The short ride home , back to Schuldich's flat was filled with a comfortable silence . Both were lost in their own thoughts , neither knew what the other was thinking .

It seemed as if Schuldich couldn't bear the thought of letting Ken go , and the brunette in turn , was too lost in his own thoughts to notice Schuldich's fingers fluttering once in a while to touch Ken's cold hands as if trying to assure himself that the brunette seated at the passenger seat of his car wasn't at all an illusion .

Schuldich escorted Ken into the building , his jacket draped protectively around the brunette's frail body as he ushered the younger boy through the lavish corridors ; and they resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow to the rather overly done decorations in preparation for Christmas . It seemed unusual considering that last year's were merely mistletoe over the double glass doors and a *tiny* blinking Christmas tree on top of the reception desk .

" Good morning , Mr. Schuldich , Mr. Hidaka ." The manager grinned up at them with his mustache tweaked upwards , his teeth bared into what both men thought was a menacing predatory grimace . They shared glances before offering the man identical measured and forced grins . " Hello ." Ken managed to grit through his teeth , his eyes darting nervously , thinking that the man looked like he was longing to devour him right then and there .

" I'm afraid you'll have to wait several minutes before you could return to your place , there are some repairs to be done on a leaky sink so I've been told ." Another flash of those shark's teeth .

Ken repressed a shudder as he leaned against Schuldich's shoulder . Damn ! He'd been counting on getting to Schuldich's flat – he was dead tired although he tried to hide it from Schuldich and some sleep would have been more than very welcome . He gulped down a yawn and rested his head quietly on Schuldich shoulder . Schuldich would deal with him ... he'd ...

Ken closed his eyes and just rested his head against Schuldich's shoulder. He felt safe now, this moment, as Schuldich wrapped his arm around his waist.

Schuldich felt the pressure on his shoulder and saw that Ken was half asleep , for the first time , he noticed the dark rings under Ken's eyes .

His medication probably made it impossible to sleep or eat for that matter .

Sighing , he gently picked Ken up in his arms , marveling at how light he was. Ken was now sleeping peacefully , his pale cheek brushing on Schuldich's shoulders and his weak breath blowing against his neck .

Smiling tenderly , Schuldich made his way to the elevator , ignoring the manager's violent protests .

Screw him , Ken was going to get some rest on a comfortable bed . The people who made any noise will be kicked out into the street – from the penthouse .

" Sir ! Sir ! The workmen will be out within a few more minutes ! Please have patience !"

Schuldich shot him a glare that could melt the biggest iceberg in Antarctica and the man cringed , looking singed .

Schuldich turned and walked into the empty elevator , his eyes gazing tenderly at the sleeping figure cradled in his arms .

Welcome home , Ken . He smiled as he nudged the apartment door open and stepped into what should be their home together for quite a while .

To say that he was surprised was an understatement . He almost didn't recognize his apartment from all the glamorous decorations . The workmen were already packing up their things and they tipped their hats to Schuldich who was standing there without uttering a single word .

Suddenly , it registered in his mind who the mastermind of this all was – Yohji .

Grinning , he tucked Ken into bed and proceeded to call the blond on his cellular .

" Hey !" He could hear the sounds of music on Yohji's side of the line .

" Yeah , oh , Schul ! Sup ?"

" Thanks man ."

" Eh ?"

" The stuff you sent here ?"

" Oh ..." There was recognition in Yohji's voice . " Yeah . Uh – by the way Schu , I had something prepared for the kid on the twenty-eighth if he's feeling fine . Remember the soccer ad I was asking you to do eons ago ? Well , they were the sponsors of this J-League team and I pulled some strings so you could get the kid to goof around with them during their practice at the stadium . I also ordered something from my favorite French restaurant . It should be there around dinner time ." Yohji sounded harried and he could snatch the faint stains of female laughter in the background . So Yohji was working his magic once more . Now THAT didn't surprise him in the least .

" Listen , Schul . I gotta go . Busy busy ." There was a hint of womanizing malice in his quipping tone .

" ... Thanks Yohj ... I appreciate it ." Schuldich voice caught as he watched the snowflakes gliding gently down into the busy street below . It was strange , he felt warm and cold at the same time , just hearing Ken's shallow breathing on the bed .

" Hey , forget about it man ! That's what guys like me are here for ! So why don't you have fun , drink wine , eat up and get screwed , right ?"

Schuldich shook his head almost incredulously , his throat rumbling with a low chuckle . Some things never change . He chose to ignore the last suggestion and said . " Merry Christmas man . Ken'll love to hear about that ."

" Yeah . Tell him you arranged it . I know you deserve a lot of credit too – and don't expect anything from me this Christmas !" Yohji quipped , almost as an afterthought before hanging up.

It looked like he was very busy at the moment.

Smiling, Schuldich glanced at the bed and saw that Ken was still dozing, his arm wrapped lightly around a large pillow like a sleeping child.

Schuldich tossed his jacket off and turned up the heater before walking to the kitchen to scavenge for some lunch while Ken was still asleep.

Just last year, he was the life of the party and he had preferred to be out on some club with Yohji and a few ladies having fun – but all that had changed and strangely enough – he was more contented with spending a quiet evening alone with Ken than with anything and everything else that had happened in his life.

For no explicable reason, he seemed to have turned nostalgic to himself.

He turned on the radio, which seemed to be spewing all kinds of Christmas songs for the holidays and started to fix something from his loaded freezer.

It seemed like Yohji had also taken the liberty to stock the damn thing overflowing.

He was almost finished, and he was perspiring like hell despite the freezing temperatures outside. He never knew that roasting turkey was such damned business!

And tossing salad was such hard stuff.

He never was one for much cooking but the cookbook had made it look so easy and since Yohji had already provided the means, he had thought, why the hell not?

But three hours later, he was huffing that it better be worth the effort damnit!

He was hungry, his stomach was growling like crazy and it was way past lunchtime, but he wasn't giving up damnit! Especially since the damn thing was smelling good too!

Hm, maybe he had a future career if he quit photography.

Grinning to himself, he tasted the gravy and puffed out his chest proudly when he realized that it actually tasted great.

He knew he was looking like an idiot all smiling to himself and humming and clattering around with the endearingly peculiar apron with a cooking rabbit with the same apron in front that Ken had left eons ago, but he didn't give a shit.

After ages and ages, he was finally happy.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know.

Where the treetops glisten,

And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

Irving Berlin on the radio seemed to be blissfully crooning the particular Christmas song that always, always managed to make him just a tad bit wistful during Christmastime.

Suddenly, Irving Berlin was singing a duet, and Schuldich turned round just to see Ken emerge from the bedroom singing the song softly under his breath.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write.

May your days be merry and bright.

And may all your Christmases be white

He didn't know that Ken knew how to sing. The boy was surprising him all the time.

" Hey there ." Ken was smiling at him with all his sleepy glory.

" Hey yourself ." Schuldich laughed and wagged the spatula back and forth.

" Looks like a some kind of mall in here . Don't you think you went a little overboard with the decorations ? – Not that I'm complaining ."

" This was all Yohji's idea, don't blame me."

Ken yawned and hugged the taller man around his waist and they stood there swaying gently to the music as Ken hummed along.

They said that the best things in life are free .

Schuldich knew it happened to be.

                                                               † † †

REDEMPTION_MOON : My goodness !!! It's been EONS since I last updated ! [January 22, 2004 – and it's now March 12, 2004] Nearly two months ! It's just shy of ten days ! O___________________O;;  Normally it has never taken me this long to update ! Wow ! I feel so bad ! But it's okay I think coz most of you thought that last chapter was THE last chapter, which it isn't obviously. I have still a couple or so chapters up my sleeve but it's mostly sappy fluffy gore. So there you go.

Schu : You forgave me for the month ? *blink blink puppy eyes* Can you forgive me for the TWO months ? ^____^ I thought Nurse Makoto was cute too. ^___~ And Ken seems to have developed some neurotic unintelligible language. My goodness ! If you only knew how this past two months have been for me ... I tell you ... they've been HELL . Even now, I still haven't finished all the school requirements. T_____T

KyraEnsui : *sniffles* Can you give me some of those ? I think I'm developing a cold. *ish huggled* O____O;; Can't ... breathe ... *turns blue ...* Ugh ... *dies*

R_M : ß--- *ish dead*

Kyra : What did I do ?

Manx16 : ^___^ really ? Yes , school is definitely EVIL . It is the spawn of the DEVIL !!! *Principal in her office suddenly goes : MWAHAHAHAHA !!!! for no apparent reason* Well , Schuldich is doing many things right now that I couldn't imagine him doing until I started to write it... but , well . Bweehee... Thanks, I hope it won't be evil to me anymore too ... but ... fat chance. Life hates me. *Kicks muse* I hate him.

Misura : You're welcome. My goodness. I've been having really big trouble writing this chapter. It's just that I have something in mind to write, and this one was just turning out to be a nuisance for me since I was so eager to write the next one. But I'm glad this one's over. That just means I can move on ! Wooohoooo !

xXLil Yu JahXx : Nope, not yet ! ^____^  Just a few more to go. It'll end New Year's à Their time. And I mean Schuldich's and Ken's new year's , not ours. ^___~ But why is that funny ? Ken going to cardiac arrest ?  Share! I want to know why !

Ken : Didn't anybody ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat ?

R_M : Nope.  Comeonnnnn please ?

Ken : *kicks RM* It's better you don't find out. You're just gonna embarrass me.

R_M : *sticks out tongue*

Kowareta-kana : Point taken . *nods and scribbles down on a notepad* Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't have killed Aya in a car crash ... Maybe he should've died in a plane crash !

Readers : *facevaults* --à *Mutter mutter*  She IS clueless

Dark Demigoddes : Arigatou ! Arigatou ! ^___^ I'm so glad ! I think I've already gotten a flame or two , and I don't mind. They make me happy all the same ! ^____^ ARIGATOOOOUUUU ! *glomps you*

Anna Hibiki : Thanks so much !!! ^___~

Zeto : *LOL* The 'Aya Incident' seems to be proving itself to be my biggest faux pas since no one seems to be able to forgive me for it. Ooooh. Maybe I could make a product that can make grey hair vanish ! It'll read : 'Specifically created for fan fic readers of authors with Mad Writer Syndrome' *LOL* I like it !

Schu-chan : *facevaults* *twiddles with thumbs , pouting* You were seriously contemplating on killing me ? T___________________T ;;; Bwaaaaaaahhhhhhhh ! *runs away*

Mikel Abel : *LOL* Mention about Aya's death again . ^____^ Arigatou !

Whisper_Reilman : Weeeeeellll ... I'm thinking of revamping 'Cry of the Captive' and resuming 'Moonbeams in Your Smile' Hopefully I'll be able to do that soon. So there. I guess the 'don't kill Ken' thingy was especially for you. *LOL* Thank you sooooo much (although this still isn't the ending yet)

Luna : I'm glad you liked this insane world of mine ! ^___^ I'm so happy to see a new face around. FIVE TIMES ????!!!! *asks around* Did I do that to you guys that often ?

Everyone : *nodnod* You did . *point to one reader lying motionlessly on the ground* You even killed one of us.

Dead reader : *rises , looking all zombie-like* I am Aya spirit, and I've come to haunt you from my grave.

R_M : Ummmm ... well , I guess it shouldn't be for the faint of heart ? *smiles sweetly before starting to run away, with zombie reader-Aya chasing after her*

O___________O ;;; *ish threatened* *runs away with keyboard*