AN: another update this time half in Arai's POV

Chapter 3

Arai didn't understand why Kikumaru sempai was acting that way recently. Kikumaru hadn't always been his favorite sempai. He used to look up to Tezuka sempai a lot because he seemed so tough like a stone wall. But then he started getting closer to Oishi sempai, Kikumaru sempai, Takada sempai and the others started coming to his house a lot. They did a lot of activities and he got to see Kikumaru sempai laugh and smile and be like a light amongst the other boys. Where ever they went whatever they did, Kikumaru sempai was who Arai looked at. He didn't know when it started or why, but he was drawn by this gentle and loving sempai.

He remembered the last day of school for Kikumaru Sempai and the others at Seishun Jr High. Satou and Arai had cleaning duties and as the two 2nd years passed by their sempai's supposedly empty classroom and found it not empty at all. Kikumaru sempai was standing in the middle of the room, staring wistfully at his desk.

"Masashi?" Satou asked, but Arai waved him along. Satou reluctantly left his friend be and Arai slid the door to the 3rd year classroom slowly.

"Sempai."

Kikumaru looked up, as if startled out of his daze.

"Eh, Arai-kun," Eiji gasped.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"You want me to go?" Eiji asked.

"Of course not, Sempai. I wish you could stay with us forever," Arai admitted. "But this is your last day and—"

"Yes, my last day as a Seigaku Jr High student. My last day to stand in this room…," Eiji mused. "Nya, Arai-kun! You won't forget about me will you?"

"What! Sempai don't say such strange things!" Arai cried angrily. "You're acting so strange."

Arai felt his heart quicken as he saw the soft and sad smile brush across his sempai's features.

"Sorry! This should be a very happy day, nya!" Eiji visibly perked up and ran forward to glomp Arai. Arai would of fell, but he was stopped by a desk.

"Promise not to forget your sempai tachi even though you're a big strong 3rd year and seishun's fukobuchou and—"

"Sempai—" Arai laughed….

They had kept in contact. He, Oishi, Satou, Takada. Arai knew he wasn't the nicest or well behaved children around. He and Satou always got in a lot of trouble in school and on the streets. But Oishi was always reprimanding them. And Kikumaru would always tease them to make it better. But somewhere down the line, Kikumaru stopped. In time it was Satou, Takada, Oishi and Arai. And when Kikumaru sempai was around he wouldn't smile.

He'd just stare. Like he was doing now.

"Kikumaru sempai… Do you hate me?"

"Hate you?" Eiji gasped covering his mouth with a hand.

Arai looked away. "Well It seems your avoiding me and not wanting to look at me. You never even want to look to my eyes. Even now it's like you're forcing yourself to be around me."

"That's not true!" Eiji said.

"Then why are you acting like that? The Kikumaru sempai I thought I knew was cheerful and friendly to everyone. He didn't single people out."

"Nya, Arai, sorry!" Eiji replied, forcing a his most cheerful smile. "I didn't realize. I must have been a bit absent minded lately."

"So you don't hate me?" Arai asked.

Eiji shook his head. "No. Never," he answered with the first real smile he'd given Arai all day.

And Arai saw that smile, that same small and sad smile… but this time there was no glomp. And Eiji walked away.

----

Eiji's cellular phone rang while he was buying nattomaki at the grocery store. He took it out his pants and stared at the display screen.

'What number is this?' he wondered before answering.

"Hello?" he said tentatively.

"Hello. Is this Kikumaru?" a deep voice asked on the other end.

"Eh? Y,yes! Nya Who is this?"

"Well, it is— stop it! I am doing it! Quit interrupting Ore-sama while on the phone—" The person on the other line seemed to be arguing with someone on the other end.

"Atobe?" Eiji gasped, paying for his food. He marched out of the door as the boy on the other end of the line answered.

"Yes, it is Oresama. Kikumaru, I have a favor to ask you—"

Keigo Atobe was in his house with Ryoma and Tezuka. They were sitting around with Atobe again complaining about his lack of a date to the party when Tezuka mentioned that Eiji would probably like to attend the party too. Of course Atobe protested, saying he had higher standards than that! But after much argument Atobe finally gave in and Tezuka gave the haughty boy Kikumaru's number.

And so there Atobe was now. On the phone about to ask a boy he barely knew out on a date to a VERY IMPORTANT PARTY. His blood almost boiled, but he couldn't show up alone… especially since Hiyoshi would be there too.

"What's the favor?" The cheery voice asked on the other line.

Atobe answered through clinched teeth, "Do you want to be Oresama's date to a party this Saturday?"

"PARTY!"

Atobe held the phone away from his ear and then brought it back when the other boy stopped screaming.

"Yes, a party. It's a very dignified engagement it's coat and tie," Atobe announced, folding his arms across his chest.

"Aa! OK Atobe! I'll go! I'll go! Nya! I love parties!"

"Good. I'll have my people get with you about the details soon. Thank you Kikumaru."

Atobe ended the call and then turned to his two friends.

"Ok, he said yes," Atobe said. "But you know Oresama is only doing this because—" he didn't want to say he was desperate. "Because Oresama is easily bored at these functions."

"Don't worry," Ryoma assured with a smirk. "Eiji's always a lively person to be around."

Atobe forced down the bad feeling lingering in the pit of his stomach. It'd be ok, he reasoned in his mind. Besides, Hiyoshi had dumped him for a person he was bringing to that very party. Atobe clinched his fist. "Ore-sama'll show you, Wakashi Hiyoshi-kun! With your pretty hair and stupid Gekokujou! Nobody messes with Keigo Atobe and lives!"

Ryoma and Tezuka watched as Atobe mutter uncharacteristically to himself.

"Will he be ok?" Ryoma asked his boyfriend.

Tezuka managed to raise his brow skeptically. "The question is… will Eiji be?"

Across town, Eiji was being a happy boy dancing about his room.

"A date! A date! I have a date!" he sang, flopping giddily back into his bed with his convenience store bag. The contents spilled onto his bed and he picked up the natto maki.

"A date! Nya! A date!" He continued to sing as he peeled open his snack.

He began to hum as he bit and chewed his snack but then realization seemed to wash over him. He had a date… a date with Keigo Atobe. His mouth dropped open and his food spilled out.

To be continued…

AN: thanks again for reading. Please review! uhmmmm kinda short but i plan for a lot to happen in the coming chapters.