Warnings: AU, semi-spoilers, shonen-ai, strangeness.... you know, the usual.

Disclaimers: "X" and "Tokyo Babylon" are not mine. X Japan frightens me, and they are also not mine... thank the gods above.... or below... or whatever.

~*~ Chapter Two: Ex-Dream ~*~

"What is this?" Subaru demanded, taking the huge bundle into his arms that overwhelmed him with a sweet smell.

"Two dozen roses, Subaru-kun. One dozen red and one dozen white." Seishirou, free of the roses, dropped into the chair beside Subaru inside the sound stage and began to leaf through his script.

"I can see that, Seishirou-san," Subaru grumbled, leaning toward Seishirou over the flowers. Their lips met very briefly in a chaste kiss. It was their usual greeting, developed after finally getting annoyed with how long it took to kiss both cheeks. "Why did you get me two dozen roses?"

"I didn�t. Those are for Hokuto-chan," Seishirou replied. Then, to himself, he muttered, "Ah, here�s the opening sequence...."

Subaru meanwhile bolted up to find some water to preserve the flowers and came back with his own script in had. After a moment, he kneeled on the chair beside Seishirou, facing the opposite direction of Seishirou. "Kamui and I read over the script for the first few episodes last night."

"Oh?" Seishirou had to bite back a few nasty remarks about Kamui that instantly came to mind just at the mention of the younger man�s name. "Is there a problem then, Subaru-kun?"

Subaru rubbed his temple for the millionth time in several minutes. "Seishirou-san, this isn�t going to work. We need to film this opening sequence by noon tomorrow, and Kamui has all kinds of problems with the part of the opening video he does with Monou-kun." Subaru sighed heavily, tapping Seishirou�s shoulder mindlessly with the script. "Do they have to kiss?"

"I never said they did, Subaru-kun. That�s us. Shirou-kun and Monou-kun need to have a loving embrace moment, though. I mean, they both know I wrote them as almost-lovers before the choice and as hunter and prey afterward. I can�t imagine them having such a problem with this." Seishirou seemed just as tired and annoyed as Subaru.

"Do we have to kiss?"

"Is it a problem?"

"No."

"Well, yes, Subaru-kun." Seishirou smiled a little evilly at the younger man. "Lets call a five minute break. You can go counsel your boy toy, and I�ll make sure Monou-kun doesn�t do anything that might potentially scare our star off."

"Okay," Subaru agreed, smiling at Seishirou. The younger man pushed himself out of the director�s style red chair, tapping the top of Seishirou�s head with the script. "He might not be here yet, you know. Not to mention, I still need to get changed. I think our set will be ready pretty soon." Subaru winked at Seishirou. "I�ll talk to Kamui about it later. You just stay put."

"Hai," Seishirou replied as a student would to a teacher. He was sitting properly with his legs folded in his own blue version of Subaru�s chair with his script open over one knee. "Do you still remember the lines we practiced though, Subaru-kun?"

"To think of only one person... only those who suffer heartache are capable of it.... Seishirou-san...." Subaru got a wistful look in his face as he clearly exaggerated the emotions of the character he was playing. As a result, he took a hit from Seishirou�s script to his butt. "Hey!"

"I couldn�t resist." Seishirou smiled widely at the man he loved. Subaru just stuck his tongue out in reply.

"Sumeragi-san, please get in costume," a random technical person said as she passed the two men hurriedly. Subaru and Seishirou exchanged a glance at the curtness of the woman�s voice, and then laughed.

"I�ll see you out there in a few, Seishirou-san," Subaru promised, making his way through the mess of wires, cameras, and lights to the dressing rooms. Seishirou watched him go with a due sense of nostalgia.

"...There is no way I am wearing this!"

"Oh ho, ho, ho, ho! Why not, Subaru? It suits you!"

"The only thing better, Subaru-kun, would be for you to not wear the costume at all."

"...I�I�ll put it on!"

"Sei-chan! You know my brother is too young for pornography!"

"Ho�Hokuto-chan!"

Lost in thought, Seishirou almost missed his call to the set that was halfway across the sound stage. A little sheepishly, he ducked under a set of lights and came up into the set, stopping dead in his tracks at the scene playing before him.

"Okay, Sumeragi-san, please put your arms above your head." Subaru followed the director�s instructions, his arms stretching skyward over the smooth bark of a fake Sakura tree built in a sound stage for the filming of "Tokyo Babylon/1999". He wore a mesh shirt that left his arms bare, and a pair of black leather pants that hung low off his hip bones and clung tighter than paint to his skin. His hands were gloved in matching black leather, and he wore a silver cross on a black leather choker around his neck. The cross had an "x" engraved into the silver plating of the front.

The way he stood, several inches of Subaru�s stomach was bared entirely, showing off the flat plane that sported harsh angles of muscles, and the curve of his navel. It was just about enough to drive every straight woman and every gay man to insanity wanting to touch him. Sakurazuka Seishirou was no exception.

Subaru looked at his costar, his eyes half-lidded, and his lips parted slightly. Over his eyelids was dark green eye shadow and black eyeliner that made his eyes look frighteningly dark. Seishirou had to swallow hard before he could raise his voice properly. "Where do you want me?"

"Take Sumeragi-san�s wrists in one hand and lean against him. We�re going to do a near-kiss." The director flipped through his notes on the opening sequence. "This will fall between the scenes with the seals and the angels. You two will serve as a bridge." The director looked at Seishirou expectantly. Seishirou gulped again and moved forward, positioning himself as asked.

Seishirou wore a white button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves and the first few buttons undone. He wore his standard black slacks and black dress shoes, but he did not have the sunglasses that would appear in most of the show. As a result, he had one cream-colored contact in his right eye to fog out the color. Seishirou gently took Subaru�s wrists, leaning himself against the smaller man carefully. He maneuvered himself so they were both comfortable, and then caught Subaru�s eyes.

Oh, hell, I can�t do this. Seishirou bit his lip a little on the inside and plastered an evil smirk on his face while Subaru gave him a look that was indescribable. It was sad and angry at the same time, but it held some regret and acceptance as well. Either Subaru was having an inner crises, or he was turning into one helluva actor.

"Hm... We need to do something with that other hand of yours, Sakurazuka-san," the director commented, coming on to the set and standing beside the two actors. "Perhaps if you put it here..." The director moved Seishirou�s hand, placing it palm-flat on Subaru�s stomach. Then, he pushed the hand up a little so that the fingers were just under the mesh. Seishirou could feel the muscles of Subaru�s abdomen constricting under the contact.

Oh hell....

The director scrambled off the set and got beside the camera man. "You know what to do. So... action!"

Seishirou continued to smirk at Subaru while he returned the gaze with that complicated expression. As Seishirou leaned down, his hand slid further under Subaru�s shirt, and the younger man let out a small noise of pleasure, tilting his head up for the kiss. Those heavy-lidded eyes caused Seishirou�s own resolve to falter a little, and he dove in for the kiss. Just before their lips touched, the director cried, "Cut!"

Subaru�s head jolted away, and he shot a smile at the director. "Was that good, then?"

"Perfect! Sumeragi-san, Sakurazuka-san, you really are as talented as I�ve heard!" The director waved a hand. "We don�t need another take, so you can move. Go get changed, too, Sumeragi-san." Subaru blushed, laughing nervously, and slipped out of Seishirou�s grip.

"Do you know where Kasumi-san and Aoki-san are?" The director wondered, flipping through his notes again. Their part is next."

"They�ll be here soon, I�m sure," Seishirou assured as he chased after Subaru, off the set. When he finally caught up with the younger man, Subaru was already to his dressing room. Seishirou walked in without knocking, he had never knocked before, and found Subaru shifting through clothes to find something to wear. "Subaru-kun...." Seishirou began.

"Hm? Oh, Seishirou-san. Is something wrong?" Subaru looked over his shoulder, stretching muscles Seishirou didn�t know he had until he saw them sliding under the revealing mesh of the shirt. Seishirou, for the third time in as many minutes, was gulping.

"No, it�s nothing." Seishirou shook his head, turning his face to the ground. "I was wondering what time the shoot with Hokuto-chan is this afternoon." Seishirou looked back up to Subaru to see the other man had rid himself of the shirt and was now pulling on a much more modest white sweater with a large red cross stitched into both the front and the back. The sweater hit him at about mid-thigh.

"At four-thirty. I was thinking I might try to catch a late lunch or early dinner with Kamui beforehand." Subaru straitened the turtleneck of the sweater and ran his fingers through his hair. Pointing to the vanity, he requested, "Seishirou-san, would you hand me those scissors?"

"Oh. Yeah," Seishirou grabbed the pair of scissors and handed them to Subaru who began to cut up the seam of the pants.

"These had to be sewn on to me this morning. I might need your help cutting them." Subaru got to just above his knee when he just had too awkward of an angle, and handed the scissors over. Seishirou took over, cutting up the seam that slowly was revealing Subaru�s pale legs. By the time Seishirou got to the hip, if was very clear Subaru wore nothing below the pants. Though, that had been clear before.

Seishirou quickly went up the other leg, saving both himself and Subaru some embarrassment. With the leather gone, Subaru pulled on a pair of boxers and some loose blue jeans. Subaru flashed Seishirou a smile. "You�ve been winking at me for several minutes now," Subaru commented. "I feel like I�m missing a big hint, or something."

Seishirou looked at Subaru oddly for a minute, and then realized Subaru meant his right eye that was, indeed, winking. The contact was irritating the soft tissue of the eye that otherwise had never had a contact on it before. "Oh, it�s the contact. The damn thing has been bothering me since I put it in." Seishirou heard a surprised burst of laughter from Subaru, and let out a small, relieved chuckle of his own.

"I missed you, Seishirou-san," Subaru said quite suddenly. He took a step closer to his older counterpart and slid his arms around the other man. Seishirou smiled sadly at the top of the younger man�s head for a moment, and then returned the embrace.

"Subaru!" A voice called. Seishirou had grown to hate the voice and damn it for all it was worth.

"Oh! Kamui�s early!" Subaru pulled away from Seishirou and opened the door for his boyfriend. The small boy with a dark mop of hair and bright violet eyes threw himself into Subaru�s arms immediately, grinning like an idiot. "Oof!" Subaru laughed after impact, holding Kamui against him. "You�d think you hadn�t seen me in years, the way you�re acting, Kamui."

"It�s been hours, Subaru!" He was half-joking. This irritated Seishirou. Technically, it had probably been hours since the two had seen eachother. On the one hand, Kamui was probably glad to see Subaru. On the other hand, he should have been as excited as he was to see the other man. Kamui tilted up his head for a sloppy kiss that had "lovesick" written all over it.

"Kamui, later," Subaru promised, laughing lightly. "Seishirou-san and I were just discussing our plans for tonight." Once Seishirou was brought to Kamui�s attention, the youngest man looked a little sheepish, and backed away from Subaru, if only a little. "Do you have plans yet?"

"Fuuma-san asked me out to dinner," Kamui said quietly, not looking at Seishirou. This full turn about of personality irritated Seishirou a little. It wasn�t the first time either he or Subaru had a lover other than eachother... it�s not like Kamui should be ashamed or worried for his well-being.

Not much anyway.

"I see you�ve finally taken to calling him by his first name," Seishirou commented with a smile. "That�s good to hear that you are becoming friends. I think you two will be perfect in your roles. I�m glad Subaru has such a keen eye for boys." The last was delivered with a certain level of poison in Seishirou�s tone.

"I�m not the only one," Subaru shot back with a glare that promised dismemberment. "Anyway, Kamui," Subaru began, turning back to his lover with a sunny smile. "I was going to ask you out to lunch, since we won�t be spending our night together."

"Um... I think I�m going to be tied up here for a while yet," Kamui said apologetically. "The director wants to get the closing sequence filmed today as well, if possible. And that is only Fuuma-san and me for the whole thing, so I think I�m going to be stuck here until dinner. I�m sorry, Subaru."

"Nah, it�s okay. I�ll just hang around with Seishirou-san, instead." Subaru turned a huge smile on Seishirou... the polar opposite of the look he�d been giving him a moment before. "Seishirou-san, why don�t you go get changed. I�ll be ready for lunch in a few minutes."

"Sure thing, Subaru-kun." Seishirou stepped out the door, closing it behind him. He leaned back against it and listened in. There was a long pause at first, which Seishirou knew was a kiss by the wet sound that came at the end.

"Is Sakurazuka-san angry?" Kamui wondered quietly. His voice was slightly muffled.

"No. He�s just... well, I don�t want to go into it, Kamui." Subaru gave a heavy sigh. "Anyway, we should get you dressed for your first scene."

Seishirou didn�t really care to hear more. He pushed off the door and made his way stormily to his own dressing room.

Only fourteen more months of this hell, and he would have the bet to distract him....

Fourteen more months....

~*~

"Sumeragi-san is such a nice man," Fuuma said pleasantly as he dug into his dinner with more appetite than Kamui might have expected. In fact, the other man was eating like a horse. Who would have known?

Kamui himself had a small portion on his plate, and was sure he wouldn�t eat it all. He poked at it for a moment before answering, "Subaru is wonderful. He always knows how to support me, because he has been in my shoes before. But... I get the distinct feeling Sakurazuka-san doesn�t like me." Kamui finally put a bite of food in his mouth and chewed delicately, almost lost in thought.

"You�re right�he doesn�t," Fuuma said flatly, causing Kamui to quite nearly spit out his food. "He sees you as a barrier between Sumeragi-san and himself." Fuuma turned his dark eyes on Kamui, giving the smaller man a heavy look that said much more than Fuuma�s words. "He�s in love. Men do and think strange things when they are in love. Sakurazuka-san, besides his cool exterior, is no exception."

Kamui seemed to consider this for a moment. "Do you know Sakurazuka-san from before he started casting?" Kamui lifted his glass and took a sip of his drink before giving Fuuma his full attention.

"Yes. He mentored me in my early acting days. He was a college student at the time, so this was a little before �Babylon�, and he did a program with the elementary acting club. After that, we just kept in touch over the years." Fuuma shrugged. "I�d like to believe that I have given him something in return by helping him through nine years of angsting over Sumeragi-san, but he is pretty well crazy-in-love."

"I thought it was all rumors that those two were really an item." Kamui muttered, more or less to himself. He wasn�t jealous, not of Seishirou, but he was a little upset at the thought that he wasn�t the only person that Subaru had ever cared so deeply for. But... Subaru and Seishirou didn�t act like old lovers.

"Did they kiss?" Fuuma asked, almost absently.

"Um.... Why would they do that?" Kamui turned his full attention on Fuuma, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. A soft smile came to Fuuma�s lips as Kamui turned such dark, intense violet eyes on the older man. It was strange, but Fuuma actually saw some of himself in the boy across from him....

"Sakurazuka-sempai! You came on time and everything!"

"Of course, Monou-kun. Would I ever do otherwise?"

"No, you are a very prompt person, I suppose."

"Monou-kun, you are very cute. Whoever is lucky enough to be loved by you must be very happy, you know that?"

"...Thank you, Sakurazuka-sempai. I�m sure the one you love must be very happy too...."

"He doesn�t appreciate it, really, actually.... But, that�s okay with me. As long as he is happy, I will do anything to protect that happiness.... You should try hard to win your love too, Monou-kun."

"I remember it started because they thought their greeting was getting too long. Really, it was one of Sakurazuka-san�s ploys to get closer to Sumeragi-san. But... Sumeragi-san has always been such a caring, gentle person... he would never deny Sakurazuka-san if the idiot would just ask the right questions. But...." Fuuma sighed. "Never mind. Just remember that Sumeragi-san is a creature of habit. If a greeting kiss bothers you, it�s basically too damn bad. He won�t stop unless you find a really good way to break the habit."

"You love him," Kamui said suddenly, surprising Fuuma. "Sakurazuka-san... is the one you love the most, isn�t he?"

Fuuma looked to his hands. "He was. I gave up on the one-sided love long ago. I am not nearly as persistent as he is. Besides, I know I can find someone else...." Fuuma looked up at Kamui, his dark eyes filled with some emotion that made Kamui squirm. If Kamui�s heart beat could be stopped with a look, he would be dead. At the same time, the look was not one that Kamui would expect to see outside of the bedroom. He had only seen one such look on Subaru.....

"...Fuuma...."

"You called me by my name!" Out of the blue, Fuuma was grinning madly. He winked at Kamui. "I think we will need to be calling eachother by first names on a regular basis if we are to act that way. Ne, Kamui?"

Kamui pouted. It had all been an act to surprise him. It made Kamui wonder if Fuuma had even been speaking the truth. Something about his false happiness now made Kamui think that Fuuma wasn�t kidding about anything he had said. "Okay. But, you didn�t have to scare me with that look, Fuuma."

"You�ll get used to it," Fuuma promised. He leaned forward to put a hand on Kamui�s cheek. "If I have to get used to your beauty, you have to get used to me being flirty and touchy-feely. I mean, look at my character. I go from being the hands-on kind of best friend to being a sadistic maniac who likes to lick you and such." Kamui, logically, understood what Fuuma was saying. His body, however, was still dealing with the smoldering look that had so suddenly turned to gentle affection. "I suppose you won�t have to act much if I already give you so much trouble."

"...Fuuma... that isn�t funny." Kamui pouted, pulling away, and sitting back in his chair. Fuuma laughed, and eventually Kamui laughed too, and then the subject was dropped entirely. They moved on to talk about interests they shared and everything and anything they could think of to say to better understand the kind of person they would be spending the next year with.

~*~

After a pleasant lunch together, Seishirou had gone home to get changed into what he considered to be his proper clothes, and Subaru went straight over to his sister�s studio to get ready for the photo shoot he was supposed to be doing with Seishirou. He told the older man that he had no idea what was in store for them in Hokuto�s clutches... and that frankly worried Seishirou. Neither of them would ever underestimate the power of the evil Hokuto was capable of creating.

Seishirou waited at the door to Hokuto�s studio, holding a bottle of champagne and a dozen roses in his arms. "Coming!" A voice promised through the door, followed by a crash. Then, a quiet "ow" drifted through the wood of the door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Subaru, dressed in a full-length black robe, looking a little frazzled. "Sorry, I tripped. I hope you weren�t waiting there long. I didn�t think you�d be on time."

"Subaru-kun, I�m always on time," Seishirou pointed out, his eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, but you know me so well... I figured you�d just get here late to accommodate for the fact that I can never be on time to anything." Subaru looked to the items Seishirou was holding. "Are those for Hokuto?"

"Nope. The flowers are for you, and the champagne is so we don�t have to be sober while Hokuto-chan puts us through hell." Subaru laughed at the comment, and accepted the roses from Seishirou, automatically stepping closer. When they were chest-to-chest, Seishirou cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry." Subaru turned his face up and met lips with Seishirou in another one of his brief, friendly greeting kisses. Or, at least that was the plan. Somehow, the kiss lingered. In fact, it lingered a lot longer than either of them had expected it to. Seishirou snaked a hand behind Subaru�s back, and they stayed locked there for a little over a minute before the moment was abruptly ruined by a high squeal of laughter.

"Go, Sei-chan!" Seishirou and Subaru sprang apart, looking at Hokuto who stood on the porch behind Seishirou. She gave Seishirou a heavy clap on the back. "About damn time!" Then, she waved her finger at Subaru. "And you! You have a boyfriend! Shame on you, Subaru!"

"What?" Subaru slapped his forehead. "You�re too fickle, Hokuto-chan. Besides, it was our usual greeting kiss. Nothing special." Subaru was blushing, but he managed to keep his tone even, and look more or less cool as he turned and led Seishirou and Hokuto in procession into the studio.

"�Nothing special� my ass, Subaru!" Hokuto replied, pulling the door closed behind her and toeing her shoes. "Kamui-kun would pass out if he saw that!" Hokuto paused. "Speaking of which, where is my husband? I told him to take pictures if you guys did anything interesting before I got here."

"Kakyou is in the dark room," Subaru replied absently, going to his sister�s giant wardrobe, and motioning to it with one hand. "Seishirou-san, pick your poison." Seishirou laughed nervously.

"I�m back, �Kyou!" Hokuto yelled, turning a corner to a hall that Subaru knew went to the dark room. Her yells faded as she went to speak with her husband. Seishirou was making a face that made Subaru smile. The man had far more tolerance to Hokuto than Subaru did, but he was, none the less, perturbed by her bizarre sense of fashion.

"Isn�t anything here not scary?" Seishirou wondered aloud, going through the clothing methodically. He set the champagne and the flowers on a nearby coffee table, and began to leaf through the clothes again�this time seriously looking for something wearable. "What is this photo shoot for, anyway, Subaru-kun?"

"You know my sister," Subaru muttered, rolling his eyes. "Kakyou suggested that we start getting marketing pictures taken. Naturally, Hokuto wants to experiment with the two of us before moving on to Kamui and the others. Though, she suggested some pretty interesting pictures with Kamui to me last night." Subaru laughed lightly, a blush creeping to his cheeks. "She�s as scary as ever, when you get her behind a camera."

"She�s just enthusiastic," Seishirou insisted, pulling out something with a lot of leather straps. It was hard to say if it was actually any particular piece of clothing, or if it really was just a whole bunch of straps. "A little too enthusiastic at time, I confess," Seishirou added dryly, putting the outfit away promptly. "Perhaps I should just wear this suit?" Seishirou motioned to what he was already wearing, giving Subaru a hopeful look.

"She�s pretty nice to you. I�m sure you can get away with it." Subaru pulled out an outfit that Seishirou didn�t see anything special about. "This is what I�m wearing, so I�m going to go get changed. Make yourself comfortable, Seishirou-san. I believe there is coffee if you�d like some."

Seishirou just shook his head. Subaru left Seishirou alone with the clothes and his thoughts. This was the night... Seishirou wanted to restart the bet. But, he had to get Subaru alone first. Maybe he could walk the man home, invite himself in, get him very tipsy on champagne, and then propose the idea. Seeing as he couldn�t think of a better plan off the top of his head, Seishirou was willing to just give in to this idea.

"Seishirou! It�s good to see you!" Seishirou turned to see Kakyou wheeling himself in with a huge smile on his face that was framed by his delicate blonde hair. It made him look absolutely feminine and certainly beautiful.

"Kakyou, it�s always a pleasure to see you." Seishirou went to Kakyou, bending at the waist so that he could properly embrace his friend, and knelt beside the other man. "How�s the married life?"

"Oh, it�s going well. It�s so nice to wake up with her every morning..." Kakyou sighed. "Seishirou, you need a boyfriend." Seishirou laughed in surprise at Kakyou�s words. "I mean, you�ve been pining over my brother-in-law for years, now. Don�t you think it�s about time you looked elsewhere?"

"I would if I could, Kakyou." Seishirou stood, closing his eyes against the momentary dizziness. He must have stood too quickly because he was irritated. "You�re in love with a Sumeragi. Surely you understand how hard it is to fall out of love once your in love. If I remember correctly, Kakyou, you were pining over Hokuto-chan long before I even met the twins."

"True, Seishirou, but I�m not pining over the one who has a boyfriend and has openly declared on many an occasion that he is not in love with me." Kakyou raised his eyebrows at Seishirou, and the older man said nothing. Kakyou made a very valid point.

"Seishirou-san, Kakyou, you two aren�t arguing again, are you?" Subaru laughed as he came back into the room with his sister in tow. Seishirou glanced up and his stomach did a flip. Why were all of Subaru�s pants today low-cut hip huggers? Hokuto laughed evilly at the expression on Seishirou�s face.

Kakyou�s jaw dropped. "Subaru, you look amazing." He looked to Hokuto. "How did you make your brother look like that?" Hokuto was still laughing. As usual, she took a great deal of pleasure in dressing up her brother just to show him off to Seishirou.

"Thanks, Kakyou," Subaru mumbled, looking from the blonde to Seishirou. Those eyes said that he wanted Seishirou to say something to him, but Seishirou didn�t honestly think there was anything to say! Subaru knew he was gorgeous, he knew he twisted Seishirou�s innards into little knots, and he knew damn well that Seishirou was having a hard time finding air.

Really, the outfit wasn�t anything special. It was just a t-shirt (which comically read "Tokyo Babylon Sports Wear: Since 1990") and a pair of those damn jeans that held to the defined bones of his hips and showed flashes of stomach. Honestly, though, it should have been illegal for someone like Subaru to wear the outfit. "Don�t look at me," Seishirou muttered, "you know what I think."

Needless to say, it was a very long photo shoot.

~*~

"Thanks for coming home with me," Subaru murmured. Seishirou could tell that Subaru wasn�t exactly sober anymore. It had nothing to do with the fact that Subaru kept throwing himself at Seishirou... really. But, in the present moment, with Subaru sitting next to him on the couch, whispering against the sensitive skin of his ear, Seishirou was finding it very hard to remember why he had come over.

"Subaru-kun, I wanted to talk to you," Seishirou insisted, gently pushing Subaru back so that they could meet eyes. "It�s about the bet we made nine years ago." The word "bet" seemed to sober Subaru considerably. He studied Seishirou carefully as the older man continued to talk. "I want to make the bet with you again this year."

"You�ll just loose again," Subaru pointed out, taking another drink of champagne. This time a swig... straight from the bottle. "I have Kamui, now. And besides, Seishirou-san, I�m not the confused little boy I was when we met a decade ago. People change a lot between teenager-hood and adulthood." Subaru stared intensely at the table where he set the bottle.

"That�s why I want to start the bet again, Subaru-kun. I�m not asking you to give up Kamui. In fact, that would be detrimental to the bet. Really, I just want to be given a second chance to woo you over." Seishirou held out a hand to Subaru. "Please, Subaru-kun? What�s the worst that could happen?"

"You could kill off my character out of spite," Subaru commented mildly, looking irritated.

"Subaru-kun, look at me." Seishirou used one hand to turn Subaru�s face to one again meet eyes. The emerald slice eyes were glassy with alcohol and dark with some emotion Seishirou couldn�t place, but, as always, Subaru was strikingly gorgeous. "I love you, Subaru-kun."

"I don�t feel the same." Subaru twisted out of Seishirou�s grasp, leaning into the man�s chest instead. Seishirou didn�t know quite what to make of this turn of events. "You have one year, Seishirou-san." Subaru turned his head up and caught his costar�s lips with his own.

The bet was on again. Seishirou had one year. Subaru was kissing him.

Why in the hell was Subaru kissing him?

Seishirou pushed Subaru away. The younger man made a noise of protest. "You�re drunk," Seishirou explained simply. "I�m going home. You need to drink some water before you go to bed, or you are going to regret it in the morning. Okay?"

"Don�t leave." Subaru took up two handfuls of Seishirou�s shirt and made huge puppy eyes. He buried his face in Seishirou�s shirt and whispered, "If you leave, I�ll be alone." Quite suddenly, the younger man�s entire body weight fell on Seishirou, pushing the larger man back against the couch.

"Subaru-kun?" Seishirou ventured quietly when Subaru didn�t make another move.

The only answer was a loud rather impolite snore.

Seishirou laughed, his arms snaking around Subaru. He might as well enjoy the moment

~*~ To be continued... ~*~