Kaname took the walk to school the next day as an opportunity for further enlightenment. She had figured out that if she provided a logical reason for why Sousuke should learn certain things he was much quicker at picking them up.

"Look, we both know that you don't care about music or TV, but you should at least be aware of what's popular. What if someone infiltrates the school? How are you supposed to know who's an imposter if you don't even know what the real students should sound like?"

"There are a number of behavioral indicators that--"

"Baloney! You rely on those indicators and where does it get you? You end up attacking innocent people and destroying public property. Sousuke, even if you don't want to blend in just for yourself, you should at least try to for your own safety, not to mention mine. As it is, you stand out really badly."

"There is merit in cultural awareness..." Sousuke frowned to himself as he performed his habitual visual scan of their surroundings, thinking back on the many conversations he had listened to without understanding who or what was being discussed. Commander Mardukas had frequently questioned his espionage abilities, and even Kalinin and the Captain had voiced concerns on his transition into civilian life. Either way, it seemed better to go along with Kaname on this one. "How do I learn about such things?"

"Just pay attention to what the kids around you are talking about. If you don't recognize something, ask me about it later, or look it up online. You can find out anything on the internet. There's even slang dictionaries online; loosening up how you talk might help you a bit too." A sudden thought struck her; "Just, uh, don't use any slang until you're certain you know what it means. Trust me."

"Affirmative. I mean, uh, yeah."

Kaname smiled at his effort as they joined the herds of other students filing into the school yard. She gave him a cheery punch in the shoulder. "Cheer up! It's time to try out some of what I told you." Sousuke was afraid it was only the beginning of a very long day.

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Sousuke tried to do as Kaname had taught him-- forcibly relaxing during the chaotic rush in the hallways and paying attention to the chatter around him. Lunch was the biggest trial; he had to simultaneously eat, guard Kaname, and appear casual, all the while discreetly jotting down notes on the conversations around him.

All this effort meant that he was basically mute throughout the meal, but since that was his standard MO nobody but Kaname noticed. For her part she tried to send him encouraging grins; Sousuke responded with ever-more-harrassed looks of confusion and despair.

Following lunch was the ever-dreaded P.E.. The normally athletic Kaname always loathed it because, in Kyoko's words, 'food plus low blood pressure plus running equals barf.' It was hard to maintain her image of super-cool beautiful ice queen whilst vomiting up pork gyoza, she thought acidly to herself. Kyoko dragged her along mercilessly, only to be stopped by a large group of whining and complaining girls blocking the entrance to the locker room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" trilled Kyoko.

"We have National Fitness Tests today." groaned Mizuki, pointing accusingly at a paper tacked on the door. "We have to do all the tests today, and the running tomorrow."

"Cheer up. Doesn't that mean we'll be in a combined class with the boys?" Kyoko grinned at her boy-crazy classmate.

"Ooh, you're right!" Brightening visibly at the thought, Mizuki began pushing her way through to the door.

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"At least we got warned about the running. If we had to do it today I think I would have passed out." Kaname groaned and stretched her arms as Kyoko finished her own set of push-ups.

"Yeah, you did eat a lot of those cookies-- what's going on over there?" Tiny Kyoko stretched up on her toes, trying to see past a crowd gathered on one side of the gym. It was made up mostly of boys, and they seemed to be chanting something. As Kaname ruthlessly elbowed her way to the front, she realized that they were counting off as two boys competed in pull-ups.

Ono D and Sousuke were doing simultaneous pull-ups, and Kaname would bet anything that Ono was the one who had done the challenging. From the look of, they had been going for a while and Ono was near the end of his strength. Just as Kaname thought that, his arms began shaking violently and he collapsed off the bar in a sweaty, exhausted heap. She turned her attention to Sousuke now, and blushed right up to her hairline.

She liked to imagine that she thought of Sousuke as innocent and almost child-like, despite his violent tendencies. She would, if asked, vehemently deny that she ever thought of him in a romantic, adult sort of way. She would be a liar.

As she watched his steady, rhythmic, and apparently untiring movements she was struck deeply by how masculine Sousuke was. Lean and wiry as he looked, the muscles in his arms stood out sharply as he flexed, and his damp shirt and shorts clung to the long lines of muscle in his thighs and chest.

Every time he pulled up, his shirt shifted and she could see the flat, ripped line of his stomach, marred by the long silvery scar that only she knew the cause of. His bronze skin shone with sweat, and his hair was dark and tousled from the effort. His face was set with concentration, his slate-gray eyes focused inward as he went smoothly through the movements.

Kaname stood there, transfixed, until the coach came and yelled at Sousuke for taking up the bar for too long. As he let himself down he was instantly surrounded by the boys in the class as they congratulated him on whatever ridiculously high count he had made. She let herself be buffeted for a moment as she took a long, shuddering breath.

When she had regained enough self-possession to walk in a (mostly) straight line she headed for the bathroom, where she promptly locked herself into a stall and sat, staring blankly at the dull green paint of the door for a long time.