Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ A Fine Line - FY ❯ Of Friends and Foes ( Chapter 4 )

Author's notes and warnings: Hello again! This chapter, like Weiss Kreuz's chapter four, will be mainly about the boys. No horribly complicated plots…just conversation between our closed up Ceilen and ultra genki Tryffin. You can just see where this is going, right? Poor, poor, Chichiri-sama…

Okay, the first section of this chapter was written for a special friend who needed cheering up, it's pretty pointless and um…just pure fanservice. No redeeming value what so ever, ne, Xellas? *giggles* But enjoy, okay, guys?

Reviewers make fanfiction writers very, very happy, no da and I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers! *Great big group hug*

A Fine Line-FY: Chapter Four - Of Friends and Foes

By Moonraven

(Day Two immediately after the events in the last chapter)

Ceilen drove a short ways before he pulled over to the shoulder of the road and parked. Tryffin glanced nervously at the narrow ridge and the ocean below them then pressed back against the door on his side of the car. He hated water and when the water was as vast as the ocean, he was truly terrified.

Ceilen studied the cut on his hand briefly before turning to the redhead who was trying to merge with the passenger side car-door. He lifted his eyebrows questioningly and blinked at the petrified young man.

"I won't hurt you." Ceilen frowned at Tryffin and remained perfectly still. For the first time since Tryffin had met him, Ceilen looked uncertain and Tryffin wasn't sure that he liked it. The arrogant Ceilen, though irritating, actually gave Tryffin courage and he felt more vulnerable when Ceilen didn't display his usual superior attitude.

"It's…it's not that." Tryffin took a deep calming breath, only it didn't calm him. "I'm really…really terrified of the ocean and we're so close to falling over…it's so high."

Ceilen blinked blankly at Tryffin as if he was trying to process what was said, then he looked out his window at the dark vastness of the water and nodded. Tryffin was immensely grateful when Ceilen silently moved the car. His bodyguard drove on a few more miles before he found a spot on Tryffin's side of the road that would keep the ocean out of view. Tryffin let out a huge breath and closed his eyes.

"Sorry, man." He told Ceilen quietly. "And…er…thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You don't know why we've stopped." Ceilen said just as quietly.

Tryffin frowned and looked over at the man. "Why did we stop?" Tryffin wasn't sure if he should be scared. Earlier, Ceilen had said that he wouldn't hurt him, so why the ominous tone? Why did Ceilen look uncomfortable again?

"Well, my theory was correct. We were followed." Ceilen said while keeping his eyes on the windshield in front of him.

"They probably parked out by your car and followed you. Shouldn't you've seen them or something?" The man wasn't doing that much better than Tryffin if he'd allowed the baddies to follow them already.

"There was no one tracking ME. They don't need to follow my car, just you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tryffin turned in his seat and faced the man. "You're not yapping about some tracking device thing again are you? Look at me." Tryffin opened his arms wide. "I ain't carrying shit! You won't let me get my fucking clothes on, remember?"

Ceilen didn't look at Tryffin but kept his gaze straight ahead. "It's not in your clothes." He said softly.

Tryffin frowned and stared at Ceilen as if he'd lost his mind. "So where is it?"

Ceilen turned and looked into Tryffin's amber eyes. He held out his right hand and said, "Your earrings."

Tryffin gaped at the open palm as if it had teeth. "I've had these for years! They're no bugs."

Ceilen sighed. "At this point, I don't trust anyone in your household. They could have tampered with them so hand them over." He motioned with his fingers for Tryffin to do just that.

"I don't fucking believe this!" Tryffin muttered angrily as he took off his favorite pair of aquamarine earrings. He had gotten them specially made because the shade of that particular gemstone reminded him of something he'd dreamt of long ago. Something he couldn't quite remember yet it left an impression in his heart so deep that he couldn't forget it.

"When do I get them back?" He asked as he grudgingly dropped the earrings in Ceilen hand.

Ceilen pulled out a small black rectangular box the size of a matchbox from a compartment in his dashboard and opened it. The box seemed to be made out of some kind of metal and the earrings made small tinkling sounds as they hit the bottom of the box. Ceilen closed the metal lid and cleared his throat. He seemed to be struggling with the next part and since Tryffin didn't feel like helping him, the redhead asked again rather obnoxiously. "When do I fucking get them back? They mean a lot to me."

Ceilen scowled at him - again - and asked, "More than your life?"

"That's what I have YOU for, right? To keep me alive?"

"That's what I'm doing! So hand over the other…" Ceilen hesitated and then blurted, "piercing." He held out his hand again and looked straight out the front of the car.

"What're ya talking about?" The man had lost his fucking mind. Tryffin was sure that one of those trolls they encountered earlier must have hit the man a little too hard.

Ceilen took a deep breath and said calmly, "You have another… body piercing. I saw it when you dropped the blanket. Please remove it."

Tryffin could feel his face heating up as he remembered the matching penis…er…accessories he and Kouji had gotten. He had completely forgotten about that and sure as hell didn't want to be fumbling around his dick NOW of all times to remove it.

Holy shit! He'd just remember that he COULDN'T remove it…not without help anyway… Shit, shit, shit.

"Er…well, about that little…um…piercing thingy…" Tryffin swallowed hard as he tried to tell Ceilen what he was sure would give the man a heart attack. Tryffin wasn't sure what it would give HIM but he sure as hell didn't want to find out.

It was Tryffin's turn to take a deep breath and blurted, "I can't take it off."

Ceilen gave him an irritated sigh and said, "Do we have to go over this again? It's not only your life but mine as well. Now get it off!"

"I can't!" Tryffin said and looked out his side of the window. "If you want it, you're going to have to get it yourself." He muttered so low that he wasn't sure Ceilen could hear him.

The silence that followed was so deafening, Tryffin heard all kinds of stuff especially his heartbeat hammering in his chest. Yep, Ceilen heard him alright.

Tryffin grimaced and turned back to his bodyguard. He could still feel the heat in his cheeks but there was no going around it now. "You see, we had this problem with the last piercing…and I kinda lost it when we…er, never mind. So Kouji went and got this clasp thing that sorta, kinda locks and the only way to get it off is to put a pin in this little hole and pull on both balls at the end of the bar. Only I can't do it by myself…you know the pushing…and the pulling…" Okay, why did shit like this always happen to him? It was official, he was really, really fucked up. No, KOUJI and his damn ideas were fucked up. Someone up there just plain didn't like him.

Ceilen stared at him. The man was just… staring; it was damn near scary. Tryffin cleared his throat and waved a hand in front of Ceilen's face. "Hello?"

Ceilen batted the hand away with a grunt and chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. "Can't you just… yank?"

"HELL NO!" Tryffin yelled as he clasped both hands to his crotch and scooted away from Ceilen. "And don't you give me any shit about what's more important, my dick or my life, 'cause I'm fucking choosing my dick! Now get the hell away from me!"

Ceilen did not look happy and Tryffin nearly snorted out loud. This definitely was NOT the cold, indifferent bastard he'd met earlier. Tryffin felt a tiny jolt of pleasure as he thought that there was hope for the man yet.

Ceilen let out a deep breath then looked hard at Tryffin. "Well, if I'm going to help you remove it, I can't very well stay away, now can I?" Ceilen then pulled open the compartment between their seats and took out a small box. He closed the compartment and put the box on top of it then snapped open the lid. Inside, Tryffin saw small tools, things technicians used when working with computers and other things with tiny parts. Ceilen turned the box towards him and pointed to the content.

"How small?" Ceilen asked.

Tryffin looked around the box and asked, "Can't you just cut it with that cutter, there?"

Ceilen shook his head. "I'd rather not. I want to see if I can trace it back to the source. I really don't think the computer in the SUV was it. So, which one?"

Tryffin had only seen the tiny hole briefly when Kouji had shown him the small ornament. It was really made for something as small as a pin. He rummaged around the various screwdrivers and tiny picks until he found one with the tip he thought was small enough.

"This one?" He picked it up and hesitantly handed it over to Ceilen. "Er… look, do we really have to do this? Kouji gave it to me, man, you don't think he's the guy that planted the bug, do you?"

Ceilen didn't look like he wanted to do THIS either and actually considered what Tryffin said. "Anyone else know about the piercing?"

"Well, yeah but no one came near enough to mess with it. I would have known, man." Tryffin was relieved that Ceilen was willing to rethink this.

"When was it replaced?"

"Huh?"

A sigh. "You said you lost one and this is the replacement. When was it replaced? Where did Kouji get it and who else knew about it?"

"Oh. Well, I lost the first one about a week ago and Kouji placed a special order for this one. Hell, almost everybody knew about it, they'd made jokes every god damn day."

Ceilen sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. "It comes off."

Tryffin's heart sank but another part of his anatomy rose eagerly at the image of Ceilen kneeling between his legs, with his enthusiastic member clasped firmly in those strong hands. Tryffin eyes widened as he frantically willed his brain to conjure up some very unsexy thoughts before Ceilen could see what was rising between his legs.

No such luck. The more he thought, the harder he got and he clutched anxiously at his erection, trying to get it to behave.

Ceilen switched on a small light that was attached to the dashboard next to Tryffin's knee. Then he leaned over and released a lever under Tryffin's seat, making the chair move nearly all the way to the back. Tryffin whimpered as Ceilen made preparations to remove the small silver bar he had pierced into the foreskin on the underside of his penis. He cursed Ceilen's incredible powers of observation; how the hell did the man see it when he only got a brief look at Tryffin naked?

"Um… look, man… it's not like I want to… er, you know, but all this… this…" Shit! He sounded like an imbecile!

Ceilen stopped rearranging the interior of his car and looked up at him expectantly. "What?"

"Nothing." Tryffin muttered dishearteningly. What the hell was he supposed to say? 'Oh by the way, Ceilen, little Tryffie is really happy to see you so don't freak, okay?' Yeah… right… he could see Ceilen now screaming at the top of his lungs and ripping out the silver piercing. Youch!

Ha! It seemed that 'little Tryffie' didn't like THAT mental image either and Tryffin thanked the gods for small favors. He looked up at the ceiling of the car and silently apologized for thinking earlier that someone up there didn't like him.

"Decline the back of your seat all the way down." Ceilen instructed impersonally and Tryffin obeyed automatically. Wait a minute… he didn't need to lie down for this.

"Now turn in your seat so you're facing me." Ceilen continued. Tryffin now saw that it was easier for him to do so with the back of the seat all the way down and he settled comfortably facing Ceilen.

Ceilen unclasped some stuff and the compartment he had stored the tools earlier came off and he placed that behind him in the back seat. Now there was nothing between himself and Ceilen.

"Alright, here we go." Ceilen said softly and shook his head as if he couldn't believe this was happening. No shit, bucko! Tryffin couldn't fucking believe it either!

Tryffin didn't move but continued to clutch the opening of his coat. Well, Ceilen's coat, to be precise and swallowed nervously. He was not the shy type, his sex life was pretty damn active and he'd screwed plenty of strangers but there was something about Ceilen that made him… almost timid. Tryffin hated that word but it damn near described how he was feeling right about now.

Ceilen looked at Tryffin's hands then frowned up at Tryffin's face. "Well? We can't stay here all night."

Why the hell not? Tryffin wanted to ask but knew that Ceilen was right. He took a deep breath and fumbled with the buttons on the coat. Well, maybe he ought to warn Ceilen first…

"Er… just, well it's nothing personal… so don't, you know, get all weird or anything, okay?" Tryffin mumbled. "I mean I AM normally pretty active and all this talk about you and my… er… well just… just… aw, hell." He gave up and simply reached between the openings of the coat and pulled out his semi-erected shaft. He stared out the window, adamantly refusing to see what might flash across Ceilen's face, it was better to just not know if the man was grossed out or what not…

"Just pretend I'm a… doctor or something."

Tryffin whimpered. He didn't want to tell Ceilen that his doctor was pretty damn good looking and services provided were certainly more than just check ups.

At the increased rigidity of his organ and his stubborn silence, Ceilen must have guessed that thinking 'doctor' was a bad idea. "Oh for crying out loud… just… just hold it still!" Ceilen muttered.

Tryffin thought he'd heard a little catch in Ceilen's steady voice and couldn't help hoping that this whole thing was affecting the man as well. It wouldn't make him feel like such a slut getting hard over some stranger if Ceilen were to feel something too...

Tryffin held back a groan when he felt Ceilen's hot breath on his shaft and the man's warm strong fingers brushed against the side of his rapidly hardening flesh. Those fingers pressed the silver bar gently against his hot length and Tryffin shivered as pleasure shot up his spine.

"Gods… just hurry, will ya?" Tryffin's voice was far from steady as Ceilen worked just a fraction of an inch away from his now fully erected member. He was infernally grateful that Ceilen didn't say anything about his state of arousal, it was pretty damn embarrassing as it was, he sure as hell didn't need the man to tease him about how horny he was.

"You need to keep it still." Ceilen said again. "I'm going to poke you if you keep moving."

"YOU try keeping still when someone's got your dick in his hands and his mouth is just right there… Ahh!" Tryffin couldn't help the moan that escaped his lips as Ceilen pressed the tip of the pick in the tiny hole. The pressure of the movement sent incredible sensations through him and he bit his lip harshly before more inappropriate noises could escape.

"Sorry." Ceilen mumbled. "Could you pull the end of the bar while I keep the pressure?"

Tryffin looked down at his too enthusiastic organ and nearly came in Ceilen's face. He stifled a groan and blinked repeatedly at the brown head that was practically on top of his engorged tip. The softly parted lips were so close to engulfing him and Tryffin was sweating with the sheer effort of NOT creaming his bodyguard's face. Tryffin knew his breathing was erratic and his throbbing shaft pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Ceilen must have noticed it too, he was so close Tryffin could feel every single breath…

At Tryffin's inaction, Ceilen looked up from his task and their eyes met. For a space of a heartbeat, Tryffin could have sworn that he saw desire burning bright in that beautiful brown eye but as quick as it appeared, it was gone. Ceilen's eye now held nothing but cool indifference as he looked up at his protectee.

Tryffin swallowed his disappointment and nodded. "Okay, you got the other end, right?"

Ceilen nodded and waited until he saw that Tryffin had a ball between his fingers. "Now." Ceilen's quiet voice rang out and they both tugged firmly at their respective balls (Author pauses to giggle… er… gomen). The bar came apart and Ceilen pulled it out of Tryffin's flesh gently. He reached over and took Tryffin's portion from his shaking hand and dropped both of them in the black box to join his earrings.

With a relieved sigh, Tryffin tugged himself away and buttoned the coat. This was so fucking embarrassing, he wanted to crawl under the car and never come out. Fuck Kouji and his brilliant ideas!

"That's it, right? No more… anything?" Ceilen asked tiredly. It looked like this whole thing had taken a lot out of the man too.

"No, that's it." Tryffin couldn't help feeling disappointed that the man didn't make a move on him. What he wouldn't give to feel that gorgeous mouth on his flesh… Tryffin put his seat back in its place and leaned his head back dejectedly. What the hell was he thinking anyways? This was not some picnic. They were running for their lives here and all he could think about was having Ceilen fuck him senseless.

"You can have them back when I'm done with them." Ceilen said in terms of a peace offering.

"Okay." Tryffin was too drained emotionally to argue and he closed his eyes as Ceilen fired up the engine once more.

They drove on for close to an hour, always hugging the coast. Tryffin hated that but since Ceilen didn't make any move to go any closer, he could live with it. Then the man pulled into a shipyard of some kind and Tryffin wasn't so sure anymore.

Tryffin frowned and looked around him as Ceilen continued to drive slowly between rolls of grounded boats. It was too dark to see much, only areas where the headlights illuminated, but the boats that were sitting on the ramps all around them didn't look like they were going anywhere, anytime soon. Which was a good thing in Tryffin's opinion. When they'd reached a large wooden structure at the end of the lane, Ceilen pressed the neon green button Tryffin was interested in earlier and the wooden door of the building creaked open slowly.

The structure was nestled at the foot of the cliff they were traveling on and all three sides of the building were sheltered by it. If the headlights of the car didn't allow him the see the structure, Tryffin would have thought that they were driving into the wall of rocks.

He let out a relieved sigh and a small laugh. "Geeze! I thought for a minute there that you were going to make me get in a boat."

Ceilen didn't say anything but drove into the building and parked the car. Within seconds, the door slid shut again and the lights came on. Tryffin was about to open his car door when Ceilen said, "Stay in the car."

"Dude, if I get a yen for every time you say that…" Tryffin didn't get to finish because the ground dropped in front of them and Ceilen drove the car forward, down into what he thought was an underground parking. But as Ceilen drove the car further down, Tryffin saw that it wasn't a parking of any kind, it was more like a winding tunnel that lead to a large underground cavern.

"A fucking Bat Cave." Tryffin muttered as Ceilen stopped the car and shut off the engine.

Ceilen turned to him and said, "Now, you can get out." Then the man opened his own door and stepped out.

Tryffin swallowed and looked around the outside of the car uncertainly. It was dark without the headlights and Tryffin didn't see anything worth getting out for when they DID have the lights to see by.

Ceilen poked his head back into the car and gave Tryffin a mocking look. "NOW you want to stay in the car."

The small interior car light lit Ceilen's playful expression and Tryffin found he couldn't talk. The shadows danced across Ceilen's features and hair, altering the man's appearance and Tryffin felt the familiar tugging in his chest as he usually did when he thought of Ceilen. A sense of familiarity and intimacy that couldn't possibly be there but nonetheless overwhelmingly THERE, it left him breathless and confused.

Tryffin cleared his throat and look away before Ceilen could see the confusion in his face. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Somewhere safe." Ceilen said softly.

"I guess…" Tryffin opened his door and got out cautiously. "I mean, who's gonna find us here… where ever here is."

Tryffin heard a grunt from Ceilen's direction and decided that it was a laugh. Ceilen closed the car door and they were completely engulfed in darkness. "Er… you didn't pay your utility bill or something?"

Another grunt… another laugh, Tryffin hoped. Then he heard a click and a dull hum and then the whole area was bathed in white light. Tryffin held the back of his hand to his eyes to shield them from the sudden brightness and blinked rapidly to adjust himself.

When he lowered his hand he saw that they were parked in the middle of a large cave the size of an enclosed sports arena. But instead of the high tech equipment he had expected to find lining the walls, Tryffin saw only granite and earth.

He turned to Ceilen, completely mystified. "What… are we doing here?" All the secrecy to get down here and all there was, was just an empty cave? Were they supposed to camp out here? Why the hidden entrance?

"You don't like it?" Ceilen asked. "Not like your luxurious mansion, is it?" His bodyguard walked towards a small passage to one side of the wall and Tryffin followed hesitantly.

"I've seen worse." Tryffin caught up with Ceilen and walked beside the man. "I was living in the streets before I met Kouji, you know."

Ceilen glanced sideways at him but didn't say anything. He led them into the crude passageway, which were lit with a single bulb every 10 feet or so. The wall of the passage itself was like the cavern, all rocks and earth.

After about a hundred feet, they came to a turnoff on their right and Ceilen led them into a room. Tryffin blinked and raised an eyebrow at his bodyguard.

"Is this where you live?" The room was small by Kouji's standard but average to everyone else, Tryffin supposed. It contained one single bed, a plain night stand with nothing on it, a desk with a computer and files scattered on top, a cardboard box that acted as a filing cabinet and a tall chest that Tryffin guessed served as a dresser. It was bare and utilitarian; nothing to write home about. But it was unexpected because it was a complete opposite of the man's car.

"Sometimes." Ceilen said as he moved to the tall chest and pulled out some clothes. "I can get you supplies tomorrow but you can use these tonight." He tossed the clothes on the bed and pointed out into the corridor. "To your right is the bathroom. No hot water I'm afraid, but it does have running water and a workable toilet. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"Parameter check." Then he was gone.

'Parameter check' Tryffin mimicked silently and rolled his eyes. The man's got to get a life! Or get laid. He snickered in his head. HE wouldn't mind helping out in THAT capacity.

Tryffin looked around the room curiously. There was nothing to snoop with the bed and the nightstand but the computer and those files… he leafed through several pages of the first file he picked up and found nothing he recognized. Nothing he understood anyways, they were all about something called Kritiker. There was a list of names and bios and stuff and since they meant nothing to him he moved on to the next file. Again it was filled with names, addresses, and some really strange shit that read more like science fiction than anything else. He put that one down too.

Then realizing that it would probably wouldn't do to be caught snooping, Tryffin moved back to the bed and got out of Ceilen's coat. He slung it over the back of the chair by the desk and pulled on the gray sweatpants and plain white T-shirt. When he was done, he moved towards the desk again only to find Ceilen staring at him strangely from the doorway. Tryffin swallowed nervously. How long was the man standing there? Did he see Tryffin looking through the files? Hell, did he see him change? He was buck-naked!

Heat rose to Tryffin's face and he tugged unconsciously at the hem of his shirt. He couldn't believe he was embarrassed about Ceilen seeing him naked. The man already did when they were at Kouji's place and again in the damn car when he was practically holding Tryffin's erection in his hand. What's that comparing to him changing?

Ceilen was holding a first-aid kit in his hand and motioned Tryffin to get on the bed. Tryffin had given up on dressing his abused feet and smiled in relief at the strange man who was going to become his constant companion. Ceilen put the kit on the desk and narrowed his eye at the files as if he knew they were moved. Tryffin swallowed and started picking on the scraps at the bottom of his feet to avoid any kind of eye contact with the other man.

After a short pause, Ceilen moved from the table and kneeled at Tryffin's feet. He picked up the injured appendages and inspected it with clinical detachment before pronouncing that they needed cleaning and for Tryffin to remain on the bed. Ceilen left and returned almost immediately with a small basin of water. He got a small bottle containing some dark liquid out of the first-aid kit and poured some into the basin. Then he took that along with the kit and kneeled back down in front of Tryffin.

"This might sting a bit." Ceilen told Tryffin as he lowered one foot into the dark brown water.

Tryffin grunted softly when the cuts hit the water but it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. Ceilen proceeded to clean the bottom of his feet and Tryffin couldn't help feeling that this whole thing was some kind of a weird dream. Not two days ago he was safe in his little world of shopping, partying and having the time of his young life. Tonight he was underground, in hiding with a man wearing an eye patch. Who would have known his life would take such a drastic turn?

The room was so quiet that the sounds of trickling water from the basin echoed dully around them. Tryffin cleared his throat and decided that Ceilen hadn't seen him snooping so it was safe to talk to the man. Besides, he'd rather listen to Ceilen's grunting than more of the damn water.

"So… what's this place?"

Ceilen paused for a second or so before replying, "Somewhere I come to from time to time."

No shit.

"Why here? I mean, this can't be your place, right?" Tryffin looked around the room again and grimaced. The room clearly didn't have the permanence of a home; those makeshift dresser and file cabinet told Tryffin that much. "And what's with the James Bond secrecy, man? I mean hidden underground entrance? Didn't we get rid of those guys and the… er, you know… tracking thing?"

Ceilen sighed but didn't look up from his task and he didn't reply. Tryffin was beginning to get the impression that the man was getting tired of his questions but he trudged on anyway.

"How long are we going to be holed up here?" It was going to be hell for both of them if Ceilen didn't loosen up and talk to him.

Ceilen sighed again as he started cleaning the other foot. "Not long."

"How long is 'not long'?"

Ceilen looked up and gave him a chilling look. "A few days, maybe more, maybe less. Is that okay with you?"

Tryffin frowned at the condescending tone and said gruffly, "No, it's not okay with me! Being stuck with you in your 'silent asshole mode' for one night is bad enough, I have to put up with it for days? It just plain sucks!"

Ceilen stopped what he was doing and Tryffin could see the man's jaw muscles clenching. "Then the feeling is mutual." He said very softly and went back to start on the bandaging.

Tryffin stared at the bent head while he silently counted to ten. "When you're done with that, I'm leaving. You don't want me here; I don't wanna be here. End of story."

Ceilen stared silently at Tryffin's foot and the redhead was pretty sure the man was counting to ten as well. When Ceilen was done 'counting', which Tryffin suspected was closer to twenty, he looked up and Tryffin could see fire burning in his brown eye. "Why do you have to be so difficult?"

Tryffin gasped in indignation. "I'm being difficult? ME?" He pointed an index finger to his chest incredulously. "I'M trying to carry on a conversation. I'M trying to make our time together less stressful. I'M trying to understand you, and YOU'RE calling me DIFFICULT?"

Ceilen blinked at him then frowned and looked away. "You can't leave. It's not safe."

Tryffin felt his heart racing at the soft tone in Ceilen's voice. "I don't wanna leave but you're making this hard, man. I'm not used to so much… animosity. If we have to be together all the time, can't we try to get along? You know, be… friends?"

Ceilen's frown deepened and he had a far away look in his eye as if he was remembering something. Then he shook his head and looked down again. "Friendship is irrelevant. Emotions cloud your judgment. It's not safe." His voice was mechanical, like he was reciting a tuneless mantra.

"It's not safe if I leave either. So… how about it if we start getting along and be 'not safe' together instead of me leaving and be 'not safe' alone?"

Ceilen gaped up at him and blinked blankly. "Do you know what you've just said?"

Tryffin snorted. "Yeah, why?"

Ceilen shook his head roughly as if it was full of cobweb. "Because your logic is bizarre."

"Yeah?" Tryffin grinned at the Ceilen's dumbfounded expression. Maybe they could start again…

"So… what's this place? Is it, like, a place you bring all your charges or something? A safehouse maybe?"

"Does it matter?"

Tryffin sweatdropped. Who the hell WAS this guy? "Yeah, it matters! You dragged me here, I wanna know what here is." Tryffin looked carefully at the bent head in front of him then said softly, "I'm stuck with you for a while and I'm trusting you with my life. I wanna know more about you, about why you do things, what you feel…" Tryffin bit his lip suddenly, appalled by what he'd just said. Why the hell would he want to know what the man feels?

Ceilen stopped his ministration on Tryffin's foot and looked up at him strangely. Tryffin's face was hot enough to heat North Pole and he stammered to cover his slip of the tongue. "I meant 'think'… feel… think, it's almost the same anyways, right? I mean why do you feel like you have to do certain things… you know." Tryffin had always been one to think fast on his feet so… what the hell happened? Why didn't that come out right?

Ceilen raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything as he went back to work on the foot. Tryffin didn't like being ignored so he baited the man.

"I know how to get down here, you know. Aren't you afraid I might tell people or something? You know, come back here later and bring… I don't know… someone? Don't tell me you trust me."

Ceilen sighed again. "I don't." He said that almost sadly and Tryffin wondered if the man had anyone he could depend on. "All done, try not to get it wet for at least tonight. Tomorrow we'll get clothes and shoes so they'll be better protected." Ceilen put the stuff back into the kit and stood up. He looked down at Tryffin with a small frown but he didn't look angry, it was more like he was trying to figure out what made Tryffin tick.

"By the time we're done with this case, I wouldn't need this place anymore. You're welcome to it." He told Tryffin quietly and turned to go.

"Wait." Tryffin called though he didn't know what to say. "Er… well, um… isn't this your, er room?"

Ceilen turned back to Tryffin and nodded. "Yes, it is." He looked at Tryffin expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

"Er… well, how… you know…" He looked at the bed he was on then back up at the man.

Ceilen raised his brows and his eye suddenly gleamed with amusement. "Are you offering to share the bed?"

"NO!" Tryffin swore he'd NEVER blushed so much in his entire life! And it took A LOT to embarrass him. "It's YOUR bed, I'll sleep in the car, or something." He mumbled red faced.

Ceilen's lips twitched then and that was closest he's going to get to a smile tonight. Ceilen shook his head. "I won't be sleeping; I have work to do. You sleep." He turned then and left the room.

Tryffin sighed and smacked his forehead repeatedly with his hand. He couldn't understand what was the matter with him. He was NEVER shy with men he wanted to bed and he definitely wanted Ceilen. The man was hot, eye patch and all! But instead of flirting with Ceilen, he'd found himself tongue-tied and always on the defensive. Why couldn't he seduce the man? What the hell was happening to him?

~~~~~

Tryffin slept fitfully, his dreams plagued with pain and unimaginable sense of loss and loneliness. Every time he woke gasping for breath, he could not recall what he had dreamt about but the overwhelming sadness remained deep in his soul and he nearly sobbed from the intensity of it.

And every time that Tryffin woke, Ceilen was there, sitting in the chair by the desk, either fiddling with something tiny in his hands or frowning ferociously at something on the computer screen. True to his words, the man did not sleep. Seeking refuge from dreams he could not remember, Tryffin tried to stay awake by watching his strong companion, but he found himself drifting off again… to be plagued with more dreams…

… He was lying on his back with something pressing down on him and he couldn't move. He tried pushing it away but it whimpered and pressed down harder. Tryffin snapped his eyes opened and took a sharp breath when he saw what was holding him down.

Somebody's head was resting on his chest while the rest of the body snuggled into his side. One slender arm draped tenderly across Tryffin's waist and tightened just a fraction as the figure pressed closer to him. Strangely familiar scent of softly fragrant herbs drifted from the head with soft blue hair that rested against his cheek and shoulder. Tryffin choked back a cry but the person snuggled closer and murmured very softly, "I love you."

His heart ached and swelled and it seemed to him that it would surely burst from so much joy that the three words had given him. He pulled his arms around the figure and held him close. "I love you, too." He whispered back and even though he had not seen who it was that had captured his soul, Tryffin knew without a doubt that what he'd said was true.

The figure stirred and sighed. Then the beautiful blue head lifted and the man who owned Tryffin's heart looked up at him with the softest and gentlest of smiles.

Tryffin stiffened and froze in shock. He was looking at Ceilen's face smiling lovingly at him from underneath ridiculously vertical blue bangs. Tryffin blinked and recoiled from Ceilen in astonishment. The beautiful smile that graced the man's face disappeared and was replaced by such agonizing pain that tore viciously into Tryffin's heart.

Tryffin cried out and bolted upright in bed. He blinked and looked around the bed frantically but he was alone. He put a hand to his chest and took deep breaths to calm his heart. Such pain… what the hell was all that about?

"Are you alright?" Ceilen's deep voice asked from the doorway.

Tryffin nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a real weird dream, that's all." He turned to drink in the man's features, to reassure himself that there was no agony in the other man's eye. He needed to know he didn't cause the look of despair that swept across the features of Ceilen in his dream.

The man was watching him with a frown and relief flooded Tryffin's being before something else registered. Ceilen had changed his clothes. What the…? He stood in the doorway dressed in white long sleeve shirt and dark green pants. His tan boots poking out from under the straight cut of his pants, completing a most delectable picture of Ceilen, and it nearly made Tryffin laugh with joy. It was all a dream for the man was still as cross as ever. No pain there.

"Where are you going?" Tryffin asked abruptly when he noticed Ceilen was holding his keys.

"To get you stuff." Ceilen said. "You looked terrible. Are your feet in pain?"

"No." Tryffin stood up and tested the bandaged feet. "They're okay." He looked up and Ceilen and started towards the man. "I wanna come too."

Ceilen's small frown grew suddenly. "It's safer here."

Tryffin groaned and pushed past Ceilen as he headed towards the bathroom. "I thought we agreed that we would be 'not safe' together?" He turned and winked at Ceilen over his shoulder. "Besides, I may not be here when you get back." Tryffin laughed gaily as he closed the bathroom door behind him, cutting off Ceilen's irritated reply.

He was pretty sure that Ceilen wouldn't leave him alone after that last comment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Stay in the car! Don't touch anything! Yeah, yeah, he sounded like a broken record or something." Tryffin grumbled as he tried to pry the hatch of the glove compartment opened with the string from his sweatpants. "Fuck you, asshole! If you insist on leaving me here, I can't guarantee you'll find the fucking car in the same condition… Damn it!" Tryffin exclaimed in frustration when the stubborn string refused to wedge itself in properly. He swore ALL of Ceilen's belongings were working against him… including the damn string on the damn pants.

After putting the drawstring back in his sweatpants, Tryffin looked around the near empty parking lot and chanced opening the car door. It was too damn hot in the car and he didn't feel like being roasted just then… even though it would probably serve Ceilen right to come back and find one dead protectee because he was too fucking inconsiderate to leave the window open.

Well, since the door was already opened… what's one more 'insubordination'? Tryffin looked around again and when he felt he was relatively inconspicuous, he closed the car door and walked casually towards the clump of trees that Ceilen had gone into. 'Casually' would probably be the wrong description to use when one wore bandages in lieu of shoes and winced constantly as one walked, but 'casually' was what Tryffin was aiming for. Since no one looked twice at him, he patted himself on the back, figuratively of course or 'casually' and 'inconspicuously' would have flown out the windows, and smiled smugly as he continued in Ceilen's direction.

It wasn't a big hill but with bandaged feet that caught on to every single goddamn twig and wood chip, it took Tryffin a bit of time to clear out onto the other side. He smirked at his own cleverness and was close to being giddy as he thought of how irritated Ceilen would be to find him disobeying yet again. Too fucking bad! The man would just have to learn to ask nicely instead of just demanding all the time. 'Stay' indeed! He was no fucking dog!

When Tryffin looked across the parking lot that he came out onto, the smirk was effective wiped off his face. A frown furrowed his brows when he saw Ceilen talking to Aya and Ken. Ceilen's back was to him so the man didn't see Tryffin but he sure as hell could recognize the grumpy snowman anywhere. What the hell was going on? Were they working together?

Tryffin didn't think so since the tension between the men were intense enough to reach him where he was. He saw Ken stepped between the other two men and said something that made Ceilen cocked his head to the side. What were they doing?

"Hey guys!" He called. If this was about his safety, surely they couldn't just leave him out!

As the men turned to face him, Tryffin walked stiffly out from between the trees towards them. He frowned as he looked from one man to the other and came to stop next to Ceilen. "What's… going on here? You guys knew each other?"

No one said anything for a while. Tryffin ignored the rising heat in the man next to him as he continued to look from one man to the other. Finally it was Ken who broke the silence.

"What happened to you?" Ken asked as he eyed Tryffin's feet questioningly.

"Ask my oh-so-resourceful bodyguard here." Tryffin said while giving Ceilen a dark look. It was the damn man's fault for dragging him out of the house without shoes.

"What are you doing out here?" Tryffin heard the strain in Ceilen's voice as his protector gritted his teeth and glared at him.

"Do you have any idea how hot and uncomfortable it is in that damn car of yours? You won't even let me open the god damn windows!" Tryffin retorted, his hands going to his hips.

"Being uncomfortable is better than being dead!" Ceilen hissed back.

"Do I look dead to you?" Tryffin countered.

Tryffin was surprised when Ceilen growled and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Apparently, the man's fuse was much shorter than Tryffin had thought.

Before Tryffin could make nice, Ceilen looked back to Aya and asked, "You didn't plant the bug?"

"Bug? It was them?" Tryffin chimed in excitedly. Were they finally getting somewhere?

Aya shook his head. "One of our operatives found the signal by accident and tracked it here. We were told to check it out, to make sure…" Aya paused briefly before continuing, "Make sure that Tryffin is safe."

Tryffin blinked and flashed Aya a huge grin. "Really?" Was Aya really worried about him?

Ceilen gave Aya a look that clearly said he didn't buy it. Then he directed a totally pissed off look at Tryffin, and the 100-gigawatt smile dimmed slightly.

Ceilen turned back to Aya and asked, "Why?"

Yeah, why? Tryffin thought quizzically. Was his 48 hours up already? Did they believe that he was innocent?

Aya gave Ceilen a calculated look and shrugged. "We don't question orders."

Tryffin swallowed and nearly took a step back when he saw how that seemingly innocent statement affected Ceilen. His bodyguard stiffened and a terrifyingly dark look flashed across his face. Next to Aya, Ken flinched and placed a hesitant hand on Aya's arm.

"Maybe you should." Ceilen said softly then he shook his head as if arguing with himself. "This has nothing to do with you. Don't get involved."

At that moment, Aya's cell phone rang and the tall redhead turned away to answer it.

"I can't believe you left the damn car!" Ceilen hissed at him and Tryffin gasped indignantly.

"I can't believe you told me to 'stay'! Do I look like a fucking dog to you?" Tryffin hissed back and pushed his face to within a few inches of Ceilen's.

"Don't make me answer that, you're not going to like it." Ceilen narrowed his eye at him and leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

Before Tryffin could make a reply, he heard a throat clearing then someone asked, "Do you mind?"

He turned to see Ken scowling darkly at them. He bit his lip and shuffled his feet, mortified that Ken had seen his spitting contest with Ceilen. His bodyguard, however, felt no such compunction and grabbed his arm before threatening the brunette gravely. "Stay away. This has nothing to do with you."

Tryffin sighed and was about to tell Ceilen to remove the damn stick he had up his ass when Aya spoke suddenly.

"It's too late." The man apparently was done with the call and was now very, very angry. "We're already involved."

Ceilen didn't like that one little bit. He obviously felt that EVERYONE should do as he says. "Not yet." He shook his head. "Walk away now and you won't have to get involved."

"I said it was too late." Aya's voice was hard and Ken moved to stand in front of him.

"What's going on? Who was that, Aya?" Ken's voice was filled with fear. "What happened? Not the guys?"

Aya looked at Ken and Tryffin saw his expression softened slightly. "Youji was shot. Omi is taking him to the hospital now." Then seeing Ken's horrified expression, he added quickly. "It's not serious. Omi said it was a warning so Koudo is going to be okay." He turned back to Ceilen and Tryffin swallowed hard. The man looked deadly serious. "You see; it's too late. They involved us when they touched one of ours. You wouldn't be able to get rid of us now no matter what you do."

Tryffin looked from one unyielding man to the other, not understanding anything they were saying. Who were Youji and Omi and Kudou? What did the shooting have to do with him? Was it because of him? There were so many things he wanted to ask but Ceilen didn't look too generous just then. His stern bodyguard was studying Aya closely for a long while then he shook his head.

"Baka." Ceilen muttered as he whirled on his feet, dragging Tryffin with him.

"Hey! Wait a minute." Tryffin protest. "What's going on?"

"Wait!" Ken called. "How do we contact you?"

"You don't." Ceilen shouted over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around. "Why are they so stubborn?" He muttered when they were well into the trees. "They are in way over their heads!"

"Shouldn't we find out if their friend is going to be okay?" Tryffin asked as he was being hauled back to the car.

Ceilen didn't answer; his face was deep in thought as he dragged Tryffin along.

"Ceilen!" Tryffin yanked his arm free and stopped moving. "Talk to me, man!"

Ceilen turned and gave Tryffin a furious glare and reclaimed him with a firm grip on his wrist. Tryffin gasped as pain shot up his arm and Ceilen dropped his wrist immediately. His bodyguard took a few deep breaths, and then he said with apparent efforts, "We need to get under cover. It's not safe to be out in the open especially when they found out about Weiss' involvement."

"What the hell is Weiss?" Tryffin asked in total confusion. His brain was overloaded with questions; he didn't even know where to begin asking. He looked back in the direction of the two men they'd left behind then turned back to Ceilen. "What's going on? Who are they?"

"Later. Now I need to get you to safety." Ceilen made a sweeping motion with his arm, indicating that Tryffin should follow him and get back to their car.

"Na-ah! You're gonna go back to your silent asshole mode and I'm gonna be banging my head against the wall for entertainment. Tell me now."

Ceilen hissed and shook his head. "NO! It's a very long story. Later, I promise."

Tryffin frowned but conceded. "You better make good on that promise." He grumbled as he walked on with Ceilen.

"I always keep my promises." Ceilen said softly and Tryffin had the strangest feeling that the sentence was not yet complete…

From somewhere in the depths of his consciousness, he could have sworn that it should have been… 'I always keep my promises, no da…'

Tryffin shook his head at the strange voice in his mind. Who the hell uses 'no da' anymore? He sneaked a glance at his perpetually gloomy companion and felt his heart quickened.

Willingly or not, he was unquestionably drawn towards the sullen man and he wasn't sure he liked it at all. This asshole talked to him however he wanted and expected Tryffin to just shut the fuck up and take it. And the worst part was he kinda fucking WANTED to! Didn't he say he was totally fucked up? Yeah, when this whole fucking thing is over, he's gonna find himself a shrink and get his head screwed on right!

Only…he wasn't sure he wanted to.

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thank you! Hoped you enjoyed that, minna… Poor Chichiri, ne? Tasuki sure is getting to him. *grins*

Please review and let me know what you think!