~ Four ~

Marui rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as he looked away to the side – was that graffiti on the wall?

The girl before him fidgeted on the spot and she clasped her hands together, glancing up at Marui through her eyelashes every few seconds. Marui let out a sigh.

"Look – "

.~.

"First day back in school and you've already been called out," Yoshida Azura, one of Marui's classmates, a loudmouth and nosy guy, called out; he even added a cat-whistle at the end of the sentence. "What didya say?"

Marui flung himself down onto his chair and leaned back, so that his chair was only balancing on two legs. "What do you think?"

Yoshida pounced over to his desk and sat on it, Marui frowned. "You accepted didn't ya? You cunning little bastard. Well, she's cute, I wouldn't say hot 'cause – "

Marui sighed. "Shut up will you? I didn't accept. And get off my desk."

Yoshida clicked his tongue and jumped off Marui's desk. "This is why I hate popular guys like you, think that you are the best in the world."

Marui rolled his eyes. 'You're the one who bothered me.'

"My my, look who decided to show up."

Marui looked up to stare right into mischievous blue eyes.

"Says the one who missed the first two periods." Marui leaned forwards, so that his chair was stable. "Ditcher," he added after a few thoughts.

"I had an appointment." Niou placed his bag down. "Missed me?"

"In your dreams."

"Hm…so not cute."

"Well excuse me for living! Plus, a guy like me shouldn't even be cute, how about calling me cool instead?" Niou stared at Marui for seconds, and the corners of his lips started to twitch. "Are you laughing? You…!"

Niou placed his arms on Marui's desk and leaned forwards; his desk was just right in front of Marui's. Niou let out a laugh as he glanced up at the red head. "Heard that you got confessed to."

"Word travels fast doesn't it?" Marui ran his fingers through his hair.

"You rejected her didn't you?"

"What's it got to do with you?"

"Well, I'm your boyfriend." The grin on Niou's face made Marui want to smack him. "Unless you're telling me that you're a two-timer."

"I've never once thought that you were my boyfriend."

Niou faked a gasp. "I'm hurt Marui, how could you? To my tender and loving heart?"

"Go die." Marui flicked Niou on the forehead; the Trickster was just so conveniently there.

"Lies. You don't mean that. Not when you came to school for the purpose of seeing me." Niou sat up straight and rubbed his forehead, which was turning reddish in colour.

"Yeah…think just that… I just came 'cause I've been missing too many assignments, can't be absent for so long that I can't graduate."

"So you're saying that you don't want to be separated from me." Niou had a glint in his eyes.

"How did you get that?" Marui gaped.

"I know your hidden feelings underneath those hurtful words, Marui." Niou leaned in so close that Marui could feel his breath on his skin.

Marui moved his head away. "Now being held back a year seems so tempting. Anything to get away from you."

"Hey! Didn't we promise to go to the same high school, and be in the same class again?"

"Since when?"

"Since you agreed to be my boyfriend."

"Can I throw you into the ocean?" A vein nearly popped on Marui's head.

"Only if you're going with me."

"Sicko." There was a pause. "You're only doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

Niou blinked as if stunned, but no change in emotion was expressed on his face.

"Then all I have to do is just wait for you to get bored."

Niou turned away.

A/N: I don't know, but throwing people into the ocean seems fun. Well, depends on the situation.

mcangel1976: Glad to hear that you're laughing :D It makes me very happy. Niou seems to me as the type who wouldn't express his emotions like on his face, but yeah, he'll most probably be hurt. 'Cause he'd be experienced in not letting his true emotions be seen while dressing up as other people, like Yagyuu for instance.