Comments - Final part. Kinda short, but I needed to close off the loose ends and it really didn't take too long. Hope you like it. ^_^
PART THREE
The early morning light coming in through the curtains wouldn't normally have woken Kyo up, but something squeezed him tightly around the middle, cutting of his air momentarily.With a tiny gasp, his eyes flew open and he turned his head to see Kaoru sleeping soundly behind him, hugging him tight. He smiled a little and then frowned suddenly. Very carefully, Kyo slipped from the embrace and stood looking down at the guitarist. He sighed at the sight of the tousled hair, still slightly damp with sweat. He turned and dressed slowly, wondering what the meaning of the previous night had been.
"Good morning."
Kyo jumped at the sound of Kaoru's voice. He looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Kaoru."
Kaoru got out of the bed and started to dress. "Feeling better?"
"Um...yeah." Kyo swallowed nervously. "Thanks...um..."
"Kyo, you don't have to say anything," Kaoru interupted, tugging on his t-shirt. "Well..." he said after a moment. "There is one thing you can tell me."
Fearing what the older man was about to ask, Kyo started to walk out of the room. "Why don't I make some coffee?" Neither one of them really liked coffee, but it was merely an attempt to change the subject before it was even brought up. And it would give him some busy work to occupy his mind.
Kaoru nodded and followed him to the kitchen, sitting at the small kitchen table and watching in silence as Kyo measured out coffee and poured water into the machine. The younger man was shaking, he noted.
"Are you alright, Kyo?"
Kyo's hand jerked when Kaoru spoke and he spilled water onto the counter. He coughed and grabbed a towel. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You don't seem fine. I thought you said last night helped."
"It...it did," Kyo replied shakily. "I can't thank you. What you did...it means a lot to me."
"How much?"
Dropping the wet towel on the counter, Kyo turned to see Kaoru gazing at him intently, his dark eyes solemn and searching. "I don't know what you mean. Look, it's early. I'm not usually up at this time. My brain isn't functioning yet."
"Yes it is. No cop outs, Kyo." Kaoru frowned at him. "What happened between us, you wanted that, right? With me, I mean."
"I..." the small blond frowned back at him. "Well, did you want to do that with me? Had you thought about it before?"
Kaoru shrugged. "No. I can't say I ever thought about it before. It just seemed like what you needed."
"So...that's the only reason?" Kyo's voice sounded flat to his own ears. For a moment all he heard was the coffee percolating and dripping into the pot and the traffic outside, unbearably loud, but nothing compared to the pounding of his heart, like a jackhammer drilling at his temples. "You don't...feel anything for me?"
"That's what I was asking you," Kaoru said.
Kyo turned back to stare at the coffee maker. "What does it matter?" he asked quietly. He felt drained of all emotion...empty.
"It matters because I want to know."
Taking a deep breath, Kyo walked to the table and looked down at Kaoru. "If you're asking if I'm in love with you or anything like that, then no. No I'm not. It could have been anybody last night. I was very emotional and I'm ashamed of that, but not what happened. It does mean a lot to me that you were here and that you did what you did. I'd rather it was a close friend and it was, so..." he paused and took another deep gulp of air. "So, thanks."
Kaoru regarded him skeptically for a moment before he nodded and stood. "So long as we're on the same page. It was really nice, Kyo. And I am glad that I could help. But, I'll let you get some more sleep. You look a little pale. Might not be a good idea to keep you awake any longer. I'll see you later."
Kyo watched him leave. As soon as the door closed, he sank into a chair and did something that no one would ever imagine him doing; something that he would never admit to doing; something that made him feel weak...
He cried.
Oh, Kaoru, he thought as he sobbed into his hands. I do...I do love you. It couldn't have been anyone else. It will never be anyone else. But I'll never tell you. And no matter how you feel for me, because of last night I will always have a beautiful memory to hold to my heart. Because of last night, I will never feel lonely again. I'll always be anything but lonely.
~owari~