I have yet to come across any writing exploring what happened at Wataru and Kazuki´s school right after they exchanged vows and rings. So I fill in the gap.

Feel free to contradict me, but I don´t believe one bit that Kazuki could right after the confession incident be so defiant to the whole world about his relationship with Wataru, no matter how much he suffered in the ¨unrequited love¨ period. He is, after all, a guy with a ¨proper education¨, which aims to make him ¨respectable¨ with little tolerance for being ridiculed or sneered at, and that socialization could not wear off immediately (after all, who likes to be laughed at?). But perhaps it is exactly such education that makes him the wonderful lover who learns to gain a clear view about what his real priority is, and acts squarely on that.

Disclaimer: In short, nothing about OTRFK is mine.

*******************

¨Commotion¨

inspired by

Only The Ring Finger Knows

Original concept by Satoru Kannagi

********************

Even he, Yuichi Kazuki a.k.a the stud of the century, had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath before doing what he was going to do. A typhoon would break out, not only in his class but also throughout the whole school. He was well aware that he would be the root cause of such a commotion, not to mention that many hearts would be broken, yet for the first time in his life, probably, he could not care less that he was the disturber of peace, a villain of sort. But it was undeniable that there would be much trouble and irritation to come. Kazuki breathed out, and with a note of defiance, crossed the school gate. He carefully controlled his pace, not too fast so that his quickened pulse would be concealed, not too slow lest he would appear to be parading. Faithful to his usual well-mannered self, he duly paid respect to the teachers passing by and returned all the greetings from his co-highschoolers. It looked like everything went better than he expected, for he could walk unhindered up to the door of his class, his safest haven after the student council room, where every of his classmates was so used to his presence that they barely looked up when he entered. But his instinct and experience told him not to let his guard down. In truth, he could sense something brewing behind his back as he passed through the corridors. And even if he did not feel that, the scandalised look of the class representative proved that nothing was OK.
¨Kazuki, are you out of your mind? You want to turn this class into a battlefield? What is that ring on your left ring finger?¨
¨Geez, why are women always so sharp on such details? Besides, where I wear what is my business. I didn´t know you care about fads, Ohkawa.¨
The bespectacled girl knitted her brow, obviously not pleased with Kazuki´s response. Not intimidated by her glare, he defiantly stared back.
¨You seem awfully lively for someone so spiritless for the whole week.¨ Ohkawa retorted. Suddenly her eyes glistened as if something dawned on her mind. She lowered her voice. ¨Whomever you have a crush on happens to like you back, right?¨
Kazuki tried to prevent a gulp but it was too late. ¨Wha... what nonsense are you talking about?¨
The class representative triumphantly smirked, seeing she had hit bull´s eye. ¨My dear Kazuki, girls aren´t as dumb as you like to think. You are the school celebrity but you hate attention more than anything, and you are definitely awared what a ring on the left ring finger means. In other words, you would not go under such an ordeal without a good reason. Oh my, which beauty has melted the heart of the ice prince?¨
Kazuki suppressed a frown and smiled charmingly. ¨Excellent deduction as always, Princess of Logic. Ichijouin-san must be proud to have your hand.¨
The retaliation worked, for Ohkawa flushed immediately. Scowling for one minute, she suddenly became serious ¨Does she go to this school?¨
Wrong pronoun, Kazuki thought but let not a word escape his mouth. He simply nodded. The business was revealed, at least part of it, so honesty is the better policy. In addition, Ohkawa had ever been more or less his ally, though their friendship was as loose as water.
¨Then you have to be extra careful. Who knows what those hooligans may do, especially to her.¨ She frowned to accentuate her disgust for mindless admirers. ¨And I´ll frigging kill you if this class becomes a mess.¨
¨My, my, since when have you become so violent? Don´t worry! After the fiasco at my birthday party, they would not dare to approach me for a while. And I know better than making out with my lover in public.¨ Kazuki replied non-chalantly, bringing their small exchange to the conclusion. Ohkawa winced at his language but said nothing, instead she observed him distrustfully.

**********

No matter what bravado he showed the class representative, Kazuki knew well she had a valid point. His relationship, which was legitimately his private and personal matter, was de facto a public affair. What have I done to deserve this? Why can´t I just enjoy my happiness?, he mused resentfully. Well, it was probably partly his own fault, for he was too nice to the admirers. But it was his education to be a respectable member of the society. In addition, though his graceful manner was fully under his control, it was not like he was a hypocrite who faked compassion. He genuinely felt he should be nice, no matter how much burden it brought. The sole time he behaved like a jerk was when he first came into face-to-face contact with his love. It was definitely not a wise thing to do but somehow things happened to transpire in his interest, and the day before he was able to hold the person of his dream in his arm. The beautiful memory of the confession amids the hydrangea brought a gentle smile to Kazuki´s face. Wataru, he fondly whispered in his mind the name of his lover. It had such a sweet sound, and he loved repeating it, for it invoked the image of a pair of charming dark eyes and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Ohkawa was right at every point about his relationship, except the gender of the person in question. Who would think Yuichi Kazuki falls in love with a boy, he thought a bit ruefully. He had had a hard time accepting it himself, but he had come to realize that it was much worse being hated by the person he loved after Wataru hit him due to a misunderstanding. Luck was on his side and now that the dark-eyed boy was his, he could not ask for anything better. However, a fragment of hesitation was lurking somewhere at the back of his mind. Somehow, his ego was still afraid to be laughed at for being in a homosexual relationship.

Lost in his thought, Kazuki wandered too far into the territory of the second year. As usual, all eyes were on him. He nearly turned back but decided to continue for the chance of catching a glimpse of his lover. The gods granted his wish, but in the most twisted way possible, as what he saw was Wataru being cornered by a considerably large group of girls, while other boys looked on with pity but obviously at a loss about what to do. Nothing over the limit happened but it looked serious enough. The dark-eyed boy cried out loud exasperately, but Kazuki swore he could detect a pleading note.
¨...I don´t know anything about that. It is Kazuki´s private matter. Can´t you girls just drop it?¨
It was not difficult to figure out what they were talking about. And it hurt. Not only having to see his lover in such a situation but also hearing the boy feigning ignorance about their relationship, their mutual feelings. It was as if the encounter at the park had not happened at all and everything was back to square one. Wataru was hardly to blame, though, because it was obvious that the boy was trying to protect both of them by concealing their forbidden relationship. To add salt to his injury, the helpless expression in those dark eyes was heart-breaking. But these girls were relentless.
¨But you have the same ring as Kazuki-san...¨
¨If you have any problem with me, come talk to me directly.¨ Kazuki sternly raised his voice. To hell with all his reputation. Why hesitate when the person he loved was being hurt? At that moment he did not even care about what happened if the cat was out of the bag altogether. But he reminded himself to keep his cool and proceed with caution. Wataru was the one more likely to be seriously harmed if he made one false move.
Everyone was dumbfounded at Kazuki´s dramatic entrance. He crossed his arm and looked straightly at the scene in front of him, showing as clearly as possible that he was seriously annoyed, even angry. None of the fangirls dared to look at him in the eyes. Wataru, half relieved half surprised, gave him a questioning glance. He softened his gaze a bit when he looked at his lover, trying to assure the boy that everything would be alright. A girl, possibly the leader, timidly said.
¨You change the ring to your ring finger, so we want to know...¨
¨...whether I have a girlfriend or not.¨ Kazuki calmly finished the sentence for her. The whole group was stunt by his directness and blushed. ¨Well, the answer is yes. I am officially in a relationship now and this ring is the proof of that.¨ He raised his hand to show the shining silver ring with a gold centreline. The girls were crestfallen, but to tell the truth, he did not feel sorry for them one bit because of their treatment to Wataru. He coldly continued. ¨So from today, be informed that I won´t accepts gifts. Nor will I hear out confessions. Don´t waste your breath and your money.¨
¨But Kazuki-san...¨ The girls protested but one look from him was enough to keep them silent.
¨One more thing. Don´t bother anyone about me.¨ He looked at Wataru meaningfully and the dark-eyed boy blushed. Luckily, every one was too focused on the famous senior to notice that. Kazuki reluctantly wrenched his gaze from his lover and resumed his speech ¨If I hear about any fuss concerning me, I will show no mercy.¨ He emphasized every syllable so that no one can doubt the seriousness of his declaration.
The girls were even more aggravated after this statement, perhaps partly due to Kazuki´s openly harsh attitude, something they had not experienced from him so far. They quietly disbanded, and so did the on-lookers, leaving the two lovers together. It took Kazuki every restraint not to embrace his lover tightly as they were still in the hallway under indiscreet eyes. Wataru said nothing but just by gazing into the large dark eyes, he could tell that the boy was happy. A sense of pride filled his whole being. His action broke a lot of hearts and damaged his image, but it helped the one he loved, and that was enough. He gave his beloved an assuring pat on the shoulder, silently promising that from now on, he would not let the boy regret for falling in love with him.