Kudos to the people who get the two other series character references. Notes for this will be included /after/ the fic.

Comments are good. I like them. Send them to me, and I shall be happy.

Written for Katie and Steph. I hope you like it. n_n

----
"Takepon! Wait up!" Kentarou shouted ahead of him at his best friend, fellow Duklyon parter, and future
husband. He smiled to himself as he saw Takepon stiffen. The other man, even after six determined
years of chasing by Kentarou, still hated to be called by that name. Which of course prompted Kentarou to
call him that all the more often Takepon needed to relax - he'd been up-tight when the two of them had
met at the beginning of high school, and Takepon had only gotten worse with time. Kentarou supposed that
their collective responsibilities first as students and Duklyon, and then as businessmen and running
Duklyon now that the "Boss" was caught up with his own detective duties and running the Inomoyama company had
worn down the other man's sense of fun. Not that he had much of a sense of adventure to begin with. Which
is where Kentarou came in; if there was one thing he was good at, it was /not/ being repressed.

As Kentarou caught up with Takepon, the other man turned and glared. "How many times do I have to tell
you NOT to call me that, Kenta - - "

"Kenpi!" Kentarou interrupted, correcting Takepon as he smiled brightly as they reached their collective
office. The secretaries in the main room smiled and snickered at their interaction everyday, and Kentarou
was secretly pleased when one or two of them mentioned what a cute couple they were.  Takepon responded by
placing his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache, before entering the inner office areas where
he and Kentarou worked. Kentarou frowned as he watched the door close.

"Don't worry, he'll come around! You'll get over your lover's spat, Higashikunimaru-san!" One of the more
outgoing secretaries called to him quietly. He turned and smiled at her, before entering the office room,
and rushing into his inner sanctum.  Kentarou sat down in his comfortable leather chair, and buried his face
in his hands.

When Kentarou had first seen Takeshi on the first day of high school, he had fallen madly in lust with the
other man. The combination of dark hair and light eyes was just too hot for Kentarou to resist. And as a
bonus, the boy was brand new to CLAMP campus, which meant he probably didn't have a clue as to exactly
/who/ Kentarou was. Being the heir to the Higashikunimaru empire meant that many people sought
to be his friend, or date him - not because they genuinely liked Kentarou, but because of what status
and favors Kentarou could bring to them. Kentarou had learned that lesson early, and because of it tended to
shy away from other people. Takeshi was the one real exception to that - even when he had finally figured
out who Kentarou was, he had accepted him as he was. That was when Kentarou decided that he loved his
reticent friend, and did his damndest to prove it - calling him Takepon, cooking, cleaning, making sure
Takepon was happy in any way he could. Everything a perfect wife should. Sure, Takepon had rebuffed his
advances, but Kentarou figured that when Takepon had realized that Kentarou was /serious/ about him, he'd
come around. That was 6 years ago, and even Erii and Sukibayashi were urging Kentarou to move on - and they
had conquered all with their love.

Kentarou wondered if Erii, in particular, wanted him to move on because she was tired of getting desperate
phone calls from Kentarou every time Takepon had a date with some woman. It was a gut wrenching
experience for him every time Takepon casually announced that he had a date. It was like Takepon was
cheating on Kentarou, who himself had been totally devoted to his choice of partner. Yet Takepon had
never committed to anything, which just made Kentarou even more miserable when he found a woman to go out
with. Luckily for Kentarou, none of the dates Takepon went on seemed to spark; he had only seen each of
those women once.

Kentarou /knew/ that there was signifigance in the fact that Takepon kept coming back to /him./ Broke
dates when he knew /Kentarou/ needed him. Made plans outside of work to be with /Kentarou/ - although it
was usually Kentarou who had to nag him into going out. Called /him/ when he came home early from those
dates - almost as if Takepon wanted to reassure Kentarou that things weren't going well in his love
life. Kentarou /knew/ that Takepon had feelings for him - even if he had been resisting for so long in his
quest for normality that Takepon couldn't break the habit.

But still Erii persisted in her quest, despite Kentarou's protestations. In fact, Erii had set up a
blind date with a collegue for him for next week. Kentarou had agreed only when she had threatened him
with the same Hammer she had used on him and Takepon in high school.

Now it looked like it was time to put Kentarou's assumptions to the test.

"Takepon," Kentarou dialed the outer office, "can you come in here for a few minutes? I need to go over my
schedule with you and move around some meetings."

"Just a minute," Takepon replied. Kentarou heard shuffling through the phone, probably Takepon
gathering up his appointment book and a pad of paper for notes, before the phone was hung up. The walls of
the office were soundproof. Kentarou had made sure of that - just in case. Which is good, because some of
those secretaries delighted in taking the pair of them by surprise, and if Kentarou ever /did/ get Takepon,
well, it wouldn't do to be the head of the company and caught in a compromising position. "Yes?" Takepon
opened the door and sat down. Kentarou stared at the other man, the man he loved, and wondered if had the
strength to asy what he needed to. "What?" Takepon was puzzled by Kentarou's attention.

Kentarou shook himself out of his thoughts. "Nothing, Takepon." He sighed mentally. "What have you got on
the schedule for next Thursday at 1pm?"

Takepon looked down. "You have a meeting with Inomoyama-san, about the stock trading program he
wants to start at the CLAMP school."

Kentarou nodded. "Reschedule it, if you can, for Friday. I have a lunch date."

Takepon nodded. "Friday is good for your schedule. I'll contact Inomoyama-san this afternoon, and check
with him. Are Erii and Sukibayashi coming back to town?"

Kentarou shook his head. "No, they aren't. I have a date."

Takepon looked started for a few seconds before his eyes narrowed. "A /date?/" He asked, voice tight.
Kentarou rejoiced at the reaction - it seems like Takepon was ... jealous. All those times that Kentarou
had sat around waiting looking back and forth between the phone and his pictures of Takepon while the other
man was out on a date, Kentarou knew what jealousy looked like. It seemed like Takepon, despite his
protestations, had grown used to Kentarou's affections. And maybe he was finally beginning to
return them. "With who?"

"Oh, just someone that Erii knows from work. He seems nice."

"You've met him?" Takepon's tone got colder.

Kentarou smiled. "Not in person, but we've conversed on the phone. I promised to cook for him."

"Oh." Takepon looked down at the appointment book. "Is there anything else?" Kentarou shook his head, and
then watched Takepon stalk out of his office. It seemed like there was hope.

Kentarou stared at the phone for a few moments before picking it up and calling Erii.

"Hello, Sukiyabashi residence?" A light tenor answered the phone - Sukiyabashi himself. The pair had settled
down in Kyoto after Sukiyabashi had fought his family for both Earth and Erii. He was working as an editor,
in a company that was owned by the Higashikunimaru Conglomerate. Erii had joined the local police force,
and by all reports was very good at her job.

"Sukiyabashi? This is Kentarou," he identified himself.

"Kentarou! How have you been?" Sukiyabashi's tone lightened considerably. Kentarou smiled.

"Pretty good. What about you? Why aren't you at work?"

"Things are pretty good here. I just finished editing a new book, and decided to take a quick vacation
before moving onto other projects. It's been a long time since I've been home."

"Understandable," Kentarou nodded, "especially when home is several light years away."

"So why are you calling today?" Sukiyabashi asked. "Is it ..." He trailed off, and Kentarou immediately knew
that he meant Duklyon.

"Oh, no! I just wanted to talk to Erii - I have some news for her. Is she there?" Kentarou asked, trying to
reassure Sukiyabashi. The man worried enough about Erii without Kentarou bringing her in to handle
trouble of the monstrous instead of the human type.

"No, she isn't. She called me earlier and told me that she'd probably work through dinner. Is it important?"

"No, just tell her that I'm definitely going to that date on Thursday." Kentarou could almost hear the
confusion in Sukiyabashi's silence.

"She set you up on a date?" he laughed. "Good! You're finally getting over him."

Kentarou laughed. "You could say that. Well, I have a meeting soon, so I'll let you go. Just be sure to pass
that message on to Erii - she'll know what it means." Kentarou hung up, and gathered his materials for the
meeting - it was going to be a lovely day.

---

The time passed quickly between Monday and Thursday. The relationship between Kentarou and Takepon was
somewhat strained - Takepon seemed to determined to be as cold as possible to his old friend. He also seemed
to be determined to find "other things" that Kentarou could be occupied with for lunch instead of his date.
Regardless, Kentarou got a great deal of amusement out of the situation, making sure to drop names and
describe the one conversation he and his date had earlier in the week in great detail.

"All right, Takepon, I'm going out now. I'll see you back here in 2 hours for our meeting." Kentarou smiled
as sweetly as possible at the other man before walking out of the office. He was dressed in his best black
suit, and looked good enough to eat. Or, at least that was the look Kentarou was striving for. He was
carrying a huge bento box - and he had convenietly "forgotten" to give his habitual box to Takepon.
Takepon had even gone so far as to question his date's motives.Kentarou smiled as he strolled down to the
parking garage and his car - Takepon almost had steam coming out of his ears when he told Kentarou that "the
man just agreed to get at your money."

Kentarou threw the box into the passenger seat of the car, and drove off to the park on CLAMP campus he had
agreed to meet his date at. Kentarou arrived a little bit early and began unpacking the lunch in front of a
large wisteria tree. He hummed to himself as he worked.

"Higashikunimaru-san?" A quiet voice asked from behind him, startling Kentarou. He turned to see a young man,
perhaps about his own age, if not one or two years older. The man was wearing a clean pair of jeans, a
white shirt, and a smart suit jacket. He looked both relaxed and professional at the same time, which
Kentarou assumed was a good thing for a criminal profiler. He wore turtle glasses, and had the most
interesting shade of loose brown hair; although he was young, the hair had a greyish tinge to it. "I'm
Amamiya Kazuhiko." Kentarou raised his eyebrows - this was the man Erii had set him up with? The man seemed
more like himself than someone Kentarou would be interested in.

He shook himself out of his trance and smiled at Amamiya. "Please, sit down." The other man took off
his suit jacket and seated himself comfortably on the red and white checkered blanket Kentarou had brought.
"Thank you for coming."

The other man smiled, and nodded. The expression seemed awkward on his face. "And you, of course, are
the heir to the Higashikunimaru Conglomerate." Amamiya looked over the meal. "You brought enough to feed an
army."

Kentarou laughed. "I got used to cooking for a large appetite."

"Oh really?" Amamiya raised his eyebrows slightly.

Kentarou nodded, taking a few moments to stall before delivering the punch line. "Yes. Mine." Amamiya
laughed at Kentarou's joke, even though Kentarou sensed he had seen the punch line coming. "So,
Amamiya-san, how did you get talked into this? I can't help but be curious because it seems like your very
busy with your job."

Amamiya sipped on tea a bit before replying. "I'm here because a friend asked me to do this,
Higashikunimaru-san."

"Oh, please call me Kentarou. Was it Erii that asked you?"

Amamiya shook his head. "I've only met your Erii once. But she is good friends with my boss, and she asked
me." Kentarou  sipped on his own tea, and tried to decide if he should be offended by that statement.
"However, once I talked you, I decided to come for my own sake." Amamiya continued, making Kentarou feel
better. "She cares about you a great deal." Amamiya framed the statement more as a question.

Kentarou began to eat, and chewed for a few moments before replying. "I've been in love with another who
man who hasn't returned my feelings for nearly 8 years now. I met him and Erii at the same time, and the
three of us have worked together and been friends for years." Kentarou decided it best that Amamiya know the
full story. He didn't really want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Amamiya's eyebrows rose. "8 years? How old /are/ you?"

"I'm 22. You?"

Amamiya laughed. "I'm 27. Do I look /that/ old?"

"27? Really? You don't look a day over ... 57," Kentarou teased lightly. Amamiya smiled again, and
this time the expression was more natural.

"Of course," Amamiya looked at his watch, and raised his eyebrows. Kentarou followed suit and was surprised
to see that the time was nearing 1pm. He shrugged, and decided to enjoy the time. His friends were right -
Kentarou spent so much of his life /around/ Takepon, that he sometimes forgot to live for himself. This
picnic was his time.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, eating, enjoying the breeze, and just relaxing. The peace and
quiet was broken by the ruffling of some bushes nearby. Amamiya and Kentarou looked at each other
suspicisously - the breeze was too light to move bushes /that/ much. Kentarou, was was facing the
bushes, did his best to peer in them without catching the notice of who - or what - ever was in them. "So,
what exactly does a criminal profiler do?" Kentarou asked, trying to draw attention away from himself.
Amamiya gave a small nod, seeming to instantly catch on to his plan.

"Well, I go to the scenes of crimes, and use the physical evidence to decipher the most probable type
of person who would commit those crimes."

Kentarou smiled, and gave Amamiya a quick, and genuinely impressed look. "That must take a great
knowledge of psychology and human nature."

"It's more an exercise in probability," Amamiya replied. "There are established mindsets that these
criminals have when they commit the crimes, needs, desires. It's just a matter of using the evidence
there to find the right profile."

Kentarou finally was able to see through the green, and caught a flash of black. It looked like black
hair.

A wide grin settled onto his face. "Amamiya, I'm glad Erii convinced me to go out on this date. You're one
of the most interesting men I've ever met."

At the rather /loud/ announcement, a strangled gasp issued from the bushes. Kentarou did his best not to
smirk. Amamiya, however looked puzzled. "You're quite a nice person yourself, Kentarou. I'm glad I met you,"
he replied in kind, his voice slightly unsure. Kentarou placed his hands on the picnic blanket, where
they couldn't be seen from the bushes, and began to sign out the name of their "guest."

"We should get together more often," Kentarou continued, nodding slightly as Amamiya mouthed at him
'your man?' At Kentarou's confirmation, Amamiya's face widened into a grin of it's own.

"Yes, we /definitely/ should. In fact, allow me to take you after I finish my next case. It will repay
this great lunch you've made. I'll make a reservation at the best restaurant in town."

"That would probably be the one run by Ijyuin Akira. I can't seem to remember the name at the moment,"
Kentarou replied slyly. That was the same restaurant he kept promising to have his and Takepon's wedding
banquet at. This time it was an outraged swquack that came from the bushes. Amamiya's shoulders started to
shake as he tried to resist laughing.

"That sounds perfect," Amamiya smirked. "I'll make the reservation early for the best seats."

"It's a date!" Kentarou happily crowed.

"NO!" The figure "hidden" in the bushes jumped out,apparently too annoyed with Kentarou to resist.
Kentarou did his best to school his expression into surprise as he stared up into Takepon's angry face.

"T-takepon!" He exclaimed. Amamiya continued to stare straight at Kentarou, not able to keep a straight
face. Takepon seemed too intent on Kentarou to notice Amamiya's struggle. "What are you doing here?"

Takepon crossed the 5 feet between the bushes and the picnic blanket, and loomed over Kentarou. "Perhaps I
should go now," Amamiya said quietly, having finally gotten his laughter under control. "It looks like you
two have some things to talk about." He gathered his coat, stood, and walked away. Kentarou smiled at his
back.

"Please sit down! Do you want some food?" Kentarou told Takepon cheerfully, pointing to the bento box.

Takepon sat down, an aggrieved expression on his face. "I don't want anything."

Kentarou noted the serious tone of his voice, and decided to match it. "You never did answer my
question: why are you here?"

Takepon dropped his eyes from Kentarou's face, and stared at the striped lines on the picnic blanket. He
laced his hands together, and Kentarou could see his knuckles turn white. He resisted the urge to reach out
and take those hands in his own, deciding that it would be better to let Takepon say his piece. 8 years
of repression, 8 years of denial, 8 years of emotions bursting forth deserved at least that. "Kentarou."
Takepon said, and then sighed.

"Go ahead? I'm listening."

"Why can't I stand the idea of you with someone else?"

Kentarou smiled, and gave into the urge. He reached over, slid his hand under Takepon's chin, and pushed
the other man's head up so that their eyes met. "Because I love you. And I hope, you feel the same."
Kentarou looked into his blue eyes, trying to decipher the blankness there. He was never quite good at
reading emotions in the eyes - Kentarou relied more on body language and facial expressions. Takepon was
using neither of those.

So he just waited. That was the only thing Kentarou could do, waiting face so close to Takepon's that with
just a small movement they could kiss.

And they did. A simple exploratory kiss, lightly placed on the lips. Takepon pulled back, blinking
slightly. Kentarou's lips curved into a small smile at Takepon's expression; he looked like he didn't
understand the action he had just taken. "Do you regret that?" Kentarou asked, letting his breath fall
on Takepon's lips, not moving back an inch.

Takepon was silent for a moment, considering, before he answered. "No."

"I'm glad," Kentarou mumbled into Takepon's mouth, this time initiating the light kiss. He didn't want to
scare Takepon away - especially since they were in public.

"Me too," Takepon replied. He reached up, and took Kentarou's hand that was still holding his chin, an
answering smile gracing his face. "C'mon, let's go home."

Kentarou raised his eyebrows before grinning. "Why Take~pon, how irresponsible! What about work?"

Takepon stood, still holding Kentarou's hand in his. "What's more important, one day of work, or making up
for 8 years of lost time?"

Kentarou let go of Takepon's hand, and began quickly and efficiently cleaning up the picnic. He stood and
stared into Takepon's clear, blue eyes, and saw that the other man was truly happy. "You're right. Let's go
home."
----

Notes:

"Kenta." A reference to the Initial D character Kenta.

Amamiya Kazuhiko is the "dominant" personality of the main character in MPD Psycho. And yes, he's wildly out
of character.