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Izumi turned his attention back to breakfast, ate another scone and some rashers of bacon, while Takamiya serenely sipped his tea and stared off into space. It seemed improbable that anything could ruin his glorious mood.

"Ah, what a beautiful view this morning, don't you think, Izumi?" Takamiya declared with a radiant expression on his face. Fuji-san with its snow-capped peak glowing in the sun was no more resplendent than that happy man.

"Um, yes, it's nice," Izumi responded politely enough, though he studiously avoided looking at the man seated opposite him at the table. Takamiya is way too good looking he thought, and somehow that fact scared him a little. "Thanks for breakfast. I suppose I should be getting home. Do you think my clothes are ready yet?"

"Ah, I almost forgot," Takamiya said with a slight sigh and he went into the suite to call the laundry service.

Izumi followed him in a few moments later.

"The clothes should be here shortly," said Takamiya.

Izumi nodded, "May I take a shower?" he asked.

"Of course."

While Izumi was in the bathroom, Takamiya arranged for the car, and reviewed his appointment list.

The doorbell rang and Takamiya opened the door for the clerk who dropped off the clean clothing, and a shoebox.

Takamiya put the clothing on the bed by the bathroom and went out into the living room to check his email.

Izumi came out of the bedroom dressed in his clean clothes and jacket. He looked contented and almost cheerful, certainly a far cry from the wet, miserable boy who had shown up on the doorstep the night before.

"I was wondering if I might borrow a pair of slippers to wear home," Izumi asked.

"Don't worry about that," Takamiya said as he handed the shoebox to Izumi. "You should try these on to see if they fit."

Izumi opened the top and looked inside.

"You bought me shoes?" he asked.

"Well, the hotel shopping service did."

"But these are new Etnies," he said.

"I'm sorry. Is there a problem?"

"Well, it's just--this is the top of the line model, you see. These are ultra-cool."

"Well, isn't that nice, then," said Takamiya with a happy chuckle.

As he drove Izumi home, Takamiya's mind teemed with plans. He was meeting the movers at ten. Then he had furniture to buy, books to shelve, phone service to arrange. He had only two more nights left at the hotel. If he managed to finish ahead of schedule, maybe he could settle the hotel bill and sleep at his new apartment for the first time on Saturday night. Then he'd be living in Izumi's neighborhood. A smile spread over his face as he looked over at the youth who was staring out the passenger window.

As fast as Takamiya's mind was racing, Izumi's was lumbering, trying to make sense of what had happened the day before at the Rose Playhouse, and after when he came to Takamiya's place..

Takamiya had been so kind and thoughtful, getting his clothes cleaned, and his jacket mended. He'd even gone so far as to make sure he had a pair of shoes to wear home. Izumi would never forget the man's kindness, but...

...but, the thing that weighed most heavily on Izumi's mind was not the comforting hug, but the burning kiss the man had pressed on his mouth before the hug... Izumi's face flushed with embarrassment as he recalled the moment when he responded to it.

Izumi was not at all certain how that man managed always to slip past his defenses. Whether Takamiya was as nice, kind and generous as the day is long was immaterial. Was it his smile or his tongue that made him feel weak in the knees? Izumi shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that at all. That was the point. Izumi had to find some way to put some distance between them, permanently.

School was starting up again on Monday though. Yes, school would keep him out of Takamiya's orbit for part of the day, but he had to find some way of keeping busy after school and on the weekends. He'd heard the café he'd worked at the summer before was hiring. At the time, he hadn't wanted to think about working, but now, he'd give them a call to see if the job was still open. If that option was closed to him, he could try another restaurant. He doubted that joining a club at school would be enough to keep him out of Takamiya's way...

And then Takamiya was pulling into the driveway of Izumi's home with a happy smile on his face saying, "Give my best to your mother, Izumi. I hope to see you again soon."

"I will, and thanks for everything," was what Izumi said, as he got out of the car, but what he was really thinking was "Not if I can help it."

To Izumi's surprise and relief, the man hadn't even tried to give him a good-bye kiss. Maybe the guy was finally getting the picture.

"I love you, Izumi," Takamiya said just before he backed out onto the street. He even waved good-bye with that happy smile on his handsome face.

Well, all right, so the guy still didn't get the picture. Izumi sighed as Takamiya drove off, then went into the house, changed into a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, and walked to the café. The help wanted sign was still in the window. Within five minutes, Izumi had his old job back, and within ten, he was standing at the cash register ringing up the orders and giving the customers their change. Izumi was so absorbed in the work that Takamiya didn't even cross his mind more than three or more times an hour.

As for that joyful man, he sailed through the to-do's on his list and by four PM, after days of missed messages, he finally even managed to get Aoe Reiji, himself, on the phone and they agreed to meet for drinks later that afternoon at the Aqua bar.

After greeting and settling in at a table with their drinks in front of them, chatting about Takamiya's translation progress and Aoe's trip to Indonesia, the two men moved on to more personal matters.

"I'm sorry Izumi couldn't meet with you as promised," he said. "You're not upset, I hope."

"Not at all," Takamiya responded. "When I called the club, I was told he was taken ill. I hope he's all right."

"He's much better and should be released tomorrow morning. He just about begged me to try to re-schedule with you as soon as possible. He forgot to take his heart medicine, he was so excited about meeting you."

"I'm flattered, but I'm afraid it's out of the question."

"Oh, then you are upset? I'm confused."

"Well, you see, I met someone."

"Really?" said Aoe, as he lit a cigarette, took a drag and observed his friend a little more closely. "Yes, there's something different about you." He raised an eyebrow and smirked when he put his finger on what that something was. "You got laid, didn't you?"

Takamiya blushed, laughed and nodded.

"The pride of the Aoe house will be ruined if you tell me you met your friend at another club.

Takamiya's face flushed again as he said, "Oh, no, really, it was nothing like that. What happened is that I met a young man at the Transportation Center who was carrying a red rose. And by the way, his name is Izumi."

Aoe choked on his drink he was so surprised by the coincidence.

"Are you joking?" he asked when he finally cleared his throat.

"No, I'm not. He was waiting for a blind date. I showed up thinking he was from the club and the rest is history. We had such a good time! I took him out to the stables. He'd never been riding before. Turns out he'd never been ridden before either," Takamiya said using the euphemism for sex with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face.

"You deflowered a virgin? You have been busy, my friend. How did all that come about?"

Well, I took him out for dinner and drinks. I think it might be the first time, he ever had liquor, and the whole time, I thought he was Blue Boy's Izumi so when he was unable to perform, well, I took things in hand myself."

"So, give me details."

"It's a little embarrassing. I thought maybe he was in pain from a previous partner who was rough with him. I didn't know it was his first time. He was kind of vocal in his protests."

"Vocal in his protests? Is that a euphemism too?"

"I didn't rape him. It was a misunderstanding which didn't clear up, until I called the club. You can't imagine how sick I felt. By that time, I was already sure I was in love."

"Love?" asked Aoe. "That's a pretty intense reaction for a first date. What's he like?"

"Cute. Very cute," Takamiya enthused as he ticked off his lover's attributes. "He has a mop of thick black shiny hair, sparkling eyes, fresh face, very attractive. He can be very gentle, but he can also be very spontaneous in other ways."

"Other ways? Is that how you got the bruise on your chin?" Aoe asked with a grin.

"Well, yes," Takamiya admitted.

"If I'd known you wanted to get beaten up by a spoiled brat, I would have fixed you up with our number two, Rin."

"Izumi is not a brat. Not really. He's a nice person. Trustworthy too, I think. With Izumi, what you see is what you get."

"Sounds too good to be true," said Aoe with a skepticism born of long experience.

"Well, there are a few obstacles, but I 'm not going to let a little thing like the fact that he's not out of high school stand in my way."

Aoe chuckled. "So what is he, ten years younger than you or something? Are you sure he's not a brat? I never thought that you, of all people, would end up robbing the cradle."

"Laugh if you want. I knew you would. You'll laugh even harder at the rest of the story, but I tell you, in all honesty, that I've never been more sure of anything in my life. This is it. He's the person I'm supposed to spend my life with."

"You said the same thing about Julian."

"I meant it then, and I mean it now."

"But what happens if it blows up in your face again?"

"I won't give up so easily. I think he loves me. He just doesn't know it yet. He's young. He needs time. He also needs to figure out he's gay."

"This story gets weirder with every detail you add. Just how did you manage to get this guy in bed with you if he's not gay? Did you bribe him with cash or get him drunk?"

"I got him drunk. He threw the cash in my face when he sobered up," Takamiya said with a rueful laugh. But seriously, I thought he was Blue Boy's Izumi."

The translator was feeling a little defensive, still he launched fearlessly into recounting the chain of events and when Takamiya finished, Aoe summed up what he had heard.

"Let me get this straight. So, you sort of raped/didn't rape him on Tuesday night, had family dinner with him and his mom on Wednesday night. He shows up on your doorstep and spends the night on Thursday--"

"Nothing happened," Takamiya interrupted. "Well, nothing much..." he said, as he colored and smiled.

"And you move into his neighborhood today," Aoe resumed. "Is that right?"

"Well, I'm almost moved in. I bought the double bed this morning, shelved almost all of my books. I'd love to sleep there tonight, but I have a few last minute things to take care of at the hotel.

"Here I've been trying to light a fire under you for three months so you'd finally get yourself an apartment, and this Izumi manages to do it in three days. I must admit, I'm impressed. He must be very special."

"Oh, he is," Takamiya smiled ecstatically. "You'll see when you meet him."

They sipped their drinks quietly and watched the bar crowd for a while. Then Takamiya asked his friend, "And what about you? Are you happy?"

Aoe chuckled, "I'm happy you're happy."

"You know what I mean, though."

"I'm too busy to be happy," he said as he swallowed the last of his drink, extinguished his cigarette, and stood up to leave. "Well, it's been great catching up with you, but I've got a few more stops to make before I have to get back to the job and make sure all hell doesn't break loose. Things tend to get a little crazy on Friday nights."

"Right," said Takamiya. "It was good to see you, too."

While Takamiya went back to his hotel, Aoe stopped by Saint Maria's to visit Yanase Izumi. The owner of the Blue Boy Club looked through the small window in the door to the room, and saw his number one host asleep on the white linen of the hospital bed. Aoe could not but admire the flawless marble skin, the beautiful, flowing hair spread out on the pillow, and the appearance of complete innocence on the face of this young man in the flower of his youth.

He's so beautiful, thought Aoe, and I pimp him out.

It wasn't the first time he'd agonized about offering up that flesh for sale. He would never have thought he could be the whoremonger of such a beautiful person, and today, particularly, he was not proud of it, but he was pragmatic. The pragmatic son of a most pragmatic father. No, his father had been more than pragmatic. He had been ruthlessIs that how life had eroded his father's morals? He'd be damned if he ended up like his father. In a few more years, the publishing contracts would allow him to expand his business interests into more legitimate trades. Now though, he was just disappointed that Takamiya had not had the chance to meet Yanase Izumi.

"But they still might. Takamiya with a teenager?" He shook his head at the notion, knocked on the door and entered.

Izumi's eyes flew open and he smiled. He never could control his happiness at seeing the man he esteemed above all others, and to think he had come to visit him twice in three days. Was Owner falling in love with him? He searched Aoe's eyes for signs of love, but saw nothing but concern.

"Is there something wrong? Were you able to talk to your friend, Owner?" the young man asked.

"Well, it seems that Takamiya met someone, but I don't know how serious it is. You may meet him sooner than you think, though. So, rest up, take care of yourself, and consider getting the operation."

"I have, Owner, but who will want me if I am scarred? How will I make my living? It's better if I keep taking the pills instead."

"And if you forget?"

"I won't forget. I don't want to let you down again."

It did Aoe no good to argue that he wasn't upset and didn't feel that his number one had let him down, so he took his leave a few minutes later, thinking how artlessly seductive the young man was. Though he had made a vow to keep his hands off his employees, it didn't mean he was blind to their attractions.

He arrived at his girlfriend's apartment some twenty minutes later, the gift of Chanel No. 5 in hand, and let himself with the key she had given him. She came to the door wearing a hot pink terry cloth bathrobe, and seemed a little surprised to see him.

"Perfume? For me? You shouldn't have," she gushed.

Aoe was frequently nonplussed by Mirella's reactions. He could never figure out if she was completely transparent or opaque. She had called Kiichi to make sure the message about buying the perfume got to him. He doubted he would ever understand her, but even as he shrugged the doubts away, he parted her robe, pulled her to him as he encircled her waist with his arms and slid his hands down to cup her buttocks. He pressed his crotch against hers and nudged her towards the sofa.

"Not the couch," she said.

He changed directions and guided her to one of the matching easy chairs.

"Not the chair," she said.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the mattress in the bedroom.

"But I just changed the sheets," she said.

"Guess you'll have to change them again," he murmured just before he silenced her with a kiss.

A half hour later, when he was in the shower cleaning up after sex, it struck him odd her complaining about having just changed the sheets, but then Mirella complained about lots of things. She'd probably pitch a fit when he had to go back to work, but he'd explained to her at the outset how things would be.

Could he actually marry this woman? He'd never been moved to whisper, "I love you," even in the height of passion. Maybe he could grow to love her some day. And did love really matter all that much? He could just imagine what Shiki's answer to that would be.

"I'm a fool," Aoe said.