Red Leads to Trouble
By Alison

Part 2

Izumi groaned, his head throbbing as he sat up. Oh god, he thought, not
another hangover. He blinked when he realized that he wasn't in his
apartment…and there was someone next to him. He looked over and saw a
naked Reika smiling sleepily up at him.

In shock, he glanced down and found himself also naked. It didn't take a
rocket scientist to tell Izumi was had transpired the night before.

Izumi winced when he felt Reika sit up behind him. Reika wrapped his
arms around Izumi and placed a kiss to the back of his neck. "Mmm,
morning Izumi."

Izumi placed his hands on Reika's, but, instead of returning the
affection, like Reika thought he was, Izumi instead unwound Reika's arms
from around his body and got out of the bed. Reika stared at Izumi as he
began to pull on his clothes, he didn't understand what was going on.

"Izumi…what are you doing?" he asked.

"Going home, what else."

"Huh?! You are leaving me?"

Izumi stopped what he was doing and turned to face Reika, who was still
sitting on the blood stained sheets. The expression on his face was one
of slight confusion and disbelief, and a tiny amount of regret.
"Reika…you don't…I think…you are reading to much into this. What we
did…"

"What we did? What we did!" Reika yelled, anger suddenly filling him
when he understood what Izumi was saying. He gripped one of the sheets
in his hand and held it up, "This," he pointed one of the red stains on
it, "This is what we did. We-"

"Fucked," Izumi finished coldly. Reika's outburst had changed his whole
attitude, and the regret of possibly hurting his friend seemed to have
disappeared. "That is all we did. Nothing else. It didn't mean anything.
It was just sex."

"Just sex?! Oh, so you think that when you and Hisui get into a fight
you can just come and 'fuck' me and then go back to Hisui in the
morning? I don't fucking think so!" Reika screamed at him as he got out
of the bed, taking one of the sheets with him to cover himself, he still
had some dignity left, after all.

Izumi glared at him. "I don't have to take this from you. I'm leaving."
With those words he turned and walked across the apartment to the front
door.

"Izumi, you come back here! You can't just leave like this!"

Izumi ignored him, but when he had his hand on the doorknob Reika
grabbed his wrist, roughly jerking Izumi away from the door.

"Let me go," Izumi demanded coolly.

Reika's hand lashed out in rage, his palm solidly connecting with
Izumi's cheek, snapping the other mans head to the side and almost
causing him to stumble back against the wall.

Izumi slowly brought a hand up to the side of his face, all the while
staring at Reika who stared back, both stunned into silence. The flash
of pain when Izumi touched his face confirmed that what he thought just
happened, did.

Without another word, he spun around and opened the door. He left
without even looking back at Reika's trembling form. The door thundered
shut behind him.

Reika collapsed to the floor when the sound of Izumi's angry footsteps
faded away. He looked down at the hand that was supporting his body. It
was the same hand he had slapped Izumi with. He leveled it with his face
and stared at it in wonder. He had actually hit Izumi. And he knew it
had hurt.

Tears began to fall down his face as he realized what he had done. By
yelling at Izumi, saying the stuff he said, and physically lashing out
at him…Izumi would hate him. He wouldn't even want to be friends
anymore.

Everything had seemed so perfect the night before…but now…now,
everything was ruined. He had blown it. Not even the memories of Izumi's
sweet kisses could console Reika as he lay sobbing on his apartment
floor.

*

Izumi was fuming by the time he got home. He should have hit Reika right
back. The drummer had no right to push him around and treat him like
that! They were both drunk. And Reika *knew* he was still with Hisui,
even if they did have a fight. What he did with Reika meant nothing. And
the other man should have known that!

The guitarist calmed down somewhat, though, when he reached the door of
his apartment. He guessed that Hisui would be home…and probably
wondering where his lover had been all night…and probably really angry.

Great, Izumi thought, just great! Now I will have two people made at me!

But he realized that facing Hisui sooner would be better than facing him
later. Besides, they still had practice today, and his guitar was in the
apartment.

Quietly he pulled his keys out of his pocket and inserted the right one
into the lock. He opened the door as silently as possible, and poked his
head in a bit. The coast was clear. Giving a small sigh of relief he
slipped in and shut the door softly behind him.

He turned around only to find Hisui behind him, one hand on his hip and
his foot taping the ground softly, the
where-have-you-been-I-have-been-up-all-night look that only wives give
their husbands look filling his face. Izumi forced a smile small and
scratched the back of his head.

"Uh…hi Hisui."

One of Hisui's elegant eyebrows slowly rose as he walked over to Izumi,
stopping right in front of him.

"You were with Reika, weren't you?" He accused.

Izumi felt panic grip his whole being. How could Hisui know? His mind
screamed. I just came from Reika's place…so that means…Reika must have
called Hisui when I was on my way home and told him everything. Izumi
gulped and jumped when Hisui began speaking again.

"You got drunk, didn't you?"

Izumi swallowed again as his eyes met with Hisui's. "Ah…it was an
accident! I swear Hisui! You have to believe me!"

Hisui rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, sure. Getting drunk and having to drag
each other home is an accident. Whatever you say. But…"He sighed and
wrapped his arms around Izumi's neck, "I suppose there really isn't much
I can do to stop that, can I? No matter what I say, huh?"

Izumi's mind was spinning. Hisui didn't sound angry. In fact…he made it
sound like he didn't even know of the act Izumi and Reika were engaged
in only hours before. That was when Izumi finally realized that Hisui
thought that he had only gotten drunk and crashed at Reika's house for
the night. And nothing more!

The feeling of soft lips being gently pressed against his brought
Izmui's mind crashing back down to earth as his arms unconsciously went
around Hisui's waist, drawing the other man closer. But when Hisui's
hand began traveling down south, Izumi quickly sidestepped his lover's
hands, gave him a quick peek on the check before walking to the bedroom.
Hisui pouted.

Izumi's head popped back out and he smiled. "Take that look off your
cute face, Hisui! You know we have band practice. We have all night for
that kind of stuff." He winked, and then his head once again disappeared
back into the bedroom.

*

Yukina looked around the practice room slowly. Tension filled the room.
Reika would not talk to Izumi and was always glaring at Hisui when the
vocalist's back was turned. Izumi avoided Reika, and while he and Hisui
had been getting along fine this morning when they arrived, things were
now heating up between the two as they discussed one of the new songs.

Yukina sighed and idly plucked at the strings on his bass, doing his
best to block out the bickering of the vocalist and guitarist and the
random beat of Reika's drums.

After about five minutes of that, he lost it. Standing up, he dumped his
bass on the chair next to him and stalked over to Reika. He grabbed the
drummer's arm and yanked him in the direction of the door. Reika didn't
resist.

"I'm going to lunch," Yukina announced to anyone who was listening.
"Reika and I will be back in an hour."

Hisui and Izumi stopped their arguing for a moment to watch their two
bandmates disappear down the hallway, Yukina's hand still firmly clamped
onto Reika's arm.

"Huh. I wonder what is up with Yukina today. He looked sort of stressed.
He usually always eats lunch with me, not with Reika." Hisui pondered.

"Oh, is Hisui jealous that Yukina doesn't want to have lunch with him
today? Poor poor baby!"

Hisui rolled his eyes, as he often did to Izumi's teasing. "Hm, you
think we should get something to eat too?"

Izumi nodded and stood up. He took Hisui's hand and together they walked
out of the room.

"Izumi…?"

"Hm?"

"I get to pick where we go."

"…fine."

*

Yukina and Reika ended up at McDonalds, despite the fact that neither of
them cared too much for the food.

Yukina watched Reika stir one of his French fries around in his malt,
giving a small sigh every now and then. Yukina didn't know whether to
smile or frown. He guessed he knew what was going on, but, while it
could be a problem, it could also turn out for the better.

"Reika? What is wrong with you today?"

"Nothing," Reika mumbled in reply.

"Nothing, eh? Well, I'm not stupid. I know there is something up. I
mean, there has to be!. You and Izumi won't talk to each other, and you
are always glaring at Hisui…something has to be up. Come on, you know
you can trust me!"

Reika sighed again and dropped the soggy French fry on the try in front
of him. He knew he could trust Yukina. The bassist was the nicest and
most trustworthy one in the band.

"Last night…" Reika began weakly but stopped, he didn't know if he
should be saying this, but one look at Yukina encouraging and
understanding face made him go on. When he continued, his voice had
grown stronger.

"Last night I was bored, so I called Izumi. We decided to go out
drinking. He and Hisui had had another fight. Well, we got really drunk.
Soon, Izumi was talking about how well we got along, and he said that he
sometimes thought he should kick Hisui out of his bed and drag me in…"

Yukina's eyes lit up. He knew how much Reika liked Izumi, it was obvious
if you knew what to watch for. He knew that by the way Reika was acting
the event of that couldn't have been good, but he could help but feel a
flash of hope and happiness for his friend.

"Yeah. And so of course, me being drunk, I said that no one is stopping
him. We kissed, and then the next thing I know we are back at my house
and are…" Reika didn't need finish, Yukina knew what he meant.

Reika went on to tell Yukina the events of that morning.

"You *hit* Izumi?!" Yukina was amazed to hear that.

Reika nodded his head helplessly. "I don't know what got into me! I
guess I was just so upset…I mean, I love the guy and we sleep together
and the next day he tells me it was just a one time thing and he doesn't
care at all?! I hurt! So…I hit him. I felt awful after I did it,
though."

"Wow…" Yukina's voice was hardly above a whisper. He had no idea that
things were that bad between the two men, now. He couldn't even imagine
the pain that Reika must have been going through at that time.

He also felt something else, but immediately pushed it aside, feeling
guilty for thinking about it at a time when Reika obviously needed his
help on comfort. But…it was still there, and it had been growing
stronger every day.

Taking a deep breath, a huge smile appeared on Yukina's face as he
slipped into matchmaker mode. "Well Reika! It seems to me as if you have
a problem here! But, have no fear, things will be better soon. I am sure
of it! Because I am going to share something with you. Something you
have to promise not to tell anyone else."

Reika looked at the bassist with curiosity and leaned somewhat across
the table so he could hear better. "Ok, I promise. What is it?"

"Well…maybe it is too early to tell you…" Yukina replied, suddenly not
willing to say what he had been about to day only a few second earlier.

Reika let out a frustrated sigh before slumping back into his chair.
"Fine then. Be that way." He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his
chest and looking away.

Yukina giggled. "Ah, don't worry Reika! I will tell you sooner or later!
But first! We have more import things to attend. We have to get you and
Izumi friends again. That is the first step." With a sharp nod of his
head, Yukina swiped his cup of soda off the table and took a sip, a very
determined expression, most different from his usual soft and meek one,
settling upon his face.

"Oh? And what is the first step?" Reika asked wearily as he resumed
picking at his food.

"Why! To apologize to Izumi, of course! You are going to have to tell
him you are sorry for acting the way you acted. It was wrong of you."

Reika frowned. "I don't think it was that wrong. Maybe hitting him, yes,
but not being angry with him."

Yukina threw his hand up in the air in frustration. "Duh Reika! You have
to make it sound like it was your fault! Trust me! That is the way you
get back into someone's good graces."

"Whatever…"

"Trust me." Yukina said firmly. I know what I am talking about. You
forget," a sudden tint of sadness crept into Yukina's voice, "I was the
one who got Izumi and Hisui together in the first place."

Reika ears perked up on that. Sure he knew that Yukina got their two
band members together, but the way he said it now…suddenly it dawned on
him.

"You have a crush on Hisui!" He exclaimed.

**

So there is part two. Enjoy it? Want some more? Please tell me what you
thought!!

-Alison

...to be continued...

email Alison

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