Disclaimer: Still don't own Yu Yu Haksuho . . . still getting over the
grief.
Author's Note: I'm not wasting any time on this story. I just had the urge to post so I'm posting all at once! Anyway, Happy Readings! ^_^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
His footsteps were soundless against the hardwood floor of the second story of the house. They had all split up only minutes ago to find their respective hiding places. Touya had seen Rinku disappear into the kitchen and had a feeling that Shishi would be able to find the boy concealed in one of the many cupboards. Suzuki had headed toward the living room, probably to hide behind the couch or perhaps even the entertainment center. Chuu and Jin had followed him upstairs, but they had all headed in different directions so Touya was clueless as to where their hiding places were.
He sighed as he poked his head into the laundry room. Clothes were either piled high or strewn about. It was a very messy room mainly because the only people who did laundry were himself and Suzuki. Jin used to help, but after the incident with the soap everyone decided that it would be easier and safer if Jin just did the folding.
Touya's icy blue eyes scanned the small room. He supposed he could hide underneath a pile of clothing, but then thought better of it. He figured he would either die from suffocation or the stench. Just before he was about to give up, he spotted a door on the opposite wall that the washer and dryer sat. It was slender, not quite the size of many of the other doors in the house, and was the place where they kept cleaning supplies like mops and brooms and such; however, it would suffice. Anyway, he hadn't much of a choice as Shishi was probably almost to fifty.
He crept over to the little closet, put his hand on the knob, and turned. He pulled the door open and was suddenly greeted with a pair of bright blue eyes.
"Hi Touya!" Jin whispered cheerily.
Touya raised an eyebrow at his friend who sat indian style on the floor. "Sorry," he apologized.
Jin opened his mouth to reply, but then snapped it shut. His ears perked a bit and he tilted his head slightly. Without warning, Jin grabbed Touya's hand and yanked him into the closet. Touya's surprise was evident, but Jin didn't seem to care.
"Sh, I just heard Shishi yell 'ready or not'. Quick, pull the door shut," the redhead instructed.
Touya reached for the doorknob and pulled the door shut. That action suddenly brought him to realize how very cramped the closet was. It was dark, the walls were lined with cleaning utensils, and Jin took up most of the floor. Really, he felt that they were in a very tall, square box. He stood still leaning against the door.
"Touya, you don't have to stand there." Jin whispered.
Touya rolled his eyes, not that Jin could see it. "I'm fine standing," he replied.
The wind master sighed. "But if Shishi opens the door you'll fall."
The point was very logical, but there really wasn't much room to do anything other than stand. He could feel Jin's eyes on him, watching him, waiting for him to act or say something, but Touya was at a loss for either of those things.
He heard Jin shifting and then a tugging on his pant leg. "Touya, you can sit down now . . . there should be enough room," Jin said softly.
Touya sighed. He couldn't see, let alone find out where exactly Jin had made space for him. Jin seemed to have read his thoughts because the next thing Touya felt was the tingling sensation that ran through his hands when Jin grabbed them with his own. He gave a slight tug indicating for Touya to simply allow himself to be directed.
He was pulled forward and to the side ever so slightly before he received the indication to seat himself. He gulped. He was sitting so close to Jin that he could feel the wind master's body heat. Touya felt his breath quicken, and his heart was fluttering. His stomach started to tie itself into knots. He had to suppress a groan and fight sweating. The sudden, uncharacteristic panic welling up inside of him was so foreign that it almost frightened him. And then suddenly, all at once, all of those feelings came to a screeching halt when Jin spoke his name. He cleared his throat, feigning calmness. "Yes?" He asked.
"Did ya know that your eyes glow?"
Touya blinked. He hadn't expected that. "No . . . I didn't," he replied. He heard Jin shift a little.
"Oh . . . well, they do."
Touya bit his lip. "Is . . . that a bad thing?"
"No because you're eyes . . . well they're pretty ya know."
Another blush found its way on to Touya's pale cheeks. "Um, thank you."
Silence ensued between the pair. The wind master wasn't surprised with himself necessarily for he was notorious for saying random things, but he was a little embarrassed. As much as he wanted Touya to be aware of his feelings for him, he was also frightened of the latter's reaction . . . afraid of rejection. He sighed. It wasn't fair that everything had to be so difficult.
"Touya, can I ask ya somethin'?"
Jin watched as Touya set his piercing gaze on him. "Of course."
"Are ya happy?"
The ice master blinked. "Happy? In regards to what?" He asked.
Jin shrugged. "In regards to . . . I dunno. You're life."
"Not in all aspects, but for the most part I think so. I have friends who have become a family to me, and in the long run nothing could be better . . . not much anyway." Touya answered. He fidgeted a little as he could feel Jin's bright sapphire eyes boring into him, slowly stripping him of his skin and peering straight into the depths of his soul. His heart rate went up a bit more and he took a deep breath. "Are you happy Jin?"
The redhead shrugged, but this action went unnoticed. "Sure I'm happy. I love it here with everyone. Don't think I've seen a day that had a dull moment in it."
Touya tilted his head to the side. He really wished that he could see Jin for the redhead was difficult to read through verbal expression mainly because Jin's voice always held a cheery note to it. In order to see past his happy exterior Touya needed to be able to observe his face, but in the pitch-blackness he could do no such thing. He settled for a little probing instead. "But surely you're not completely happy. I don't think anyone can ever be consummately satisfied with their life."
"'Course I have my worse days. I've had more and more of those lately." Jin replied.
Touya sucked in his breath. He didn't appreciate the fact that Jin was hurting. He wanted so badly to take all of that pain away. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Jin sighed. Touya wanted to try and help him, he knew that, but how could he stop hurting when the only one who could make him quit was the one who was causing the pain? He still didn't understand why it all had to be so confusing. It just wasn't fair.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps that drew closer, but then faded off. Shishi had obviously opted to avoid the laundry room for the moment. Both demons let out a breath they hadn't known they had been holding after his footsteps disappeared completely. When they heard one another exhale they simply had to grin at each other despite the fact that neither of them could see the other's expression.
Jin chuckled quietly. "See now, all of this depressing sentimental stuff is why two bodies shouldn't hide in the same small place, ya know what I mean?"
Touya nodded. "Yes, but I'll admit that it was a side to you I've never seen before."
Jin shrugged. "I'm hoping you'll never have to see it again," he replied.
"Nonsense . . . I found it fascinating."
"Did you?" Jin asked. He leaned closer to Touya involuntarily.
Touya gulped. "I find you fascinating," he said.
"Me? Why?"
Touya fidgeted. "Why? Well be . . . because you're strong, and intelligent, and social, you're kind and alluring and . . ." Touya clamped his jaw shut. His eyes went wide at the unexpected word that had just tumbled so clumsily from his mouth.
" . . . What?" Came the question.
Touya squeezed his eyes shut tightly and remained silent. His brain felt as though it had shut down completely, and his body felt numb. All he could do was sit there and wait for something to happen. Jin leaned closer after it was evident that Touya was not going to answer. The two demons were so close that their foreheads were almost touching.
Jin took steady, yet shallow breaths as his mind registered what Touya had just said. Had he heard correctly? Touya had said he thought he was alluring, hadn't he? He gulped. "Touya, please . . . open your eyes."
The ice master seemed to hesitate, but then slowly did as told, revealing those glowing, misty blue eyes.
"If . . . if I were to kiss you right now, would you--"
"No." Touya interrupted. Suddenly, adrenaline rushed through his body and he barely knew what he was doing before he grabbed Jin around the neck and closed the minute space that was between their lips. Jin responded to the kiss eagerly. The heat index in the little closet seemed to increase and their hearts beat rapidly in their chests. Suddenly, Jin pulled away panting. Touya was panting as well, but his eyes expressed his confusion.
"Touya," Jin started "are you sure--"
"Jin," Touya interrupted for the second time. "Do you remember when we had that discussion about there being times when it was appropriate to talk and times when it was INappropriate to talk?"
Jin blinked. "This is one of those inappropriate times, huh?" He asked.
Touya nodded. "Yeah."
"But we'll talk later."
Touya sighed in exasperation. "Jin!" He exclaimed. Before the redhead had any more time to speak he found himself being pulled down into another blissful kiss and he couldn't help but grin. This was the best game of hide and go seek he'd ever played!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Did you check the pantry?"
Shishi sighed. "Twice."
Chuu frowned. "The refrigerator?" He asked.
This time Shishi frowned. "Why would ANYONE hide in the refrigerator!?"
The taller man shrugged. "Well Touya IS the ice master you know, he could feel at home in there."
Suzuki chuckled. "Well, they've been missing for over an hour and a half. Are you ready to say that you give up Shishi," the blonde asked.
"Let's look once more around the house and if we fail to find them I'll give up and they win." Shishi replied. He was growing weary of the game, but losing was hardly something he was eager to do.
The four split up to go searching around the house. Both Shishi and Chuu took the downstairs while Suzuki and Rinku searched the upstairs.
"Rinku, I'll check the bedrooms, you check the bathroom and the laundry room," Suzuki instructed.
The child playfully saluted the older demon and marched off to the bathroom. He searched around it thoroughly even going so far as to look inside the toilet, though he was at a loss for why he had done so. Sighing when he found no sign of them Rinku exited and headed toward the laundry room. He gazed easily at the many stacks of dirty clothing. He shrugged as he checked inside the washer and dryer, but found nothing. He was about to leave when he heard a shuffling sound. He quickly turned toward the muffled noise and his eyes fell on the slender broom closet. He figured that he had looked everywhere else.
He cautiously walked toward closet, turned the knob and pulled the door open. Then, he paled slightly, and closed the door again. He blinked once before walking out of the laundry room.
Suzuki saw the boy pass and tried to ask him if he had found them, but Rinku didn't seem to hear him as he headed downstairs. Suzuki shrugged and followed the boy.
When Chuu and Shishi spotted them they both stopped their searching. Rinku looked at them and said simply, "I found them in the broom closet."
The three adults glanced at one another. Suzuki shrugged at his companions. He looked back at Rinku. "Okay, so where are they?"
Rinku blinked. "They're still . . . in the closet."
Shishi stepped forward. "Why?"
"They're busy."
"What are they doing?" Chuu asked.
Rinku faced Chuu with a very matter-of-fact look. "WHAT they're doing is primal in nature, HOW they are doing it is a COMPLETE mystery to me, and in a few years I'm going to need some serious therapy." And with that Rinku turned his back to his friends and walked off toward the living room to drown his mind in television programming.
Chuu, Suzuki, and Shishi stared at one another for a moment before grinning like a trio of mad men.
"Well it was only a matter of time before those two hooked up," Chuu said.
"If you ask me they waited way to long," Shishi offered.
Suzuki's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "That's great for them, but I think someone is going to have to burn everything in the broom closet and restock."
There was a silence and then Chuu raised a hand. "Not it!" He called.
"Not it!" Suzuki imitated.
"Not it!" Rinku's voice could be heard from the other room.
Chuu grinned at Shishi. "So all that leaves is you buddy!" He said.
Shishi pouted and crossed his arms over his chest like an indignant child. "Aw, I ALWAYS hafta be it!"
-OWARI
Author's Note: I'm not wasting any time on this story. I just had the urge to post so I'm posting all at once! Anyway, Happy Readings! ^_^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
His footsteps were soundless against the hardwood floor of the second story of the house. They had all split up only minutes ago to find their respective hiding places. Touya had seen Rinku disappear into the kitchen and had a feeling that Shishi would be able to find the boy concealed in one of the many cupboards. Suzuki had headed toward the living room, probably to hide behind the couch or perhaps even the entertainment center. Chuu and Jin had followed him upstairs, but they had all headed in different directions so Touya was clueless as to where their hiding places were.
He sighed as he poked his head into the laundry room. Clothes were either piled high or strewn about. It was a very messy room mainly because the only people who did laundry were himself and Suzuki. Jin used to help, but after the incident with the soap everyone decided that it would be easier and safer if Jin just did the folding.
Touya's icy blue eyes scanned the small room. He supposed he could hide underneath a pile of clothing, but then thought better of it. He figured he would either die from suffocation or the stench. Just before he was about to give up, he spotted a door on the opposite wall that the washer and dryer sat. It was slender, not quite the size of many of the other doors in the house, and was the place where they kept cleaning supplies like mops and brooms and such; however, it would suffice. Anyway, he hadn't much of a choice as Shishi was probably almost to fifty.
He crept over to the little closet, put his hand on the knob, and turned. He pulled the door open and was suddenly greeted with a pair of bright blue eyes.
"Hi Touya!" Jin whispered cheerily.
Touya raised an eyebrow at his friend who sat indian style on the floor. "Sorry," he apologized.
Jin opened his mouth to reply, but then snapped it shut. His ears perked a bit and he tilted his head slightly. Without warning, Jin grabbed Touya's hand and yanked him into the closet. Touya's surprise was evident, but Jin didn't seem to care.
"Sh, I just heard Shishi yell 'ready or not'. Quick, pull the door shut," the redhead instructed.
Touya reached for the doorknob and pulled the door shut. That action suddenly brought him to realize how very cramped the closet was. It was dark, the walls were lined with cleaning utensils, and Jin took up most of the floor. Really, he felt that they were in a very tall, square box. He stood still leaning against the door.
"Touya, you don't have to stand there." Jin whispered.
Touya rolled his eyes, not that Jin could see it. "I'm fine standing," he replied.
The wind master sighed. "But if Shishi opens the door you'll fall."
The point was very logical, but there really wasn't much room to do anything other than stand. He could feel Jin's eyes on him, watching him, waiting for him to act or say something, but Touya was at a loss for either of those things.
He heard Jin shifting and then a tugging on his pant leg. "Touya, you can sit down now . . . there should be enough room," Jin said softly.
Touya sighed. He couldn't see, let alone find out where exactly Jin had made space for him. Jin seemed to have read his thoughts because the next thing Touya felt was the tingling sensation that ran through his hands when Jin grabbed them with his own. He gave a slight tug indicating for Touya to simply allow himself to be directed.
He was pulled forward and to the side ever so slightly before he received the indication to seat himself. He gulped. He was sitting so close to Jin that he could feel the wind master's body heat. Touya felt his breath quicken, and his heart was fluttering. His stomach started to tie itself into knots. He had to suppress a groan and fight sweating. The sudden, uncharacteristic panic welling up inside of him was so foreign that it almost frightened him. And then suddenly, all at once, all of those feelings came to a screeching halt when Jin spoke his name. He cleared his throat, feigning calmness. "Yes?" He asked.
"Did ya know that your eyes glow?"
Touya blinked. He hadn't expected that. "No . . . I didn't," he replied. He heard Jin shift a little.
"Oh . . . well, they do."
Touya bit his lip. "Is . . . that a bad thing?"
"No because you're eyes . . . well they're pretty ya know."
Another blush found its way on to Touya's pale cheeks. "Um, thank you."
Silence ensued between the pair. The wind master wasn't surprised with himself necessarily for he was notorious for saying random things, but he was a little embarrassed. As much as he wanted Touya to be aware of his feelings for him, he was also frightened of the latter's reaction . . . afraid of rejection. He sighed. It wasn't fair that everything had to be so difficult.
"Touya, can I ask ya somethin'?"
Jin watched as Touya set his piercing gaze on him. "Of course."
"Are ya happy?"
The ice master blinked. "Happy? In regards to what?" He asked.
Jin shrugged. "In regards to . . . I dunno. You're life."
"Not in all aspects, but for the most part I think so. I have friends who have become a family to me, and in the long run nothing could be better . . . not much anyway." Touya answered. He fidgeted a little as he could feel Jin's bright sapphire eyes boring into him, slowly stripping him of his skin and peering straight into the depths of his soul. His heart rate went up a bit more and he took a deep breath. "Are you happy Jin?"
The redhead shrugged, but this action went unnoticed. "Sure I'm happy. I love it here with everyone. Don't think I've seen a day that had a dull moment in it."
Touya tilted his head to the side. He really wished that he could see Jin for the redhead was difficult to read through verbal expression mainly because Jin's voice always held a cheery note to it. In order to see past his happy exterior Touya needed to be able to observe his face, but in the pitch-blackness he could do no such thing. He settled for a little probing instead. "But surely you're not completely happy. I don't think anyone can ever be consummately satisfied with their life."
"'Course I have my worse days. I've had more and more of those lately." Jin replied.
Touya sucked in his breath. He didn't appreciate the fact that Jin was hurting. He wanted so badly to take all of that pain away. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Jin sighed. Touya wanted to try and help him, he knew that, but how could he stop hurting when the only one who could make him quit was the one who was causing the pain? He still didn't understand why it all had to be so confusing. It just wasn't fair.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps that drew closer, but then faded off. Shishi had obviously opted to avoid the laundry room for the moment. Both demons let out a breath they hadn't known they had been holding after his footsteps disappeared completely. When they heard one another exhale they simply had to grin at each other despite the fact that neither of them could see the other's expression.
Jin chuckled quietly. "See now, all of this depressing sentimental stuff is why two bodies shouldn't hide in the same small place, ya know what I mean?"
Touya nodded. "Yes, but I'll admit that it was a side to you I've never seen before."
Jin shrugged. "I'm hoping you'll never have to see it again," he replied.
"Nonsense . . . I found it fascinating."
"Did you?" Jin asked. He leaned closer to Touya involuntarily.
Touya gulped. "I find you fascinating," he said.
"Me? Why?"
Touya fidgeted. "Why? Well be . . . because you're strong, and intelligent, and social, you're kind and alluring and . . ." Touya clamped his jaw shut. His eyes went wide at the unexpected word that had just tumbled so clumsily from his mouth.
" . . . What?" Came the question.
Touya squeezed his eyes shut tightly and remained silent. His brain felt as though it had shut down completely, and his body felt numb. All he could do was sit there and wait for something to happen. Jin leaned closer after it was evident that Touya was not going to answer. The two demons were so close that their foreheads were almost touching.
Jin took steady, yet shallow breaths as his mind registered what Touya had just said. Had he heard correctly? Touya had said he thought he was alluring, hadn't he? He gulped. "Touya, please . . . open your eyes."
The ice master seemed to hesitate, but then slowly did as told, revealing those glowing, misty blue eyes.
"If . . . if I were to kiss you right now, would you--"
"No." Touya interrupted. Suddenly, adrenaline rushed through his body and he barely knew what he was doing before he grabbed Jin around the neck and closed the minute space that was between their lips. Jin responded to the kiss eagerly. The heat index in the little closet seemed to increase and their hearts beat rapidly in their chests. Suddenly, Jin pulled away panting. Touya was panting as well, but his eyes expressed his confusion.
"Touya," Jin started "are you sure--"
"Jin," Touya interrupted for the second time. "Do you remember when we had that discussion about there being times when it was appropriate to talk and times when it was INappropriate to talk?"
Jin blinked. "This is one of those inappropriate times, huh?" He asked.
Touya nodded. "Yeah."
"But we'll talk later."
Touya sighed in exasperation. "Jin!" He exclaimed. Before the redhead had any more time to speak he found himself being pulled down into another blissful kiss and he couldn't help but grin. This was the best game of hide and go seek he'd ever played!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Did you check the pantry?"
Shishi sighed. "Twice."
Chuu frowned. "The refrigerator?" He asked.
This time Shishi frowned. "Why would ANYONE hide in the refrigerator!?"
The taller man shrugged. "Well Touya IS the ice master you know, he could feel at home in there."
Suzuki chuckled. "Well, they've been missing for over an hour and a half. Are you ready to say that you give up Shishi," the blonde asked.
"Let's look once more around the house and if we fail to find them I'll give up and they win." Shishi replied. He was growing weary of the game, but losing was hardly something he was eager to do.
The four split up to go searching around the house. Both Shishi and Chuu took the downstairs while Suzuki and Rinku searched the upstairs.
"Rinku, I'll check the bedrooms, you check the bathroom and the laundry room," Suzuki instructed.
The child playfully saluted the older demon and marched off to the bathroom. He searched around it thoroughly even going so far as to look inside the toilet, though he was at a loss for why he had done so. Sighing when he found no sign of them Rinku exited and headed toward the laundry room. He gazed easily at the many stacks of dirty clothing. He shrugged as he checked inside the washer and dryer, but found nothing. He was about to leave when he heard a shuffling sound. He quickly turned toward the muffled noise and his eyes fell on the slender broom closet. He figured that he had looked everywhere else.
He cautiously walked toward closet, turned the knob and pulled the door open. Then, he paled slightly, and closed the door again. He blinked once before walking out of the laundry room.
Suzuki saw the boy pass and tried to ask him if he had found them, but Rinku didn't seem to hear him as he headed downstairs. Suzuki shrugged and followed the boy.
When Chuu and Shishi spotted them they both stopped their searching. Rinku looked at them and said simply, "I found them in the broom closet."
The three adults glanced at one another. Suzuki shrugged at his companions. He looked back at Rinku. "Okay, so where are they?"
Rinku blinked. "They're still . . . in the closet."
Shishi stepped forward. "Why?"
"They're busy."
"What are they doing?" Chuu asked.
Rinku faced Chuu with a very matter-of-fact look. "WHAT they're doing is primal in nature, HOW they are doing it is a COMPLETE mystery to me, and in a few years I'm going to need some serious therapy." And with that Rinku turned his back to his friends and walked off toward the living room to drown his mind in television programming.
Chuu, Suzuki, and Shishi stared at one another for a moment before grinning like a trio of mad men.
"Well it was only a matter of time before those two hooked up," Chuu said.
"If you ask me they waited way to long," Shishi offered.
Suzuki's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "That's great for them, but I think someone is going to have to burn everything in the broom closet and restock."
There was a silence and then Chuu raised a hand. "Not it!" He called.
"Not it!" Suzuki imitated.
"Not it!" Rinku's voice could be heard from the other room.
Chuu grinned at Shishi. "So all that leaves is you buddy!" He said.
Shishi pouted and crossed his arms over his chest like an indignant child. "Aw, I ALWAYS hafta be it!"
-OWARI