All was quiet in the office of the Chief of Staff of the Barsburg Empire, save for the small sounds of an ink pen scratching parchment. A silver-haired man—none other than Chief Ayanami—was seated quietly at his desk, trying to finish his paperwork.

It never seemed to end—complaints from everyone, stupid forms to fill out, the royal family whining, and obtaining Teito Klein—constant tasks were mentally echoing in his head, and Ayanami was certain that the day he finishes all of his tasks would officially be the day he died.

Died...what a nostalgic yet ironic air, thought Ayaanmi rather sardonically as he scribbled his signature for the 39th time that hour, So many people complain about their miserable lives, yet are never satisfied when they die.

At that moment, the door flew open, and one of Ayanami's subordinates walked in—Major Hyuuga. The major, as usual, had a lollipop in his mouth, and his eyes were hidden by his dark glasses. Nobody was really sure what colour they were, mainly due to the fact that he never took off his glasses. Out of the entire Black Hawk team, Major Hyuuga also happened to be noted as one of the craziest—Ayanami of course, being the top.

Ayanami looked at the major, scowling fiercely. "What is it?" he quietly asked, cold amethyst eyes peering at him. Hyuuga, unfazed by the glare, said, "You look very bored, Aya-tan!"

Ayanami gave Hyuuga a baleful look and responded, "Oh? And who am I to blame for that?" Earlier onwards, Ayanami had realized that Hyuuga, as usual, had never bothered with his own work, leaving the silver-haired man to deal with it.

Hyuuga shrugged and suddenly snapped his fingers. "I know!" he excitedly said, "Let's play a cool game!" Ayanami ignored him, increased the pressure on his pen, and continued to write. "Let's play a game of chess!" Hyuuga dramatically announced.

Ayanami realized that too much pressure had been applied on the pen, and it broke. Blackish-blue ink oozed out onto the papers, and Ayanami glared at Hyuuga for the umpteenth time. Hyuuga smiled and said, "If you win, I'll not only rewrite that, but I'll also help you with the rest!" Ayanami looked at him, suspicious.

"How can I be so sure of that?" Ayanami slowly asked, "What will happen if you win?" Hyuuga merely gave a mysterious smile, and licked his lollipop.

Hyuuga continued, "I have the pieces and board somewhere in my office...I'll just get it right now!" Hyuuga momentarily disappeared, and soon came back, holding a board and some pieces in his hand.

"I still have my paperwork to deal with," snarled Ayanami, "I'm not in the mood for such vulgar games!"

"But Aya-tan, this is a game that you would like!" whined Hyuuga. Ayanami raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Really? Enlighten me why..."

"Because it's a strategic game fit for military-like people!" Hyuuga said, "Besides, if you can't even beat me in sword fighting, then there should at least be something where you can beat me at...right?"

Ayanami's head spun slightly to understand at Hyuuga's strange-yet-somehow-correct logic, and Hyuuga gave the white pieces to Ayanami. "Here, you set up!" Hyuuga cheerfully said. Wordlessly, Ayanami placed his pen on the desk, and began to place the chess pieces over the board. Might as well get this silly game over with, thought Ayanami, Besides, if I win, Hyuuga will help me with the damned paperwork.

Soon, all the pieces were in place. The white pieces were carved out of fine marble, while the black ones were from onyx. Hyuuga remarked, "They fit us so well, right?" Ayanami looked at him and quietly asked, "What do you mean?" Hyuuga leaned back and twirled his cherry-red lollipop into the air. "Despite the fact that we're both warsfeil, you're fair, and I'm dark." Ayanami didn't quite understand the logic behind it, and Hyuuga looked at Ayanami, smirking slightly. "White goes first," Hyuuga stated. Ayanami's gloved hand hovered over the white marble pieces, wondering which one to place first. He finally placed a pawn two spaces in front. The game began...

Time passed, and the game began to grow longer, and longer...Neither side seemed to be winning any, nor were they losing many pieces. Ayanami found that he was having to think more clearly, and his plans were constantly changing...different possibilities arose...Hyuuga just sat there, twirling the lollipop, feral grin still painted upon his face. Ayanami wasn't sure of what he was thinking, but felt a small surge of confidence when he saw how Hyuuga moved his rook 2 spaces on the right.

Perfect, thought Ayanami. 30 minutes pass by...1 hour...2 hours...Ayanami suddenly announces, "Check" Hyuuga looked in mild surprise as he noticed the bishop threatening his king.

"Ironic," Hyuuga remarked, "How the 7 ghosts happen to be bishops mainly..." Ayanami realized what Hyuuga was thinking. Hyuuga moved his king over, and Ayanami moved a pawn. "Check," Ayanami stated, "Even pawns like Teito Klein have their use too..."

Hyuuga smirked and responded by moving his knight. "There's always a knight in shining armour to save the day," he lightly replied. Ayanami didn't answer, and the game dissolved into more complex moves. Finally, Ayanami triumphantly said, "Checkmate."

Hyuuga pouted and threw his hands into the air. "As expected of Aya-tan!" Hyuuga happily said, "Thank you for that wonderful game; I'll just go and sleep—"

Ayanami still remembered Hyuuga's promise. He grabbed Hyuuga by the wrist, and brought him close to him. Both men realized how close they were to each other, and Ayanami whispered, "Tell me what time it is."

"It's 2 AM!" Hyuuga cheerfully said, "Which means we both should go to bed..."

"You wasted 3 hours of my time for this stupid game," Ayanami snarled, "Now you should pay the consequences!" Hyuuga suddenly had an idea—a very wicked idea. Before he could reconsider his actions, he pressed his lips to Ayanami's cold ones.

Ayanami was at a loss of words. Part of him wanted to slap Hyuuga and get back to his crummy paperwork, but another part—the mostly-ignored conscience didn't want this to be so swift...he wanted the warmth...to feel whole again...Hyuuga pressed his tongue against Ayanami's lips, wanting access. Ayanami slowly opened his mouth, and Hyuuga eagerly went in. He tastes just like candy, thought Ayanami, Well...that's expected from someone that does nothing but eat lollipops.

Finally, both men broke the kiss, panting for air. "I'll always be there to protect you," Hyuuga said, "Even if some chess piece is threatening your life." Ayanami didn't answer—to be exact, he wasn't sure of what to say. "Was that what you wanted if you won?" Ayanami finally asked. Hyuuga grinned. Ayanami couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was...comforting, thought Ayanami, somehow I feel better...

"Do I still have to do the paperwork?" Hyuuga asked, hopeful that Ayanami would still be caught up in his fantasies and give him the slip. Unfortunately, Ayanami's violet eyes averted and he grabbed the major by the collar, pulling him into a seat next to his own.

"NOOOOOOOOO! I EVEN TRIED MY BEST AT BEING A WORTHY OPPONENT FOR YOU!"

"Then it's my victory," Ayanami calmly stated, "Try harder next time, and perhaps pay attention to the board rather than that insufferable candy of yours."

"..."

When Konatsu Warren walked into Ayanami's office, holding his cup of coffee, the last thing he expected was to see his own superior sitting next to the Chief of Staff meekly writing out paperwork.

"What?" Konatsu began, but Hyuuga had snapped, "Aya-tan cheated at a game of chess."

Ayanami merely replied with a smirk on his pale face and smugly replied, "Hyuuga is just incapable of strategy." Hyuuga looked accusingly at Ayanami and retorted, "You knew that I was always failing at strategy at the academy! You sly cheat!"

Ayanami shrugged and said, "Well, I wasn't the one who wanted to play chess in the middle of the night." Hyuuga sulked, and Konatsu was surprised at how both men seemed to have a personality switch, but smiled. For once, the Black Hawks office was filled with a lighter air than usual...

The end. I had no clue what this was about. You tell me through your reviews. Thanks for reading. Did you notice how many em dashes I made in this fanfic? Ever since my friend showed me how to do them on computer, I've been doing them everywhere! They're so awesome!