Title: Bruises
Author: Omano-chan
Fandom: Gokusen 2 and Nobuta wo Produce
Pairing/characters: 3-D, Ryuu x Akira; Hayato x Shuuji
Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Background information: Shuuji and Akira returned to Tokyo and were transferred to Kurogin Gakuen. just for you to know they are all schoolmates now ^^

Bruises

I.

„Hey, Akira" Shuuji called out surprised as he saw his best friend coming up to his desk. „What's happened to you?"

However Akira was moving on his usual crazy way, yet something was wrong. He neared swinging his arm and with his leaping steps, you could say he was limping. And on top of that his face was bandaged, but even the patches couldn't hide the dark bruise under his eye or the other one in the corner of his lips.

„Ohayou~ Shuuji-kun!" he sang as if the other had just simply greeted him.

Shuuji gave him a pathetic look – which was useless of course – Akira just grinned at him even wider. Shuuji's stares had lost all that small effect they have ever had on Akira since the crazy boy started dating Ryuu. He had no chance challenging his cousin's mastered killing glares.

„ I had some fights" he declared all proud of himself. Shuuji only stared at him with wide eyes. Not just one fight but some. OMG… And Akira went all enthusiastic explaining his best friend the story of his bruises. „Yesterday I had a fight with Yabuki-kun's gang.."

Shuuji was about to have a seriously bad feeling about that. Akira was of course no match for any of them. Okay, maybe Take, but the small redhead wouldn't fight him, or the others wouldn't really let him… so it absolutely explains the bruises… but what the hell is he grinning for than?

„.. and I won!" Akira was now grinning from ear to ear and made the victory-sign with his fingers.

Shuuji's jaw dropped „W-WHAT?... How… How on earth?..."

The evening before Akira was waiting in front of the cafeteria – the habitual place of 3-D – waiting for Ryuu to walk him home. After a short period of waiting the whole gang exited the cafeteria, laughing out loud and cracking jokes while Ryuu as the tail-ender looked sort of pissed – his eyes sending daggers toward the Hyuuga-Tsucchi duo.

Akira didn't pay too much attention to the boys. The only one who existed for him was the skinny but more beutiful redhead, and he could only concentrate on that in a few minutes he could finally kiss Ryuu and enjoy his company. He was already thinking on various ways on which he might get his boyfriend into a better mood...

„Hey, guys, look, who's here!" interrupted Hyuuga his pleasing train of thoughts. There were mischief gleaming in the boy's eyes, and the next moment Tsucchi towered over Akira, ruining his perfect view of his still steaming Ryuu. So he had no other choice but to look the tall boy in the eye.

„Speaking of devil…Hey, boy, we heard ya need protection?" Tsucchi teased with a wide grin „What happened to your face, dude? Was Ryuu nowhere to protect your pretty ass?haa? I've always thought Ryuu was, but now I wonder if you play the girl…" And surrounded by laughter Tsucchi fanned himself triumphantly.

Ryuu made an irritated growl from the background, but Tsucchi shrugged it away. He had too much fun to worry about the redhead's rage for calling him a girl. He had his hopes that if Ryuu got really angry (which means ready to rip his throat right now and there) Hayato would catch him before he has the chance to lay a hand on his friend. But he still relied on Ryuu's cool nature the most. So he went on with his teasing enthusiastically.

„Whaa~ pretty boy! Ya don' hear me or am I right?" Beside Tsucchi Hyuuga was laughing so hysterically, that he was almost struggling on the ground.

The so minimal amount of patience Akira managed to build up near Ryuu was quickly gone upon such insults and Akira cried out full with all his anger and hurt pride.

„I CAN DEFEND MYSELF!"

His voice held so much challenge, the others stopped dead and fell silent.

„Oh, really?" Tsucchi stopped, closing his fan shut with a snap and stared menacingly at the smaller teen in front of him.

„Yes, Really!"

„Then, let's see!" He was ready to attack first the instant but he got hold back by both arms: Hayato was holding one of his arms in a firm grip and Ryuu did the other. „Come on, guys!" Tsucchi hissed through gritted teeth. He thought at least Hayato would back him up… as much as he disliked Akira.

„Not here…" Ryuu shook his head.

„Let's move to the bank" Hayato continued with the shadow of a forming grin in the corner of his full lips and sharing a side-glance with Ryuu, then they released their friend.

After making sure that neither of them held anything against their fight, the whole gang moved to the river bank quickly. As the gang leaders, Hayato and Ryuu took the lead. The brunette smirked and his eyes were gleaming with a strange light, while Ryuu was silent and had such look on his face that noone dared to walk up to him. Even Akira wouldn't have given it a try, but for a different reason. Every time he tried to get closer to the redhead, and Hayato sensed his presence near, he flashed him a stare which meant he would kill him the instant he dares to get any closer to Ryuu. No matter how long they have been dating, Hayato was still very possessive over his best friend, and couldn't handle the fact that he chose such a crazy looser like Akira as a lover. He was like a predator who tried everything to keep his rivals away from his prey. And his current rival was Akira.

Noone spoke a word along the whole way. The first ones could be heard only when the two opponents were standing face to face. The remaining of the gang seated themselves on the hillside of the river bank and Take started to question who might win. There was no opportunity to make it a deal, since noone would have bet on Akria.

Akira used the short time of walking to think, after he realized, if he wanted to keep on living, he shouldn't try to catch up with Ryuu. About a week earlier it was quite unimaginable for him to take part in a fight, or accept any challenge. It didn't matter that he was dating one of the best fighters of Kurogin Gakuen. He would just make a joke of the challenge and turn it down. It wasn't his type of things. But he was hurt badly this time. He didn't need Ryuu to protect him of anything. He had his own ways of solving his problems. It was his dream to be able to do the opposite: to be able to protect the redhead from anything bad that wants to hurt him. Whatever it was: a member of another gang, or a giant ninja broccholi… And now this stupid Tsuchiya kid was questioning his ability of fulfilling his dream. That was unforgivable! (OMG! Did he visit too many lessons of Yankumi? O.O?)

Filled with all his hurt pride he forgot about the fact, that Ryuu had held nothing against their fight. More likely he supported it! How was that? Wasn't he supposed to keep his boyfriend from getting beaten up all the way? (which was the prediction of the near future with high probability) However it didn't really matter at that moment that Ryuu didn't stand up for him. Anyway it was his goal to proove he didn't need the redhead! Although it would have been more dramatic if he should have turn down his lover's offer to protect him.

A growl and a strong punch on his jaw dragged him back from the maze of his thoughts.

„Stop daydreaming, or we'll end quickly!" Tsucchi looked down on him all triumphantly and cracking his cnuckles. He was sure, he couldn't lose as he glared down the boy lying on the ground like a frog hit by a car. They were surrounded by voices of laughter and cheering from the hillside. Akira felt Tsucchi grabbing his shirt on his chest and lifted him up, but as the tall boy spoke into his face it wasn't his mouth Akira could focus on, nor the menacing look he had on his face. The only thing he could see even from far away in the dark was Ryuu's precious-stone like eyes piercing through the night.

Ryuu was watching him. With the very same look he'd been watching him the past two weeks. And that cool stare which Akira loved so much held a promise – but before that he had to deserve it.

He felt another punch and with a painful moan he hit the ground again hard. But now it took him less time to get back onto his feet than Tsuchiya to reach him with his long steps. Tsucchi was cocksure he could kick the shit out of Akira with less power he usually needed in a normal fight - and he seemed absolutely right. The crazyboy hasn't even had the slightest chance to hit him so far, so he thought it was time to have some fun. It wasn't as if he held anything against Ryuu… He just shared Hayato's antipathy for Akira.

So Tsucchi was in utter surprise as Akira used the few seconds he had until he reached him and started his attack! Akira punched Tsuchiya hard in the stomach and got him off balance. They both fell to the ground but neither of them let the other stand up. They were now wrestling, trying desperately to win dominance.

„Kindergarten level" muttered Ryuu to himself as he watched his boyfriend hitting and beig hit by one of his best friends (who just happens to look forward a terribly painful and agonizing death for calling him a girl…).

„But you know you like that" siad Take cheerfully. Ryuu just shot him a glare. He didn't realize the words escaped his lips, but as an answer Take just presented him one of his brightest grins.

At that moment it was still quite impossible to predict which one of them would win. Although Akira's sudden attack and changed behavior in the fight surprised everyone, they still would bet on Tsucchi.

Yet.

But slowly as the seconds turned into minutes and the fight didn't want to come to an end, Hayato got more and more nervous, and the more often he sent Ryuu side glances the even more nervous he got. Anxious to be more exact. The redhead's expression was impossible to read. Ryuu kept on observing the fight with no obvious interest, as if he was just watching Yankumi explaining them some absolutely uninteresting and overcomlicated equations.

Hayato felt a very strog urge building up inside of him to punch his best friend, at least that blank expression of his would fade away and he would have something else to concentrate on, not on the fact that he was about to lose a deal. And he hated losing!

He was just about to give his plan a headstart when suddenly everything fell silent. Then as if a bomb had exploded, everyone started shouting at the same time. As Hayato's vision cleared, and finally didn't feel like as if he had got deaf, he could see Ryuu's stone like features soften and he had a very bad feeling about what he'd see if he turned.

And he was right. The circle which surrounded the winner wasn't around Tsucchi. Hyuuga and Take and a few other boys tried to get the grumpy boy back upon his feet.

Akira won. He beated Tsuchiya – which means he kept his pride as a man, and gained some respect among the students of 3-D, which was a big deal. And on top of that, Hayato had to get used to the idea of the clumsy looser being his best friend's boyfriend…

Hayato felt dumbstruck and a bit betrayed.

„You should help to get Tsucchi home" he heard Ryuu mumble, as the redhead stood up, shoving off the dust that happened to stuck to his uniform. „And don't think you can get off…"

„yeah, yeah, just shut the hell up!" the brunette growled frustrated and got to his feet as well and to get rid of Ryuu's heartstopping glare quickly headed toward the other 3 of his gang, while Ryuu took the other way to Akira.

As he got there, the circle around Akira opened willingly and let the boy out of their arms and friendly, bone-cracking hugs, and Akira without all his support fell directly into Ryuu's slender but strong arms. However that victorious mocking grin didn't fade a little bit from his face.

„Let's go home" supposed Ryuu on his usual low voice

Akira pouted like a stubborn kid. „Akira can't!" he whined, trying his best kicked puppy look to take effect on his lover and melt his icy heart. „I got just beaten up. Akira is exha~usted. Piggyback me!" „kon" oh yeah… his usual fox-puppet…

Ryuu did his best to cover his smirk with a cough, while the others' jaws dropped from the idea of Ryuu bringing Akira home on his back. That was… that was just impossible even to imagine!

„No" Ryuu stated firmly, and his eyes told the very same. There was no way he'd do that. It didn't matter how much he loved Akira. The teen made a face as if he had just been kicked hard in the ass, but it had absolutely no effect on the redhead. „Anyway, if you feel so weak, maybe I should just get you home and leave…" He said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

„But Ryuu-chaan promised~!" Akira whined hurt and desperate.

Ryuu kept on with his play. „But you seem so tired, you can't even walk…"

„No! I can!" he kon-ned once more and tried his best to get back his ballance and onto his own two feet. It was pretty hard and when he stood up he was hardly balanced, but he flashed Ryuu a bright grin. „Akira ready!" But as he did the first step, he immediatley fell, Ryuu had to catch him again.

„Ryuu-chan~"

With a sigh Ryuu encircled his waist to support him, and Akira leaned to his shoulders. From this close Akira's pleading eyes was impossible to resist. He wasn't walking on his own, but a promise was a promise… and Ryuu knew it very well.

TBC

How was it? please let me know! ^^