Author's Notes: This story will eventually contain yaoi, which means two men having sex - though it won't be explicit. I'm not giving this warning so the homophobes among us can go "Ewwww!!", I'm saying this so every hentai yaoi freak can go "YAY!!" and have fun. I think homosexual relationships are normal, so this warning really shouldn't be necessary. Anyway, there will also be a certain amount of violence in this story, as well as drug use and rape (though the rape is only mentioned briefly). And I think that, at some point, there will also be a little shoujo-ai (girl x girl love). Well, now that that's out of the way: on to the story!

Capitulus I: When Angels Meet

It was a dark, rainy day in September, when Yoshi entered the Weeping Willow Hospital. He shook the rain from his umbrella and wiped his wet curly hair out of his eyes. With a sigh he took in the abandoned and eerily silent hall. A lone nurse was sitting behind the reception desk, typing away on a computer. She looked up briefly when Yoshi entered, but by now she knew him very well, so did not spare him a second thought. "Good afternoon," she said, without looking up from the computer screen.

"Good afternoon," Yoshi replied softly. He walked to the elevator and pushed the button. As he waited for the elevator to arrive, he looked over his shoulder at the doors through which he had entered the hospital. Through the glass doors he could see the world outside; the rain as it splattered on the streets and the cars that were parked outside; the people who quickly made their way home. With a ping the elevator announced its arrival and Yoshi stepped inside. Before the doors of the elevator closed, he saw the nurse looking at him with a strange expression that resembled pity.

How long had he been coming here? Yoshi wondered, as the elevator made its way to the third floor. It seemed only yesterday that he had received the faithful phone call, because he could still remember every second of that day. He knew it must have been months ago, but the pain was still fresh. He should have been able to move on by now, but he was a creature of habit. He didn't like it when things changed. So no matter what happened, he always had to go to the hospital at the end of the day to see her. He'd lose what little sanity he had left, if he didn't see her every day.

The hall on the third floor was empty as well, except for two old men in wheelchairs playing a game of chess at the table in the corner. They looked up at Yoshi and nodded in greeting, as they did every day. Yoshi nodded back and walked tot he end of the hall, to room 304. The door was a ridiculous shade of pink, but the little girl had meant well. She had been in the hospital for a kidney transplantation and had been Yoshi's friend for over three months. When she had seen how sad Yoshi was and how lonely the silent woman in the room was, she had decided to cheer things up a bit by painting the door pink.

The door opened without a sound, as if it did not want to disturb the tranquillity of the hospital. Yoshi let out a disappointed sigh as he looked into the room and saw the still figure lying on the bed. He didn't know why he still hoped he would open the door one day and see her sitting upright in bed, looking at him with her big brown eyes. He kept repeating the words of the doctor who treated her to himself: "There is a slight chance she will wake up." A slight chance was better than no chance at all, so Yoshi kept waiting for the day the doctor proved to be right. People always believed in miracles when they wanted one to happen.

"Hey, I'm here," Yoshi said, as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He took off his raincoat and draped it over the chair beside the bed. His umbrella was carelessly dropped to the floor. The woman on the bed was silent, as was the rest of the room. The only sounds came from the equipment that monitored the woman's heartbeats. Yoshi sat down in the chair and took one of the woman's hands in his. "Sazuko, I'm back," he said softly, stroking the back of her hand with his fingertips. "I finished the painting for your grandmother today. It's not half as good as it could have been, because you weren't able to model for it. But I'm sure your grandmother will like it. I'll give it to her first thing tomorrow, okay?"

It was odd, having a one-sided conversation, even though Yoshi knew for sure Sazuko could hear him. "I sold one of my paintings today," Yoshi continued. "It's the one you liked so much; you know, the one witht he sakura trees? Some rich banker bought it. Paid me more than it was worth, too. But I guess I shouldn't complain, 'cause now I can pay the rent." He sighed and looked over Sazuko's still body at the window. All he could see were grey clouds and thick drops of rain, splattering against the window. "I hate rainy days," he said. "They're not inspiring. I tried to paint on rainy days before, but they make me so depressed I can't find inspiration, not even for a depressing painting. Plus, rainy days lack color." As if to emphasize his point, the clouds became a darker shade of grey and a flash of lightning lit the sky.

Yoshi stared outside for a while, stroking Sazuko's hand. At 17.35 precisely, as usual, the door opened and Sazuko's doctor stepped inside. Yoshi looked over his shoulder to greet the woman he had become well acquainted with over the past few months, only to have his mouth snap shut when he saw who was standing in the doorframe. Instead of doctor Usagi, a puffy and oh so nice woman, there was a man standing on the doorstep. His hair was a strange, yet natural looking shade of red and hung to his calves in a thick braid, and his eyes were an icy blue. He was a few inches shorter than Yoshi and was even skinnier, if that was possible. In fact, the little meat he had on his bones was all muscle. The redhead wore the white coat all doctors wore, and a black shirt, jeans and shoes. "Am I interrupting?" the man asked in a deep, baritone voice.

"Not at all," Yoshi said. He stood up. "Where is Usagi-sensei?" he asked curiously. He did not like changes, especially not in situations like these. It had taken a while before he had trusted doctor Usagi to do whatever she could to make Sazuko better. He wasn't looking forward to having to place his trust in yet another person. The redheaded doctor closed the door and walked into the room. For a moment Yoshi thought the redhead would ignore his question, but then the doctor muttered, "Pregnant." Yoshi's eyebrows rose. "Come again?" he asked. The doctor looked up from where he had been staring at the equipment next to Sazuko's body, impatience in his eyes. "Usagi-sensei is on maternity leave," he said. "Because she's pregnant. Has been for two months, actually."

"What?!" Yoshi quickly sat down, trying to digest that news. "I thought she didn't want children."

"She didn't. But she's decided to keep this one."

"Why didn't she tell me she was pregnant?" Yoshi asked. He felt a little hurt. For several months the doctor and he had spent a few hours together every day. He had considered her a friend, but apparently the feeling wasn't mutual, if she had kept this from him. The doctor wrote something on the notepad at the end of Sazuko's bed. "Usagi-sensei did not tell you because she only found out she was pregnant yesterday," he said. Yoshi looked up at him. "Yesterday?" he asked. "How come she found out that late? Didn't she become suspicious when she started missing her periods and became sick in the morning?"

"Usagi-sensei doesn't menstruate, because she's on the pill," the redhead replied. "And she was well on her way to getting bulimia*, so morning sickness was nothing unusual." Yoshi gave him a blank look. "I didn't quite follow that last part," he said. The doctor sighed and rubbed his temples. "Bulimia, as in eating until you're nearly exploding, only to throw it all up afterwards. Usagi-sensei was trying to lose weight," he explained.

"But she wasn't even fat," Yoshi said. The redhead shrugged. "Women are often displeased with the way they look, even when it is completely inappropriate." Yoshi bit his lip and stared out of the window again. "You said she was on the pill," he said. "So how come she's pregnant?" The doctor shrugged. "Not even the pill is waterproof," he said. Yoshi chuckled humorlessly and folded his arms over each other. "So it was an accident, huh? Must have been quite the shock. And for her husband, too."

"She's celibate."

"Well, that just sucks."

The redheaded doctor nodded. "Anyway, she won't be back for a long time," he said. "I will replace her until she comes back. I believe an introduction is in place." He bowed. "My name is Yamamoto Aidan. In case you're wondering about my given name, it's Irish. I'm a half breed." Yoshi smiled and stood up. "Hirasaki Yoshi," he said, as he bowed in return. "Pleased to meet you. So you're Irish? I wondered where you had gotten the red hair from." The redhead looked every bit Japanse, except for the hair and the eyes. Aidan gave him a strange look. "What is it?" Yoshi asked, wondering if there was something on his face.

"Hirasaki Yoshi? THE Hirasaki Yoshi?" Aidan asked. Yoshi blushed furiously and stared at his feet. "Yeah, that's me," he said. He should have been used to being stared at when he introduced himself by now, but he wasn't. He had often complained to doctor Usagi about how stupid it was that everybody suddenly liked him, just because he was one of the world of art's newly discovered talents. He didn't even consider himself a good painter, but because some critic liked his work, so did the rest of the country.

"Are you related to her?" Aidan asked, looking at Sazuko. Yoshi shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm a... friend," he said. A lump formed in his throat and he blinked to get rid of the tears that formed in his eyes. "Just a good friend." He took a shuddering breath and faked a charming smile. Usually that smile convinced people that yes he had problems, but he could get over them. But Aidan narrowed his eyes supiciously and cocked his head a little. He looked like a dog that was trying to figure out whether his master wanted to play fetch with that stick, or hit the dog with it. Yoshi chuckled. It was kind of cute.

Aidan looked at his watch. "I have to go now," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow, I presume?" Yoshi nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow," he said. Aidan bowed shortly and walked to the door, but Yoshi suddenly remembered something and grabbed the redhead's arm as he walked past. Aidan glared at Yoshi over his shoulder, before glaring at the offending hand that was holding his arm. "I asked Usagi-sensei a question on the first day we met," Yoshi said. "I asked her the same question when I was certain I could trust her with Sazuko's life." He released Aidan's arm. "Is there any chance she will wake up?" Please say yes, please say yes, a voice inside his head screamed.

"It would be very unprofessional of me to answer that question," Aidan said. "Research has shown that -"

"I don't want to know about the results of medical research," Yoshi interrupted rudely. "I want your opinion." Aidan glared at him for a moment, before hesitantly looking at the woman on the bed. Then he looked up at Yoshi with cold, emotionless eyes. "Do not hate me for telling the truth," he said. "Patients who have been comatose for more this long, without any sign of improvement, usually do not wake up." Something wet slid down Yoshi's cheek and he looked down in surprise when a drop of water fell on the floor. He looked up at the ceiling to see if maybe there was a leak, but there wasn't. The wetness on his cheeks was salty. "Dammit." Yoshi quickly wiped his tears away with his sleeve. He smiled sheepishly at Aidan, who had an expression of guilt on his face. "Sorry about that," Yoshi said. "I can get kind of emotional sometimes."

"Don't apologize," Aidan said quickly. "It was my fault. I could have told you in a more subtle way. I... I'm sorry." He seemed to be very uncomfortable. "I-I should go now," he said, and quickly walked to the door. He opened the door and took a step out of the room, then hesitated and looked at Yoshi over his shoulder. "They say miracles only happen if you believe in them. There is a slight chance she will wake up," he said. Yoshi's face lit up and he smiled warmly. "Thanks," he said. Aidan nodded briefly and quickly lef the room.

Yoshi turned around and stared out of the window. It had stopped raining. "Yoshi no baka," he murmured. "You always expected to hear Sazuko would never wake up, yet still you cry like a baby." He took his raincoat and picked up his umbrella. "Bye, Sazuko," he said, as he bent down and planted a kiss on Sazuko's cold cheek. "I'll see you again tomorrow, love." He pulled on his raincoat and walked to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he turned around and looked at the silent room. With a sigh, he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

The nurse behind the reception desk wished him a good evening, as Yoshi lef the hospital. His stomach loudly complained about the fact that it hadn't been full since that morning. Yoshi decided to eat Chinese today. As he walked to the subway station, he faintly heard the sounds of sirens in the distance. It was common to hear sirens these days, because in the past six months there had been a series of brutal murders and the police had been on the streets almost 24/7, trying to find information about the murders. So far they hadn't been able to find anyting, not even a motive. Yoshi's friend Takashima Hikaru was an officer in the police department and was working on the case of the murders. Yoshi himself was also involved in trying to solve the murders, because the victims had all been artists. The police had asked Yoshi to help them, hoping he could tell them why anyone would want to murder the artists. Yoshi had only been able to come up with one motive for the murders so far: drugs. All the murdered artists were regular drug users and it was suspected they had been killed because they had gotten involved with dangerous drug dealers. A few of the female artists had become in serious debt with the drug dealers because of their addiction, and they had ended up in the underground prostitution rings.

"Yoshi!" A car screeched to a halt just behind him. Yoshi turned around quickly and saw Hikaru lean out of the open window of his foreign car. Hikaru was very tall, for a Japanese, and had long black hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail. His dark brown eyes always sparkled with enthusiasm, but it wasn't a nice experience to have those eyes focused on you when Hikaru was seriously pissed off about something. Yoshi found that out when Hikaru interrogated him, to see if Yoshi was in any way involved in the murders. He had nearly wet his pants that day, as Hikaru sat in the chair across the room and just stared at him until Yoshi had been willing to tell him he was the pope, as long as Hikaru would just stop staring.

"Yo," Yoshi said, and gave Hikaru the peace sign. "What's with all the sirens, Hikaru?" Hikaru looked at him grimly. "There's been another murder," he said. "I want you to come with me, Yoshi. You won't be allowed to look at the body, but I want you to come straight to the station with me after we've finished up everything at the crime scene. Now hurry up and get your scrawny ass in the car." Yoshi chuckled and winked. "I always knew you were looking at my ass, Hi-chan," he said, and posed seductively. Hikaru blushed a deep red to the roots of his hair. "Don't make me arrest you for sexual harrassment," he growled. This only gave Yoshi the perfect opportunity to tease his friend a bit more. "Arrest me, as in, put me in handcuffs?" he said. "Why Hikaru, you sexy beast. I never knew you were into SM." Hikaru pulled out his gun and aimed it at Yoshi's head. "Get in the car, before I commit homicide," he growled. Yoshi saluted and clicked his heels together. "Yes sir, Major Asshole, sir!" he said. Before Hikaru could pull the trigger, Yoshi ducked into the passenger side of the car. He made sure to buckle his seatbelt, because Hikaru didn't know the meaning of the words "speed limit".

"Take it easy, okay?" Yoshi managed to mumble, before Hikaru slammed his foot down on the accelerator and Yoshi was crushed against his seat. "God dammit, Hikaru, you're the police," he shouted, as Hikaru cut off a bus full of tourists. "You're supposed to be a good example for the rest of society, not a bad one!" The car flew around the corner on two wheels and Yoshi was thrown against the door. "Hikaru, please remember there's a red light up ahead," he said, teeth chattering. Hikaru was bent over low the steering wheel, eyes glued to the road in front of him. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry," he said absent-mindedly. He completely ignored the red light and almost hit another car. He swerved to the right, past a line of parked cars, drove over the sidewalk, and knocked over a few trash cans, before driving onto the street again and coming to a screeching halt in front of a section of the street that was blocked by several police cars. Hikaru turned off the ignition and grinned at Yoshi. "Now wasn't that fun?" he asked cheerfully. Yoshi blinked at him with large, frightened eyes. "You're... you're..." he stuttered.

"Yes?"

"You're a maniac! Let me out of this damn car!" Hikaru chuckled, as Yoshi tried to get his seat belt off and get out of the car at the same time. Finally, the artist succeeded and all but jumped out of the car.

"Hello, Hirasaki-san," a familiar voice said from behind him. Yoshi quickly turned around and pushed the woman in front of him. "Protect me from him!" he said, as Hikaru stepped out of the car. Kiku chuckled when she saw the evil look on Hikaru's face. "I see you've managed to survive another one of Hikaru's wild rides," she said to Yoshi, who was hiding behind her back. "Honestly, Yoshi-san, I don't know how you do it. Do you have nine lives, or something?" Yoshi straightened and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm just too pretty to die," he said, winking. Kiku blushed a little and almost replied to that comment, but then she remembered she wasn't interested in men and ignored Yoshi's seductive look. Instead, she turned to look at Hikaru, all seriousness. "This one's even worse than the others, Hikaru- san," she said. "The victim's face is cut beyond recognition, so we'll have to rely on blood samples and finger prints to identify her."

"That bad, huh?" Hikaru asked. He turned around and looked at Yoshi, who became pale and ducked behind Kiku again. Hikaru smirked. "I suppose you won't want to wait in the car," he said. Yoshi shook his head wildly and glared at him. "I'll take a dead, maimed body over a ride in your car any day," he said.

"You know you're not allowed to see the body," Kiku said. "We cannot guaranty for your mental health when you have seen a human being turned inside out. And you'll get dirty, because of all the blood. It's impossible to get that stuff out of your clothes. Or even worse then getting dirty: you might slip over intestines and break your neck." She smirked just as evilly as Hikaru, when Yoshi turned paler and paler at the thought of what the dead body Kiku described would look like. "You're a sadistic bitch," Yoshi hissed to Kiku. "And you too!" He pointed at Hikaru. "I can't believe the safety of society is in your hands!" The two officers snickered.

"Better in our hands than in the hands of the psychos who committed these murders," they heard a deep voice growl. The chief of the Tokyo Police Department, a big man with a moustache the size of a walrus', was standing behind Hikaru and Kiku and grabbed them by the scruff of the neck. "Instead of scaring the shit out of poor Yo-chan, you two should get over there and do your job," he growled, pushing the two in the direction of the crime scene. Hikaru and Hiku didn't need to be told twice, and they rushed to obey. "Kids," the chief growled. "Can't do anything good these days." Yoshi smiled. "Now, now, Papa," he said. "You shouldn't speak so negatively about your kids." The chief, or "Papa" as everyone called him, smiled and gave Yoshi a bear hug, lifting the painter off his feet. "I'd speak more positive about them if they were all like you," Papa said, as he put Yoshi back on his feet.

"You should be glad they're not like me," Yoshi said. "Or else they would all be throwing up right now. Blood makes me feel sick." Papa patted him on his shoulder. "That's okay, Yo-chan," he said. "I can understand that someone as sensitive as you can't stand the sight of a body, which is why I don't understand why Hikaru keeps bringing you to the crime scenes." Yoshi huffed when Papa called him sensitive. "I'm not a wuss, you know," he said. "I just don't like blood. Hikaru brings me to every crime scene, so I can wait in his car like a good little boy and can go straight to the station with him when he's done. He's just saving himself the trouble of picking me up afterwards, the lazy ass. By the by, do you think he'll wrap this up quickly, or do I have to go buy myself a magazine to pass the time with?" Papa scratched his nearly bald head. "I dunno, Yoshi," he said. "From the looks of it, this might take a while. My advise would be to go buy yourself a year's supply of magazines." Yoshi groaned and hung his head. "Great," he said sarcastically. "And here I was hoping to get some food and go to bed early."

"I wouldn't count on going to bed soon, Yo-chan," Papa said. "We've got a real Jane Doe here. Typical Asian female, only this one's face is cut open." He didn't notice Yoshi's green face. "There's a lot of blood, 'cause headwounds bleed a lot," Papa continued, "so we haven't been able to tell if she's been cut elsewhere. What we do know is that she's been raped with an object way too large to fit. She's been literally torn apart from down there. Hey, what's wrong with you? You look a little ill." Yoshi slapped a hand over his mouth. "I think I'm gonna throw up," he moaned. Papa patted him on his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid," he said. "This will all be over in an hour or so. I'll buy you some nice, fat lasagna when we're done." He grinned wickedly when Yoshi became as white as a sheet and ducked behind a car. The not so nice sounds of the artist throwing up his food could be heard even above Papa's roaring laughter. After a few minutes, Yoshi emerged from behind the car on wobbly legs. "I hate you," he growled, as he wiped his mouth. "You policemen are all sadistic bastards."

"And don't you forget it," Papa said with a wink. He looked Yoshi up and down and frowned worriedly. "You really don't look too good, Yo-chan," he said. "When was the last time you ate properly?" Yoshi moaned and clutched his stomach. "Please don't mention food," he said.

"No, I'm serious," Papa said. "You look like you're ready to faint." Yoshi glared at him. "That's your fault," he growled. Papa glared back at him. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked. Yoshi shrugged. "This morning, I guess," he said. Papa nodded and sighed. "As I thought," he said. "You've got to start taking better care of yourself, Yoshi. Go home and eat. I'll tell Hikaru you'll come by the station tomorrow. No, I don't want to hear any objections from you. If you haven't gained twenty pounds before tomorrow, I will personally fatten you up." Yoshi chuckled weakly. "Alright, alright," he said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Papa nodded. He poked Yoshi's chest with a chubby finger. "And don't you dare not eat tonight," he growled.

"Don't worry," Yoshi said. "I think my stomach will start eating my intestines if it doesn't get filled soon." He stuffed one hand in his pocket and swung his umbrella over his shoulder. "Salutations, Papa," he said as he walked away. Papa's answer was lost, as the wind howled suddenly and pulled at Yoshi's coat. The rain began to fall steadily again. Yoshi thought Hikaru and the others wouldn't like the weather very much, since the rain would wash away a lot of evidence. A flash of lightning lit the sky. Yoshi opened his umbrella and stared up at the sky. He should keep his promise to Papa and get something to eat, but he didn't feel up to it anymore. The rain had ruined his appetite. Promising his stomach he would eat tomorrow, Yoshi quickly made his way to the subway station. It was crowded, as usual, and it took a while before Yoshi managed to get on one of the trains.

He stepped inside just before the doors closed. He noticed an empty seat and quickly plumped down into it. He took his small sketch book out of the inside of his pocket and looked around him in search of interesting people. Drawing people on the subway was one of his favorite past times. He had discovered that he usually got his inspiration here. Suddenly he caught a flash of red from the corner of his eyes. When he looked up, he saw Sazuko's new doctor sitting across from him and two seats to the right. The redhead had his legs crossed at the ankles and was reading an old newspaper. His long braid hung over his right shoulder and was curled upon his lap. Yoshi couldn't help but wonder what that red hair would look like when it was loose. He had always had a thing for long, beautiful hair. Sazuko had grown her hair just for him, but it hadn't been nearly as long as the redhead's hair.

Yoshi placed the tip of his pencil on the paper and began to draw the redheaded doctor, starting with his braid. After a few minutes he looked at the picture and raised an eyebrow. Well, the redhead certainly was inspiring. Instead of just drawing the doctor the way he was, Yoshi had drawn him like some sort of fairytale creature with long, elfin ears and a long flowing robe. Also, the redhead wasn't holding a newspaper, but a lotus flower. And Yoshi had formed a story behind the picture in his mind as well. In fact, he had formed enough of a story to make a whole series of pictures. He couldn't wait until he got home and could put his ideas on paper. Wow, Yoshi thought. If I can get this much inspiration from him in only about five minutes, who knows how much inspiration I can get from him in an entire day?! I _have_ to ask him if he wants to model for a few paintings!

He put his sketch book and pencil back in his pocket and stood up. As if sensing he was being watched, Aidan looked up from his newspaper. He didn't response to Yoshi's cheerful "Hi!", and instead turned his attention back to his newspaper and ignored the artist. Yoshi frowned. Being ignored was not something he was familiar with. Usually people stopped and stared at him, either because of his body or because of his green eyes, which he had gotten from some distant European ancestor. He had the body of a god and beautiful eyes that did not belong to any full blood Japanese man; he practically was a piece of art himself. A stupid piece of paper - not to mention _old_ paper - did not deserve more attention than he did, dammit!

A bit cross with Aidan for dismissing him so easily, Yoshi sat down beside the redhead and slanted a look at the what had to be interesting newspaper. It was newspaper from a few weeks ago. The news of another artist having been found murdered covered the entire front page. Several sections were circled with a red fineliner, and something was scribbled beside them in Western looking letters. Yoshi thought the language was Irish, but he thought they spoke English in Ireland and though could read English fairly well, he sure as hell couldn't make out the words written in red. He looked up at Aidan, who was still pointedly ignoring him. "It's a terrible thing, isn't it, what happened to those people," Yoshi said. Aidan nodded shortly, but didn't reply otherwise. Disappointed with the lack of response, Yoshi decided to try different tactics. "You know, I'm helping the police with the investigation."

Aidan folded the newspaper and gave Yoshi a slightly annoyed and disbelieving look. "Are you, now?" he asked, obviously not interested. Yoshi nodded proudly. "Some of the murdered people were my friends. The police want me to tell them all about who they slept with, who they lived with, where they went for dinner, etcetera." He pointed at the circled sections. "So are you interested in these murders?" The redhead nodded. "Some of the wounds on the victims' bodies remind me of someone I know," he said. "I want to find out if he's somehow involved in this, but I haven't been able to find him, so I'll have to figure out by whatever information I can find about these murders."

"You think you know someone who could have done this?" Yoshi asked. "Why didn't you tell the police?" Aidan snorted. "One, I don't want to ruin that person's life by labelling him as a suspect. It would get him in a lot of trouble and I don't want that to happen, because he's one of the few friends I have. And two, I have very little faith in the police. They wouldn't know a clue if it hit them in the face." Yoshi grinned and waved a finger in front of the redhead's face. "Now, now," he said. "You always have to remember the police is your best friend. Or at least the officers who aren't corrupted, or just plain stupid, or cowards who run away at the first sign of danger, or too lazy to get off their ass unless it's to go to a donut shop... Hmmm, I'm beginning to see your point here. But there are police officers who work day and night to solve each case. I know because my friend is one. I also know it might help him if you tell him who you think could be involved in these murders. You can be arrested for concealing information, if you don't."

"Does it look like I care?" Aidan asked with a raised eyebrow. Yoshi frowned. "No, but you should," he said. "People are dying out there and you could be responsible for some of their deaths, because you're holding back information." There was a flash of guilt in Aidan's eyes, before he schooled his features and gave Yoshi a very nasty glare. "Look, I already told you I don't care about the consequences," he snapped. "Besides, I'm probably wrong and these murders are just the work of some nutcase who gets off on killing people. Now leave me the _hell_ alone!" They glared at each other heatedly. Some of the people on the train threw them annoyed glances, Yoshi noticed. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Subject changing time," he said. "Would you like to pose for a painting?"

That question obivously took Aidan a little off his guard. The doctor's icy blue eyes widened and his cheeks colored a little. "No," he said, the frown returning to his face. Yoshi threw an arm around the redhead's shoulders and pulled him close. "Aw, come on," he said. "It's not like it's a nude, or something." Aidan's cheeks became an even darker shade of red. "All you have to do is sit still and let me draw you," Yoshi said. Aidan pushed him away. "Why? You've already drawn me," he said. Apparently he'd seen Yoshi draw him earlier. Yoshi shrugged. "Well, yeah," he said. "I could use that drawing to make a painting, but I'd rather have your permission first. Copyright, and all that stuff. Your body belongs to you, after all, and not to me."

"Well, you _don't_ have my permission," Aidan said, and stood up. "If you will excuse me, I have to get off here." With large, angry steps, he walked out of the train. Yoshi bit his lip and thought for a while, before standing up and following the redhead. It wasn't hard to find Aidan in the crowd, because he stood out like a beacon with his flaming red hair. Yoshi followed the redhead up the elevators and caught up with him when they were above ground again. "Yo," he said cheerfully, tapping the redhead on his shoulder. Aidan looked over his shoulder and glared at Yoshi's grinning face. "Stop stalking me," he growled. Yoshi winked and walked beside him. "Can't do that," he said. "At least, not until you either tell me who you think might have committed those murders, or you promise to pose for a painting."

"Well, in that case you can follow me into Hell, because I don't plan on doing either," Aidan snapped, briskly turning a corner and walking into a street with very fancy looking houses. Yoshi whistled appreciatively. "You live here?" he asked. Aidan grunted something unintelligible and stopped at a house. He turned around and gave Yoshi a shove. "Go away," he said angrily.

"I already told you I can't do that," Yoshi said.

"And I told you to go to Hell!"

Yoshi grinned and lit a cigarette, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me," he said, blowing smoke Aidan's way. The doctor looked at the smoke as if it was poison. "If I give you a hunch of whom I think could be connected to these murders, will you go away?" he asked, turning a little white and trying to breathe in as little smoke as he could. Yoshi shrugged and pretended to think about that offer. "Well, all right," he said, taking another long drag. "Spill." Aidan shifted his feet nervously and looked at the ground. "An old college friend of mine is pathologist and she was the one who examined the bodies," he said. "She and I spoke of the murders a few times, and she showed me a few photographs of the victims' bodies and particularly of a few injuries she hadn't seen before. I thought they might be from...from..." He suddenly blushed furiously. "Just tell your friend at the police to investigate the club "Eden"." He turned around and quickly walked to the front door of the house.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Yoshi threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with the heel of his boot, then ran after Aidan and grabbed the doctor by his arm. "I'm not letting you get away that easily," he said, spinning the redhead around. "Now what is this "Eden" club?" By now, Aidan's cheeks were the exact same color as his hair and he absolutely refused to look Yoshi in the eyes. Yoshi grabbed the redhead's chin and forced him to look up. "What's so special about this club that it has you blushing like a virgin?" he asked curiously. If possible, Aidan's cheeks darkened even further. "I- It... I," he stuttered. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Some of the victims' injuries looked like they might have been caused by... by SM. "Eden" is a club that's notorious for it's expertise in extreme forms of BDSM**." Yoshi's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You said you knew someone who might've committed these murders, didn't you? And that person was your friend?" he asked. Aidan nodded. "And this friend frequently visited "Eden"?" Another nod. Yoshi grinned and raised an eyebrow. "May I ask how you've come in contact with someone who's interested in BDSM?"

"No!" Aidan snapped. He pushed away from Yoshi and quickly opened the front door. Yoshi chuckled and grabbed the redhead's arm. "Just a minute," he said when he saw Aidan's icy glare. "I'll be sure to tell my friend he has to search SM clubs," he said with a wink. "Now are you sure you don't want to pose for a painting?" Aidan opened his mouth to snap a reply, but then changed his mind and closed his mouth. He let his eyes roam over Yoshi's body, this time unable to hide his emotions behind a mask of ice. Yoshi had seen the look often, had given someone that look himself more often than not. It was the look of someone who was deciding if their object of lust wanted a good roll between the sheets or not.

Yoshi placed a hand against the wall right beside Aidan's head. The redhead leaned back as far as he could until the wall stopped him, lookin at Yoshi apprehensively. Yoshi grinned like a cat who was getting ready to eat its prey, before closing the distance between Aidan and himself and pressing his lips against the redhead's. Aidan opened his mouth in surprise, and Yoshi used that opportunity to thrust his tongue inside. The redhead's moans were muffled by Yoshi's tongue, thoroughly exploring his mouth. Yoshi pressed Aidan against the wall and fisted a hand in that bright red hair, preventing the redhead from turning his head away and breaking the kiss that was arousing him immensely.

Then, all of a sudden, Yoshi found himself shoved away forcefully, and before he knew it his back hit the street hard and the front door was slammed shut. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over his head. While a few seconds ago he had wanted to do things to the redhead that would have even made a prostitute blush, now he wanted to pummel some sense into that pretty head. "Dammit!" Yoshi cursed, punching the ground with his fist. What was _wrong_ with Aidan?! At first he was giving Yoshi the eye, practically begging to be taken; and then he had suddenly slammed the door in Yoshi's face. If he was playing hard to get, then he could forget about ever getting anywhere with Yoshi, because Yoshi sure as hell wasn't amused.

Giving Aidan's house the finger, Yoshi stood up and dusted himself off. It didn't matter if Aidan didn't want him, because there were a lot of people out there who _did_ want him. What did it matter if they only wanted him for his body, while the only one who had ever wanted him for who he really was, was lying comatose in the hospital? With a snort, Yoshi walked away and made his way to the club area of Tokyo, hell bent on having a good night despite the unexpected rejection, which stung more than he was willing to admit. He went home with two gorgeous women who couldn't keep their hands off him. Yup, he was still the sexiest man in Tokyo.

All he had to do was wink and he'd have his arms full of willing people. So how come it was so hard for him to find someone who _didn't_ want him for his body? If sex could give pleasure but not love, then fornication really was a sin.

To be continued...

*Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is a psychological eating disorder. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging).

**BDSM stands for: Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism. (Author's Note: It hurts. ^_^")