Author's note:

Saa….well…here goes! Thank you for all those who reviewed! Specially to Simply Kim! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Phew…I was panicking like hell! Anyway, thank you very much! Here goes!

Raei Dagger: Okay. Here's my part. Sorry if it sucks or whatever.

Genre: Romance/ slight Comedy/AU

Pairing: SENRU!!!!!!!!

Standard disclaimers apply

SOMNUS: DREAMS

Handshake Part 2: 1924 America

January 14, 1924. It was a lovely London morning. The sun was up, the azure sky was clear, and the ground was sheltered in a thick layer of snow save for the streets of course. The city was home to all sorts of people, the rich and the poor, the mundane and the exceptional. Amidst this multitude exists a blue-eyed man who could use a better life.

Rukawa Kaede was sitting in a restaurant, getting some lunch and some coffee, looking over some important documents for his family's company. Unfortunately for him, he's the heir to several large companies scattered across England. If it was up to him he'd be travelling the world or at least get as far away from his parents as humanly possible. Sadly he couldn't do that. He was bound to his menage, his family, and their wishes. To put it simply, he didn't have a life of his own or an identity of his own. He is the heir given the name Rukawa Kaede, offspring of an English nobleman and a Japanese singer. That description pretty much sums up what he is to society and what he is to himself.

Rukawa checked his watch and sighed. He took one final sip of his coffee before paying the bill. He put the documents into an envelope, put on his rather expensive leather trench coat, and walked out the restaurant, heading for his office.

The streets were crowded but that was no surprise. London always was a busy city. But it was no problem considering that the people would part like the Red Sea when Rukawa walks through the street. Well…that is until…

"HEY! STOP! COME BACK!"

A Golden Retriever ran swiftly past the blue-eyed boy. The dog's collar seems to have been cut. The words 'careless owner' popped into Rukawa's mind before somebody crashed onto him, sending his documents flying into a barrel of water and him into the snow. Rukawa growled, stood up, and dusted the snow clinging to his coat.

"I'm sorry!" the man who crashed onto him apologized as he picked up the soaking wet envelope. The dog came back and the man immediately tied the leash back on. Rukawa snatched his envelope from the man and pulled out the documents only to find several papers with inkblots on them. Everything he worked on has been completely ruined!

"I'm really sorry!" the man apologized again. Rukawa was about to give the man one of his ever-famous death glares but a bewildered expression appeared instead as he caught notice of the perpetrator's features. He had deep blue and seemingly lazy blue eyes, and obsidian, spiky, black hair. He was rather tall and had the facial features of a person native to Japan.

"Are you alright?" the man asked, dusting the remaining snow off Rukawa's coat. Rukawa was all too happy to shrug him off and glare at him.

The other man sighed and extended a hand to him. "Look. I've very sorry about that. My dog got free from his leash so I wasn't really paying much attention to where I was going but that's not really much of an excuse is it. My name's Sendoh Akira. I'd like to make up for this little mishap."

The younger man stared at the hand before him.

"Hn." That was the only warning Sendoh got before Rukawa slapped away his hand and walked away.

And at that moment, an eerie feeling of déjà vu filled the air. Rukawa stopped on his tracks and Sendoh was bewildered.

This has already happened…

"Gee. He sure was pleasant," Sendoh commented before…

"IT'S AKIRA SENDOH!" a girl yelled. As if it were a reflex, Sendoh ran like the wind.

Because the documents were soaked and were virtually impossible to read, the meeting where Rukawa was supposed to discuss his proposition was cancelled. Guess who he blamed for everything. That's right. Sendoh Akira.

Sendoh Akira, the famous author. I don't care who the fuck he is! He ruined everything I had planned today! No use crying over spilt milk. He's lucky though. He's not confined in one place. He travels the world, seeing sights, being free! That guy's got it easy. I'd still like to get him back though.

Sendoh Akira's a very famous writer. He travels all around the world looking for inspiration for his novels. He's the author of several best selling novels sold all over Europe, North America and certain parts of Asia. He's been labeled as a literary genius and is quite popular among the ladies because of his charm. He specializes in stories of adventure, romance and tragedy. He's truly a jewel of his time.

That evening, Sendoh was walking around the snow-covered streets, seemingly looking for something but he didn't know what it was. His thoughts kept drifting to the man he meant earlier. The man somehow intrigued him. He was sure that the man was Japanese. It was evident in his features. He barely made out the name 'Rukawa Kaede' written on the envelope when he picked it up.

Could he possibly be that heir I've been hearing so much about? Sendoh thought. It's certainly possible. Then again, maybe not. Oh I don't know. He seems so lonely. Those eyes of his…they look like they're searching for something. He has a sad aura around him. I wonder why. I'm sure he's rich. That coat he was wearing didn't actually seem cheap. I'm envious though. He probably has a steady job in such a beautiful city. He doesn't have to travel around so much like I do and he's close to his loved ones. Me? I go to a place and stay no longer than a month but I usually stay in a place for no more than two weeks. Lucky him. He must have a steady girlfriend too. I can't do that as I'm always moving from place to place. No one would be able to cope with a guy like me. Why am I comparing myself to him in the first place?

Sendoh paused when he saw the man he was just thinking about walking towards him. He paused and smiled at him. The man scowled and began walking the other way. Sendoh grunted and ran after him.

"Hey wait! Rukawa!" he yelled

Rukawa stopped and Sendoh caught up. Rukawa glanced at Sendoh questioningly. "Why do you know my name?"

Sendoh beamed. "So I was right! I saw your name on your envelope."

"Oh yeah. Thanks to you the whole meeting was cancelled." Rukawa said and started to walk away again. Sendoh ran in front of him. "Move." Rukawa warned.

Sendoh was about to come up with some witty speech when he saw someone hiding behind a tree, his gun aimed directly at the stubborn man. Wasting no time, Sendoh grabbed Rukawa's arm and ran into a nearby alleyway as a gunshot just missed its target: Rukawa Kaede.

"What are you – "

"Just shut up and trust me!" Sendoh yelled. They squeezed their way into a basement of a seemingly abandoned house through a small window. Sendoh held his hand over Rukawa's mouth while his other arm was wrapped around the other man's waist. The footsteps of several men were then heard outside.

What the hell is going on? Why are they trying to kill me? No. It must be this guy they're trying to get rid of. Rukawa thought.

"Where is he?" a man growled.

"He couldn't have gone far. The boss would kill us if Rukawa Kaede is not killed tonight!" another exclaimed

Okay. So it's me they're looking for. Damn! This means that I owe this guy!

"Keep searching! They're here somewhere!" another man who seemed to be the leader yelled.

Sendoh and Rukawa kept silent until the coast was clear. They soon realized how close they were. Rukawa was first to react. He pulled away from Sendoh's hold, blushing furiously.

Aw. That's too bad. It was kind of nice being so close to him like that. Wait a minute. Gagh! Get those thoughts out of your head, Sendoh Akira!

"I uh…I…" Rukawa stammered.

"Thanks for saving my life, Sendoh? Anything? Come on. I know you can say it," Sendoh half teased.

"I…Thanks…I guess…" Rukawa finally managed.

"Now that wasn't so hard now, was it," Sendoh teased again which earned him a scowl from Rukawa. "Look. I was joking, okay?"

"Get me out of here," Rukawa ordered.

"Are you crazy? Those guys are still looking for you! You could get killed! We'd better spend the night here." Sendoh reasoned. He earned another scowl from the raven-haired man but paid no heed to it. He looked around. There was no bed. The room just contained several boxes. How are they going to sleep through the night in this?

Another question then popped into his mind. "Why are they after you? Did you embezzle some money or something?"

"I won't stoop to that level. It could be my cousin. Should I die all my inheritance will go to him," Rukawa monotonously said as if he couldn't care less if he lived or died.

"Oh I see – Ouch!" Sendoh exclaimed and clutched his arm. It finally dawned on Rukawa that Sendoh must have taken that shot meant for him. He took out his handkerchief from his pocket and began tying up the wound. Sendoh, of course, couldn't be more greatful.

Minutes of silence passed until Sendoh finally got fed up with it. He decided to speak although he didn't know what sort of conversation he should open with Rukawa.

"So uh…it must be nice to live here," Sendoh said. That was certainly a lame way to start a conversation.

"It was nice the first 5 years of my life. I've never gone to any place else but England," Rukawa retorted.

"Really? Not even to Japan? You're Japanese, aren't you?" Sendoh questioned. With all Rukawa's money it's almost impossible for him to not have travelled.

"Why do you care? And don't rub it in that you've traveled the whole world."

"You think it's so great to be traveling so much?" Sendoh asked. His voice was getting more serious now. "Let me tell you. It's not as nice as you think it is. I'm far away from my family, I have few friends, and I can't get a steady lover!" Sendoh complained.

"I wouldn't mind having your life," Rukawa replied.

"You want to be away from your family, have little friends and a slim chance of getting a woman?"

"Works for me," Rukawa said as he walked over to a corner of the room.

"What are you doing?" Sendoh asked.

"Sleeping. Are you that dense?" Rukawa spat. He sat down, cross-legged, and leaned his head on the wall. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Why do I feel so at ease with this guy? I don't talk this much to anybody except when business is concerned. Why now? This guy's a jinx. First my documents got soaked and then those armed men show up to kill me. Now I'm stuck in this basement without a decent mattress to sleep on. But…why am I not bothered by the fact that I'm stuck with him? Rukawa thought. He tried to sleep but he couldn't. It was too cold and his coat was the only thing keeping him warm. He curled up into a ball in hope to warm himself up even a bit but to no avail.

"Are you cold?" he heard Sendoh ask. He wanted to say, 'Are you blind? Of course I'm cold! For someone who's supposed to be a literary genius you sure are dull-witted.' He didn't say it though. He could hardly move.

Then warm arms pulled him close to a warm body. His head shot up and his body tensed. Rukawa wasn't used to such closeness. He wasn't sure how to react.

"Relax," Sendoh's voice soothed. "This is just to keep you warm. I don't want you to freeze to death."

"Why would you care?" Rukawa whispered. It was barely audible but Sendoh heard it.

"I don't know actually. I just feel somewhat…contented…like this…" Sendoh said. "I'm sorry," He apologized as he pulled away. "This must make you uncomfortable. Plus I don't want you to think that I'm a creep, you know?"

"No," Rukawa uttered and pulled back into Sendoh's embrace before he realized what he was doing. He looked away as so Sendoh would not see the blush staining his cheeks. "I…I mean…It's cold and we could use a bit of warmth and…"

Sendoh smiled. "I get it," he said as he wound his arms around the smaller man.

The next day, Sendoh woke up, expecting Rukawa at least still be in the room but he wasn't. The only things Rukawa left were a silver ring and a note. He checked his golden pocket watch, embedded with some kind of seal, for the time.

"Oh god! I'm going to miss the ship!"

Sendoh Akira boarded the ship heading for the United States. The previous night was his last night of staying in London. His soul purpose in London was to publish his new book so he didn't have so stay that long. Sendoh lied back on the bed in his cabin. Sleeping on the floor with someone clinging to you wasn't really comfortable especially on a cold winter night.

The day that something interesting happens is the day that I have to leave for the United States. I guess he's right. I am a jinx. Oh yeah, the note.

Sendoh read the note quietly to himself:

Sendoh Akira,

I am grateful for all your assistance last night. I'd like to repay you for your kindness by inviting you over to our company's ball. I'm sure you know where my building is. Enclosed with this letter is a ring. It's very special to me and I want it back at tonight's ball. If you have other engagements, however, please keep it until you get a chance to return it to me. I trust that you'll agree to these terms.

Rukawa Kaede

Sendoh smiled at the note. "I'll see you again for sure, Rukawa Kaede."

And for sometime…sure…

TBC

Author's note:

Raei Dagger: God I suck!

Hagaki: No! You're very good! Hehe…I did nothing but edit and add stuff! Anyway, please review!!!!!!!!!!