Cast Two Shadows 3/? [Aoi/Uruha, Uruha/Aoi]

[veroxion]

Title: Cast Two Shadows
Chapters: 3/?
Author(s): veroxion & deadlyscarlet
Genre: Romance/Paranormal/Mystery
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Sex, Violence, Rape, Character Death (OC), Suicide (OC), Use of Real Names + OC's
Pairings: Aoi/Uruha, Uruha/Aoi

Synopsis: After a fire that leaves Takashima Kouyou homeless, he's taken in by his friend and colleague, Shiroyama Yuu. The two men get along just fine, but Yuu's younger sister isn't thrilled with their new house guest. After an abrupt suicide that leaves her dead, Kouyou starts acting strangely... and it's up to Yuu to figure out what dark force is manipulating the man who he harbours a secret love for.

Comments: Hurrah an update!! I'm so happy and surprised we managed to finish this tonight. I was going to post tomorrow, but I decided since the chapter was finished and just begging to be posted, I gave in. :3 Please enjoy~


-x-
Yukari shifted around in the seat she occupied right near the window, her obsidian eyes were focussed on the clear, blue sky void of white fluffy clouds. Ever since Taniguchi-sensei had started writing various calculus formulae on the board, the brunette who hadn't been able to hold on to a single word in the class so far, had taken it upon herself to stare outside and become lost in her thoughts.

The incident that had taken place that morning flashed through her disturbed mind as her dark eyebrows bunched together in a deep frown. Yukari, who was perceptive by nature, had closely observed how happy her brother had been around that blond-haired man. Her brother who normally made only simple meals for breakfast, the reason being that he had a morning train to catch for reaching his workplace on time, had instead cooked a feast fit for an Emperor. Not to mentioned the bentou he had prepared for her had been made exceptionally well, not rushed like it was mostly and included all of her favourites, even though there was no special occasion.

She could come up with only one reason for her brother’s strange behaviour-that blond lawyer who had barged out of nowhere and made his way into the peaceful life she shared with her older brother.

Earlier, the brunette had tried to call Yuu aside in order to make it clear that she didn’t want an unknown man in their home. Especially after that incident. Her brother of all people should have fully understood her feelings and reasons towards her insecurity regarding this and supported her. But before she could so much as say her thoughts out loud, her brother had left.

Yukari remembered how she hadn't even exchanged a single word with their house guest as she had rushed from home to school as fast as possible, not wanting to be left alone with Kouyou even for a second due to the trauma of it. She disliked him even though she had no knowledge of him; whether he was good or bad, she didn’t care. To her, her brother's friend was nothing but an opponent, a vile man who had come to steal her brother away from her or much worse, someone who challenged her well-being.

Tonight, she was going to make it clear to her Nii-san that she didn't want his friend home. Yukari was positive that her brother would listen to her. Yuu was her older brother, wasn't he? So of course he would put her preference above everything else, especially when he was her guardian and caretaker.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want her brother to have friends, of course he had every right to, rather she didn’t want him to forget about her. Yukari stared at the white board, where she was supposed to be be taking notes down for the class. But for the entire lesson, she hadn’t copied down a single thing, too absorbed in her own thoughts.

“Shiroyama-san!” Taniguchi barked out suddenly, making the brunette jump in her seat when her name was called out. The students around her turned in their seats, some of them snickering under their breath at her misfortune. Yukari lowered her head in embarrassment and stared down at her lap sheepishly when her teacher scolded her for not paying attention, but she knew she deserved it. She was too busy thinking about the stranger in her home, where she and Yuu had lived together ever since their parents had passed away. It was their house, and the thought of sharing it with anyone else made her uncomfortable. Especially if it was with another man.

Hate was such a strong word, and Yukari didn’t really think she hated Kouyou. Just disliked him greatly, though the brunette couldn’t come up with any legitimate reason why. When school ended for the day and she was free to go, she packed away her textbooks and after visiting her locker, met up with the only friends she had outside of school. Today, she wasn’t that excited about going home as she normally would be, because she knew that Kouyou would be there waiting while her brother was at work. From what she’d seen, the other man was injured but Yukari hadn’t stayed to make conversation with him, or to find out why he was in their kitchen in the first place.

“Sachiko!” Yukari called out to one of her friends, jogging a little to catch up with the group of girls that were ahead of her on the pathway.

Upon hearing Yukari’s voice from behind her, a girl with long bleached hair, Sachiko and the other two girls Aika and Chiharu immediately stopped, a bit surprised as they waited for the brunette to catch up with them. The three lived in the opposite direction from Yukari's home, so they almost never walked home together. Even during rare occasions, when they had invited their shy friend out, Yukari would always refuse, her reasons being that her brother might wait home for her or she wanted to be home when her brother returned from work, hurrying home everyday as soon as the school bell rang to signal the end of class.

“Can we walk home together?” Yukari gasped out as soon she caught up with the trio, clutching a stitch in her chest. This was the first time in her entir life that Yukari wanted to avoid going home early. She didn't want to run into her house guest and on no account be forced to start a conversation with him. So instead, she chose the lesser of the two evils and decided to hang out with her friends for a while and return home as late as possible. “Before that can we go to that ice-cream parlour they opened recently near the station? I want to try that place out.”

“Sure.” Sachiko exchanged a surprised glance with her two other friends before she scrutinized the brunette suspiciously.

Being the school’s gossip queen, Sachiko had something else going on in her mind. This all seemed so beyond her wildest dreams, Yukari by herself inviting the three of them out. Not to mention, the troubled expression which the timid brunette was trying to hide. She firmly decided to discover the truth behind this supposed behaviour in the ice-cream parlour and happily agreed to Yukari's offer.

At the parlour, the girls ordered their favorite ice-creams and settled down onto the pink cushioned chairs in the furthest corner of the newly opened shop. Without waiting, Sachiko started bombarding Yukari with her questions with the skill of a paparazzi. “Ne, Yukari-chan. We were all so surprised, when you of all people got caught by Taniguchi-sensei for not paying attention. What’s eating up your thoughts?” she asked, licking up from her scoop of vanilla ice-cream and eyeing her friend curiously, as well as suspiciously.

Yukari studied her ice-cream in thought. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to tell her friends or not. To her, this whole situation was important but it would probably seem silly and trivial to someone else. They’d most likely call her selfish and tell her that her brother had his own life, that she needed to get over herself and start behaving more maturely for her age instead of like a spoiled little girl wanting her own way.

It wasn’t her fault she didn’t feel comfortable with having someone else, not to mention an unknown man, in her home. It wasn’t her fault she felt pushed aside by her brother for someone else, when she had had Yuu’s attention for so long for most of her life. He had practically raised her, and in some way he was more a parent than a sibling. That’s why they were so close.

“My brother is letting some man stay at our place.” Yukari finally admitted, after she realized her friends were staring at her expectantly, waiting for their answer. In the end, the brunette supposed talking about it would help. Besides, these were her friends so they would surely be able to have a little sympathy for her, right? It wasn’t like they would shun and laugh at her, surely.

“I don’t like it,” she complained while licking a little of her ice cream, unwilling to disclose the real reason why. Even her closest friends didn’t know about that. “Nii-san and I, we had a fight last night. And this morning, that man was in our kitchen and he was so happy again. Like nothing had happened at all.” The brunette glared a little, before surprised fluttered across her petite features when she heard Chiharu let out an indignant scoff, followed by raucous laughter.

“You’re acting like such a brat!” Chiharu exclaimed loudly, trying to hold in her giggles but she just ended up snorting in the process of doing so. Beside her, Aika had her hand over her mouth to try and control herself to not join her friend. Sachiko’s face was contorted into smug amusement, and Yukari stared at her friends baffled, wondering what she could have said wrong. But then her heart ached; dropping into the pit of her stomach when she remembered this was probably trivial to anyone but herself. Of course her friends wouldn’t understand, she thought bitterly in embarrassment and shame.

How could they possibly? They all had both their parents, a mother and father to love them unconditionally and be with them as they grew up. Their older and younger siblings paid attention to them and gave them undivided attention without also having to take on the responsibilities of acting as a parent too. All three girls were popular in school, with many friends and admirers and got decent enough grades while she was the black sheep, an orphan with no one but Yuu to call family and a close friend.

Yukari’s shoulders slumped as she sadly listened to her so-called friends quip and mock her of how ridiculous she was being. She was often the object of their teasing, their ‘playful’ bullying, but the brunette had always brushed it off because they were friends, so she knew they were just joking around... but now it was beginning to hurt, she realized.

“You’re like one of those girls with an older brother complex.” Sachiko laughed snidely, flipping her long bleached hair over her shoulder as the other two girls joined in on the tormenting, making equally insulting comments regarding her relationship with Yuu.

“Shut up,” Yukari snapped out, a loud bang following as both her fists collided onto the table. The amused grins on her friends’ faces were immediately wiped off, only to be replaced by frowns. Yukari, the girl who remained silent when teased about her looks, personality and her lovelorn life was actually getting angry and speaking up for a change.

“I don’t have a brother complex. Not one of you can understand, can you? What would you all know anyway? You have a family, a father, a mother, and siblings as well. I don’t have all of that.” Yukari managed to bite out, trying to keep her voice steady though it started to crack and break when she started turning emotional. “I only have my older brother, no one else. Why else do you think I...”

Tears streamed down Yukari's pale cheeks as she hung her head in shame. The brunette hated being the center of attention, one of the reasons as to why she always remained silent, not bothering to defend herself whenever she was bullied. But when her feelings towards her brother were teased and made fun of, she couldn’t sit still and remain silent. Yuu was all she had, and that wasn’t anything to be laughed about.

An awkward silence followed as Aika, Chiharu and Sachiko exchanged uncomfortable looks while Yukari sobbed quietly, though she hastily wiped at her tears and tried to stop herself, knowing she had already caused such a scene.

“Yukari-chan, please don’t cry.” Sachiko tried placating the brunette handing her a tissue. What had started as an innocent attempt to extract information had instead ended up in reducing a girl as vulnerable as poor Yukari into tears, and that made Sachiko extremely uncomfortable. “We’re sorry, we didn’t mean to laugh at you or belittle your love towards your brother. It just felt strange to see you worry over a man. Maybe if your brother had brought some woman over, then your worry about losing your brother to her is more understandable..." she mumbled, looking slightly ashamed.

Yukari set her lips in a firm line as she quietly considered what Sachiko had just said. That was the problem, though. If it were a woman, then she would feel more comfortable because she knew her brother wasn’t interested in dating one. She knew Yuu liked men, and while that wasn’t a problem with her personally, it was now the reason why she felt so insecure about everything. How happy her brother was with Kouyou, how he looked and acted around him. She knew Yuu liked him, just from seeing how he was around the blond.

It wouldn’t have bothered her usually, but these recent months... she didn’t want her brother to leave her and have a new life with someone else, leaving her all alone without anybody. It was undeniably one of her biggest fears, that Yuu would die or leave her just as their parents had perished in that car accident. She didn’t want to be left alone.

The brunette knew how much she depended on her brother, and one day, she would like to move out of home and live her own life. Yukari knew she probably was already a burden to Yuu, so it wasn’t like she would continue to leech off him for the rest of her life. But right now, she felt as if she were still a child and she didn’t want to grow up and gain all the responsibilities of an adult. Yukari wanted to be her brother’s baby sister, the one he loved and adored since she was born. Sniffling, she used the tissue to wipe away her tears before looking around at her friends, seeing how remorseful they looked for making her cry, but the brunette just felt ashamed and knew they were now judging her.

Not bothering to finish her ice-cream, which she promptly threw away into a nearby bin, the humiliated brunette started to gather her things to leave. “I’m not feeling well,” she admitted quietly, lying just to get away. She was sure her friends already knew why she suddenly wanted to leave anyway. “I’m going to go home.” Yukari waved goodbye to her friends and without looking back, she turned and left the ice-cream parlour and walked to the nearest train station to get home.

-x-
Kouyou reclined on his front, lying on his colleague’s bed while surfing through the channels on the TV box. Some of the pain he had felt last night had been numbed thanks to the painkillers he had found, most likely the ones which Yuu must have left by the bedside cabinet last night. After the painkillers had taken effect, Kouyou had slept through the morning, something natural for his body as the blond hadn’t slept on a warm bed for ages due to the damn Nakamura case that was now temporarily taken off his hands.

Even though he was happy that he had been relieved from the tormenting burden, Kouyou still felt guilty that he was imposing even more on Yuu. The brunet had already been so kind as to not only welcome the homeless lawyer into his apartment but had taken care of him, shared his bed and also allowed him to stay until he had time to find another place to live in.

The blond made a firm decision to start hunting down for an apartment as soon as he was back on his feet. He clearly had to wait though as his injuries would most definitely not let him to do something as strenuous as apartment-hunting and he was positive Yuu wouldn’t allow any of that either. His friend was too kind and caring towards him, of which Kouyou couldn’t complain about as that was one of the reasons why Kouyou relied so much on his partner in the first place.

The digital timepiece indicated that Kouyou had woken up somewhere around noon and the first thing that had awaited him was his stomach rumbling in hunger. He had walked into the kitchen to get himself some junk food as last night’s incident remained burned deep into his memories, making him fear the prospect of standing anywhere near a stove.

Yuu had earlier given him permission to use whatever he needed, and so opened the refrigerator to rummage through its contents to find something to eat. The first thing the blond’s aureate eyes met with was a neatly packed bentou, with a tiny slip of paper stuck to its rim.

I know you aren’t capable of cooking anything for now, so I made this before leaving. Microwave for 10 minutes - Yuu

Kouyou couldn’t help the tiny tinge of a smile that materialized on his full lips at the concern his colleague had towards him. None of the women Kouyou had been with so far had ever given a second thought about the blond’s well-being, whether he ate anything or not, not once. The lawyer couldn’t help but contemplate as to why Yuu was being so nice to him. He was nothing but an unwanted guest, leeching off him shamelessly because he had nowhere else to go.

Kouyou felt a surge of affection directed towards his brown-haired partner as he placed the contents of the container into the microwave.

After the blond had finished eating up the delicious food, credit to Yuu’s wonderful cooking skills, Kouyou returned back to the brunet’s room to watch some TV. The lawyer who rarely watched television was slowly growing bored. He had already slept for so long that he was wide awake and alert. He didn’t feel like taking another nap. So instead he found himself going through Yuu’s things in order to find something to engross himself with.

Except for one locked draw beside the bed, everything else was open. The brunet hardly seemed to have anything entertaining except for law books and some old case files. Kouyou really wasn’t into reading anything related to law or work at the moment, so he continued with his search.

His endless searching took him to a small wooden cabinet on one end of the room. It had five small drawers with knobs sticking out. Kouyou pulled open the first one he laid his hand on, only to find some sanitary articles like cleaning buds, cotton balls, dental floss and a small first aid kit. He didn’t have much luck with the second draw either as it only held some old newspaper articles, again cutouts regarding criminal cases.

The third draw though was almost empty except for some notebooks and a really old diary.

Sitting there and just begging to be picked up, the old book was tattered and looked as if it belonged to someone well beyond of Yuu’s young years. The corners were upturned at odd angles, the leather cover wrinkled with age and stained in some places with pitch black ink. Overall, the small diary looked intriguing to the eye for the history it surely held inside its withered pages. What was most peculiar though was the fact that it looked so old and out of place, especially in an apartment where everything was so modern.

The sudden curiosity crept up on the blond like a plague, nudging him to open the ancient diary and start reading its contents. Having some knowledge of Yuu’s character, the lawyer was positive that his colleague would’ve recorded a lot of interesting things inside that little book. He really was inquisitive about Yuu as the brunet, unlike Kouyou, never shared almost anything about his personal life. When asked about his love interests and his previous girlfriends, Yuu had been stubborn, not letting him in on anything which was unfair.

Kouyou pouted as he reminisced how Yuu had almost snapped at him once when he had teased him with one of his clients, a pretty woman with jet-black hair and chocolate brown eyes, who had been interested in the brunet enough to ask him out on a date.

His hands inched mischievously forward, almost touching the cover. Before his fingertips could reach the diary, Kouyou stopped himself. This was wrong. Yuu had been so kind to him, trusted him and allowed him into his bedroom. Yet Kouyou was about to betray the trust that had been bestowed upon him. Kouyou felt slightly ashamed as he retracted his hand; reading Yuu’s personal diary in his absence wasn’t right. Without another thought, the blond immediately tucked the diary inside and firmly shut the draw.

The treasure hunt had ended up making Kouyou thirsty and now he craved for a glass of cool water. Closing the door behind him, he started heading towards the kitchen.

Outside the apartment, Yukari trudged to the closed door, hesitating before she opened it. She knew Kouyou was home, the other man had nowhere to go and with his injuries, she was sure he couldn’t really do much. To her, it felt weird to come home to a stranger who had been inside her home all day. The brunette didn’t know much about Kouyou, only that he was Yuu’s colleague... and possible love interest. Sighing to herself, Yukari opened the door and stepped inside, knowing she couldn’t linger in the hallway forever.

At first glance, it looked as if the apartment was completely empty. But Yukari could hear movement in the kitchen, and not really wanting to confront the other man after having such an emotional breakdown earlier, she tried to sneak her way past into her bedroom. Maybe Kouyou would ignore her and leave her alone, the brunette mused hopefully.

Kouyou had heard the apartment door opening wondered who it could be. He knew that Yuu wouldn't be coming home so soon as they both had similar work schedules, and it was far too early for him to be coming home. Still holding the glass of water, he hurried out of the kitchen to see who the visitor was, being so hasty that he almost ran into Yukari while she was heading to her room. The teenage girl yelped reflexively, which in turn made the blond blush in embarrassment. Kouyou immediately apologized for frightening her.

The silence that followed was awkward, making the blond slightly uncomfortable.

“Um, hello,” Kouyou stuttered trying to start up a conversation. He wasn’t used to talking to girls of Yukari’s age, so had no clue as to what to talk to her about. But he didn’t want the girl to think of him as a stranger and desired to get to know her better, so the blond wanted to try his best in order to lighten up the brunette’s stiffness towards him if they were going to be living together for a while.

“How was school today, Yukari-chan?”

Yukari just stared at the tall blond in front of her with wide brown eyes, unable to say anything as she was at a loss for words, nothing coming out but a small squeak of surprise. She knew it would be the right thing to give some kind of response, even if it was only to just be polite, but even then, she couldn’t force herself to say anything to Kouyou. She felt as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment, given the heretic build up of emotions throughout the day, so without another word, she quickly dashed off to her room and slammed the door shut to find some solace. Yukari didn’t want to embarass or humiliate herself further, and especially not in front of their blond guest.

Kouyou cringed when the bedroom door slammed forcefully behind Yukari’s petite profile. He was left slightly stunned and even hurt due to the rude behavior that the brunette had just displayed. No matter how awkward he had sounded back there, he sure as hell hadn’t expected that. He had tried his best to be nice, but he wasn’t angry though, because Yukari was just a teenager and from what Yuu had told him, she was a painfully shy girl who talked to almost no one.

And so, the blond mused that maybe Yukari wasn’t still used to having him in her home. Well it had not even been a day since he had started living with the Shiroyama’s, so he hoped that before he left, the brunette would be a bit more comfortable around him since Yuu was his friend.

Sighing heavily, Kouyou returned back to his temporary bedroom to watch TV until his colleague returned back home from work.

-x-
When Yuu returned home, the smile on his face was tired and he was exhausted from work as usual, but he was in a good mood because the first person that greeted him when he stepped through the door was none other than Kouyou. He assumed Yukari was in her room, doing homework or whatever else she liked doing these days. As a teenager, her interests constantly seemed to be changing so the brunet wasn’t really too bothered as he set several grocery bags down in the kitchen, as he had stopped by the supermarket on the way home to purchase some ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

Yuu realized earlier that when he left the office, he would be returning home to Kouyou. Of course, the blond was only a temporary guest in his apartment, but that was just a minor drawback he could look past. The point was, the other lawyer would be having dinner with him and Yukari tonight, and he wanted to cook something that would at least impress or please Kouyou. He was sure the other man would appreciate it, and he was sure that after burning his apartment to a crisp, the blond wouldn’t be touching any appliances in the kitchen anytime soon.

Which was fine with him. There was something strangely intimate about cooking for the person you loved, whether they were family, friend or lover. So he refused Kouyou’s help when he offered, and made sure he was seated in front of the television to keep him occupied while he cooked. It wasn’t like the blond would be able to help much anyway, especially with his hands in the condition they were in. As Yuu cut some pork loin into slices for the curry he was making, he made a mental note to check on Kouyou’s burn wounds later, after dinner. He’d most likely have to apply some more ointment and change the bandages, but it was nothing too major and hardly a bother.

Once dinner was finished, Yuu removed the black apron he was wearing to prevent any spillage on his work clothing, since he hadn’t bothered to change when he got home, before calling for both Kouyou and Yukari to the dining table, where three steaming plates of Japanese pork curry and rice were waiting for them.

Kouyou settled down in one of the chairs as he happily looked at the food set in front of him. True he didn’t bother himself with eating for taste and such, but for some reason after tasting Yuu’s cooking, his delicious talent that made his tongue buds euphoric, the blond couldn’t help but look forward to eating more of his colleague’s well prepared food.

The mouth-watering aroma which wafted towards his nostrils made him appreciate what a family really meant. It might be a bit lame but even though Kouyou knew that he was just a temporary guest, seeing Yuu and Yukari and staying with them helped him forget his homesickness a little. Even though it meant being selfish and irresponsible, he wished he could continue living with the Shiroyama’s for a little bit longer and relish the feeling of being a family.

Putting his feelings of loneliness aside, Kouyou enthusiastically picked up the offered chopsticks, he started eating the pleasantly organized food. He let a small moan of approval as the spicy flavour melted into his taste buds. “Your cooking is so good, Yuu.” he spoke with his mouth full to bursting point as he couldn’t wait to show his appreciation. “I wish I could stay here forever just in order to eat your delicious cooking.” he smiled at the brunet while swallowing.

Yuu was momentarily stunned into silence, the pinkest hue dusting over his cheeks at Kouyou’s grateful words. Never in his dreams had he imagined the blond saying something like that to him, but it was really happening right before him now. “Thanks.” he replied softly, truly touched by the compliment. He offered Kouyou one of his best smiles, chuckling a little bit at some of the rice that stuck around his colleague’s mouth from his impatience to eat and to give him his opinion about the food.

Without really thinking, Yuu took one of the napkins on the table and reached over to wipe the blond’s mouth. “You had some food there.” he reasoned when Kouyou gave him a confused look.

Yukari sat there silently, not really knowing how to feel. While she was happy her older brother was happy, with it came a jealousy of realizing that he hadn’t even noticed she was at the dinner table. He hadn’t even said hello to her since he’d gotten home, and while she had remained in her room, upset with her friends and how they laughed at her for being foolish, Yukari wished her brother had at least knocked on her door to let her know he was there. But the brunette wasn’t in the mood to complain, and she was too tired to say anything, so Yukari just started to eat her food quietly, the hurt starting to build up within her as Yuu continued to ignore her in favour of talking to his friend.

Kouyou blushed, a bit embarrassed. “Stop treating me like a kid.” he pouted while Yuu continued to wipe his mouth. “You are treating me just like my Mum.” But when Yuu continued to clean his mouth clearly to provoke him, Kouyou release an annoyed growl. “Yuu remove your hand now or I’m going to bite you.” he warned trying to bite at the brunet’s lithe fingers.

Yuu chuckled, amused by the blond's antics but eventually removed his hand. He watched Kouyou for a moment before his attention went down to his hands. "Your burns are getting better?" he asked softly, noticing that the other lawyer was using his chopsticks, but he figured his hands and fingers must still hurt quite a bit. "I promise I'll change the bandages later, before we go to bed." Yuu said firmly, knowing that he wouldn't forget something so important.

“Thanks, I would appreciate that,” Kouyou mumbled with his mouth full while giving a lopsided grin. “They are much better thanks to you. Good thing, they weren’t severe or else you would have to continue taking care of me like forever.” The blond chuckled at his own joke.

Yuu fell silent for a moment, Kouyou's comment implanting itself in his head before he collected his thoughts. "Well, I took over the Nakamura case today." he said, eating some of his own food. He had already sorted everything out with his boss and the clients, but he wondered if Kouyou was okay with it as well. Of course, it meant more work for him, but he didn't really mind the challenge and the blond's main priority at the moment was getting better and recovering from the fire. Only when Kouyou was settled into his own apartment would Yuu even consider giving the strenuous case back to him.

Kouyou looked down at his food feeling slightly ashamed. He hated what he was doing; overburdening Yuu more and more. The thoughts of his own stupidity was being brought up again all due to his colleague’s kindness towards him. “Yuu I don’t think you should be doing this?” he tried to protest, though it would be vain. “You aren’t exactly a jobless lawyer. You have a lot of cases yourself.

This case isn’t exactly simple. The suspect has a very strong alibi. During the inquiry he stated that he was having a business dinner with his colleague when the crime had taken place. The hotel staff supported his alibi as well.” Kouyou articulated Yuu with a troubled expression. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll get into if you lose this case? I already know how much you have worked in order to reach the position you are in right now. Don’t spoil it because of me, please.”

“If I don’t take it, then who will? I doubt any other lawyers at our firm would be so generous.” Yuu retorted firmly, pursing his lips in thought as he stared down at his meal. He knew what was at stake if he took this case on and lost it. It was true that he had lost other cases before, there were wins and there were losses, but this one seemed especially tricky since his partner was having difficulty with it. If it didn’t go well, then what Kouyou was saying was true. His reputation as a lawyer would most likely be tarnished or he could possibly lose his job over it. But the brunet was confident. He’d spent most of the afternoon going over what information and documents there were, and even though his the blond was having trouble with the case, Yuu knew he only had to dig a little deeper to find what he wanted.

“Look, there’s no way you can possibly work, what with your injuries and such. I’m only offering to help because I, well you know, care.” Yuu grumbled in embarrassment, avoiding looking at Kouyou’s face so that he wouldn’t burst out in a red blush for admitting such a thing. “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry.” he assured, his words a promise.

Kouyou rubbed his temples forcefully, forgetting about his injured fingers and immediately yelping in pain due to his blunder. “I'm fine.” he mumbled looking down at his lap. He contemplated over what Yuu has just said, knowing the brunet was right. No one would be willing to take over the case as the court hearing was coming up pretty soon. Besides in his current condition, he never would be able to proceed with the investigation. There was nothing else left to do except trust his colleague and friend.

“You better not lose.” Kouyou threatened, faking a glare. “I will personally kill you if you dare lose that case.”

“Oh come on, have a little faith in me.” Yuu huffed as he rolled his eyes. Perhaps he was being overconfident, but he really would put a lot of work into the case for Kouyou’s sake. He was sure that the blond may have hit a dead end with this certain case, but a fresh mind and eye would surely work wonders... right?

Kouyou chuckled softly at that. “Hey, I trust you. Isn’t that the reason why I fought for your promotion?” he smiled affectionately. “I’m just worried ‘cause you were one of my juniors and I do care a lot when it comes to your reputation even now.”

Finished with his dinner, Kouyou set the chopsticks down. He looked at the brunet with his amber orbs reflecting worry. “Ask me anything you want to know regarding the case and keep me informed.” he ordered grimly, to which Yuu nodded.

“Is it okay if I go to bed before you?” Kouyou asked. “I wish I could help you with the dishes, but well.” he sheepishly showed his bandaged fingers.

“You don’t want to take a bath first?” Yuu questioned as he stood up and began to collect their dishes, noticing Yukari immediately excused herself when she was done. His sister had remained awfully quiet throughout dinner, he thought suspiciously, but he quickly brushed it off when he figured she was just being her usual shy self in front of Kouyou. She’d always had trouble meeting new people and making friends, even though she was such a sweet girl.

“I have to change the bandages anyway, so I figured I could take the current ones off so you can get clean, and then put them on again.” Is what the brunet suggested as he made his way towards the kitchen with the dinner dishes.

“I think I might need a bath.” Kouyou nodded his head in agreement. “Would it be too much to ask for your help today as well, ‘cause I don’t think I’m capable of using these damn fingers for two more goddamn days.” The blond cursed dejectedly, showing how clearly frustrated he was. “Sorry for making you go through this, I promise to make it up to you someday.”

Yuu tried not to smile as he started to rinse off the dishes to put them into the dishwasher. "It's fine." he confirmed to assure the other man. "Besides, I have a feeling you won't go to the hospital. But whether you like it or not, you need to be cared for." Yuu reasoned when he finished with the dishes and turned to face Kouyou, suddenly looking very serious.

"But you better keep that promise of yours."

Kouyou stared at the serious expression on the brunet’s face and sniggered before bursting out into laughter. “I won’t forget. You can ask me anything you want. Don’t hold back. Just don’t try making me your slave or anything. I’ll kill if you do that.” he chuckled before patting Yuu on the shoulder.

Yuu joined in on the laughter, turning away to hide the hot blush that covered his cheeks at the sudden mental image that dared to invade his mind.

“Nothing like that.” he mumbled, finishing up with the dishes as he started to dry his hands off with a nearby tea towel. “You can treat me to dinner or something equally as nice.” he suggested, his eyes a little brighter when he mentioned the idea. It wouldn’t mean anything to Kouyou but a simple dinner out of gratitude and thanks, but having the blond take him out to dinner was like a date fantasy come true, even if he did have to pretend it was just a dinner between friends.

“Sure.” Kouyou smiled. He hadn’t expected Yuu to ask him for something as simple as dinner because what the brunet was doing for him wasn’t something anyone would do for free. His colleague hadn’t just given him shelter but was also cooking for him, nursing his injuries and also taking over a case which could damage his reputation. “Dinner is the least I can do for you. But this time let’s not go to any place with a bar, you know what I mean.” he chortled jokingly.

“Maybe you should bring Yukari-chan along too.” Kouyou suggested. “I think she’s a bit uncomfortable with me around.” he said with his smile faltering slightly. “Just for a few days okay. I’ll try to find an apartment as fast as possible.”

Yuu bit his lip to stop himself from scowling and nodded. “There’s no rush,” he commented, turning to face Kouyou as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “As for Kari...” he trailed off, trying not to sneer at the fact that his co-worker wanted to include his baby sister on their evening out. Then again, the other man was probably only trying to be nice by thinking about her-and Yukari did seem a little off today, but Yuu didn’t think too much on it. He knew the brunette was rather shy around strangers and kept to herself most of the time, so he wasn’t about to question her quietness at dinner, or the fact that she had been in her room for most of the evening.

“She’ll get used to you. She’s just kinda shy, and it probably doesn’t help that there’s a strange man in the house.” Yuu shrugged, his eyes narrowing a little. Even if it was just Kouyou, one of the nicest albeit dorkiest guys he had met, he was still overprotective of his little sister. So while he could understand the brunette’s uneasiness, he tried not to let it get to him. If Yukari was uncomfortable around Kouyou for that particular reason, as she had every right to be, then he was worried... but after all, this was just his friend. He trusted the blond, and over the course of Kouyou staying here, he knew Yukari would eventually get used to it.

“Anyway, I’ll help you in the bedroom now.” Yuu decided as he started walking towards the room which he now temporarily shared with Kouyou. “Come on.”

-x-
Kouyou sat on Yuu’s neatly made bed with nothing except for a towel wrapped around his waist. The brunet had removed all of his bandages before taking him into the bathroom. Like the previous day, Kouyou had remained seated on the stool while Yuu washed his body clean, and his colleague had been careful not to let any water make contact with the blond’s tender burns.

While Kouyou waited on the bed for Yuu to return with some fresh bandages, he inspected his burned fingers. The burns didn’t look too bad, the top layer of his skin was torn, making it look pink and raw, and it was covered with boils. But on the brighter side he wouldn’t have any permanent scarring which made the lawyer release a small sigh of relief for he knew if his mother saw these scars then he would definitely be reprimanded severely whenever she looked at them. He hadn’t called up his parents and informed them about his apartment yet. He was still too frightened about the scolding that awaited him.

Finally finding some clean bandages within the first aid kit, along with the ointment for Kouyou’s burns, Yuu entered his bedroom and let out a shaky breath when he saw the blond half-naked on his bed. Yes, he’d already seen the other man naked before but it was easier to ogle him when he was partially dressed as it avoided too much suspicion.

“Hey,” Yuu greeted a little breathlessly as he went to sit down beside the blond, setting the healing supplies on the bedside table. “How do your hands feel?” he asked, taking Kouyou’s hands in his own gently and looking them over.

They looked incredibly sore and the brunet frowned as he caressed the calloused skin. “Can you feel that?” he wondered, hoping that the nerves weren’t too damaged. Yuu knew he would have to drag Kouyou to the hospital if that were the case and have them properly looked at, since he wouldn’t risk the man he loved losing the feeling in his hands.

“I can feel and it hurts.” Kouyou winced as Yuu carefully traced his hands. “Don't worry, Yuu. I'm fine at least for now.” he pouted as he remembered his parents who were definitely going to have a fit when he called them up tomorrow. “Hurry up and do my bandages. I’m starting to feel cold.” he ordered, shivering. “By the way, where can I make an international call? I need to call my parents to tell them about, you know. My phone’s dead.”

Yuu nodded, pleased that at least the damage to the blond’s hands wasn’t too severe. He reached for the ointment and started to rub it into the pink skin, taking note to be more careful. “You can use my cell phone,” he suggested, making sure both of Kouyou’s hands were treated properly and taking his time, despite the other man’s complaints. “It has international calling available, because of some of my clients obviously.”

When he had finished with applying the ointment, Yuu took the bandages and began to wrap them around Kouyou’s hands and some of his arm, making sure they were snug and tight before securing them. “There, you’re done.” he announced, smiling proudly at his first aid work before reaching for the ointment on the nightstand to take it back to the kitchen cabinet. But then something caught his eye, a bright photograph displayed in Kouyou’s wallet, which had been put next to the lamp earlier when Yuu had helped the blond change. His clothes were to be washed so everything had been emptied out of the pockets.

“Oh,” he grinned, picking up the wallet to look at the photo better, realizing it was of Kouyou when he was just a small child with his parents on either side of him. “What’s this?” he chuckled, flipping the picture around so the other man could see it.

“No!” Kouyou almost screamed at seeing the wallet in Yuu's hands. The picture had a five-year old Kouyou holding both his parents’ hands. For sentimental reasons, the blond still held on to that picture because his mother had gifted him the wallet, and she herself had placed the picture inside of it. “Give it back.” he lunged at the brunet, trying to reach for the wallet.

Yuu laughed and moved the wallet out of the way, out of Kouyou’s reach even though the blond was taller than him. “Aw, look at how cute you are.” he goaded, grinning from ear to ear as he pretended to scrutinize the picture. “Your little chubby cheeks and the scowl on your face! How adorable.” he chuckled, before letting out a low grunt when Kouyou tackled him down onto the bed in an attempt to get his wallet back and save himself the embarrassment.

Kouyou had completely forgotten the fact that he was wearing nothing but a towel as he wrestled with Yuu to get the wallet from him. He was more embarrassed over his colleague seeing the picture in his wallet than the towel that was slowly unfastening out of its knot.

“Stop laughing and give my fucking wallet back!” Kouyou yelled as he brawled with the brunet on the bed. “Please.” he whined when Yuu continued to move the hand that trapped his wallet further and further from the blond’s reach.

“Is is that embarrassing?” Yuu laughed, grabbing one of Kouyou’s bare shoulders and pushing him back forcefully so that he was pinned down on the bed instead. Grinning madly, the brunet crawled on top of his colleague’s body and straddled his waist while waving the wallet in front of his face mockingly. “You’re gonna have to try harder to get it back.” he chuckled, goading his friend even more.

Kouyou tried his best to struggle against the other man’s iron grip. He felt like crawling under a rock when Yuu continued to tease him about his childhood picture. “Damn it, Yuu!” he yelled. “Give me my wallet back right now, or I swear I’m gonna extract every childhood picture of yours from your house and circulate it around to everyone in office.” he threatened, his aureate orbs reduced to slits. “Maybe some of your women clients would be interested.”

Yuu snickered, clearly amused by the blond’s supposed ‘threat’. “Like I’m gonna be embarrassed about that.” he retorted smugly, still holding the wallet out of Kouyou’s reach when he once again attempted to try grab at it. “Do what you like. It’s too fun seeing you like this.” he teased with a charming smile as he dangled the wallet closer to the blond’s reach for snatching it away. “All flustered over a childhood picture, it’s too adorable.” Yuu laughed.

“Asshole.” Kouyou growled. Finally becoming completely frustrated and annoyed, he lunged at the wallet that was right in front of his face. This time though his luck favoured him and his fingers managed to grab the wallet out of the brunet’s hands. But Yuu, who still held a tight grip on the leather was pulled forward along with it, and fell unceremoniously on top of the blond in a heap, their bodies meshed against each other.

Just then, their bedroom door creaked open and a loud gasp made the two lawyers turn their heads to the the source of commotion.

Yuu lifted himself up slowly, a little dazed from what happened. Yukari was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, her eyes wide as she stared into the room, before promptly fumbling with the handle and closed the door with a loud slam. He winced at the noise as he sat back up, only now realizing how dodgy his and Kouyou’s positions were to an outsider. And then, just as he was about to get off the blond, he noticed something delectably horrible.

“Um, Kouyou...” he muttered, his face bright red as he stared down at the dark linen of his bed covers, trying to avoid what was currently being exposed. “Your towel...”

Kouyou looked down and his eyes immediately widened in horror on cue. His towel had unwound itself, the ends parted open and resting on either side on the blond’s lithe body due to the brief wrestling on the bed.

“Shit.” Kouyou gasped wrapping himself up immediately. His face turned beet red as he let his head fall to a side in embarrassment. He felt sorry for Yukari who must have been shocked with his indecency. “Nice going, Yuu.” The blond rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Your sister is already uncomfortable with my presence. And now she is going to think there is a pervert living in her place too."

He punched at Yuu’s shoulder lightly and got off the bed, clutching the towel to his lower half. “Hurry up and dress me, I don’t want to further embarrass the poor girl.” Kouyou ordered grumpily, huffing a bit.

Yuu was quiet for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been sitting on top of Kouyou naked. Ridding his mind from the perverted thoughts that plagued him, the brunet quickly helped Kouyou get changed, though that didn’t exactly help him forget about what had just happened. He’d have to go out and talk to Yukari about it as well, to make sure she didn’t get the wrong idea that he was involved with Kouyou in any kind of relationship. This whole fiasco probably only escalated her anxiety and made her more uncomfortable, he noted worriedly.

“I’ll be back in a moment.” Yuu told the blond as he left quickly without waiting for a reply, and headed towards his sister’s room, knocking on the door. “Kari?” he called. “Can I come in?”

Yukari sat on her bed, her face red with rage and embarrassment. Ever since her return, she had been seething in anger. Her beloved brother had been so happy and euphoric during dinner, something rare as the dinner conversations between Yuu and herself were strained and tense lately. She would be the only one happily chatting while Yuu would have a really annoyed expression on his face, without bothering to hide the fact that he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

Today though, he made another extravagant dinner like breakfast and Yukari knew that it was only to please Kouyou as most of the food which Yuu had cooked weren’t exactly what she could call her favourites. And the way he had played with his friend, everything was ripping the brunette apart. She hadn’t wanted to talk to Yuu in front of their guest and so had quietly excused herself and left to her room.

While she had been going through her homework, Yukari remembered that she needed to get her brother's signature for the home-room trip to Kyoto. She knew that Kouyou would be taking a bath, so the brunette had taken the permission slip all the way to her brother’s room, only to have her heart stop in shock. Yuu had been on top of a naked Kouyou, finally proving her suspicion about her brother’s love for his friend. Yukari didn’t know if Kouyou felt the same way towards Yuu, but the way the two of them had been sprawled against each other on the mattress with Kouyou having no clothes on didn’t require a genius to know what was going on. The only thing she could do in that moment was run away, slamming the door shut behind her.

Yuu’s voice at the door made her want to snap and ask him to leave her alone. But she knew she had to talk to her brother about this or she would definitely lose her precious brother to an unwanted stranger like Kouyou. “Come in, Nii-san.” she answered in a small voice.

Tonight she had to definitely sort this matter out or she would never be able to be herself.

Yuu opened the door and closed it behind him. “Hey,” he greeted awkwardly, standing there before he went over and sat down beside Yukari on the bed. “About before, we weren’t... you know. We were just fooling around, and situations like that happen sometimes.” he explained, trying to avoid his sister’s hard stare. “Kouyou and I are just co-workers.” Yuu said firmly, though it was a harsh blow against his emotions and pride when the brunet reminded himself that that was all there was between them. Not even his humble generosity would change that. Eventually, Kouyou would find a new apartment and move out, causing everything to be just as it was before.

“I know he makes you uncomfortable, but he has nowhere else to go and he’s still recovering. Once he finds an apartment, he’ll be gone. Okay?” Yuu sighed as he stared down at his hands.

Yukari released a small sigh as she buried her face in her palm and closed her stygian orbs in frustration. Who did her brother think he was lying to? Seeing the look of sheer pain on Yuu’s face was enough to confirm her suspicions, not that she needed anymore confirmation after what she had seen recently. Her brother loved his colleague. He may deny it, but Yukari knew better. She knew Yuu was lying about Kouyou leaving sooner. Her brother would never let someone he loved leave him behind.

“Sorry, Nii-san.” Yukari muttered under her breath. “I don't want your friend in our house. Our home is not a company guest house to let anyone you please to stay over. Besides have you thought about me?’ she asked, incompressible anger blended with her strained voice. “I’m seventeen. I don’t want to be home with a man I don’t trust. I can’t trust anyone, especially after what happened. So please ask your friend to stay somewhere else.” she hissed, no longer wanting to be the sweet little sister Yuu knew her as. If she wanted Kouyou to move out then she had to be honest. “I’m positive he’ll have friends who don’t have any sisters.”

Yuu was stunned at Yukari’s words before he narrowed his eyes, annoyed with his sister’s attitude towards his friend. “Don’t talk to me like that. I trust Kouyou, he has tried to be nothing but nice to you.” he retorted, standing up from the bed as he loomed over his little sister, glaring because of the rudeness she had shown.

“This is my house. I’ll decide whether or not he gets to stay here, not you. I’m not going to ask him to go somewhere else, do you understand?” he barked out defensively, folding his arms over his chest to show his authority. While he could understand Yukari’s concerns, it wasn’t like the blond was some perverted paedophile who creeped on teenage girls. He knew Kouyou was a good man, and while the brunette’s fears weren’t irrational, he thought she was being just a tad bit hysterical about this whole ordeal.

Yukari got off her own bed and placed her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother in disbelief. Angry tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, the orbs which both siblings had inherited from their late father. “So now this Kouyou-san is more important to you than me?” she shrieked, hastily wiping the embarrassing tears away.

“I don't get it, Nii-san. I always put you ahead of everyone else. Yet why isn’t it the same with you? Why is it always your work and friends but not the sister who waits for you every single day?!”

Yukari moved forward and held onto her brother’s work shirt collar and tried her best to make him understand even though she was literally screaming. “This is my house as well and I don’t want your friend here! Do you hear me?” Yukari wasn’t in the least bit bothered if Kouyou heard her frustrated screams or not. Maybe if he heard this himself then he would take the initiative and leave. “If you don’t, then I will. I will tell him instead of you.” she threatened, not knowing where this sudden boldness came from. She had never spoken to Yuu like this before. “I will tell him that I don’t want him here.”

Yuu slapped Yukari’s hands away, making her relinquish her hold on him. He was utterly furious with how she was behaving and the threats she was spewing at him, as if she had the right to boss him around and demand such things. “If you don’t like him being here, then you can go find somewhere else to stay.” he snapped out cold, his voice hard as he glared hotly, finally having enough of this attitude. He couldn’t believe how rude and unreasonable Yukari was being to him and their guest-Kouyou was here because he had insisted the blond stay with him until he recovered from his injuries and found a new apartment.

“Look at how selfish you’re being!” Yuu exclaimed angrily, waving his arms around Yukari’s room, as if showing her all the possessions she owned. “You have all this, and he has nothing right now. Show some goddamn gratitude and generosity, would you? Kouyou is staying here until he can find his own place, and nothing you say or do will make me change my mind.” he snarled, furious with his sister. He thought he had raised her better than this, and he wondered if she had always been this selfish and arrogant and he had just been blind to it, because this was a new side of Yukari he was seeing.

“If you don’t like it, then you can go somewhere else because I won’t have you disrespecting him. Have I made myself clear?”

Yukari stared at her beloved brother as she stood there trembling, rivulets of tears streaming down her cheeks while her face slowly turned red. She couldn’t believe her ears. Just as she had feared her brother had indeed chosen his love interest over his sister. Wasn’t that why Yuu was asking her to get out of the house? So that he could spend more quality time with his new found boyfriend without having her around?

Yukari continued to stand there, her head held low, starting to sob hysterically when she could help herself. But Yuu was having none of it and held his ground, waiting for her reply. "I asked you if I've made myself clear?" Yuu growled out impatiently. "Will you quit being pathetic and answer me, Kari?"

The cruel words from her brother only made her cry harder. Her throat was constricting in pain due to the tears that flooded down her face. Even though all she wanted was to agree, to say yes so Yuu would stop yelling at her, stop being so angry and saying such hurtful things, Yukari found herself shaking her head in order to let her brother know that she still didn’t want Kouyou in their home.

“Fine!” Yuu spat out, his hands clenched into fists and he sighed in frustration and tried to control his temper. He had had it with his sister’s negative attitude and her unwillingness to compromise by having Kouyou stay here with them. It seemed like she didn’t care for anyone but herself, and Yuu wondered when he had taught his sister to be behave so selfishly when someone was in need of help. Yuu was angry with her and he didn’t even want to look at her tear-stained face or her pleading eyes, knowing that if he did then he would give in and coddle her.

“Don’t talk to me unless you’re willing to accept the fact that Kouyou is here.”

Without another word, the brunet turned around, storming out of Yukari’s room and slammed the door shut behind him.

-x-
Comments: I can now proudly say that this fic is now finally off hiatus! I'm so happy and pleased. deadlyscarlet and I worked hard to get this out so we hope you like it. (^^)