By Yai-tzu Hin
Warning: No part of this story or cast of characters may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author, Yai-tzu Hin. If you do, moths will eat your favorite shirt, mice will take up residence in your kitchen and you can't get rid of them no matter what, all the bulbs in your reading lamps will go out, you'll run out of gas in your car when you're running late, and your computer will develop the annoying habit of deleting the best part of every fic.
"Are you sure about this?" Yatsurugi asked as Keien handed him the phone. "The weather this time of year is unpredictable."
"The weatherman said it would be nice this weekend. Besides we'd only be gone for the day. Come on. It would be fun." Keien said still holding the cordless phone in his outstretched hand. Yatsurugi took it timidly and dialed the number.
"I still don't understand why we have to borrow a car for this. Couldn't we take the train?"
"Not where I'm planning on taking us. It's this great little beach on the coast. It's great for a picnic no matter what time of the year it is. Besides if we take the train we'd spend the most of the day walking there. The train station is a long ways away from the beach. Trust me." Yatsurugi shrugged as he listened to the phone at the other end ring three times before someone answered.
"Moshi-moshi. Nakabori and Aisaku residence."
"Kayumi, this is Yatsurugi."
"What can I help you with?" Kayumi inquired cheerfully. Yatsurugi described the favor to her all the while he could picture his older sister's eyes light up.
"So you want to borrow a car for the weekend."
"Just for one day Kayumi."
"Right. Well, since Haruka isn't here, I'll give you permission to borrow mine. Just don't scratch it. It's a classic."
"So I've heard." Yatsurugi replied. "We'll come pick it up about seven on Saturday morning."
"I'll try to be awake and dressed, but I'm not promising anything." Kayumi commented yawning. "I'll fill it up before you get here."
"Thanks." Yatsurugi said feeling relief wash over him. She hadn't mentioned anything about this being a date, which meant she either wasn't awake or was purposely ignoring the fact.
"Can I talk to Keien for a moment?" she asked just as Yatsurugi was about to hang up.
"Sure." He said hesitantly. Glancing over at Keien, he covered the receiver. "She wants to talk to you." Keien took the phone with a bit of apprehension.
"Hello Kayumi."
Yatsurugi waited patiently while Keien talked. The tips of Keien's ears were turning red, which meant Kayumi was suggesting something. He rolled his eyes as Keien stumbled over his words trying not to sound embarrassed. Soon Keien handed the phone back to Yatsurugi.
"Your sister is insane." He whispered just as Yatsurugi put the phone back to his ear.
"Yatsurugi."
"Yes."
"Have fun. See you on Saturday." Kayumi chirped before saying good bye. Yatsurugi hung up the phone and stared at Keien.
"Do I even WANT to know what she said to you?"
"No." Keien stated.
***
Keien put his foot on the gas and the car excellerated to the appropriate speed. He still couldn't believe Kayumi had a car like this. It was a red sports car, what kind he wasn't sure, that had been built in the sixties. Of course Kayumi had neglected to tell him either the make or the year of the car.
The interior was black leather with suede seats. There was a newly installed stereo with a tape player and six CD changer. Anything that was metallic in nature was silver and there were cup holders in the arm between the driver's and passengers seat.
"Kayumi has made some improvements to this car hasn't she?" Keien asked. Yatsurugi looked up from the map he'd been reading.
"Yeah. It's a hobby. She has redone the interior since the last time I took a ride in it."
"When was that?"
"1976."
"Wait, I thought you'd never had human form."
"We don't need to have human form to go driving. Let me tell you my sister is a speed demon. She loves taking this thing out on a deserted highway and seeing how fast it will go. Why do you think she painted that black dragon on the hood? I tell you, besides painting, working on this car is her favorite hobby."
"What about playing Cupid?"
"That's not a hobby. It's an obsession." Yatsurugi grumbled. They rode in silence for a bit longer before Yatsurugi informed Keien that he needed to take a left after the next bend. Turning on to a two-lane road that, if the map was correct, would take them to the beach, Yatsurugi wondered if Kayumi had any other CD's besides the great works of Chopin. As much as he liked classical music, he couldn't stand the same dreary songs over and over for three hours.
"Keien, you didn't bring any CD's with you?" Yatsurugi asked. Keien shook his head.
"If I'd known that all Kayumi had in this car was one CD of Chopin music, I'd have brought my collection." Yatsurugi sighed then a light flickered behind his eyes.
"Hey, where is your CD case?"
"Huh? By the stereo, why?"
"Because I can get it. I'm an angel after all." Yatsurugi said with a wink. Holding out his hand he waited patiently for the case to appear. "There. Now we have some decent music to listen too." Keien stared at him in awe then returned to watching the road. Slipping in a disc of dance music, Yatsurugi practically cheered when the first note was sung. Thank God, fast music!
Through the scattered trees the ocean came into view. Yatsurugi leaned against the armrest on the door and watched seagulls lazily drift high into the atmosphere. He even rolled down the window and breathed in the salty air. It smelt wonderful, a lot cleaner than the city.
"We're almost there." Keien remarked smiling.
"Good, because I'm getting hungry." Yatsurugi said rolling the window back up. Keien smiled.
"So am I." They drove along for another fifteen minutes before reaching the turn off to the beach. Parking the car in an empty parking lot, they hopped out and headed for the trailhead. Carrying a picnic basket, Yatsurugi followed Keien down the trail to the beach. The trail was actually a small path carved out of the foliage and rocky terrain. It twisted and turned avoiding large trees and the edge of the cliff. Glancing over the brush, Yatsurugi could see the waves breaking against the cliff wall. The drop was enough to make any sensible person stay on the marked path.
The path dropped suddenly onto a set of concrete stairs. These in turn lead down to the beach itself.
"Well?" Keien asked glancing at Yatsurugi. "Isn't this a nice place for a picnic? We have decent weather, a great view and there isn't another human soul for miles." Yatsurugi put the basket down and ran his hand along the top of the sand. It felt warm despite a slightly nippy wind that blew up from the ocean.
"Yeah." Keien smiled and picked up the basket before Yatsurugi could.
"Come on. I know the perfect spot."
"You know, I don't really remember this place at all." Yatsurugi commented following Keien down the beach.
"I've only been here a couple times. We found it by accident on one of the famous Nakabori family outings." Yatsurugi rolled his eyes at the memories.
"You know, Kayumi, Reimu and I used to sit on the roof of the car just so we didn't have to listen to those stupid car songs. As you got older we just voluntarily opted out of being physically beside you three. It wasn't as if you needed us all the time, besides we have monitoring systems."
"It was probably during one of those. Father liked this place so much that we came back twice before Haruka left for college." Keien said noticing a collection of driftwood that had washed up on the shore. Perfect.
Climbing over some of the bigger logs, Keien lead Yatsurugi to a cozy little spot in amongst the cluttered wood. They could sit on the sand and have the driftwood block the wind in all directions. Setting the basket up against a worm eaten piece, Keien took out an old blanket. Spreading it down he felt Yatsurugi brush up against his back as he reached for the food.
"You're taking forever." He complained pulling out various containers of food. Keien gave him a dirty look.
"Hey, I'm just as hungry as you are. Don't you dare hog all the pineapple."
"Me?" Yatsurugi inquired innocently. Keien glared at him as he smoothed the blanket.
"Brat."
"Thank you." Yatsurugi replied smiling impishly. Keien was tempted to retort, but instead shook his head and chuckled.
They talked, ate and enjoyed the scenery. Keien discussed Meiko's recovery and how she was driving everyone crazy. Yatsurugi nodded and told him of Reimu's guilt over the accident. Keien told him that it wasn't anyone's fault. In fact the little boy she'd saved had stopped by the hospital and gave her a huge card and a bouquet of flowers. His parents were very grateful and had offered to take Meiko out to dinner once she was feeling up to it. She had gladly accepted.
"You know, Meiko is going to need a lot of help in astronomy when she gets better. She's been attending her other classes despite my mother's insistence that she should be in bed. Unfortunately, she can't attend the night labs at the observatory." Keien remarked taking a sip of juice. Yatsurugi winced. That meant the both Meiko and Kagamida Imizu, her lovesick lab partner, would be coming to him for help.
"I should never have opened my mouth that day. You know I've gotten calls from Kagamida about astronomy, astrology and my sign?" Yatsurugi grumbled grabbing a molasses cookie from the cookie tin. Keien snickered.
"It could always be worse."
"Yeah, there could be two of her."
"You need to learn how to deal with women. Didn't Kayumi teach you anything about women?" Yatsurugi snorted.
"Kayumi isn't a normal female. Sometimes I wonder how I ended up her brother."
"Chance."
"More like I'm being punished for something I did in a former life." He paused then looked at Keien. "You do know that most angels were mortal at one point. Then after they die are given a choice to either return or become immortal?" Keien shook his head.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, we don't remember a thing about our mortal life. It's for safety reasons, or so I'm told. If we are really desperate, we can petition to have access to our mortal file. I've never done it, but I know a few people who have."
"Sounds complicated." Keien said grabbing a cookie before Yatsurugi ate them all.
"The paperwork is a nightmare. That's why I've never bothered."
"You didn't want to find out?"
"Not really."
"Then how come Kayumi and you know you're siblings?"
"She's looked at her file. We were already acting like siblings at the time; the file just confirmed what we suspected. Kayumi became an angel about 100 years before I did and was my mentor for a while. And to answer your question, no she hasn't always been interested in finding me a man. At first she tried fixing me up with women."
"How did…?" Keien began then remembered as Yatsurugi smiled evilly. "Nevermind. Would you quit reading my mind."
"I can't help it. You need to put up better safeguards."
Keien leaned back against the log in disgust. He gave up arguing with Yatsurugi; he wasn't going to win if he tried.
After lunch they walked the beach looking for shells. When they grew bored with that, they took off their shoes and waded in the surf. Finally it was time to drive back. If they didn't leave soon they'd have to drive back in the dark. They didn't want to do that because neither knew the roads well and Keien hated driving at night.
Opening up the car door, Yatsurugi glanced up at the sky.
"It's a good thing we're heading out. There's a storm coming in."
"Lovely." Keien grumbled. "At least we'll be in a nice warm car." He climbed in and shut the door. Yatsurugi shrugged and did the same time. Keien put the keys in the ignition and turned. The car began to turn over and then died. Keien tried it again giving the car a bit more gas. Nothing happened. Yatsurugi stared at Keien as he tried it one more time.
"Um, I think we have a problem."
"No kidding. I think the battery is dead."
"Now what are we going to do?"
***
Haruka plopped her purse down on the end table. She could smell Kayumi's sticky buns cooling in the kitchen. Kayumi must have been baking most of the day, she thought realizing that she could also smell dinner. The television was on and Kayumi was sitting on the couch watching a movie. It was a rainy evening and there were two people standing in front of a red sports car with the hood up. Haruka looked at the car hood closer and noticed a large black dragon on it.
"That looks like your car." Haruka commented.
"It is." Kayumi replied. Haruka glanced at her quizzically. "To answer your question, yes that is Keien and Yatsurugi standing out in the rain. Popcorn?" she asked holding the bowl of popcorn in front of Haruka's face.
"How?"
"53 channels and one all purpose heavenly viewer's choice channel. Isn't life grand?"
"Why are they…?"
"The battery's dead."
"Did you know that?" Kayumi smiled evilly.
"Murphy and I had a chat about relationships."
"Murphy?"
"Yeah. Now why don't you sit down and enjoy the pre-dinner theater." Haruka chuckled and then sat down next to Kayumi. She grabbed a handful of popcorn.
"So, what have I missed?"
***
It was raining harder. The battery was most certainly dead. They couldn't even get the car started, although they had lights. Yatsurugi contemplated using his divine powers, but decided that that would defeat the purpose. If he used his powers every time he and Keien were in a jam, then he wouldn't be helping anyone. They just had to learn to take things as they came.
Popping the trunk open to see if by some miracle Kayumi had stashed a blanket so they wouldn't freeze that night, they discovered something far better. Kayumi was indeed prepared for just about anything. There was a quart of oil, a gallon of water, a small toolbox full of ratchets, screwdrivers, one hammer, extra screws and two wrenches. Besides that there was a small orange pup tent, a few cans of ravioli, one dark blue sleeping bag, a lantern, a flashlight, matches, and two large tarps. Unfortunately, there wasn't an extra battery.
"Well, at least we have something to keep us warm. It looks we're not going anywhere until morning." Keien remarked already deciding to pitch the tent right next to the car. Together, the men managed to put the tent up and get inside without much trouble. They brought the sleeping bag and old blanket inside along with what was left of the food and the cans of ravioli. Lighting the lantern, but leaving the tent flap open to keep fresh air flowing in, Keien tried to remain calm.
This was horrible, they were stuck out in the middle of nowhere and the nearest town was at least a five-hour walk away. On the positive side, he was stuck with Yatsurugi.
"Brrr." Yatsurugi shuddered as he climbed into the cramped tent. "I'm soaking."
"Me too." Keien said wringing out his shirt. His jeans were wet and uncomfortable. He waned to take them off.
"Keien, you should know I found a cell phone in the glove compartment."
"That's great."
"No it isn't. There aren't any batteries."
"K'so." Keien swore as Yatsurugi took off his shirt.
"Ugh. This is too wet to wear. I'll catch hypothermia and so will you. Out of those wet clothes." He ordered moving the lantern closer to the open tent flap. The last thing they needed was the tent to catch on fire.
"Sure. Why don't we eat something? How about the ravioli?" Keien suggested removing his shirt and tossing it aside. Yatsurugi shook his head.
"Ravioli is out."
"Why?"
"Did you find the can open opener?"
"No."
"Neither did I."
"Remind me to give Kayumi a lecture about having batteries and can openers in the car." Keien grumbled irritably. Yatsurugi shook his head and poured the water out of his shoes. He was soaked all the way to his underwear and Keien most likely was too. They broke into what remained of their lunch realizing that they had to save some for the next morning. Yatsurugi wrapped himself up in the old blanket while Keien huddled in his jacket.
"You know, we only have one sleeping bag and a thin blanket." Yatsurugi began watching Keien chew thoughtfully on a cracker.
"We'll, share."
"Yeah." Yatsurugi was about to mutter something about body heat when Keien tossed the sleeping bag at him.
"I think the best thing we can do is get some sleep." Yatsurugi nodded. They shoved their wet shirts, socks, and shoes towards one side and lay out the blanket. Opening the sleeping bag all the way, they spread it on top.
"Brr. Let's get under quickly. I'm freezing." Keien said through clenched teeth as he tossed his jacket in a corner.
"If you're cold, I can fix that." Yatsurugi replied with a mischievous twinkle in his slate blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around Keien's shoulders and pulled him to him. His lips brushed lightly against Keien's. Keien responded by kissing him gently. His hands crept along Yatsurugi's back, then locked and pulled the angel closer.
Yatsurugi's tongue touched Keien's lips, which parted easily. They kissed deeper, tasting each other. Keien's hands crawled up Yatsurugi's back until they entwined themselves amongst the strands of damp lavender hair. Slowly they lowered themselves onto the blanket.
***
Kayumi reached for the remote and turned off the television. Haruka was attempting not to choke on the popcorn.
"Hentai, pervert." She managed to say between coughs. Kayumi stared at her.
"How was I to know they would do that?" she asked innocently. Haruka glared at her. "I didn't think they'd get past exchanging wistful pleading looks at each other. Yatsurugi wasn't this quick with his last relationship. It took him decades to work up to a passionate kiss."
"Really?" Haruka looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism. Kayumi nodded.
"Well, we might as well let them be. We'll go pick them up tomorrow."
"God, I don't know if I can face my brother after, well you saw what they were doing."
"Oh, come on. They hadn't even gotten their pants off yet. Don't tell me you're queasy about sex?"
"No. I just can't believe you were watching them. Hentai."
"Hey, you were watching it too." Kayumi countered holding her index in front of Haruka's face. "Don't blame this all on me. Besides, I turned it off. This is a private moment and I don't thing either of us were planning on sitting her and watching our own brothers perform for our amusement." <.p>
Haruka snickered. Kayumi had a way of putting things that may be blunt, but at least it was honest.
"Let's not tell them about this." Haruka suggested picking up the glasses and plates.
"I agree. The last thing I need is a lecture from Yatsurugi about his private affairs are his own." Haruka shook her head and tried not to laugh out loud.
"Keien would probably faint if he knew about this."
"What that you're living vicariously through him?" Haruka nodded grinning broadly. "Oh, I've been living vicariously through Yatsurugi for years. Hey, at least someone in my family is getting some." Haruka burst out laughing. Kayumi joined her and they cheerfully cleaned up and went to bed.
***
The silence woke him. Yatsurugi slowly opened his eyes and realized that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Fickle coastal weather, stormy one moment, sunny the next. He rolled over to stare at Keien. He was still fast asleep. Brushing a stray strand of ebony hair away from Keien's face, Yatsurugi smiled to himself. He looked like an angel. The thought startled him and then caused him to almost laugh. After all he was the angel. Snuggling down under the sleeping bag and scooting closer to Keien's warm body, Yatsurugi didn't want to get up. It was too nice and warm to get up and find his clothes and put them back on. He pondered where exactly his pants had ended up and remembered something about them getting tossed in a corner. Probably the same place Keien's had ended up. Yatsurugi closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. He managed for only a short nap because Keien stirred and awoke.
"Morning." He muttered opening his eyes.
"Morning."
"We should get up."
"Do we have to?"
"Yes, we have a long walk ahead of us."
Yatsurugi groaned and threw off the sleeping bag. He was immediately cold.
"I don't like it any more than you, but we have to get home."
"I know." Yatsurugi replied groping for his pants. He found Keien's jeans and handed them to him. They began to dress. Unfortunately, eight hours had not been enough to dry them and so the men were forced to wear damp, frigid clothes.
"The first thing I'm going to do when we get home is to take a hot shower." Keien stated.
"Can I join you?" Yatsurugi inquired smiling impishly. Keien returned his smile. As they began to pack up the camping gear, Keien paused to search his wallet. He couldn't remember how much money he had with him. They would have to buy a new battery in town and he wanted to be sure he had the cash. A familiar card caught his eye. Taking it out he noticed that the writing had changed once again.
"Aisaku Counseling Services. The batteries are taped under the passenger seat." Keien raised his eyebrow.
"Oh, Yatsurugi. Could you check underneath the passenger seat of the car."
"Why?"
"Because I just got a message from heaven." He answered holding the card so Yatsurugi could read it.
"KAYUMI."
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