Eiri looked up slowly from his computer, the fluorescent glow from the screen reflecting across his glasses. Ignoring the loud youth that just bounded into his home he turned his attention back to his writing.

“Yuki! Yuki! Where are you Yuki?!” He could hear Shuichi searching through the house; well rummaging was more like it. The possibility of that boy being quiet was about as likely as him buying a clown mask and joining a circus. Not going to happen. Taking a sip of his now lukewarm beer he settled back and searched his drawers for a packet of cigarettes.

The draws in his desk were empty, he patted his pockets for something, anything he could smoke. Damn he got irritated when he couldn’t find anything to smoke. He was about to stand up and search his trouser pockets when Eiri heard the door to his study creak open slowly. He glanced towards the doorway only to see Shuichi grinning madly waving a pack of cigarettes.

“Yuki, there you are! I bought you some cigarettes on my way home from the studio, I knew you would be out. He bounced towards Eiri and pecked him on the cheek.

Eiri glared sharply at him.

“Baka,” He growled and, snatching the packet from his fingers, he flopped onto his office chair, lit a cigarette and took a much needed drag. Blowing smoke out slowly he looked at Shuichi who was hopping from foot to foot excitedly. Eiri leant back in his chair, listening to the satisfying sound the imitation leather made as he stretched out his legs. Shuichi had stopped hopping now and was swinging slightly on the back of Yuki’s chair.

Eiri rolled his arms, trying to alleviate the tightness building up in his shoulders. He didn’t notice Shuichi sigh and tentatively reach down to touch his neck. Eiri’s eyes snapped open suddenly as he felt Shuichi’s gentle hands leisurely rub and knead the tension from his shoulders.

“Yuki, you’re so tense didn’t I tell you to take it easy?” Shuichi sighed. Eiri could feel his breath close to his ear, his ticklish ear. Spinning around quickly he swatted at Shuichi’s hands making the youth stumble backwards in surprise.

“Oh, heh, heh, sorry Yuki I forgot that was your ticklish ear” Shuichi laughed. Eiri glared at him.

“What do you want baka? I’m trying to write,” Eiri snapped. Shuichi bowed his head and twisted his hands guiltily behind his back. Eiri eyed him warily; suspicious at the boy’s sudden silence.

“Well...what is it? I don’t have all day.” And with that Eiri turned in his chair and went back to staring at his monitor, his cigarette hanging precariously from his fingers.

“Umm...well, Yuki...I...aww, hell” Shuichi took a sudden deep breath. “Well K came in the studio this morning and he was very excited about something and we all had to listen and he was waving a letter in his hand and he told us that he was taking us to work in America like he took Ryuichi and that it was going to be great and...” he trailed off as Yuki sat looking at him with a frown firmly embedded on his face. “What is it Yuki?” the youth asked, knowing full well why the blond was looking at him that way.

“Could you repeat that last bit please.”

“K’s taking Bad Luck to work in America?” Shuichi looked nervous but Yuki just turned away again and stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray.

“Thank you, I was so preoccupied with watching you turn blue that I didn’t hear.”

Shuichi could hear the clacking of the keys as Yuki started writing again. He frowned and scratched his head in confusion. He walked round from his position behind Eiri’s chair to stand in front of his desk.

“But...but Yuki I’m going to America...”

“Good for you” The blond didn’t even look up.

“It could be for years Yuki, is that all you can say?”

“Yes.”

Shuichi was getting irritated now. He placed his hands firmly on Yuki’s desk.

“For a writer you have a very limited vocabulary.”

“I only use words you can understand baka, now leave me alone.” Yuki looked up, his face was emotionless. Shuichi stepped back a worried look shadowed the boy’s features.

“But...Yuki” The boy’s voice was quiet as he looked questioningly at the blondes face.

“I said. Get. Out!” Yuki stood sharply, slamming the lid of his laptop closed and glared viciously at Shuichi, who was now backing away warily. At the sound of Yuki’s scuffling movements to get out from behind his desk Shuichi retreated out of the door and hastily slammed it closed. Yuki growled and sat back down, flipping open the top of his computer and began his writing once more.

He couldn’t hear nor see the small boy sitting on the floor outside his study, tears filling his eyes as he ran his fingers through his flamingo pink hair. Shuichi closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door.

You should have expected it from Yuki, Yuki the cold, Yuki the heartless, Yuki the bastard, Yuki the cold-hearted bastard. He’s right you are a baka, He berated himself savagely for even telling Yuki and banged his head against the wooden door, the dull thuds resonating through his skull. The tears streamed down his face as the young boy cried silently.

He was about to stand up and run into his room when he heard a noise coming from behind the door, he barley had time to register before he was lying on his back staring up the most gorgeous pair of golden eyes he had ever seen. He stared at them often, but only when he thought the blond owner of these eyes wasn’t looking. Yuki looked down at him with an irritated look on his face, not even moving to help Shuichi up off the floor.

“What are you doing baka?”

Shuichi glared at Eiri from his position on the floor and scrambled to his feet.

“What do you care? I’m just a baka right, you don’t care about stupid Shuichi, oh no he doesn’t matter, let him go to America if he wants, I’ll get some piece and quiet at last.” Yuki walked straight past him on his way to the kitchen.

“You’re rambling.”

Shuichi clenched his fists tightly, his hands visibly shaking with rage. Yuki stood silently in the small kitchen pouring out a cup of coffee, gently sifting the leaves, apparently oblivious to Shuichi’s distress, his face unreadable. Shuichi stalked over to the counter and placed his hands firmly on the polished surface. Yuki turned with his coffee and started to make his way back to his study, Shuichi stood firmly in his way, barring the doorway.

Yuki’s voice was low as he assessed the young boy.

“Out of my way Shindou, or would you prefer I remove you my self?” Yuki took a sip of his coffee and waited for Shuichi to remove himself from his path. The boy didn’t even flinch, he looked directly into the Yuki’s eyes and lashed out, sending the cup and it’s contents crashing to the floor. Yuki just watched at the dark stain now seeping into his carpet and the spots of the liquid fleck across his bare feet.

“Damnit Eiri don’t be like this! Don’t you even care?” Shuichi started shouting at Yuki, his arms making wild gestures in the air. Yuki’s head was bowed, the hand holding the saucer hanging by his side.

“What do you want me to do about it?” His voice was so quiet Shuichi was even sure he had heard him.

“Huh...Wha?”

CRASH!! The saucer went sailing through the air and smashed against the opposite wall. Shuichi looked at Yuki in surprise. Eiri looked up through his bangs, golden eyes blazing at Shuichi.

“I said, what the hell do you want me to do about it?!!”

Shuichi just looked at him in confusion.

“Well...aren’t you even going to clean it up?” He said extending his hand to point at the smashed remnants of the coffee cup. Yuki grasped his hand firmly and walk towards the boy, making Shuichi back up hurriedly.

“I didn’t mean the cup baka.” Yuki had Shuichi pushed up against the wall; a look of anger shadowed his face. Shuichi winced and visibly gulped.

“Bu-but Yuki you don’t even care...and why should you, I’m just a baka right?” Shuichi gazed at Yuki defiantly. Yuki snorted and released the grip he had on Shuichi’s hand. Running his hand through his hair Yuki sighed.

“You are the most irritating, idiotic and disturbing person I have ever had the displeasure to come across. This place will be better when you’re gone.” Yuki then turned his back on Shuichi and dug out another cigarette from his pocket and started searching for his box of matches.

Shuichi stared is disbelief, his eyes filling with tears as he digested what his lover had just said.

“But...Yuki...” Shuichi stammered. Yuki whirled on him and grabbed the boy’s shirt, pushing him back up against the wall.

“Will you stop with the “But Yuki”s I’ve had enough, I don’t care, just take your things and get out!”

The tears were streaming down Shuichi’s face now as he closed his eyes at the blonde’s harsh words. Yuki dropped him to the floor with disgust and stalked back into his study.

Shuichi slid to the floor in tears, his hands covering his face as his small frame wracked with his sobs. Yuki always managed to say the most painful things to him, he didn’t even know why he was here, why his was still living with the man when all he got in return was abuse and insults. He sniffed and looked towards the study door, a look of tearful resolve spreading across his features. Fine, if Yuki didn’t want him then he wouldn’t take up his space anymore. He was leaving, the sooner the better. Shuichi stood up and wiped the back of hand across his eyes and sniffed.

*********************************************************************

Before long all of Shuichi's things had been gathered and stored in plain cardboard boxes, stacked one ontop of another in a corner next to the door. Yuki hadn’t stirred from his study, leaving Shuichi to gather his things in realtive silence, broken only by an occasional sniff as he wiped his teary eyes. He sat staring blankly at the wall while he waited for the taxi he had called to arrive, a small rabbit clutched in his hand. He looked down at the rabbit, the one given to him by his idol Ryuichi. He would be leaving for the US like his idol too but it didn’t mean a thing if Yuki wouldn’t be there. A stray tear fell and stained the soft fabric of the stuffed rabbit, near it’s eye. The irony wasn’t lost upon Shuichi, no matter how stupid Yuki always said he was there was more to the young boy that met the eye.

Shuichi sighed and gazed around the sparsely decorated living room. The white walls shone against the wooden floor, touched only by the large painting on the wall facing the doorway. He really didn’t know who the painting was by, it looked like Picasso to him, Yuki would tell him if he asked, probably followed by some affectionate insult like “You stupid baka” or “I don’t know why I’m telling you you’ll just forget it anyway” Yuki took pride in keeping this room so bare, Shuichi always knew this, and he tried his hardest not to clutter it up.

I suppose that’s another thing Yuki will like about me not being there Shuichi thought bitterly. He looked at the couch where he had spent so many nights when he had first moved in with Yuki. The blonde had later allowed him to sleep in the double bed with him, under the pretence that he was sick of Shuichi’s complaints abount the uncomfortble springs in the couch. He would never admit that he was just being kind, unless of course he was being snipered at by K. Even though the blonde had moved from that original appartment he still had the original couch, it moved Shuichi and he had no idea why. At the thought of K’s snipering escapades Shuichi’s gazed turned to the worn bullet-hole still apparent on the white wall. He sighed at the memories of his time with Yuki and tears started to fill his eyes again. He didn’t want to leave this, any of this but it was Yuki’s wish and he loved Yuki Eiri too much to stand in his way. It was probably for the best anyway, Yuki was always right afterall.

The sound of a car pulling up in the street bellow brought the boy out of his silent reverie. The doorbell rang and he walked slowly to answer it. The cab driver piled his belongings in the back of the taxi and went down to wait while Shuichi took one last longing glance at theplace he had called home.

A sigh caught Shuichi’s attention and he turned to see Eiri leaning absently on the doorframe of his study. Shuichi lowered his gazed to the floor and twisted his fingers behind his back, nervous as to what Yuki might say.

“So you’re going then.” It was more of a statement than a question, and Shuichi was brought no comfort by it.

“Yes,”

“Good,” and with that Yuki turned once more to enter his study.

“Wait.” Shuichi stopped him, looking pleadingly at the blonde he stepped forward. “You aren’t going to say goodbye?”

Yuki didn’t even turn around.

“Goodbye Shuichi.” Shuichi closed his eyes and heard the slamming of the door as Yuki left him alone. A lone tear squeezed from between his clenched eyelids and slipped unbidden down his cheek. Shuichi brought his hand up to dash it away and looked in angush at the closed door, behind which was the man he loved. But Yuki didn’t want him, that much was clear. He sighed and went to leave but stopped upon reaching the door as he suddenly thought of something. Slowly walking back he placed the rabbit still held in his hand on the couch. This was his last gift to Yuki and he leant down and laid a kiss on it’s tiny head.

“Take care of Yuki Kamagoro,” he whispered and left silently, picking up his bag and closing the door softly behind him.