Part 1

*

 He ran.  Just running, hoping his feet would carry him somewhere, somewhere safe.  The tears ran down his face, mixing with the crimson blood.  The cold wind bit at his skin, exposed through the ripped clothes.  His vision blurred, but he saw a building.  It was familiar… why?  A familiar car pulled up there and he tried running toward it.  A figure came out, called for him, and then everything went black.

 *

 Stings… Toshiya touched the area right below his eye and cringed at the sting of the cut.  "Ow…" He opened his eyes to a dark room.  An unfamiliar room.  He wanted to sit up, but there was something resting on his chest.  Kaoru… He smiled, and winced at the pain of that action.   He took his hand away from his face and placed it on top of Kaoru's head, wrapping the pink hair in his fingers.

 *

 Kaoru woke up feeling fingers entwined in his hair.  He reached up and removed the hand as he sat up, cracking his back.  He gazed at the sleeping bassist before going to the restroom.  When he got out he went to the kitchen to make breakfast.  He made a lot of simple things to make up for his lack of cooking skills in the elaborate sense, and put them on a tray.  Bringing it into the bedroom, he saw Toshiya with his eyes open, looking distant.  "Ohayo."

 "Hi."  No change.

 "I made you breakfast.   I hope you feel like it.  I would've had something better, but, your visit was unexpected, ne?"

 Toshiya nodded.  "Arigato."

 They ate in silence and when they were finished, Kaoru put everything away.  He sat on the bed and examined Toshiya's wounds.  The broken lip, the cut under the eye, the bruise on his cheek, the arm with the redness of a hand still, and multiple small scratches (that had bits of pavement in them the night before).  Kaoru had cleaned Toshiya pretty well the night before, and every moment was thinking of how much he wanted to kill anyone that had done this to him.

 "Kaoru… how'd I get here?"

 "What's the last thing you remember?"

 Toshiya thought.  "Running… apartments… car... someone calling for me… it… it's blank from there."

 Kaoru nodded.  "Well, the apartments were these, the car was mine, and I called out for you.  You collapsed and I brought you up here, cleaning your wounds and changing your clothes."  Kaoru brushed Toshiya's hair out of his face.  "Whatever happened must've been horrible…" Toshiya's face went painful, "so, I'm not going to ask what happened, but, if you ever want to talk to anyone about it, I'll be here."

 Toshiya nodded as tears filled his eyes and he hugged Kaoru, sobbing into his shoulder.  Kaoru held him close and stroked his hair as he rubbed his back, trying to soothe Toshiya.

 *

 "Hey, Totchi, let's go for ice cream!"  Kaoru popped his head into his room where Toshiya was reading a magazine.

 Toshiya smiled.  "Okay.  What gave you that idea?"  He got off the bed and latched onto Kaoru's arm.

 "I saw commercial after commercial with ice cream in it."  He grinned.  (And I keep on seeing the Pizza Hut New Yorker ones…mmm… -K).

 Toshiya giggled.  "Kawaii…"

 Kaoru stuck his tongue out.   They went to a small ice cream store and Toshiya, feeling childish, got Rainbow Sherbet with gummi bears, whipped cream, and a cherry (I'm sooo hungry, can't you tell? –K) while Kaoru simply got a hot fudge sundae.

 Kaoru smiled while watching Toshiya.  The bruise was almost completely one, the cut below his eye had healed, and his lip was just a bit swollen now.  Toshiya got some whipped cream on his upper lip so Kaoru swept it up with his finger.  "Want it?"  Kaoru smiled.

 "Of course!"  Toshiya exclaimed, grabbing Kaoru's finger and sticking it in his mouth.  He sucked on it until all the whipped cream was off.  When Toshiya realized what he was doing, he blushed, releasing Kaoru's finger and starring at his ice cream as he ate in silence.

 *

 "Kaoru…" Toshiya's voice came next to Kaoru's side.

 Kaoru opened his eyes.  "Nani?"

 "I feel so bad that you have to sleep on the couch while I get the bed.  This is your place.  You use the bed."

 Kaoru shook his head.  "Iie.  You're the guest, you use it."

 "No… you use it."   Toshiya laid down on the floor.  "Oyasumi."

 Kaoru sighed and got up, pulling Toshiya off of the floor.  "Come on."

 "No."

 "If I go on it too, will you sleep on the bed?"  Kaoru spoke as though he was talking to a young child.

 Toshiya gave up.  "Okay."

 They got into the bed and Kaoru held Toshiya tightly.  "So you don't go off and sleep on the couch," he explained.

 Toshiya stuck out his tongue.   "Stubborn."

 "Ne, you keep sticking that out.  Shouldn't stick it out unless you plan on doing something with it."

 "Like…?"

 Kaoru blushed, but it was too dark for Toshiya to see.  "I don't know!  Think of something!"

 "Anything?"

 "Sure.  Let's see what it can do."

 "Okay."  Toshiya pressed his lips to Kaoru and immediately his tongue broke through Kaoru's lips.  Kaoru moaned and pressed Toshiya closed to himself.  When it broke off, Toshiya sighed.  "Kaoru…"

 "Toshiya… can that tongue do anything else?"

 Toshiya gasped and tried to pull away.  "No…" he whispered dryly, shaking his head as tears filled his eyes.

 Kaoru held onto Toshiya tighter.   "Totchi?  Totchi!  What's wrong?"

 Toshiya snapped back.  "Kaoru…" he was trembling, but instead of trying to pull away, he was hugging Kaoru, crying into his chest.  "Thank God it's you… thank God…"

 *

 Toshiya woke up in the middle of the night, gazing sadly at Kaoru's face and brushing the pink hair away softly.   He quietly got up and walked to the kitchen, pouring himself some water and sitting with it, tracing his finger along the rim.

 He could see a faint reflection of himself in the glass, his physical wound were gone, but the emotional ones.  Toshiya shuddered, remembering.  "Kaoru…"

 *

 Toshiya clutched onto Kaoru's arm as the vampire broke through the window and attacked the unsuspecting girl.   Kaoru laughed at the bassist.  "You afraid he's gonna come out of the TV at you?"   Kaoru grinned.  "You should be more afraid of me!"  Kaoru pushed Toshiya down onto the couch and held him down, going for Toshiya's neck.

 Toshiya tensed again, looking scared.  He stopped breathing.

 Kaoru pulled back, releasing Toshiya.  "Totchi?"   No response, so Kaoru brushed Toshiya's cheek with his fingers which caused Toshiya to snap back to life.  "Totchi?  What happened?"

 Toshiya pulled himself up and hugged Kaoru, trying to calm down.  "I… I was assaulted… that night…"

 "What?"

 "The night I came here.   I was in a dark place, I thought I saw you… I kissed the person, and he… he thought I would be easy, so he tried… he tried to rape me…" Toshiya's sobbing was getting harder and harder.  "I got away… but… Kaoru!  I was so scared…"

 Kaoru stroked Toshiya's back, realizing that he might have been reminding Toshiya of that night with his actions.   "Toshiya… I'll protect you, no matter what.  I'll help you forget.  I promise."

 Toshiya nodded.  "Arigato."

 *

 Kaoru sat down next to Toshiya on the sheet they'd laid on the grass on the mountaintop.  Toshiya smiled and gently pushed Kaoru down to lay on the sheet.  He laid in front of Kaoru, reaching behind to bring Kaoru's arms around himself.  They watched the sun set in silence, both enjoying the view and the closeness of each other.  Kaoru nuzzled his head into Toshiya's neck and the bassist almost purred.

 When the last rays of light disappeared, Toshiya adjusted himself to face Kaoru.  He smiled and made Kaoru lay on his back.  Toshiya rested his head on Kaoru's chest and curled up against him.   "Kaoru?"  Toshiya broke the silence after a while.

 "Hai?"

 "We act like… like we're a couple…"

 "Ughn."  Kaoru nodded.  "We do."

 "Have you ever thought…"

 "Of being one?"   Toshiya nodded.  "Well… to tell you the truth, I have…"

 "And?"

 "And I wondered if you'd ever agree to it."

 Toshiya lifted his torso up and looked into Kaoru's face.  "Eh?"

 Kaoru smiled.  "I certainly wouldn't mind giving it a try, but, you might be different, you know?"

 Toshiya grinned.  "Well, if you REALLY want to…" he stood up, "then come and get me!"  He blew a kiss to Kaoru and broke into a run into the trees.

 Kaoru jumped up, wishing it wasn't dark.  "Toshiya!"  He ran in the direction that Toshiya went, hoping to find him quickly, but he ended up back at the sheet a half hour later, with no Toshiya.  "Toshiya!   Come out!"  There was no response, so Kaoru started to worry, then, after about fifteen minutes, he heard a scream.  "TOSHIYA!"  He ran to the sound.

 "KAORU!  TASUKERU!!"  Kaoru reached the screaming bassist and took his hand, leading him back to the sheet quickly.  When Toshiya calmed down, Kaoru asked what happened.  "I ran and I tripped and broke a nail."  He held it up pitifully.  "Then I saw a spider and I tried not to scream so I could stay hidden, until you found me, but then, another spider came and crawled over my hand and then one came up my skirt and then I felt something move over my shoe!"  He hugged Kaoru.  "I was so scared!"

 Kaoru smiled at the childish vulnerability of his friend.  "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you."

 Toshiya smiled.  "Okay, but, can we go back to your place?  It's too dark and scary out here!"

 Kaoru nodded.  "Sure."  They went back to Kaoru's place and Toshiya ran into get something out of a bag (that Kyo brought full of Totchi-wear for ALL occasions once he realized Toshiya was staying at Kaoru's for a while).  He didn't let Kaoru into the room while he changed.

 When Toshiya came out, he was totally silent and walked to the couch Kaoru was sitting at, and posed for a moment before sitting in Kaoru's lap.  He was wearing a slinky navy blue dress.  "I'm yours."

 Kaoru led Toshiya into a passionate kiss.  When they broke apart, Toshiya sighed.  "It's almost like we've been with each other for a long time."

 Kaoru nodded.  "Toshiya?"

 "Mmm?"

 "Have you ever… made love?"

 "Kaoru!  You know I've slept with Kyo before!"

 Kaoru shook his head.  "I don't mean 'have you had sex'.  I mean, 'have you ever made love'?"

 Toshiya opened his mouth, then closed it, thinking.  Slowly, he shook his head.  "No… I've never…"

 Kaoru kissed Toshiya's forehead.  "Neither have I."  He brushed his hand over Toshiya's face.  "I don't want to have sex with you tonight."  Toshiya held Kaoru's hand to his cheek.  "I want to make love."  Toshiya's eyes overflowed with tears.  "Will you?"

Toshiya nodded.  "Yes, Kaoru… yes…"

Kaoru took Toshiya's hand and kissed it.

***

Part 2

back to fics page