Part 9

Kamio smashed the tennis ball past Shinji, taking another point and ending the practice match. In the week since Akaya had moved in with him, the two of them had settled into an odd sort of routine that was becoming quite comfortable. He had bought his new roommate a futon at a second hand store, as well as a small set of bookshelves and a table and chair. The room was a bit bare, still, but it at least looked like a bedroom. Akira’s mother hadn’t taken that long to figure out that Akaya was living with them, but had accepted the new situation without a problem, making vague noises about Akaya helping with the housework and groceries, which Akira assured her he was.

They were playing tennis nearly every night, and studying together as well, and it was really starting to make a difference in Kamio’s abilities, though he wasn’t sure anyone was noticing except him. Grabbing his water bottle, he took a long drink, glancing around at the younger students who’d been avidly watching the friendly match between him and Shinji, and then he blinked, seeing another student off to the side. He started towards the other boy, who was almost invisible under the shade of the tree, in his black school uniform. “Tachibana-buchou!”

"Kamio," Tachibana's smile was small, but genuine. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come out to see the practices yet this semester; the mock-exams have been keeping me busy, and the real ones will be worse yet." He shook his head, looking out over the practice. "They're looking good. You've done a good job with them. Though I see the rumours are actually true for once?" The senior tilted his head towards the area where Kirihara was putting the rookies through a brutal set of agility drills.

Kamio coloured, ducking his head happily. “Thanks, buchou,” he said. “I’ve been doing my best. Akaya has been helping a LOT with the pre-regulars, and helping me with figuring out how to do the selection tournaments later on. He really knows what he’s doing, and he’s been really helpful in…letting me know his thoughts. With any luck, by the time the rest of us have to retire until highschool, those kids will be ready to continue the club and show some real skill in the tournaments.”

Tachibana nodded, still watching Kirihara and the younger boys. "Having what is essentially two captains on a team is usually a recipe for trouble, but you two seem to be handling it well." He hadn't missed his former vice-captain's use of their ex-rival's given name, and it amused him. Of all the people he'd thought would never warm up to Kirihara in the least, Kamio had been at the top of the list. "Pre-regulars, hmm? Not something I'd have thought of, but I can see where it would be useful in this situation. Have you had any problems?" He finally turned to look at Kamio again. "With him, or with the other Regulars?"

Kamio followed the direction of his glance, turning his head to look back at Akaya with a smile. “No, we haven’t had any problems,” he said. “Well…not really,” he added hesitantly. “The other Regulars weren’t sure at first, but they trusted me enough to accept him. He’s earned a lot of points by helping the pre-Regulars, and by playing me without going…you know. Violent.” He glanced back at Tachibana. “One of the pre-Regulars was being bullied and he overreacted, but that actually helped him a bit. They love him. And the bullies are afraid to do anything to the kids.”

"Given my own history of over-reacting to someone bullying people under my care, I can hardly fault him for that," Tachibana replied with another small smile. Even though it had lost him the chance to play at all in his second year, punching the coach for his treatment of Kamio and the others had been so damn satisfying. And it had turned out well in the end.

As, apparantly, this had. "You seem to have gotten over your hatred of him," he observed. "Have you been playing him a lot? That would explain how much you've improved since I last came to watch."

“I uh…” Kamio blushed deeply. “Yeah, we’ve been playing a lot after school. And studying together. He’s, uh, living at my house,” he added, his voice dropping so that those nearby wouldn’t hear. So far, the word hadn’t gotten out about that yet, and he wasn’t sure he wanted the whole school knowing if he could avoid it.

"He's what?" Kamio had succeeded in startling his former captain badly enough that Tachibana whipped his head around to stare at him. "How on earth did that ever come about? And how have you managed to keep it quiet?" His little sister certainly hadn't mentioned that part.

"Well..." Kamio resisted the urge to glance back at Akaya again and stepped a little closer to Tachibana. "His parents are real freakazoids, buchou," he said softly. "I wanted to get him out of the house, that's all. So he's living with me, for as long as he needs to."

"Freakazoids, hmm?" Tachibana's tone was dry, but his expression was a bit more sympathetic. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. It was good of you to take him in, Kamio, especially considering the past history between you two."

Practice had ended for the non-Regulars as well; most of them were trailing into the clubhouse, while the five pre-Regulars staggered about cleaning up the balls and equipment. It was obvious Kirihara had worked them to their utter limits.

"Yo, buchou!" Akaya called, seeing Kamio standing outside the courts by someone not in a tennis uniform. Somehow he always managed to make the word sound like either an insult or a pillow name; at least today it was an insult. Kamio, like Yukimura and Sanada before him, had quickly learned that there was no point in trying to discipline the wild-haired boy out of being irreverant. He just took the punishments without complaint, and continued exactly as he had been.

"Get your ass in gear, you promised me a match after practice!" he continued, laughing as he swung his racquet in anticipation. "Are we going or..." his words trailed off and his eyes went almost comically wide as he finally got close enough to recognize his housemate's companion. "Tachibana."

"Yeah well, the history is just that," Kamio said. "History. We've worked it out..." his voice trailed off as he heard Akaya's shout and he turned, offering the other boy a smile. "I haven't forgotten, Akaya," he said, rolling his eyes.

Akaya nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on Tachibana. For a long moment the two simply stared at each other; Tachibana measuring, Akaya defiant. Finally Tachibana nodded at him. "Kirihara. I'm glad to see you seem to be settling in well here."

"I was wondering when you'd get around to coming out to check up on me and make sure I wasn't hurting any of your little chicks," Akaya drawled. He felt like he was somehow on the defensive, and that always brought out the worst in him. "I expected to see you weeks ago, honestly."

Kamio's eyes narrowed. It was one thing for Akaya to mouth off to him, but he was protective of Tachibana. "He trusts me, Akaya," he said softly. "Like the others do."

"He's here now, isn't he?" Akaya shrugged. "So you came, you saw... none of the kids are dying or even bleeding." He smirked. "Though I'm sure if you asked them right now some of them would tell you they were dying. But they're getting better." He looked over at Kamio finally. "So let's go already."

He wanted out of there, away from the tangible reminder of one of the lowest moments of his life. He couldn't imagine Tachibana would be able to easily forgive Akaya for destroying his knee like that.

His attempts to get away were brought to an abrupt halt when Tachibana smoothly asked, "How about a match with me instead? I came to see if anybody would play me, I'm going to get rusty at this rate." He shifted to reveal his tennis bag leaning against the tree behind him.

Feeling oddly trapped, Akaya turned back to him. His face was set in his customary expression of faintly dangerous boredom, and only Kamio of everyone present knew him well enough to read the faint panic in his green eyes. "I wouldn't have thought you'd want to face me across a net again any time soon. Aren't you planning to play again in high school?"

"Akaya!" Kamio said, frowning at him. "What's wrong with you?" He couldn't understand why Akaya was being such a jerk. Surely he wouldn't throw away his chance at becoming a Fudoumine Regular just because Tachibana challenged him to a game. "It's just a friendly game, like with me."

Glancing at him, Akaya narrowed his eyes slightly, but the smug smirk on his face didn't waver in the least. It's not a damn thing like playing you, he's way better than you! he thought fiercely at the redhead. Damn it, I don't want to play him, I'm not ready for this...

"Hey, if he wants to risk it, it's no skin off my nose," he said aloud, shrugging again. He couldn't back off without looking like a coward, and he bloody well didn't want to give Tachibana any reason to be suspicious of him. Which avoiding the game would probably do. Tachibana might not be captain any more, but he had a hell of a lot of influence over the current team.

"Let's play then," Tachibana agreed, watching Kirihara closely. There was something going on here, and he wasn't sure quite what it was. Grabbing his bag, he headed for the club room to change.

Not possessing even the smallest amount of telepathy, Kamio still had no idea what was wrong. When Tachibana was out of earshot, he turned to Akaya. "Akaya, what is WRONG?" he demanded quietly. "You really don't want to hurt him... why are you acting like you do?"

"I don't," Akaya replied, walking slowly back towards the courts to warm up. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." Though his expression was still bored, his eyes were fierce. I have to hold it together, he ordered himself sternly. If I hold back he'll win, and he'll know I'm holding back. I can do this, damn it. I don't need my meds to control this, I just have to remember that it's all in my bloody head!

Kamio watched him, shadowing him a pace or two behind. "Are you sure?" he pressed worriedly. He'd never seen Akaya this upset, and he was afraid of what it might mean.

"Yes," Akaya replied, but the ever-so-faintly panicked look he gives Kamio said otherwise. It was too late to change his mind, though; Tachibana was already emerging from the change rooms with racquet in hand. And as Akaya had known would happen, the gossip had flown and every memeber of the club was now pouring back out, some of them half-changed or soaking wet from the shower, to watch their 'oni-taichou' play the legendary Tachibana.

Sighing softly, Kamio did the only thing he could - he quickly moved to the spot next to the net, so he could referee the game. At the very least, he'd be able to call it before it got ugly, though he didn't know what he'd do with Akaya AFTER that. "Just a friendly game," he called out, settling into the chair and giving both Akaya and Tachibana a look.

Some twist of fate had Tachibana win the spin, just as he had in the tournament. And just as he had then, he chose to recieve first.

I can do this, Akaya repeated to himself like a mantra. He squeezed the ball hard, distorting the shape so it would go in an unpredictable direction after he served. I can DO this. With no further warning, he served.

It was a brutal game, fast-paced and exhausting just to watch. By the third game the awed and astonished whispers had stopped; most of the bystanders were simply watching in stunned silence. For a 'friendly match', neither player was holding back at all. It might as well have been the last match of the Nationals finals.

Akaya was dominating the game, but Tachibana was making him pay dearly for every point. It would have been so damn easy to target his weak side; he didn't need his demon whispering in his ear to see that Tachibana's knee, although fully healed, was still an easily exploitable weakness. Through sheer force of will he managed to keep control, actually dropping a few points because he refused to put any shots in an area that might conceivably strain Tachibana's knee.

In the end he won, but he was dripping with sweat by the time he took the last point to win it 7-5. He stood panting at the service line, trying to conceal the faint shaking in his hands as he stared at his own feet, desperately avoiding looking at the demon howling in thwarted fury around him. He was going to pay for this later... but he'd done it. He'd played Tachibana and not lost control.

Kamio got to his feet, moving quickly to Akaya's side with only a glance spared towards Tachibana. "Give him room!" he snapped as the pre-regulars surged around him to congratulate him and exclaim about the game. He'd seen a few hints that things weren't completely perfect with Akaya, and the last thing he wanted to do was let the other boy lose control now. "You want me to take you home?" he asked in an undertone as he reached Akaya, not caring how it would look.

Terrified at the idea of being trapped in Kamio's house, with no outlet for the furious energy still moving through his system, Akaya squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Then he took a deep breath and looked up, focusing on Tachibana and refusing to look to either side at the demon. "There, you had your rematch. I didn't hurt you and I still beat you. Satisfied?"

"Actually, yes," Tachibana replied mildly. He too was panting and sweating, though not trembling like Kirihara was. "If you can play me without breaking down, then you can handle any of them."

At that Akaya gave him a sharp look. "Fucking... did Yukimura put you up to this?" he demanded. That phrasing... 'breaking down' wasn't how most people described it when Akaya lost control.

"He suggested it," Tachibana said with a small smile. "Said something about you needing to confront your past. But I'm glad I took the suggestion." Moving to the net, he held out his hand. "Welcome to Fudoumine, Kirihara."

Akaya stared at the proferred hand, then at Tachibana. He made no move to take the older boy's hand; he didn't trust himself not to end up hurting him still. "Thanks," was all he said shortly in reply, before turning and moving towards the exit to the courts, completely ignoring everyone around him.

Kamio watched him go helplessly, realizing that Akaya probably didn't want him to follow, but worried about him and tempted to go anyway. He moved over to Tachibana, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "I'm sorry, buchou," he said, not sure exactly what was going on.

"It's all right, Kamio," Tachibana assured him, patting his shoulder. "I didn't really expect anything else. Actually, he was rather more civil this time than he's been to me in the past." He laughed, and turned to the other Regulars, who were crowding around him and demanding his attention.

Not even bothering to grab his things from the club room, Akaya broke into a run the moment he was outside the fence. He needed to get away from the crowd and the awed congratulations, away from the relieved looks on the faces of the Regulars, away from Kamio's worry and most of all, away from Tachibana. He headed for the court where Kamio had found him that first day, what seemed like months ago though it had only been three weeks.

Kamio nodded, not really reassured, but he stayed as the Regulars crowded around them, giving Akaya as much time to be alone as he could stand to give him.

Finally, the group broke up and he took his time with changing and getting ready, making his way back towards home. An instinct - or maybe he just knew Akaya well enough by now - took him to the court instead of going straight home. He was pretty sure he'd find Akaya there.

It was almost an eerie recreation of that first time they'd met there. Akaya had worked himself into exhaustion, scaring more than a few people away from the small park with his snarled, almost screamed imprecations at himself and the oni that haunted him. It hadn't given up, hounding and hounding at him until he'd snapped and tossed his racquet at it in a futile attempt to drive it away. Thank all the gods he hadn't damaged the racquet, at least. He had no money to repair or replace it, and anything Kamio could afford to get him would be a serious step down from the very expensive, custom-made one he had now.

He was lying spread-eagle on the court by the practice wall when Kamio found him, eyes closed, his breath steaming in the still cold air, shivering as his body cooled and muscles locked up. He hadn't walked himself out, hadn't done any sort of cool-down, just dropped where he stood from sheer exhaustion.

Kamio took one look at him and sprinted to his side. "Akaya!" he exclaimed, thinking that he might be unconscious - sick, or injured somehow from the game. "Akaya, are you OK?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Akaya shoved himself painfully to a sitting position, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I'm fine," he muttered, shivering again and wincing as his muscles protested the abuse he'd put them through. "I'm fine," he repeated, a little stronger this time. "How's Tachibana?"

"He's fine," Kamio said, dropping to one knee next to Akaya and carefully putting a hand on his shoulder. "More fine than you are, that's for sure. Are you..cramping up?" He added, his eyes widening as he saw a muscle twitch in Akaya's arm. Had the other boy simply worked himself to exhaustion?

"Yeah," Akaya gritted out painfully, hissing as he realized just how bad a state he was in. His knees still felt like jelly, though; he wasn't sure he could stand on his own. "Help me walk it off?" Having to ask for help ate at his pride, but he didn't have much choice. And it was only Kamio. And when did my subconscious decide I didn't mind him seeing me in a moment of weakness? he wondered to himself.

Kamio nodded, winding his arm around Akaya and trying to drag him to his feet. "Why did you do this to yourself?" he asked in confusion. "You didn't do anything to Tachibana. What were you trying to do?"

"Akira..." Despite his best efforts at concealing it, there was something fragile in Akaya's voice when he spoke, something that sounded like it would break at the slightest bit of pressure. The look in his eyes was even more delicate, or maybe desperate was the right word. "Don't push me right now, okay?" Swallowing, he added in a voice almost too soft to hear, "Please?"

Kamio's eyes widened, and he nodded. "Okay, Akaya," he said in a hushed voice. "I was just worried, that's all." He helped him to walk slowly, turning him silently towards home.

With his arm over Kamio's shoulders and Kamio's around his waist, Akaya managed to limp off the court to the sidewalk. "I don't suppose you grabbed my stuff off my shelf in the clubroom?" he asked wearily when he felt he could trust himself to speak again. Kamio's body beside him was warm, and he huddled as close as he could get, freezing in his tennis clothes.

"Yeah, I've got it," Kamio said with a small smile. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't be coming back today. Your stuff is in my bag." Tightening his grip as he felt Akaya beginning to shiver, he tried not to worry too much. I hope he gets over this soon. Maybe he'll feel better after getting some sleep and putting it behind him. But I wish I understood why he was so freaked out!

"Thanks," Akaya said softly, and he meant for more than just bringing his things. He wondered if he ought to apologize for his behaviour to Tachibana; but he wasn't sorry, and honestly, it wasn't like the older boy meant anything to him. It wasn't even bending club rules for him to be rude to a senior with no current affiliation with the club. But he found he almost wanted to do it just because it would make Kamio happier with him.

"You're welcome," Kamio said softly, tightening his grip briefly in a squeeze he hoped was reassuring. "And thank you, Akaya... I know that was hard for you," he added awkwardly.

You have NO idea, Akaya thought, but he didn't say it. Kamio would want to know what he meant, and he sure as hell didn't want to explain. He'd beaten Tachibana without losing control, however much it had cost him afterwards, and hopefully that meant he'd be able to deal with tournaments with no need to ever explain what exactly his problem was to the rest of the Fudoumine Regulars. And especially not to Kamio.

"I'm tired," he said as they neared the house. "Homework be damned, I'm just going to crash." At least it was Saturday, so he wouldn't have to face school tomorrow.

"Okay," Kamio said, giving him another squeeze as they turned onto his property and headed for the door. "I'm going to do some more studying if you change your mind. Do you want something for the muscle cramps? I have some gel that'll help loosen them up."

Akaya thought about Kamio helping to rub the gel in all over his body - because there was no way he could do it himself in this condition - and groaned. His self control was thin enough at the moment, he didn't need that sort of provocation. "Maybe in the morning," he said as they entered the house. "I'll need it then if I want to have any hope of getting out of bed."

"Okay...if you're sure," Kamio said uncertainly, letting go of Akaya carefully so he could bend and take off his shoes, then quickly helping the other boy as well. "Why don't I just get you to bed, then. Are you hungry?" he added hopefully.

"No," Akaya said, going faintly green at the thought of food. Actually he was hungry, but at the same time felt like he might not be able to keep it down. "No, I just need to sleep." He shook his head, trying to clear it. He doubted he'd be doing much sleeping tonight either; he'd managed to drive the monster off for the moment through sheer exhaustion, but it would be back. He recognized the signs of a bad night when he felt them.

"Okay," Kamio said softly, helping Akaya to navigate the stairs and down the hall to his room. He helped him into the room and lowered him down to sit on the futon before releasing him and stepping back. "Well...if you DO need anything, let me know, OK?"

"I will," Akaya assured him, slumping over in exhaustion. Then he gave a small smirk that was a shadow of his usual teasing grin. "Be prepared to get an eyeful, though; I don't think I have the energy to actually change into sleepware, so I'll probably just wind up sleeping nude tonight."

Kamio nodded and left him to his own devices, going back to his own room. He settled in with his textbooks, but couldn't seem to focus on anything. His mind kept drifting back to the match between Akaya and Tachibana, and the faintly panicked look that had been in Akaya's eyes.

When his cellphone rang some time later, it nearly startled him into a yelp. It was late enough to make him wonder who on earth was calling him, but not so late that an unexpected phone call was terribly rude. When he checked the display, it was an unfamiliar number.

"Kamio," he said once he'd answered it. The voice that came back to him was also unfamiliar, smooth as honey and hovering in an ambiguous range that left him wondering whether the caller was male or female.

"Kamio Akira?" the person asked, as if to check they had the right number. When he made a sound of assent, they continued, "Forgive me for calling, I got your number from Tachibana. This is Rikkaidai's Yukimura."

Kamio's mouth went dry. He'd never actually spoken to Yukimura before, and knew him only by reputation, and from what he saw of his games at the Nationals. "Y-Yukimura-san," he said a moment later, when he'd recovered enough from his shyness and surprise to find his voice. "I, uh, are you looking for Kirihara-kun?"

"Mm, not exactly." Yukimura sounded amused at Kamio's hesitation and confusion, but somehow didn't come across as condescending or insulting in his amusement. "Mostly I'm calling just to make sure he's okay. He's not been answering his cell phone, and Tachibana mentioned he's living with you. Have you seen him since his game with Tachibana?"

"Yes," Kamio said, sitting down on his bed. "He...didn't really take it well, but I think he's OK. He worked himself to the point where his muscles all locked up, and then he went straight to bed." He reddened slightly. "I think he's not answering his cell because his parents are looking for him. He's living with me now."

"I have to admit I was relieved to hear he'd finally gotten out of there," Yukimura said. "I never could coax him to tell me the details of his home life, but it was fairly obvious it wasn't always pleasant. I offered to let him stay with me when his family had to move, but he said there was no point since he couldn't continue at Rikkai." He sighed. "I'm not happy to hear he's working himself that hard again, though. He hasn't been that bad since the Invitationals. I thought he was doing better."

"I think he was," Kamio said, frowning. "It was the game with Tachibana that did it. Why did you make him do that?" he demanded, real anger coming into his voice. If Yukimura knew the details, was familiar with how Kirihara normally dealt with things, he should have known this would happen.

"It was something he had to face," Yukimura said, and he had the same tone in his voice that Tachibana used to have when ordering them to keep drilling long after they were exhausted. The 'it hurts me to hurt you but I do it because it will make you stronger' tone. "And it was better for him to face it now than later, at a tournament. Besides," he sounded amused again, "It wasn't as if I had to twist Tachibana's arm to get him to agree. He wanted to play him again."

Kamio was silent for a few minutes. "I don't get it," he said finally. "Do you think he'd have hurt someone in a tournament if he hadn't done this?"

"I'm not sure," Yukimura admitted. "Even I know better than to try to truly predict Akaya. He can... react oddly to stress sometimes. It's just as likely he would have crippled himself holding back simply in fear of hurting them." There was a rustle, like someone shifting. "Take care of him, please," the older boy added softly. "Akaya has a great deal of potential, but he needs someone very understanding to help him realize it. I can't fill that role for him anymore."

Kamio's eyes widened. "I...I hope I can," he said softly. "I don't know how understanding I am, though, Yukimura-san. We fight a lot. And I really DON'T understand what's going on with him--" he cut off as he heard what sounded like a cry. Frowning, he listened hard to see if it would be repeated

"It's not my place to explain everything to you, unfortunately," Yukimura said, mistaking his hesitation for the end of the thought. "Hopefully he'll come to trust you enough to explain it himself." There was another cry from the next room, louder this time; it sounded like Akaya rather hysterically ordering someone or something to shut the hell up and leave him alone.

"I...I have to go," Kamio said suddenly. "I'm sorry, Yukimura-san. Thank you for calling. Maybe you can call again, another time. I think Aka-- I mean, Kirihara-kun will appreciate hearing from you."

Without waiting for Yukimura's reply, he hung up the phone and sprinted out of his room, down to Akaya's room and throwing the door open. "Akaya!"

True to his earlier words, Akaya was stark naked, but the first thing that drew Kamio's attention was the tortured look on the other boy's face. His eyes were tightly shut, his hands locked behind his head with his arms over his ears like he was trying to simultaneously protect himself and block out an unwanted noise.

Though he seemed asleep in the grip of a nightmare, he was actually wide awake and cringing. When he actually registered the sound of the door opening and Kamio calling his name, he struggled to open his eyes and focus. There were tears on his cheeks, his chest heaving with quiet sobs.

Kamio hurried forward, throwing himself down on his knees next to the futon mattress on the floor, "Akaya!" he exclaimed again, seeing the tears and utterly shocked, almost terrified. "Akaya, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Akaya gasped out, though even he could tell that wasn't going to fly under the circumstances. Desperately he searched for a way out of explaining about the monster he could see hovering just behind Kamio, and was glad when an idea came fairly easily. "Just a n-nighmare..."

He flinched back as the demon reached out for him, and groped frantically for Kamio's hand. When he found it he squeezed it tightly enough to hurt, clinging to the bit of what he knew to be reality.

Kamio frowned, not sure he believed him. He pried his hand out of Akaya's grip and wrapped both arms around him tightly. "Shhh," he whispered. "Akaya, what is it? What are you afraid of?" he asked gently. It really SEEMED as though there was something in this ROOM that he was afraid of.

Shaking his head, Akaya buried his face in Kamio's shoulder, trembling hard enough to shake them both. "It's not real. Just a nightmare." A living nightmare, but still not real. I just have to keep reminding myself of that...

He took a deep breath, inhaling Kamio's scent, and did his best to focus on the very real boy who was holding him. It helped, driving the demon a little further away.

Kamio tried to soothe him, stroking his curly hair and his nude back. He wasn't even fully conscious of the fact that Akaya was completely naked, and certainly wasn't going to let it stop him from comforting him. He settled down on the bed, tucking Akaya against him as best he could. "It'll be OK," he said softly. "It's not real...would it help to talk about it or something?" he asked awkwardly, not sure what to do.

"Yes. Anything," Akaya replied desperately. "Just... distract me, please?" He clung to Kamio's shirt, still not lifting his head. If he just stayed here, hiding in the redhead's embrace, the demon couldn't get him. If only he could stay here forever...

Kamio hugged him tightly. "Uh...distract you?" he asked blankly, casting for a subject to distract him with. "Yukimura just called."

"Yukimura?" That actually succeeded in surprising Akaya out of quite a bit of his funk. "Called you? Why? How'd he even get... oh, Tachibana?" He shook his head. "Checking up on me, was he? Would've been nice of him to warn me what he had planned." Damn it, Yukimura knew about his condition! How could he have set Akaya up like that? What if Akaya had snapped, and hurt Tachibana for real?

"Yeah...he wanted to know if you were OK," Kamio said awkwardly. "He said that I had to take care of you, because he couldn't anymore. And he said he'd set you up with Tachibana-buchou because he wanted to be sure you wouldn't snap in a tournament."

"Manipulative bastard," Akaya swore into Kamio's shoulder, but there was no real heat behind the words. "He just likes jerking people's strings. Look, you don't have to babysit me." Taking a deep breath, he pushed away a bit and looked up into Kamio's bright blue eyes. "Especially not just because he says so. You don't owe him anything."

Kamio frowned at him. "Who says I'm babysitting you, and who says I'm doing ANYTHING because Yukimura said so?" he demanded. "I'm here because I care about you, Akaya. And that's all."

Studying his face for a long moment, Akaya finally sighed and nodded. "All right. I just... didn't want you to be doing it because you felt obligated, or something." He gave a low, somewhat bitter laugh. "I owe you enough as it is. You're hardly the obligated one here." He nuzzled close to Kamio again, his death grip on the other boy's shirt relaxing as he slowly began to feel safe.

It was at about that point that he fully realized he was naked and sprawled mostly across Kamio's lap, and he chuckled. The sound was still a little shaky, but he was recovering. "How is it that you're not crimson enough to match your hair right now?" he wanted to know. "You decided you like watching after all?"

Kamio blinked, then promptly blushed deeply. "I was TRYING not to think about it!" he sputtered, though he didn't move away. If anything, he curled around Akaya tighter, glad that he was beginning to recover.

"I'm lying here naked and vulnerable in your arms, and you're able to not think about it?" Akaya demanded, mock-incensed. "Damn it, clearly I haven't been teasing you nearly enough." The familiar sexually tense banter between them was helping to clear his mind further, and he clung to it. Leaning forward, he murmured directly into Kamio's ear, "I didn't want your mom to hear me if she was awake, but I thought for sure I was loud enough for you to hear me when I jerked off at night. You weren't listening?"

In truth, he was vulnerable in that moment, moreso that Kamio had ever seen him before. He understood now why it was so easy to take advantage of someone who has suffered a major shock. But you can't take advantage of the willing, and he was very willing. It was Kamio who dictated that they never go beyond teasing, however much Akaya might long for more in that moment.

Kamio shivered. "N-no...I hadn't heard. It's kinda hard to hear from down the hall." He turned his head, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd leaned in and started kissing the other boy eagerly, his mind filled with images of Akaya jerking off in this very bed.

Not my fault if he starts it! was the elated, half coherent thought that skittered through Akaya's mind as Kamio kissed him. He kissed back willingly, pouring everything he had into it, hoping that by focusing on it he could forget about everything else, at least for a little while.

Kamio moaned softly into Akaya's mouth, settling onto his back with the other boy on top of him as he kissed Akaya thoroughly. It seemed like every time they kissed, it got better, and he found his hands wandering over Akaya's bare back, massaging the skin.

Unable to keep himself from squirming at the touch on his bare skin, Akaya moaned as well. His hands fumbled at the hem of Kamio's shirt, wanting skin on skin and none of this rough cotton against him. He forgot to breathe as they kissed, too wrapped up to bother with any kind of actual technique. "More," he gasped as he pulled away. "Akira... I don't care if you leave me hanging in the end, just don't pull away from me right now." It was as close as he could bring himself to begging.

Kamio blinked slowly, then shook his head quickly, drawing away just enough to pull off his shirt. "I won't pull away," he said. "I...I won't leave you hanging, Akaya. Please..." He reddened deeply. "I don't want to stop."

Caught up in exploring the newly revealed expanse of skin, Akaya nearly missed the import of that. Then as it sank in, his head jerked up, nearly bashing the top of his head against Kamio's chin. "What? Are you sure?" While it had certainly always been his sort-of-goal to seduce the gorgeous redhead, he'd assumed it would take him months of teasing to get Kamio anywhere near his bed.

Kamio swallowed nervously. The truth was, he was FAR from sure...and yet, he was sure he wanted it. He pushed his silly feelings aside, and nodded firmly. HE doesn't care. NO one else really cares that much. Why shouldn't I have fun with my friend if I want to? So what if he's not in love with me? "I'm sure," he said, his voice stronger than he felt.

Under other circumstances Akaya probably would have chuckled and made some kind of lewd comment that would make Kamio splutter and blush some more. Instead, he nuzzled close again, burying his face in the redhead's neck, and whispered, "Thank you."

Then he nibbled on the spot nearest him, because vulnerable mood or not, there was only so far his basic playful nature could be suppressed.

Kamio drew in a breath, gasping softly as his fingers tensed against Akaya's back. He tilted his head back, unconsciously offering his throat to the other boy. His eyes slid closed and he began to explore with his hands, sliding his fingers over Akaya's back and counting his ribs.

Arching into the touch, Akaya sighed in pleasure. Kamio might have been inexperienced, but he was certainly enthusiastic. Akaya slid his own hands up and tangled his fingers in the fall of that silky red hair, using it as a grip to let him tilt Kamio's head back further. He licked and nibbled all along the strong column of the other boy's throat, trying to work him up quickly so he wouldn't end up changing his mind.

Kamio gasped and squirmed helplessly, the tug on his hair strangely exciting. Akaya's lips were warm and moist, and they sent shivers down his spine with each touch. He dropped a hand lower and fleetingly touched the curve of one buttock before retreating, sliding back up Akaya's back again.

"Go ahead and touch," Akaya invited him. He'd meant the words to come out as a purr, but instead he got something of a growl. Well, it still made Kamio shiver again, so he achieved his objective either way. "Anywhere you like. I don't mind. I want you to be comfortable with me."

He tightened his grip with one hand, and let the other trail back down again, brushing the waistband of Kamio's pants. At the same time he bit down again, less gently than before, hard enough to leave a small mark.

Kamio groaned at the bite, his hand drifting down again. He slid his fingers over Akaya's buttocks and then down the side of his thigh, touching, exploring. "Akaya..." he moaned softly. Touching his nude body made Kamio shivery all over, and while he was still nervous, he was still determined to see this through.

"Like being marked, do you?" Akaya growled, licking the spot where his teethmarks showed in Kamio's pale skin. It was all he could do not to squirm in an attempt to encourage Kamio to touch him in more intimate places, but he was enjoying the redhead's tentative exploration.

He thought Kamio was severely overdressed at the moment, but he decided not to say anything just yet. He wasn't in the least uncomfortable being naked while the other boy was clothed, he just wanted to be able to touch in return. Let Kamio take the pants off when he felt ready. If Akaya rushed him and scared him off, he thought he just might break at being left on his own right now.

"I...I guess so," Kamio said shyly. "It hurts and feels good at the same time, when you bite me like that. Is that weird?" he asked. His fingers continued to explore, running up the inside of Akaya's thigh now and then ghosting over his erection.

"Not..." Akaya broke off with a gasp as Kamio's fingers brushed lightly over his cock, so lightly he wasn't even sure he'd felt it. "Not particularly," he finally got out, his free hand coming around to tease at the redhead's nipple. "Lots of people like it. It's stimulating."

"Really? Okay," Kamio said with a shy grin. He squirmed helplessly at the touch to his nipple, never having realized before how sensitive that tiny nub could be as it hardened instantly under Akaya's fingers. He touched Akaya's nipple in turn, teasing it to hardness.

"Mmmgods," Akaya gasped as he threw his head back and arched into the contact. His eyes were half open, and he smirked as he saw there was no visible sign of the oni left in the room. He could still hear it, but it was distant now, easy to ignore. Sex had always helped to distract him and drive it away; it was the main reason Akaya was as experienced as he was, considering his age. He'd never cared much about his reputation; better a reputation as a slut than a psycho. Not that people hadn't called him both.

He shifted forward, closing the distance between them to rub his body against Kamio's thrilling in the sensation of skin against skin. His erection rubbed against Kamio's pants, making them both gasp as he encountered the redhead's hardness hidden inside.

Kamio gasped aloud and arched up against Akaya's weight. He reached up and buried a hand in Akaya's hair, curling his fingers against his scalp as his other hand explored his torso. "A-Akaya..." he moaned. "I need..." Suddenly, he was pushing Akaya away. "I need to get these off."

Tumbling back onto the futon from the strength of Kamio's push, Akaya lay there where he'd fallen, watching the redhead through half-lidded eyes and looking utterly wanton. His cock was hard and dripping against his stomache, and he couldn't resist trailing his own hand over it just to see Kamio's reaction. "So take them off," he purred in invitation.

Kamio's eyes widened as he followed the movements of that hand, and he coloured deeply. He shifted up onto his knees and began to undo his pants, forcing himself to keep watching Akaya, without allowing shyness to avert his gaze.

Seeing Kamio watching, Akaya smirked and grasped himself a little more firmly, stroking up and down with slow, deliberate motions. "See? Told you watching could be hot," he murmured, watching the lust rise in Kamio's expression. "Makes you think about taking over for me, doesn't it?"

Kamio nodded. "Y-yeah," he managed, wriggling out of his pants and underwear as quickly as he could and then reaching out. He placed his hand gently over Akaya's, not trying to take over, but following the movements of the hand. "You're so fucking hot," he breathed.

"Look who's talking," Akaya replied, writhing under the touch. He reached out with his free hand and tugged Kamio down to lie beside him, so they were face to face. Then he captured Kamio's other hand and brought it down to the redhead's own straining cock, copying Kamio's pose with him. "Show me how you like it," he murmured into Kamio's ear. "Let me see what you were really doing under those blankets when I watched you that night."

Blushing helplessly, Kamio wrapped his fingers around his own cock and began to stroke, gasping softly at the touch to his oversensitive skin. "A-Akaya..." he moaned with a bit of frustration. "I want YOU to touch me. And I want to touch you. Jerking off is nothing special..."

"It is when someone's helping you do it," Akaya countered with a husky laugh, but he obediently nudged Kamio's hand out of the way and took over. The callousses on his fingers from the tennis racquet felt different against Kamio's sensitive skin, and he stroked a little harder and faster than the redhead had been.

Groaning loudly, Kamio arched his back, thrusting his hips up into Akaya's hand. "Oh god..." he gasped helplessly. He slipped his own fingers under Akaya's and stroked the other boy's cock in time with him, totally forgetting his shyness in the face of sensation.

"Fuck..." Akaya was considerably less polite about voicing his pleasure, arching into Kamio's touch and biting him again, on the shoulder this time. "Gods you feel so fucking good," he murmured against the salty skin. "I want you inside me, or me inside you... I don't care, I just want you," he added hotly. He didn't know and didn't really care if it would actually go that far tonight. If Kamio wasn't willing to do anything more than a little mutual masturbation that was fine with Akaya, but the thought of going further inflamed him.

Kamio responded with a wordless moan of desire, nodding helplessly without really knowing what he was agreeing to. "Yes, please Akaya," he groaned, arching up into Akaya's hand again. "Just do it."

"Do what?" Akaya prompted him, slowing his pace a bit just to torture him. He wanted to hear Kamio say it, hear the dirty words falling from those gorgeous lips, now red and swollen from their earlier kissing. He kissed him again on impulse, just because he could.

Melting into the kiss, Kamio drew it out as long as he could, the tips of his ears burning. "Fuck me, Akaya," he whispered, his heart leaping in his chest at his own words. "Or show me how to fuck you. Or SOMETHING. Please!"

"Mm, you're so damn sexy when you talk dirty," Akaya told him, purring in delight. "Of course, you're damn sexy all the time, so that's not too surprising." Shifting, he released Kamio and started to ease himself away. "Stay here, I need to get something if we're gonna do this for real." He took Kamio's hand off him and moved it to Kamio's own erection, smirking at him. "Keep yourself warm for me."

Kamio's blush deepened even further when Akaya called him sexy. Obediently, he squeezed and stroked his cock, deliberately teasing himself. The last thing he wanted to do was get himself off now! His eyes tracked Akaya closely, wondering what he was going to do.

The sight of Kamio stroking himself was so tempting Akaya almost forgort himself and joined in again, but he shook his head and forced himself to focus. Crawling off the futon, not incidentally giving Kamio a fantastic view of his ass, he reached for his tennis bag and rummaged in one of the side pockets. Finding what he wanted, he returned and knelt next to Kamio, opening his hand to show him what he had.

In his palm rested a small tube of lubrication and a condom packet. "You've probably guessed by now that I've done this before," he said, giving in to the urge to run his other hand over the inside of Kamio's thigh to tease at his balls. "If we're gonna do this, that gives you the right to ask me about it if you want to. I won't tell you who, but I'll tell you anything else you want to know." It was an offer he made all his partners, and always had. He might not need to have some deep emotional connection before sleeping with someone, but that didn't mean he didn't take sex seriously in his own way.

Kamio's hand stilled. He swallowed hard, the enormity of what he'd just agreed to suddenly crashing in on him like a tidal wave. "D-Do I need to be worried?" he asked, looking at the condom packet.

Akaya gave him a small smile. "No, I just don't take chances. Ever. Last thing I want is to end my tennis career because of some stupid thing I picked up by being careless." He moved his other hand up over Kamio's, encouraging him to move again. "One of the very rare things I'm actually mature about," he added with a laugh.

Kamio nodded numbly, his hand beginning to move slowly. "I don't care about what you've done before," he said quickly. "I care about what you're going to do now."

"What I'm going to do right now is you," Akaya purred, leaning over to kiss the other boy deeply as he set the condom aside and opened the lube. He thought it might be easier if he let Kamio top; the first time you bottomed tended to be pretty damn intense if your partner knew what he was doing, which Akaya did. He didn't want to encourage Kamio to fall for him any more than he had to.

He squeezed some of the cool gel into his palm, and slid his hand over Kamio's cock and fingers. "Here," he said, putting the lube in the redhead's other hand. "Use lots of this. But hurry, I want you inside me, damn it."

Kamio sat up, nodding, his eyes wide. He opened the cap and poured a generous amount into his palm, then rubbed his hands together. "I...I need to stretch you, right?" he murmured, hoping his extremely vague understanding of the mechnics of gay sex were actually true, and not just something he'd heard and misunderstood.

"A little, yeah," Akaya agreed, nuzzling into his neck and nibbling delicately there. "I'm not as tight as you would be, and I like it hard, so don't worry too much about not doing enough preparation." He peeled open the condom packet and slid the sheath over Kamio's cock with the ease of practice. He then stroked his slick hand slowly over Kamio's erection, condom and all, not wanting to work him up so much he'd come the moment he got inside Akaya.

Kamio gasped softly at the gentle touch, nodding. Chewing on his lower lip, he reached down and probed at Akaya's entrance, finding that sliding a finger into his body was much easier than he'd expected, aided by the lubricant.

"Oh gods yeah," Akaya gasped, thrusting back against the touch and losing his rhythm on Kamio's cock. It had been a while; he hadn't seduced anyone since coming to Fudoumine. For that matter, he'd gone without all through winter break, too. He'd been too much in denial about the idea of leaving Rikkaidai to think about anything else.

"You like that?" Kamio whispered with delight as he carefully added a second finger, thrusting them slowly in and out of Akaya's body.

"Yessss..." Akaya hissed, more in reaction to the sensations than in answer to Kamio's question. "Oh gods, do it Akira, fuck me. I need you." He tightened his grip briefly on Kamio's cock, then released it abruptly. "Just do it!"

Kamio cried out as Akaya squeezed him, pulling his fingers free, and moving between Akaya's legs. He didn't know how best to do this, so he just did it, pushing into Akaya's hastily stretched body with a loud groan of pleasure. "Oh god..."

Somehow they'd gotten turned over so Kamio was on top, thrusting into him. Akaya had sort of intended to offer himself on his stomach, figuring it would be slightly distancing if Kamio couldn't see his face. But he was hardly going to complain, not when the redhead was buried so deep inside him. "Gods you feel good," he moaned, clutching at Kamio's back.

"Akaya..." Kamio moaned, deep in his throat, as he began to pick up speed. He bent down and kissed Akaya enthusiastically as his hips snapped forward into that tight heat, nearly delirious from pleasure.

Groaning with frantic pleasure, Akaya worked his hand between their bodies and grasped his own erection tightly. They were both worked up, pushed almost to the edge by the foreplay and the inevitable force that is a teenage male's hormones. It didn't take more than a few quick jerks; it had been far too long, and he'd been lusting after Kamio for what felt like forever now. He exploded all over his hand with a sharp cry, his muscles tightening around Kamio convulsively.

Kamio nearly screamed as he felt his cock squeezed by Akaya's body. His own orgasm slammed into him in the same instant and he emptied himself into Akaya, thrusting madly forward until he was spent and collapsed bonelessly on top of the other boy. "Oh my god..." he whispered, gasping for breath.

Still shuddering from the aftermath, Akaya clung to Kamio's strong body. Sometimes right after sex the demon would come surging back at him, using it as a weakness to get at him, but apparently it wasn't going to happen this time. The oni's voice was so faint Akaya could barely even hear it.

"Thank you," he murmured in heartfelt sincerity, kissing the first part of Kamio he could reach, which happened to be the outer rim of his ear.

"W-what for?" Kamio gasped between panting breaths. He clung to Akaya desperately, his face buried in the other boy's neck. I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I did that, part of his mind babbled. But the rest was filled with such warm satiation, it was hard to hear.

Breathlessly, Akaya laughed. "I don't know. For everything. Even for being such an asshole when we first met, since it made me think you were cute." He nuzzled against the other boy's body, then shifted a bit so they were more side-by-side and Kamio's weight wasn't crushing him. He felt the other boy's softening cock slip out of him, and he sighed in regret.

"Here," he murmured, reaching down to take care of the condom. "You have to take it off before you go all the way soft, or it'll spill everywhere." Leaning over, he threw it into the trash by his desk and returned to cuddling Kamio.

Kamio settled against him, clinging tightly. He was overwhelmed and trying not to let Akaya know how much so. "S-so..." he said with a slightly waterly chuckle. "What now?"

"Mm," Akaya replied sleepily. "Now we sleep, probably. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." He yawned and petted Kamio's hair. He knew he should probably tell the other boy to leave, to make it clear that this was entirely casual, but he was just too comfortable to bother. He didn't want to lose the comforting sensation of Kamio against him, of the other's strong arms around him.

"What about...after that?" Kamio whispered, his breathing calming. "Can we do this again?" He opened his eyes and looked at Akaya. "I don't mean that you have to c-care about me or anything," he said hastily. "I just...liked this, that's all."

"Anytime you want, lover," Akaya said, using the pet name deliberately. "I'm not going anywhere. And in case you're wondering, while I've been labelled a slut by more than one person, I don't do more than one person at a time. Unless it's a threesome," he added thoughtfully, hiding a grin. "But that's different."

Kamio reddened. "So you still want to stay with me?" he asked shyly, settling against Akaya and cuddling up against him tightly. "I'm not...boring now?"

"You thought I'd get bored once I had you?" Akaya had to laugh. "Hell no. For one thing, it's not like there's only one way to do it, you know." He nibbled on Kamio's ear. "I intend to show you everything I know, and then we can make up some new things."

Kamio beamed with relief, squirming a bit as the nibbling sent shocks of pleasure through his already sensitive body. "I didn't really THINK you would," he said awkwardly. "I was just afraid you would." He hugged Akaya tightly, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to ignore the niggling voice. He's not bored yet, but he'll drop you when he DOES get tired of you. And who knows when that'll be?

|Prologue| |Part 1| |Part 2| |Part 3| |Part 4| |Part 5| |Part 6| |Part 7| |Part 8| |Part 9| |Part 10| |Part 11|

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