Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Razorblade Romance ❯ Track 012: Heaven Tonight ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Track Twelve of Twelve: Heaven Tonight
 
 
I hold your hand in mine;
I hold your hand and you're so lonely,
Oh so lonely.
Your eyes have lost their light;
Your eyes have lost their lights and you're empty,
Oh my God, you're so empty.
 
 
I'm in love with you;
You are my heaven tonight.
 
 
I'm in love with you.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
“Who am I?”
 
 
Yohji's gasped question fills me with a dreadful sense of panic; how the Hell am I going to explain that photo? I should've put that sketchbook on my shelf, why did I leave it sitting on the coffee table? Oh, shit…
 
 
“Please, don't lie to me this time. I knew there was something vaguely familiar about you last night…”
 
 
Raking my hand through my hair, cut short the way it was years ago, I go to sit in the armchair across the room. It will be easier for me to think if there's distance between us.
 
 
Yohji sits up, leaning against the arm of the couch and crossing his legs in front of him. His voice is strong once again, probably spurred on by his determination to interrogate me.
 
 
“No, come sit over here. It'll be better, because I reckon you have a lot to fill me in on…”
 
 
I hesitate, and he leans over to pat the empty space on the couch. Sighing in defeat, I walk over and place myself, straight-backed, onto the couch cushion. Because I'm sitting properly, Yohji in his cross-legged position can only see my profile; that's a lot easier for me than having to look directly into those green eyes.
 
 
“Y-…Actually, by what name do you call yourself?”
 
 
It occurs to me just in time that I probably shouldn't refer to him as `Yohji'. It's likely he's never heard that name in his life, and calling him by his first name will also show how much familiarity we have between us.
 
 
After all, he was married and he did say he was straight earlier. The concept of a gay lover could be a little too much…
 
 
“I'm known as Itou Ryou…or at least, I have been since I was in hospital. And you…you're Aya, aren't you?”
 
 
My head snaps around to face him; he remembers my name? The shocked look on my face draws a wry smile from the blonde I used to know so well, and he elucidates.
 
 
“Every couple of nights, at least, I'd wake up from a dream shouting…'Aya'. Asuka thought it was a girlfriend from my past life…but I knew that it was a redheaded man. That's you, isn't it?”
 
 
There's only a little uncertainty in his voice; but what does he mean, dreams? Did they involve the fighting? The killing? Or…the fucking?
 
 
“…Yes. That would be me. But I do not go by that name now; I'm Ran, Fujimiya Ran. What do you remember of your past?”
 
 
He seems to realise that I know about his amnesia, and accepts it without question. Before I can tell him anything, I have to find out how much he knows. I truly don't want him to remember the killing, and the grief…I don't want to see him break apart as he realises what he's done in life.
 
 
“Not much, and it's a real pain…But I do know one thing. You and I…we were lovers, weren't we? And there was…”
 
 
He cuts off his sentence, grabbing his head in his hands as that tortured face contorts in pain. Without thinking, I reach out to grab him; but before I can actually touch him, he takes a few deep breaths and straightens out.
 
 
“Don't…Don't worry about me, I'm fine. That happens whenever I try too hard to remember. Please, help me remember, so that I can stop the pain and the uncertainty…”
 
 
Not for the first time, my mind tells me that I should simply knock him unconscious and take him back to the front of the bar where I found him. I shouldn't be trying to bring him back…but my selfish heart says otherwise. It wants me to return my Yohji, to fill those dull eyes with the confident light they used to show.
 
 
“Are you sure you want to do this right now? After…after everything that happened yesterday?”
 
 
For a moment, he looks terribly lost and lonely, like he wants to crawl into a hole and die. Then, in a split-second, his face is filled with determination and more than a little self-belief.
 
 
“It's true, I'm distraught about Asuka…but I knew her for a year. And yeah, I love her, but…in the dreams, you looked at me with so much…devotion. There's twenty-something years that I don't remember, but I know that I must've loved you, too. The flashes of memory that come in the dreams tell me that I still do have love for you trapped inside my brain. Maybe, if you help fill in the blanks, I can unlock all that again.”
 
 
My neck begins to ache from its turned position, and before I realise what I'm doing I've turned my entire body, drawing my legs up beneath me so that I'm completely facing Yohji. He knows too much already…I suppose that I should tell him at least some of what I know. I can't deny him something like that.
 
 
If I had over two decades of lost knowledge, I would want to know the truth as well.
 
 
“Yes, we were lovers, but…it was a complicated situation. I hurt you, Ryou; all I ever did was hurt you!”
 
 
“Aya, Ran, whoever the fuck you are; listen, I don't remember any of that. Don't you think that if the old me was so hung up on how he was hurt by you, I'd remember that? All I know is that you loved me, and that I loved you.”
 
 
He stops, eyes widening as if coming to a sudden realisation.
 
 
“And you…you were the one who stayed with me when I was asleep, weren't you? Asuka told me that the man who brought me in hardly left my bedside until he disappeared completely one day…why? Why?”
 
 
I have no answer for him; nothing that will sound forgivable, at least, and so there's no choice but to tell the truth.
 
 
“Because…I'm a coward, Y-…Ryou. I didn't want to drag you back into what we used to-…”
 
 
I slap my hand over my mouth, horrified that I almost let out the one thing that I don't want him to know. He can remember Asuka, he can remember everyone else he ever loved; but I don't want to taint him with the bloodshed.
 
 
“What do you mean by that, Ran? What did we do?”
 
 
He's leaning forward now, staring into my eyes with a burning intensity that I haven't seen since…since the final time we slept together.
 
 
“There are some things that…that I think you should leave until you know the basics about your life. Please, will you allow me that much?”
 
 
Once again, the coward's way out. Nicely done, Fujimiya.
 
 
Yohji settles back against the arm of the couch, seemingly satisfied with my logic. He gestures for me to continue, and I do. Although I haven't truly spoken to another person in so long, this feels…right.
 
 
“Your name is Kudoh Yohji. Your birthday is…well, actually, it was yesterday. Happy belated birthday, Yohji. Oh, and that sketchbook? You drew everything in it, as well as in numerous others. I have them, too.”
 
 
I see his eyes widen in shock, and he lets out an amazed `huh' sound.
 
 
“You and I…we worked together for a lot of years. You used to be a florist, like me, along with two others. We've all gone our separate ways, though. We'd known each other for a year or two before we started sleeping together…that lasted almost a year, but I broke it off when I…when I realised that I was in love with you. Not long after that, you confessed to me…and we got together properly. It only lasted a month, though, when we were…forcibly separated. When we met up again…things were never quite the same.”
 
 
By the end of my speech, I'm staring at my hands like I've never seen them before. I just can't look at him; it hurts too much, going through everything that we shared together…
 
 
“You…you still love him…me…I'm sorry, I didn't realise how hard this was going to be for you. I'm so sorry.”
 
 
Before I have a chance to look up, Yohji has scooted towards me and grabbed me in his arms, comforting me. It's so much like the old days, especially our final night together, that I can't help but shed a tear or two. I had so much…but I threw it away, and now I don't know if I'll ever be able to get it back again.
 
 
“It's okay, Ran. I'm sorry that I pushed you so hard to tell me everything…I mean, I really wanna know, but…in your own time.”
 
 
I immediately feel terrible; I'm still being a selfish bastard, just like always. Pushing Yohji off, I clear my throat and straighten up, looking him directly in the eyes. He lets me move away, but takes up my hand to hold it in a gesture that might be to comfort me, or might be to comfort him. Either way, it allows me to gather the strength for what I have to do.
 
 
“I'll tell you everything. Even those memories which I know you won't want to hear.”
 
 
There's no point in trying to dance around the truth. I'm going to tell him his life story, right down to the people we killed and the people he loved. Chances are he won't even believe me; unless this somehow triggers his memory, it's just going to seem like fiction.
 
 
Settling under the familiar mask of Abyssinian, I block out all emotion and begin to tell Yohji the sordid tale of his past.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Hours later, I'm sprawled back on the filthy bed of a cheap motel, trying to put my mind in order. I had to get away from Ran so that I could think…and I couldn't go home.
 
 
Everything I've heard this morning seems like a dream, a detached experience that can't really have happened. If Ran's telling the truth, then…I'm a killer, he's a killer, and I was married to Asuka version three…or was it four? I'm just glad that Ran organised for her body to receive the respect she needed…I couldn't do it, not after all this.
 
 
As much as I don't want to believe any of it, that voice from last night never popped up to tell me that Ran was lying…and the scars that litter my body testify to a dangerous life.
 
 
It all adds up too well…I have to talk to him again. There's more…there's more that I have to ask.
 
 
Grabbing the piece of paper Ran gave me from my pocket, I look at the address written there and mentally map out where to go. It should only be a five minute walk; that's how long it took to get here. Standing up, I leave the motel room and only barely remember to lock the door on my way out. Oh well, it's not like it matters; there's nothing important of mine in there. The only thing I have on me is my wallet.
 
 
I try to straighten out my thoughts as I walk down the streets. It makes me feel horrible, but Asuka's suicide has been pushed to the back of my mind, replaced instead by the possibility that I've…killed people. That I killed…the woman I loved.
 
 
My eyes are beginning to burn, and I have to blank out my mind and concentrate on breathing; I won't start crying in the street again.
 
 
Stopping in front of a large apartment building, I check the number on my piece of paper and walk inside. Stairs to the second floor, apartment number 206.
 
 
I have to force myself to calm down before I can knock on the door; eventually, I warn Ran of my arrival. It takes him a minute to open the door, and when he does I see that he's only wearing a pair of loose, dark jeans, no shirt and with wet hair dripping down onto his chest.
 
 
It's ridiculously sexy.
 
 
I don't know if it's a reaction because of what he says we once had; or because of the dreams; or because, really, he's damned good looking. I hadn't considered the possibility of being bisexual in the past year…now I'm seeing that it might just be the truth.
 
 
“I didn't think that you would come back so soon.”
 
 
He sounds…well, I can't actually tell how he sounds. I've realised that this guy is absurdly good at hiding his emotions, most of the time.
 
 
I open my mouth to speak, but then something catches my eye. I'd already noticed that his torso was just as, if not more scarred than mine, but this was something different. On his muscled stomach, where my eyes had…somehow drifted, there's an unnatural indent to the skin that looks like…well, it's definitely a scar, but I couldn't say how he got it…
 
 
Suddenly, the world tilts and darkens.
 
 
A blurry scene opens before my eyes, of a dark…warehouse? Storage facility? I feel myself clutch my bicep, trying to stop the searing pain and the dripping blood. There's an arm around my waist, and I know that it's Ran…but what is this?
 
 
He's asking me a question, and I reply, but I can't actually hear what's being said. Is this some sort of…memory?
 
 
My head flicks up just in time to see a single man come into the room from the far side, holding up a gun. Two shots ring out in quick succession, both hitting Ran in the torso as he falls to the floor.
 
 
This time I can hear what I scream, a panicked sound that tears to the very heart of me.
 
 
“AYAAAA!”
 
 
The world goes black again.
 
 
Gradually, colour begins to bleed back in; the scene is different this time, but I still have no control over my body. It's a…a bedroom? Yeah, that's it. My lungs feel like they're contracting in panic, and I fall down beside a body…it's Ran. I can see blood across the floor, and I know that there are tears streaming down my face; I'm saying something, but I can't hear it and he's not reacting.
 
 
One of his hands is wrapped around a blood-covered sword, and the other is pressing a balled-up piece of material to his thigh.
 
 
Did he…cut himself? Was it my fault? I've got my arms around him, supporting him, and there's a pain deep inside my chest…
 
 
The world goes black again.
 
 
This time, the new scene comes back fairly quickly. I'm lying on my back, and all I can see is the face of a pretty, blue-haired woman…is this the one that Ran called Asuka? A hand presses down against my throat, and all of a sudden I realise; this is Neu.
 
 
I still can't hear what's being said, a silent film playing out in front of me. My hands move to my wrist, drawing out a length of wire…Ran said that was my weapon…
 
 
It's around the woman's neck within a second, and she's scrabbling madly at the cutting line, but her air is quickly running out. Somehow, I stand up and she's spread out across my back…I feel like my heart is about to explode from grief; the moment her body loses all traces of movement, I realise I'm screaming in silent agony.
 
 
The world goes black again.
 
 
Flashing back into view, I'm in another bedroom. The woman is underneath me this time…and my hands are around her neck. She's struggling, but…my strength is much greater than hers.
 
 
The green-haired woman mutates into a blonde, who is putting up much less of a struggle…Did I kill both these women?
 
 
The world goes black again.
 
 
There's fire all around me, and my body feels like it's almost at breaking point. Pulling a small box out of my pocket, I look directly at the woman staggering before me.
 
 
A terrible sadness fills me as I press the button, setting off an explosion that almost sends me to the floor as her body flies away.
 
 
The thought occurs to me that I've killed so many people, so many women…And after I swore to never hurt a female…
 
 
The world goes black again.
 
 
I'm spread out in an alley, filled with pain and close to bleeding out. I'm screaming something…if only I could hear what it was…
 
 
Another blue-haired woman…Asuka…launches herself into the alley, running off. The next thing I know, she falls to the ground, starting to bleed everywhere, and…I don't think that I've ever felt this terrible before. The anguish is about to tear me in two, and I just want to die. Please, let me stay here and die…
 
 
The world flashes quickly, taking me to some sort of laboratory. The same woman, Asuka, is sitting on a table, but there's something off here…she isn't solid. A ghost?
 
 
The sound of the world suddenly assails my ears, her voice coming out happy and clear.
 
 
She tells me…to live on.
 
 
Flashing out of focus, I come back to myself crouched among falling debris, a sword in my hand. Sword? I didn't think that I used one of those…
 
 
I see Ran and two others standing high above me…Ken and Omi? Yes, that's them…
 
 
This time, my heart feels like it's about to be torn in two by…by love. This is Ran's sword…he threw it to me. I hear myself speak, certainty strengthening my pained tone.
 
 
“I am…a Weiss!”
 
 
The last thing I hear as the world fades again is Ran's voice, as loud as if he was standing right next to me.
 
 
“Wait for me.”
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------

Looking through the hole in my door, I was truly surprised to see Yohji's eyes looking back at me.
 
 
Well…they weren't really Yohji's eyes. The light, the shining brightness that sparkled there even in his lowest moments, was completely gone. He looked…empty. That was why I hesitated to open the door…and it was also why I did open the door.
 
 
More than anything, I wanted to bring his light back.
 
 
When he began to fall, I only just caught him before he hit the ground. He felt…good in my arms, even though he was lost to the world.
 
 
I put him in my bed, deciding it was better for him than the couch, and I've been by his side ever since; the whole two hours.
 
 
He's been speaking softly under his breath, but I can't catch most of it. I can only guess at what is happening to him in his dreams, and as to why he fainted in the first place.
 
 
Suddenly, his eyes begin to flutter; a sure sign of waking. I take a step back from the bed; it has to be hard for him, being watched so closely by a stranger who claims to be his…former lover.
 
 
I see his eyes open fully, but stay a little back from the bed. He rolls his head over, eyes looking directly into mine. A genuine smile, the first I've seen him make since I found him last night, spreads right across his face.
 
 
“Thankyou for everything, Aya.”
 
 
Well, that's rid-…Wait, Aya? He's been calling me Ran all day!
 
 
He laughs softly, surely at my wide eyes and gaping mouth.
 
 
“I remember it all, Aya. I remember the pain…the death…the killing…the grief…Asuka, Neu, Shell, Tsuji…But I remember the love, too. And most of all…I remember how much I miss you.”
 
 
Falling to my knees by the bed, I'm lost for words. He…he remembers? All of it? And…he's not falling apart in grief?
 
 
“Aya, as much as I loved Asuka, the real Asuka, she's part of my past and I wouldn't change that for anything. I didn't want to forget…”
 
 
He looks incredibly dejected for a moment, and I find myself reaching for him, wrapping him in my arms. After a few seconds, he awkwardly puts one of his hands across my back, the position he's in making it hard for proper contact.
 
 
“Yohji, I knew that…It was in your eyes, and in your voice…I've missed you, too. This past year has been…horrible.”
 
 
Yohji sits up, still smiling. He puts his hands on my bare forearms, prompting me to crawl up onto the bed and sit facing him. He doesn't take his hands away, fingers beginning to gently stroke my bare biceps. I never got around to putting a shirt on, my worry for Yohji making that seem irrelevant.
 
 
A chill runs over me, but whether it's from the cool March air or the long-missed caresses, I don't know.
 
 
Looking straight into Yohji's eyes, I see it.
 
 
The light. It's back.
 
 
Before I know it, I've got him in my arms again, one hand pressing into his back and the other stroking through his hair.
 
 
He moves his hands from my arms, crossing them over my bare back. My skin feels like it's burning wherever he touches, the amount of time that's passed since I had physical contact making me harden and shiver.
 
 
He speaks directly into my ear, lips brushing the soft skin there.
 
 
“You're my future, Aya…please, don't leave me like you were planning…I don't want to go back to not having you with me ever again.”
 
 
I somehow manage to hold him even tighter, fingers still playing in that soft blonde hair, nowhere near as long as it used to be. It feels amazing having him here, in my arms…I wish that this moment would last forever.
 
 
“Yohji, that last morning…I was planning on leaving, but…I wanted to ask you to come with me. I was just too stupid to come out and say it…”
 
 
He pulls back from my arms, and for a brief moment I'm terrified that I've said something stupid. When his face breaks into a wider, even more beautiful smile, though, there's nothing but happiness radiating from him.
 
 
“Oh, Aya, I would have gone with you; I would have given up everything to go with you!”
 
 
If he's going to say something else, it's cut off as my mouth latches onto his. Almost immediately, he opens his lips and welcomes the invasion of my tongue, sliding his own against mine.
 
 
This is all…surreal. Losing myself in the kiss, I can almost believe that no time has passed from when we first moved in together…It's so familiar, even though he tastes nothing like he used to. Gone is the ever-present tang of nicotine, instead replaced by mint toothpaste and a faint undertone of alcohol.
 
 
Still connected at the lips, I grab hold of his filthy shirt, practically tearing it from his body. A button flies across the room and the material shrieks, not that it matters; he won't be needing that proper business shirt anymore.
 
 
I stroke my hands down his side, drawing a breathy moan from him that I swallow. He puts his hands on my hips, surprising strength pulling me forward and directly onto his lap.
 
 
From my new position I can feel the rise in his crotch, the same as the one in my own. I grind directly down onto him and our kiss breaks, both of us groaning at the contact. It's been…so long…
 
 
“I've missed you so much, Aya…even though I couldn't quite remember, I always felt like there was something important that wasn't in my life…Now, I can tell that it was you…”
 
 
He attaches his lips to my neck, sucking at the skin, leaving a mark. For once, I don't care that the bruise is going to be too high for me to cover…it's Yohji's mouth, and as long as it's on me or even goddamned near me, he can do whatever he likes.
 
 
The sensation make me harden all the way, and my pants are suddenly extremely uncomfortable. The moans coming from Yohji's throat as we rock together tell me that he's feeling the same, and when he moves his lips from my neck I duck my head away.
 
 
Gently pressing him backwards into the pillows at the head of the bed, I place my mouth straight over one of his brown nipples, swiping over it with my tongue and gently nibbling at it until it's raised to a hard point. I switch to the other, taking it between my teeth and lightly tugging at it. His hand twists in my hair, not to the point of pain but still firm enough to make me feel his urgency.
 
 
I move downwards, kissing various places across his torso and running my tongue down old scars and firm muscles. His breathing is coming fast now, and when he moans my name in pleasure I can't stall any longer.
 
 
Sliding a little away from his body, my out-of-practice fingers fumble at the belt on his work pants, eventually flicking it open and going to work on the button and fly. He stretches out his legs so that I can pull the fabric from his body, savouring every inch of skin that is revealed.
 
 
I can't help but snicker slightly when I realise that he didn't lose his habits along with his memory; even as a salaryman, Yohji didn't wear underwear.
 
 
Typical…and erotic.
 
 
His cock bounces free, stiff and hard against his stomach. The sight makes me realise that this is truly happening; that Kudoh Yohji is in my bed once again…A smile breaks out over my face, the first since the last time Yohji and I shared a bed.
 
 
Quickly standing up, I let my own pants fall to the floor and Yohji murmurs in approval. My erection jumps out as I remove my underwear, wanting it out of the way so that I can touch Yohji fully.
 
 
Kneeling back on the bed, I swing one leg over Yohji's bronzed body and straddle his waist, letting our cocks brush together as his eyes close in pleasure. Leaning down, I take his bottom lip between my teeth and feel his dick twitch against mine.
 
 
I can't hold myself together for much longer.
 
 
My voice comes out in gasps, shaking madly as I try to make myself understandable.
 
 
“Yohji…take me…”
 
 
His eyes light up and his hands grip my waist, leaning up to capture my lips in a quick kiss before pulling back.
 
 
“I'd do anything for you, Aya…do you have something we can use?”
 
 
I have to take a deep breath before I can answer.
 
 
“There's lube in the drawer there, but I don't have any condoms…It doesn't matter, I want to feel you properly…”
 
 
He reaches across and digs through the drawer until he brings out a half-empty tube, left there from the nights when I was alone with only memories of him for company…
 
 
He doesn't mention the fact that I have it or the used state of the tube, simply gesturing for me to lift up onto my knees so that he can reach me. I comply, which drags my cock alongside his in a burst of pleasure…this isn't going to last very long, for me at least. But I refuse to come until he's inside me, and we're connected…
 
 
I hear him squirting the tube, coating his fingers just before I feel a cold touch at my entrance. Breathing hard, I don't have to try very much to relax; I want this, I want him, and my body knows it.
 
 
The tip of his finger slides into me, and my thoughts become erratic as I start losing myself to the sensations.
 
 
There's a slight twinge of pain when he finally slides the third finger in, but a strike to my sweet spot erases that as I almost shriek in pleasure.
 
 
“Yohji…no more…I can't hold it…I need you inside me!”
 
 
Taking the tube from his clean hand, I slick my own hand and allow the lubricant to warm for a few seconds before I take his erection in my palm, pleasuring him as I make sure that he'll slide inside me relatively easily.
 
 
This time, it's him who is asking me to stop; shudders rack his body as he grabs my wrist.
 
 
“You're bringing me too close to the edge; come here…”
 
 
He regains his hold on my hips, lifting me up until I'm positioned directly over his erection. Holding the base of his dick in my hand, I gently press myself down.
 
 
The feel of him slowly sliding inside me is heaven…I don't know how I've gone so long without him.
 
 
Finally fully seated again, I open my eyes and look directly into his face. Purple and green lock together, and just before I start to move I run my hand down his cheek, speaking softly in a shaking tone.
 
 
“Yohji…I love you.”
 
 
“I love you too, Aya.”
 
 
With that, I pick up a slow pace, slowly building momentum as he starts to move and meet me. Our breathing fills the room, and together we make a chorus of moans and curses as we quickly barrel towards orgasm. I don't know who is saying what by the end, our voices mingling.
 
 
“Oh, God...alm-almost there…fuck…shit, Aya, I'm about to come…Ohhh…”
 
 
Despite my best efforts to hold myself back, the sensation of him filling me and sliding against my prostate makes me unintentionally speed up. The added force has him moving faster too, rising off the bed to connect with me.
 
 
Just as I lose the last of my control, his fingers tighten on my hips and I feel him pulse inside me. Liquid gushes within my body as I start coming, spilling across Yohji's stomach and streaking the tan with white.
 
 
I hear a scream, and I vaguely register that it was me; Yohji groans my name, finally releasing my body as the movement dies down in his softening cock.
 
 
I don't want to let him slip out of my body, but I want to hold him properly and I can't do it from my position on his hips. Lifting myself with a slight wince, he slides out of me and I roll across to lie beside him.
 
 
Shifting to face me, his hand reaches across the stroke through my hair, and I could swear that I purr at the sensation. He smiles, tired eyes relighting with the natural glow that I've been missing for so long.
 
 
“Oh, Aya…Actually, do you prefer Aya or Ran? Have you really changed back, now?”
 
 
As exhausted as I feel, it seems like an important question. I smile right back at him, stroking his bare torso with my hand.
 
 
“I only went back to Ran because the name Aya reminded me of the gorgeous man who first called me that…I'll happily change back now that it will give me good memories.”
 
 
He leans in to kiss me when I finish, and our tongues connect once again. We're filthy, sweaty and completely worn out…but all I want to do is stay here in his arms.
 
 
“In that case, you'll always be Aya to me…my Aya.”
 
 
His possessive tone fills me with an ecstatic joy that I've rarely felt before, if ever.
 
 
“And you're my Yohji…my entire life. Never leave me, Yotan…please…”
 
 
“Never, Aya.”
 
 
Tucking my head under his chin, I fall asleep with my arm wrapped around him, vaguely aware of his breathing slowing down at the same time.
 
 
He is…my heaven.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Picking up my mobile phone, I press the speed dial number that I've only used once before. It rings twice when the surprised voice answers again; I'm beginning to wonder whether he gets this shocked whenever anyone calls.
 
 
“Abyssinian?”
 
 
“Morning, Persia. I just thought that I'd let you know…I'm leaving Kritiker, for good this time. I'm moving away for a while with Yohji.”
 
 
At the sound of his name, the relaxed figure in the bed beside me perks up, starting to trace the muscles of my exposed stomach with long fingers. I lightly swat his hand away, glaring at him with no real anger.
 
 
“Wh-…But…Has he finally remembered?”
 
 
“Yeah, he's back. And he's ­-stop that- doing better now than he has been in a long time…too long.”
 
 
I hear Persia try and muffle a laugh in the background, most probably realising who I was telling to `stop', and why. I can't be angry at him for being an unfeeling Takatori bastard today…unless he tries to stand in my way.
 
 
“I was hoping that something like this would come out of your meeting the other night…I'm glad for you, Ran.”
 
 
“I'm not Ran anymore; once again…I've gone back to Aya.”
 
 
“Oh, okay, sorry Aya. Listen, I'm not going to try and stop you from leaving, not that it would do any good if I did. I know that you and Yotan will be happy together…Go; find a good life for yourselves. You deserve it.”
 
 
I smile from his blessing; I would have left without permission, but…there's still some part of me that recognises this man as being Omi, the innocent kid, my friend, who somehow managed to keep us all from killing one another. I can forgive his shortcomings, especially when I'm in bed with the man I love more than anything in this world.
 
 
“…Thanks, Persia…Mamoru. Maybe we'll meet again, one day.”
 
 
“I look forward to it. When Ken finally asks to be released, you two should come back for a visit; we'll all get together, with no business involved whatsoever.”
 
 
“I'd…I'd like that.”
 
 
Yohji leans up, speaking into the mouthpiece of my phone before darting his tongue out to lick my bottom lip.
 
 
“Hey Omi, I've missed ya! We'll definitely come visit sometime, once I've decided that I can last five minutes without touching Aya!”
 
 
“Tell Yotan that I didn't need that much information. Oh, and because I know that you won't accept it if I actually ask, I'm telling you that I'm going to set up some accounts in your names. You've done so much for me over the years, and my family has done too many horrible things…the least I can do is support you financially. If you don't tell me where you settle, I'll find out anyway; so let me pay for your new life. Please, it's absolutely no problem.”
 
 
He's right; I would never ask for money. But hey, because he's offering…
 
 
“Alright, if that's what you want to do. I'll call you again sometime…but for now, it's goodbye. Contact me when Ken gets out.”
 
 
Yohji yells out his goodbye, and Persia says his farewell with a slight shake to his voice that makes me believe he might just be crying. I disconnect the line, lying back to stretch out beside Yohji again.
 
 
“Leaving, huh? So, where are we going?”
 
 
Smiling over at him, still lost in bliss over the fact that all this is real, it takes a moment for me to remember to answer.
 
 
“Wherever we want, Yohji. It's all expenses paid…We can go anywhere.”
 
 
He smirks, his entire face brightening. My heart might just explode if I become any happier…
 
 
Leaning forward, he presses his forehead against mine. The contact feels amazing.
 
 
“Then that's what we'll do. I love you, Aya. More than I've ever loved anyone before.”
 
 
“I love you just as much, Yohji. Let's make this our new start…our new life together.”
 
 
“I'd like nothing more, just me and you. Maybe life does smile upon guys like us…and as long as I have you, I'll be happy forever.”
 
 
Smiling widely, I tilt my head slightly to capture his lips in a deep kiss…I'll never let him go ever again.
 
 
And that's a vow I will never break.
 
 
~The End~
 
 
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***Holy shit, I'm done! I actually made it through every song! Almost gave up a couple of times, mostly when I did five complete rewrites of `Wicked Game'…but I finished! I really hope you enjoyed this, and that it didn't depress you too much…but the sickeningly sweet ending should fix that right up.
 
Thanks to everyone who read, and especially to those who reviewed; you're all the reason why I couldn't leave this half-finished! And, if anyone's wondering, my other fics are now officially off hold, because I desperately wanted to finish this one so I kinda ignored them.***