Chapeter 2; Let Go of the Remote.

XxXxXxXxX

Yosuke is lucky.

Kanji watched as Yosuke and Souji passed by the textile shop together. Souji was smiling as the clumsy brunette tried to do some kind of karate move and stumbled. Yosuke had it easy, being the silver headed boy's best friend. He had the perfect excuse to spend so much time with their leader. Kanji, on the other hand, had no reason to even be associated with the older male. He desperately wished he had had the chance to be Souji's first friend when he first moved.

The blond sighed heavily, watching the boys until they were completely out of sight. He had hoped that maybe Souji would suggest stopping and seeing him, but to Kanji's dismay he hadn't. Maybe he really didn't stand a chance against Yosuke.

"Are you okay?" The freshman's mother asked, noticing his unusual behavior. He snapped himself out of his trance.

"Yeah, how many inches did you say you needed for the Obi?"(A/N; An obi is the belt on a kimono that's usually tied around the waist.)

XxXxXxXxX

Souji sat at the round table, staring at Yosuke who looked just as equally bored as he was. He sighed and he leaned his face against his hand, slouching forward.

He wondered what Kanji was doing. He should have stopped and seen him, that's what he told himself. He didn't want to disturb his friend if he was busy though, so he decided not to stop and disrupt the blond.

Souji admired Kanji for some strange reason. The reason was most likely the younger male's complexities, how he wasn't normal in the least bit. Souji preferred people that weren't average, those who were hard to figure out. This explained his interest in Kanji, but not why he had started feeling his stomach get weak whenever the other boy was near.

Kanji was tough, but could be sweet at times. He'd do anything to protect his friends, but would snap at his team mate if they said anything offending to him. He destroyed a biker gang alone, but he also sewed and created stuffed animals that anyone else would have great difficulty making. He had a hardcore exterior, but on the inside was a guy with emotions just like us all. These were the things that made Kanji so "complex". Not only that, but they were also the things that made him special to Souji.

The leader shook his head a bit, as if to shake the thoughts of liking another male away like they were a bug on his face. He couldn't shake the thought though. He wanted to see Kanji.

"Hey, we should invite the gang here." Souji spoke finally, thinking of an excuse to get Kanji there.

Yosuke nodded in agreement.

XxXxXxXxX

Even though the case was solved the gang still met up at the "secret headquarters" quite often. Souji had called Kanji to inform him that everyone would be meeting up there that day. He finished helping his mother out at the shop and headed towards Junes.

He strode down the sidewalk, his hands balled into fists in his pockets.

How can I compare to Yosuke?

What should I do?

He sighed, realizing there wasn't much he could do. Yosuke had so much in common with their leader and Kanji was almost the opposite. Despite this harsh reality, the blond still wanted to find some way to become someone special to Souji. If only he was easily likable.

Then the thought hit him, what if he purposely did things that he knew his leader would appreciate? Things such as agree with him a lot, and do anything to please him. Kanji told himself he could at least do that much.

XxXxXxXxX

Everyone sat around the table, talking about the upcoming festival. Kanji was the only one who didn't speak, besides their always composed leader. He was waiting patiently for Souji to say something so he could engage in conversation with him and put his plan into action. By keeping silent, though, Kanji attracted unwanted attention.

"You're being awfully quiet Kanji." Yukiko pointed out.

"Uh..yeah, I'm just tired." he reassured his friends.

"Maybe you should go home and get some sleep then." The silver haired boy moved his gaze to Kanji. He didn't show it, but he was a bit worried about the blond. The younger boy took this the wrong way though, thinking it was a hint that he wasn't wanted around.

Kanji shook his head, "I'll be fine, Senpai." He smiled a bit to sweeten his lie, but he thought again. If he wanted to be someone who was perfect towards Souji, he needed to do what his Senpai wanted. So if Souji wanted him to go home, that's what he needed to do. "..unless you want me to leave." Kanji said quietly, looking down at his lap.

At this point, everyone's attention was on the freshman boy. Souji smiled a bit and dispersed the tension by speaking.

"Of course that's not what I want." He crossed his arms on the table, leaning forward and resting his chin on them. "Please stay, Kanji."

"Alright, if your sure." Kanji said calmly, even though his leader had just made him feel so nervous. He was overly happy that Souji wanted him to stay, but was also a little nervous to stay with the boy he loved.

The table was quiet again, no one knowing what to say. Rise eventually broke the silence, "Is anyone else thirsty?" She spoke in her normal, cheerful voice. The whole table erupted with the sound of everyone talking about what drink they were "up for". It wasn't until Souji was asked what he wanted that the table got quiet.

"Just water sounds nice." Souji said, closing his eyes a bit as if he was going to take a nap right there. Kanji stood up when he heard that Souji wanted water; this was his cue to do something for his leader.

"I'll get the drinks." The blond insisted.

Naoto raised a brow, examining the situation up to this point. "Kanji, there's no need to act like a toy car and allow yourself to be controlled. That certainly is no way to gain someone's affection."

Kanji's face turned a shade of pink as the table moved their eyes to him once again. Feeling nothing but complete embarrassment, the male who was now the center of attention again looked away. "I just remembered, I didn't give ma that one piece she needs to finish making the kimono. I have to go." The freshman boy lied while hurrying away from the humiliating scene before anyone else could say anything.