Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Yotan's Dating Service ❯ Date Three: Getting To Know You ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Haven't we gone through this already? To head off the tedium, I'm going to say that I do own it. Bwahahahahaha…. Oh, but I don't really. Sigh.

Authors Note: this chapter was really fun to write, and I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. And for those of you who want more about Yohji, well, there's some in here, and more to come next chapter. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and Yohji * does* have feelings, he just doesn't realize it yet. Yes, I'm keeping him clueless. Because I'm evil. Mwahahaha.

WARNING: a bit of lime in this chapter - very little bit. But next chapter will be full out lemon.

Yotan's Dating Service

Chapter 4

+++++++ Wednesday morning, 9days left.

Yohji had been going over some new files when he saw her face again. There she was staring up at him from a picture, the same eyes, the same hair, the same small smile. The same Asuka.

Yohji's hands shook as he picked up the file and read it over, trying to convince himself. Of what he wasn't sure yet - he wanted it to be his lover so much, but he knew it couldn't be. Not Asuka, but Neu. The name was appropriate, he thought. Like a New person. Because it wasn't Asuka, he knew that immediately from her files. She was too different from his lover.

But she still looked the same.

He was surprised at a polite knock at his office door, snapping him out of the circles his mind had been making. He made sure the folder was closed before answering.

He found the brightest smile in the entire world staring back at him. The smile was attached to Omi, who was attached, as always, to Nagi. Nagi offered him a rare smile.

"Omi, Nagi," Yohji said with a small smile for the younger men, "Come in, both of you. What's up?"

"We were just in the area and decided to drop by Yotan," Omi said. "Unless we're bothering you..?" the young man looked uncertain. It wasn't often that Yohji was so conservative in his greetings. Omi was used to a bear hug and a huge grin whenever he saw the older blonde. He wondered what was wrong.

"No, it's ok." Yohji said, a little too quickly. "Um, do you want anything to drink?" He asked, trying to relax and not think about the file on his desk. He tried not to even look in that direction.

"No thanks Yotan, we only came by for a quick visit." Omi said, smiling over at his lover.

The two lovers were escorted into the other room, where they chose a couch to sit on. Yohji went straight to the coffee maker, and started to take out a cigarette. Then he put it away, knowing that if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. And chain smoking would be a sure sign to Omi and Nagi that something was wrong. He settled with the biggest cup of coffee he could find, and sat on his comfortable chair, looking at the two who were sitting together on the couch, practically glued together.

"So what's going on Yotan?" Omi asked, looking interested.

Well, Yohji thought, I just got a client who looks exactly like my dead lover, who I never have and never will get over. Other than that I'm peachy.

Instead, he said, "Oh, you know. Going to clubs, getting pretty people's numbers, partying, setting people up and meddling. Working." Omi laughed, bringing out a somewhat bedraggled smile on Yohji's face. "What about you two?"

Omi swiftly went into detail about the restaurant, and the happenings over the past few days. Nagi just sat there, studying Yohji, who seemed to be paying the barest amout of attention. "Really Yotan, setting that poor man up with Hell * and* Shern?" Omi concluded.

Yohji blinked, just then remembering Shuldich. He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. I had reasons though."

Omi raised an eyebrow, inviting explanation. Yohji sighed and explained the whole situation. Omi gasped when he heard what was at stake for Yohji.

"Yohji-kun! That could cost a fortune!" he exclaimed. "Unless…" he said, his face turning calculating. His eyes narrowed. "Does Shuldich-san know that you would get the penthouse suite practically free, using your contacts in the hotel?" he asked.

Yohji smiled. "Hey, I spent a good portion of my life working there, as one of their best employees. It's only fair they give me discounts."

"And does your friend at the hotel know about this bet yet?" Omi asked.

"Hm, good point," Yohji said, "I haven't talked to my old boss Brad in a while." A flash of pain was all the other two saw of Yohji's inner anguish as he thought about his past.

Just then the phone started to ring in the other room. "Hold on," Yohji said, getting up to answer.

This was a perfect chance for Nagi and Omi to turn to each other. They each understood what the other was thinking. "Something is wrong," Omi voiced.

"What do you think it is?" Nagi asked, knowing that Omi was better at reading others than he was.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Asuka again," he said. Nagi nodded, that was what he suspected as well.

"What do you want to do about it?" he asked.

"We'll have to leave him to deal with it on his own," Omi said, looking unhappy. "You know what he's like. He won't talk about it at all."

Nagi's heart clenched at the sight of his lover down. He tightened his arms around Omi and nuzzled into his neck before reluctantly letting go and getting up. He held out a hand to help Omi up as well. "You go down and say hello to Momo-san, I'm going to talk to Yohji about Shuldich."

"Alright. I'll meet you down in the shop." They went into the next room where Yohji was just getting off the phone. Omi waved and gave Yohji a large smile. "See you later Yotan!"

Nagi went over to the desk and started asking more about Shuldich, but Yohji really didn't know much about the man other than what was work related.

"Listen, I really don't know all that much," Yohji finally said, "and you seem to like the guy. How about I give you his address, and you can go over to talk to him yourself."

Nagi knew the man was about ten seconds away from full out depression - he'd seen Yohji while down before - but this was a bit extreme. Yohji Never gave out people's addresses. He either really wanted Nagi to leave him alone, or had another reason.

Yohji sighed at Nagi's look of shock. "I'm worried about the guy," Yohji finally said, "He hasn't called for awhile, and I want to know what's up." When Nagi still looked disbelieving, he added, "I have the feeling that he's, I don't know, avoiding me or something." He said, looking uncomfortable.

"Yotan, I would avoid you too if you set me up with Hell and Shern." Nagi said. Yohji winced at the rebuke. "But yeah, I'll go over there and see how he's doing." Nagi conceded.

"Thanks Nagikins." Yohji said. But his heart wasn't in it, he wasn't even looking at Nagi. All of his attention was on a folder sitting in the middle of the desk.

++++++++ Wednesday

Shuldich woke up that morning clutching his head in pain. This was the second morning he'd woken up like this in the past three days. This was because when he'd gotten back from the club on Sunday night, he'd convinced himself that taking two nights off would be a good idea. Then, he'd gotten rather spectacularly drunk.

It hadn't really helped. He still wanted to both avoid Yohji like the plague, and go see him again. And the want, the need really, to see the man again was slowly winning out, which made Shuldich uneasy.

He sat up in bed, groaning as he imagined the blonde dancing again. It wasn't just the image of the dance now though, it was the blonde himself. The very thought of the man was arousing.

He went for what seemed like his fifteenth cold shower in the past twenty-four hours, but his little problem just wouldn't go away. He stood there stubbornly for a few minutes, making his skin pull tight and develop goose bumps, before sighing in defeat and turning the hot water back on. He grabbed his arousal almost savagely.

He'd meant for quick relief, but the image of Yohji there with him made the savage pace impossible. Instead, he found himself going slowly, enjoying the feelings that were coursing through his body. He knew Yohji would touch him like this, watching his reactions to the sensuality, drinking in his responses… Shuldich came into his own hand with a strangled cry.

He swore as he leaned against the cool tile. Now he really didn't want to face Kudoh. What would he do if he started envisioning the man in a sexual manner? What if he had the same reactions to these thoughts as he'd been having for the past few nights?

No, best to avoid Yohji as long as possible. He would just bypass the whole sticky situation.

Unfortunately for Shuldich, Yohji didn't let people avoid him.

+++++++ Wednesday afternoon.

Nagi walked up the stairs to his new friends home, wondering why Yohji was feeling so worried about the man. He guessed that it was because of the bet. But somehow, it seemed that the blonde was taking a particular interest in this man. He hoped the two of them would end up together. Maybe he could help things along a bit…

He knocked softly on the door.

"Fuck off," Came the response. Nagi rolled his eyes at the standoffish manner the man was taking.

"Shuldich," He called, "It's Naoe Nagi."

"Naoe?" Now the man seemed more receptive. Nagi could hear footsteps coming towards the door, then the sounds of several locks being slid open. Finally, the door opened to reveal the red head standing still dripping wet, wearing only a large towel.

"What are you doing here?" Shuldich asked. "And how did you get my address?"

"I got the address from Yohji-kun. I decided to come over and pay a visit… if you'll let me in that is,"

Shuldich blinked, and realized that he'd been standing in the doorway gaping at the unexpected visitor. He hadn't had someone over to his house in years, and his hosting skills were a bit rusty.

"Yeah, come in," He said, stepping aside and heading to his bedroom. "Make yourself at home, I'm just going to get changed."

It was as he was pulling on a pair of jeans that he wondered at the young mans arrival. He knew Nagi was a nice guy, and that they'd enjoyed each other's presence, but he was doubtful that the other would just out and ask Yohji for his address. And hadn't Yohji said something about the privacy of his files? He determined to get a straight answer out of the boy.

He strolled out of his room and looked around for Nagi, but could not immediately place the kid. Not, that is, until he heard a loud buzzing sound and a crash from his kitchen.

Ah, he thought with a smirk, The boy's found the kitchen.

Shuldich stopped in the doorway to take in the scene that greeted his eyes. There was Nagi, holding a contraption that looked vaguely like a can opener mixed with a cappuccino machine at arms length. His eyes were the size of saucers. Shuldich couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his face.

Nagi turned towards him in confusion. "Shuldich, what *is * this?"

Hm. There was an interesting question. His smirk slipped a little as Shuldich considered the thing in Nagi's hand. He honestly couldn't remember.

"Well," he said, "It sorta looks like a can opener mixed with a cappuccino machine if you ask me."

"You mean you don't know?"

Shuldich nodded. "Hey, lemme know if you figure it out though. And if you figure that one out, there's a few more I could have you take a look at."

"If you don't know what they do, why do you keep them around?" Nagi asked innocently.

"Every once in a while, I get bored enough to try and figure one of them out. Take that one on the second shelf there," he said, gesturing to an electronic container of some sort. "It can boil water, and blend stuff. At the same time even."

Nagi put down the Cappuccino maker/can opener to inspect this new toy. "Why would you ever need that?" he asked in a slightly awed voice.

"Honestly?" Shuldich said, "I have no clue. I just couldn't resist buying it. It looked neat."

"You have more kitchen stuff than Omi and Ran-san put together…" he said, still poking at the thing in his hands.

"Ran?" Shuldich asked.

"Someone else Yohji-kun set up," Nagi said distractedly, inspecting the rest of the cupboards. "He's with Yohji-kun's best friend, Botan. What does this do?" he poked towards a small little box that retracted a series of knives from one end.

Meanwhile, Shuldich was practically reeling in confusion. When Nagi had told him who Ran and Botan were, he'd gotten a clear image of the two he'd seen dancing with Yohji that night. Along with that, he'd seen an image of Ran cooking at a stove, glaring at anyone who came close to his food. This last was not one of Shuldich's memories. It was Nagi's.

The boy looked over at Shuldich when he didn't respond, and saw the man leaning against the doorframe for support.

"Shit," the younger man said, going to help Shuldich to a chair. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shuldich lied. "It's nothing. Just a hangover" he couldn't let Nagi know what had happened. He'd told people before, when he'd been in the orphanage, and had been shunned, people believing that he was either lying or dangerous. He wasn't about to tell this kid he barely knew and who he honestly liked, something that could drive him away.

"Must be one hell of a hangover," Nagi said, a small amount of worry showing through his eyes. "You looked like you were about to faint back there,"

"Pfft," Shuldich said with a wave of the hand, "I don't do fainting kid."

At this the boy smiled quietly, but then frowned. "Why do you have a hangover? You shouldn't drink that much."

"Oh don't be such a Nag, Nagi." Shuldich joked.

Nagi rolled his eyes. "Now you sound exactly like Yotan." Nagi looked thoughtful for a moment. "You two really are quite a lot alike you know."

Now it was Shuldich's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh right," He said sarcastically, "I'm just like that vindictive bastard. Thanks."

Nagi frowned again. "Yotan isn't - well, maybe a little. But only when he's really pissed off. Or trying to prove a point. Or both, as I suspect he was with you."

Shuldich's eyes narrowed. "What did he tell you? Why did he set me up with those two? Well, the bimbo I can guess at, but the other…" the red head asked. He knew Nagi knew more than he was letting on.

"It's not any of my business." Nagi said with a closed expression. But his eyes seemed to be conveying the truth to Shuldich.

"That bastard," He said in a low dangerous voice. "I'll kill him." Just because he'd been ignored for a few minutes - well, an hour, but it wasn't that long! Just because of that, the man had set Shuldich up on the worst set of dates of his entire life? Shuldich started to fume.

For his part, Nagi was getting annoyed with skirting around the reason Yohji had sent him here, enough so that he didn't pay any mind to the fact that he hadn't actually told Shuldich Yohji's reasons. Besides, he was concerned for Yohji, and wasn't good at keeping secrets, especially not from the people he liked. "Well, as long as you go over there at some point, I suppose Yotan wouldn't mind if you did kill him."

"Eh?" that seemed to break Shuldich out of his stewing.

"He's worried you're avoiding him."

"Oh ho. So that's why he sent you over here."

"Well, partially. I also just wanted to say hi." Nagi said. He honestly had wanted to see the man he'd like to be friends with. He was still uncomfortable with being so forthright though - it was a measure of the influence Omi had over him that he had spoken as much as he had on this little outing.

Shuldich smiled a little at the kid. He really was sweet. "Aw, thanks kiddo." He said, despite the fact that Nagi was only a few years younger than he was.

But he couldn't let that distract him from his plotting Yohji's ultimate demise. Just because the man could dance - and could he ever dance - didn't mean he wasn't going to die a painful death.

"Kudoh is still going to die though." He added.

"Are you going over there?" Nagi asked.

"You bet. The bastard won't live to see tomorrow."

"Good," Nagi replied, "Well, not good that you're going to hurt Yotan, but good that you're going over there. When I left this morning it looked like he was about to go into full depression mode."

"Depression mode huh? I can work with that."

Nagi winced. "Just don't be too harsh. He's far from unbreakable."

Shuldich looked at the kid incredulously. Did he not hear the death threats? The man was going to die, not get a good talking to.

Nagi was still looking at him, expecting some sort of response. "Uh... huh..." Shuldich drawled.

Nagi immediately brightened up. A small smile even appeared on his lips, as he relaxed. It was obvious he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. Well, that was fine with Shuldich. He could carry out his revenge after he and the boy had had a chance to sit down and have a cup of coffee.

++++++++ Wednesday Afternoon.

Shuldich was a bit calmer now, thinking through his plan completely. First, he would go in and get the key from the flower shop lady. Then, he would go up and start wreaking havoc on the man's house. He hoped Yohji wasn't there when he was doing this, or he'd have to tie the man down.

The thought of tying the object of his recent desires was not a productive one. Shuldich had to stop for a moment to consider this image before shaking himself out of his reverie and entering the flower shop.

There were a surprising number of people in the shop for this time of day. He had to fight his way to the counter, where the old woman was just finishing up with a customer. She only had one person in there to help her, a small girl with pigtails.

When the old woman saw Shuldich, she called to the young lady, "Aya, can you handle everything for a moment?"

"Yes Momo-san," the girl replied chipperly.

Momo motioned Shuldich to follow her into the back room. She immediately started grabbing flowers out from their coolers and placing them on a worktable. "What can I do for you today, young man?" she asked.

"I need the key to Yohji's apartment. You see, last time I was there, I for-"

That was as far as he got before the woman handed him a key.

"Good. Make sure he doesn't drink himself silly, will you?"

And she walked back into the front with her flowers. Shuldich stood frowning at the key for a moment. It was disturbing to have someone so helpful. He hadn't even gotten to the actual excuse part of why he needed the key. And it was troubling how people were so worried about Yohji and his depression. Hell, weren't there drugs people could take for that?

He slowly made his way upstairs, stopping at the office just to make sure no one was there. He hadn't really honestly considered what to do if Yohji was in the apartment. Originally, he'd wanted to pour out all his dish soap and toss the toilet paper, get rid of all his edible food excluding condiments, put a few cracks in his chair legs…. there was so much that could be done to piss someone off. And most of it wouldn't even be noticed for weeks. Shuldich snickered to himself.

Now that he'd gotten his righteous indignation back, as well as a healthy portion of playful sprit, Shuldich felt up to opening the door.

The moment Shuldich walked in, his mood took a blow. The whole apartment felt like it was bathed in sorrow and regret. Well, now he knew why everyone was so concerned.

Shuldich wouldn't let this affect his mission. No siree, this was just a minor distraction. He would sneak right past the bedroom, head for the bathroom and kitchen. He doubted if Yohji would even notice him, what with being in his heartbreakingly melancholy mood.

He tried to sneak past the bedroom. He tried to make it without looking in the bedroom, where he knew Yohji was. He knew that Yohji was looking away from the half-opened door, out the window.

All it took was one glance.

Yohji was sitting on the wide window ledge, bathed in light. It caressed his skin, making it glow like honey in the sunlight, brushing across his bare chest, glinting off his hair. Shuldich caught his breath at the sight, and took an involuntary step forward.

+++++++ Yohji.

It had been a few hours since Yohji had sent Nagi off to see Shuldich. He was happy that Nags was interested in befriending the man - in Yohji's opinion, Nagi had too few friends.

With that taken care of, he felt free to slip into his depression. These bouts of melancholy weren't coming as often as they had before, right after the accident…

Yohji sat at his window, looking out on the world that went on normally, oblivious to the fact that he had lost the light of his life. It was even sunny outside. That seemed wrong to him, for the heavens to be shining when they should be weeping for the loss of the only woman he had ever really loved. Asuka.

He somehow knew the second Shuldich walked into the apartment. He couldn't really find it in himself to care though, being lost in his own world of unhappiness.

But every step the man took towards him led him a little more into reality, until he was fully aware of the room around him, as he hadn't been since coming up here. He took another long drag of the cigarette in his hand before stubbing it out and getting a new one. There was a bottle of Jack Daniel's sitting on the window ledge beside him, staring at him. He hadn't opened it, knowing that if he did he wouldn't stop drinking. And he wanted to save it for when he was really down, later on in the night. He found the exact hour of her death to be the worst.

He felt a hand softly touch his shoulder and slide away. Shuldich had come up while he was contemplating the bottle next to him. They stayed like that for quite a while, just staring out the window at the world beyond, neither thinking about anything in particular, just experiencing life moving around them. Then Yohji took a deep breath, and began to talk.

"I had a lover once. Her name was…" he looked away, not able to say it out loud yet. "We met in high school, way back in second year. At first we hated each other; she was bossy, all brass and strong. I was the playboy. We grew on each other though, to the point where, when high school ended we didn't want to go our separate ways. We got an apartment together. We were doing well - I was one of the best in my field, I worked for a hotel chain back then. Convincing other businesses to come stay with us doing deals. I was told I was good at it because I was a `people person'. Botan said I was a manipulative bastard. Honestly, I think he had the right of it.

"We were happy. Until one day, when I was supposed to meet her at a café, and got tied up at work. My boss had missed his flight you see, and I had to fill in for him. I couldn't get in touch with her to say that I'd be late. I knew that I'd have to do some serious making up later, but I thought it'd be okay. She'd just get pissed and leave."

There was silence in the room for a moment while Yohji relived that day. Shuldich looked at him. "And?" he asked.

"Oh she left," Yohji said with a sad smile, "She wasn't the type to wait for anyone. But there was an accident on the way home. She…" Yohji choked up, his eyes filling with tears he refused to let fall. He'd done too much crying over the past three years, for someone who wasn't coming back.

"What happened?" Shuldich asked softly, still looking out the window.

"She fell." Yohji said. "Fell down an open sewer grate."

And there he paused, waiting for the remarks that were sure to come. And would have come if Shuldich didn't know that the man was totally serious. He held his tongue on all the comments he could have made, and said instead, "What did you do?"

Yohji let out a sardonic laugh. "The better question is what didn't I do. I didn't do hard drugs, but that's about it. I started going out and getting drunk every night, taking someone home at every possible turn. Then I disappeared after the seventh month. Botan thought I was dead, he was going insane with worry, but he was the only one. I'd cut all ties by then. I didn't want someone else to die on me after all.

"All that time I was gone, I was wandering from bar to bar, going to other people's houses for the night, getting out and drinking some more. Its not like I didn't have the money for it - she'd left everything to me, and I had a lot saved up already."

Yohji paused to get himself another cigarette.

"What snapped you out of it?" Shuldich asked, accepting a cigarette proffered to him.

"On the anniversary of her death, I got smashed beyond anything I can remember. I was passing out in the street, then getting to my feet and walking to no where in particular. That's when Momo-san found me. She took me up to her kitchen, got some tea into me and made me sleep it off. At that point, anyone could have picked me up and I wouldn't have cared. But it wasn't just anyone. After that, she put me to work in the flower shop, doing manual labor until she found out that I could do flower arrangements.

"I lost a bet," he said in response to Shuldich's surprised look, "And had to take a class on it. It was more fun than I thought it would be, and it turns out that I have a talent with flowers.

"Anyway, when I was finally straight, living up here and working for Momo-san, not drinking as much, I called Botan. He gave me the chewing out of my lifetime, I can tell you. Turns out he called the cops and filed a missing person report. He's the one who suggested I go see my old friends from the hotel, which I did. Just a couple of co-workers, and my old boss Crawford."

Something about that name immediately got Shuldich's attention. He had heard it somewhere, but he couldn't place it. He got the impression it was from when he had been living in Germany. He carefully put it aside to be pondered over later.

"How did you get into this business? Why a dating service?" Shuldich asked. It was something he had been curious about since the day he had come here.

"My two co-workers," Yohji said with a tender smile, "They were obviously interested in one another, and were perfect for each other. So I decided to set them up. Manx and Birman… I haven't seen them in much too long.

"Once I saw how much of a success that was, I decided to try and get other people together. Everyone around me fell victim to my service, which I hadn't really set up yet. After I got Botan together with Ran, he suggested I make it a career. And I did. No regrets on that one."

They fell silent once more. Yohji sighed and leaned his head against the window frame. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his mind on business. He needed to set Shuldich up with someone, and he thought he knew who would be best for him. Yohji couldn't let himself be ruled by the past. He had to let her go.

He almost started as he felt a warm hand touch him on the back, offering comfort and support. This was a side of the German he had never even dreamed possible, not with the other's cocky attitude. He let the warmth of the others' hand seep into himself, feeling the other's presence. He had never told the whole story outright before. It was strangely comforting, instead of painful as he had thought it would be.

He opened his eyes and looked at the man standing next to him. Offered a smile of gratitude, not only for the comfort, but also for just being there.

Then he took a breath, got up and started towards the door. "I think I know who to set you up with next," he said.

"Yeah, about that." Shuldich began in a drawl. Yohji winced, turned and coughed to cover his embarrassment. Nothing could cover his blush though. Shuldich stood there and stared the man down.

"Alright," Yohji finally conceded, "I'll set you up with a real date this time."

Shuldich smirked and followed him down to the office, leaving the alcohol on the window ledge, still untouched.

+++++++

If Shuldich thought he had been surprised at Yohji's confession about his past, it was nothing to his shock upon getting into the office. The man seemed to change into a completely different person, turning single-mindedly to his work. There was no hint of the usual smile, no glimmer in his eyes, just a professional doing his job.

He introduced the girl Shuldich would be dating as Neu. She was apparently a nice girl, strong and independent, without being overbearing. Shuldich found it odd that Yohji didn't even glance at the picture as he handed it to Shuldich. In fact, he avoided looking at the file at all if he possibly could. Shuldich got the feeling it had something to do with the story he had just been told, but assumed that the man didn't want to talk about it anymore. The retreat into work was proof enough of that. So he kept his mouth closed as Yohji told him about the girls interests, and what he could expect of her.

"Do you want to go to the same place for dinner?" Yohji asked, looking up from the notes he was making.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could set up a lunch date," Shuldich replied, "It's so much easier to get an afternoon off than an evening."

Yohji nodded. "I'll see to it." He said, putting the notes into a file and closing it before looking up again. A small amount of humanity showed through his mask once more, revealing sadness but not the bone-wrenching despair that had been present before.

Shuldich offered him a mischievous smirk in return, which seemed to lighten the mood enough for Yohji to chuckle.

"What?" Shuldich asked, the smile not falling from his lips.

"You look like the cat that caught the canary," Yohji said, now smiling at him. Shuldich was relieved to see the smile again. He realized he was staring at the man, who was waiting for a response.

"That's because I know I'm going to win this bet, and you're going to end up paying for it." He replied.

Yohji looked surprised for a moment. "You don't like her?" he asked.

Shuldich was confused for a moment, not remembering what the blonde was referring to. Oh yeah, he remembered, The date. "She's fine," Shuldich said, "But probably not my soul-mate or any nonsense like that."

Yohji smiled at his response and got up when Shuldich did. The red head looked at him in inquiry when the man followed him out the door, grabbing his keys and wallet on the way. "Don't really feel like sticking around right now," he said in response to the unspoken question.

They parted ways in front of the flower shop, Yohji walking down the street with Shuldich standing there absorbing everything he'd been told.

As he turned to leave, he caught sight of Momo in the shop. She gave him a warm smile full of gratitude. It gave him a happy feeling, to know he'd done something nice.

Something nice for Yohji. Who he'd gone over there to torment. He practically staggered at the thought. Damn! He'd done the exact opposite of his goals! How did the man manage to divert his carefully laid out plans all the time?

But maybe the problem wasn't with Yohji, Shuldich pondered, maybe it was himself. The thought was disturbing, but seemed to fit the situation. He contemplated this the whole walk back to his club, and thought of the blonde who he couldn't seem to get out of his head.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked once he got to the door, looking up at the sky for answers. He sighed at the lack of response and went inside.

+++++++ Saturday, six days left.

This time, Shuldich had decided against going to the Bombay Katzchen, as it was afternoon and he doubted he would get to see either Nagi or Omi anyway. So Neu and he would meet at a nice café for lunch, then maybe go for a walk, weather permitting.

The café was not full, but in no way lacking in customers, which was perfect. Shuldich gazed in the window while waiting for his date, thinking about what he was going to do after this date. He didn't feel like heading home, but there were limited places for him to go. The thought briefly crossed his mind that he could go over to Yohji's office and visit, but he snuffed it out before he could really consider it. He didn't want to confuse himself more than what he was already feeling.

"Shuldich-san?" came a soft voice from his right. He quickly looked over to see the woman, Neu, looking at him with some concern. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Shuldich blinked and offered her a confused smile. "I'm fine - Neu, isn't it? Why do you ask?"

"You were looking at the sidewalk like it had just killed your best friend," she said with a smile. Shuldich's own smile grew into a grin. He liked the girl already, if only for the fact that she had an unassuming smile. Unlike some other women, whose names he didn't even want to think, but started with Shern and Hell.

"Shall we go in?" Neu suggested.

Shuldich thought that was a great idea. He was hungry, and the food he had seen on other people's tables looked good. The place was fairly western, with club sandwiches and fries, but also had some traditional Japanese food. Shuldich was in the mood for a club sandwich, and Neu ordered a chicken caesar salad.

As they were waiting for their food, they got into a discussion about the café's choice of foods.

"True, it is strange to have maki or chips offered as a side dish, but it really works for the clientele," Neu said. "I mean, if you think about it, many restaurants limit themselves and their customers by sticking with only one style of food. This way, you can get a coffee and a biscuit, or a more Japanese meal, or a western meal."

"Sure, I see where you're coming from," Shuldich replied, "But the places that specialize in one type of food are often the best for that type of food. By having this variety, you limit yourself not in selection, but in quality."

And so the meal progressed, Shuldich and Neu arguing over different restaurants and the merits of food specialties, while sampling each other's lunches.

"You see?" Neu said after tasting Shuldich's fries, "Those are the best fries I've had in a long time. There's nothing wrong with those, and still there is selection. Nothing is being sacrificed for the goodness of those fries."

To Shuldich, that sounded like a challenge. So, he went about trying to prove her wrong, while she did the same. Ah, the fries were good, but the chicken was burnt in a few places. But charcoal adds to the flavor. But the dressing was too creamy, and had too much garlic. And so on.

They finally had to laughingly agree to disagree, and pay the check. As they walked outside Shuldich smiled. It was overcast, but still nice enough to go for a walk, which he suggested they do. Neu agreed, gesturing to a park that overlooked the ocean a few blocks away.

As they were strolling along in the park, Shuldich realized two things. He was having a really good time with this girl. And she was a lot like Yohji. Both disturbed him to no small degree - if he was liking the woman, how could he break to her that he couldn't see her anymore? Because he couldn't see her. It would mean the loss of the bet, and, more importantly, it would hurt Yohji. The last thought he wouldn't admit even to himself, but the feeling was still there, that this girl was part of the reason Yohji had been so depressed the other day. And some small part of Shuldich, a part that he didn't even let see the light of day, wanted to protect the man he was coming to think of - grudgingly - as a friend.

"Neu," he began, leaning on a banister and looking out to sea. "I… I really like you-"

"Shuldich, I'm sorry," she interrupted, looking down and away, "but I can't become romantically attached to you."

Well. That was a surprise. "Eh?" Shuldich said, confused to find the words taken right out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. It's just that, well, Kudoh-san has already introduced me to the man I want to be with. It's a complicated situation…"

"Do tell," Shuldich said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you see, this man has also gone out with two other girls he likes, and who like him. I've met them recently, and we decided that we could share him, rather than tear him apart trying to choose one of us. But Kudoh-san had already scheduled this date for me, assuming I wouldn't want to get involved in such a sticky situation."

Shuldich grinned at the way things had turned out. It was perfect.

"You're not upset?" Neu asked, looking at his smile in shock.

"Naw," he said, starting to laugh. "I was just about to explain to you why I couldn't see you either."

Now Neu looked surprised. "But this has been a great date-" she started.

"And I've enjoyed myself," Shuldich continued for her, "But it wouldn't work out between us. Our personalities wouldn't mesh right," he said, unconsciously using the intuition he had been gifted with from early childhood.

Neu smiled at his answer. "You're right I think. But I still like you as a person,"

"Great," Shuldich said, spying an ice cream vendor, "You can buy me an ice cream." He caught sight of her raised eyebrow. "To ease my broken heart you know."

She chuckled and led him towards the stand.

++++++++ Later.

Yohji sat in his office, staring up at the ceiling. His computer was humming contentedly to itself in front of him, his work finished for the day. He was trying to decide what to do for his remaining free hours when the phone rang.

"Hello, Yotan's Dating Service Kudoh Yohji speaking how may I help you?"

"Kudoh-san, this is Neu," Said the voice on the other line.

"Ah, Neu-chan," Yohji said, his voice not reflecting the dullness that entered his eyes. "How did the date go?"

"Kudoh-san, I told you before what my decision is. I want to be with Masafumi-san." Yes, she had told that to Yohji. He still thought she was insane, which was why he'd tried to set her up with Shuldich. It was a shame it hadn't worked out, he thought. But inside, he felt a bit of relief, which confused him.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot," He said. "I hope you two had a good time anyway?"

"Yes," she said, he voice warming, "It was a wonderful date. We got along well, but decided that we couldn't see each other romantically."

Yohji was only half listening, wondering at his strange feelings. Thinking back to just a few weeks ago, he knew that he would have done anything in his power to protect this woman who reminded him so much of Asuka. Now though, he was letting her go to one of his `problem' cases, the mad scientist.

"-So then we decided to remain friends, because we share so many interests," Neu was saying.

This was something Yohji was curious about. The red head hadn't given him much in the way of interests, other than quiet and a lack of people. "Oh?" he asked, "What interests do you share Neu-chan?"

"Well, food for one thing," Neu answered, "parks, banter. We got along well, as friends."

Hm, so the red head liked food. That explained why he kept going back to the `Bombay Katzchen'. The banter he had picked up on himself, but the parks… he hadn't pegged Shuldich as the type to like long walks in parks.

"So, when and where will I be meeting with Masafumi?" Neu said, breaking into his musing.

Yohji got back to work, setting up a place and time that all four people could get together - Neu, Hell, Shern and the person who bound them together, Masafumi. Yohji's nose scrunched in distaste, but the man was paying him one hell of alot of money.

After dealing with Neu and getting in touch with the other three members of that little group, Yohji sat back and considered his situation. He only had six days left, but something told him it was enough time. He would solve the mystery that was Shuldich, and he would win this bet if it killed him.

He decided he needed a new outlook on the situation. He picked up the phone and dialed Botan's number.

++++++++

They met at Botan and Ran's apartment a few hours later. Ran was out at work, which meant it was Botan's day to cook - something he didn't like to do much. Yohji leaned against the kitchen table, watching his friend try to chop a cucumber and explaining his current dilemma.

"-So now I only have six days left to get him a date, but I haven't found anyone who really matches his personality other than that most recent date, and that didn't even work out," Yohji rambled, wincing at the uneven chunks of cucumber being produced. "God, stop that. Here," He took the knife and started slicing the vegetable.

Botan grinned, having known that Yohji wouldn't be able to stand someone cooking improperly. It was a trick that worked on both his best friend and his lover - doing things badly enough that they took over. "So what are you going to do about it?" He asked, turning his attention to the problem Yohji had taken to him.

"I'm not sure. I brought his file over, take a look at it would you?" he said, gesturing at the table with the knife.

Botan wandered over and took a look. It was generally against Yohji's policy to let other people look at files, but he made exceptions for Botan, who had helped him on other difficult cases.

Yohji started mixing the salad dressing as Botan silently read over Shuldich's file, going over the information on the man as well as the dating history. Yohji gave a last stir to the pasta boiling on the stove before turning around and sitting, looking at his friend expectantly.

"Yotan. .." Botan said with a slight frown, "Why have you only been setting him up with girls?"

"Eh?"

"Well, all the people you've set him up with have been girls, as well as all the prospective datees you have listed here…"

"And. ..?"

"And, it says right here that the man's bi."

"Whaaaaat?!" Yohji said, getting up and pulling the file towards himself. `Sexual preferences:' it said, `Bi.' "No way. No fucking way." He leaned over and hit his head on the table. "I can't believe I overlooked that. Oh man. That's. ..shit. .." he started banging his head softly on the table.

"Botan," said a calm voice from the kitchen door, "Your friend is going to put a dent in our table. Make him stop."

Botan looked up from his friend to his lover, his eyes lighting up. Ran walked past him to the stove, his hand briefly resting on the others shoulder and caressing the neck as he passed.

"How could I have been so stupid," Yohji was muttering to himself. Botan leveled a measuring stare at his friend. He was surprised at this slip - it was unlike Yohji to make a mistake of this caliber, and even more uncharacteristic when the stakes were so high. Speaking of which…

"Hey Yotan, have you even spoken to Crawford about this?"

Yohji snorted. "Not yet. I didn't think I would lose the bet. But after this, I'm not so sure. .."

"Perhaps now would be a good time to give him a call," Botan said.

"Yeah. .. That's a good idea," Yohji said, a calculating look coming into his eyes. "Hey Botan, you don't think Shuldich and Crawford would hit it off, do you?"

Botan thought it over, looking over the file again before answering. "I don't know. I guess it could work out. They're so different, but someone like Shuldich may be just what Bradley needs. Give him a call and see." He got up to help Ran with dinner, stealing a piece of pasta in the process.

Ran glared. "Don't touch my food," He said.

"Hey, I made most of that!" Botan protested. Yohji coughed from the table, and was given a harsh look from his best friend.

Ran just snorted and went back to mixing the pasta into the sauce, not commenting when Botan's hands sneaked around him, trying to help with the stirring process.

They finally sat down to a quick dinner on Yohji's part, before he left to go to `work'. He felt as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders - he had a plan of action now.

But for some reason, he still felt uneasy about the situation with Shuldich. He tried not to pay it too much attention as he went about gaining more business for himself. It turned out to be a long night.

+++++++ Later that night.

Farfarello approached the exit of the plane, barely managing to keep the sneer off his face when he passed the smiling stewardess. He would have liked to kill the entire flight of people, but knew that was wrong. He had to get somewhere, not be caught and put back into his `home' for the past few years.

He left the airport, catching a cab downtown. He started up a conversation with the cab driver, idly telling him about how much blood a rat produced, how may rats it would take to make the same amount of human blood, what an eyeball looked like when it was torn out... It was the type of information he'd learned at the asylum in Germany. The cab made record time.

Farfarello didn't know exactly where he was going, but knew that if he followed his instincts, he would get to where he needed to be.

But first, he had to replenish his stock of knives. He'd had to sell all of his before getting on the plane, using the money he'd taken from his doctor in the mental ward. Really, they shouldn't have just left the syringe laying there, knowing his history. And it had been the pit of stupidity to keep his knives locked up with his other possessions from when he'd been caught.

And now he was here, in Japan, having followed his instincts, to find the person he needed. He didn't know why he needed this person, just that he was driven to find him.

He looked up to the sky, where that cursed bastard God was looking down, and murmured `his' name.

"Shuldich. .."

++++++++++++++++

Bwahahahaha, enter Farfarello. Tune in next week to find out what happens!