Part Nine:

Ogata was furious, but his bland expression gave nothing away. Besides the palpable tension that the two boys in his company felt, one might have thought that he was just enjoying a smoke. Akira idly watched the rings that were formed from the light puffs, although his mind whirled with thoughts of Waya and Shindo. He wondered what they were doing at this time. It was now almost two hours since their ‘escape’ from the movie theater and once Ogata realized what had happened, his relatively good mood had dissipated rapidly.

He put out the cigarette with a light grunt and peered out of the darkened glass of the limousine. They were on their way back to the hotel and needless to say, the ride was quite uncomfortable. With a muttered curse, he turned back to face the quiet boys sitting across him.

“Are you sure that you do not know where they might have gone?” he asked curtly, and even though the question was put to both of them, Ogata’s cold gaze was fixed solely on Akira.

Ochi was beginning to get irritated. “Sensei...this is the fifth time you have asked us in the last half hour. We’ve told you that we have no idea.”

“You will watch the way you address me, Ochi,” came the icy reply from the older man. He pushed his glasses a bit higher on the bridge of his nose and quirked a brow at the silent 6-Dan.

Akira tried to maintain the staring match, as he shook his head slowly. “I do not know either, Ogata sensei. But they will be back soon. I shouldn’t worry too much about them.”

Ogata gave a small snort and decided not to pursue the issue any further. He would get his answers in due time but for right now, he had to worry about their upcoming matches and what to do with the two boys that always seemed to aggravate him.

~*~*~*~*~

The lady eyed the teenagers with a skeptical glance. They both looked as if they had rolled around in wet grass and the evidence of said grass was everywhere from their hair to their feet. She was aware that they were both getting strange glances from customers and not wanting to draw any more attention she motioned for the man in charge of the men’s department.

“Please follow, Mr. Hanson. He will make sure you are outfitted in our latest wear.” She managed a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she spun around and walked away. The last thing she wanted to deal with was with foreigners especially ones that couldn’t speak English very well and were obvious delinquents.

Hikaru was busy ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over some of the sports jerseys that hung on the racks, his brain already calculating how much these were bound to cost. He never noticed Waya’s scowl or muttered curse at the woman that had now turned her back on them.

“Damn it! She couldn’t even invite us for tea like all the other customers here. Who does she think we are? Poor church rats that can’t afford it?”

Shindo picked out a Laker’s jersey, and holding out the bright yellow and purple shirt against his chest, he chuckled softly at the irritated look on his date’s face. “Oi...you didn’t have to bring us to this posh clothing store. We could have just gone to any other regular one.”

Waya snorted and folded his arms across his chest. He knew that Shindo was right, but being in the mood to please the bleached blond, he had figured that bringing him to this store might have made an even bigger impression. Guess, he was wrong in that assumption. And his hair was now beginning to itch.

“Ah...you both must be my wards for the evening, right?”

The two boys blinked at the grinning, lanky man before them. He looked more like a typical hairdresser, coupled with his long black hair tied in a ponytail and the black ensemble comprising of a body-hugging t-shirt and pants. He grinned at them and bowed slightly.

“If you would both follow me, I will take you to our secret location where only the crème de la crème of society get the royal treatment.”

Both boys gave small ‘whoas’ more to the fact that the man, who hardly looked Japanese, could speak the language quite fluently and with so much ease. They followed, obediently, already wandering what Mr. Hanson had in store for them.

“I just hope it doesn’t cost me to much,” Waya muttered beneath his breath as they stepped into an elevator. “I think this has been the most expensive date I have ever taken any one to.”

Shindo chuckled and wrapped his arms tightly around the pouty-faced boy’s waist and placing a soft kiss on his cheek, he whispered softly. “Arigato, Waya-chan. I am having the best time of my life.”

And blushing to the roots of his red hair, Waya smiled sheepishly, deciding that if Shindo was this happy about the way things were going, then all the money spent was more than worthwhile.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, found both boys sitting in a steam room, with only white towels draped loosely around their waists. Waya grinned to himself and reached for his oversized glass of orange and cherry concoction. He sipped it with a soft sigh of content, before leaning back against the wooden wall of the small room they had been cooped in for the past half-hour or so.

The past two hours had been a whirlwind of activity and they were both thankful for the chance to ‘cool down’ so to speak. Mr. Hanson had seen to it that both boys had been groomed from head to toe. They had been forced to strip out of their soggy suits and were sent into large showers where they had been scrubbed vigorously (Waya had thought at some point that the man taking care of him would have scrubbed his skin right off). Next, had been the facials, pedicures and manicures, which had done more to aggravate the red head. Shindo hadn’t minded much, if anything, he had accepted everything with a winning charm that sent everyone in his charge melting with an eagerness to serve him. Needless to say, Mr. Hanson had seen to it that they were pampered and treated like royalty throughout the evening. After the steam room, there were plans to head out for a soak in the sauna and then possibly a romantic dinner for two.

Waya stole a quick glance at his silent companion. Shindo was sitting across him with his eyes closed. Thanks to the steam, his bangs now lay flat against his forehead and the sides of his face. Sweat coated the pale skin, making it look as it was shimmering in the slightly darkened room. Waya swallowed tightly and struggled to tear his gaze away from going any lower. He was now aware of the light bulge underneath the small piece of cloth around his waist and gaping at Shindo wasn’t going to help release the ache anytime soon.

He gave an unwilling groan as he thought of reaching out to touch the other boy, only to flush as Shindo opened his eyes to stare at him with a look of concern. “Are you okay, Waya? If it’s too hot, we can just tell them to let us out now.”

“Ah...eh...no...no, it’s okay. I was just...wha?” His face darkened even further as Shindo had now moved right next to him. The blond placed a hand against Waya’s forehead and ‘hmmed’. “I can’t really gauge your temperature in here, since it’s already hot. Maybe we should call it a night...that is if you are too tired, Waya.”

“But I’m not!” came the vehement reply, which sent Shindo cringing back a little. Seeing this, Waya placed a hand on the other’s in a desperate move. “Don’t...I...I’m sorry for yelling at you...” he muttered softly. “It’s just that...I’m fine and all I wanted to do was to...” His hands slid a bit higher up Shindo’s arm, feeling the slick sweat coat the palm of his hands as his fingers reached his neck, jaw and then the softly parted lips.

Shindo gave a small sigh and allowed the wandering digits to trace them. His body trembled in anticipation as he, unconsciously, reached for Waya’s waist. As his fingers made contact with the firm flesh, he barely heard the audible gasp, before his lips were caught in a kiss that was nothing like the tentative one they had shared in the baseball park.

This Waya was demanding and more confident. His tongue thrust roughly into Shindo’s mouth, causing the blond to tighten his grip as he tried to respond to the hungry assault. Their minds reeled with sensation as tongues clashed and dueled for supremacy. Moans and soft grunts filled the air as they pressed sweat-slicked bodies to each other as if trying to get into each other’s skins. Waya sank his hands into Shindo’s damp locks and began to push him back onto the bench, never breaking the kiss even as he began to feel the need for air. Hikaru’s eyes were now closed as he allowed himself to be manipulated. He was now stretched out on the bench and barely registered his towel sliding off his hips and down to the ground. It was Waya’s small cry that had him opening his eyes quickly.

He licked his swollen lips and croaked out weakly. “Wha...what is it...? Did...did I do something wrong?”

He held his breath as he watched the conflicting emotions dance across the other boy’s face. Waya gaped openly at the beautiful physique of the naked boy beneath him. His body sang for joy as thoughts of both of them finally becoming one filled his mind. This was the perfect opportunity. Shindo was actually offering himself to be taken. The scenario was too good to be true. The only problem was....

“Get up. We have to go now,” came the harsh whisper as he got off Shindo and tossed the towel back to the other to cover him up again.

Shindo blinked in confusion. Had he done something wrong? Had he been too forward? Did Waya not think he was good enough for...? He sat upright and lowered his lashes, aware of how embarrassed he had become. How could he have assumed that Waya wanted to go all the way with him? So what if they were close friends and had shared a kiss or two, that didn’t mean that he had to act like a slut now, did it? He felt the slow burn of tears at the back of his eyes. He didn’t know which hurt the most. The rejection or the feeling of growing humiliation.

Getting to his feet quickly, he tied the towel around his waist and composed himself quickly. Too distraught at his mistake, he failed to notice Waya’s trembling body or the look of pain and longing that was etched on his features. The silence in the steam room grew thick with tension and both boys couldn’t even bear to look each other in the eye.

Finally after what seemed like eons, Shindo muttered out a bit coldly, “I think we should be going now. Ogata-sensei is sure to worry about us.”

Waya looked like he was about to say something, but seeing the look on Shindo’s face, had him nodding slowly. “Yeah...we should be heading back...”

Shindo spun around and began to make his way towards the door. “I will just go find Mr. Hanson and tell him that we are ready to leave.”

Waya couldn’t even find the words to respond. And as Shindo left the room, he buried his face in his hands and realized, with growing dismay, that he was slowly losing the fight to win the other boy’s heart.

~*~*~*~*~

Mr. Hanson was loath to see them go and he tried to make them stay for the dinner that had been prepared for them. But with vehement denies to accept the meal, the older man finally gave in.

“I must say, it has been a pleasure to serve you both this evening. And please, tonight was on me, so you do not have to pay a thing.”

It was only as they stepped into the limousine, were they told that Mr. Hanson was actually the owner of the large clothing store, salon and spa they had just visited. And as if their shock wasn’t enough, the kind-hearted man had loaded the trunk with tons of free clothes and accessories. In ordinary circumstances, the boys would have ransacked the goodies with happy laughter, but now, they could only sit and stare gloomily out of the window, each lost in their own thoughts.

The hotel came into view and both gave inward sighs of relief as the long drive was finally over. With the help of the limousine driver, they carried as much of the bags as they could up to their hotel room.

“Here you go,” Waya said with a small smile as he handed out the generous tip to the him. “Thank you for helping us out this evening.”

“No problem, sir. The pleasure was all mine. If you ever need me for anything else, I will be more than willing to help you out. Oyasumi!”

“Night!” They watched him step back into the elevator and, soon enough, both boys now stood alone in the relatively quiet lobby. Waya bit his lower lip as he watched Shindo try to find the right card to slide through the door. He wanted to tell Hikaru his reason for stopping, but he was too ashamed to say it and he didn’t want to be laughed at either. For all his bravado, Waya was still a virgin and he had never actually been with a guy before. Well, Isumi (his former Insei partner and still very good friend) had almost taken him about a year ago, but the redhead had stopped because of cold feet. And now, he was doing the very same thing to Shindo.

“Are you coming in or not?” Came the weary question from the blonde. He still wasn’t looking directly at Waya’s face and that hurt the redhead to no end.

“Shindo...” He faltered as his voice seemed choked up with emotion. He couldn’t lose to Touya! He just couldn’t!

“What is it, Waya?” Was that a faint trace of hope in Hikaru’s voice? Waya couldn’t tell because a familiar soft voice, suddenly, broke into their conversation.

“You two are finally back. How did it go?”

Waya and Shindo spun around to glance at the dark-haired boy, who stood in the middle of the living room with a book in his hands. He had a small smile on his face and a, seemingly, innocent look that had Waya clenching his hands into tight fists.

He is laughing at me. I just know that he is laughing at me...wha...?

At first the feel of the warm lips against his, didn’t register in his confused brain and he could only stand immobile for several seconds, not wanting to believe that it was real. But, there it was, Shindo was kissing him in front of Touya. Did it mean that he wasn’t upset with the redhead? Did it mean that Shindo was willing to give him a second chance?

His answers were not going to be answered, for as soon as he parted his lips to respond, Hikaru pulled back with a cold smile on his lips. He picked up his bags and bowed slightly to Akira. “It was a wonderful date, Touya,” he said softly. “I had a good time. Perhaps you should let him take you on one next time, ne?”

Touya blinked in confusion as he watched Hikaru walk into his bedroom and close the door, a bit too loudly, behind him. Waya gave a small sigh and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that something wasn’t right. Akira wasn’t sure if he ought to celebrate or feel sorry for the redhead. He really did look as if he had been pole-axed and pretty badly too.

“Waya...”

“It’s okay, Touya,” came the pained whisper. “Have fun with him. I guess I blew my chance with my stupid, silly, mistake. I am such a...a...fool!”

“Waya...?”

But he got no answer from the redhead, for the agitated boy had walked into the den and had locked himself away for the night it seemed.

Akira stood immobile for several minutes, not really sure of what to make from what he had just witnessed. What could have happened between the two boys that had left earlier with happy expressions on their faces? Was Hikaru really that hard to woo? If Waya hadn’t succeeded...then what chance in hell did he have?

He placed a hand upon his pounding chest and sat down heavily on the couch. Perhaps...perhaps Hikaru had found out their plan to seduce him after all? Yeah, that had to be it! Hikaru had found out and was upset and now Akira knew without a doubt that he would have to work twice as hard to convince Shindo that he really did have strong feelings for him.

I am better than Waya. He thought with a look of determination on his handsome features as he got to his feet. And pinning blazing green eyes on the bedroom door that held his future conquest, he whispered harshly.

“Shindo. I don’t know what happened tonight with Waya, but I will prove to you that I am the one you should be with.”