Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars (anime)
Date Finished:
Classification: Romance, Humor, Angst
Pairing: Seiya/Yaten, references to past Fighter/Kakyuu, shades of Seiya/Usagi
Rating: NC-17

Give Unto Me
By Elsewhere
elsewherecw@shaw.ca

All other information in Part One.

Part Ten: Everybody’s Fool

Glossary:
aa - yeah
ano - um
ano baka - that idiot
baka - idiot
bakayarou - jackass
e? - huh?
ecchi - erotic; perverted
gomen - sorry
hai - yes; okay
iku wa yo - let’s go
ima doko ni iru no? boku no princess… - where are you now? My princess… (lyrics from ‘Nagareboshi He’)
iya - no
Kami/Kami-sama - God
kono baka - you idiot
maa - well
mattaku/mattaku mou - damn
minna - everyone
Odango - dumpling---Seiya’s affectionate nickname for Usagi
sasuga - as expected (i.e., "sasuga Luna" = approximately "I should have expected such brilliance from you, Luna!")
Seiya no baka - Seiya, you idiot
sore ja ne - see you later then
Taiki no hentai - Taiki, you pervert
urusai - shut up
yare yare - well well

*****
The pain that grips you
The fear that binds you
Releases life in me
In our mutual shame we hide our eyes
To blind them from the truth
That finds a way to who we are
*****

Taiki immediately noticed that his fellow Lights were quieter than usual when they joined everyone at the table for the impromptu buffet lunch Makoto had prepared. Yaten didn’t even speak up to complain about anything, not that there would have been much to complain about…the lunch was mainly the types of things Yaten would enjoy.

"Healthy finger foods…you’ll love it!" Makoto had said to Usagi, grinning and pinching her hip, which had made Usagi squeal and pout about the lack of any sweet bean cakes.

Taiki watched as Seiya absently piled several sandwiches and a handful of raw vegetables onto his plate, his eyes staring off into space. He was obviously miles away, so far away that as he moved over and dipped a spoon into the bowl of dip, he bumped directly into Yaten, who cursed as he watched a carrot stick roll off the edge of his own plate and plop directly into the dip bowl, splashing the surrounding tablecloth. Yaten turned to glare at Seiya, who blinked at the mess and then down at his angry friend.

"Gomen, Yaten…I didn’t see you," Seiya apologized, sounding genuinely contrite, but Yaten’s frown only grew worse, becoming true anger.

It seemed the forgiving mood of that night and morning was gone, Taiki thought with a sigh.

"Why am I not surprised?" Yaten snapped, before turning and stomping off into the living room, leaving Seiya staring after him blankly. Seiya turned to Taiki, who raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"What was that about?" Seiya mouthed to Taiki, who shook his head as if to say that he’d been about to ask Seiya the same thing, so Seiya sighed, shrugging before getting himself a spoonful of dip, complete with a dip-covered carrot.

Next to Taiki, Ami was trying to hide her curiosity by feigning extreme interest in the tuna sandwich she was nibbling on. Usagi and Rei were in the middle of a very animated argument about Usagi’s eating habits and so had never noticed the incident in the first place. Minako stood stiffly by the stairs holding her plate and telling herself there was definitely no way in HELL she was going in the living room now that she’d witnessed THAT, and the unlucky Makoto had already been in the living room with her lunch, so now she was stuck sitting across from an extremely grumpy Yaten who was radiating waves of displeasure so severe that she couldn’t keep from wincing.

"So, Yaten-kun…" she began, deciding to try to strike up a conversation.

"What?" he snapped, green eyes flashing disturbingly.

"Um, nothing," she said quickly, turning her attention back down to the plate.

Taiki sighed, putting a few items together on his plate, despite the fact that he oddly didn’t feel too hungry at the moment, and made his way into the living room, deciding it was time for him to intervene. He sat down next to Yaten, ignoring the way the smaller boy stiffened at Taiki’s sudden closeness. Taiki didn’t even look at Yaten. Instead, he simply sat there, crossing his legs and placing his lunch in his lap before calmly starting to eat a sandwich, his eyes on his food. But his silence was enough of a message to his friend, who slowly began to calm down, as he so often did in Taiki’s presence. Eventually, just as everyone else was gathering around in the living room, Yaten began to pick at his own food, delicately picking up an olive between his fingers and then noticing that suddenly all eyes in the room were on him.

"What?" he asked again, in a considerably calmer tone.

"Um, nothing!" everyone chorused, all of them turning back to their own lunches.

Yaten rolled his eyes and popped the olive into his mouth, letting his gaze fall on Seiya, who was sitting on the floor in front of Usagi, who was on the couch next to Rei and Makoto. Seiya seemed completely relaxed around these girls, his guard utterly let down as he sat with his back against the couch, ever so slightly brushing Usagi’s bare thigh, his attention seemingly on his food.

If Yaten was honest with himself, as much as he didn’t want to be…it seemed that Taiki was relaxed around these girls as well, or at least as relaxed as he ever tended to get, which wasn’t saying much. Particularly around Mizuno-san, which was kind of a no-brainer---for lack of a better term, Yaten thought with a smirk---but…Taiki didn’t seem to find any of them any particular problem. Yaten had even overheard Taiki confessing to Seiya that Usagi was rather charming, the way she seemed to admire their music without acting like their other fans at all.

Yaten gritted his teeth. These girls might be *charming*, and yes, they might not exactly be like other girls. They might even genuinely care. But still…that was no reason to trust so easily.

When lunch was over, they got into a conversation about the upcoming tests at school, Usagi and Minako commiserating over what they were sure would turn out to be bad grades while Ami and Taiki talked about how they were looking forward to the tests---which made everyone else groan---and Seiya and Makoto merely shrugged, knowing that they would do their best as they always did. Yaten didn’t say anything at all. He didn’t care about school in the least---never had, never would. He did his homework and made good grades because it was what she would have expected of him, and he would continue to do that as long as it played any role in finding her…although he found that rather doubtful.

Eventually, Yaten grew tired of the conversation and got up, placing his plate aside before heading for the stairs.

"Oh, Yaten-kun, are you going upstairs?" he heard a bubbly voice ask, and he stopped, closing his eyes for a second before he turned around.

"Yes. So…?"

"So…I need to use the bathroom and I can’t remember where it is," Usagi replied with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head with embarrassment.

"Again, Odango?" Seiya asked with a laugh, and Usagi turned to glare at him.

"Because…I drank all that juice…" she pointed out.

"And you already forgot where it is!?" Seiya said teasingly, wagging a chiding finger at her.

At that her face fell slightly and she jutted out her lower lip.

"But…!" she protested. "It was a while ago and I…"

"If you’re coming," Yaten said with a loud sigh, "let’s just go."

"Oh! Yes," Usagi said, quickly hopping over to stand next to him.

He stared at her for a moment before he rolled his eyes and started up the stairs, Usagi clinging to his heels, far too close for his comfort. He was about to tell her to back off when he heard her voice again, softer this time.

"Yaten-kun, Seiya showed me a picture you drew. It was beautiful," she said, her words simple but somehow more complimentary than most of the gushing displays of fangirlism he got day in and day out. He turned back to glance at her, surprise making his frown fade away.

"A picture?" he echoed dumbly, blinking. "What kind of picture?"

"A beautiful picture," she repeated with a bright smile. "Of olive blossoms. I didn’t know what they looked like, so he showed it to me."

At that, Yaten froze, feeling as though his heart was caught in his chest, unable to move. What the hell had Seiya been telling this girl!?

"What were you and Seiya talking about?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low and neutral.

"The woman you’re trying to find," Usagi answered simply, her smile becoming a bit sad, again surprising him. He caught his breath in his throat, seeing the knowing look that flooded her eyes. "You must miss her very much. I don’t know exactly who she is or what she means to the three of you…Seiya didn’t say. But I can tell from your songs that you all love her very much, and I just want to say…I hope you find her soon."

Yaten’s breath left him in a slow burst as he stared at the girl standing in front of him, smiling that damnable, brilliant smile that lit up the space around her, that threatened to warm even the coldest heart. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he felt the barriers starting to lower against his wishes, and he took a sharp step backwards, almost hitting the wall. She blinked once, her smile faltering slightly.

"Yaten-kun?"

He shook his head slightly, bringing up a hand to his forehead. What had that been…? He thought for a second that he’d felt something from her…some kind of power, a warmth beyond her natural gentleness…

His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her.

/The air of mystery around you grows thicker, Tsukino Usagi. Just like Seiya’s always saying./

"…Thanks," he said finally, a bit stiffly, bowing his head, the barest gesture of deference. "I hope we find her soon, too."

Usagi continued to smile at him, but the look in her eyes was puzzled, and not for the first time he wondered how much of her bubble-headedness was an act. How well could she see into his mind…his heart…his very soul?

"The bathroom’s at the end of the hall," he said, gesturing towards it casually as he turned towards his own room. She nodded and bowed, thanking him before heading towards it. He shrugged, trying to rid her from his mind as he stepped into his room. He instantly stopped in his tracks and stared, an expression between disgust and shock passing over his face.

"What the…!?" he cried out, and he hadn’t even really realized he’d said it out loud until he heard footsteps and then glanced up to see Usagi running back down the hall towards him. She stopped next to him, looking alarmed.

"What is it?" she demanded, and, feeling a little foolish, he pointed into his room.

"She’s using the litterbox!" he said, pointing to where Shiruku was, indeed, making use of the litterbox to do something which had produced the look of disgust on Yaten’s face. He had never been fond of bodily functions.

Usagi laughed at the look on Yaten’s face and the surprise in his voice.

"Of course she is!" she said, chuckling warmly. "All good kitties use the litterbox, and Shiruku-chan is a good kitten, aren’t you, Shiruku?"

Shiruku glanced up at Usagi, sniffed, and stuck her nose in the air as she finished her business and hopped out of the litterbox.

/Maa,/ Yaten thought a bit smugly, /They say a pet takes after its owner. Or is that the other way around…?/

"And besides," Usagi added, evidently not bothered by the cat’s rude behavior, "she had Luna and Artemis here to teach her!"

"What?" Yaten said, lifting his eyebrows before he peered into the room and watched Shiruku make her way across to where Luna and Artemis sat on the floor. Shiruku sat in front of them, seemingly awaiting something, and Yaten watched in amazement as Luna started to speak…or rather, to meow, and Shiruku seemed to listen intently.

"Ah…sasuga Luna!" Yaten said, clapping, and he laughed when he noticed the faint red that seemed to cross the black cat’s cheeks. Usagi also chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yare yare," she said, shaking her head. "Well…I hope you don’t mind that Shiruku learned to use the litterbox in just one lesson, Yaten-kun, so you won’t get to have the pleasure of our company anymore."

Yaten tried not to smirk too obviously.

"I’m sure I’ll get over it," he said, and he blinked when he noted the twinkle in Usagi’s eye.

"Mmhm," she said simply before she gave him a wink and turned to head back towards the bathroom, having been diverted on her way there.

He rubbed his head. He had the oddest feeling that he was really badly underestimating that girl…ah, screw it. He shook off the feeling, shrugging. What did he care, anyway!?

He grinned widely when Luna suddenly bounded over and sat in front of him, waiting patiently. He bent down, allowing her to hop up into his arms, and he smiled down at her as she snuggled into his embrace, purring. He glanced over at the sound of a muffled growl from the other cat, Artemis, who quickly turned his eyes away.

Yaten chuckled, turning to look back at Luna, who appeared intent on ignoring Artemis and enjoying her time with Yaten, whom she adored. Yaten idly contemplated telling her that he was perfectly aware of the fact that she was sentient---it would have been obvious to any empath even if their every other sense was dead---but decided to save that for some later time. He grinned to himself and scratched under her chin, smiling warmly as she purred, utterly contented.

/It must be nice,/ he mused, /to be so easily pleased. I wish someone could comfort me so easily…/

*****

He ventured downstairs not long after Usagi had gone, and found the girls packing up their things, getting ready to leave.

"You don’t really have to rush out so soon, you know," Taiki was saying in his usual polite tone, but it was evident that he had actually been enjoying their company---or at least the intellectual conversation he had been having with Ami before her friends had interrupted to say it was about time they got going.

"Yeah, we’ve still got a while before we have to head off," Seiya added with a grin that made a couple of the girls blush, but they all shook their heads.

"No, we wouldn’t want to burden you any longer," Ami said quickly.

"You said you had studio time today, after all," Minako said with an uncharacteristically hesitant smile towards Yaten, who had stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"And homework," Rei said with a smirk.

Usagi groaned, rubbing her face.

"Don’t remind me about homework," she moaned, and Rei snickered evilly, making Seiya laugh as Usagi elbowed Rei sharply in the ribs.

"I suppose we really should be getting to work ourselves," Taiki said with some reluctance, glancing towards Seiya and then back to Yaten, who simply nodded approvingly.

"After all," Yaten reminded them, lifting his eyebrows, "we do have a concert next week."

Instantly, all five girls froze.

"A…concert?" Makoto repeated slowly, her voice a bit shaky.

"Next…" Rei rasped, sounding furious.

"…week?" Minako gasped, sounding like she was about to pass out.

The Three Lights slowly glanced to each other, then back to the girls, nodding cautiously. They watched and winced as all five girls cringed and cried out painfully.

"Iya iya iya!!" Minako shrieked. "How could my information network not have informed me about this!? How is it an INFORMATION NETWORK if there is no INFORMATION!?"

"Next week…" Ami said, tears in her eyes. "Surely there won’t be any tickets left by now…"

"Minna!" Usagi said, clasping her hand to her chest in a gesture that had all the other girls instantly snapping their eyes to her. Her dark blue eyes were set with a hard determination that the Lights had never seen there before, and it left them stunned speechless, their mouths hanging open.

"Iku wa yo!" Usagi shouted, lifting her fist in the air.

"Hai!" the girls chorused, similar looks of determination in their eyes.

Ami suddenly seemed to recover herself and she blushed, bowing to their hosts.

"Excuse us, but…we have to go," she said quickly and politely.

"Sore ja ne!" all the girls said, waving and chorusing various more polite versions of their farewells as they backed out the door in a tangle of girlish arms and legs, Rei’s swears punctuating the procedure. After the door finally closed behind them, the Lights remained silent for several moments, staring at it in silence.

"Ano…do we have any tickets for the concert?" Seiya asked after a moment, sounding like he was about to crack up.

"No," Taiki said, trying for a tone of clinical detachment and failing miserably, his eyebrows and his lips twitching amusingly. "But we could easily get some, I’m sure."

Yaten snorted so loudly the other two turned towards him.

"Should we get some, just to see what those idiots would say?" he said, gesturing to the closed door to indicate that by ‘idiots’ he meant the girls.

"Nah…I’d rather see what they can come up with on their own resources," Seiya said with a wink and a grin, and his companions both laughed, the ice from earlier seemingly broken.

"All right," Seiya said a moment later, clapping his hands and offering his companions a rakish grin. "Who’s ready for a jam session?"

Taiki lifted a finger.

"Not so fast, Seiya," he said with a knowing smile. "Homework first…jam session at three o’clock."

Seiya’s grin froze on his face for a moment before vanishing, and he sighed heavily.

"I knew it," he said, looking utterly defeated as he shuffled off upstairs towards his room and his still-unfinished math homework. Taiki held back a chuckle and Yaten snorted mirthfully.

"Come looking for me at quarter to three, then, and we’ll head off," Seiya called down the stairs. "If I’m not there, it’s probably because I’ve spontaneously combusted from overcharging my neutrons trying to understand this damn algebra. You guys can split up my stuff between the two of you, if that happens."

Yaten and Taiki glanced at each other and smirked as Seiya shut his bedroom door behind himself with another loud sigh.

"I think you meant neurons," Taiki called after him belatedly, and when the only response he received was the sound of a heavy textbook hitting the door, Taiki just chuckled softly and shrugged, turning to get back to his own homework.

"Ano baka," Yaten muttered before fetching his own textbooks and taking his place at the table across from Taiki. Taiki glanced up at him, relieved when he saw the small smile at Yaten’s lips.

Maybe it wouldn’t turn out to be a bad day after all.

*****

The studio session turned out far better than Yaten had expected, given how badly his own musical attempts earlier that day had been going. But, as so often happened, Seiya’s seemingly never-ending supply of energy had pushed his teammates to continue whenever they seemed to be flagging, and Yaten had to admit, some of the sounds the three of them had been coming up with had been pretty good. Passionate, evocative…and some of the lyrics they’d started suggesting to each other, Taiki penciling madly in his notebook as they brainstormed, had perfectly reflected their growing mood of restlessness as they awaited some sign that their message had reached the one they sought.

/Ima doko ni iru no? Boku no princess…/

It was in moments like those, in the studio, when the adrenaline was running high and the three of them had worked themselves into the precise blend of tension and clarity that was required for composition, that the three of them ended up letting down their defenses in front of each other more than they did in their daily lives anymore. It was impossible for them not to see the urgency and anguish in each other’s eyes as they would suggest lyrics or melodies that might appeal to her, that might finally reach her; as one or all of them would have a sudden burst of insight, or recall something abruptly from their past that they would feel the need to include in a new song, something that she too would surely remember, something that would provide a clue to her that they were here, seeking her, desperately looking for her…

/Why don’t you answer, princess? You’re here, on this planet, in this country, in this very city…I feel you. Where are you!?/

Because of this, they almost always ended up completely exhausted after their studio sessions, particularly when they drove themselves as hard as they had today. As so often happened, Yaten had eventually fallen asleep on the couch at the studio, leaving his two companions to continue to whisper ideas to each other, heads bowed close together, for a while longer before Seiya finally bent over Yaten and gently shook him awake. Yaten could tell instantly by the look of triumph in Seiya’s eyes that something had been accomplished…maybe a new single. Maybe soon.

/Anything…as long as it reaches her…we have to hurry…/

By the time they finally got home, it was mid evening and they’d completely missed supper. Seiya voted on ordering something, and Taiki agreed, provided it wasn’t anything too disgusting. Yaten had managed a laugh at that---"Hey, that’s my line!"---before he’d said that he really didn’t care; he was probably too tired to eat anyway. But that had only prompted Seiya to poke him in the ribs, informing him he was looking way too thin lately, so he was going to eat and enjoy it, damn it. Which set the two of them to arguing about whether or not Yaten’s weight was any of Seiya’s business, so Taiki decided to ignore them altogether and flipped through Seiya’s collection of take-out menus, looking for something appealing.

In the end they had Chinese food, which wasn’t too bad, except that the ginger chicken seemed, for some unknown reason, to make Seiya think he had an excuse to burp like a total Neanderthal every few minutes, so Yaten finally sighed, excused himself, and made his way upstairs. He groaned a bit as he made his way into his bedroom, rubbing at his stomach and wondering if he should have eaten that ginger chicken…maybe Seiya wasn’t being a jerk just for the sake of being a jerk after all.

Shiruku perked up instantly when she saw him, lifting her head from where she’d been sleeping curled up on his bed. He smiled when he saw her and walked over to greet her, forgetting his exhaustion for a moment as he snuggled with her, until a knot in the muscles of his back made him moan softly with pain.

/Always looking for her…without any rest…/

Which is how he ended up deciding that that night, for the first time, as a way to celebrate both a productive day at the studio and Shiruku’s accomplishment of finally learning to use the litterbox, *and* as a way to relax, he would take a long, relaxing soak in the tub…with his cat.

Not too long before he’d gotten Shiruku, Yaten had been hired for a guest spot on a popular variety television show called ‘Let’s See Stars Pets’. It was something done through Galaxy Television, a station the Three Lights did a lot of business with, and whenever the station offered the Lights an opportunity to advance their position with the company, they generally took it. As all three members of the band were perfectly aware, they needed absolutely every opportunity to spread their image, to make their popularity grow, so that their message would go out to a wider audience in the hope of reaching *her*. All of it, all of the stupidity and annoyance, was for one eventual goal.

Nonetheless, for once, Taiki and Seiya had been a little unhappy with their band mate when he had informed them of his new television guest spot.

"‘Let’s See Stars Pets?’" Yaten could clearly remember Taiki’s eyebrows raising in disbelief. "Yaten…you don’t have a pet."

"So? I’ll get one," Yaten had said with a shrug. "It doesn’t have to be anything fancy."

"Anything fancy…?" Taiki had said, staring at him with disbelief, while Seiya, standing next to Yaten, had just laughed and laughed, seeming to find the whole thing extremely hilarious. "Yaten, do you have any idea what’s involved with owning a pet?"

"What are you talking about? I’ll get a goldfish. You put it in a bowl, you feed it for a while, it dies, you flush it down the toilet."

"Mattaku!" Seiya had wheezed, hiding his face behind his hands as he’d howled his laughter.

"What’s so damned funny!?" Yaten had snapped, turning to glare at him.

"No…nothing," Seiya had said, a grin showing through the cracks between his fingers. "I was just pondering what it’d be like if you ever had kids…"

"Urusai!" Yaten had growled.

Well, needless to say, Yaten’s first experiment hadn’t gone so well. Despite his goldfish recommendation---or perhaps because of it---Seiya had gone to a store and come home with a pet. An utterly grotesque pet that Yaten had been completely revolted by, but a pet nonetheless.

"Seiya no baka!! I didn’t ask for your help!! I’m not touching that thing!!"

"Don’t be such a girl, Yaten."

"…I’m not even going to dignify that with a response, *kono baka*."

"Come on, just give it a try. It’s just a little chameleon…come on, just hold him on your hand for a little while, you’ll get used to him right away…"

But of course, *that* had led to immediate disaster. While the chameleon may have looked sluggish, it was extremely fast, and before it ever managed to get near Yaten’s delicate, perfectly-manicured hands---thanks be to Kami-sama, Yaten remembered thinking---it had skittered away and out the back door, which had been open because Taiki was out on the deck reading in the sunshine.

"Taiki!!" Seiya had screeched, his voice, as usual, going into the higher registers in his urgency. "Taiki, grab that lizard!"

"*What* did you just say!?" had come Taiki’s startled voice before they’d heard a somewhat effeminate shriek and then the sound of scuffling footsteps on the wood of the deck. They’d reached the door just in time to see Taiki frantically chasing the fugitive chameleon around the deck, but even with his long strides, it was too fast for him.

"What is this!?" Taiki had cried, forgoing his usual extreme politeness for once as he’d tripped and nearly done a nose dive, looking very annoyed for a moment before he remembered his mission and dove after the chameleon, swearing softly when he missed.

"Seiya’s wonderful idea for my pet," Yaten had sneered.

"I didn’t see you coming up with anything better," Seiya had said defensively, his chin raised the way it usually was when he was feeling especially pouty. "I thought it was a manly pet."

"Are you stupid!?" Yaten had snapped, smacking the back of Seiya’s head. "I don’t need a manly pet, *bakayarou*!! I’m a---"

"Shh!!" Seiya had hissed, clapping his hand over Yaten’s mouth and quickly looking around outside. "Anyone could be listening, you dork. I know full well what you are, really."

Keeping his hand over Yaten’s mouth, despite Yaten’s squirming and the extremely rude things Yaten was shouting against Seiya’s palm, Seiya had bent down until his mouth was brushing Yaten’s ear.

"You’re a man on Earth, Yaten. You need to get used to it, somehow."

"I could use a little help here!" Taiki had squealed suddenly, revealing his own squeamishness as the chameleon had skittered close enough for him to grab it, and yet he hadn’t, instead backing away.

Seiya had sighed, rolling his eyes, as he’d let his hand fall away from Yaten’s mouth, never seeing the stunned, almost hurt expression on the smaller man’s face.

"Dude, you’re not helping my case, here," Seiya had said wryly, before he’d grinned and run out onto the deck to help. "You coming, Yaten-kun?"

Yaten had scowled at the honorific and shook his head.

"No…I need to go wash my hands…that icky thing almost touched me."

"Mattaku mou…" Seiya had groaned, but Yaten had ignored him as he’d hurried to the bathroom.

By the time Yaten had gone back out onto the deck, his usual mask of bad-tempered indifference firmly in place, it was evident from the way his two band mates were standing around uselessly that they had lost their target.

Taiki had chided Yaten again for taking such a strange job---a guest spot on a show about celebrities and their pets, without even having a pet---and Seiya had chimed in to say that yes, it was definitely Yaten’s fault, probably because he just liked to say those words, at which point Yaten, feeling pissy, had again pointed out that Seiya had bought the damn chameleon and told Yaten to take it out of the cage, so it was *his* fault. Seiya, having no response to that, had jutted out his chin and pouted as only Seiya could pout, which had only infuriated Yaten more.

Taiki, ever the calm one, had pointed out that in a situation such as this---the filming date for the program grew nearer with each passing day---it really didn’t matter what kind of pet Yaten had, even a cat would do…at which point they had all turned to the black cat sitting up on the ledge the chameleon had disappeared from. All of them had been aware of the cat’s presence---they were rarely unaware of any encroachment on their territory---but it wasn’t until then that it occurred to them that this docile-seeming pussycat, who even then had simply sat there blinking at them with her large, interesting red eyes, might be extremely helpful to them.

And after that, Luna, Usagi’s sentient black cat with the curious crescent moon-shaped bald patch on her forehead, had resided with the Three Lights for a little over a week. During that time, Yaten had even gone so far as to call Luna his family, on the ‘Let’s See Stars Pets’ television program. He had come to feel so close to her, and the odd thing was…he had bared his soul to her in a way he was rarely willing to. Oh, it wasn’t that he had spoken to her, per se. He had, occasionally, but he hadn’t carried on long conversations with her…he wasn’t the type for soliloquy, and as long as Luna continued to believe he was oblivious to the fact of her sentience, he knew she wouldn’t respond to him even if he spoke to her as an equal. He wasn’t even sure if she was capable of vocalization, anyway.

What he had done, however, was let down his guard around her, even knowing that she was just as intelligent and possessed a consciousness just as advanced as his. She had seen him carry out his daily routine…she had seen his mood swings, she had seen the depth of true feeling he allowed himself to feel only in private…she had even been privy to one particularly private conversation between the Three Lights during a car ride, one time, and oddly, he hadn’t minded, despite the matter they’d been discussing at the time. And yes, even though he’d been perfectly aware that Luna had a bit of a crush on him…she’d slept in his bed, and…she’d shared his bath.

He’d taken endless teasing from his two roommates about all of this…first, when they’d learned how much of a fondness he’d taken to cats in general and to Luna in particular, and second, when they’d found out that he enjoyed taking baths with cats. He had discovered, during his time with Luna, that there surely could be nothing quite as enjoyable as just relaxing back in a big bubble bath with one’s loving cat…someone who would never ask too much of you, or be demanding, or…so many other things. Someone truly trustworthy.

Yaten carried Shiruku into the bathroom and set her on the tiles, closing the door behind himself before he turned back to see her shivering slightly on the cold tiles. She looked so small and vulnerable…

"It’s all right, sweetheart," he murmured, stroking her fur soothingly for a moment before he bent to start the bath. He made sure the water was the perfect temperature, poured in a healthy dollop of bubble bath, and then watched carefully to make sure he didn’t fill the tub too full to be manageable with the kitten. Then he stood, smiling at the way Shiruku stared up at him with large, curious green eyes---so similar to his own color, he mused---as he stripped off his robe---he’d taken off his clothes in his room---and let it pool to the floor. Then he slid off his ribbon and placed it to one side, on the counter next to the sink, letting his hair fall freely around his shoulders, brushing his bare hips and thighs.

"Just wait a second there, Shiruku," he said softly, crouching and scratching behind her ear, and she seemed to understand him well enough, because she moved over and nestled into the folds of his discarded bathrobe, turning around a couple of times before coming to rest in a little ball of silver fur. He chuckled warmly before he got to his feet and moved into the shower stall next to the bath. He showered himself off quickly, not wanting the bath water to get cold, and found himself shivering slightly as he stepped out of the stall and into the hot bath. He sighed with relief as he lowered himself into it, squirming as he let the heat sink into his muscles. After a moment he lifted himself slightly and glanced over at Shiruku, who was sitting up in the middle of his bathrobe, as though she knew something was about to happen to her. She peered at him curiously, then mewled loudly when he reached out to her and his wet fingers touched her fur.

"Shh…it’s okay," he murmured again, soothingly. "You’ll like it, I promise."

She calmed at his voice, but still looked a bit disturbed as he scooped her up and pulled her into the tub, settling her on his chest. He’d managed to make the water level just perfect, so that as he lay with his back propped up, his chest was above water and she could sit on it, while everything from his stomach downwards was below the protection of the water and the bubbles. Shiruku continued to look nervous, so Yaten smiled as reassuringly as he could, thinking that this had been much easier with a sentient cat, and stroked her back until she calmed down enough to lie down on his chest. Then he settled his own head back and closed his eyes, knowing that he wouldn’t fall asleep. Seiya might be irresponsible enough to fall asleep in the bathtub, but Yaten considered himself beyond that sort of thing. He smiled slightly at that thought.

His eyes snapped open when he heard the door open, and a moment later when Seiya’s grinning face appeared in his view, he let out a growl that echoed off the wet tiles and sat up. Shiruku let out a loud yowl as she slid down his chest, only to relax when he caught her easily and cradled her against his chest as he sat upright, legs pulled up defensively.

"Seiya, what are you…!?"

"Don’t panic, don’t panic," Seiya said, lifting his hands in a placating gesture as he smirked. "Enjoy your bath. I’m just here to use the toilet."

"You *what*!?" Yaten hissed, and then he braced Shiruku with one arm as he used the other hand to point firmly to the door. "Get out!"

"Yaten," Seiya explained patiently as he turned and lifted the lid and seat of the toilet. Taiki and Yaten always insisted that both be kept down. "There are certain times when nature calls and a man simply *cannot* deny her."

"You are completely unbelievable!" Yaten shouted, his voice again echoing in the bathroom. He turned away quickly when he heard the sound of Seiya unzipping his pants. "Don’t you have any modesty!?"

"Nope!" Seiya responded cheerfully, and then he sighed with relief as a loud sound like running water filled the room.

"You never change," Yaten grumbled, trying hard not to blush as he lowered his head. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

That caused Seiya to lift an eyebrow as he glanced back over his shoulder at Yaten.

"You’re taking a bubble bath with a cat, and you’re telling me I should be ashamed of myself?" Seiya said, sounding amused.

"Urusai!!" Yaten said defensively, holding Shiruku a little tighter against his chest. Shiruku meowed loudly, as though joining in the protest. "This is a private matter between a man and his cat, I’ll have you know…it’s none of your business!"

"Yeah, yeah," Seiya said, grinning before he turned back, jumped a bit as he finished off, and then zipped up his fly. Yaten stared at Seiya in disgust as the younger man flushed the toilet and washed his hands.

"You really do never change," Yaten said disdainfully. "You’ve always been like that, totally unashamed of…of…"

"Of what?" Seiya said, a hint of challenge in his voice as he turned to pin Yaten under his gaze. "My body? Ordinary bodily functions? *Your* body?"

So saying, his eyes abruptly dropped, taking in the large amount of pale flesh that was exposed above the line of the water and the rapidly fading bubbles.

"Urusai!" Yaten hissed again, his grip on Shiruku becoming even more defensive as he blushed.

"What’s the big deal?" Seiya said with a shrug. "We’ve always wandered in and out of the bathroom when we were bathing, when we were younger. And we’ve been to the communal baths together…"

"That’s different!" Yaten said sharply, pulling his knees tighter together. "That was all different!"

"How?" Seiya asked, eyebrows lifting. "How, Yaten?"

Yaten was silent, stumbling over the words on his tongue.

"Because we’re men now?" Seiya said quietly, huskily, and Yaten frowned deeply but couldn’t find the words to deny it, to tell Seiya again to go away, that it was none of his business, *anything* to make him stop…

And then Yaten froze, the blush on his cheeks suddenly becoming very hot. Seiya was giving him that look again. That intense look that threatened to look right *into* him, fixed one moment on his eyes and the next on his body, lingering on his chest, on his slender hands, on his pale knees where they clenched together. And again, Yaten could feel it…that strange, yearning pulse of desire, locked and buried deep in Seiya’s mind, but not so well hidden in his body. It made Seiya’s breath quicken and his heart beat just a little faster…and despite himself, Yaten found himself, again, responding to that desire, feeling a tingle of arousal move down his own spine. He had felt the *attraction* of others towards him before, many, many times. But he had never been so intimately aware of something like this…of someone *wanting* him…not like this.

"Don’t…don’t look at me like that." The words sounded almost choked, and Yaten brought up a hand to his throat, closing his eyes.

"Like what?" Seiya said, his own voice quiet and…surprised. But Yaten could feel the confused swirl of Seiya’s emotions. He wasn’t surprised by Yaten’s request so much as he was surprised at himself.

"Like *that*," Yaten hissed, anger suddenly flooding through him as he felt Seiya’s own puzzlement. Yaten’s eyes snapped open, flaring brilliant emerald as he glared at Seiya. "Don’t look at me as though I’m one of those girls you like to chase."

It was a low blow…it was meant to hurt…and for all the world, Yaten thought it was the truth. But when he saw the intense hurt that flared in Seiya’s eyes, the way for a moment Seiya seemed staggered, Yaten’s confidence faltered and for a very long minute---somewhere, he could hear a clock ticking away the seconds---Yaten couldn’t breathe. If he’d made a mistake about that, then what…?

And then it all came crashing down.

"Shut up, Yaten. Just shut up," Seiya snapped, his tone so entirely full of rage that Yaten found himself backing into the corner of the bathtub, trying to get as far away as possible. As quickly as it had appeared, the pain in Seiya’s eyes was gone, replaced with a fury that Yaten had seen there only rarely. Seiya had such a gentle, loving soul, and no matter his mood that usually shone through…but not now.

/What have I done…?/

"You don’t know the first thing about attraction, or sex, or love," Seiya said, spitting out each word in turn---‘attraction’, ‘sex’, ‘love’---as though it were a curse. "You wouldn’t know sexual attraction if it bit you in the ass. I bet you’ve never even touched yourself…if you had, you wouldn’t be half so ignorant."

Yaten closed his eyes, trying to get away from the endless barrage of Seiya’s words and his anger, that horrible anger that was stripping away at Yaten’s soul, but he couldn’t. Seiya was too close, and the words just kept coming…and the worst thing about them was that they were true…

"You hide yourself away in your little bubble and you think you’re beyond any of that," Seiya sneered. "And maybe you are…honestly, maybe you *are* too cold to ever understand those things. But don’t think you understand my feelings. Don’t think just because you can see into me that you understand what I feel and why, all right?"

Yaten said nothing, trembling in silence, holding Shiruku tightly and wishing he could disappear, go somewhere far away, somewhere away from all of this.

It seemed as though time would stretch on forever in silence but then, finally, Yaten heard a strange sound…something like what he had heard from Taiki the night before last---had it only been that long?---, that odd sound between an intake of breath and the release of a sob, caught painfully at the back of the throat, and then he heard a soft thud and opened his eyes just in time to see Seiya on his knees next to the bathtub, lowering his head.

"Oh gods…I’m sorry, Yaten…Healer…I’m so sorry…I…shouldn’t have said any of that…I…I didn’t mean any of it…I’m so sorry…please…it was totally uncalled for…please…forgive me…please…"

His voice trailed off into the horrible sound of his trembling breath as he closed his eyes and awaited his verdict.

Yaten stared at Seiya for a long moment before finally he swallowed, trying to stop his quivering but somehow finding himself unable.

"Seiya…" Ugh. His voice sounded like he’d been in the desert for years. He swallowed and tried again. "Fighter…"

Before he could get any further, Seiya suddenly lifted his head, his eyes dark with desperation and shimmering with tears as he suddenly launched himself forward and gently gripped Yaten’s shoulders.

"Please!" he whispered. "Please, Yaten…don’t listen to anything I just said!"

Yaten swallowed again, closing his eyes as he felt Seiya’s eyes searching his face.

"But…what if I feel that…you’re right?" he whispered, and he heard the sound of Seiya’s gasp, then let out a gasp of his own, this one of surprise, as he felt himself pulled into a loose embrace against Seiya.

"It doesn’t matter…I only said those things to hurt you," Seiya whispered, and Yaten stiffened when he felt Seiya’s lips gently brush his temple.

"Because…I hurt you?" Yaten whispered back, taking a chance based on Seiya’s words.

Seiya stiffened against Yaten, then reluctantly nodded.

Yaten felt tears pricking his eyelids, felt himself cradling Shiruku more firmly again, as he stared at a spot on the wall across the way.

"I don’t understand any of this," he whispered, and he watched as Seiya drew back, away, looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"I’m so sorry…" Seiya began again, but Yaten shook his head, closing his eyes as impatience rose up in him.

"It’s not about you," he said, a ghost of his previous sharpness returning to his words. Wanting something to distract himself, he searched around in the bath water until he came up with the small bar of strawberry-scented soap he’d brought into the bath, bringing it up and starting to lazily lather the arm that was cupping Shiruku.

Seiya looked torn, but after a moment he reached out and gently brushed some of Yaten’s wet hair back from his face.

"Part of it’s about me," he said softly, seeking and finding Yaten’s eyes, holding his gaze for a moment, long enough for Yaten to remember his reason for blushing and produce a healthy shade of red. The soap suddenly slipped out of his hand and went sailing, landing on the far side of the bath with a loud ‘plop!’ into the water.

"Sorry," Seiya said again, this time laughing a bit.

Yaten stared after the soap and then turned to Seiya. He felt torn between exasperation and…something he didn’t want to contemplate too deeply just then.

"Go away," he grumbled as he sat up, preparing to look for the soap.

"Let me get it," Seiya offered, and without waiting for a response, he stuck an arm into the bath water between Yaten’s bent legs, searching for the soap. Yaten’s eyes went very wide as Seiya’s fingers lightly brushed one of his calves as he searched.

"What are you doing!?"

"Looking for the soap, baka."

"Get out!"

"Oh come on, Yaten…"

"Just get out!" Yaten snapped, giving Seiya’s shoulder a hard shove with his still-free hand.

"Whoa! Yaten, don’t push me when I’m at such a weird angle, I might…"

But it was too late…another sharp push from Yaten and Seiya lost his grip against the wet edge of the bathtub. Almost before any of them could realize what was happening, Seiya had tumbled headfirst into the bathtub, splashing a huge amount of water over Yaten and Shiruku in the process, as well as getting himself thoroughly soaked. Yaten let out a loud cry almost at the same moment that Shiruku let out a piercing shriek and bolted, her claws digging painfully into Yaten’s skin as she pushed off, sailing through the air and then scrabbling against the tiles.

"Shiruku!" Yaten cried out, ignoring both the wound to his chest and his sputtering band mate. He quickly stood up and got out of the tub, trying to go after the cat, but just as he did so, the bathroom door slammed open and Taiki took a step inside, breathing heavily, having obviously just run all the way upstairs.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Taiki gasped, his eyes wide, and going wider instantly with shock when he saw Yaten standing buck naked in the middle of the bathroom and an extremely wet, clothed Seiya clambering around in the tub. "What the…!?"

"Shiruku!" Yaten moaned mournfully as he watched his beloved kitten streak past Taiki and out the door to Kami knows where.

Taiki obviously wasn’t too interested in either Yaten or his cat, instead adjusting his glasses as he stared at Seiya, who had by this point burst out laughing, finding the whole predicament rather amusing.

Yaten’s eyes came to rest on Taiki just then, and he followed Taiki’s eyes down to where his gaze rested. Unfortunately, Seiya, who was now trying to get strawberry-scented bubbles out of his black curls, was at such an angle that Taiki was looking at him just beyond and behind Yaten’s left hip.

"Taiki!" Yaten gasped, tears suddenly coming to his eyes before he reached down, scooped up his bathrobe, and ran out the door, trying hard not to cry. Taiki glanced at him as he left, obviously surprised by his actions.

Seiya started laughing harder than ever, his quest to get all the bubbles out of his mane forgotten.

"Taiki no hentai!" he crowed, and Taiki blinked, startled, pushing his glasses further along his nose.

"E?"

"You were staring straight at his…!" Seiya said, gesturing rather improperly to his crotch and then slapping his knee as he laughed, ignoring the way his jeans squelched unpleasantly under his hand.

"E!?" Taiki said again, nervously adjusting his glasses for about the fourth time since he’d entered the bathroom. He blinked several times. "Is that what he thought!?"

He bit his lip, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, gods…" he groaned, before leaving Seiya to hoot and crow his amusement on his own as Taiki turned on his heal and quickly ran after Yaten.

"Mattaku…" Seiya sighed after a moment, trying to recover himself as he shook some water off of his hands and grinned. "What tangled webs we weave…"

For just a moment his smile became melancholy, but then it became a grin again as he imagined how Taiki intended to explain his unexpected ecchi tendencies to Yaten. Now *that* he’d pay to see…but Seiya had something more important to do at that very moment…

*****

END PART TEN