A/N: Hello, this week's update for you. Thomas is huffy over his girl troubles, Haruto is looking for new projects now Shark and Kaito are together, Miki's back with her new soul and Shark and Kaito get a little bit mature (unexplicitly) before talking about dreams. A couple of new pics over on my oc picture tumblr (link on my profile) and more to come over the weekend. Thanks to the people who've been giving Between Worlds a try too. That'll get into a regular pattern of updates soon too. Ok, well, enjoy, review and brace for trouble next chapter, ok?
"So, Rio's really got someone else in mind?" Michael said quietly.
"I don't know," Thomas huffed.
Chris frowned. Thomas was actually holding onto his arm, dragging his feet and glaring at the ground. They'd left Kaito and Ryoga alone in the tower. Dr Faker was working, so he wasn't going to interrupt them, although they'd heard a warning about spot checks to make sure they were obeying the rules. Haruto was hanging onto Chris' other hand, looking rather conflicted.
"You are Rio would be a good couple," Haruto whispered.
"Thanks, kid," Thomas murmured. "But it's not going to happen."
"Yes it will," he said, shaking his head. "I'll make sure of it. You two are good together. I only pushed her towards Kaito because I thought he wasn't interested in Shark and she was the next best option for him. If this doesn't work out, we'll just swap you over and give that a try."
"That's not really how these things work, Haruto," Chris said gently.
"Sure it is."
They fell into silence and Chris squeezed Haruto's hand gently. He hoped Haruto was right. If he could get Thomas and Rio together like he did Ryoga and Kaito, perhaps they'd both be happier.
"What about Akina?" Haruto said after a few moments.
Thomas flinched and Chris glanced down. He'd been very fond of his little fan. Chris smiled slightly. He'd never been that fond of his fans, he found them overly clingy and annoying most the time, he didn't appreciate people digging their noses into his business, but he adored Akina.
"We'll find her," Thomas promised. "We will."
Haruto nodded and smiled up at him. Thomas did everything to the best of his abilities. He'd make sure he found Akina, Chris just hoped it was before it was too late and something awful happened. These hunters seemed far too troublesome and from what he'd heard, they weren't above using each other. He hoped she'd be ok. If anything happened to her it'd be another blow to Thomas, and probably Ryoga, and it'd tear Haruto apart.
Suddenly, Michael squeaked and he fell back to the pavement. Chris frowned and turned to find a young blonde girl scrambling off him, apologising over and over. She did look familiar. Thomas frowned and the girl smiled, offering Michael a hand.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry. Everyone always says I'm a clutz."
"It's fine, it's fine," Michael replied, smiling softly. She helped him up and Chris frowned. He was sure she was familiar. "I should have been looking where I was going. I'm sorry."
"Tomiko!" Haruto called, pulling out of Chris' hold and running over. Tomiko smiled softly and leant down, patting his head. "Where's Akina?"
"I don't know, sweetie, but we're looking," Tomiko replied. She flashed Chris and Thomas a smile. "How are the boys?"
"Getting there," Chris sighed. He glanced at the blonde. Miki, he supposed. Michael was smiling shyly and Miki was playing with the lace of her sleeve. "Oh, you won't have met our little brother Michael."
Michael turned away from Miki and smiled up Tomiko. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too," Tomiko said with a small smile. "I'm Tomiko. And this… is Miki."
"Hi," Miki said, glancing away.
"Hi," Michael said with a small smile. "We met at the tournament where Shark… It must be nearly two years ago. You had longer hair then."
"Oh…" She frowned and played with the tips of her hair. "That gives me an idea of when that happened at least." Chris frowned as Miki smiled awkwardly. "I don't remember much from the past few years. A lot of years, actually."
"She got her soul back then?" Chris murmured as Tomiko came over.
Haruto frowned but Tomiko nodded. "But she's lost her memories since her death. They've spent the past few days trying to bring her up to speed and stop her acting like a five year old. It wasn't easy, imagine going from a kid to a teen and not remembering any of it."
"Sounds tough," Thomas muttered. "She's getting on with Michael though."
"Yes," Chris said, nodding slightly. Michael was chatting quietly with Miki, who looked incredibly shy. Chris was sure, from everything he'd heard, she was a much tougher, more confident girl. She wasn't shy. "She's a different girl."
"Very," she sighed. "She lost all her duelling skills as well. She was never a very good duellist until she got her replacement soul."
Chris nodded. "Perhaps, we should go and have some coffee, since they're getting along so well."
Tomiko nodded and called to Miki and Michael. The pair of youngsters followed them along, Miki listening quietly as Michael told her all about archaeology and ancient times. And Miki just smiled and nodded. They wandered to a café and left the kids outside while they fetched drinks.
"What's wrong with Thomas?"
"Girl trouble," Chris said with a shrug.
"Oh?" she chuckled. "But he's a lovely boy. He has people all over him. Who would say no to him?"
"Rio," he replied. "Although, she didn't say no, just said she had someone else she was interested in."
"Poor baby," she teased.
She shook her head and they picked up their drinks, heading out to the kids. Michael was still chatting away and Miki was still smiling and nodding quietly while Haruto demanded attention from Thomas.
"How are you kids doing?" Chris said, setting down the drinks.
"All fine," Thomas grumbled. "As far as these things go."
"Don't you worry, Tommy," Tomiko chuckled, patting his head. "She'll come around, leave it to Haruto."
"I don't care," he said, shaking his head. "I don't care about her or her stupid crush and I'm not some stupid kid who's going to sit around moping over some stupid girl who thinks I have a stupid crush on her stupid brother."
Chris frowned and glanced at Tomiko, who just shrugged. "You and Ryoga are close, Thomas."
"I want to be with Rio," he hissed. "I really like her. I want to be with her. I really care about her and I like Ryoga too but I don't want to- I want to be with her."
"I'll sort it out," Haruto said, patting his arm. "It'd be easier with Akina…" He sighed and closed his eyes but Thomas patted his head. "I'll make sure you're happy, Thomas."
"Thanks, kid. I appreciate the effort."
"…and Thomas said I was just being stupid but he was being a bully." Thomas frowned and glared over at Michael as Miki nodded and Chris chuckled. "He used to steal my cards all the time, because he knew I could beat him, obviously."
Miki giggled softly and Haruto frowned, tugging on Chris' sleeve. "They're the same age right?"
"Yes," Chris said quietly. Haruto smiled slightly. "Haruto, what are you up to?"
"Nothing," Haruto laughed. "Nothing at all."
Chris frowned and raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more. Haruto was an unbelievably smart child. He knew what he was doing and nothing anyone said would change his mind. Whatever he was up to, there was no stopping him until he figured out it was useless or he got his way.
They should have been talking. They should have been figuring things out. But neither of them really seemed to be thinking about that. Kaito was too enchanted by Ryoga's soft groans and whimpers to think about talking sensibly. His arms were wrapped tightly around Ryoga's body, brushing his bruises softly to make him gasp and whimper. Ryoga had promised to tell him if it became too much but Ryoga never gave any sign that it was anything he wasn't used to.
Kaito kissed softly down his neck and Ryoga gripped his hands against his chest, gasping slightly. He finally had Ryoga all to himself. Even if they were bound by all these rules and regulations, having Ryoga in his arms was the most heavenly thing. He'd waited so long just to be able to hold him like this and now there was nothing going to come between them. His hand slid up Ryoga's chest slowly, under his shirt and slowly moved the fabric away. It fell away into a heap on the ground and Kaito lowered Ryoga to his bed.
Normally, he'd expect more fight from the younger boy but he was in such a state. He just needed comfort and tender care to calm him and bring back his normal temperament. Kaito smiled, climbing up onto the bed with him only to be pulled down into a rough kiss then shoved off to the side. Moments later, Ryoga was sitting over his hips, grinning down at him.
"What are you up to?" Kaito murmured, reaching out and lying his hands on Ryoga's thighs. He seemed to be getting his confidence back. "You should be letting me look after you."
"I've been pampered and babied for long enough," Ryoga purred, leaning down over him, unbuttoning his coat as he went. "I want to have some fun."
"You mean letting me look after you isn't fun?"
Ryoga opened his mouth to answer but was cute off by his ringtone. He scowled and climbed off of Kaito's lap, searching out his shirt and picking up his D-Gazer. A forced smile appeared and Kaito sighed, relaxing into the pillows and Ryoga laid his head on his chest before answering.
"Mother?"
"I just wanted to check on you," Ami said. "You've got the medicine the doctors can you?"
"Yes," Ryoga replied, rolling his head. "I've got everything. You don't have to worry."
"And you're not doing too much?"
"Completely relaxed, Mother."
Kaito smirked to himself and wrapped his arms around Ryoga, pulling him closer. Ryoga gave him a discreet warning glare and Kaito just smiled back before sliding his hands down to give his rear a firm squeeze.
"Ryoga?" Ami snapped, obviously noticing his distraction. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing," he replied through his teeth. Kaito ignored the situation and turned his attention to playing with Ryoga's waistband, slipping his fingers under to stroke his soft skin. "Just can't get comfortable, that's all."
He moved out of Kaito's hold and rolled onto his back as his mother snapped at him. "Ryoga. What are you doing? Are you causing trouble?"
"No," he argued. "It's just, it's weird being in a bed that's not mine. It's hard to get comfortable."
"Hmm." She obviously wasn't buying it Kaito really couldn't resist working Ryoga up. He shifted over Ryoga, making sure to stay out of sight of the screen and flashed a smirk, receiving another warning glare and even a nudge with Ryoga's leg just to make sure he got the message. "I worry about you darling."
Ryoga wasn't about to put Kaito off though. Ryoga was watching him warily as Kaito climbed over his legs, trying to focus on his mother at the same time. "I'm fine, I swear. I'll look after myself and-" Kaito leant down and kissed his exposed stomach softly, chuckling as Ryoga stiffened. "-I'll be home as soon as he accepts I won't leave Kaito, no matter how annoying he is sometimes."
Well, Kaito wasn't going to stand for that. His hands slid to Ryoga's hips, his fingers sliding under his waistband once more as he stroked the sensitive skin teasingly, loving the shiver he felt pass through him.
"Ryoga, you're shivering, are you alright?" she snapped. "Are you in bed?"
"Yes," he said, arching up to Kaito's touch.
"I don't believe you," she said. Ryoga shot him a glare and reached down, attempting to swat him away but Kaito quickly caught his hand and pinned it to the mattress, giving his hip a squeeze and biting back a laugh at the way Ryoga bucked his hips to his touch and almost groaned. "And now you're going red. Have you got a fever? Are you feeling hot?"
Ryoga gave a groan, possibly at her unfortunate choice of words and possibly because Kaito chose that moment to return his attention to kissing over Ryoga's chest. "A-a little…"
"Are you definitely in bed?"
"Yes," he groaned, twisting slightly in a pathetic attempt to get Kaito off. "Definitely."
"Who's bed?" Kaito moved his hand slowly from Ryoga's hip, running his fingers slowly over his inner thigh. He whined softly and Kaito heard Ami's noise of disapproval. "Ryoga!"
"It's nothing," Ryoga groaned. Kaito smirked and his fingers brushed between Ryoga's legs and the younger boy tossed his head, letting out a soft mewl. "Kaito…"
"Ryoga, what are you up to?" Ami snapped. "Are you with Kaito?"
"Little bit."
"Ryoga-"
"I'm keeping him in bed," Kaito called, forcing another whine from Ryoga. "And I'm looking after him."
"Kaito," he hissed.
"Kaito," Ami snapped. "What are you up to where I can't see you?"
"Looking after your baby boy," Kaito replied, kissing slowly down his chest. "Don't worry, he's in good hands."
"You are so embarrassing," Ryoga snapped but Kaito flashed a small and moved his hand to get a soft moan. "Can't you at least wait until I'm done?"
"Alright," he chuckled. He moved up over him and kissed his jaw softly, catching Ryoga's hand and pushing it away, slowly taking the D-Gazer and glancing up at Ami's image. "Sorry, Dr Ami."
"Kaito," she said, glaring at him. "What are-"
"He'll call you later," he said.
Before either could argue, he hung up and Ryoga dropped the D-Gazer with argument, letting Kaito pull him up into a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms tightly around Kaito's shoulders, pushing against him and Katio smirked slightly. He didn't want to be babied by his mother. She'd barely been gone half an hour.
"Kaito," he groaned, bucking his hips against Kaito's, making him hiss softly. "You don't get to tease me then not finish the job."
"Don't you worry, little Shark," Kaito teased, kissing his nose softly. "I won't disappoint you."
"I'll hold you to that." Kaito smirked and kissed his lips once more before climbing off of him and sitting against the headboard. Ryoga scowled and glared up at him. "What? You can't keep your hands off me when I'm trying to talk to my mother but now you're not interested?"
"Of course I'm interested." He pulled Ryoga up so he was sitting on his lap, kissing his jaw again. "I could never not be interested in you."
"Is that so?" Ryoga murmured, tipping Kaito's head up. "Then what are you up to?"
"Ah, the fun is in keeping you guessing."
"You're so cruel."
"You deserve it." He slid hand between Ryoga's legs once more, teasing him softly and holding his arms to his sides to stop him squirming. "It's nice to finally have you all to myself. I was starting to think Thomas was becoming a permanent fixture in our relationship."
"I can't tell if you're cute or annoying when you're jealous," Ryoga groaned.
"I'm not cute," Kaito grumbled, forcing a loud moan from him. "And you were so jealous over Thomas kissing me."
"Yeah…" He was panting softly, leaning on his shoulder and closing his eyes. "But in retrospect… pretty hot…"
Kaito glared down at him, squeezing his arm around him. He was probably just teasing him but Kaito wasn't sure how to take it. "If you're still thinking about him like that, perhaps I'm being too gentle with you."
Ryoga groaned and Kaito smirked. Finally having Ryoga moaning was like a dream come true. There had been so many times when he'd thought things were never going to work out, that he'd never be able to have Ryoga the way he wanted him. But finally things had worked out. He closed his eyes, burying his head in Ryoga's neck, kissing softly and listening to Ryoga's pants and moans. It wasn't long before Ryoga shuddered and jerked, moaning deeply. Kaito smirked, opening his eyes and gazing up at him.
"Feel good?" he murmured. Ryoga nodded, leaning heavily against him and struggling to regain his breath. "I don't think these courtship rules are going to be any problem."
"Yeah… me too…"
Kaito smiled and kissed the top of his head. "I'm so glad we finally got here. I thought we were through a couple of times there."
"Me too." His eyes closed slowly and Kaito held him gently, stroking his hair softly. He was so beautiful and so loving. How did his parents not see how incredible he was? "I'm sorry, I must have scared you back then."
"A little," Kaito murmured. "I honestly thought you were going to let me walk away." Ryoga smiled softly and nodded. "I'm glad you didn't. What changed you mind?"
"Rio…"
"I thought-"
"Last night, she told me not to let you go," Ryoga said, cracking his eyes open. "She said if I just I let you walk away, I was an idiot and she'd never be able to look at me the same again. She said if I let them bully me out of being happy with you, I was a fool."
"I'm glad she did." Ryoga nodded again. "I… When you asked me about that dream… When you were in the hospital, Shark Drake got inside my head and I had this terrible dream about you." Ryoga frowned and sat back slowly, gazing up at him. "You were there chained up with Ken and Nightmare Shark. And Shark Drake dealt with Nightmare Shark and we were left alone and… when towards the end of the dream, you said that exact same thing to me. That I made you happier than anything ever had."
Ryoga stared at him and Kaito frowned. "You told me how much you wanted me."
"How do you-"
"You told me you wanted me in terrible, sinful ways," Ryoga purred, leaning up so they were nose to nose. "You wanted to be with me because no boy my age should be allowed to be so appealing." He smirked and kissed him softly. "I guess Shark Drake wanted us to be together."
"When Shark Drake appeared, he inspected me before agreeing to duel at my side. He wanted to make sure I genuinely cared about you."
"Yeah, how about you leave hunting the hunters to me from now on, huh? If I'm going to be in hospital, I'd prefer it was my own stupidity that put me there."
In the Next Chapter:
Misery
