A/N: I'm going to apologize that this wasn't part of the mini releases! But I'm sure you'll all be sad/glad to know this story has finally come to an end!
Please put in a last review!
Now I have some questions I'd appreciate all of you answer in a review for this story if possible.
This input from you will influence my future format and stories so please do tell me your thoughts or else it may not be to your liking later!
Quick Questions People:
Should I start writing old storylines again? Some people asked me through PM's to try writing like everyone else again for a bit and leave my weird original storylines…I don't know…what do you guys want to see? Something like everyone else with my twists or something new that practically no one in the PoT fandom thinks about but me?
Does anyone bother reading the A/N? BE HONEST, because if you guys don't, I don't know where to leave my little thoughts unless you're willing to check my profile! Which leads into my next question!
Are you willing to check my profile for update dates, polls, and other such stuff? Because if everyone is willing then to find out my next mass release or to have a opinion on my polls will be located there from now on.
Should I only write 1-2 stories at a time instead of 5 or 6? Some people have mentioned that they have to reorganize their brains for each update they read from me because they sometimes confuse characters and storyline. What do you all think?
Does Mass release sound better or individual release? This question is an attempt to ask people what the feel more comfortable with. I started Mass releases because I could release all at the same time and read over all my reviews from all of you at the same time through all my stories so it was a nice little bunch to go through for an hour or so. BUT I can always readjust back to individual releases if it makes everyone feel better!
Does everyone like the chapter previews at the end of the chapter or can you go without it? I'm just curious since I added that recently to some of my stories to test out if everyone would kind of like to know what to expect…but I don't know…your opinion counts!
(Leave your reply in your review as well or e-mail it to me… I might take a hiatus to rethink my stories depending on everyone's answer.)
KatrinaKaiba- I'm trying to keep this story more light-hearted and competitive since my other ones deals with pretty heavy things right now so hopefully their competitiveness continues!
mikkimikka- I'm glad you enjoyed it since this is story is ending so soon as well!
abhorsen3- I know! I can't believe Ryoma made it, but I'm pretty sure he was so close to killing Atobe each time! XD
just a gal- I'm sure you and everyone else can't wait to see what happens next!
Somewhere In-between
Rated: M
Summary: One week without servants would kill Ore-sama, One week with Ore-sama might drive him nuts; but in-between that one week, this unlikely pair just might be…interested?
Pairing:EchizenXAtobe
Written for: Animegurl088
..
Chapter Eight: Somewhere In-between
Saturday
Ryoma sighed as he made lunch…he was in a dilemma.
This whole week seemed crazy to him as he thought about it now…
Who in this day and age would baby-sit a former rival and have a week's affair only to pretend nothing happened…
"Ryoma!"
"What?" Ryoma asked thoroughly irritated that his 'reflection' time was so rudely interrupted.
"Want to shower?" Atobe asked casually.
"Yadda… I'll take one later," Ryoma said turning around with Atobe's lunch in hand. "Want lunch first?"
Atobe nodded with a disappointed sigh, "Mou Ryoma, you should play more often!"
"Play? After I let you have your way with me all morning?" Ryoma questioned before letting out a 'che'. Moving towards the bed, Ryoma sat down carefully and started eating his own lunch.
"Come on brat! Today's the last day!" Atobe complained.
"I think I know that!" Ryoma bit out. "After all we were just playing right?" Ryoma asked spitting out the last part.
"So?" Atobe said with a flip of his hair.
"I don't sell my body for cheap plays monkey-king!" Ryoma said bitterly. He had just confirmed his suspicion when Atobe had said that. He was attracted to the stupid monkey-king already and that 'So' was killing him since he wanted more than the 'sex buddy' title.
"Ryoma…we've been at it for what a week?" Atobe stated
"YOU! Have been thinking nasty for a week!" Ryoma clarified.
"But you still had fun with me for the past 5 days or so!"
"The last 2 days!" Ryoma corrected, "Which was a horrible mistake thinking back on it. I think it was your glorious stupidity that affected me too much."
"You little brat! After Ore-sama showed you such a good time…"
"What part of it? The part where you can't cook or the part you demanded we go out to explore and got us lost?" Ryoma asked sarcastically.
"Don't you be making fun of Ore-sama like this when you were moaning under ore-sama just hours ago!" Atobe said approaching.
"What else was I suppose to do…watch you go into ecstasy?" Ryoma asked.
"Why are you being so impossible brat?" Atobe demanded lifting Ryoma's chin so their gazes would meet.
"What does it matter, our little 'fun' ends tomorrow anyways." Ryoma said jerking his chin away from Atobe's hand.
"Ore-sama will decide when it ends brat and tomorrow isn't the end! I'm going to keep you!" Atobe stated haughtily.
"I'm not a pet monkey-king." Ryoma said swallowing the rest of his sandwich. " You can't just decide to keep me!"
"Ore-sama gets whatever he wants!" Atobe declared. "That includes you."
"I'm a PROFFESSIONAL tennis player Monkey-king…if I so happen to disappear, my fans will come searching!" Ryoma said standing to take his dishes to the sink.
"How about Ore-sama supporting you then?" Atobe suggested finally eating his own lunch.
"You can't even support yourself!" Ryoma complained. " If you were supporting yourself in the first place WE wouldn't have ended up here!"
"Ore-sama was bored!" Atobe said pushing that off with a wave of his hand.
"I'm perfectly capable to supporting myself Monkey-king…after all…we never mentioned love…"Ryoma said washing his dishes.
"What about love? We are lust!" Atobe said disdainfully.
The sentence stunned Ryoma a bit more than he expected it too and the plate he was holding slipped back into the sink with a crash. Staring at the broken plate, Ryoma picked up the pieces of the broken plate underneath the spray of warm water.
"Ouch…" Ryoma muttered softly as he cut himself on a piece of glass.
"What did you do brat?" Atobe asked coming over to the sink with his own empty plate and glass. " You cut yourself…let ore-sama-"
"I can take care of it by myself." Ryoma said pulling away stubbornly. He was still hurting over the fact that Atobe felt nothing more than lust towards him! Hell…he was the only one in the illusion of some kind of love between them.
'Baka,' Ryoma chided himself as he grabbed a band-aid from the bathroom cabinet and set about unwrapping it for his bloodied finger. He should've stuck to playing around then developing such burdensome feelings for Kei-…Monkey-king.
"You okay now Brat? Atobe asked leaning against the door of the bathroom casually.
"You're making too big of a deal out of a small cut." Ryoma scoffed as he pushed past Atobe.
"Oi…let's-"
"Yadda," Ryoma said pushing off Atobe's advances, " You're wrong… we don't feel the same for each other so till tomorrow morning, keep your hands off me." Ryoma said.
"What?"
"You heard me," Ryoma said bitterly before grabbing his tennis bag and heading outside.
"You hold on a-"Atobe started then stopped when he saw a car stop in front of Ryoma.
From out of the car came Atobe's father.
"I see you survived Keigo…"
"Of course!" Atobe snapped at his father, "What's the reason for coming today?"
" To pick up Echizen and you of course!" His father said with a smile. "Echizen's manager called looking for him last night and wants him to fly to England Sunday afternoon so I thought I'd pick you two up tonight so Echizen can have time with his family instead of you."
"Sunday?" Ryoma and Atobe said at the same time.
"Aa… the ticket has been arranged by your manager already… I'm only acting as transportation back." He stated. " Let's pack up and go home…I also hope you learned your lesson Keigo…"
"Aa…" Atobe said although his eyes were on Ryoma. He was irritated that Ryoma was pissed at him for no apparent reason. As they both went inside to grab the rest of their things, Atobe grabbed Ryoma hard.
"What?" Ryoma asked not even looking at him.
"Ore-sama disallows you to leave tomorrow," Atobe commanded
"Baka! Who are you to order me?" Ryoma asked pulling away roughly.
"Ore-sama is Ore-sama of course! I don't know why you're mad at me brat but I know WE aren't through!" Atobe said angrily.
"I don't know anything about what you think but I don't remember making a commitment to you…it's not like we're in love!"
"I know that brat but it's because of you that I can't think straight!"
"And you think I can?!" Ryoma said with hardened eyes. " I think it's best we go our separate ways right now before Lust destroys us!"
"And if I said I needed you?" Atobe asked looking into Ryoma's eyes.
"I'd call you a liar…" Ryoma whispered. " You don't need anything…"
"Ryoma…" Atobe said suddenly.
"Calling me by name won't get you anywhere monkey-king…I think you made it perfectly clear earlier that lust muddled our thinking." Ryoma said picking up his duffel bag and throwing Atobe the key. "Lock up when you're done…"
xXx
Sunday
"How was your vacation?" Oshitari asked walking into Atobe's office.
"Yeah… I'm sure you were extremely comfortable." Shishido said entering the office after Oshitari.
"What are you two doing here?" Atobe asked.
"We heard you were back and just stopped by to ask if you were coming to the party tomorrow?" Oshitari said handing him the invitation. " My parents went all out this time."
"It's for the success of your concert right?" Atobe asked opening the invitation and skimming through it.
"Of course," Oshitari said.
"I'll try to…" Atobe merely said, " Ore-sama is quite busy you know…"
"Busy?" Shishido said with a smirk, " Doing what? Your desk looks unbelievably bare today."
"I'm done for the day! That's why!" Atobe snapped Shishido.
"Well it must be pretty easy to be you then because it's pretty early to finish for today." Shishido added glancing at the clock that read 10am.
"Shishido…" Atobe started.
" I won't say more…" Shishido said walking out of the office, " I'll be outside waiting Oshitari."
"Aa…"
Atobe frowned a bit as he leaned back with a sigh.
"What's the matter Atobe? You seem very troubled and disturbed…" Oshitari said sitting across form him.
"What are you? Ore-sama's psychiatrist?" Atobe growled out.
"I wasn't aware you were in need of one," Oshitari said with a straight face.
" I'm not!" Atobe snapped, " But since you insist on knowing, Ore-sama has a bit of a dilemma…you see ore-sama wants to keep something that doesn't want to be kept."
"I see… why do you want it?"
"Why are you over examing? If Ore-sama wants it he wants it!" Atobe snapped again.
Oshitari sighed, " Are you in love with it or infatuated?"
"What's the difference?" Atobe asked
"The difference is do you want or need it? Do you love whatever this is enough to keep it or are you only infatuated with it enough to keep it for the moment?"
Atobe groaned, "Why does it have to be so complicated?"
"It's not complicated at all if you can distinguish it," Oshitari said simply. "For example…I love Gakuto…"
"What does that have to do with me?" Atobe asked.
"I'm giving you a example… how do you feel about Kabaji?" Oshitari asked.
"He's a cute kid…I like him well enough…" Atobe rambled out.
"But you don't love him right?" Oshitari asked.
"Right!" Atobe said. Somehow he felt like Oshitari was making him lose IQ points rather than gain any.
"Then how do you feel about this something?"
Atobe contemplated the question for a while before he finally spoke, " Well…I do want it…and I like to use it…I also feel attached to it!"
"Okay…" Oshitari said after a long pause as well. He wasn't quite sure what Atobe wanted that he could use and could refuse him…unless it was a…person?
"I have this aching in my chest as well," Atobe said with a frown, "I think I have heartburn…"
'Or heartache' Oshitari thought to himself. Letting out a breath he looked back at his former buchou and friend.
"Atobe…you do know that you can't keep people unless they want to be kept right?"
"Of course I know that!" Atobe said with a frown
"Then do you also know that a person will not stay with you unless you love them?"
"Love?" Atobe questioned.
"Yes, love…" Oshitari said with a slight nod. "You know…the sense of being wanted, being needed, appreciated…that kind of thing."
"But what if it's like lust?" Atobe asked.
"So you just want to touch this person?" Oshitari asked with widened eyes.
"Well…I want to do other things with him as well!" Atobe said. " I just feel like I don't want to lose him right now…"
'A him huh?' Oshitari thought with a slight smile. Even the great Atobe needed counseling in his love life huh?
"Then I suggest you not ask for commitment or try to keep him but ask if he'd like to be your boyfriend."
"That's right! If I raise his status of lover to boyfriend then he'd give me a chance!" Atobe said with a smile, "Well that makes more sense…how did you know it was a guy anyways?"
"You mentioned him…" Oshitari said standing up. " I better get going before Shishido comes up angry."
"Of course!' Atobe said, "I have things to attend to anyways!"
"I'm sure you do…" Oshitari said and turned to leave. He hoped the "guy" knew how extravagant Atobe could be when proposing an idea…
xXx
"Seishounen! I think it's for you!"
"What? I 'm still packing-" Ryoma said heading downstairs to find many dozens of flowers being set around the house. "What the hell…"
"It's about time you came down brat!"
Ryoma shifted his gaze to a man dressed elegantly and sighed loudly. " What the hell is all this monkey-king."
"Ore-sama has decided he would like to keep you as more than a lover…Ore-sama had decided you shall be my boyfriend."
"You decided this overnight?" Ryoma asked with a frown.
"Correction! This morning!" Atobe said with a smug smile, "Ore-sama figured as bad as we are for each other, you complement me just as well!"
"So you think filling my house with flowers is going to sway me?" Ryoma asked coming downstairs the rest of the way to stand in front of Atobe.
"There are chocolates coming as well brat!" Atobe said with a wave of his hand.
"Monkey-king…I'm not going to be won by cheap things or material things…I can buy it with my own money." Ryoma said angrily.
"Ore-sama took time out of his day because ore-sama actually didn't want to lose you and you say this?" Atobe said irritated now.
"Buying me won't cut it Monkey-king," Ryoma said turning to head back upstairs.
"Ore-sama is offering you himself as your boyfriend! Not buying you!" Atobe said angrily.
"Why should I accept then?" Ryoma asked. He was quite fed up with his feelings for the monkey and now that he was offering the spot Ryoma wanted, the temptation was too much!
"Because I am Ore-sama and Ore-sama RARELY offers anything of value to commoners!" Atobe said quickly.
"But if I accept you, what do I really get?" Ryoma asked turning back to face him.
"Anything ore-sama can give of course!" Atobe said encasing Ryoma in his arms. "So ore-sama demands you accept so we can try."
"But if I accept I have a few rules," Ryoma said unconsciously moving closer into Atobe embrace.
"What brat?" Atobe asked looking at Ryoma with an amused but irritated expression.
"You're not allowed to call me brat anymore…"
"You can't call me monkey-king anymore either then!" Atobe countered.
"You can't complain about my habit then," Ryoma said.
"Then don't complain about mine." Atobe said as well.
"So we agree then?" Ryoma asked.
"Of course," Atobe said. " So you agree then?"
Ryoma nodded slightly.
"Great! Then we shall go have lunch together because you are not leaving me today!" Atobe said leading him towards the front door.
"But I have to," Ryoma informed, "I have to go for promotional reasons."
"Then we shall go after Oshitari's party tomorrow night." Atobe said.
"Who said we were going to such a party?" Ryoma asked looking at Atobe.
"I did and you shall comply!" Atobe said puling him past the people who had just dropped off the chocolates.
"Next time Keigo, I don't need flowers to pollute my house and chocolate to make me sick."
"It is because I care that you even get anything so stop complaining!" Atobe said ushering him into the car.
"Che!" Ryoma muttered before getting in.
"Take the longer way," Atobe ordered the driver after he climbed into the car.
"Why?" Ryoma asked Atobe as he settled himself into the cozy seat.
"Because…" Atobe said advancing on Ryoma, " we have some catching up to do…"
"Prevert…" Ryoma uttered before he willingly surrendered to Atobe's insistent lips.
"You like it…" Atobe muttered against Ryoma's lips before deepening the kiss.
It seemed a week together brought two unlikely people together to rant and reinforce the hate between them but it was also somewhere in-between that week that they both discovered exactly how opposites do attract.
.
A/N: That ends Somewhere In-between! I know you may all have wanted to see a miracle romance in a week's time but I felt it was too soon to say they felt alike. Although Ryoma wasn't so dense about his feelings, I thought Atobe should give it more thought before he just says he loves Ryoma. Anyways a last review is always wanted so please do so! Thank you so much for patiently waiting for the end of this story!