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Chapter Three

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Shuichi kicked at a bit of loose gravel lining the sides of the path through the park. He didn't do it to make a mess, it was just a bad habit he had. He tended to do silly things like the when his mind was occupied with other matters. Like this Nagi kid. No-one should ever have to feel alone. He grinned then. At least this was something he was good at, making friends.

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Nagi slowed his walk down to a reasonable pace once he neared the bench he'd sat on earlier with Shuichi. It was odd, this feeling he got whenever he thought of the other youth. Nagi found it hard to believe that Shuichi was four years older than him, the pink-haired singer could have passed for his age easily.

"Oi! Nagi-kun!"

Nagi looked up at the shout. Shuichi was standing by the bench, his arms waving madly at the assassin. The bright orange of his jacket was highlighted by the lamp-post he was next to.

"Shuichi."

Shuichi smiled, his hand taking Nagi's arm to guide the boy. "Do you live nearby? That was pretty fast."

"Aa. Just a few blocks away"

"Cool. C'mon, I know the perfect place to go. Do you like coffee?"

Nagi nodded. "Yeah."

"What school do you go to?" Shuichi asked curiously, "I didn't recognise the uniform."

"I'm in-between at the moment. We only just moved back into the area."

"So what do you do during the day?" Shuichi asked, linking his arm with Nagi's. Both boys were the same height and size, so their walk was comfortable.

"Sometime I go for a walk, but usually I go on my computer." The brunette did a small half shrug, "I don't really do much of anything." That was true enough. Unless they had a mission there wasn't much for Nagi to do. He was trained in martial arts, and he practiced occasionally, but since his telekinesis was used rather than his body during fights, he didn't really pay much heed to his routines.

Shuichi scrunched up his face, making him look even younger. "Isn't that boring?"

"Sometimes."

There were a few minutes of silence before Shuichi spoke again.

"Ne, Nagi? Would you like to come to the studio with me tomorrow. I could meet you in the park in the morning. I can't promise you won't be bored, but the rest of the guys are pretty cool. We're going to be rehearsing for our next concert, now that our album has been recorded. You can leave at any time if you don't like it." Shuichi's large violet eyes were pleading.

"Come with you?" Nagi was shocked. He swallowed a couple of times, trying to dislodge the sudden lump in his throat. "I..." Nagi smiled then, a real smile. It was only small, not much more than a curve at the corners of his lips, but Shuichi seemed to sense how rare it was. "Thank you. I will."

"Great!" Shuichi turned a blinding smile back on the younger boy and Nagi's breath caught at the beauty of such a simple emotion.

Shuichi brought them them to a small cafe. It was brightly lit outside with lots of neon coloured lights, but the inside was dim and comfy. "They have the best ice cream in Tokyo." Shuichi confided to Nagi. Somehow, Nagi felt that it was very unlikely, seeing as he'd eaten in some of the best places Tokyo had to offer. But he nodded anyway and joined Shuichi at the counter.

"Nagi? Which flavours do you want?"

The array of flavours was astounding and the combinations endless. For a second, Nagi floundered. "Um, chocolate?"

Shuichi gaped at him. "That's all?"

Nagi looked away, embarrassed. He wasn't good at social interaction. There weren't any parameters to play within, no clear boundaries within which he could let go. Even with Weiss, the rules were clear. But when it came to simply talking, Nagi was at a loss.

"Tell you what," Shuichi decided, "why don't we put together three of your favourite flavours?"

"Chocolate, cherry...and, er, brandy."

"Okay." Shuichi turned to the girl smiling at him on the other side of the counter. Her uniform an odd mixture of sombre black and hot pink. Weird, but suitable for the shop. "Can I have one 'Fantasie' with chocolate, cherry and brandy, and, uh, one 'Mindbender' with strawberry, white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate?"

"Drinks?"

"Two coffees with everything."

The girl nodded and jotted everything down, she handed them a numbered card and left.

"So I'll meet you at eight?" Shuichi asked once they were seated. The number place in it's holder.

"Aa."

"You'll love it!" Shuichi assured Nagi, wanting the other boy to enjoy himself.

The ice creams were eaten in relative silence, Nagi concentrating on eating the treat. Shuichi had been right, this tiny place served the most delectable ice cream imaginable.

"Ano, Shuichi?" Nagi asked, laying his spoon in the empty bowl.

"Aa?"

Nagi looked at the singer intently, his vulpine eyes assessing. "Why? Why are you trying to be friends with me? You're a famous singer, your band is Japan's hottest news. I'm just someone you bumped into, there's nothing you could possibly want from me," Nagi left out other than the obvious, but that was because he doubted that Shuichi was doing this for sex, he just didn't seem aware of that, "so why this?" He waved one boyishly slim hand at the room, encompassing the interior of the cafe.

Shuichi's astonished gaze met his own questioning one. He pointed to himself. "Oro...? Me? Want something?"

Nagi just held his stare unflinching as Shuichi blinked repeatedly, seeming to be in distress. "Nagi..."

Tilting his head a fraction, Nagi squared his delicate jaw.

Shuichi looked down, shoulders hunched towards his body in an automatic defensive maneuver, they started to shake slightly a moment later.

"Shuichi?"

The face that met Nagi's was sorrowful, tears glistened at the corners of his violet eyes.

"You really mean that, don't you?"

Nagi looked uncomfortable, shifting himself on his seat opposite Shuichi. He couldn't seem to meet that heartfelt, if a bit sad, face. "Aa."

"What kind of childhood did you have if you believe that the only reason someone would want to be your friend would be if they had an ulterior motive? Who has hurt you so badly that you could only expect the worst from people?" Shuichi whispered, but Nagi could hear every word. Shuichi stood then, he held his hand to the other boy who stared at it hesitantly.

"Ano..."

"C'mon," Shuichi urged, "it's okay, I have something to show you."

Nagi took Shuichi's hand, walking beside him in silence as the older youth pulled him along. Where he was going, Nagi had no idea. Shuichi stopped at the top of a hill overlooking the part of town they were in, a metal railing there to stop walkers slipping. Shuichi tugged Nagi over to it, finally releasing the other's hand to lean against the rail.

"What do you see?" Shuichi asked, gazing out into the light-speckled darkness.

Nagi looked down at the lights. "A lot of electricity being used?"

Shuichi shook his head. "Look again. Isn't it pretty? I can see that we're not alone, that behind each light is a person, most of them will be strangers...some of them I'll probably never know, but they are there. Every one of them is a possible friend, each person with their own dreams, their own hopes, their own potential."

"And what about the ones that have no lights? The ones in the darkness? What of them?" Nagi asked quietly.

"I guess those are the ones who need to be reminded that there's always a light out there for them." Shuichi said, his tone soft. "And you Nagi? Are you one of the ones that need a light?"

"I...I don't know. Sometimes the light can be harsh, unforgiving. The darkness can be equally beautiful."

"But is it any easier to live in?" Shuichi asked mildly.

"Sometimes the darkness is all we have."

"Are you sure?"

"I've got to go." Nagi turned away, unwilling to face the sincerity in Shuichi's eyes.

"Nagi...?"

The brunette paused, his back still to Shuichi.

"I'll wait for you."

Nagi gave him a curt nod, walking away down the path swiftly.

Shuichi turned back to the lights, resting his chin on the rail. He sighed once before leaving in the other direction back to Yuki.

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"Where the hell have you been?"

Shuichi looked up as he shut the door, shocked at the anger mingled with worry in Yuki's voice.

"Ano..."

The blonde looked distinctly ruffled, the top buttons of his shirt were open, a lit cigarette in one hand, his cell phone in the other. "K called. Apparently you'd left the studio at eight, but you'd left your bag behind. That was three hours ago!" He lifted a hand to run it through his hair in agitation, looked at the cigarette and changed his mind, stubbing it out on the closest ashtray.

"I rang Hiro, he hadn't seen you. Fujisaki, Sakano...I even rang my idiot brother to find out if you'd rung him." Yuki's voice got harder as he progressed and Shuichi shrank at the dark menace it contained. "So...where the hell have you been?"

"Ano...Yuki, if I'd known you'd worry, I would have been home sooner. I didn't think you'd notice." Shuichi explained

A pang of guilt hit Yuki square in the gut, halting him immediately. It was true, if K hadn't rung him he would never have noticed that Shuichi hadn't been home. He signed tiredly. "Next time ring, okay?" It was the closest to an apology that Shuichi was going to get, but to Shuichi it was more than he was used to.

"Hai. I will Yuki."

"Where have you been?" Yuki asked once they had both seated themselves on the long 'L' shaped sofa.

"I knocked over a kid this morning when I was late and I gave him my number to ring so I'd know he was okay, then I took his out for an ice cream 'cos he was lonely." Shuichi smiled, cuddling closer to Yuki, laying his head on the other's lap. "I think he was lonely. He kinda reminds me of you."

At Yuki's lifted brow Shuichi continued. "He had that look in his eyes, the same kind of one you get when you remember something bad. I wanted to make him not so sad."

Yuki's golden eyes softened fractionally. He ran a hand through Shuichi's petal-soft hair. "Did it work?"

"I don't know." Shuichi sat up then, excitement pouring off him in waves. "I invited him to come to the studio with me tomorrow to cheer him up."

"Is that wise?" Yuki said, frowning.

Shuichi shrugged, lying back down on Yuki's lap. "I don't think he's the type to do anything for attention, Nagi, that's his name, doesn't seem to like people very much, or like to have people notice him. He's very quiet."

"I see." Yuki stood, dislodging the smaller boy. He walked away, pausing at the door to gaze at Shuichi through heavy-lidded eyes. "Coming?" He asked with a smirk.

Shuichi beamed, leaping off the couch to follow his lover to the bedroom.

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Tbc

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