Warnings: I'd have to say the usual yaoi warning and probably an OOC warning as well. I tried to get them right but it just didn't work that way.

Disclaimer: I own none of this; please don't sue. You'd have to wait in line for quite a while as I am not kidding when I say I have only five cents to my name. -.-; I have an addiction to feed, dammit!

"Hiiiii--yaaa!" Shit. Dodge, retreat, block, attack, dodge again. Panting hard, he wove his way in and out, occasionally landing a hit, sometimes getting hit himself. "Rainbow Cyclone!" his opponent shouted. Dammit, Shishiwakamaru thought as he flew backwards to impact against the wall, that one got him every time.

He could feel himself blacking out and his body returning to its true form. Then his small body was being picked up and turned this way and that. "Are you all right, Shishiwaka? Say something!" Shishiwakamaru snorted mentally. Hell of a thing for Suzuki to say. After all, it was his attack that had just almost killed Shishiwakamaru. Damn former clown anyway.

Shishiwakamaru woke up on what had to be the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept on. It felt almost like a pillow... He lazily stretched and tried to remember exactly why he was sleeping in the middle of the day. As his hand reached up it collided with the hard wood of the headboard. Not painful really, but enough to fully wake him. Full consciousness came flooding back.

Shishiwakamaru sat up, assessing his situation. No wonder he'd been so comfortable. It was a pillow he'd been sleeping on. He sweatdropped a little before turning his attention to the arguing figures in the corner. An apologetic Suzuki was being berated by the others. Something about not injuring your training partner. Shishiwakamaru supposed Suzuki deserved the chiding, going beyond the limits set by Kurama, even if it had been in the heat of battle.

The others never even noticed that Shishiwakamaru was awake. They simply walked out without looking back, leaving Suzuki with his hand hanging sorrowfully, presumably so he could watch over Shishiwakamaru.

Shishiwakamaru sat up a little straighter and shifted to his larger form. "Idiots," he called softly after then.

Suzuki lifted his head. "Shishiwaka, you're awake?" Shishiwakamaru didn't bother to say the obvious and Suzuki approached him anxiously. "How are you feeling?" Again, no answer. Suzuki hung his head once more. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I should have lowered the attack strength."

Now Shishiwakamaru glared at him. "You're all idiots. Don't injure your partner, indeed! I suppose they've forgotten already; have you? We're all guilty of it! Remember that time when Rinku almost strangled Touya? Or how about when Jin blew Chuu off the cliff? And that was just in the first two days!" He snorted. "If I was that weak, I wouldn't be here."

"I-I suppose that's true." Suzuki sat down on the bed, staring blankly at the wall opposite him as if he felt unworthy still to look at his companion.

Shishiwakamaru tilted his head. "Why do you care? I don't remember you being this concerned in the tournament."

"No reason."

"Oh?"

Suzuki glanced at him but hurriedly turned his eyes away again. "At the tournament you--and the others--were just tools. A means to an end."

That hardly surprised Shishiwakamaru. He'd known exactly what he was to Suzuki when he'd thrown his lot in with the clown. "And?" Suzuki looked at him, confused. "And what am I now?"

"A...a friend, I hope." Suzuki jumped up off the bed and headed for the door. What had he been thinking? A friend? What true demon even had that word in his vocabulary?

"A friend..." Shishiwakamaru mused. "I can live with that."

Suzuki stopped in mid-flight. "You mean that?"

"Yes." Shishiwakamaru waved him back impatiently. "Now help me up will you?"

The clash of bodies, the hard impact of fists, and the labored breathing of both opponents. All the glories of fighting combined in Shishiwakamaru's head, turning the battle into a sweet dance, indeed. He grinned. This was almost better than sex.

The thought stopped him for a fraction of a second--just long enough for Suzuki to grab his arms and pin him against the wall. Shishiwakamaru growled and struggled but Suzuki had the advantage.

"Give up, Shishiwaka," Suzuki taunted. "I've won!"

Shishiwakamaru's lips pulled back into a snarl as he considered his options. Head butting was out of the question--he didn't have as hard a head as Urameshi. Shape-shifting was out as well. At this close range, Suzuki would trounce him right at a crucial point. Out of options, Shishiwakamaru did the next best thing--he kissed Suzuki.

Shishiwakamaru was going for surprise and it worked. Suzuki was so stunned, he didn't even try to block Shishiwakamaru's counterattack. Just rebounded off the floor a couple of feet away before scrambling to his feet. Shishiwaka shifted into a defensive stance, waiting for Suzuki's next attack. It never came.

"What's the matter with you?" Shishiwakamaru demanded irritably. "Attack already!"

"I-I...have to go the bathroom!" With that Suzuki fairly fled the training grounds.

"What was that all about?" a familiar voice asked. Shishiwakamaru turned, almost running straight into the floating Jin behind him.

"That's what I'd like to know," Touya stated, his eyes narrowing.

Rinku bounced up from where the ice mage's last attack had thrown him. "Shishiwaka kissed him!" the boy declared gleefully.

"What?!" was the unison reply.

"Yep." Rinku nodded sagely. "I saw it with my own eyes." "And just why," Touya began, "would you do that?"

Shishiwakamaru shrugged. "I wanted to surprise him enough into dropping me. I guess it worked."

The others sweatdropped and took a step away from him. "Worked a little too well, if you ask me," Chuu declared, taking a generous swig from his ever-present bottle. "He's probably gone to wipe it off." Chuu evidently found this funny as he erupted into raucous laughter.

Shishiwaka frowned. That hadn't occurred to him. Was Suzuki doing just that? And why did it bother him one way or the other?

Chuu was passed out on the steps outside, Jin was dallying with the clouds, and Rinku was ice-skating on the river that Touya was trying his best to keep frozen. All in all, Shishiwakamaru thought, that only left Suzuki and him. After the incident, the former had disappeared into his room and had refused to come out. Shishiwakamaru decided it was high time someone interrupted the blonde's self-imposed solitude. He quietly knocked on the door. "Hello?" When Suzuki didn't answer, Shishiwakamaru let himself in.

A shadowy figure sat up on the bed against the far wall. "Hey, Shishiwaka," Suzuki greeted him wearily, scrubbing his face. Obviously, Shishiwakamaru's entrance had awakened him.

Shishiwakamaru glided over to Suzuki and regarded him silently for a few minutes. He'd had all afternoon to think this over, now he just needed a bit to recollect his thoughts. "Did it really bother you that much?" he asked bluntly.

Suzuki looked up, surprised. "What?"

"My shock tactics. Did they bother you?"

"No, no! Any reason why they should?" Suzuki grasped the sheets in his hands as if gathering courage before forcing his blue eyes to meet Shishiwakamaru's. Shishiwakamaru stared at him suspiciously. Was he lying?

"You couldn't wait to wash it off."

Suzuki's mouth dropped open. "You...You were serious?!"

"No," Shishiwakamaru replied, shaking his head. He pushed his purple hair back out of his eyes and studied the tapestry on the wall.

"Oh." Shishiwakamaru's ears perked. Was it him or did Suzuki sound almost...dare he say--disappointed?

"...But I could have been."

Suzuki's voice was barely a whisper when he found the will to speak again. "What did you say?"

Shishiwakamaru frowned and flipped his hair in a nervous gesture but he obediently leaned in to be nose-to-nose with Suzuki. "I said, I could have been."

Suzuki's only response was his best impression of a fish, so Shishiwakamaru started to pull away. Maybe he had read the signs wrong... Suzuki startled him by grabbing locks of his hair and pulling his back. The blonde then growled deep in his throat and kissed his captive.

Shishiwakamaru let out a small moan as he felt his knees buckle. Was...was he supposed to feel this way? He couldn't be this weak, could he? As he felt Suzuki's hands slide over his back, Shishiwakamaru decided dignity be damned and let himself go.

When Shishiwakamaru woke he was--much to his dismay--wrapped around Suzuki. Or was it Suzuki that was wrapped around him? Ultimately, he decided that the only important thing was that while Suzuki kept part of him warm, the other half was freezing. As he stealthily reached for the covers he idly wondered if Chuu had ever made it inside. Suzuki gave a sleepy moan of protest but Shishiwakamaru ignored him and pulled the blankets up over both of them.

Suzuki sighed contentedly and snuggled into the bed. Lazily he opened his eyes. "Good morning, 'Waka." He laid there a minute studying Shishiwakamaru but eventually, he rolled off the bed and began searching for his clothes.

Shishiwakamaru watched him silently. "Would you miss me if I died?" he asked suddenly.

Suzuki paused in the middle of pulling his shirt over his head, considering the question. Quietly, he finished the task. "It may be blasphemous of me to say so but yes, Shishiwaka, I think I would."

"Good."

"Why is that?"

"Because I feel the same." Shishiwakamaru morphed into his true form and floated over to Suzuki's shoulder. Perfect. An acceptable way of touching without letting the others become suspicious. And, if he was quick about it, he might even be able to get in a nuzzle or two along the way.