The next morning, Kiku ended up sleeping late, which was something he never did. He was the type of person to be up and about long before the cock crowed. He had great difficulty getting to sleep the night before, his thoughts haunted by that sudden assault. When at last he cracked is eyes open (after finally getting to sleep around 4 am) a quick glance at his digital clock shot him straight out of bed.

"The hell? Shi-I'm gonna be late!"

Kiku tossed the clock aside, hastily gathered up his uniform and threw it on as fast as he could. He didn't even bother to fix his bed head as he bolted out the door, charged down the stairs and pelted across the dormitory lawn towards the main building, bag swinging and all. He was halfway there when he heard the bells staring to chime first hour. He picked up the pace, whizzing past people at track record speed.

"I…*huff*…made…it…" Kiku gasped as the bell tolled its final chime.

Kiku had arrived at his first hour classroom with a minute to spare. He was breathing very hard, hand clamped to his chest as he heaved in and out. Alfred was also in his first hour and immediately noticed the unusual scene.

"Whoa! You look like you just ran a marathon!" Alfred stated as Kiku flopped down next to him with a sigh of relief. "You're never late for class! And your uniform! You look like you took a page out of Gilbert or Arthur's book!"

Kiku winced at the mention of Arthur's name. He looked down at his clothes; yes they were disheveled, but it wasn't that bad. He'd at least remembered to wear his blazer. He ran a hand through his wind tangled black hair and laid across the desktop.

"I couldn't sleep last night and my alarm didn't go off…that's all…"

"Rrrriiighhttt…" Alfred said with disbelief.

The door of the classroom opened and Kiku looked up, expecting to see the teacher. Instead, his face blanched when he saw who it was. Arthur Kirkland strode into the room, hands shoved in pockets like usual and preset glower on his face. It didn't help Kiku's already queasy stomach when he sat down next to him.

"That's another first," Alfred said, leaning back to look at Arthur. "When did his Majesty decide he was worthy of coming to class?"

Arthur glanced at him then looked back at the blackboard. "I just felt like coming today. I can come to class if I want to."

That's a lie and you know it! Kiku said in his mind. He didn't dare raise his head for fear of making eye contact with him. Instead he remained atop the desk, pretending like he hadn't noticed Arthur.

"Oh yeah, Alfred. You should do your own work yourself, instead of shluffing it off on other people." Arthur's tone was casual, but it had a certain pointed-ness to it.

"Whhaaattt? Who says I'm skipping my duties? I do everything I'm supposed to!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Still blaming others too I see. Heh, you never change. Grow a set and man up to it."

"Why you-!" Alfred jumped from his seat, fist raised and anger in his voice. He thankfully didn't get a chance to do anything, because at the same moment the teacher entered the room. Alfred sunk back into his chair sulking as the teacher began taking roll-call. Kiku could feel the heated tension rising and it was rather unsettling. He didn't want to get caught up in a row between these two.

As the teacher began the day's lesson, Kiku found himself drifting off. His eyes felt so heavy and after only 3 hours of sleep, the deprivation was getting to him. It wasn't long before he was conked out cold.

Kiku couldn't have been out for that long, but he was woken by someone roughly shaking him. A muffled voice was reaching his ears, but he couldn't quite make it out as he surfaced.

"…an't keep sleeping here. Class's ended. Can you even hear me?"

"Mmm…huh?" Kiku sat up, rubbing an eye and yawning. "What?"

"I said class is over. You slept through the whole thing."

Kiku blinked at the speaker and promptly backed away, falling out of his chair in his haste to get away. Arthur was still sitting in his chair, elbow on the desk and head in hand. He was staring down at Kiku on the floor with bored eyes.

"You're sure jumpy when you get up," he said, expression unchanging.

"Of course I'd be, especially with you in the room! What did you do to me?"

"Nothing. I was getting bored of watching you sleep though." Arthur suddenly stretched and leaned back on the desks behind him. "Gahhh, damn it all! Alfred got me pissed and now I can't vent it on him!"

"You shouldn't always resort to violence," Kiku said, standing up and picking up his satchel. He turned to leave, but Arthur grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back. That dangerous glint was back in his eye.

"I gotta vent it somehow and since you're awake at last…"

Kiku tensed instinctively, but Arthur let him go without doing anything. Instead, he ruffled Kiku's hair and leaned back in his chair. Kiku gave him a weird look.

"I should be getting to my next class. I've probably missed second hour…"

"No, it's more like you missed second as well as third and fourth."

"What?"

Arthur shrugged, back to his apathetic attitude. "You were snoozing pretty soundly. Alfred tried getting you up when class ended, but he couldn't begin to knock you up. So you've basically missed half the day."

Kiku slumped back down in his chair in slight shock. "I…I can't believe that…"

Arthur sat staring at him a while longer then suddenly stood up. "I've got an idea. Since you've already missed most of the day, let's go on a date."

Kiku didn't know why he went with him. He could have just as easily refused him, even walked away. But the earnestness in his voice when he said it only made Kiku sigh and follow him out to the school gates. Thankfully the school grounds seemed to be deserted as the pair walked out across the campus. Kiku didn't want anyone to see him with this distasteful man. After all, he did have a reputation to uphold. But then again, what good was that reputation if he'd missed so much of the day?

The United World Academy was located about an hour's train ride from the nearest city. The station itself was situated a block away from the actual school and served as transportation for students who didn't live in the dorms. Dorm living wasn't mandatory and some students preferred to live off campus.

Birds chirped in the trees over the station, which was really nothing more than a little wooden booth that held an automated ticket dispenser and a concrete platform raised about 3ft from the ground. There were a couple benches there too. Kiku sat down with relief on one, setting his bag in his lap and sighing. Arthur sat down next to him, staring straight ahead. He looked like he was concentrating on something.

"Um…aren't you going to get the tickets?" Kiku asked uncertainly.

In response, Arthur held up a plastic card. "Don't need to. I've gotta rail card."

"Rail card?"

"Cause I live off campus."

"Oh." As the conversation turned silent again, Kiku looked further down the track. He could see a faint light in the distance and a low rumbling was getting closer and closer. A couple minutes later, the train pulled in and came to a hissing stop, spewing steam everywhere from its pistons. A conductor hopped down from the first carriage.

"Ticket?" he asked as they walked up. Arthur held out his card. The conductor took it, swiped it on a little handheld then gave it back. "You know you'll be charged double for a guest passenger right?"

"I don't care. I'll just pay the bill later. That's what the bloody card's for."

The conductor shrugged. "Alright. Have a nice trip, Mr. Kirkland."

Arthur climbed into the carriage without even a thank you. As Kiku began to climb up as well, the conductor blew his whistle and waved. "ALL ABOARD!"

The engine blared its own whistle and lurched forward, slowly gaining speed as it pulled out. Kiku sat down next to Arthur, who was gazing out the window expressionless. The carriage was empty save for a few other passengers and it was silent, the only sounds the clickety-clack clicketly-clack of the train's wheels on the track. Kiku looked at Arthur again, who seemed to totally ignore his existence. That was making Kiku slightly angry. If the guy'd gone so far to ask him out, why didn't he act like he was happy about it? Unless of course, this was just part of his ploy to undermine Kiku. Well, that had worked to perfection.

Kiku dug into his satchel, pulled out his 120GB iPod and plugged the little earbuds in. If Arthur could ignore him, he could do it too. He turned up the volume, leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. It would be another hour before they reached Lorraine.

The trip was uneventful and silent as well. It seemed Arthur wasn't the kind of guy to make small talk. That only pissed Kiku off. When the train finally steamed into Lorraine Grand Station, Kiku was pretty cross.

"Alright you," Kiku started, using his strictest tone. "You got me all the way out here. The least you could do is talk to me!"

To Kiku's huge surprise, Arthur's ears turned a little pink. He scratched his head. "Umm, well…I…didn't really know what to talk about. Most people run when they see me coming."

This guy is unbelievable! Kiku thought. Who would be so rude as to run the minute they see you? Kiku sighed again, hands on his hips.

"Alright, if you need topics, I'll give them to you. Let's just get this over with before someone sees us. Where are we going anyway, Mr. Kirkland?"

"Uh, well I hadn't thought about that…"Arthur said sheepishly. "I was kinda surprised when you actually followed me…"

Kiku's eye twitched. "OH FOR THE LOVE OF-!" Kiku grabbed Arthur's hand and started half-dragging him off the platform.

"H-hey! What gives here?"

Kiku turned and glared at him. "You're the one who wanted to go on a date. So we're going on a date."

"R-really? I mean, you're not going to run from me?"

"Of course not! I'm not as shallow as some people and only judge by appearances!"

At that statement, Arthur's face brightened. A big smile spread across his face, genuine as a child's on his birthday. "Alright! I know just where to go then! Come on, Kiku let's get going!"

Arthur took Kiku's hand and off the pair went into town. Kiku was caught off guard by Arthur's enthusiasm; it was like he was a totally different person outside of school. What had seemed like a brooding hoodlum didn't seem so bad now. But Kiku new that appearances were deceiving at best, quickly recalling the incident from yesterday. But that smile…well, Kiku supposed it wouldn't be a bad thing to have a little fun.

As it turned out, Arthur's "perfect place" was a candy shoppe. Lorraine was an old-fashioned town, and the shop was styled as such. A painted wooden sign hung outside and a chalkboard sat outside the door displaying the day's specials. There were a lot of people out and about, but none of them gave the pair a second look. The door gave a little jingle of bells as Arthur pushed the door open. The minute it was open, Kiku's nose was assaulted by the sickly sweet smell of melted sugar, chocolate and vanilla.

"Oi, Mrs. Vanderbelt!" Arthur called into the store. He waved at a short, pudgy middle aged woman standing behind the counter. Her blonde hair was graying a bit and was pulled back into a tight bun. She was taking a box down from the shelf, but turned when she heard her name. She smiled.

"Oh, Arthur! Come back for more sweets, dear?"

"You bet! You know you make the best candy in town!"

Mrs. Vanderbelt chuckled. "Oh dear, I don't know about that…hmm? Oh! Who's your friend? A classmate from school?"

"Oh yeah! This is the one I was telling you about!"

"Oh ho ho ho…so you're the infamous Kiku Honda? My, you look just like I thought you would…oh dear, don't mind an old woman's ramblings! I'm sure you're a very nice boy." She winked at Kiku. "Don't ever go easy on him, dear. He'll walk all over you otherwise."

Arthur's cheeks turned rosy. "H-hey! Don't go giving him ideas!"

Mrs. Vanderbelt chuckled again. "Ho ho ho…well now, what can I get for you boys? Arthur, I just finished a fresh batch of your favourite raspberry pastilles."

"Really? I want one! Oh, can I get some licorice and sweet-n-sours too?"

"Of course. Is there anything you'd like dear?"

"Ah! Umm…I'm…not really a big fan of sweet things…but thank you anyway…"

"That's a shame…I feel bad not giving Arthur's sweetheart something…"

"Eh? Sweetheart?" Now it was Kiku's turn for his face to turn red. "J-just what has he been telling you?"

"Oh ho ho ho…you are so adorable! I can see why Arthur's so enamored with you. Alright dear, here you go…oh and don't forget your chocolate rabbit!"

"Thanks again, Mrs. Vanderbelt. I'll be back to help with stocking again tomorrow. Cheers!" Arthur pecked her on the cheek, waved good-bye and walked out of the shoppe, clutching a bag of sweets. Kiku was hot on his trail, face still flushed.

"Just what have you been telling people?" he demanded of Arthur.

Arthur had stuck a lolli-pop in his mouth. He stuck it in his cheek and said thickly, "Noshing. She likes to shtick her nose in people's business, that's all."

"Even so…I don't like being spoken of like that…"

"Aw get over it already! For someone who was gung-ho about this, you're sure being a real drag-me-down."

"That's because-oomph! What the-?"

Arthur had stopped all of the sudden and Kiku had walked right into him. Kiku peered around his arm to see what had halted his procession. A blonde man with long hair and a man with brown curly hair stood in the way. Both were wearing the WUA's uniform. Kiku recognized both of them.

"Well well, fancy meeting you here, Kirkland," said the blonde man.

"Francis…and Antonio too…what the bloody hell do you two think you're doing here?"

"We're taking a break from school!" Antonio said in his heavy Spanish accent. "Seems you're doing the same."

"What do you want?" Arthur asked coldly. His child-like happiness in the candy shoppe had vanished.

"Payback, for beating Gil up. You broke his arm, you know. He's mighty pissed over that."

"Tch, if that's all, I can take you both. Kiku, hold this; I've got a couple sots to kick around."

Kiku backed up quite a ways, making sure he was nowhere near this fight. It was going to turn nasty. Arthur took the first swing. His fist made perfect contact with Francis's cheek. He reeled backwards into outdoor tables and chairs. Arthur turned to take Antonio, but stopped in his tracks. Antonio had pulled a knife and its edge was resting snugly on Kiku's throat.

He made to come close, but the knife was pressed harder. Kiku flinched and Arthur stopped again. Arthur grit his teeth. "You bastard…"

"Heh, I knew it was a good idea to follow you two on the train. You wouldn't want me cutting his pretty little throat would you?"

Arthur glared at Antonio, eyes flicking between him and Kiku, weighing his options. People had stopped to stare and Kiku could hear someone calling for police. Kiku saw movement behind Arthur.

"Arthur, watch out!" he called but it wasn't soon enough. Arthur had thought he'd KO'd Francis, but now he came at him, blade out. Francis slashed just as Arthur turned, the cold steel biting his shoulder. Arthur staggered back as Francis lunged again, cutting his cheek. Now Kiku could hear police whistles. Antonio and Francis heard them too.

"Shit…it's the coppers…we'd better get scarce."

Antonio released Kiku and the two of them bolted down the street. Kiku dropped the candy bag and rushed over to Arthur.

"You're bleeding! Arthur you-!"

Arthur grabbed Kiku's hand. "We need to get out of here too. I live nearby. Let's go!"

Arthur's tiny flat was located in a rundown district of Lorranie, a small two-story building built way back in the 1830s to house servants. By the time Arthur got the door open, the blood from his shoulder cut had thoroughly soaked his shirt and sweater.

"God damn them…" he muttered bitterly. "I didn't expect them to have, ngh, blades…"

"That's what you get for starting a fight, in broad daylight no less! Honestly, why do you do that?"

"Heh, 'cause they piss me off, that's why." Arthur sat down at the round kitchen table. "Plus they made me lose my candy."

"That's what you're angry over? They could have killed you or me! Take that shirt off! It's going to get infected if you don't clean it."

"I've survived worse. It's just a flesh wound and not deep at that."

"No. Take it off."

"Fine, fine…" Off came the sweater, then the shirt. Kiku got some water and a paper towel from the kitchen and started blotting the crusted blood off. Arthur just sat there, unflinching. He supposed this was something he was used to, but still…just starting fights for the sake of starting them…Kiku couldn't help but notice how toned Arthur was as he worked.

"Where are your bandages?"

"In the bathroom over there, but seriously I'm fine. You don't need to worry about it."

"Nonsense. All cuts should be treated, no matter how minor. Hold still." Kiku wrapped up Arthur's shoulder then put a sticky on his cheek cut. "There, that should work. Try not to move too much or you'll open that shoulder up again…"

"Our date wasn't much fun…" Arthur muttered. "Those bastards ruined the mood…"

This man was unbearable; Kiku was exhausted just having to deal with him. Kiku rolled his eyes. "There was no mood to begin with…"

"Hmm…then…shall I create one?" Arthur stood up from his chair and leaned over Kiku in his, his face dangerously close. "Shall I make it like a real date and kiss you?"

"What are you talking about?" Kiku said, pushing his face away and standing up. "We're both guys in case you hadn't noticed!"

"I don't care."

Kiku stopped walking and slowly turned back to Arthur. His face was completely serious.

"What?"

"I'm saying I don't care. Because I'm serious about you. I love you."