Chiyoku says: Hey, Guys! You know, I started writing a fickie for Harry Potter, and if you're a fan of a Slytherin!Harry making friends with Draco Malfoy, you might wanna check it out, however, I also figured that since I started with this one first I might as well finish it already, even if it's been a while...make that a loooong while...

Thanks to all of you for reading and sticking around!

Enjoy the last chapter!

When the cold takes its toll

A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata

Chapter 21: Endings And Beginnings

In the darkness surrounded, smoke arose, and a figure crouched on earth; the flames, born out of hatred, burned hotter and stronger than ever. There seems to have been something in there besides kindling, but it appeared to have been burnt beyond recognition.

The figure, dressed in black dress slacks and a sky blue button up shirt, worked on the kindling with a wooden stick. It all burned and crackled. There was a light present in the figure's light hazel eyes that spoke of a thousand conflicting emotions; hatred and love seemed the strongest.

Finally, the figure rose and looked ahead. The smoke seemed to let up a bit, and through the haze, there appeared another figure in the distance; closer and closer it came, while the other stood by the now dying fire. And after a time, the two figures faced each other. The first, with his tousled golden hair and matching light golden eyes that burned with strength; the second, with neatly brushed blond hair, covered by a black round hat, his eyes were troubled as he stared at the first figure. He clenched his glove covered hands and finally, he spoke. "Eiri," he said, "you know I would do anything for you, right?"

The first figure, now revealed to be famed romance author Eiri Yuki, walked around the dying fire and stood right up close to the other person, whose cheeks flared a barely perceptible pink hue.

"Touma," said Yuki, "where's Shuichi? I know you know, so tell me." The second figure, Touma Seguchi, former Nittle Grasper and owner of N.G. Records, sighed deeply, as if he had been expecting this moment all along.

"I wanted to wait as long as possible before telling you." he said, "when Shindousan didn't show today, I checked with Ksan and found Shuichi in the park...here." he finished.

Yuki's eyes widened imperceptibly with shock. He looked around slightly, as if expecting Shuichi to just show himself.

Touma carried on unaffected, "the computer showed that Shuichi stayed here for a few hours before moving on..." here, Touma hesitated and had to stop talking.

Yuki's eyes narrowed as he stared at Touma, because he knew that whenever Touma hesitated, it was a bad sign.

"Eiri...Shindousan has found himself at Amadeo's...he's been there for a few hours."

Yuki froze at Touma's statement, while the latter stared at Yuki with something akin to well concealed dread. Shuichi is with Amadeo, thought Yuki, and the thought repeated unconsciously several times.

Yuki knew, knowing how Shuichi's mind worked, that it wouldn't have been long before the brat was telling Amadeo everything. He was no fool. Yuki was completely certain that Amadeo would be using this opportunity to his advantage; there was no way Amadeo would be letting go of this amazing chance for revenge.

Ever since New York, Amadeo de Romanus was a part of his past he had always been rather ashamed of.

The man was everything Yuki wished he could be. Apart from being a famous author who treasured his anonymity, he was a person who appeared approachable and kind. Amadeo had never let his past with Kitasawa get in the way of living, something Yuki always wished he could do. Then again, Amadeo had something else that Yuki had never been able to obtain, Mr. Kitasawa's love. And Amadeo had always hated Yuki for taking the man away from him.

Which was why, at the moment, Yuki was angry and terrified at the same time. As soon as Amadeo found out what Shuichi was to Yuki, he would be using everything in his power to win the brat over and steal him away.

He had to hurry! He couldn't allow that to happen! And damn Touma Seguchi for not telling him sooner!

At that thought, he hurriedly walked past Touma with an angry look on his face. "Where's your car?" he asked roughly at Touma without turning around. The man in question hurried past Yuki and directed them both to his car.

There was no time to waste for Yuki, he had a brat to pick up.

Meanwhile in another part of town, Tatsuha found himself between a rock and a hard place. He was fighting with all his strength between trying to keep those blasted noodles down, just because his God/Idol Ryuichi Sakuma kept saying it was important that he keep some food down, and his desire to run to the bathroom for the up tenth time to empty his stomach.

It was too hard....relief? Or pleasing his God? In the end it no contest, though, and he let himself be guided to the couch, and he laid down and stared at the ceiling. He was still feeling pretty sick, after all.

Everything was moving around again, he knew it was a result of just how much he had drank, but still, did eating and laying down just make it worse? Tatsuha didn't know, but the awful swirling he felt in everything was just making it hard to think. He needed to decide what to do... one choice in it all was obvious, find Shuichi and ask for forgiveness.

He sighed as he felt his god, now turned human in a surprising development, caressing his head softly and caring. As soon as he felt better, he would call Touma and get him to find Shuichi for him, contact him, get him a phone number or something, that way he'd be able to ask for a meeting with the boy and ask for forgiveness.

Tatsuha now felt hopeful, Shuichi wasn't the kind of person to hold a grudge, so with this in mind, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on something other than how sick he still felt.

Ryuichi, meanwhile, decided he'd stay with this boy for as long as it took, because he felt responsible. He would help Tatsuha atone for his mistakes, and just maybe Ryuichi was wishing it would help him in his quest to find what his true personality was, not the DemiGod Sakuma, or the childish Ryuichi, but the man Ryu Sakuma, who liked to sing and go to amusement parks.

Yes, everything would be ok for these two, eventually. They had each other now.

Eiri Yuki was shocked beyond anything he could have imagined, he was too late. He got to Amadeo's house just in time for them to announce that they were lovers. Fine! he thought to himself, if he can find a new lover so easily, then so can I. He turned around angrily, and grabbed Touma's hand, pulling him away, and stalking down the stairs.

Shuichi cursed when he saw his Yuki leaving, and reminded himself of all the suffering the man had caused, because he couldn't lose sight of that, no matter how gorgeous the man is. But he needed to put a proper end to this, so he gave Amadeo a quick kiss on the lips and a strong look in the eyes. "Be right back." he said, before jumping from the couch, and running after Yuki.

He caught them right by the door. "Yuki, wait!" yelled Shuichi. Yuki felt betrayed and angry, his hand froze on the handle of the outside door. He didn't want to turn around. Touma decided he'd fix this himself, so he said, "I think you've done enough, Shindousan." But Shuichi now was angry as well, "oh, I've done enough?" he exclaimed loudly, "I think you're forgetting who beat up whom!" he said incredulously, and with anger laced in his voice. Then he scoffed, "besides, this is between Yuki and me, so with respect, please butt out, Seguchisan, this is personal."

Touma's eyes went wide at the daring exclamation by Shuichi, but he couldn't deny the truth of it, especially under such strenuous circumstances, so for once, he listened and went to make himself a latte, perchance there was some chocolate cake, somewhere? He did love his chocolate.

Shuichi was just mildly shocked that Touma didn't just shoot him on the spot. But he made Yuki turn around. They both stared at each other with anger in their eyes, neither one saying anything, an eternity seemed to pass, before their anger just seemed to dissipate and they stared at each other with tired eyes.

Shuichi started the conversation, "I love you." he said, and both men were surprised by the truth in that statement. "...but..." said Yuki, questioningly, and Shuichi sighed, "...but we keep hurting each other, Yuki. On purpose or not, we just keep hurting each other. Physically....and emotionally." he finished, and Yuki flinched almost imperceptibly at the word physically.

Yuki sighed, too. "I know..." he answered, "...I...like...being with you...but..." he said hesitantly, he just wasn't good at expressing emotions verbally, so was it any wonder he could express himself so well on paper? He just couldn't bring himself to say any of the words he knew he should say. It would be so much easier if he was sitting on his desk, writing one of his tragic romance novels...he scoffed, how ironic, his romance with Shuichi was also ending dramatically.

"You deserve someone who can be there for you, in whatever way you need them...I know I'm not that person...and it's not fair that we should both suffer together when at least one of us can find happiness with someone else." said Yuki, and as the words came out, he almost felt as if he was on the outside, listening in to someone else, rather than if he was saying the words himself, but he also felt the truth in the words he was spewing. He felt like hitting himself, was he seriously ending his longest relationship to date? And it seemed as if it was going amicably, would wonders never cease?

"You deserve to be happy, too, Yuki. Underneath it all, you're not a bad person. We just clash together, that's all. We're too different. But...I hope we can still be friends, maybe? Because I care about you, you know?" said Shuichi, grabbing Yuki's hand softly, walking closer to the man. Yuki shared a look with Shuichi, in silence, before he brought his hand up and grabbed Shuichi by the nape of the neck. Shuichi swallowed, almost nervously, and he stared at Yuki in the eyes, he couldn't look away.

And so they shared a kiss, a kiss that helped them say goodbye, and end their relationship in the same way that it was started. But in this kiss, were all the feelings they couldn't speak to each other.

After some moments, they ended the kiss, and Yuki caressed Shuichi softly. "See you around." he whispered.

They both breathed deeply and stepped away from each other, Touma was halfway through devouring a giant piece of moist chocolate cake, which he quickly washed down with coffee before he stood up, poised and proper.

"There will be no need for you to go back to Eiri's apartment. I will make sure all your things are packed and delivered...here, I suppose?" said Touma, as he walked to the door. "uhm...sure." answered Shuichi. Touma walked out, and Yuki looked once more at Shuichi, and Shuichi said, "bye." in a soft voice, before Yuki turned around and followed Touma.

Shuichi closed and locked the front door, before he ran upstairs, back to his new lover. He slammed the door behind him as he ran in, making the people still inside jump. Shuichi shared a look with Amadeo and he smiled awkwardly, "uhm...I hope you don't care if I move in....cuz....I kind of have no place to go now...since....you know....I was living with Yuki..."

Amadeo smiled lovingly, and walked up to Shuichi, hugging him and giving him a loving kiss on the lips. "I'll just have to make some space in the closet, then won't I?"

They started laughing together, before Shuichi sat on the couch and started telling his friends all about what happened with Yuki and himself.

Amadeo smiled lovingly at Shuichi before walking to the back of his apartment, to a small room all the way on the back. He closed the door and locked it, on the table there was a book, a journal style book. It was open midway, and there was handwriting all over it, along with a picture of Shuichi and Yuki pasted on it. Yuki's face was scratched out with a pen. Amadeo smirked and turned to the back of his journal.

He grabbed a pen, and wrote one single sentence in the last empty page of the book: Mission accomplished. He stared at the journal, with a deep sense of satisfaction growing in him. All these years of planning, now proved fortuitous. He finally had his revenge on Eiri! Not exactly the way he had originally planned, but it worked. He had the sexy rockstar to himself now, as a lover....and what a lover. And Eiri was going home, alone and heartbroken, to relieve his sorrows, no doubt, in the arms of the ever present pest that is Touma Seguchi.

"Amadeo! Where are you?" he heard Shuichi yelling for him from the living room. "I'm coming, love!" he answered. He hugged the journal to himself, before hiding it in a secret compartment, and he left the room, locking behind himself the evidence....the damning evidence that he had known about Shuichi all along. He smiled and shivered in desire when he saw Shuichi waiting for him on the couch, his member twitching, he couldn't wait to make love again.

~Story Ends~

chiyoku says: wow.....did any of you guys see that coming? I sure didn't...O.k. some notes:

One, no, there's not gonna be a sequel. Yes, you can borrow my original character and my story if you feel like making a sequel yourself, but please let me know so I can read it.

Two, I'm so happy I was finally able to finish it! I feel accomplished! This story had been a long time in coming, and I always felt kind of miserable and uncomfortable that it was unfinished...

I had another idea originally, I was planning on at least 3 or 4 more chapters before I finished it....but since it's been so long, I figured I'd just write everything in one chapter, and kind of give it some closure...

So that's it, it's been a good long arduous journey, so now that's it's finished, I'm gonna have some coffee and celebrate.

I hope you enjoyed it!

ps: feel free to read my HP fikie if you want.