Title: Jellyfish Love [Chapter Twelve: Every You Every Me] Author: Matrim Email: matrim _ no _ aijin @ yahoo . com Warnings: Heterosexuality, more vampires and sappiness in chapter twelve. Yu~ki referring to Kaoru as a goth boy :O And money that is just slightly under one hundred thousand dollars being flung about and wired around-- --and do you know what I could do with that much money?! XD; ++ Lately, each Friday, they try to set aside time for one another. Usually, they didn't have to but Ai doesn't see Kyo often enough anymore. She doesn't see him at breakfast and rarely at dinner. She knows why. Ai also hasn't seen Tatsurou or Atsushi either and Nene dislikes eating with her without her family around. There's a new woman lurking around the house, allegedly Nene's new girlfriend, but Ai isn't sure she believes it. Nene was very dedicated and very in-love with the last one so she wouldn't just—well, maybe Ai doesn't understand Nene. Maybe the woman takes after Atsushi more than she suspects. Ai swings on the wooden swing set. It's set in the backyard behind the high walls of the estate. Kyo sits on the swing beside her. He doesn't swing. He smokes. Occasionally, he will make his feet step forward three footsteps while sitting and then he'll lift them slightly so that the swing drags him back. He leaves foot trails in the sand under him. A while ago, Atsushi wanted to take the little playground away but Ai had begged him not to and Nene, oddly enough, agreed. So it had stayed. It wasn't exactly new but it was still sturdy. Kyo watches Ai swing and smiles a little smile. He takes a puff on his cigarette. Ai savors little moments like these before he's taken away. She likes to think that she isn't jealous of him. Being jealous doesn't equal love. She thinks that if you loved someone, you had to trust them. Ai knows that if she wanted to know something, she'd ask Kyo. He wouldn't lie to her. The problem is that she's too shy to ask. Ai glances to Kyo, who has now changed position in his swing so that he's not sitting properly. He's straddling the seat now and swinging with it. The other way. Not the way she's swinging. "What's up?" "Huh?" Ai's swinging slows so she can talk with him and give him the attention he deserves. When she's slow enough, he reaches forward and grabs the swing's chain and pulls her to him. It's a little blush-inducing. "What are you thinking?" It's the question that people shouldn't ask someone they love but they ask anyway because they think it's a good idea. She supposes she can forgive him for this. He does the same for her. "You." It's a silly answer, but it's true. "What about me?" Ai lets her hand travel over the chain and up toward his. She places her hand on his own. "About how much I trust you. And how you'd never lie to me. All I have to do is ask and you'd tell me." Kyo drops the cigarette on the ground. He puts it out with his foot and he watches her with strange eyes. "What do you want to ask?" "Nothing. I was just thinking." It's a lie and when Kyo's eyes narrow like that, she shivers because he knows. "Alright, I did want to ask…who is that girl?" "Luci'fer." He replies, easily. He looks thoughtful for a second and Ai's not sure she should dismiss that as his way of thinking before he talks or worry about it because—well—because he should be confident in the way he was when he said her name. "Nene has taken a liking to her. And she's essential to the business." Ai dislikes the way he said the last bit but she can't nitpick. She doesn't know what's going on because no one tells her unless she has to know. All too soon, their moment ends as that strange blonde boy, Yukke, comes out. He hands a cell phone to Kyo and Ai watches as he takes it. He gives her a cigarette flavored kiss before he leaves her to discuss 'business'. Ai's beginning to understand why Kyo and Nene's mothers never stayed with Atsushi but she refuses to be a castoff. ++ "How's it going?" Kozi asks. He edges his butt onto the arm rest of the computer chair and perches there lightly. The rest of him leans against Yu~ki and his arm curls around his shoulders to keep him on his perch. Yu~ki side-eyes him and then pushes him off with a bit of brotherly annoyance. "We are ten million yen richer. That's five million yen for both of them." Kozi hisses and shakes his head. "We've never worked for so low." "Shinya says if Kirito survives, he'll pay us triple of what he already paid us." Yu~ki replies, calmly and turns away from the computer. "As relayed to us by one of his Goth boys?" "The Goth boy. The other one hates Goths." Kozi shrugs. Yu~ki smiles because he understands. They don't really care. They label people because they didn't want to be bothered with their names unless they could help it. "Hmm, I take it back…we've never been paid so high. Should we quiz him?" "Take him off the drugs and press on his chest? Ask him what's so good about life?" Yu~ki asks. Kozi nods. "No. They usually give boring answers. Sometimes, they don't give an answer. They just kind of groan." Yu~ki stands from the chair and follows Kozi down the stairs to the basement. "How's your boy doing?" "Healing. Slowly. Any sign of consciousness from Kirito?" "Not just yet. All that money is a good sign. Maybe we should keep him on the drugs a little longer." Kozi tells him. They arrive at the basement and linger near the foot of the stairs. The assassins are where they left them on their cold metal tables as beds. They have more than just a sheet to cover them—they have two, plus a blanket. It's just a small tiny luxury that keeps them from being treated like corpses if you didn't count the lovely IV in each of their arms. "They look so cute and sweet when they're unconscious. Too bad they're killing machines." "Should we expect them to wake any time soon?" Kozi shakes his head. "They really did a number on each other." Both men stride over to their respective patient and Yu~ki pulls the sheets and blanket off of Aiji to reveal bandages across his collarbone and chest. His face and his arms and other extremities fare no better. "They're equal." Yu~ki doesn't have to look over to Kozi's patient to see something of the same all over him. The next few minutes dissolve into a medical discussion between the two of them in order to keep them from hovering near death once again. Oddly enough, the thought of what to do with them after they woke in the same room hadn't occurred to them. ++ Izam sits at the small table that serves as their diner table. It is set in the middle of the kitchen. His long legs are propped up on the table in a way that would make Katsura frown and his own dear mother scream. But Katsura was sleeping and his mother wasn't here. He smokes a cigarette and listens carefully to the voice on the other end of the line. He tries physically not to sigh on the phone. When the phone call ends, he puts out his cigarette in the ashtray. He sets the phone down near a half full glass of black tea. When he hears the sound of the bedroom door opening, he takes his legs off of the table and sits appropriately. He sips his tea. Izam smirks to himself. Not only has he been well trained by Kyo, he's also been well trained by Katsura. From his seat, he has a view of the hall that Katsura must walk down in order to get from the bedroom into the bathroom. And when he does, Katsura arrives naked and scratching his belly. Izam's wolf-whistle is ignored and the bathroom door closes with a bit of a slam. "Grouchy." Izam murmurs fondly and waits. When Katsura is out of the bathroom, he looks marginally better at looking awake but he's still naked. He ignores Izam's wolf-whistle again as he goes back to the bedroom for some clothes. And when Katsie gets clothes on him, he'll want some food in him. Izam surveys his surroundings for a second and checks the time. It's a bit too late for breakfast. He stands from the table and grabs a glass from the cupboard. He pours a glass of iced black tea for Katsura and sets it on the table then gets to work at making his boyfriend some fried noodles. He is almost finished when Katsura comes back out and daringly wraps his arms around him. Only Katsie can do this when Izam is unaware and when Izam is doing something else. There's something about Katsura that Izam's body recognizes as safe and recognizes as its own. "You're off again today?" "Yes." A lie. Sort of. He was working. Kyo told him to stay home and make himself available. Certain things had developed that Kyo probably hadn't foreseen but he would never admit it. With Aiji in the 'morgue' and Toshiya trying to take up Aiji and Kengo's work, Izam was apparently going to be the one to try and make everything right again if such a thing were possible. "Did you have fun last night? I notice you were only tipsy when you got back." "Yes. I didn't want to come back to you reeking and puking." Katsura tells him and his hold loosens around Izam's waist. He sits at the table near the fuller glass of iced tea and sips it. "I'm sorry I came back so late." Izam smiles as he grabs a plate from the cupboard. He moves the noodles out of the pan and onto the plate. He uses a pair of chopsticks to try to get them all unstuck from the bottom of the pan. When he doesn't succeed as well as he'd like to, he gives up and places the pan into the sink. Izam places the plate in front of Katsura and gives him the chopsticks. "You said sorry last night." "Just making sure I was heard. Thanks, sweetie." Katsura smiles at him, almost shyly. He doesn't always add on little nicknames so it takes Izam by surprise. He's not upset about it, though. Izam sits in his former spot and watches as his boyfriend eats. "You don't want any?" "No, I already ate." "You should eat some if I can't eat it all." "We can save it and put it in the refrigerator." "Eat it for dinner then?" "Work again?" "I never have weekends off." Katsura smiles sympathetically when Izam pouts at him. "And you know I can't cook." "I know but you order good take out." Katsura shoots him an indignant look but it's ruined because his mouth is full of food. He chews as angrily as he can and swallows. He makes another face at Izam but it doesn't matter. Izam's snickering and there's nothing that Kats can do to stop him. "Just for that, I'm never coming home." "You have to. You can't sleep well in any other bed." Izam smiles sweetly at him. He knows this because when he once took Katsura to a hotel for their anniversary one year, Katsura woke up in the middle of the night. He complained for a few minutes and then he went missing. He decided to do laundry in the middle of the night out of boredom and insomnia and left Izam alone. It was cute and quirky. He realized that it was a recurring theme whenever they went somewhere that wasn't familiar enough to Katsie. "Fine fine. Have your way." Katsura says. He stops eating when half the noodles are gone, apparently full. He takes a long drink of the iced tea and places the glass back on the table. Katsura puts the noodles away in a plastic dish for Izam's dinner and decides to move in on Izam's lap when he's done. He's small so it's easy for him to tuck his legs up on Izam's if he cuddles close enough and he does. Katsura presses his cheek against Izam's and squeezes tight. "I can call in sick if you want me to." He moves back so he can get a good look at Izam. He plays with one of Izam's blue dreads and twirls it in his fingers. It keeps slipping off and whacking Katsura's face but he keeps trying it. He holds onto it, tight, when Izam threatens to take it away from him. "Encourage your bad behavior? Sure." Izam smirks at him then it fades as he slips into an odd introspective mood. For a second, Katsura smiles in anticipation but now he looks concerned. His baby's no longer smiling—Izam knows that's what he's worried about. Katsura drops Izam's dreadlock and strokes his face. "What are you thinking?" It's a bad question. He seems to know it as soon as the words are out of his mouth and he physically winces. But Izam doesn't even blink at it. He only gives a strange wistful smile. "How is it that I love you so?" Katsura grins, big, bright and beautiful. It's clear that he doesn't know the answer and decides not to ruin things by trying to answer. He leans forward again and rests his forehead against Izam's. His eyes close but Izam keeps his eyes open and on him. Even as his hair is gold, Katsura's eyelashes are a dark black. He thinks it's a wonderful contrast. He lifts his head slightly, moving to kiss the area between Katsura's eyebrows. Katsura's arms tighten around him. Baby, I'll always protect you. I love you. ++ To Chapter Thirteen Jelly Home Fics Home