Hi everybody! This is chapter one of my new story, Boys over Girls. I've tried to stay as close to the original characters as possible, so forgive me if I don't quite manage it. This story is set after the manga series ends with the short story about Shizuka's wedding, so don't worry about me messing with the original storyline at all. I've used a lot of Japanese terms to try to add authenticity; the Japanese words are in italics. Also, I've kept the Japanese form for names, so it reads Last First instead of First Last. Lastly, I maintained the use of honorifics, because of the cultural differences between west and east.

For those of you who need it, a short Japanese dictionary:

Kaasan—mother

Tousan—father

Arigatou—thank you

Konnichiwa—hello

Hai—yes

Iie—no

Dame—no way!

Bishounen or "bishie"—beautiful boy; normally used to describe guys who are as pretty as girls

Itadakimasu—common saying uttered before a meal

Baka—idiot or moron

Honorifics:

-sama—term of respect for someone of high station, or above you, like a boss

-sensei—refers to a teacher

-sempai—upperclassman

-kohai—underclassman

-san—term of respect for a peer

-kun—familiar term for a boy

-chan—familiar term for small children or girls

A few other terms of note:

Foi grois—expensive delicacy made from the liver of an overfed goose

Cajun—refers to a subculture of Louisiana

Royal Irish Academy—scientific organization of high repute in Ireland

Dublin—capital of Ireland

Bouillabaisse—French shellfish stew

MIT—Massachusetts Institute of Technology

If there's anything else you need clarified, specify it in your review (please review guys!) and I'll address it in the next chapter. Any new terms that come up will also be addressed at the start of each chapter. Thanks, and enjoy!

The First Day

Nishikado-sama, please come to the front office. Nishikado-sama to the front office, the voice crackled over the school intercom. Nishikado Sojiro looked up from the magazine he was not attempting to hide in his calculus class. His watch read 10:15 am, and that was too early to study; besides, it wasn't like the sensei could force him to. School was almost more of a formality than anything else, though he would have to pass the exams in order to get the grades. It wouldn't do to have the 16th head of the Nishikado family flunk out of college.

Nishikado-sama to the front office, the voice came again. Sojiro closed the magazine and stretched before getting to his feet. Hanazawa Rui and Mimasaka Akira stopped playing poker as he walked by.

"Sojiro, what is it?" asked Rui, "why do you need to go to the office?"

Sojiro shrugged. "Must be to escort a new student around. Has to be someone important, for them to ask one of the F3 to do it."

"Hai. Hey, Akira, deal the cards will you?"

The two returned to their game as he left the room. Outside the window, a brilliant September sky shone out over the Eitoku campus. A few loose leaves blew lazily in the wind, and the rustle of the others could be heard even through the plate-glass. It wasn't much of a walk to the office from where he was, but a welcome reprieve nonetheless. Takahata-sensei's monotonous voice could become quite aggravating after awhile, even if one wasn't paying attention to it.

"Ah, Nishikado-sama! Sorry to disturb you, but we have an important transfer student from America today, and President Ohtori-sama thought it would be best to ask you to escort O'Brien-san around the campus. We've already sent notices to all of your senseis informing them of your absence for the rest of the day," the pretty secretary said as he stepped through the sliding door of the office. She was a new one, at once both nervous and excited, so that the words came rushing out before he had a chance to respond to them.

"Don't worry, ah, Megumi-san," he added, thanking whatever person had thought to grace desks with nameplates. Best to turn on the charm now, he thought; after all, he didn't have plans for Friday night yet. "It is but a small service I can perform, and if it in any way makes your tedious job better, I will gladly do it," he smiled at her, watching her blush and stumble over her words, pleased and embarrassed by his attentions.

"Ah, well, yes…that is, O'Brien-san is in the next room, having a photo taken for student identification," she said hurriedly, burying her hands in a mountain of paperwork and attempting to look very busy. Sojiro smiled; he liked to see a woman so flustered by his presence. It made the hunt so much more enjoyable.

"Konnichiwa; you are Nishikado-san?" a voice said from behind him.

From the voice alone Sojiro couldn't tell the newcomer's sex; male, he decided, after he turned around. The person before him was easily 177 cm, with messy, short black hair and startling green eyes and pale skin. He was wearing an old band shirt over a black long-sleeve tee shirt, his thumbs shoved through some holes at the wrist. A wallet chain extended around his left hip, his somewhat oversized jeans held up by a studded black leather belt. Black heavy shoes in a style that Sojiro had never seen before protruded from the tattered bottoms of his pant legs. Ear-buds hung casually around his neck, connected to an iPod sticking out of a front pocket. An oversized black newsboy cap and black leather wristbands completed the look. What were they thinking to let this guy into Eitoku? Sojiro wondered. Well, couldn't hurt to be polite.

"Konnichiwa. I am Nishikado Sojiro; and you?"

The newcomer extended his hand and smiled. "Danny O'Brien. Er, that is, O'Brien Danny. You can call me Danny though."

Sojiro took the proffered hand and shook it, before stepping back. "Danny-kun then. Welcome to Eitoku."

"Arigatou, Soji-kun. Is it all right if I call you Soji-kun? I like to give my friends nicknames, and I'm hoping that we can be friends."

"Uh, sure, I guess so," he stammered. He was stunned that a complete stranger would treat him, a Nishikado, so familiarly and was unsure of how to act. Oh well, at least he had kept an honorific. "So, Danny-kun, would you like to see the campus now, or would you prefer to settle into your apartment first?"

"Oh, just Danny's fine. My name sounds so clunky when you add the kun to it. Definitely campus first, I'm starving. I'm sure you guys have a cafeteria."

Sojiro couldn't help but laugh. This certainly was an interesting person the office had dropped into his lap. It was even more interesting than getting to know Megumi-san, who had hurriedly returned to her filing.

Outside, the American quickly retrieved a bag and a skateboard from a nearby bench. "Ah, didn't think it would be polite to carry this inside the office," he said, at a look from Sojiro. "I don't really go anywhere without it; it's the best board I've ever had. So, Soji-kun," he added, shouldering the light mesh backpack," why don't you tell me about yourself while we hunt down the elusive beast known as food?"

Sojiro gestured for Danny to follow him before turning and walking down the breezeway. "Not much to say, really. I am to be the sixteenth head of the Nishikado family; we're masters of the tea ceremony and quite wealthy. I'm in my second year here at Eitoku University. Right now, I can thank you for getting me out of an extremely monotonous calculus class."

"Ah, calculus you say? What a coincidence, I'm supposed to be taking Advanced Calculus with a Takahata-sensei about this time. Is that the class?"

"Hai, it is. In the same class are two of my close friends, Hanazawa Rui and Mimasaka Akira, so I'm sure you'll get to know them as well. Both of them are the heirs to their father's corporate empires."

"Hm, I think I heard Ohtori-sama mention something like that. Called you guys the Flower Four, or something like that."

"Hai, we've been friends since we were kids, though we're just the F3 now. Domyoji Tsukasa is studying in New York to take over the Domyoji Corporation. However, you can meet his girlfriend, Makino Tsukushi; she's in her first year here at Eitoku."

"Interesting, same as me. I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about, then, if we happen to have any classes together. It's hard to say, since transferring credits doesn't go as smoothly between nations as it does between states."

"It's your freshman year then? And you're taking Advanced Calc?" Sojiro asked, impressed that a first year student would be taking such a tough course.

"Hai. I already had Calc at MIT, but like I said, things never seem to go as smoothly as you want them to."

"Sojiro! Hey, who's the guy?" Akira called from across the square. "Don't tell me you get to miss class all day today! I get the next one, baka!"

"You wish! Hey, tell Rui and Tsukushi to meet us in the cafeteria about 11:00, we'll all eat together. Except you, you can go beg."

Akira laughed. "Hai! Just remember that the fan club will be gathering, and won't take kindly to a new face."

"They will to this one," Sojiro chuckled. "A real bishounen, he is."

Akira waved as he disappeared back inside, the guy next to him cracking a grin as well.

"Your friends you were talking about?" asked Danny, gazing curiously in their direction.

"Hai, Akira and Rui. Rui was the guy with the deadpan face who barely smiled. Grimmer than the reaper himself, that one is. Anyway, they've got a study period, so they'll check in and then meet us in the cafeteria. Nobody cares where we go anyway, since our parents are the major monetary contributors to Eitoku, but it's best to keep up with the formalities for appearance's sake. They'll be able to get Tsukushi out as well without it raising a fuss."

"Isn't Tsukushi-san able to get out of it herself? I thought everybody who went to Eitoku was very rich."

"Not everybody. In high school, Tsukushi had to work two-jobs and lived in the most dinghy apartments in order to attend Eitoku. She wasn't even considering university, but Tsukasa offered to pay her tuition. Now she's working doubly hard to pay her own way. She's the real exception; she's the only one who had the guts to stand up to us in high school and stick it out. We were real brats back then."

"As opposed to now? You guys use your position to weasel out of class," he laughed, elbowing Sojiro in the ribs. "The more I hear of this girl, the more I like her, Soji-kun."

"I can see why you'd say that," Sojiro said, rubbing his side, "but I'd stay away from her. Tsukasa does not like other people messing with her."

"I'll keep that in mind; I certainly have no burning desire to end up in traction, at any rate. While I was in the office I heard a story about Domyoji's temper; it's amazing how tongues will wag when people think you can't understand them. That's not what I meant anyway; I just feel like I can relate to her. Ah, is this the cafeteria?"

This American changes direction faster than a weather vane in a hurricane, Sojiro thought to himself as he pushed the door open and indicated that Danny follow him. "Hai. It also functions as a kind of lounge area, where we can just hang out."

"Sweet. Hang on; you have an arcade and entertainment center in the cafeteria? With an eighty-inch screen too! What's next, caviar and foi grois?" Sojiro smirked and nodded, watching as the American's jaw dropped even further. "Seriously, you guys are way too spoiled. At MIT, we had a bunch of coupons that we could redeem for fast food, and that was it. This is like, living with Paris Hilton or something."

Danny ran around the cafeteria, peering at everything from the china to the menu for the day. Suddenly, something clicked, causing Sojiro to do a double take. It couldn't be that…after all, why would they call him out of class to escort a new student unless he did live like that American heiress and bimbo? Maybe he just wasn't used to having a school treat him this way, but still… "Hey Danny, what did you mean that you could relate to Tsukushi?"

He turned around from where he'd been drooling over a large menu containing French selections. "Ooh, bouillabaisse…huh? Oh, you mean what I said earlier. Well, I don't live the lifestyle of the rich and famous either, so I know what it must be like for her to be surrounded by guys like you all the time. I mean, I'm pretty much here on scholarship, same as I was at MIT."

"Scholarship? I didn't hear anything about Eitoku offering a scholarship to any foreign students," Sojiro commented as he perused the French menu himself. Perhaps he'd stick with the Japanese menu for the day.

"Well, that's cause they didn't, really. My future company is paying my way. They want to hire me as chief of one of their research divisions, but they can't hire a person so inexperienced in the field right away; besides, I still need to get two degrees in order to qualify for the position. They have projects here in Japan that I'm supposed to intern at while I study here at Eitoku. I don't get paid for the internship, but they pay my room and board and tuition. Any other expenses I have to handle myself, but since Kaasan's restaurant is doing so well, she said she'd send me any cash I needed."

He said it so casually, but the realization of whom he was talking to made a huge impression on Sojiro. Obviously, the company that wanted to hire him must have major influence with Eitoku for them to ask one of the F3 to escort someone without lineage around the school. He'd assumed that Danny had been American royalty, something like the Hiltons, a family with immense wealth and connections because of its global corporate chain. However, the realization that he was here solely on his own merit was something to consider. Well, best to find out more about this person; if he ascended to the head of a major company, it would be good to have connections already in place. "I think I can safely say that you're a first here; after all, your company must be very powerful and desire you very much as an employee. You say you went to MIT? Did you graduate from there?"

Danny sat down on one of the sofas, his board over his lap, and pulled the newsboy cap off his head. Running his fingers through his hair, he shrugged. "Yeah, last spring. Why, is that a big deal?"

Sojiro snorted. "Only one of the best engineering schools in the world."

"Oh, well, I guess you're right. I got my BS in Mechanical Engineering there last year, but for the position I want I need at least a BS in Math and in Physics."

"How old are you? I mean you don't look any older than me. In fact, you look younger," he added.

"Heh, well, if you're a typical college student, we're the same age. I turn twenty next month, so I would normally be a second year college student. I skipped a few grades, and graduated high school at sixteen. Then I went to MIT, and I completed my degree in three years. You know the rest," Danny sighed, leaning back and pulling the cap over his eyes. "I'm going to try to catch forty winks, wake me when your buddies get here," he added, falling asleep almost instantaneously.

This American certainly was interesting, Sojiro thought. Right now, he was sleeping like the dead; to a casual observer, it would be hard to tell that he was actually alive. In high school, somebody like this would never have been able to get close to the F4. Did they change that much; more accurately, did Tsukushi change them that much? Or was there something about this guy that just made it hard to dislike him? Certainly Americans were more forward than most. Danny had thought nothing of shortening his name to Soji-kun, and insisted on being called by his name, as if they had been friends for a lifetime instead of a half-hour. But now that he thought about it, the others had not yet met this strange American. Perhaps they wouldn't like him, though he suspected Rui would, since he had a similar habit of falling asleep wherever and whenever he could. It still suggested that he, Nishikado Sojiro, had changed since high school, or that the American had some strange charisma hitherto unknown to him.

It was certainly unusual for him to behave so leniently with a stranger who was not a member of the opposite sex. The playboy in him could always cater to a woman, but it was unusual for him to do so for a man. Perhaps his bishounen looks were working in his favor, fooling Sojiro's hormones.

"Hey, Sojiro, it's unusual for you to stare at a guy so intensely. You feeling okay?" Akira's voice cut through his reverie.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

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Akira stopped right outside the cafeteria door, a little perturbed by what he saw through the glass. Sojiro was just standing there, staring down at a sleeping guy, and that was definitely not normal. True, he was just as Sojiro had described, a real bishie, with a tall and slim figure—if only he had a face to match, what a hit he would be with the women—but that didn't explain why Sojiro would be staring at him. Hesitantly, he pushed the door open and walked inside. When Sojiro didn't move, he decided to break the strange quiet. "Hey, Sojiro, it's unusual for you to stare at a guy so intensely. You feeling okay?"

Sojiro's head snapped up and around, almost guiltily. However, he looked relieved to see Akira, and merely said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Before he could say anything else, Rui and Tsukushi sauntered through the still open door, Tsukushi chattering away about a call she had gotten from Tsukasa. Rui just listened and nodded, though he smiled now and then at the mention of his now absent best friend. Despite their entry, the guy on the couch continued to sleep, so deeply you would easily think him a corpse. A kindred spirit to Rui, they would obviously get along well. Honestly, how a guy could sleep upwards of ten hours a day was beyond him. Looking back at Sojiro, Akira decided to start the conversation over like nothing had happened.

"So, this is the guy you were talking about? He really will have the girls all over him, though in those clothes they'll probably be screaming makeover," he said, giving the guy another once over. "Course, considering what we're wearing, I guess he's not much worse for the wear," he added, gesturing to their tee shirts, jeans, and sneakers. Rui was dressed much the same, though Tsukushi looked nice in a subdued pantsuit. You'd never guess that she worked as a cleaning lady after classes were over, he thought.

Sojiro glanced down at his clothes and laughed. "You know, I was thinking much the same thing when I first saw him, but I guess you're right. We're not doing much better. This guy's really interesting, Akira, but I guess he can tell you all about himself when he wakes up. What's Tsukushi rambling on about? It must be good news, for her to be this vocal."

"Hm? Oh, I don't know. You'll have to ask Rui, he's the one who's been paying attention. Something about Tsukasa, at any rate."

Tsukushi turned to them, a glare stamped clearly on her face. "You two never listen to a word I say, do you? Tsukasa is going to be in Japan tonight. The old witch is sending him here on business, so he'll only be here for a few days, but the meetings don't start until tomorrow so he'll be free tonight. I was thinking it would be nice for all of us to do something together, but obviously, neither of you were paying any attention. And he's your close friend, too."

Akira and Sojiro were too excited over their friend's unexpected return to pay any attention to the reproach. Besides, they were used to being censured by Tsukushi, who thought that they needed to start acting like serious adults. Eventually, the hubbub woke Danny. Pulling the hat from his head and rumpling his hair, he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Large, emerald-colored eyes, that set off the black hair and confirmed Akira's earlier sentiments about how the girls would receive him. "Huh? Oh, you must be Akira-san, Tsukushi-san, and Rui-san. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm O'Brien Danny, just Danny for short."

Akira nodded. "I see you know our names already; that's good."

"Hai. Soji-kun was telling me about you," he nodded, stretching and yawning before climbing to his feet. "He said that you guys were the F3, and that Tsukushi-san was the girlfriend of one of your close friends."

"Hai. Wait, Soji-kun? Sojiro, what's this?" he exclaimed, turning to his playboy friend. "Normally, you don't even let women give you strange nicknames, but Danny-kun can?"

Sojiro just shook his head. "He's an American; I figured it was one of their idiosyncrasies."

Danny looked from Sojiro to Akira. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong? I like to give my friends nicknames. And you can call me just Danny, Kira-kun. Is it all right if I call you that? It's not weird?" he added, a worried look on his face. With that expression, he looked more like a teenage girl than a young man. Not his type, Akira thought, but it was easy to see why Sojiro was acting so strangely. It was like you couldn't say no to a guy like him.

"No, I guess Kira-kun is okay. Are you going to give all of us nicknames?"

"All except Rui-kun; his name is short enough already. But is it all right if I call you Tsuki-chan?" Danny asked Tsukushi, a hesitant smile on his face. "I've heard a lot about you from Soji­-kun, and I think we'll be great friends."

Akira shot a quick glance at Sojiro. Somehow, he didn't think a guy becoming "great friends" with Tsukushi would go over well with Tsukasa. Seeing his expression, Sojiro said, "It's not like that, Akira. It has to do with Danny's circumstances; that's all. He's a lot like Tsukushi."

Ignoring this interlude, Tsukushi nodded to Danny. "I guess, though the last time I was called 'Tsuki' was not a high point in my life."

Danny grinned at her. "Well, we will make some new memories of 'Tsuki,' and then you won't remember the bad times anymore. I think it's great that I can be friends with someone like you, Tsuki-chan. I'm not a corporate heir or anything like that, so I'm glad that I found somebody I could relate to here at Eitoku. Honestly, I didn't think I'd find anybody who'd understand me when I got here, but this was the school the company sponsoring me chose. I'm a freshman too, so maybe we'll have some classes together."

So that's how it is, thought Akira. He senses a kindred spirit in Tsukushi. I guess I should've known that Sojiro wouldn't bring somebody in to break them up, since he was so keen on bringing them together in the first place. Let's see what else we can find out about this guy. "A company's sponsoring you, you say? You must have impressed them."

"Hai," Sojiro said. "Though he doesn't find it impressive in the least, Danny graduated from MIT with a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Mechanical Engineering last spring at the age of nineteen."

"Really? Well, I guess we'll be able to say 'I knew him when' about this boy genius when he makes his mark," Akira said, noting the flush that spread over the American's face. So he embarrassed easily.

A sheepish grin spread over the American's face as he unconsciously ruffled his hair. "Eh heh, it's no big deal, really. I mean, lots of people can graduate early and stuff like that. Say, is the food going to be served anytime soon? I'm starving over here," he added, hurriedly changing the subject. "I can't wait to try out their French menu and see how it compares to Kaasan's cooking."

"That's right, you mentioned your kaasan earlier," Sojiro said. "Does she own a restaurant chain?"

"Iie. Kaasan's a chef; she just opened a Cajun restaurant last year. It's been doing really well, so unless a hurricane hits this fall, she should be able to open at another location soon."

"Oh, she must have great cooking skills then," Akira replied. "The school has great chefs, but I'm not sure how they might compare."

"Hai. Kaasan is the best cook. She specializes in Cajun dishes, but she's also a master of French cuisine. For years, she worked in the best restaurants of New Orleans before she could open her own, so she has it down to a fine art. Anyway, bouillabaisse is one of her best dishes, so I can't wait to see how this compares."

"Your kaasan's a chef; but what does your tousan do?" Tsukushi asked. "He's not a bum, is he?"

"Dame. Tousan is an eco-biologist. He moved to New Orleans to perform research for the Royal Irish Academy; they were concerned about wetlands erosion and the affect it can have on the ecology. After he met Kaasan, he decided to stay in America. He still does work for the Academy on occasion, but mainly he does research for a think tank," Danny explained. "But that's enough about me, really. I want to know more about all of you, and about Tsukasa-san. I kind of already know about what your parents do, except for yours, Tsuki-chan. Do you guys have siblings, girlfriends? Stuff like that."

Akira chuckled. This American didn't waste any time delving into their personal affairs; most people their age would have been reticent about telling so much, let alone prying into their lives. It made for a nice change from sycophancy. "Well, Sojiro is a major playboy, always picking up ladies. I bet you anything that he was trying his moves out on the new secretary when he got to the office earlier, am I right?"

"Hai," Danny laughed, nodding his head. "He was making her blush when I walked through the door. He was so wrapped up, he didn't even notice me until I said konnichiwa."

"That sounds like Sojiro," Tsukushi said, smiling. "Never serious about any woman."

"But there's just so many of you to love, Tsukushi," Sojiro said. "How can I limit myself to just one? Anyway," he added, turning to Akira, "you're the one who dates older, married women, so you can't talk about my dating habits."

The American's mouth dropped a little, but he quickly recovered his composure, muttering something in English that sounded like "takes all sorts" to Akira. Not that his English was fantastic, but he was fluent enough to understand. "So I like the mature type, you got a problem with that? Anyway, what kind do you like, Danny?"

The American fidgeted in his seat looking everywhere but at them. "I, uh, actually don't date…"

"What?! Are you homosexual, like that guy Tsukushi knew in high school, what's his name—Kazuga or something like that?" That would be just great, bringing in a gay guy to swoon all over them.

"What? Dame! Of course not. I just…don't date, period. I mean, I never have. I would much rather just hang out with my friends or go to a skate park or something like that."

Akira looked at Sojiro, realized what he was thinking. Point of fact, it was the same thing he was thinking. They were going to have to find a date for this guy. They'd do that later though. Right now, it was time for food. The cafeteria staff had arrived, and so had the other students. With them came the fan club, a group of girls who did nothing but torment Tsukushi and fawn over the F3. They'd been at it since high school, and had never really accepted Tsukushi as Tsukasa's girlfriend. If Danny went over poorly with them, it could mean a lot of trouble for him this year. If he was going to hang with the F3. Come to think of it, nobody had even discussed it. Somehow, he seemed to have been just accepted by them. Rui had just nodded and gone to sleep, a tacit approval on his part.

"Oh my, is this why they called you to the office, Nishikado-san? He must be someone fairly important." Ah, the queen of the witches had arrived. Perhaps it would be best to let Sojiro handle this one; he was always better at handling girls their own age. Sojiro seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he turned to face them immediately.

"Hai. His company is sending him to Eitoku to achieve two more degrees. He'll be doing business in the area as well, so I don't expect he'll have a lot of time to get to know you. Anyway, I think it's best that we get something to eat and then finish our tour of the campus, don't you, O'Brien-san?"

Puzzled, the American nodded. "Hai, but why-"

"Good, then we're agreed," Sojiro said. "Sorry ladies, but we'll have to chat later."

Disappointed, the girls turned around and walked away, but Akira could hear them talking about the newcomer. "I guess the grunge look is in then? I mean, he is hanging with the F3…he's so good-looking, it would be great if we could see him dressed up. He might even be worth something, too…" Disgusted, Akira turned away. So typical; a new student was just like a slab of meat. The only thing they would talk about was how they could use him to their advantage. Oh well, that was the world they lived in.

"Well, I guess I'll go get food. You guys want anything?" Danny said, pulling the cap back on and standing up.

Sojiro stood up as well. "I'll come with you. Besides, after you've seen the prices for the menu, you'll want to take back that offer. Japanese menu, guys?" he added, turning to the group. Rui nodded, indicating that he was not actually asleep, and so did Akira. Tsukushi, however, said that she had brought her lunch and not to worry about her. The two of them walked off to the lines, returning in a few minutes with loaded trays. Being with the F3 carried certain perks, including being served first.

"Itadakimasu!" Danny exclaimed, before digging into the meal. He was left-handed, Akira noted. After savoring the stew for a few minutes, he nodded and began eating with gusto. The bouillabaisse disappeared rapidly, Danny going back for another bowl that vanished almost as quickly as the first. The third bowl disappeared more slowly, but still rapid enough to make Akira stare.

"Ah, that was excellent; almost as good as Kaasan's," he commented, sitting back with a contented look on his face. "I hadn't eaten since half-way through the plane trip, and even then I wouldn't consider peanuts and a soda a real meal. So, are you all going to come with us on the tour, or do you have classes to go back to?"

"We don't have class again until two, but Tsukushi has class again at 12," Rui responded, the first thing he'd said since they'd entered the cafeteria.

"Well, if you want, you guys can come too then. I'd like to get to know all of you better. Hey, maybe we can do something together tonight, just friends, you know?" the American added suddenly, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

Akira thought about it for a second. He wouldn't be able to see her tonight anyway, but there was the matter of Tsukasa being in town. "Well, I wouldn't mind, but Tsukushi's boyfriend is going to be in town, and tonight's probably his only free night."

"Oh…well, do you think he'd like to join us?" Danny asked, turning to Tsukushi. "I could make us something to eat, and then we could go hang out for a while, and the two of you could have some…alone time," he added.

"Um…sure, why not?"