Night.

In a darkened bedroom somewhere, two bodies sprawled among the white sheets. Pale limbs entwined with tanned, skins glistening with sweat and sex. Crimson hair mingled with blond, the tangled locks spilling across the pillows. The sounds of harsh breathing filled the bedroom, gradually decreasing in tempo and volume, until the quiet of the night reigned.

"You're different, Aya."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You're more…approachable now. More willing to smile."

"Hn, my new teammates think I'm too stoic."

"They haven't seen you back then. Beside, how long have they known you?"

"Not as long as you."

Sheets rustled as they shifted, tanned body shuddering as he left the tight warmth of his lover and curled beside the pale form. A tattooed arm remained curled about a pale slender, muscled torso riddled with scars. Both rested quietly for a long time.

"This isn't going to work, is it, Aya?"

"…No, it's not."

"I mean, it's still great but it's different this time…something has changed."

"We changed, Yohji. That's all."

"That's all? Trust you to make it sound so simple."

"I'm right though."

"Yes, you are. As much as I hate to admit it."

"When we were in Weiss, I was obsessed with vengeance and my sister's recovery. You were haunted by her memory and guilt."

"That brought us together?"

"We were alone and in need of mutual escapism."

"And here I thought attraction played a part."

"Hn. Yohji, half the time we were at odds with each other. The other half, we were too busy fucking each other to have a decent conversation."

"Like now."

"Yes, like now."

"But there was something between us back then. I felt it and so did you."

"…"

"Admit it, Aya."

"…Yes."

"And now it's not there anymore."

"Yes."

"What does it mean?"

"You know what it means."

"Don't make me say it."

"No? Then I will. We have drifted apart, even though we were never close. We never had anything in common and now, we both have changed too much, too differently to even try."

"Aya -"

"Ssh, let me finish. You're free at last, Yohji, from your past and guilt. I'm no longer the cold jerk who provoked you most of the time."

"I like how you are now better."

"But you don't really know how to deal with me now."

"So what is this? A goodbye fuck?"

"Yes."

"Fuck you."

"That's always been your problem - denial."

"And your problem is always seeing things so pragmatically."

Pale body sat up, violet eyes watched his lover calmly.

"You know you will not give up your life, your wife now, not for anything."

Mulish silence descended. Then a sigh and tanned arms pulled the pale body of his lover back down against his own.

"I hate it when you're right."

"Hn."

Soft wet sounds of kissing filled the air for a while.

"Will you give up this life, Aya?"

"No. It's what I'm good at and I'm still driven to live it."

"It's not a life."

"So?"

"I give up."

"Good."

A gasp and tanned body arched with unexpected pleasure.

"Shit!"

"The night is not over yet, Yohji."

A quick twist of tanned body and he pinned his pale lover beneath him.

"One last memory - for us."

"For us."

owari