This doesn't really happen in the book!! I just made it up! (The whole walking in the woods part) however this does contain spoilers for vol. 19, so readers be warned.
Juliette has a gun
Tatsuya awoke to a steady tapping sound coming from outside the window. He groaned and turned over to face the alarm clock . The neon stood out sharply in the dark. 2:30 a.m. He turned to go back to sleep when he heard it again. With a glance at his sleeping roommates; Daichi and Katsuro who were snoring loudly, and Taki who was mumbling in his sleep, Tatsuya crept to the window.
The cool night air hit his face as he opened the window and stuck his head outside. Muttering profanities under his breath, he searched for the sound that was costing him his precious sleep and stopped cold. For there in a tree a few feet away sat Shigeki with earsplitting smile and a bag of rocks in hand.
"Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?!" he called out dramatically as he saw Tatsuya, still grinning. Tatsuya almost dropped the window he was holding up, as he climbed over the sill, his face a beet red color.
"How's it hangin' Tatsu-bon?" he asked once they were both safely on the ground. "Well, I'd like to know why you were chucking rocks at my window in the dead of night." Said Tatsuya, trying to keep from strangling Shige who was dancing around as if he hadn't a care in the world. They were walking along the edge of the forest next to the fields in order to avoid being caught, making Tatsuya a bit uneasy.
"Well Tatsu-bon," said Shige, taking advantage of the fact that Tatsya was letting him get away with using the stupid nickname, "I can't very well come to your window quoting Shakespear in broad daylight. And if you hadn't noticed, there's kinda this rivalry thing goin' on here... people wouldn't be to happy to see us together." the last line was delivered without a smile, something Tatsuya wasn't accustom to seeing.
He was right though. His team, Tokyo Select, and Shigeki's team, Kansai Select, were bitter rivals in the Toresen tournament: A tournament that gave the winner advantage in being chosen for the Japan Representative team. So right now, he and Shigeki were kind of forbidden to see eachother. (Not to mention Tatsuya would DIE if Shige ever quoted him Shakespear in public)
"The quote seemed to fit Ironically enough..." Said Shige bitterly, kicking a nearby bush. "Does that make you Juliette?" Asked Tatsuya laughingly, "Because ironically enough that seems to fit too." Shigeki scowled at him.
"At least I'm not the stupid one."
"What?"
"Well, Romeo thought that Juliette killed herself right? So he killed himself too, only Juliette was faking to get out of her marriage."
"Wow," said Tatsuya, "You actually listen in class!"
"Well this was actually interesting." said Shigeki defiantly.
"That's the thing with these Juliettes," sighed Tatsuya, motioning wildly,"They never tell you what they're thinking, or what they plan to do."
Shigeki looked away, getting the feeling they weren't talking about the story any more.
"Fine, I can take a hint..." he said, again smile-less. He turned abruptly, coming face-to-face with Tatsuya. "I plan to beat Tokyo Select rather badly in the finals, Make my way to the Representative team, and go pro. And for your information Mizuno," Tatsuya winced, "as unpredictable as Juliette may be, 'Do you really think he'd be disciplined enough to improve that much?'" He did a rather unflattering impression of Tatsuya's voice, " is still a bit of an ass-ish question!" Tatsuya had the grace to look like a steamed tomato.
"That's not what I meant..." said Tatsuya softly. "But I was definitly surprised. The Shigeki from before ran away when things got difficult. What happened?"
So Shigeki found himself telling Tatsuya about Naoki and the bet, the secret training sessions, visiting Kyoto, and confronting the father who rejected him, who called his eleven-year old son worthless, and getting that father to sponsor his entrance fees. Tatsuya simply stared through it all. He'd never though Shige could be this dedicated to anything... let alone work that hard to get what he wanted. He was jerked back to reality with a, "Tatsuya, yer mouth's open so wide you're catchin' flies."
"Wow, just wow Shige... that took a lot of guts." He was rewarded with a lop-sided smile from the blonde. The smile was weary though, not quite meeting his eyes.
They'd almost returned to the dorms, when a night watchman walked past, throwing his flashlight beam in every direction. Tatsuya grabbed Shigeki and pulled him down behind a thick clump of bushes. The light flashed over where they'd been standing seconds before.
"Okay, so maybe Romeo is a bit smarter than I gave him credit for," whispered Shigeki. "And Tatsu-bon, you can let go of my arm now." The arm was released hastily.
As they approached the dorm, Tatsuya wished they could stay a little longer. He wouldn't be able to see Shige again until sometime after Toresen. He hadn't really realized how much he'd missed him until he was gone.
"One flaw in your plan, Tatsu-bon," said Shigeki as they prepared to leave, a mischievous look in his cat-like eyes. "You totally forgot about the balcony scene." Quickly, almost deftly, Shige kissed him, catching him as he turned so that it just brushed his lips. He turned, telling a bright red and stuttering Tatsuya, "Remember Romeo, suicides are strictly frowned upon," before vanishing into the night. Leaving Tatsuya wondering how on earth he was going to get back into his dorm without his Juliette's help.
