Gemstone Eyes

A/N - Hai, hai...I know...about damn time, ne? Well I got very bogged down. The show opens on Thursday, so YAY! After that my evenings will be free again...and between that and my birthday (which was last Wednesday..) and papers and other such school related beasties...**Sigh** You know where this is going. None of you are stupid. But as a reward, I have a long update for you today!!! I *will* warn you...it cuts off in a bad place, so if you\'d rather not read until the next update, I cannot blame you. And yes...the next chapter will finally be the lemon you\'ve all been waiting for. But I can\'t predict when it will be posted. Definitely not until after the play is done, I can promise you that. So I don\'t blame you if you choose to wait, though I hope a few of you are brave enough to deal with the evil cliffhanger! Gah! :) Well without any further dithering...enjoy!
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“Ran!” The redhead shivered beneath him again, hands tightening on his ass and pulling him down hard again. Yohji sucked in a breath and claimed those full lips again in a hard, fiery kiss. He couldn’t afford to try and take much more of this. If Aya didn’t stop tempting him, he’d go too far, try for too much before his Ran was ready for it. With a barely stifled cry, Yohji lifted himself up and rolled to the side, quickly heaving himself off of the bed and out of Aya’s reach.

And reach for him the Weiss leader did. Aya let out a cry of his own when the source of his body’s pleasure stopped, and tried in vain to grasp Yohji and bring him back. But the blonde was already up and backing away. Aya rolled onto his stomach with a wince and a shuddering groan and shot a frustrated glare up at his lover. The elder let out a shuddering laugh, slumping against the wall heavily and blowing a sigh.

“Ran….Migoto…if that hadn’t stopped, it would have gone too far. I have no desire to force you into anything before you are ready. And besides…” he looked at the clock on his dresser, “we now only have forty-five minutes to take showers and get ready to go eat. And I am hungry.” He nearly pouted, but stopped himself and grinned crookedly instead.

Despite the annoyance that Aya felt at their play being interrupted, he felt a surge of affection towards the playboy when he spoke of his desire to not go further than the pale man himself wanted to go. When his own stomach growled, forcing him to acknowledge his own hunger, his frustration vanished, and he hoisted himself up off the bed, gifting Yohji with a small, soft smile. “Hai..I’m hungry too.”

Yohji was struck speechless by the radiance in front of him that was his beloved smiling. It was a small smile by comparison to any of Yohji’s or even Ken’s, closed-lipped with only the barest up-turn of the corners of that full mouth, but those lilac eyes mirrored it, and Yohji felt weak-kneed. He reached out, pulling his Ran into a snug embrace, and his heart leapt when he felt it returned. Then Aya whispered in his ear softly.

“We could save time and shower together…” Yohji pushed the man from him, raising a hand to touch his forehead.

“Ran, are you feeling alright? I could swear you just came onto me…” A faint blush tainted Aya’s creamy skin, and he pulled away, embarrassed.

“Knock it off, Yohji.” The taller man touched his arm and Aya turned, seeing the good-natured grin on that radiant face. His eyes softened and he grasped Yohji’s hand in his own.

“If its all the same to you, koibito…” Yohji began, “I think I’ll go ahead and shower alone, because I know that if I step naked into a confined place where you are also naked, it will certainly not save time.” He smirked and turned his back on a blushing Aya to grab his towel and exit the room, headed for the bathroom. From down the hall came Omi’s teasing bellow.

“Half an hour, Yohji-kun!!”



Despite Yohji’s primping, they did manage to make their reservation. Dinner had been a wonderful excursion, a perfect mix of relaxation and eating. True to his ideas, Omi had used part of the time to pester Aya and Yohji about the sudden change in their relationship. The eldest assassin bore it playfully, teasing Omi in turn and causing the poor boy to turn every shade of pink or red ever invented in the course of their meal. Aya was rather quiet the entire time, choosing not to give in to the younger blonde’s not-so-subtle questions. But underneath the table, his hand was locked with Yohji’s, and every once in awhile, they’d catch each other’s eyes and smile.



The four assassins arrived home a few hours later, happy and content. Some were happier than others, and Yohji was belting out disturbingly slurred lyrics to a gaudy American drinking song from his position slung around Aya. Said redhead was glowering at him, but his eyes were soft, and even amused as he listened to his lover butcher the song. Ken was tipsy, although not as trashed as Yohji was. The minute they stepped back into the house, he had Omi pushed against the wall and was kissing him breathless. The younger blonde made a noise and pushed him away.

“You taste like beer.” Omi made another disgusted sound and grinned, pushing the inebriated boy off of him. Stepping toward the table, his eyes fell upon the manila envelope that had been placed there. “Oh no…” He calculated the days in his head. He had lost track, so much had happened. It was Saturday. Their last day of freedom; as of tomorrow, they were Weiss again.

“Omi?” Aya had propped a still slurring Yohji against the wall and came over to where the hacker stood. He saw the envelope, and his eyes narrowed. The archer turned to look up at him, sorrow in his eyes, and Aya’s already melting heart wrenched. He reached out a gentle hand and rested it on the boy’s shoulder, knowing his own eyes reflected that pain.

“Aya? Ommmii~?” Ken slurred slightly, walking over and hooking his arms around both pairs of shoulders. He hung in between them, unnoticing of the glare Aya leveled at the muscled arm around his shoulders, and glared blearily at the envelope. “Mmmanx was here.”

That was enough to shift Yohji. A second later he was at the table as well. Leaning against it heavily, but his eyes were clearer and his manner distinctly more sober. “Manx?” He lifted the envelope from the table, exposing a slim white letter underneath it. Aya snatched it up and away from Ken’s grabbing hand and unfolded it.


“Omi, Aya, Yohji, and Ken;
While I can hardly blame you for wanting to enjoy the freedom of your last night off, its quite impractical for a girl to get all dressed up and come over to visit, only to find there are no men around to impress. Not even Yohji. Rest assured, I will be back tomorrow to discuss with you the contents of these case files which I suggest you open and look over. Luckily you have the entire day tomorrow to finish the planning and research we have done in your stead. Expect a mission Monday night, those of you who choose to accept this one. I’ll see you all tomorrow.
-Manx”


Aya’s deep voice faded away and left four very somber assassins in its wake. Omi looked on the verge of tears, Ken glared balefully at the manila envelope in Yohji’s hands, Yohji was staring pointedly at a spot on the wall, hands shaking, and Aya closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. This week of being normal that he hadn’t even wanted in the first place, was at its end. ‘Too soon!’ His mind was crying. ‘Its too soon! You’ve just now found happiness! Who are they to take it away from you now?!’ Sighing, Aya pushed the voice back. It was time to become Weiss again. But as his eyes roved over the other three assassins, he realized that things could never again be as they were. They could never again be the team they had previously been. Too much had changed. Even now Omi was in Ken’s arms, crying softly while the brunette stroked his hair. He looked over at Yohji and met disturbingly sober emerald eyes watching him softly. There was a wariness in those eyes, and a guarded quality that made Aya’s heart pound painfully.


Yohji listened as Aya’s voice dropped away, his eyes watching the minute play of emotions over the gorgeous face. He watched as those full lips thinned and settled into a grim line, and Aya’s dark lashes closed over his eyes. The eldest Weiss was distracted then by a soft, choked sound coming from his right, and he turned and watched Ken pull Omi against him gently. The hacker’s shoulders shook lightly as Ken’s fingers sifted through his hair. Looking back at his beloved Ran, Yohji realized that after this too-short week, things could never be the same. Their relationships with each other and as a team had changed too drastically for them to go back to normal. Doubt suddenly clouded Yohji’s mind as he watched the redhead. Or had they? What would Aya do?



As Aya finished reading the letter, Ken’s eyes wandered to the floor. His brain was still fogged with alcohol, but the gist of the letter was clear to him. They were out of time. This reprieve was over. His eyes flicked up to Omi before he could stop them, and he saw tears in the big sea-blue eyes that met his own coffee stare. His heart contracted painfully at the utter horror on his partner’s face. Holding out his arms, Ken couldn’t help but wonder at what would happen when they had to return to their lives as Weiss. He knew Omi, who was now burrowing into his arms, too well to believe that the young blonde might try and break things off and sacrifice his own happiness. He reached up gentle fingers to sift through the archer’s hair, whispering soothing endearments into his ears. Omi and he couldn’t part after this week, and Omi wouldn’t expect them to. He wasn’t nearly as cold-hearted or emotionless as..Ken bit his lip and looked at the stoic swordsman out of the corner of his eye.


Before the letter was even read, Omi felt tears pricking at his eyes. He barely listened to the words. Didn’t need to. He already knew what they meant, and he was already plotting. There was no way on earth…for as long as he was alive and breathing, that he was letting Ken go. He’d fight first, until he died. Life without his lover beside him could only be cruel and painful. His world contracted until it was just he and Ken, and his head turned to look at the other boy. There was a fatalistic look on Ken’s face that broke the control the youngest assassin had over his emotions. He watched, in somewhat detached horror, as his vision blurred with tears. When Ken turned to look at him, he was swept back into his own body, which cried out to be in the arms that his beloved opened to him. There was no will in him to be ashamed of his tears, or fight the need for comfort. He rushed into the warm arms and burrowed close against the strong body he had come to know so well this past week. This week. Now that they were poised at the precipice that was the end of that heaven, the past seven days seemed to be both an entirely separate lifetime, and only a miniscule second in this one. He felt Ken’s fingers brush through his hair and heard that wonderful soft voice whisper in his ear. The sobs that he hadn’t even noticed ripping from his throat began to quiet and lessen. They’d survive, and work it out. Omi’s mind kicked back in and the wheels began to turn. After all, it wasn’t so much impractical as a different kind of practicality….

Ken tilted Omi’s face up to see him as the crying came to a sighing stop. The eyes that met his were determined and calculating, and Ken felt a smirk spread across his face before he leaned down and brushed his lips across Omi’s soft ones. “I love you.” Omi grinned shakily up at him and kissed him again.


Aya’s eyes locked with Yohji’s and the redhead was disturbed by the fact that he couldn’t look away. As drunk as the playboy had been acting, those verdant orbs had no right to be that crystal clear. Clear, piercing, and…guarded; Aya had never known a time when Yohji’s eyes had been shuttered to him. Even through everything with Asuka and Neu, they’d shown his anguish. Whatever it was that Yohji was hiding so well this time was surely monumental. The swordsman was distracted by his pondering by its subject’s voice, soft and forcibly calm.

“What are we going to do?” Every eye turned to look at Yohji when he spoke. The eldest Weiss slowly turned to look at them all. His gaze locked with Omi’s, fierce and determined, and the smaller blonde nodded his head grimly. Yohji’s eyes alighted on Ken next, the chocolate gaze confident and optimistic. Ken winked at him, and Yohji almost smiled. Then all their gazes turned to Aya.

The porcelain-skinned assassin regarded the paper in his hands. “We’re going to do our job.” He turned his glittering stare on all of his teammates. Omi and Ken had their arms wrapped around each other, and the defiant look in the archer’s eyes dared Aya to say something. When Aya saw Ken’s eyes dart at Yohji his own followed. The lanky playboy was leaning heavily against the wall again, eyes shut and a carefully blank look on his face. Aya’s brow furrowed, confused. “Yohji, you don’t have to accept the mission. That’s always been the way--”

“Aya-kun!” Omi hissed at him. The redhead whipped around and looked at him. Omi was scowling, a rare look in and of itself, his oceanic eyes narrowed in frustration. Aya blinked, taken aback at the ferocity of the glare. The boy truly had learned too much from him. He took in the sight of Omi and Ken together that had become such a normal picture. Even when he had been doing his best to ignore everything around him, he had noticed their increasingly domestic presence around the shop and the apartment. The longer he looked at them, the more aware he was of the emptiness at his own side. He looked over at Yohji, and suddenly it clicked. Yohji’s guarded eyes and blank face, Omi and Ken obviously clinging to each other…he had been so numbed by the fact that they had to become Weiss again, that he had forgotten why he didn’t want to.

Yohji was really not too surprised when he found himself with an armful of Aya. Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes and regarded Aya’s violet ones staring at him. Strong, pale arms wrapped around his chest as he locked gazes with the man he still expected to end their relationship. A good-bye – sorry-it-couldn’t-last hug wasn’t something Yohji was any stranger to. What he was surprised by was the fire in those amethyst depths. Aya pushed up and claimed his lips possessively, pinning Yohji against the wall. Confusion warred with lust and alcohol, but the jolt of Manx’s letter had sobered Yohji up to the point where confusion won and he pulled away from Aya’s persistent lips.

“Aya stop. If you’re trying to make this easier you’re failing miserably.” At the sound of his own voice, Yohji’s brows rose. He hadn’t had a tone quite that jaded and bitter since these three men had gotten him over killing Neu. He ripped his eyes away from Aya’s and looked at the floor. This was going to be harder than that. He might never get over this fleeting bit of happiness that Weiss had torn from his soul. A gentle hand touched his jaw and firmly guided him to look back at the source of his pain. Aya’s face was grim and determined, causing Yohji’s heart to sink even further. But the slender man’s words gave him pause.

“I told you before, Yohji. I’d be foolish to pretend this never happened, “ Aya murmured quietly, quoting himself. “Or to not give this a chance.” He stroked Yohji’s jaw softly. “I said then that this was not a game. I meant it. I won’t just quit.” His voice was as determined as his eyes. “Omi and Ken made the decision to stay together. I wasn’t aware there was a decision to be made.” His arms tightened. “We’ll get through, Yohji. I can’t give this up.” He tilted his face up as Yohji wordlessly leaned down to kiss him, relief shining in his emerald eyes.



Omi nudged Ken and jerked his head toward the stairs. Ken nodded and the two of them padded up to Omi’s room, closing the door and giving the older assassins some privacy. Sighing, the youngest Weiss sat on his bed, kicking his feet. “Well, that was interesting.” Ken sat beside him, and Omi looked over at him, smiling, then rested his head on his lover’s shoulder.

The ex-goalie stroked the silky blonde hair and grinned. “I think it went rather well, actually.” The grin widened and became rather wicked. “Maybe I should stay up here tonight…so they won’t have to worry about keeping us up.” Omi giggled and swatted at him.

“You just mean so you don’t have to worry about keeping them up.” Omi teased. But his expression changed at the look in Ken’s eyes. The hacker looked surprised. “Koishii…you..really think they’ll…tonight?” He frowned and looked at the floor. “That seems really quick…itai!” He jumped as Ken poked him in the ribs. “What was that for??” Ken grinned at him.

“We didn’t wait all that long, either.” Omi had the grace to blush at the statement, pinching Ken in the arm and beaming innocently up at him when his lover let out a yelp. The chocolate-haired boy looked at him nervously, and Omi giggled. Eyes wide, Ken raised his hands in front of himself in a defensive gesture just as Omi growled playfully and pounced. “Omi!!”



Yohji pulled the shorter man close, resting his chin on the top of Aya’s crimson head. “Ran, are you sure about this? It won’t be easy, hiding this from Kritiker. They may be lenient on Omi and Ken, given who the chibi is, but—“ Aya pulled back and placed a finger over Yohji’s lips. Green eyes widened, and Aya smiled again, that small, soft barely-there lift of his lips.

“Shut up, Yohji.” Aya’s face fell into a more serious expression. “Kritiker cannot stop us. They need us too much. They owe us too much.” The lilac eyes hardened and Aya’s arms tightened again. “I will not let you go.”

Yohji’s heart fluttered, his own arms tightening. “I want this, Ran. I want this bad. That’s why I’m worried. If they split us up, separated us, I don’t know how I’d make myself sane again.” He leaned down, nuzzling the pink shell of one ear. “I love you, Ran.” He pressed a soft kiss to Aya’s lips, setting a chain of events in motion that both men were powerless to stop.

TBC....
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Well congratulations on reading it!!!!! Yay you!!! Now leave me a review and tell me how badly this cliffhanger SUCKS! Because I know it does, but its an excuse to tell you to leave me a review!! Oh...and it was my birthday. hee.

~Tareacel