The Wanderer

[Lord Sesshomaru]

That laugh, as much as it made his heart flutter; it also made him scowl. This was no laughing matter. His situation wasn't a laughing matter. But it made her happy, and it was soothing somehow. The cold winds was making his body tense, and even less social than before. He didn't feel like going into a list of things he liked to eat, it was unnecessary and useless information for Kouhei to have.

"Hn..." was his common reply to Kouhei's question, accepting the apology rather too quickly since he was all too ready to get out of the open air. He kept his eyes averted, scanning his surroundings and only slightly impressed than what he expected. But what did he expect? For Kouhei to be downright poor and live in the dirtiest place imaginable? But then he saw the pink. Ah, now that made more sense. It fit Kouhei, who seemed not the type to live in his grey world.

Tsuyoi followed silently, his hands kept in his pocket to keep them warm as he stiffly allowed himself to be lead into a stranger's home. He took in everything with a strange wonder and followed without thought.

Kouhei's home was...welcoming. Surprisingly so, and he slipped out of his shoes and set them neatly at the entrance. He never felt so comfortable in someone else's home. Much less his own. He sat down stiffly, but quickly found himself relaxing and settling into the couch. The longer he stayed and watched Kouhei, the more he felt like he was coming home. Home to a wife greeting him sweetly and gifting him cookies and tea for his hard day at work. What a strange fantasy!

The fact that he felt so comfortable left him even more agitated and confused; and as he occupied himself with sipping tea and nibbling on cookies that he was all too willing to accept, Tsuyoi felt a longing he'd never considered before. But Kouhei was talking, and distracting him from those longing thoughts. Oh, a shower! A place away from Kouhei where he could think in silence! He jumped up at the chance, and as he was lead the way he couldn't stop himself from staring at Kouhei more as he lost himself in thought.

"Thank you..." he spoke, forcing it out as Kouhei went to leave and give him the privacy he so desired.

[Birdie]

The bathroom was well stocked in an array of products meant for keeping one's hair and skin looking beautiful. And everything was scented. Not in a traditionally girly way, like strawberries or cucumber melon. They were more floral or even spice scented. For example, there was a bottle of sweet pea scented body wash and some shampoo which smelled of ginger tea. It had conditioner to match. There was also some hair dye in the mix. Apparently Kouhei was going to add red for a more sunset sort of look.

He set out a huge fluffy blue towel for Tsuyoi to use. When it came to clean clothing... Kouhei decided to leave him with a pair of pajama pants and an old plain black t-shirt in which Kouhei tended to drown. "No problem," he said absently as he left the bathroom.

Safely alone in his kitchen, Kouhei opened his fridge to an assortment of good foods. Tsuyoi had refused to give up his likes and dislikes. Since he didn't like tuna, Kouhei assumed he would not like any sort of fish. Maybe he was a red meat sort of guy... But what if he was a vegetarian... Or worse... Vegan. How exactly was a person supposed to live with out the luxuries of milk, cheese, or yogurt?

He decided to just wing it then, go with an old favorite. Draping a towel over his shoulder and throwing on a girly green apron with a cute cartoon cat face on the front pocket, Kouhei set to work. Homemade ramen was easy enough. Boil some water, add some veggie stock, create the noodles, cook up some strips of beef, add some shallots... it was a simple and easy process. In approximately half an hour the food was ready. In the background music played quietly. Just as dinner was ready Proud Mary by CCR came on. Kouhei sang along with it as he dished the soup into individual bowls. They were mismatched. One had an antique floral design at the bottom of the bowl and the other had some sort of brown geometric pattern around the rim.

He set the bowls on the coffee table (as Kouhei was lacking in anything resembling a dining room table). He went to the kitchen for more tea and chopsticks, his smooth voice harmonizing with the lyrics.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tsuyoi was finally able to relax without having Kouhei in his mind. He found himself playing with scents and shampooes, losing himself in hot water as he closed his eyes. All this was so very odd and wrong, but..

Thinking was making him less relaxed again. Sighing in annoyance he finished up quickly, drying himself off in a rush and getting dressed clumsily. He tugged at the shirt, realizing too late he hadn't dried off well enough and the cloth clung to his skin uncomfortably. He stumbled out of the bathroom, keeping the towel on top of his head and kept drying it as he paused in the hallway, eyeing Kouhei.

The shower wasn't relaxing enough to stop himself from getting riled up again. The more attracted he became to Kouhei, the more he wanted to throw the towel on the floor and storm out the apartment. This couldn't be healthy! Finding himself uncomfortable standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at his adorable host, he forced himself to make his way back to the couch.

And did Kouhei really have to sing? It was only making things worse on him! The song itself was old and unappreciated by himself and his generation, but it sounded much more appealing with Kouhei singing along. Still, he scowled in annoyance at his food moving the towel from his head to wipe at his face to hide such a strong reaction.

[Birdie]

"Ah, welcome back!" Kouhei smiled brightly and tugged the apron strings and taking the apron off. He hung it up on a hook and dragged a bean bag chair over to the coffee table. It was bright yellow with a huge pink flower. He plopped down in front of the bowl with the floral design, picked up his chopsticks, and began to dig in. He was absolutely starving. He slurped up his noodles, glancing at Tsuyoi. The boy had yet to touch his food. For whatever reason it made Kouhei uncomfortable. Never before had he been nervous to eat in front of another person. He silently picked at his noodles, carefully choosing each bite to seem as demure and 'lady like' as possible. This was a near failure as it was impossible to each ramen in a way which was clean as well as efficient.

"Soooo...." he finally said, to break the silence. "How old are you? Is school fun? Of course it isn't fun. School just sucks doesn't it?" He was beginning to ramble, a habit of his when he got nervous. How ridiculous to be sent so helter skelter by a high school kid! "But... I mean, there is always one thing to really enjoy. I really liked home ec classes. Or history. I liked history too." He made another attempt at dainty ramen eating but it failed. He stared into his bowl of deliciousness and then glanced at Tsuyoi.

'Fuck this!' There was no way he was going to let a boy he had just picked up off the streets come into his home and make his insides all wibbly wobbly! It just wasn't fair! Or right! No! From this moment onward he would become a man of steel! Rock hard emotions! All it took was one look into those brown eyes to break his resolve. 'Damn you insides! Stop it! You're supposed to be made of steel! Not butterfly filled jello.' Quietly he nibbled at a piece of beef, while a new song played in the background. Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield Kouhei visibly brightened and hummed along. He wanted to sing, but this was made impossible by his eating.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

He forced himself to put down the towel onto his lap, refusing to hide behind it as he was. He reached over, pulling the ramen bowl into his lap as he wrapped the noodles around his chopstick, his eyes elsewhere. More specifically on the rambling Kouhei. Eyes narrowed and forcing himself to look away, he took his first few bites of the ramen. He was ready to answer the questions as he swallowed until he remembered the old songs that Kouhei was playing.

"Seventeen." he forced out, frowning as the song continued. He'd never heard it before, and was not surprised that he hadn't. Kouhei wasn't that old to be into this music, was she? It was strange, but fit Kouhei as the strange person she was.

"You have old tastes." he remarked dryly, before sucking up a few more noodles. He watched Kouhei closely, wondering if there was any sense of normal in her character. Some sort of gray for all those bright neon colors.

[Birdie]

Seventeen wasn't that young. It was still under the legal limit, but then there were a lot of seventeen year old who lived out on their own and took care of themselves. It still made him a little uncomfortable that a seventeen year old could make his tummy do somersaults. Not fair. Stupid. That's what this situation had become. He did not regret letting Tsuyoi come home with him. What upset him was all the stuff going on with in which he could get in trouble should those desires ever be acted upon. And Kouhei was not the poster child of self control.

"Yeah! Well, I like pretty much anything. I would call my tastes in music eclectic. All forms of music have something to offer. But, I was in a bit of an old timey mood was all." He slurped up some more of his noodles. "What kind of music do you like, hun? I'm sure my old folksy stuff must be driving you nuts." He snapped his chopsticks teasingly in Tsuyoi's direction. "Oh, how is it? Do you like it?" He leaned forward slightly, interested in what Tsuyoi would have to say. It always made a chef feel good to hear that his meal was well received. "I can make you something else if you don't like it." Kouhei shifted nervously in the bean bag chair. It made soft sssshhh noises as the foam beads inside were forced into new places by the movement.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

He felt pressured and cornered with all the questions, including with his mouth full of ramen. But he didn't rush as he slowly chewed and swallowed. And he had called him hun again. Averting his eyes he situated the bowl in his lap as he considered his answers.

Tsuyoi didn't understand why Kouhei expected such detailed answers from him. Hadn't she learned when asking what kind of food he liked? Or his favorite book? What was she trying to get out of him?

"It is decent enough." He poked at his food with his chopsticks, wanting to take another bite but had yet to answer the first question. "And I do not have preferences towards music." If anything, he didnt take the time to truly listen to it.

He was sure his answers were boring for Kouhei, but he was very defensive. He was afraid if he was too open he would give away something that should be kept to himself. Something that involved his strange interest in Kouhei.

[Birdie]

It was only decent. Not amazing. Or fantastic. Or even good. Just decent. The smile fell from his face slightly as he stared into his bowl. It was mostly just broth at this point and he could see the floral design muddied through the dark liquid. Tsuyoi was very hard to talk to. He didn't seem to have much interest in anything. It was bit like talking to a wall. Well, not quite. He got some sort of reply. It was more like over a fence to a disgruntled neighbor who wanted nothing to do with you. Kouhei lifted his bowl and drank the last of his soup before standing and heading toward the kitchen. "You can bring the bowl in here when you are done. I'll wash it."

He began to process of filling the sink with hot, soapy water. Rolling up his long sleeves he delved in, washing dishes he had left from yesterday as well as the various utensils he had used today to make the soup. He was still a little saddened. He had spent time and really worked at his craft. It had gotten only a mediocre response. Failing as a chef felt slightly sickening. It was one of the few things in the world he did well.

As he washed up the dishes, he sang along with the next song his c.d. played. It had changed to something more modern. 'Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine' now belted her lyrics through the speakers. Her music had always been extremely powerful for him. It made his heart flutter and brought him deep emotions and memories he felt should be better left hidden.

It made him think of the letter he had stuck quickly stuck in one of the drawers. He wondered what the older boy would have to say to him. He was a little nervous. There was never good news when Jun wrote him. His mind wandered and he momentarily forgot that Tsuyoi was in his home. Forgotten things bubbled to the surface and tears sprung up at the corners of his eyes. This was why he hated being along, left to only the company of himself.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tsuyoi knew that his response towards the food had been the reason Kouhei's emotion's shifted. The grey that Tsuyoi recognized in his world finally revealed itself in Kouhei. And he found he hated that color more than ever. But what could he do?

Nothing but feel guilty as he forced himself to eat the rest of the ramen in his bowl alone. It was easier to eat alone, but the way Kouhei's smile could die so quickly...he almost choked on the last bit of beef before forcing it down. He stood quickly with his bowl towards the kitchen.

The new song, although still unknown to him was a lot easier to listen to than the older ones. It had a beat that he would have thought would make Kouhei feel better. But they way Kouhei's eyes glistened with tears ready to spill over made him sure that wasn't the case. He jerked forward suddenly, a deep instinctual urge to drive away the look on Kouhei's face and bring back that smile--

And before he knew it Kouhei's wet hand was encased in his larger free hand. He tensed, but didn't find himself letting go. Brows furrowed he worked his brain for a purpose for his actions as he found himself tugging Kouhei away from the sink with the hand he still held gently in his own.

"I'll...I'll finish doing the dishes." He forced out, finally and reluctantly letting his host's hand go. Hiding his blush by turning his back towards Kouhei, he went straight to work to finish what Kouhei started. Tsuyoi hadn't washed many dishes in his time, but he was able to do a decent enough job with Kouhei starting most of it.

[Birdie]

Quite suddenly a hand gripped his. He stared at it, his soap covered fingers encased in another. It was not as if this was the first time his hand had ever been held. But something about the touch was uncanny... correct... familiar. It was all the rightness of it that made the touch all the more wrong. Kouehi lifted jade eyes from the hands to the face. Light brown eyes stared intensely at him. "Seishuku-san," he whispered breathlessly, unsure of what else to do. Kouhei was again assaulted by the masculine beauty of that face. His eyes gone wide and a bright flush covering his cheeks, Kouhei could not say anything. What was there to say? He should ask to be let go, but his mouth simply would not move from it's slightly opened position of shock.

A guest do housework!? Absurd. The hand let him go and he felt himself shooed away from his kitchen sink. A piece of him felt disappointed to be relinquished of that touch, but now was not the time to consider those things. "Ah... no... I can.... please..." He could not form a proper sentence. Kouhei stood awkwardly in the kitchen, watching the near stranger do his dishes. He picked up a dish towel from the counter and stood beside Tsuyoi. He began the process of drying the dishes. No way he was just going to stand aside while someone else did his chores. He set each dried dish aside to be placed in its home later.

Shame on him for having let his emotions over take him in this way while he had a guest over. It was his fault for not being very talkative or entertaining. No... he shouldn't think that way. It was rude! He should ask better questions maybe? Or perhaps Tsuyoi simply did not enjoy talking. Liked the silence. It was hard for Kouhei to understand how anyone could enjoy quiet.

It was not long before the dishes were all done. A few songs had played since then. The current one was 'On my Way by Rusted Root'. Kouhei only hummed along because he could not identify the words in the song very well. "Thank you for your help Seishuku-san." He put all the dishes in their cabinets. He disappeared momentarily, only to return with pillows and a blanket for Tsuyoi. He laid them out on the couch. "Feel free to do whatever you should like. I think it is my turn to shower now." With smiled gently, awkwardly, before disappearing down the hall. The sound of water soon followed.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tsuyoi had wanted Kouhei to leave the kitchen and leave him seething on his own. But Kouhei wouldn't have it and still forced her way to help with the dishes. He was forced to concentrate on cleaning the dishes and handing them over to Kouhei. It didn't give him time to properly berate himself for suddenly intruding in Kouhei's personal space.

Holding Kouhei's hand, of all things...

He was glad when the dishes were over, and a song he recognized to be playing. He was busy drying his hands when Kouhei got his 'bed' situated. He wasn't the type to hum, but the song had soothed the mood a bit, and at least Kouhei was smiling again. It was satisfying enough.

When he was left alone, there wasn't much for Tsuyoi to do. Kouhei had left his C.D. Player running and he didn't feel like messing with the technology and breaking something. He was stuck situating himself on the couch. Laying out onto the furniture, he stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, wondering on the older woman in the shower.

Tsuyoi couldn't get over how the day had played out, and where he was situated now. But there was nothing much for him to do now but accept it. And hope that he could escape still as himself. He wondered if that was possible...because some part of him would be different. Forever.

[Birdie]

It was for the most part an enjoyable shower. He went through his routine, the music muffled greatly by the stream of water. His thoughts went around in dizzying circles as he tried to understand what would possess this young boy to touch him like that with out warning. Granted, in America simple things like that would not mean so much. But here it was almost taboo. And why did it affect him in this way? It was extremely illogical. But then, so where the rest of the things he felt when the boy was present. He barely knew the boy three hours and somehow he had managed to dominate his thought process. It was unhealthy.

Determined, Kouhei decided he wouldn't think on it anymore. Just let it lie and never speak on it again. That would be best. Kouhei exited the shower when he finished, an herbal scent hanging around his person. He quickly dried himself off, rubbing some of the water from his hair but leaving it mostly wet.

He had forgotten to grab his clothing before entering the bathroom. He sighed, wrapping the towel around his body in a very feminine way, covering as much of himself as possible. He peeked his head out of the door and, not seeing anything, darted to his room across the hall without mishap. He closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

When Kouhei reemerged, he wore an oversized T-shirt depicting a cute monster wearing a toga and holding a glass of wine. A word bubble spouted from his mouth stating that it was 'PARTY TIME!' A pair of shorts completed the look, though they were hidden beneath the great size of the shirt. He went back to the bathroom to hang up his wet towel and grab a bottle of lotion.

Kouhei came back into the living room, hair dripping water onto his shirt. He plopped down in one of the bean bag chairs and began the slow process of moisturizing. He starting from the bottom and worked his way up, first spreading the lotion on freshly shaved legs. In the background 'Mulholland by Blue Judy' played.

"Would you rather watch something? Wasn't kind of boring just sitting here on your own?" he inquired. Constant stimulation was key.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Boring maybe. But sitting all alone in the living room was easier to handle than staring at Kouhei in the cute overly large t-shirt and...and shorts? Or was Kouhei wearing underwear underneath that shirt? Or maybe nothing at all? He sat up stiffly on his makeshift bed, avoiding eye contact but from the corner of his eye he could see how much of Kouhei's leg was being revealed.

Completely natural. Completely innocent...completely alluring and seducing as hell. He shook his head, but found that his silence was somehow an admittance that Kouhei was leaving him speechless. "No, I am fine." He adjusted himself in the couch, deciding the lay back down onto his side and tucking the pillow between his shoulder and his cheek.

Maybe he should fake sleep. That would keep Kouhei away...but once again it came to his pride of hiding. What was he really trying to hide anyway? Absolutely nothing!

[Birdie]

"Mmm." This kid was soooo boring. It was disturbing that his presence was all it took. No need to hear that voice to make his brains go all googly. Kouhei yawned and picked up his lotion bottle. "Well, you probably have school tomorrow huh? What day is it anyway?" He frowned, looking around for a calendar. Oh right, he threw it out because he hadn't replaced it in two years. Ah well, it didn't really matter. Mmm-bop by Hanson began to play in the background and Kouhei smiled. It was such a fun song! He crossed the room to the kitchen and shut off the upbeat music from his player. Silence wound through the apartment. It was uncomfortable, he hated it. Using his free hand he rubbed his upper arm awkwardly as he reentered the living room. "So, whenever you want to go to bed the light switch is here... Ahm... the remote for the television is on the coffee table..." What else did he need to say? It wasn't as if he was going to get much of an answer in return.

Kouhei jumped about a mile high and let out a tiny cry as the telephone rang. He placed a slender hand over his mouth as he held back a fit of giggles. He had not been expecting anybody. Approaching the phone, he lifted it from its cradle. It was designed to look like one of those antique rotary dial phones, but this one happened to be cordless. "Hello?" There was a pause before his face light up light a firework. "Hey! No, no. You know me I'll be up for hours yet. What?" He listened intently, then his eyes grew wide, a huge blush dusting his cheeks and even the pale tips of his ears. He glanced sidelong at Tsuyoi. "Ah... hold on a sec okay?" He placed a hand over the mouthpiece.

"I'll be in my room down the hall, right across from the bathroom. Feel free to wake me up if you need anything. And I really do mean wake me up. For ANYTHING!" He would rather be woken up than to have someone he hardly knew mucking about in his cabinets or drawers. "Good night Seishuku-san." He waved as he lifted the phone to his ear again.

"Sorry about that... Now I'm going to say this once... No! Hush now! None of that!" The door to his bedroom closed quietly, and all sounds of the conversation were black off. It felt nice to be distracted from the handsome boy on his couch. Even if it was only Olivia, a Queen who owned a bar where Kouhei showed off his ability to dress up and sing.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Tsuyoi made himself relax onto the couch, stretching out his long legs over the arm rest of the couch. "Friday..." He stated blandly, knowing his father wouldn't have ditched him so far away from school if he had class the next day. Besides the one word reply, Tsuyoi barely seemed to pay attention to Kouhei although the information was dully noted. He was grateful for the lack of music, including when said music did not relate to his emotional state.

Suddenly Tsuyoi jerked up right in his makeshift bed, eyes wide and intense at the sudden phone call. Or more precise Kouhei's sudden cry. With intensity and narrowed eyes he stared at Kouhei and tried to concentrate on the conversation.

Who was it? Why would they call so late? And why would it make Kouhei blush like that? Any thoughts of sleeping left him instantly as Kouhei left him to himself. This should have been something to celebrate about. But now all he could think about was what kind of conversation Kouhei was having.

And those last few words. Tsuyoi moves back into a sitting position, his feet firmly on the floor and he gripped the couch to force himself not to get up and try and eavesdrop at the door. He glared in the general direction, as if it had the power alone to make the conversation loud enough from his position.

He needed a reason to eavesdrop...a reason to be near the door...yes, that was it. He slowly got up, eyeing his prey with bright eyes as he made his way to the door. He raised his hand to the door, pressing his knuckles against them without a sound as he leaned in slightly to listen.