A/N: I think this is still rated as "M," so my further chapters should be safe. ^_^ Thank you reviewers, and peeps who have favorited this story. I have a feeling I'm going to be a Sukisho fangirl until the day I die, and this is one of my better stories, imo, so here I am, writing more chapters. Thx again for everything! ^^';;;;

chapter 2

Does anything ever go the way we want it to?

Yes.

Once in a blue moon.

Even if a person is wealthy, things don't always go the way they want them to. Life is … complicated. The easiest problems can be solved with money or a few phone calls. Once those matters have been taken care of, they blow away like dead leaves, leaving the real problems standing there like tree trunks with deep roots. I had known about this one for a long time. I'd just never had to do anything about it.

Until now.

I arrived at my office at 8 a.m. to find a phone message in my in-box, "Can I please talk to you after school? It's really important. I have no one else to talk to." Followed by initials and a phone number. I knew who this was but found it odd. I had a client from 10 to 11 a.m. Promptly at 11:15 I called the number.

"Hello," the voice said quietly.

"Got your message," I said, "what is this about, Gaku-san?" I just found it odd is all. Of course I knew him as being a friend of Sora, Sunao and my lovely Honjou, but … why he would want to talk to me ….

"I can't say right now," he whispered. "Can you see me after school? I can't tell anyone else."

I groaned, but only inwardly. My father had asked to see Shinichiro and me at his house for dinner at 6 p.m., and he was not a man you said no to. God help you if you were late. Gaku … something serious was on his mind.

"Fine," I said, "meet me at the coffee shop on 22nd …."

"No!" He whispered, "No – not where someone will see us. Across town, like at the …."

Ichikawa couldn't think of any place across town, most likely having never been across town.

"At A.J.'s Diner, Front Street – how about that? 4 o'clock?" I said. Shouldn't be a big deal. I'd hurry him along, drop him off at school and still be early to my father's house. The past weekend I thought about taking Honjou with me as a date, but decided against it. It was too early. I knew my father would like him, and yet – maybe a little later, provided our relationship became serious. I still hadn't made love to him. Everything was …

Well, I didn't want to rush things. Could be bad luck, after all.

At noon my secretary brought the mail in. There were a few letters from clients, court documents and a small, elegant dark blue envelope addressed in neat, square handwriting. I knew the return address immediately – the school. Inside was a silver card,

Thank you for the lovely evening, Soushi.
My intentions toward you are very honest,
as I hope your intentions are
regarding your affection for me.
I'm not easy.
If that's what you're looking for,
then it would be best
if you looked
elsewhere.

Sincerely, M. Honjou

"You little bitch," I accidentally murmured under my breath. My knee-jerk reaction was to pursue him full force and get him into my bed that night, if possible. Like I said, some problems can be fixed with money. But Matsuri …

He had been cool and formal during our date, and there was nothing I could do to unthaw him. As soon as we got close to the school he left the car without as much as a goodbye. I walked him to his dorm anyway and managed to get at least a friendly kiss from him.

I took a deep breath and punched in a number on my cell phone. The message service kicked in on the other end,

"I need to see you this afternoon," was all I said and hung up. He was undoubtedly in class right now, the young man I liked to see very casually at my convenience. He was also a blond, an art student at the school in town, very beautiful and willing. It was a shame I didn't feel about him the way I felt about my lovely Matsuri-chan. As I said before, not all problems in life are easy to fix.

A few more phone calls to clients and other lawyers and I was off to lunch with an old friend from college who was now a private investigator. She was good – beautiful and shark-like. I liked to use her when I had to, and she liked the money, always. We kept in touch, having lunch once a month.

During lunch, my art student lover sent me a message saying that he would be available in the later afternoon. Faye knew exactly what was up.

She smiled wisely, "You're never alone, are you, Soushi?"

"Only at home at night," I said and shut my phone off.

"I don't believe that for a minute," she said.

"Sadly true," was my answer. Maybe it was the look on my face or in my eyes. As she could read my eyes, I also could read hers. She was concerned about me.

"I think this time I've been caught, Mrs. Spiegel," I said.

I kept my date with my college student. He was every bit as beautiful as my Matsuri-chan – so why? Why not him? Hell, they were both blonds! He was willing to undress for me any time I wanted him. He was willing to do pretty much anything for me. But I didn't feel about him ….

The way I felt about ….

I went to kiss him … and then stopped. I couldn't kiss him the way I …. No. I just couldn't. I kissed his forehead and then his nose as I pulled his t-shirt up and over his head. He smelled great. He was considerate and had just showered for me. I undressed him slowly and completely, and then took him exactly there – by the front door of his apartment. As I climaxed, I closed my eyes and thought of another. I heard myself cry out, maybe a little more than I should've.

"Wow," he said afterward, "do you want to talk about it?"

I laughed softly, catching my breath. The second person today to pick up on my distress over a pretty blond.

I showered quickly and left my lover lying on his bed, beautifully nude. I smiled and kissed his forehead again, slipping a few bills into one delicate hand before leaving. The truth was that I knew he was in love as well, but not with me. We were both in the same predicament – in love with someone playing hard to get.

Gaku Ichikawa was waiting nervously at a table at A.J.'s Diner when I arrived at 10 to 4.

"Very good!" I said, sitting down, "I love people who are on time."

He looked as miserable as I felt. I was sexually satisfied. Otherwise … no.

"Would you like something to eat?" I offered, "My treat …?"

He did. He ordered a cheeseburger, french fries and a coca-cola. That was fine with me. While we waited, he fidgeted in his seat, saying nothing.

"You can tell me anything, Gaku-san," I said quietly. "Anything you want. It'll be just between you and me."

From across the table he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and blushed. He also looked around us. It was early yet for the uptown crowd, only 4 o'clock. A businessman sat alone at the end of the bar, talking with the bartender. To the side of us, a few tables away, a man and a woman sat and talked business over coffee. You could see by their body language that they weren't lovers. A divorced couple – maybe. They were far enough away that we couldn't hear their conversation at all. A few tables behind me two older ladies gossiped over coffee. We were safe.

I reached out to touch his hand, "Anything at all."

When he did speak, it was in a grave whisper, "Aizawa is still alive. And he wants, well …."