Thomas taught him to use a persons weight against them. "In most cases, a person will sneak up behind you and try to grab you. Instead of pushing against them, latch onto their arm, turn your body with your legs apart, and pull. The force of them trying to grab you will then work against them and cause them to fall."

The blond nodded, hoping he could remember everything Thomas had told him. "You ready?" the American asked.

Ayase nodded and Thomas went to grab him. He grabbed the taller male's arm, pulling with all his might. To his amazement, Thomas went right down! "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" asked Ayase worriedly.

Thomas only laughed. "I hope you don't ask all your attackers that."

Ayase blushed. Still, it was exciting to think he could bring down a big guy like Thomas down! "Thank you for showing me that!" he said, bowing politely in thanks.

"No worries, you did a great job."

"Yeah," agreed Skyler, "But then again, Thomas is a big teddy bear."

Thomas rolled his eyes as Ayase smiled. "Still, thank you. I've never done something like that before." In truth, it was quite empowering. All those times when he had been kidnapped, he had simply froze, thinking that if he made himself as little of a nuisance as possible, then maybe they wouldn't hurt him. It never crossed his mind to actually fight back.

"Why don't you go get changed and we'll head to my place to eat." Skyler suggested, "I don't know about you but I'm famished."

"Sure," Ayase agreed. He hadn't eaten all morning after all and it was starting to get late.

As Ayase walked into the back room, Skyler gave Thomas a look. "What?" the older male asked innocently.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that if he tried that on some stranger, he'd be in big trouble."

Thomas smiled sheepishly. "I was just trying to give the kid a confidence boost. It worked wonders for you. You can at least leave a bruise on me when we practice."

Skyler rolled his eyes, "Whatever. One day one of us will flip you for real!"

"Sure you will. And that'll be the day I let you do my make-up."

Smiling, he stood on his toes to place a kiss on his brothers cheek. "Thank you though Thomas. I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"No problem little brother. Now go get changed, I don't want you walking around so late. Do you need me to walk you home?"

"No, we'll be fine," he assured, "What could possibly go wrong?"

Someya sighed contentedly as she sipped her tea, taking her time to savor it, much to Kanou's annoyance. "Ready now?" he asked through clenched teeth.

She smiled sweetly. "I am now Dana, thank you. So, what brings you to my office?"

"I... went with Ayase yesterday." Kanou began carefully.

"Obviously."

Kanou glared, but continued. "I tried to talk to him... but it got... complicated..."

"Let me guess; you got angry and hurt his feelings."

"In a way."

Someya's brow raised in question. "Continue."

"We ended up at his apartment... and... well..."

Someya stood from her desk, outraged. "How dare you Kanou! I trusted you and like always you force yourself upon him!"

Kanou stood as well, slamming his hands on Someya's desk. "I did nothing of sort!"

The okama paused. "Then what happened?"

Kanou looked away, seemingly embarrassed at what he was trying to say. It was a surprise to the okama that Kanou could even look nervous. "He... invited me inside. And we did have sex. But... it was different..."

Someya sat back down. "How so?" she asked softly.

Kanou was still unable to meet her eyes, though she could still see the slight softening to his gaze. "He didn't say no, or even try to fight me. I know he doesn't really mean it when he says no, but this time... it was the first time I've seen him like that. Like, it was what he wanted."

"Maybe he truly did."

The taller male's eyes sparked in anger, finally turning back to the okama. "But this morning he refused to come back with me! How could he act like that, and then turn right back around and say he doesn't want me?"

"Did he say that to you? That he doesn't want you?"

"He said he didn't want to go back with me."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't still want you."

"Then why won't he stay with me!" Kanou shouted,

Someya sighed, picking up her tea cup and sipping thoughtfully. "Did you stop and ask why?"

Taking a deep breath, the taller male did his best to reign in his anger. "Of course."

"And?"

"He said... that it was him and not me."

"Well," Someya replied, "There's your answer."

"Answer? What the fuck kind of answer is that?"

"Language Dana," the okama scolded gently, earning herself a growl from the male. "Answer me this Kanou, what kind of person is Ayase?"

"Why are you asking me that? What does that have to do with anything?"

Someya rolled her eyes. "Just please answer the question."

Kanou huffed in irritation, but obliged. "He's kind, sweet, and caring. He can cook better then even the best chef's and he never fails to do things that make me happy. He's selfless, albeit a bit too trusting for his own good."

Someya smiled. "That he is. You think you know him well."

Kanou glared. "What do you mean, 'think'?"

Someya leaned back in her chair, delicately folding her hands on her lap as she looked at Kanou seriously. "Exactly what I mean. You think you know him, what he wants and what he dreams about. But do you really? Have you ever asked him?"

"Of course I have!"

"Maybe. But answer me this; have you ever given him the space he needed to figure it out for himself?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He's twenty years old. He's growing up and he's changing. He might be small and sweet, but he's still a young man. He needs to see the world, to learn. To make mistakes and find out who he is for himself."

"That's fucking stupid. He'll get killed out there."

"Then that's his choice to make."

"Fuck that!" Kanou yelled, "Are you saying I should stand back and let him get hurt?"

"No," said Someya, "I'm telling you to let him live his life. Let him make his own decisions. If you do, he'll let you be a part of them. A flower not given to the sunlight will wither and die. Give him the sun, let him flourish, and you can watch him bloom."

"And if I refuse?" Kanou growled.

Someya shrugged, taking another sip of her tea. "Then you can lose him."

A/N:I love Someya, I really do. She will kick your ass! In high heels!

Song creds go to Reba McEntire. The rest of the song really wouldn't have anything else do with the story, but I liked the chorus. Because really, what can you say? :/

So, I totally pulled the flip scene out of my ass. I've never been to a defense class or anything. Too poor... but I think I've seen something on tv once! :D I did go on Youtube and poked around, but mostly I just saw videos saying 'KICK 'EM IN THE BALLS' and, well, I liked this better.

Finally, a last note: I've had quite a few readers express their growing interest in my OC Skyler. This makes me a very happy writer! But, as I said before, since he is an OC and not a central character from the original manga, I don't want him to be too much in the limelight. Every time I mention him, it's because I need him to help me further the story... and he's basically my favorite little cock tease. Gah! So adorable!

… *ahem* Anyway, there is currently a poll on my profile asking readers if they would read a spin-off of 'No Money, No Love', with Skyler and Homare as the central characters. It would start back with the mysterious night at Skyler's apartment and extend to what happens once NMNL ends. The poll will be left up for the next few months, possibly until I'm finished writing NMNL. Please vote if you would read it! Remember, it would really have hardly anything to do with the original Okane Ga Nai cast and made mostly up of OC's! Don't click 'yes' unless you really would read it!

Review Replies! *throws roses to the crowd* You're beautiful people! Just beautiful!

A Dangerous Notion: Oh, how I've missed you so! I really wish I could have given you the chapters before I posted them, but I just couldn't wait! I am super super happy to see that you still gave it a thumbs up. My absence was mainly due to really rethinking where I was going with this story. I have a much better sense now and am glad to be back!

NightingaleLost: Thanks for your adoration and praise! It brings warm fuzzies to me soul and eases the wrath of my inner fangirl! I LOVE Okane Ga Nai too, and also admit to reading everything out there. Unfortunately, it's still a lesser known fandom, but I see it growing more and more each day!

Sorry for the little mistakes. Would you believe me if I said it was all my computers fault? It's an ancient little thing that needs to be taken out back and introduced to my shotgun, just to be put out of its misery. Half of the keys stick and don't type right...

Heh, I promise a smut fic to the fan that buys me a new comp!

Onige-a: Congratulations for being the 100th reviewer! This makes No Money, No Love my top reviewed story! Keep on the look out for your special story with in the next few weeks! :3

Percygranger:Thanks for your review! And thanks for you input with Someya. I never thought of that before. When I started this story, I asked myself 'who could kick Kanou's ass into finally understanding he needs to treat Ayase better?', and I immediately thought of Someya. I am trying to make her a bit more supportive now that Kanou has stopped being an ass to her. Thanks again! I really appreciate it!

Kitty in the Box: Your review wins the 'one that made me laugh the most' award. Yay! Ayase cherries! *nom nom nom*

Irunia: Yeah, Ayase training. I'm really not going anywhere with that bit really. Mostly it was for insight to more of Skyler's character and background, as well as a little moral boost for Ayase. This chapter was pretty much all to progress Kanou actually...

Anyway, love the reviews! Keep reading and spreading the love! :D