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 Eight: Heart-Shaped Box

Glossary:
ano - um
baka - idiot
bakayarou - jackass
chikusho - damn
douzo - come in
e? - huh?
ecchi - erotic; sexual; perverted
genkan - the entranceway of a Japanese residence, where you take off your shoes
gomen - sorry
gomen nasai - I’m so sorry
hai - yes; okay
hime - princess
ite - ow; ouch
kakkoi - cool
kuso - shit
mattaku - damn (roughly)
ne - sort of like ‘eh’ or ‘hey’…a word used to emphasize a point or get someone’s attention
obaka-chan - idiot
ohayou - good morning
ohayou gozaimasu - good morning (formal)
oi - hey
senshi - soldier; warrior
tachi - plural honorific
urusai - shut up

*****
Fear not the flame of my love's candle
Let it be the sun in your world of darkness
Give unto me all that frightens you
I'll have your nightmares for you
If you sleep soundly
*****

Despite his words to Taiki, Yaten quickly found that his determination wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. He wasn’t sure how long he spent leaning against Seiya’s door, mainly trying to regain the feeling in his knees, before he finally took a deep breath, set his face in a grim look of determination, and decided to press onward.

He swung open the door.

"Seiya, I have to talk to you. I…"

His voice trailed away into a soft gasp as he stepped further into the room and his senses finally caught up with him. The room was dark, lit only by the wide sliver of moonlight that seeped through the open curtains and splashed across Seiya’s bed. The light was perfectly positioned to give Yaten a rather explicit view of a muscular back, Seiya’s pale skin even paler in the moonlight. Yaten’s eyes followed the trail of Seiya’s midnight black hair up towards his face, and he caught his breath when their eyes met.

At first as Yaten looked at him, Seiya’s eyes were glassy, hazed over, but it took little more than a second for him to blink and clear most of the weariness away.

"Hmm…? Yaten?" Seiya murmured sleepily, slowly lifting his head from the pillow. "What is it…?"

Yaten was glad for the cover of darkness, because he was sure he was blushing a shade of crimson that would have been incredibly unflattering to his complexion.

"Seiya…I’m sorry," Yaten whispered, quickly turning back towards the door. "I didn’t know you were sleeping…I’ll go…"

"Hey, wait up!"  

Yaten froze, startled both by the command and by the laughter that accompanied it.

"Get back here, shrimp."

Yaten closed his eyes, keeping his head down as he slowly turned around. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Seiya propped up on one elbow, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes and flicking his hair out of his way before he offered Yaten the typical flirtatious Seiya Kou smirk.

"Well? Come on, then," Seiya said, crooking a finger towards himself and chuckling softly at the way Yaten slowly dragged his way over to the bed. "What’s wrong? You know I don’t bite."

Yaten stopped when he was standing at the side of the bed and let out a loud sigh, his first real sign of resistance, and he watched Seiya’s eyes flicker with amusement.

"You wanted something?" Seiya asked pointedly, arching an eyebrow. His lips twitched when he saw the way Yaten shifted uncomfortably.

"It’s nothing," Yaten hissed after a moment. The self-satisfied look on Seiya’s face was driving him nuts; it was only making his embarrassment worse. He turned on his heel and started to go, glancing back in surprise when he felt the touch of a firm hand around his wrist.

"No," Seiya said firmly, the look in his eyes softening as he looked up into Yaten’s face. What did he see there, Yaten wondered? "You wouldn’t have come in if there wasn’t something. Come on, sit down."

Yaten eyed him suspiciously, and Seiya sighed as he sat up, running his hands back through his hair before he leaned down over the edge of the bed, seeking the shirt he’d carelessly tossed aside earlier. After he’d pulled the T-shirt on, he turned his attention back to Yaten.

"Don’t be embarrassed, obaka-chan…it’s just me," Seiya said, snorting softly when he saw the irritation that flared in Yaten’s eyes. "Sit down."

Yaten glared at him for a moment, but finally sat down gingerly on the bed next to Seiya. He jumped slightly when he felt Seiya’s knee brush his, and something heated flashed briefly across his mind; not his own emotion, and stronger than he’d felt from Seiya until then. He blinked, the glare fading away. He could feel Seiya’s eyes on him from the side, watching him for so long that the silence began to feel like agony.

"You okay?" Seiya murmured finally, and Yaten was surprised enough by the question that he turned his head. For the first time he could remember in his life, he nearly jumped away when he saw how close he was to Seiya, their faces mere inches apart.

"Yaten?" Seiya asked, voice growing more concerned as he touched his hand to Yaten’s. Yaten closed his eyes when he felt Seiya’s long fingers curl around his smaller hand. "Yaten, you’re trembling. Come on, tell me what’s happened."

Yaten opened his mouth, then froze and swallowed. He really hadn’t thought about what to say before he’d come charging in here, and the atmosphere between the two of them wasn’t helping him sort his emotions out.

"Seiya…last night…"

He swallowed again, feeling the swell of surprise that shifted through his mind. It was hard for him to keep Seiya’s emotions out when they were this close, when Seiya’s hand was against his, skin to skin…

"I…what I wanted was…to apologize."

For a moment, the silence between them was so utterly profound that Yaten wondered if Seiya had even been paying attention. He opened his eyes, just in time to catch sight of Seiya’s shocked expression before a sudden flood of confusion assaulted Yaten’s senses. He winced, almost imperceptibly, but just enough: Seiya took back his hand.

"Apologize?" Seiya repeated, and then he laughed softly and started to play with Yaten’s hair, occupying himself with something. "What for?"

"I didn’t mean to hurt you," Yaten breathed, and he listened as Seiya caught his breath.

"Yaten…what the hell are you talking about?" Seiya said after a moment, dropping his hand away and focusing his eyes on Yaten’s face. "You didn’t hurt me…you didn’t *do* anything."

"Don’t, Seiya," Yaten said, his voice dropping to a soft, even tone as he turned to fix Seiya with his pale emerald gaze. Seiya blinked, startled by Yaten’s words and the seriousness in his eyes.

Yaten smiled softly and lifted his bare hand, holding it in front of Seiya’s face.

"It’d be stupid to lie to an empath, Seiya," Yaten said simply, flexing his fingers, a warm sparkle in his eyes as he offered Seiya a slightly more mischievous smile.

Seiya closed his eyes, a self-deprecating smile coming to his lips as the symbolism hit him. Yaten’s hand…just a moment ago, he’d held Yaten’s hand. And the night before he’d been touching Yaten. It was always easy for Yaten to sense the surface emotions of his companions when he was touching them.

"It’d be the ultimate stupidity to lie to me," Yaten finished gently, dropping his hand back into his lap.

Seiya chuckled and opened his eyes, meeting Yaten’s gaze, finding it surprisingly warm and…apologetic.

"All right," Seiya said, feigning a loud sigh. "All right…so you know I went to bed last night in a bad mood."

Yaten nodded, eyebrows lifting expectantly.

"You thought that was ‘cause you’d hurt my feelings?" Seiya guessed. When Yaten nodded, Seiya sighed, genuinely this time, and turned over, rolling back onto his stomach and propping himself on his elbow to look up at the older boy. "Listen…you didn’t hurt me…you didn’t *do* anything, like I said. It’s not you…it’s me. I’ve been going through some things lately, and…look, it’s really nothing to do with anything you said or did, all right? You have nothing to apologize for."

Yaten leveled a curious stare on him, and Seiya laughed.

"I’m not lying, I swear!"

He could see that Yaten didn’t believe him, and Yaten’s eyes had softened with something Seiya had only very rarely seen in them…something so similar to pleading that Seiya immediately dropped his head, fighting the groan that welled up in his throat.

/Chikusho…what do I *say*?/

When he lifted his head, Yaten looked more confused than ever, so he gritted his teeth and slid himself up to a kneeling position. Yaten blinked, tilting his chin upwards so he could continue to hold Seiya’s eyes. Seiya could see it made the other boy uncomfortable, the way Seiya was leaning into his personal space now, but…

"Listen…last night, when we were wrestling…I thought it was just kind of like…the way we used to play when we were kids, you know?" Seiya said, his voice growing a bit husky with his own confusion as he peered deeply into Yaten’s eyes, seeking his own answers. "But then you froze…suddenly you froze out on me, and the look you gave me…you looked confused. More than confused, you looked…hurt. You’ve never looked at me that way before, and…"

His voice trailed off when he saw that Yaten’s hands had started trembling, and he glanced back up, meeting Yaten’s eyes.

"You’re looking at me that way now," Seiya murmured, brow furrowing slightly.

Something like guilt flickered briefly over Yaten’s eyes before he closed them.

"You’re afraid of me," Seiya whispered, dropping his head. "Somewhere along the way, we lost that unconditional trust we used to have, didn’t we…? The three of us. Where’d we lose it…? Is it my fault?"

He shook his head, closing his eyes, tired of staring at his hands where they rested in tight fists against the bed. It wasn’t the whole truth, and he felt the slightest bit of guilt for keeping something from Yaten…but this was enough, for now.

"That’s why I was hurt last night…it wasn’t really you…it was me. I was wondering what I’d done to break it, that bond we all used to have…I’ve been noticing it more and more lately…and I was angry at myself, and hurt that I could have fucked things up so badly without even realizing…"

"Quiet."

Seiya’s eyes snapped open, and he would have lifted his head, except that his entire body froze in shock when he felt Yaten’s hand start to stroke slowly through his hair. Yaten’s touch was a bit awkward---just a little bit clumsy---as though he didn’t quite remember how to touch another person, but his intention was clear.

"Just be quiet," Yaten repeated, his voice low and strangely soothing despite the note of annoyance in it. "Stop saying foolish things and confusing the issue."

Seiya did lift his head then, unable to keep from seeking out Yaten’s eyes, his own wide with confusion. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and then his breath left him in one soft, startled exhalation when he saw the gentleness in Yaten’s eyes. Yaten tilted his head, regarding Seiya for a moment in silence before he finally glanced off to one side, taking a deep breath. His hand dropped away from Seiya’s hair.

"Taiki told me…that everything you’ve done lately, all these stupid little things you’ve been doing…were to try to get some response from me," Yaten murmured, closing his eyes. "That song…Seiya, Taiki said some things to me that sounded just like the lyrics of your song. He said he felt like he was losing me. Is that what you meant? You think I don’t trust you, that I’m drawing myself away…"

Seiya didn’t answer, only nodding numbly, but Yaten knew his answer anyway.

"And you think it’s your fault," Yaten whispered, bringing up a hand to rub his face and letting out a quiet sigh. "Seiya…"

"What?" Seiya breathed, leaning a bit closer.

"The truth is…" Yaten opened his eyes and turned, meeting Seiya’s eyes firmly. "I don’t trust you."

Yaten felt a flutter of guilt move through him again when he saw the pain that broke over Seiya’s face.

"Not completely," Yaten amended, and confusion mixed in with the pain on Seiya’s face as Yaten glanced over Seiya once, eyes running over the lines of Seiya’s body.

He hesitated only briefly…he knew he couldn’t tell Seiya the whole truth about what had been bothering him lately, about the feelings he had been getting from Seiya…but he could tell him part of it. He could tell him about his own discomfort, and leave the rest to hopefully work itself out with time.

"I don’t even trust myself…not like this."

Seiya blinked, suddenly catching on when he saw the abrupt self-disgust that flickered over Yaten’s face when he glanced down at himself.

"Wait a second…are you talking about…?" Seiya began, disbelief making his voice rise in pitch.

"I know it shouldn’t matter," Yaten muttered, now staring at his hands. Slender…pale, and so slender…but undeniably masculine. "And I know it isn’t permanent. But I can’t help it, Seiya…"

His hands closed into fists, and his eyes fell shut.

"I feel different like this. I don’t know my own body…I feel like I don’t know my own mind, and sometimes I feel like it’s driving me insane," Yaten said, voice muffled slightly as he spoke through gritted teeth. "I don’t know how to trust myself. And you feel different. And Taiki feels different, and *damn it*, why am I not used to it by now? Why should it matter!? I know that nothing’s really changed…this is *superficial*…but somehow, it *matters* to me, and I haven’t learned to trust! It’s hard enough for me to trust in the first place…when I feel like this…so confused…how can I just…?"

He broke off. His words weren’t even making sense to himself anymore.

"Yaten…" Seiya whispered, sounding stunned, and he reared back a bit when he heard the harsh, low sound of Yaten’s bitter laughter.

"That’s not even my name," he whispered, and before Seiya could blink or reach out, Yaten quickly skittered off the bed and paced across the room, fisted hands trembling against his sides as he moved away. He felt like he was suffocating.

After a moment, he felt hands descend on his shoulders and he shuddered, trying to shake them off, but Seiya responded to that by gently tugging Yaten back against his chest and embracing him, arms closing around Yaten’s chest, hands resting lightly over his collarbone.

"Healer, then," Seiya murmured against his ear. Yaten trembled at the sensation of Seiya’s warm breath against his skin. This close, he could smell Seiya’s unique scent, just familiar enough that it soothed him. The difference wasn’t enough to bother him anymore. "Mattaku…you should have said something. You think it’s easy for us…?"

He chuckled quietly at the gruff sound of Yaten’s wordless grumble.

"Come on, Yaten…just because our world is a little more flexible with gender boundaries than this one doesn’t mean it isn’t something we all have to get used to," Seiya said with a gentle grin. "It’s strange, and…"

He laughed again.

"Honestly, if I’d known that’s what it was…you could have just talked to me, or to Taiki," Seiya said, squeezing Yaten a little tighter before he let go, watching as Yaten turned around and looked up into his face. Seiya smiled warmly as he cupped Yaten’s face in his hands. "It’s disorienting, but Yaten…I think that’ll pass. Just…try not to over-intellectualize it, all right? That’s Taiki’s job."

Despite himself, Yaten chuckled lightly at that, and when Seiya lifted his arms, Yaten stepped into Seiya’s embrace with only the slightest hesitation.

"You’ll get used to it," Seiya murmured, and now it was his turn to run his hands through Yaten’s hair. "It’s taken time, but it’s not as weird for me anymore, and I think Taiki’s getting the hang of it…just give it some time. See, how’s this?"

Yaten remained silent for a moment, giving the question genuine thought as he pressed a little closer to Seiya’s chest, his hands hesitantly touching Seiya’s back.

"It’s…different," Yaten murmured, closing his eyes before he cautiously pressed his face against Seiya’s neck and took a deep breath. He could smell Seiya’s soap mixing with the unmistakable scent of olive blossoms, and he could feel Seiya’s concern…more than anything else, Seiya’s emotions were familiar to him. Years of spending time with Seiya had sensitized Yaten to Seiya’s emotions, just as he was sensitive towards Taiki. And their feelings…the minds that lay beneath the skin…never changed.

"It’s not so bad," Yaten said breathlessly after another moment, surprised to find that he genuinely meant it.

"See?" Seiya said, smiling as he leaned back, seeking Yaten’s eyes.

Yaten nodded, closing his eyes as he felt Seiya pull him up against his chest again. This warmth…it really wasn’t so different, and Seiya’s scent felt so much like home it was almost intoxicating.

"Just relax," Seiya murmured soothingly, going back to running his hands slowly through Yaten’s hair. "Just give it some time…"

Yaten hadn’t quite realized how exhausted he was until he was sagging a few moments later in Seiya’s arms, slowly realizing that Seiya was supporting his weight more than he was.

"Fighter…" he whispered, without really thinking too much about it.

"Yes?" Seiya murmured, sounding almost as sleepy himself.

Yaten didn’t answer…he didn’t really want to answer, didn’t want to give up this moment, despite the fact that he was falling asleep standing up. If his head had been clearer he might have laughed or scoffed at his own foolishness, but he truly felt as though this was the first time in months that he’d been completely comfortable.

"Never mind…" Seiya murmured after several moments had passed, long enough that Yaten had started to drift off, his head resting on Seiya’s shoulder. He lifted his head, blinking in bleary confusion, when he felt Seiya’s arms slide away, leaving him suddenly very, very cold.

"Wh…"

He didn’t even get the question out before he let out a soft sound of surprise as he felt his centre of gravity shift abruptly. In the next instant, he was cradled in Seiya’s arms, and he was glaring as best he could, given how sleepy he was, as Seiya carried him over towards the bed.

"Ne, Healer…" Seiya murmured, in a soft, high-pitched voice…probably the closest that his voice would ever come to Fighter’s. "You remember once when we were thirteen, we stayed out all night dancing with Kakyuu-hime at the ball to celebrate the new year…you and Kakyuu fell asleep in a heap in the corner, and Maker and I had to carry you two home?"

Yaten sighed quietly as Seiya set him down on the bed and grinned down at him before he climbed up on the bed next to him.

"Need me to help you change into your pajamas again?" Seiya murmured sleepily, brushing Yaten’s hair back over his shoulder.

"Screw off, Fighter," Yaten replied as he rolled over, facing away from Seiya.

"That’s exactly what you said back then," Seiya said, laughing softly as he spooned up against Yaten’s back, just as he had back then. Yaten stiffened slightly, but then started to relax, focusing on Seiya’s voice and his scent, trying to take himself back to that night, when Fighter had embraced her and she’d been utterly comfortable…Yaten furrowed his brow as he focused on that distant trust, trying to pull it towards himself as he felt Seiya’s breath against the back of his neck.

"Honestly, I don’t see what the problem is," Seiya said with a yawn before he closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose gently against Yaten’s hair. "I didn’t mean it in an ecchi way, I swear."

"You always say that, and it’s never true," Yaten murmured, trying to keep up with Seiya but finding that he was rapidly losing the thread, he was so close to sleep.

"You said that back then too," Seiya said, his laughter warm and nostalgic.

"Urusai, baka."

"Hai, Healer-sama," Seiya whispered sleepily before he closed his arms a little more firmly around Yaten’s waist and let himself slide into the waiting arms of sleep.

Less than half an hour later he woke up when he heard the sound of the door opening a bit, and he lifted his head long enough to glance over and watch Shiruku bound across the carpet and up onto the bed. His eyes moved instantly from the kitten towards the one who’d let her in.

Taiki stuck his head a little further through the door, lifted his eyebrows a bit when he saw the way his two fellow senshi were arrayed on the bed, and then turned to look at Seiya with a questioning expression. Seiya grinned impishly and tossed him a careless V sign before he turned back over to go back to sleep. He heard Taiki chuckle quietly before the door closed…and that was the last thing he remembered before he surrendered himself to sleep.

*****

Yaten woke up slowly to the smell of coffee and something distinctly like eggs frying. This time, he had no opportunity for confusion…he knew immediately that he was in Seiya’s bed, because Seiya’s arms were still wrapped tightly around his waist. Yaten dropped a hand to Seiya’s hands, touching them lightly where they were clasped against his belly, before his eyes widened and he lightly fingered the fabric of the pajamas he was wearing. They were a lovely shade of blue, and so soft and comfortable that surely he wouldn’t have had reason to complain…if it weren’t for the enormous, chibi-fied yellow stars, complete with dumb happy faces, spread evenly over the blue.

Now that he thought about it, he could vaguely remember waking up at some point in the night and complaining about being hot, and then he had dreamed---or he’d *thought* he’d dreamed---the sensation of Seiya’s gentle hands methodically ridding him of his clothing and helping him into his pajamas---idiotic, horrible pajamas that Seiya had bought for him as a gag gift back when they’d been stocking up on male clothing. He’d assumed it was nothing more than a memory transposed on a present dream…that he was thinking of the way Fighter had so gently helped her into her nightgown that night back when they were thirteen, after the ball, when the heat of summer had been sweltering but nonetheless, Healer had asked Fighter to spend the night. Just to hold her for one night…

Yaten was knocked off of the trail of his thoughts by the sound of Seiya mumbling something unintelligible as he pressed a little closer. In the next moment, Yaten felt the pattern of Seiya’s breathing change, and then a soft sigh against his neck.

"Mm…ohayou," Seiya murmured sleepily, giving Yaten’s waist one last squeeze before he let go, slowly rolling over onto his back and letting out a loud yawn.

"Ohayou," Yaten returned, his own voice breathy with remaining sleepiness and something deeper. He rolled onto his stomach, lifting his head and pushing aside his bangs to get a better look at Seiya, who had closed his eyes and seemed to be dozing off again. After only a moment of being watched, Seiya opened his eyes and peered at Yaten blearily.

"Mm…ohayou," Seiya said again, a little more clearly this time as he reached up a hand to rub at his eyes. Yaten watched as Seiya grinned rakishly, speaking from behind his hands, his voice only mildly muffled and full of mirth. "So, Yaten…was it as good for you as it was for me?"

He’d hardly managed to get the words out of his mouth before Yaten placed his hands against Seiya’s side and shoved once, firmly. A devilish grin moved across Yaten’s face as he watched Seiya tumble off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud crack.

"Sorry, Seiya…what was that?" Yaten asked, leaning down to grin at his companion as Seiya laughed and rubbed at his now-sore head.

"Ite…" Seiya whispered, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the floor, his entire body shaking with the force of his laughter. "You’re dangerous, you know that!?"

"I slept well…thank you," Yaten said smoothly, holding up a hand and pretending to examine his nails. "And you?"

Seiya snorted and started to sit up, still rubbing at the bump on the back of his head.

"Right, right…I get it," Seiya said with a smirk. "Ignoring me, are you? Well, that’s just fine…you stay there and manicure your hands or whatever…I’ve got dibs on the shower."

He jumped to his feet and started for the door, chuckling a bit evilly when he heard Yaten’s loud exclamation. He turned around, eyebrow lifting.

"Hey, that’s not fair! I need the shower more than you do."

"Why, because you’re prettier than me?"

"That’s exactly right," Yaten said, getting to his feet and smirking. "So there’s no way you’re getting the shower first, bakayarou."

"Oh yeah? Come and stop me, short stuff," Seiya said, grinning before he turned and started for the door.

"What’d you say!?" Yaten yelled, and Seiya burst out laughing again as he was abruptly tackled to the floor by a surprisingly strong, small form. "Oi! Take it back!"

"Never!" Seiya shouted back, his voice nearly drowned out by his laughter as he felt Yaten’s knee press into his back, and Yaten’s hand tugging hard on his hair.

"Take it back or eat carpet!" Yaten growled between his chuckles as he pressed Seiya’s face closer to the floor.

"Never!!" Seiya returned gleefully, and then he started to laugh even harder, because Shiruku, made curious by the commotion on the floor, nosed her way suddenly under Seiya’s head and started to lick his cheek. Her little pink tongue, scratchy like sandpaper, tickled even more than Yaten’s hair where it was brushing against his legs.

Both he and Yaten lifted their heads at the sound of the door opening, and their giggles grew worse when they saw the way Taiki was eyeing them from behind his glasses.

"Ohayou gozaimasu," Taiki said smoothly as he stared down at the tangle of arms, legs and kitten on the floor at his feet. "I’m about to take a shower…"

He had to raise his voice to be heard over the loud sound of Seiya’s groan and Yaten’s whine.

"…and if either of you is interested, there’s a plate of French toast down on the table," Taiki finished loudly before offering them a brief grin, rolling his eyes, and turning to make his way to the bathroom.

"Taiki’s French toast?" Seiya repeated hopefully, lifting his head and wincing when he caused Yaten to tug on the strands of hair he still held firmly in one tight fist.

"Forget the shower!" Yaten hissed eagerly. Seiya let out a loud "Oof" as Yaten quickly got to his feet, stepping on Seiya’s back on the way out the door.

"Hey!!" Seiya yelled, stumbling to his own feet before he ran after Yaten. "Dibs on the maple syrup!"

"Never!!"

*****

When Taiki finally came downstairs half an hour later, wearing little more than a towel tied around his waist and ringing out his hair, he couldn’t help but grin at the sight that greeted his eyes. Seiya was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, game controller clutched in his hands and a determined expression on his face. Yaten was curled up on the couch just behind Seiya, a cup of tea cradled between his hands, scowling disdainfully as he mocked Seiya in a loud, patronizing voice.

"I’m telling you, baka, you’re doing it *wrong*. You’re never going to advance to the next level if you don’t come up with a new strategy."

"Oh, well, if you’re so smart, why don’t *you* just pass the level for me?" Seiya said, obviously exasperated, shaking his controller in Yaten’s face.

"You know I hate fighting games," Yaten said with a sniff that clearly implied that he considered himself superior.

"Just ‘cause you can’t *play* them, Yaten," Seiya said with a loud snort, and Taiki laughed as he watched Yaten nudge Seiya’s shoulder hard with his socked foot.

"Is that a challenge?" Yaten hissed, hands tightening around his teacup.

"Hell yeah, it’s a challenge!" Seiya crowed, reaching forward to reset the game system and switching to battle mode. He held up the second game controller, twirling it idly in one hand as he smirked at Yaten. "In fact, it’s a *bet*. I bet you two nights worth of dinner duty that you go down in *two seconds flat*!"

"You’re on!" Yaten yelled, quickly drinking the rest of his tea before he grabbed the game controller and dropped to sit next to Seiya. "And if I win, you have to make *real* food for those two nights!"

"There’s nothing wrong with a little instant macaroni and cheese!" Seiya shouted in Yaten’s ear before turning his attention fully to the game.

"I’m glad to see we’re all getting along," Taiki said, deliberately attempting to sound condescending as he sifted through the pile of different newspaper sections his messy band mates had left on the dining table.

"Kuso!" Seiya cried abruptly, staring at the screen with obvious disbelief.

"You’re going down!!" Yaten crowed, chortling evilly.

Taiki sighed softly, unable to help smiling as he took a seat at the table and settled back to read the newspaper.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds that echoed through the apartment were the loud fighting noises coming from the TV and the accompanying yells from the two boys.

"I told you, Seiya…I am superior to you in every measure! Admit your inferiority and bow before me! Mwahahaha!!"

"Urusai, pip-squeak! That’s a stupid evil laugh anyway! And besides, you could never be MORE KAKKOI THAN ME!! HAHAHAHA!!!"

Taiki was just contemplating taking a *very* long walk when suddenly, the sound of the door bell ringing startled all of them from their respective activities.

"E? Was that the doorbell?" Yaten asked, lifting his head and then turning to glance at Seiya, who just shrugged.

"You get it…I need to think about what I’m going to cook for the next two nights," Seiya said, groaning as he leaned his head back against the couch.

Yaten responded to that with another evil chuckle, but he nonetheless obeyed his leader’s request, for once, and got to his feet, putting on his slippers before he padded over to the door. He stood up on his toes to reach the peek hole. Seiya and Taiki both watched as Yaten suddenly jumped back from the door, looking horrified.

"It’s Tsukino-san-tachi!" he exclaimed in a rough whisper, spinning to face his two companions. "What do we do now!?"

"Quick, everybody hit the floor!" Seiya hissed back towards him, and he laughed when Yaten twitched uncertainly, about to follow the command. "Come on, Yaten! What do you mean, what do we do!? Let them in!"

"But none of us are dressed yet!" Yaten whispered almost frantically.

"Oh, relax," Seiya said, rolling his eyes. "I’m sure they’ve seen more ridiculous pajamas than those before!"

Taiki laughed as he watched Yaten’s slipper sail across the room, narrowly missing Seiya’s head.

"That’s not what I mean!" Yaten hissed, glaring daggers at Seiya and looking for all the world like he was about to stomp his foot.

"Oh come on…just let them *in*, already!" Seiya said through his laughter. "I’m sure they’ve seen boys in nightwear before!"

"Wait!" Taiki cried suddenly, getting to his feet and making a beeline for the stairs, clutching his towel tightly. "At least let me put on a robe!!"

Yaten paid him no heed, instead turning and opening the door---just in time to give the five girls waiting outside an impressive view of his reflexes as he jumped back. The slipper Seiya had lobbed back at him sailed by, just mere inches from his nose, and Yaten narrowed his eyes at the offending object before returning his attention to the guests outside, all of whom were now staring at him with varying degrees of disbelief and amusement.

"May I help you?" Yaten said sweetly, with a deadly smile to match, pretending for the moment that he didn’t know them.

Seiya laughed as he appeared behind his band mate.

"Don’t mind him…he’s just a little cranky…well, all the time. Ohayou!"

"Seiya-kun! Ohayou gozaimasu!" five cheerful voices echoed, causing Yaten to noticeably wince.

"Douzo, douzo!" Seiya said, ushering the five girls into the apartment and closing the door behind them. Yaten padded over to retrieve his slipper and turned back just in time to see all five girls eyeing Seiya from head to toe, taking in his ridiculous neon pink boxers and bright blue tank top. When they were finished with him, they turned to Yaten and swept their eyes up and down his horrendous pajamas. They all turned away just in time to see Taiki coming down the stairs, wearing a fluffy white terryclotch robe, his wet hair loose and hanging around his shoulders.

"Ano…" Usagi said finally, evidently deciding, for once, to act as the spokesperson for the group, all of whom seemed a little taken aback by the situation they found themselves in. She gave a quick bow, blushing a pretty pink. "Gomen nasai! We seem to have come at a bad time!"

"Yes, we never would’ve come so early if we’d thought…" Ami began, before she realized that Taiki had caught her staring at him, and she quickly blushed and looked away.

"It’s fine!" Seiya said with a grin, hands on his hips. "Sorry you’ve caught us when we’re all being so lazy. If I’d realized you were coming so early, I’d have made sure we were all presentable!"

Seiya’s words instantly caught up to the other two.

"Seiya, did you invite them here?" Yaten asked, eyes widening slightly as he turned to look at the five girls piled into the Three Lights’ genkan.

"Yep!" Seiya said with a bit of a grin. "Relax, Yaten…they’re here to help us."

"Help us?" Taiki repeated blankly as he came the rest of the way down the stairs, shifting a bit uncomfortably when the girls all glanced to him again.

"That’s right!" Usagi broke in, grinning widely. "Didn’t Seiya tell you? We’re here to help you with the cat!"

"Hai!" the other four echoed, nodding enthusiastically.

"We even brought some appropriate help!" Minako said, turning back to open the door. The Lights watched in amazement as Minako’s white cat, Artemis, and Usagi’s black cat, Luna, waltzed through the door as though they’d been expecting Minako’s cue.

"So…" Usagi said cheerfully, glancing meaningfully around the living room. "Where is she!?"

And so began what was undoubtedly one of the oddest days in the short span of the Three Lights’ career.

*****

END PART EIGHT