Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Yotan's Dating Service ❯ Date Two: New Feelings Awaken ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own, Please don't sue.

Authors Note: Hehe, another chapter up. I'm trying to do this every Monday, but it's getting hard to finish on time with school *shakes fist in general direction of school*.

Um, I feel I should warn people that this does take a turn for the bizarre in later chapters, so watch out for it. And always, please review. : )

Yotan's Dating Service

Chapter 3

+++++++ Wednesday, 16 days left.

Shuldich woke up Wednesday morning with a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. He was going to win this bet. If last night's date was anything to go by, there was no way he could lose.

With those happy thoughts to goad him on, Shuldich threw off his covers and started planning out his day.

Firs, he thought, I'll get some work done. There was a big live band coming to the club in a few days, and he had to get everything set up for them. After that was done, he had to get cover bands to start up the show. Someone local would be a good touch. The main attraction would want to be there too, to help interview the bands starting for them, which was always a pain in the ass - Shuldich hated to be set back because some musicians had scheduling problems.

But once that was done, he would go over to Kudoh's office, and make his life a living hell. Ah, sarcasm and cynicism. His two very best friends.

It was nice to look forward to the day, and nicer to look forward to meeting someone. Shuldich usually didn't like having to see people during the day. Or during the night for that matter. But this was okay, it was safe to look forward to seeing Yohji, because it wasn't a `good' seeing someone. As long as his motivation for going over there were for reasons that would cause a distinct lack of closeness, he was all right.

And this is the line of thought that took him to Yohji's office at six that evening, and had him rapping on the door. He would have liked to have just walked in unannounced, but the door was locked. Ah well, he'd just have to settle for pushing past the blonde and making himself comfortable as soon as the door was open.

The door did not open. Shuldich's left eyebrow twitched. Did the man have to thwart his every plan?

Alright, so that was a bit of an overstatement, but Shuldich hated to have nicely drawn out plans go up in flames.

The other door, the one with the welcome mat in front of it, opened then. An old woman peered out at him with a slight smile on her face. When she saw who it was, the smile got broader, and more mischievous.

"Here for Yotan, are you boy?" she said.

Normally, Shuldich would tell the old bat off for even thinking of him as a `boy'. But the woman looked so unassuming that he couldn't even summon up a condescending look. He tried for a smirk, but got the distinct impression that it came out as more of a meek smile.

This was, of coarse, all Yohji's fault.

"Yotan is upstairs, probably napping again. If he doesn't answer the door, come right back down and I'll give you the spare key - he needs to get up soon anyway."

And then the woman stood there and smiled until she saw Shuldich heading up the stairs. He was too afraid to leave, call the visit a waste, because he wouldn't want the woman to think badly of him. He sighed. This is why he hated people. Why couldn't he just be one of the bad guys, who were expected to be assholes? It was so much easier to be an ass when people were expecting it, and so much harder when they expected the best.

As he trudged up the two stories leading to Yohji's door, Shuldich decided that there were way too many people expecting him to be nice, who were associated with Kudoh.

Well, at least there was a way to keep his plan intact to some degree. While he couldn't imagine lying to the old woman downstairs, saying that Yohji hadn't opened the door, he could knock so softly that the man wouldn't hear it. Then, he'd get the spare key and make himself at home. When Yohji woke up, he'd find the red head sitting in his house. The smirk grew back across his face.

This was not destined to be however. The door was flung open the moment Shuldich tapped, ever so lightly. The man standing there looked like he was dressed to kill - obviously just about to go out. Damn.

"Shuldich?" the blonde said with some surprise. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a day or so."

"Yeah, well, I got bored." Shuldich snarled. God damn him! It was like he had some sort of anti-scheme force field surrounding him… Shuldich almost shook his head at his train of thoughts. Too little sleep combined with early morning cartoons - something he indulged in no matter how childish it seemed - were making him fanciful.

The man blinked at his forceful reply. "Ok, well, I was just on my way out anyway. Do you want to come out for a coffee or something? The clubs won't get going for another few hours."

Shuldich sighed and agreed. Might as well - he could needle the man about his job, his fashion, his placement of office building and anything else he could come up with as easily in a café as in a house or office.

Yohji led them to a little coffee shop down the street from the flower shop. It was nice, dimly lit but with large candles on each table, providing small islands of illumination. It had lounge furniture instead of conventional chairs. The whole room smelled like freshly ground coffee beans. Yohji and he settled on a couple of armchairs near a window.

"So," Yohji started, "What brought you to my humble abode?"

From what Shuldich had glimpsed outside of Yohji's apartment, it was hardly humble. But that wasn't what Shuldich was really worried about now. Why did he show up at Yohji's place?

Oh yeah, to make his life a living hell. Well, he could hardly tell that to the man. So, what to say that wouldn't sound suspicious, but would still get the man pissed off?

"I had to make sure you know what kind of girl to set me up with. I don't want to go out with some sort of Holier-than-thou ice cube again."

An irritated frown flickered across Yohji's face and then was gone, dissolving into another of the man's open smiles. "Let me guess. You want someone more forthright. Someone who's more open about her, shall we say, sensuality. Am I right?"

There had to be a catch. Shuldich nodded, the suspicion written across his face. He tried to find flaws with what the man was saying, but really, the hypothetical woman he was talking about sounded about right. Of coarse, Shuldich wouldn't like to actually stay with a woman like that, but it would make for a much more interesting date than with the ice bitch.

Yohji's grin got wider. A gleam appeared in his eyes. Shuldich was starting to regret agreeing to this. "I have the perfect person then. Her name is Shern; she's a beautiful model who wants to be appreciated and valued. She's not at all like Hell, she has a much more outgoing personality. I have a picture or two back in the office, I'll show them to you before you go out with her. She's hard to get a hold of though, so it may be a few days in the making."

As he was talking, the woman from the counter came over with their drinks. Shuldich got an espresso, Yohji got some sort of latte. Plus a little surprise, at least for Shuldich, as there was a slip of white paper on the saucer along with the mug. The girls cheeks coloured pink as she walked away. Yohji glanced at it, folded it up and put it in a pocket, shooting the girl a warm smile.

The man was a flirt. That was the only conclusion Shuldich could come up with. And, considering his clothing for the day. Everything he wore was absolutely plastered to his body.

Shuldich himself was wearing dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt. It was normal clothes, like those you'd see on anyone. Why couldn't the man just be normal?

"Do you own any tops that are not cropped?" he asked the blonde suddenly.

"Of coarse. It gets cold in winter you know." Yohji said, looking slightly baffled at the topic change. "But they're all either skintight or transparent." He added with a grin.

Shuldich rolled his eyes. "Why don't you wear normal clothing, like a normal person?" he asked sarcastically.

"Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it." Yohji hadn't shown the slightest bit of discomfort at the criticism. Bastard. "Truthfully, it's because my work takes place in so many clubs. I have an image to maintain, and that's important when you're meeting as many people as I do everyday. I need to stand out in their minds as the type of person who everyone else is attracted to, because that will bring me more customers."

Shuldich considered this for a moment. "So. You're basically just a walking ad for your own company."

Yohji shrugged. "I suppose. It also really depends on the types of places I go to - they need to be places where people can meet and talk, not where they can't listen to their own thoughts. That means people will dress, overall, more conservatively - not boring mind you, just not as outrageous as myself. Brings more attention to yours truly."

"Ah. A walking ad * and* an attention hog. You're just racking up the brownie points here."

Yohji grinned. "Hey, I can't help it if I'm beautiful. Honestly though, I do enjoy setting people up for their own happiness. That should be brownie points enough."

"Hah. I'll bet you're just in it for the money. How much do you charge anyway?" this was a topic that Shuldich had stayed away from, as it would lead him to thoughts of defeat, which was unacceptable.

"Not a lot actually. The price decreases with each date that doesn't work out, but I do have a minimum price. It really depends on the people's financial situation. Also, I can't go too low, because it costs a lot to go out clubbing nearly every night."

"Not if you know where to go. Some clubs around here are pretty cheap."

"Yeah, but most of those don't have the right atmosphere. I really need to watch where I go; it can't be too radical - at least, not if I'm working. When it's just for me, all bets are off."

"Oh?" Shuldich's interest was piqued now. "Where do you usually like to go for yourself?"

"Well," he replied with a frown, "I usually like rock music with a strong beat, or jazz. But I get jazz a lot on the job."

"Hmm. You should try out something more like electronic rock. It can get tiring after a while, but most people find it good dancing music, as long as it isn't too repetitive. There's a band coming into the Starlit Epiphany in a while - they're a mix between softer rock and electronic. It's weird, but it works. Before that they have a rock band starting up, and after is the usual canned music."

"Jesus." Yohji said, "And you think * I'm* a walking ad."

Shuldich rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't come. Stick to your jazz and all canned music for all I care."

"Aw, Shu, I didn't know you cared," came the humorous rejoinder. Then he looked more thoughtful. "Soft rock and electronic, huh? I might just check it out…"

"Either way," Shuldich said with a glance to his watch, "I need to get to work soon. We'll be opening doors in a few minutes, and I said I would be there to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Mm, I should to get to work too I suppose," Yohji said, the both of them getting up and heading to the door.

"What you do Yotan, can not be considered `work'" Shuldich informed him.

"Oh no?" Yohji said with an amused look, "What is it then?"

Shuldich grinned over his shoulder as he started walking down the street. "Play," he shot back.

He could just hear Yohji's laughter before he turned a corner, and headed to work.

The visit hadn't been a waste after all.

++++++++++ Sunday, 12 days left.

It was a nice day for Shuldich's date, Yohji thought as he looked out the window of his office.

He felt somewhat bad about setting the man up with Shern in retrospect, but not bad enough to actually call it off. The man had been second-guessing him on his profession, which Yohji didn't take lightly. He deserved a bit of retribution. And besides, it was going to be one hell of a date, he thought with a grin.

He was feeling strangely good about the way things were progressing with Shuldich, despite the fact that he had only been on one date, and Yohji hadn't found anyone really good for the red head. He was slightly bemused by his good mood, but wouldn't let his own doubts get in the way of a good night.

He decided that it would be alright to take the night off, go out to some real clubs. Maybe he would check out Shuldich's club, see this band that was playing.

He picked up the phone to call Botan, see if he and Ran wanted to go out with him. It had been too long since he had seen them, and they both needed to get out more. Plus, they could dance on his level, which was no small feat.

The conversation with Botan was brief, Yohji had only to mention going out and the other man agreed. He was probably looking forward to a night of what could roughly be called dancing, and Yohji knew he liked to get Ran out of the house.

He headed downstairs to see if Momo needed anything done before he went out as there was still plenty of time until evening, and found that she had more than enough helping hands at the moment.

"Kenken!" Yohji exclaimed upon reaching the bottom floor. It had been a while since he had seen the brown haired man who had been one of Yohji's earliest clients.

Ken looked up from the plant he was trying to prune, his face showing pleasure at his friend's arrival. "Yotan! Thank god you're here." He gave Yohji a small helpless look. "How the hell is this supposed to look?" he said, gesturing to the bonzai tree on the counter in front of him.

Just then, another figure walked out of the back room. Yohji recognized Aya, Ran's sister and sometimes employee for Momo. She was also Ken's girlfriend, thanks to Yohji. She rolled her eyes at Ken's predicament.

"I swear to God Kenken, I leave you alone for one moment…" she said teasingly, taking the clippers out of Ken's hands and making quick work of the tree.

Ken mock-growled and stuck out his tongue. Then he put his arm around his lover's waist, watching as she made precise cuts to the plant. Becoming oblivious to everything around him except for what Aya and what she was doing with the plant.

Yohji felt happy just looking at the two standing there. But he decided enough was enough when Ken started nibbling on Aya's neck. "So, what's new with you Kenken?" he asked, making Ken start. Apparently, he had forgotten there was another person in the room.

Ken blushed as he answered, "Nothing much Yohji. Just the usual, going to work, coming home. Slaving over an oven, cooking, cleaning," his voice took on a pitiful quality as he said this last.

Aya poked him in the side, "You do not, you wretch. You're exaggerating again."

"She's a slave driver Yohji, I swear," he started, smiling, his arm still about the girl.

"I am not!" she exclaimed, grabbing a towel and slapping his arm with it.

He put up his hands to defend himself, grinning. "Oh with the whips! You see?!" he laughed as he backed away from his lover, who advanced with a gleam in her eye.

Yohji just leaned against the counter and chuckled at the two. It was nice to be around normal people, who didn't expect anything from him. This was one of the few instances when he didn't mind being ignored. It was how he had gotten through the past couple of years, living through the happiness of those around him.

"Ah, at it again I see," came a voice by his side. Yohji almost jumped out of his skin, looking down to see Momo standing with a smile on her lips. "They've been arguing over household chores for the past hour," She informed him as he stood there clutching at his chest, his heart still beating quickly from the shock. Momo raised her eyebrows, looking up at Yohji.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to sneak up on someone?" Yohji said plaintively. Momo just chucked and went to stop the two lovers before they ruined her store.

As he looked at the two, Yohji started feeling a bit melancholy, remembering a time when he would be an active participant in such activities.

Before he could think too much about it, Momo thrust an order in his hands. "If you're going to stay," she said, "you're going to work."

Ken grinned at him, holding another order. "How do we get roped into these situations Yotan?" he asked.

"Must be the company we keep Kenken," he said, looking over at Aya and Momo with a smile. Momo snorted. Aya stuck out her tongue.

Yohji took up the required flowers and worked along with some of the nicest people he knew, and felt like he belonged. That's right, he thought, As long as I have these people around, I don't need someone special in my life. They're special enough.

++++++++ Sunday night.

Shuldich was pleasantly surprised by the time frame Yohji was setting for him. When he'd made the bet, he'd thought the man was going to attempt to set him up every night. But so far, there'd been only one date for the Tuesday after the bet was made which had been the Saturday before, and the date tonight. With this few dates, Yohji had to be pretty sure of his matchmaking capabilities.

Shuldich was calmer this time around. Sure, the pictures that Yohji had left in his online account Yohji had set up had shown a beautiful woman, but he knew better now than to think that was all there was to her. He'd learned well from the ice bitch.

They had agreed to meet at the same restaurant for two reasons on Shuldich's part, first of which was the good food. The second reason was the two young lovers there, Nagi and Omi. Last time he'd seen Nagi, he'd been led to believe that the boy came to pick his lover up nearly every day after work, and Shuldich had genuinely enjoyed the others presence. It was somewhat of a balm on Shuldich's mind, to have someone so calm in the world filled with hectic people.

So, there he was once again, dressed up in black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt, his hair driving him insane, falling into his eyes without the bandana to hold it back. He took his sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and perched them on his head as a stop gap measure. It wasn't the same though.

While he was mourning the absence of his favorite garment, the blonde woman came up to him out of the crowd. Her hair was thick and shimmered in the light of the sunset, her features perfectly matched and beautiful. Her luscious body was covered with a tight red dress, showing off her breasts and butt.

Shuldich was careful not to drool. The woman came up almost too close to him, her blue eyes partially lidded.

"Hello," she said in the most successful come-hither voice that he could ever remember hearing.

Now this was more like it. This woman was indeed the farthest thing from the ice bitch that he could possibly imagine.

She allowed him to take her arm and lead her inside, giving her an appreciative smirk.

Later, Shuldich would pin point the starting of the unpleasantness at the very beginning of the date, when she insisted they sit at a table that allowed them to be right beside each other, instead of the classic across from each other.

This was a bad thing because the woman kept trying to pull her `charms' on Shuldich. At first he didn't mind, but it was extremely difficult to concentrate on his fettuccini alfrado with the woman constantly pressing her breasts into his arm, and murmuring seductively into his ear.

And the food, while excellent, was not his savior this time, as it had been with Hell. The damn woman just didn't eat at all!

Shuldich decided to skip dessert for now, because he had to get out of there. The woman was starting to cause a scene.

As they were leaving, Shuldich spotted Nagi Naoe coming in the door. He managed to pry the blonde off his arm for long enough to say hello while the check was being processed.

Nagi looked confused. "What did you do to him?"

Now Shuldich was confused. "Huh? Who?"

"Yotan. What did you do to him to set you up with Mrs. Look-At-Me-I-Have-Boobs over there?"

"Oh, she's not that bad," Shuldich said. But an uneasy feeling stirred at Nagi's words.

Nagi was opening his mouth to say something when Mrs. Boobjob came over and latched herself back on Shuldich's side. He grit his teeth. Yes, the woman was beautiful, but the constant attempts at seduction were really starting to wear thin.

Nagi looked at his expression and nodded slowly, managing to convey that he knew what Shuldich was thinking. And that it wouldn't get any better.

Well, the date wasn't a complete loss. It wasn't half as bad as it had been with Hell.

Or so he thought, until they decided to walk along the ocean-side. There were lots of people there - it had been a nice day, and was a warm evening. There were the first dessert stalls of the year out on the walks, causing Shuldich some relief. He wouldn't have to give up his dessert after all.

He asked Shern if she wanted anything, to which he got an incredulous look. "Shu, sweetie, you wouldn't want me to get fat, would you?"

`Shu sweetie' didn't really care if she was a blimp, if only she'd stop being so damn clingy.

He got a crepe filled with chocolate from a stall selling French desserts, ignoring the pouting of his date.

Shuldich was just starting to get into his dessert when Shern noticed a stall selling fancy jewelry.

"OOOH!" she squealed, tightening her hold on Shuldich's arm. "Shushu, get me that necklace!"

Shuldich looked down at the chocolate stain slowly seeping into his shirt where the blonde bimbo had squished his dessert.

Apparently, his shock was lasting too long for her, because she started pouting and making whimpering noises. "Shuuuuuu!" she whined.

His dessert was ruined. It was all over his nice white shirt.

"Shu!" she snapped, stomping her foot, making her breasts jiggle.

Idly, Shuldich wondered if he could just take the shirt off and lick the chocolate off of it right there on the walkway.

Shern changed her approach. "Shu-baby," she said, switching back to her sexy voice. "Please buy me that necklace honey." she put her hand on his chest - above the chocolate - and made sure her boobs were right in his line of sight, "I'll make it worth your while…"

Now Shuldich looked up from his shirt. "You ruined my dessert." He said.

He took in the flash of annoyance on her face. "You can just buy another one. After you buy me something nice."

"You ruined my dessert, and my shirt. And you expect me to buy you anything?"

Now she frowned again. "What are you saying Shushu?"

"I'm saying," Shuldich grit out, "that I'm not buying you anything. Why the hell would I buy you a necklace? What good will it do me?"

"This isn't about you sweetie," her voice had now gone cold. "It's about me. And about you giving me what I want. I want that necklace, and you're going to give it to me." This last was said with her eyes partially lidded, looking confident.

Now Shuldich knew what Nagi was trying to tell him.

He came in close to her face with his signature smirk and said firmly, "Get. Lost."

The shock lasted just long enough for him to start walking away before she started screaming and crying. As if making a scene would make him come back, instead of driving him further away. The girl had serious mental problems.

++++++++ Later

Shuldich was faced by a decision when he got home and parked his car. Go inside, or go to the club? On the one hand, he'd have peace and quiet in his apartment. But on the other, he'd have the solitude of the loud music throbbing through his office and people around him that looked at him in a completely business-like manner. This was better for him than the quiet because in the quiet, he could hear himself think. And when he heard that, he'd sometimes catch whispers in his mind, like a background drone of the billions of other people living in the city.

He went to the club. All he could think about when he got through the front doors was how nice it would feel to collapse in his nice comfy chair and relax for a while. He fought his way through the masses to the back, where the open stairs led to his office. It was easier to get back there tonight - it seemed everyone's concentration was focused on the dance floor.

He considered asking what it was that people were looking at, but that would require not only screaming loudly enough to be heard over the music, but also interacting with people. That was an activity he was inclined to avoid like the plague at the moment.

Finally, Shuldich found himself in his chair. He leaned his head back and let the tension drain out of his body. He was just wondering which of the dates so far was worse, ice queen or blonde bimbo when he remembered what Nagi had said.

{"What did you do to him?"}

{"Huh? Who?"}

{"Yotan. What did you do to him to set you up with Mrs. Look-At-Me-I-Have-Boobs over there?"}

A slow rage started to form in Shuldich's stomach. That asshole. That complete and utter bastard. He'd set Shuldich up on bad dates on purpose. He would die a terrible and horrible death at Shuldich's hands. And then Shuldich would resurrect him and kill him again.

Shuldich scanned the room, looking for an implement to kill the blonde with. The paperweight would be good, but not painful enough. He liked all the things in his office too much to ruin with the man's blood.

His office was all done out in silvers and charcoal grays, seeming sterile with the black and white monitors covering one wall and a mini bar on another. The only source of colour came from the wall of one-way glass in front of him, letting the light flash from the club outside. Really, other than a few pens, there were no good murder weapons in the room.

Now back in his apartment, Shu was sure he'd be more fruitful. His kitchen had to have something that could cause instant death, amongst the gadgets sitting ominously in his cupboards.

And then again, he could just use his bare hands. It would be so nice to feel his hands strangling the life out of the blonde bit by bit…

After about an hour of planning Yohji's imminent death, Shuldich's anger had faded into something manageable, and he felt calm enough to deal with the world. He looked up to the monitors on the wall and noticed that the crowds were still gathered around the dance floor, apparently cheering someone or several someone's on. He got a close up of them on the big screen TV. Shuldich's mouth dropped open.

Yohji was dancing in the middle of his club. He had an open circle around him and two others to give them room, and onlookers pressing against one another to see better.

Shuldich's first thought was kill.

His second thought was woah, as he witnessed the blonde pull off a particularly difficult move. It was as if the man's bones were liquid, he moved with such grace… like a cat.

The other two with Yohji were dancing a little further off from him, and were obviously a couple. They were doing a version of dirty dancing that Shuldich had never dreamed possible. Limbs were just not supposed to bend like that. A small part of his mind wondered if the one mans hair was dyed, because he doubted that that colour of blood red was natural.

Shuldich wasn't sure how long it was before he snapped back into reality, but it had to have been a while, because the bouncers had changed shifts quite a while ago.

He was just wondering if the three on the dance floor were getting tired when Yohji danced over to his companions and motioned to the exit, making the gesture part of the dance. They agreed in the same fashion, and headed out slowly, dancing all the while.

Then they were gone, and Shuldich let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He needed a drink, and he needed to be at home. And he really *really * needed a cold shower.