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Raspberry and Lime Shampoo

PART ONE

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Ropes of cold hung like a frigid shroud, threatening to disband into bitter lengths of ice. Time was still, in the wake of such oppressive silence. Nothing would change in such a moment; only the unearthly quiet remained, dragging behind a soul's dark night.

The long shape curled up on the sofa sighed softly and shifted, trying to keep warm. Another glance at the clock showed that time was moving in an alternate realm, so long had it been. Languidly tired but worried. Wasn't the same as Tokyo. So different and yet still the same. Loss hung heavy. And so he continued to wait, shivering slightly in the cold, black room.

At length, a click sounded, followed by the heavy drag of the door scraping thickly against the plush carpet. A blond figure entered, cast impossibly tall in the murky shadows. Faint wave of cigarette and the coppery scent of blood strolled into the room. End of a mission. The door closed behind him with a faint snap.

The dark shadow on the sofa rose and padded on cold, bare feet towards the older boy, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"How's the mission?" he mumbled, eyelids heavy.

"You're still up?" the tall, blond asked, locking the door behind him.

"I was worried about you." Ken blinked rapidly up at Yohji, trying to clear his bleary sight. "You okay?"

A soft laugh. "Everything's fine Kenken. Aya and I got our target and the disk without a hitch."

The soccer player smiled sleepily. "That's good." He brushed his bangs from his eyes and peered up at the older boy. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

A casual shrug as he peeled off his long coat. "Arm's cut. A few bruises. I've had worse." He tossed the bloodied garment onto the couch.

Ken studied Yohji's arm, trying to distinguish what was blood and what was Yohji's shirt. Everything was just so dark. "I can't see anything," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, trying to clear his vision. He opened them to see Yohji watching him, a slight smirk on his face. He blushed. "Let's go to the bathroom. I'll clean your arm for you in there."

The older boy shook his head. "You're tired. Why don't you go to bed? It's late. I can take care of this myself."

Ken looked up at his roommate. It had been four months since they had defeated Schwartz and left Tokyo. Four months since they'd started over again in Kyoto. Things had progressed relatively well but everything they had lost was latent. Hidden under the surface, still threatening to spill. And it was too much, especially for Yohji. Finally coming to terms with Asuka's death only to find her again. Her inevitable betrayal and death. Death by his *own* hand.

Even now, Yohji's stark screams as he strangled Neu haunted him. Ken couldn't even begin to imagine what Yohji had gone through, what he was still going through. All he knew was that he had to help him. He wanted Yohji to talk to him, to open up. It was odd but he'd grown very protective of the older boy over the past four months. Yohji was vulnerable beneath that careless facade. The guilt and hatred he must have felt for himself would kill him. And that was something Ken wasn't going to stand by and watch happen. Every night he could hear Yohji's nightmares, hear his strangled cries. And in those long, silent moments after, Ken wanted nothing more than to go and comfort him. But the last thing he wanted was to force Yohji to do anything, to say something he'd regret later. When it came to his feelings, Yohji was as silent as Aya. So he waited, doing his best to take care of his friend, his team mate who wanted no help, who wanted to live behind a devil-may-care attitude, guilt and harsh reproach boiling beneath the surface.

Grinning widely, to show that he wasn't sleepy in the least, even though he clearly was, Ken announced, "I'm not tired at all."

Yohji raised an eyebrow. "Could have fooled me Kenken," he drawled out dryly.

Ken glared at him. "I'm offering to help you, okay? Just come on. Otherwise you'll bleed all over the carpet." He didn't wait for Yohji to reply, instead he grabbed Yohji by his uninjured arm and hauled him towards the bathroom.

"Why are you acting like my mother?" the older boy demanded, allowing the soccer player to drag him along. "You've been acting weird these days."

"I have not," Ken replied defensively. "I was just worried, that's all. I can worry about you, can't I? Or do I need your lofty permission to do that?"

Yohji chuckled. "You're in love with me, aren't you Kenken? Really, I'm flattered."

His hand slipped from the older boy's and he promptly stumbled over the frayed bottoms of his grey and blue plaid pajama bottoms. He would have fallen straight into the bathroom, had not Yohji grabbed his arm and hauled him upright.

"In love with you?" he sputtered, blood rushing straight to face, as he jerked out of Yohji's grasp. "Are you crazy? How much blood did you lose anyways?"

Yohji winked at him as he strolled into the bathroom. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone loves me. Why should women only get to hog the great Kudou Yohji? I don't mind you. You're cute."

Ken stared at him, bewildered. Yohji thought he was *cute*? He'd never seen this particular side of Yohji before. Sure the blond teased him, but it was usually about women and being clumsy. Not about being *in love* with him. And Yohji'd certainly never expressed any desire in men. Why the very idea was absurd beyond belief. Everyone knew that Yohji was a playboy. He loved women. And women loved him. There was no room for men...was there?

Yohji's throaty chuckle forced him from the hazy thought process he'd been indulging in. "Don't think too hard Ken. You might split your head open or something." Long fingers casually flipped open the lights. Bright lights engulfed them.

Ken yelled and covered his eyes, Yohji's odd teasing forgotten. "What'd ya do that for?!!" he squawked, outraged. "I'm blinded!"

His voice was exaggeratedly exasperated. "First you complained that you couldn't see. So I turned on the lights. Now you're still complaining that you can't see. Is there no pleasing you today Kenken?"

The soccer player's calloused fingers parted and he peeked through them at the other boy. "I didn't know you wanted to please me Yohji."

Ken's tone had been joking. He'd only meant to match Yohji's teasing mood, uttering a simple remark that really meant nothing at all. Certainly nothing so significant that could have induced those lazy, cat green eyes to lock with his own. Static electricity seemed to crackle as Yohji's smoldering gaze pinned him to the spot. His hands fell limply to his sides.

"Do you want me to please you Ken?" Yohji invited, huskily. Lithely, the blond pushed his long body away from the edge of the sink and languorously stalked towards him, his every movement fluid and cat-like. Jade eyes flashed sensuously as his gaze roamed up and down Ken's form.

Ken's mouth was dry, his mind blank. The supply of air to his lungs seemed to be rapidly depleting. Somewhere inside his scrambled reason, he registered that he was backing away from his rapidly advancing teammate. "What are you..." he choked, swallowing painfully. What the *fuck* was wrong with Yohji?

The older boy was very close now. The smell of cigarettes and lime and blood and Yohji washed over him. The look in Yohji's eyes was pure, predatory lust. And Ken didn't understand it one bit. He'd never seen Yohji stalk a girl like this, had never seen him even *look* at a girl like he was looking at him. Yohji was charming and flirtatious and sweet. In just wasn't his style to stalk. Especially not with a team member and a boy at that. So what was this new side of Yohji that he was seeing for the first time today? Ken promptly bumped into the wall. He was cornered.

A sudden sense of desperation came over him. He hated nothing more than not having a firm grasp of a situation and Yohji was doing a damn good job of unnerving him. "What are you doing Yohji?" he demanded anxiously. "Is this some kind of joke? Because I don't find it funny one bit."

Yohji paused in his tracks, standing only about a foot away. He could have touched him if he wanted to. And then, inexplicably those lush lips slid into a leer. "I thought you wanted to heal me Kenken. Don't tell me you're not concerned anymore."

Ken gaped at him. "I am worried about you," he responded slowly, eyes wide. "You must have lost more blood than you've let on. I think I'll take you to the hospital or something."

The distance between them was breached as Yohji pressed the full length of his long body against his. The soccer player gasped at the feel of hard muscles, turning his head away from those green, smoky eyes. The older boy's breath was soft, lightly titillating his ear. "Yes Ken, please do take me." If Ken hadn't been certain of Yohji's intentions before, the seductive tone and words and the lanky body pressed against him could leave *no* doubt in his mind now. They were oozing with blatant carnality, matching the lust in Yohji's indolent green eyes.

"Nothing to say now?" Yohji whispered quietly, blowing seductively into his ear. Long fingers slid up the rumpled front of his pajama shirt with agonizing deliberation. Something wet and hot slipped out and caught his earlobe.

Ken whimpered. "Why are you doing this?" he managed to get out as Yohji's hands caressed his chest. What could Yohji possible be thinking? Why was he frozen in place, unable to move as the older boy touched him? He'd never felt this way before. He wasn't indecisive; he always knew what to do and maintained confidence that whatever he'd decide would be the right decision. But now...this had to be wrong. It was Yohji was all people! Yohji sucking and licking on his ear and Yohji caressing his chest and...Ken gulped as Yohji began to move his wandering hands from his chest down towards his abdomen. This had to stop, this was absolutely insane. Yohji was feeling him up in the middle of their fucking bathroom!

"Stop it!" he bit out, shoving at the older boy. "This isn't right, dammit!" In response, full lips began to suck harder at his neck, skillful fingers moving along the edge of his pajama pants. "Let go of me you stupid shithead!!!" His hands pushed at Yohji's strong arms and they connected with something wet and sticky. "Your arm is still bleeding!"

Yohji sighed and reluctantly pulled away. "Just when things were getting good."

Ken stared at him, his breathing heavy and sporadic. "Just when things were getting good?!!! You perv! Nothing is gonna get good! What do you think I am? Another girl-slut of yours? I'm a boy! You don't like boys remember?"

"No I don't," Yohji agreed good naturedly. "But I do like you." With great deliberation, his slid indolent, jade eyes over Ken's body, taking in the rumpled pajamas, the heaving chest, the wide eyes, the flushed cheeks and the messy hair. He leered licentiously. "I like every delicious inch of you."

Ken did the only thing he could think of under such trying and eerie circumstances. He fled.