Series: Weiß Kreuz
Pairing: Fujimiya Ran + Hidaka Ken
Status: one-shot, completed
Rating: G
Warning: it *maybe* a death-fic, heavy angst, shounen-ai
Notes: The story starts with the end of the Gluhen series. The end is indefinite, so it's up to readers whether or not I continue this. XD Enjoy reading! Please R&R.
Soft colors faded from dull to ultimate grey. In the great city of New York, when snow fell into late spring, it seemed like an ill omen to some. Busily minding their own business, citizens and tourists alike rushed past the lone man in a trenchcoat, slumped awkwardly against a cold mailbox and slipping downwards onto the well-traveled sidewalk. He didn't feel neglected, no, but maybe a little lonely. He had said his goodbyes already, although not all of them. There was no way he could to Youji, who had lost his memories finally, and for that he was glad. The man had longed to forget his past anyway, so that he could move on and live again. Ran didn't regret not saying goodbye to him, but there was one person he really wished he could've properly bid farewell. It was too late now, as Ran remembered their last moments together.
-----
"Are you sure about this?"
"Aa, yeah..."
"If it's what you want, I've already talked to Omi, no, Persia about the arrangement."
"Thank you, Aya."
A plane took off, and another announcement was made on the overhead speakers. Businessmen and travelers bustled around the two men standing no less than a foot apart. Some were annoyed at the unmoved figures that stared at each other in silence but made no remark to ask them to move away from the walkway.
"Last call for flight NH3 for New York, now boarding at gate 23," the announcer called then repeated the message in English. Even with so much white noise, the announcement rang loud and clear. The time had come, and he had to leave.
"If you ever change your mind, Persia can tell you where I'll be... waiting," his last word was barely a whisper. He made a last effort to smile, but his lips didn't follow through. Holding out a calm expression, Ran watched his friend for one last second. Ken was staring somewhere else, and Ran didn't know if he had even heard his words. Turning around and walking away now was the hardest thing he had to do. He didn't wait for Ken's response, because there was none. A sorrowful heaviness lodged in his throat as he walked through the gate after handing in his boarding pass, and he kept walking.
No more turning back, he told himself; none of them could. Ken knew he had to face his demons and chose time in prison to think, and he himself was going to move out of Japan and start a new life. He wasn't running away, no, he had taken care of all the loose ends in this life, and it was time to move on. Even with his bloodstained hands, he wanted to continue living. If by some chance that Ken would join him, he would be happy for the company. Never before could he admit to such a thing, because he had been so focused on his sister, but he was leaving everything behind now. Ken would never know though, and now that it was too late, he wished he could've told him.
For a year he waited and kept minimal contact with Persia, who was always pleased to hear from him, but there was no word from Ken. It seemed that he was still in prison and even enjoying himself, how anyone could do so remained a mystery. Another month passsed and Ran found himself seeing Ken frequently in his dreams. Everyday he awoke, he would walk around his apartment, wondering if Ken was really there, and everytime he would find himself alone again. It wasn't the company he wanted, he realized, but just Ken. For a long time, he knew Ken harboured affections for him, but he didn't want to face it back then, nor did he give him the chance. Aya was his only remaining family and the most important person in his life, so he had to put himself and those around him aside for the sake of rescuing her. After she was recovered and safe, Ran found himself too immersed in blood to return to his innocent and beloved sister. The next generation of Weiss he had taken care of although he had failed the two younger members, and his previous teammates had found their paths finally, yet he found himself longing for the past. Continuing the bloodshed without his friends, the life of ever-increasing desensitization to killing was a hard and lonely road. Thoughts of Ken crossed his mind everytime he killed, and if Ken ever knew he was associated with such atrocities, he would be sad, but he couldn't help it. It occured to him that the reason Ken didn't leave Weiss early on was not only because of him but also because of the burden of knowing that he couldn't start a new life once he had started killing. Only now did Ran really feel the full pressure that Ken suppressed with a grin, until the weight finally tipped him towards a murderous insanity. The companion who clung onto his sanity for dear life, the friend who wanted desperately to share his feelings with him, but Ran was too distracted to really care. Ken always put other people's problems ahead of his own, and sadly, Ran didn't realize until now.
So he waited. Time passed indefinitely and it seemed that he was never going to see Ken again. Bit by bit, the reality sunk in and Ran carried on his life numbly. He bottled up his emotions so he wouldn't have to feel the pain of feeling lost in a foreign city without a goal in life.
Then the snow fell again. It was the second time it started snowing since he moved to New York. It snowed for so long that it became easier to numb his mind. Within the underground circles, he knew he had made quite a few enemies, but he took care of the necessary threats. Ironically, it was a common street thief who stabbed him on a snowy spring day.
Perhaps he deserved it, and he was paying for all the lives he took. Thoughts of his friends formed in his mind as his eyes gave into weariness. He could see the four of them outside on a sunny day on a grassy hilltop, looking out at the city not so far away. He listened to his friends laughing and talking about the future as he thought to himself in silence. The time he was thinking about was real; it was before the second wave of Weiss was in order, and he remembered that he never answered their question. He mumbled his answer to his friends' question long ago, for what it was worth, and the world darkened around him. Blinking his eyes open despite the pain and weight that was rapidly draining his life away, Youji and Omi became a distant memory in his mind, and it was only Ken he wanted to see again.
"You said you'd wait damnit, Aya don't you leave me now!"
A faint and distant voice called to him. Maybe he imagined it, because he had beeng longing to hear his voice for so long. Strong warm arms cradled his limp body, and even though he couldn't open his eyes anymore, he still had some breath left.
I never told you, Ken, but I always wanted to go away with you. Even if we cannot leave this damned way of life, if we go on together, we'll survive. I just wanted you to know.
Series: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Pairings: Tenma + Yorihisa, Inori + Shimon
Status: one-shot, reedited for errors and finished
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: *major* OOC-ness, slash (but not yaoi)
Notes: Write you a HaruToki fic? Mondainai, quoth the Yasuaki. XD
"Ga-game, ch-character?"
The boy with the blond head of hair nodded, sitting on the floor across from the redhead.
"Game, char-character?"
The blond head bobbed twice.
"I don't get it. Games have characters?"
The bobbing head slumped forward and a slightly downcasted sigh befell the boy. His confused friend frowned impatiently and threw his hands up in the air.
-----
"Oi, Yorihisa!"
Somewhere deep in the forest, Tenma and Yorihisa were walking about looking for their missing miko. The day had reached high noon, and they had been searching since daybreak. Ever since Akane had gone missing, the eight Hachiyou were worried sick. Everyday, Tomomasa and Takamichi would contact officials to dispatch searches in the main provinces, Eisen had his duties and Yasuaki was to watch over and help him out, Inori and Shimon would stay back at the temple in hopes that the miko would return, and Tenma and Yorihisa would volunteer to search more dangerous territories like the forest. Because they weren't sure if Akram was behind Akane's disappearance, they didn't want to jump to conclusions either. Perhaps she had found a way to get back to modern Japan and didn't want to come back. However, Tenma and Shimon didn't want to entertain the idea that she would leave them behind.
"Shh, Tenma."
"Nande... did you see something?"
"I hear something," the samurai looked highly observant, standing still and staring out into the forest a couple of paces behind Tenma.
"And.....???" Tenma's forehead creased in anticipation.
"Nothing," Yorihisa finally responded after a moment of silence between them, easing his hand off the hilt of his sword and walked towards Tenma with his head slightly bowed. The birds were chirping so carefree that there couldn't have been a threat lurking out there.
"Well hurry up then!" the redhead tapped his foot impatiently, his hands placed above the folds of his jacket draping loosely about his hips."We're never going to reach our destination at this rate."
The long-haired man didn't say anything but quickened his pace to catch up with the boy, no, younger man ahead of him. Tenma's back was constantly moving, even moreso than the temperamental Inori.
-----
"I don't care anymore! I don't want to play!" Inori shouted and fell flat on his back with his arms folded behind his head. "I don't get why you insist on playing this character game when we could be outside and looking for Akane instead, or something."
"Because Tenma-senpai and Yorihisa-san told us to stay here in case Akane comes back here."
"So why not outside?"
"Because it's hot..." the blonde pouted, his large blue-eyes quivering.
Inori watched his friend's face carefully from his slanted angle on the floor and made a face at Shimon's meek reply. He couldn't go against that face. Even Inori had to admit that the oni-looking boy was as cute as one of the little kids he looked after from time to time in his village, if not cuter even. Shimon's face brightened when he saw Inori look away and mutter something incoherent.
-----
"Wait."
"What now," Tenma grumbled and turned around, only to see that the distance between him and Yorihisa had grown again. "Do you hear something?"
The samurai shook his head and gazed sternly at Tenma. "Why don't we stop here for now?" he implored in a quiet tone.
"Here? Are you sure?" the redhead walked over to Yorihisa and did a full view of their surroundings before quirking an eyebrow at his friend.
"It's safe here..." the taller man's gaze fell to a nearby tree, and he unsheathed his katana to clear a bit of shrubbery into the density of the forest.
The younger man grinned and followed.
-----
"Ne ne, Inori-kun, tell me about your family," he piped cheerfully, because he remembered the last time Inori seemed really happy.
Happy thoughts and memories seemed to pass over Inori's eyes, and the redhead smiled and replied an affirmative "Mm" to Shimon. "Ah, there's only my older sister. The kids from my village are like my siblings though, they're a troublesome bunch - you've met them. But they're so sweet and good to me because they know how much I care about them."
The blond boy nodded fervently, resounding "Mm, mm"'s as Inori spoke lovingly about the people close to him and smiling brightly as to see Inori getting happily fired up about something.
"I wish they could come by more often, but it's dangerous around here," Inori's tone sounding more serious and contemplative now, as Shimon could almost watch the other boy's thought process floating above the red jewel so strategically placed smack in the middle of Inori's forehead. Almost randomly, the blond started laughing quietly.
"Eh~?" the redhead stopped when he heard Shimon laugh that sounded like a chime.
"Oh, nothing," Shimon replied, trying to cover for his unexplanable fit of giggles.
Inori sat up and hovered forward over his knees, peering closely at the boy sitting opposite him. There were many occasions in which Shimon would get emotional easily, and perhaps he was just feeling happy for the sake of it. But he had never peered so closely before. His eyes were so... big up close, larger, that is.
-----
"I think this is a good place to rest," Yorihisa glanced around a few times, sounding more like he was assuring himself than his companion.
"Oi Yorihisa, I didn't think you had it in you," Tenma spoke in a deeper tone as he edged closer to the older man, trying to gain his eye contact. It took a few moments of staring and gentle cornering into a tree before Yorihisa's attention was on the redhead.
With his back pressed against a tree and Tenma's body even closer to his body, Yorihisa's gaze wavered between Tenma's eyes and their surroundings. His senses were alert, and he was listening for any signs of abnormality in the forest as well as Tenma's steady breathing.
"Hey, you said we'd be safe here, stop that."
"Hai.." the taller man humbled to other as his neck tickled from Tenma's short orange hair brushing lightly against his skin. "Tenma..." The name escaped his lips as the younger man's arms encircled his waist and he felt feathery kisses planted on his neck.
He grinned and lifted his head to look up at Yorihisa's flushed cheeks. Tiptoeing slightly, he pulled the taller man down into a deep kiss, his hands tangling in the long blue hair that was tied up with a simple white ribbon. After pulling the white strand loose and letting Yorihisa's hair fall over the back of his hand, Tenma's fingers swept down over the nape of his neck and massaged for a bit, only increasing the heat on Yorihisa's face. Never once could he get enough of the ever increasing tension from the older man each time, but instead he would become more and more interested. Yorihisa's arousal always increased steadily, nor did he ever seemed less interested, and Tenma enjoyed the thought that he could always get his samurai to respond like so to his touch.
-----
Upon the close proximity of Inori, Shimon's laughter faded, only to be replaced with a shy blush across his pale complexion. What was this weird feeling he was getting? Bright blue eyes blinked open and close, seeing if the illusion of Inori's bright orange ones so closely would disappear, but it appeared to be a constant reality. He could feel a hot and heavy breath on his lips, and he was beginning to feel faint.
It wasn't that he intended on making Shimon uncomfortable, but Inori was beginning to feel slightly uneasy himself. When he tried to back away, his hands accidentally slipped on his long sleeves and he fell forward instead, pushing the blonde down with him.
A squeak of an "itai," was all the boy could make, because of the soft thud that sounded from his back colliding into the floor behind him, but his attention was quickly shifted to the fact that Inori's face was pressed flat against his own. Cheeks flaring up and eyes widened to their full size, he stared as Inori's eyes open.
"K'so," the redhead mumbled, trying to push himself up and off the... soft thing on the floor, but ended up slipping on his sleeves again as the floor was rather slippery. This time when he landed again with an "oomph," he didn't bother to move as hastily. It was then he noticed that the still thing under him was Shimon.
"A-re? Gomen." Inori didn't know what to make of this. To say it was very awkward would be an understatement.
"Da-daijoubu deska?" the blushing boy inquired timidly, to which the other nodded firmly.
"Yeah, sorry about that.."
Shimon didn't know whether to push Inori away or just wait for Inori to pick himself up, and Inori didn't know if he wanted to get up anymore. Just because he was young didn't mean he wasn't capable of admiring a certain cute friend of his, who happened to be trapped under him at the moment. Even if it was a bit unusual for him, he found himself more and more reluctant to further their distance as the moments of silence between them increased.
-----
"Hey."
A muffled reply came from below as the man below was busy trailing kisses and removing the many layers of clothing off him.
"I think we should keep looking for miko-dono."
"Hey you're the one who suggested we take a rest here," was the impatient reply. Tenma stopped tugging at Yorihisa's clothes and frowned up at the samurai.
"Mmph, why did you stop.."
A predatory grin spread across Tenma's face as he resumed his handiwork. "I thought so."
Yorihisa shuddered and his eyes fluttered close. There were few times he would get so distracted, and this was certainly one of those times. Looking for their miko was important, but this - this was something else.
A strong grip on Yorihisa's hips pulled them both onto the forest floor. Hidden under most of the foliage now, Tenma felt like he had the liberty to rest fully, or fully revitalize himself anyway. With most of the Yorihisa's clothes undone and draping loosely about his body, Tenma kneeled in between his thighs and pulled his shirt over his head before discarding it on the ground next to him.
The sight of Tenma's bare chest wasn't unusual, as the man normally takes his shirt off during heavier fighting situations anyway, but Yorihisa realized he couldn't help licking his lips. And as if Tenma was watching carefully, the younger man leaned in and flicked the protruding tip of his tongue with his own.
-----
"Ah, Inori-kun?" Shimon's face was still flushed with a shade of rose.
"Hm?"
"Can you get off me?"
"Do you want me to go away?"
"A-actually... not really."
Silence overcame the boys again.
"Can I.. can I..." Inori's words stopped short of breath, as he found himself breathing quicker and quicker from gazing into Shimon's eyes of ocean blue.
"Nn," was the soft reply.
"Can I..."
-----
It might seem like a game to Tenma, but it was more than that to Yorihisa. Every intimate encounter they had, the samurai took on as a challenge. What the younger man did wasn't always certain, and Yorihisa took it to heart to try and prepare himself for every one of Tenma's moves. However, after countless battles, he was still undertrained.
"You seem distracted today," golden eyes observed and Tenma stopped teasing Yorihisa's lips.
"Ah, gomennasai," he lowered his head sightly, his hair falling over his shoulders and hiding the sides of his face, to which Tenma responded with a smile.
"You don't have to be, silly," he said with a small laugh as he cupped Yorihisa's chin in his hands and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Leaning in closer and one hand cupping the back of his head, Tenma pressed the samurai into the tree and his other hand wandered down south.
A pleased groan escaped Tenma's throat while their lips were still locked. Yorihisa had taken off his gloves without him noticing, and his strong yet delicate fingers were tracing his chest, then rubbing his sides with his thumb stopping occasionally to massage his nipples.
This time, Yorihisa didn't take an entirely submissive role.
-----
Honestly, he had never kissed anybody before except for goodnight kisses for the little ones when they were under his care, and he didn't really know what to do. He had seen Tomomasa and Takamichi kiss before, unintentionally and undetected usually, but he didn't really think that he would ever find himself in the position to kiss anyone, until now.
Surprisingly, Shimon reached around Inori's back to hold him closer, as if their bodies weren't pressed already. One pair of soft pink lips pressed against another, and both with eyes wide open, the two boys' breathing nearly stopped for the time being. Shimon had never kissed anyone before either, so this was new to him too.
Inori thought back on what he saw between Tomomasa and Takamichi. There was no way he would think of going to the extent the two older men did things, but curiousity got the better of him and he wondered if he could do something like that too. Slowly, he closed his eyes and parted his lips. And as if by instinct, his tongue slipped past Shimon's willing lips.
Closing his eyes too, Shimon felt his senses heighten. The wonderful new sensation he was feeling was strange but too interesting to stop. The presence of a foreign tongue in his mouth was weird, but he welcomed it. It was like Inori was swirling around in his mouth, and it tickled. By meeting Inori's tongue with his own, an electric wave seemed to pass between the two and they moaned simultaneously. The sounds reached their ears and made them consciously aware of how weird it was, but neither of them wanted to stop. Their desire to further explore their newfound sensations increased.
-----
Somewhere else in the temple, Tomomasa and Takamichi were attending to a quiet afternoon of tea. The past few days were interestingly quiet as Tenma was off with Yorihisa everyday in the forest and Inori and Shimon would occupy the outer rooms of the premises. In between sips of tea, Takamichi would catch glimpses of mischief in his lover's eyes.
"Don't you think it's been long enough?" Tomomasa spoke up, setting down his empty teacup.
"It's up to our miko," Takamichi responded, refilling the other man's cup.
"Hai, hai," he smirked and watched his dear wife's every move.
"Besides, she thinks we'll appreciate the time we have to ourselves as well as for them too. Who else would've known that Yorihisa and Tenma needed some bonding time alone?"
"I did, too," Tomomasa laughed. "And Yorihisa hasn't told us to stop this yet, so I guess he's enjoying this as much." A twinkle in his eye made Takamichi laugh. "So, how about some bonding time for us before we go pay miko a visit in the village?"
"And I actually thought you wanted some quiet tea time for once."
Footnote: OWARI~~~! How OOC is this? ::laughs:: Hope you enjoyed this, because I have no idea what it's all about. I reedited and fixed plot errors, hopefully I caught them all.
FOREWORD: This is an ongoing fanfic. To start reading from the beginning, click here.
Series: Final Fantasy VIII (8)
Pairing: Zell Dincht & Squall Leonhart
Theme: 30 Kisses #24 - Good night
Status: part 3 and ongoing
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Search keyword: ff8_where_i_belong
Notes: Not much to say except that it's short. Just an end-of-the-day wrap-up for the boys.
Dinner was short and quiet. The pub was small, and there were only two other tables of customers besides the boys. Squall acted like everything was normal, being his usual self, and Zell being fidgety as usual, glancing between the bouquet on the chair between them and Squall. Nothing unusual.
Except that Zell didn't say much either.
Was he going crazy or was Squall incapable of showing emotions to anybody but Rinoa? Was he imagining things when he felt Squall's lips graze his own? Maybe, he told himself quietly and fidgeted some more. Did Squall notice?
What had come over him? Flowers from fawning girls was one thing, but flowers from Zell? For the past few hours, his whole friendship seemed to turn upside down. Not only that, but somehow the bouquet elicited a strange response from within - he kissed Zell, voluntarily. Zell, not Rinoa, but Zell. Would that be considered cheating on Rinoa? Most definitely, a voice inside his head said. It also said to pretend it never happened. Whether Zell would understand was another thing, but did he himself understand? In contemplative thought, Squall resumed his usual thoughtful demeanor and ate dinner peacefully.
The bill quickly taken care of by Zell and his change, and the duo headed back to their temporary abode for the night. The sun had settled beneath the horizon and a floral fragrance lingered about the crisp night air. Bouquet in hand, Squall stepped inside first. Eyes on Squall, Zell followed.
Then he couldn't take it anymore.
"Squall," Zell said, turning around halfway up the stairs. Squall, who had sat down on the couch, looked up inquisitively, but he didn't respond. Zell quickly eyed the bouquet Squall had placed on the kitchen counter. "Uh... good night."
With that, Zell retreated to the room upstairs, leaving Squall's gaze fixated at the point where Zell vanished. He felt cold and uneasy, but why? He was Squall, and he had a girlfriend by the name of Rinoa, who happened to be beautiful in his eyes. She was talkative, funny, and a bit lightheaded, but all-round sincere. And on top of that, she loved him. So why was he feeling queasy thinking about Zell? In the same day, he had been kissed and kissed the guy, and somehow, he wasn't disgusted, granted that he initiated the second kiss. Something was weird and he couldn't figure out why. He concluded that he was tired, and that the five-hour drive had exhausted him both mentally and physically.
Alone again, the blonde sat down heavily on the cushiony bed. Sir Laguna's room felt very homey for the boy, but it still felt foreign. Unlike Squall, Zell preferred company to solitude, unless he had a bad mood to work off. It was still relatively early in the night, but Zell felt just as tired as Squall. He would just have to wake up early the next day and maybe find a few monsters to fight before a morning shower, he planned as he took off his shoes. The bed was so inviting, albeit an invitation to another night of solitude. Pulling the pillow out from under the covers, the boy began to drift to sleep laying on top of the sheets, snuggling into the soft white pillowcase.
"Good night, Squall," he murmured softly and absentmindedly nuzzled the pillow, kissing it sleepily before falling out of consciousness.
Standing outside the ajar door and with a towel in hand, Squall gazed at the sleeping chocobo. "Good night, Zell," he whispered, shutting the door, then headed to the bathroom.