A/N: Hello my dear readers,
here it is, the latest chapter of "Red Strings of Destiny". Like in the previous chapters I didn't change anything in the way the events happen, but I need to point out two things:
1. I based the conversation between Takumi and Gii about the grave visit on the scene in the extended version of the movie because the conversation there is a little more detailed.
2. I extended Takumi's monologue we can hear while he and Gii are walking to the grave because I thought it would be a nice idea to imagine what else Takumi might have told his brother while he's praying at his grave.

I hope that you will enjoy the read and as usual a little comment containing your thoughts is much apprciated.

Disclaimer:
I don't own anything except for this fanfic.


Chapter 3 – Part B

Tranquil and peaceful…if you had to describe the weeks that have followed the night at the concert hall, those two words would probably be in any respect the most fitting ones for not only have the days since that special night passed quietly and rather uneventfully, but you are feeling calm as well as at ease again.

To both, your and Gii's joy, not to mention relief, you have completely recovered from your relapse, your life as a student of Shidou Gakuin has become normal again, just as if your human contact phobia had never resurfaced and whenever you think back to the events of that evening at the old auditorium you can't help but blush a little while your heart inevitably begins to beat a tad faster because your relationship with the most popular and famous student of the school has not only gone back to the way it used to be prior to the arrival of the new students from very influential families but has grown even deeper as well as more profound.

True to the promise you and the handsome upper-class man have made to each other the two of you are living a double life, pretending to be indifferent to each other whenever you meet on campus, the school building or any other facilities during school hours while meeting in secret to spend some quality time with one another and to your great relief that masquerade seems to work just fine.

The rumors amongst the first year students about you and Gii being romantically involved have gradually died down over the past few weeks and none of the freshmen who are following your boyfriend around like shadows wherever he goes, fawning over him like fans over an idol while competing for his attention, have tried to bother or bully you so far, for which you are extremely grateful and you pray every night that for your and your beloved's sake things are going to stay that way.

Another thing that makes you really happy is that the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin is looking much better these days than he had at the beginning of the school year, a much welcomed side effect you attribute to the fact that the handsome upper-class man has come to understand that he wouldn't have to carry the burden of being the object of pray to the majority of the new students all by himself anymore, but that he can confidently depend upon you, as well as some other friends, especially Akaike, to take at least some of that weight off him.

The president of the disciplinary committee has not only become a co-conspirator but the link of communication between you and Gii, during those times when you aren't able to meet in secret due to your schedules or to exchange clandestine messages, and has even provided you with a new hideaway after the demolition of the old concert hall had finally begun while your roommate Misu Arata helps you out by either covering for you whenever you sneak off to your boyfriend's room after curfew or by coming up with some plausible excuse to leave the room you are sharing whenever you are expecting a visit from your one and only.

Generally speaking your life with the head of the student council as your roommate has turned out to be much better that you had expected. The two of you have become closer and ever since Gii has revealed to you that it had been Misu who had told him about your relapse and the consequences of his actions you have come to consider the cold, distant student as a friend and ally, thinking at times that he is in many respects a lot like the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin, especially when it comes to meddling in other people's affairs, not that you would ever share those musings with your roommate, given that he is still regarding Gii as a rival, but that particular thought never fails to bring a smile upon your face and you can't help but feel that Misu's dislike for your boyfriend has started to weaken and that there is a good chance for the two boys to reconcile, maybe to become friends even, not the closest of friends perhaps, but friends nonetheless.

Another person you have become friends with is Shingyouji Kanemitsu, Misu's 'boy toy' who is treated more like a possession or a pet by the head of the student council rather than a lover or boyfriend. Compared to you the poor sophomore has it much harder since his ardent affection for your roommate is seemingly unrequited, even though you are beginning to wonder whether that is really the case, especially when you take Misu's complicated personality as well as his habit not to let it show what he is really thinking or feeling in to consideration, but however that may be your roommate's cold, master-like behavior towards Shingyouji causes the raven-haired second grade student a lot of pain, not to mention that it makes him feel terribly insecure and quite often you are feeling extremely bad for the boy.

On top of that you have quickly come to understand that Shingyouji obviously no one else other than you to whom he can openly talk to about his feelings for the head of the student council and knowing from experience how hard it can be to be unable to share thoughts and feelings with anyone you have listened patiently to the boy whenever he needed to vent about the problems in his relationship with Misu or ease his mind, providing him with comfort and encouragement while he has become your source of consolation at times when you hadn't been able to meet Gii for a while or whenever you had been missing him and thus, in a relatively short amount of time, the raven-haired sophomore and you have become quite close.

All in all life these days at Shidou Gakuin is good from where you are standing, so far there hasn't been any real cause to repine and thanks to the help of your friends you had even been able to go on a secret Golden Week trip with Gii, a trip that had turned out to be a truly romantic couple holiday in the county side thus far away from any curious eyes of which you have enjoyed every minute to the fullest.

Since then time has literally flown by and before you are consciously aware of it the first exam period of the school year has come, bringing with it the beginning of the rainy season, a time of the year that dampens your spirits more than any other. You dread and dislike this particular time of year, June, not only because it's a season full of grey, rainy and therefore gloomy days, but it holds and always brings back painful memories of the past.

It had been a grey, rainy afternoon in June when your brother had laid hands upon you, had violated you for the first time…it had been years later on a dull, grey day during the same season when your parents had finally found out what had been going on and had turned their backs on you instead of helping you and last but not least it had been on the 15th of June, in the middle of the rainy season, when Naoto had passed away at the mental hospital.

You try to block those memories out as best as you can, since it's the only way for you to keep sane and usually you succeed pretty well in your endeavors to prevent your dark past from haunting you, especially after you have meet Gii, have become romantically involved with him and have therefore trusted him with the story of your childhood at some point, but no matter how hard you try you inevitably start reliving the past through images that appear before your mind's eye, through dreams and flashes every year once June and the rainy season have at last come around and the knowledge of having your beloved boyfriend by your side to support you, to provide you with a shoulder to lean on as well as with words of consolation, encouragement and reassurance during the difficult weeks that are lying ahead of you is the greatest of comforts.

You are well aware of the fact that, with the death anniversary of your brother drawing nearer, a letter from your mother is bound to arrive sometime within the next couple of days and you are dreading both events for your feelings are still in turmoil, your thoughts still a hopeless jumble when it comes to the subject of the annual visit of Naoto's grave, the issue of paying your respects to your brother as the common rules of society as well as decency demand and you are still trying to figure out the best way of dealing with this matter in the days to come.

The previous year you had, thanks to Gii's encouragement, finally gone to visit your brother's grave for the very first time since his passing and it had cost you quite an effort to do so due to the bitterness and resentment you were harboring in your heart, feelings that had been almost akin to hatred for the brother you used to admire and love so dearly, the one person in your life you had trusted fully and unconditionally, the teenager who, instead of protecting you, had in the end not only ruined your childhood with his despicable actions but had scarred you for the rest of your life.

Looking back to that day one year prior you have to admit that you feel proud of yourself for having mustered the courage to visit Naoto's grave at last as well as glad for this visit had changed a great deal of things for you.

You had never bothered to ask your parents about any details concerning you brother's death since knowing that he had passed away due to heart failure, after a severe case of pneumonia he had come down with after having spent hours walking in the pouring rain wearing nothing but his pajama, had always been enough for you, but the day you had visited the grave last June you had happened upon one of the hospital's nurses who had also wanted to pay her respects to Naoto.

From her you had learned that your brother had obviously walked the woods in search of you for he had constantly been calling your name and had until his last breath begged you for forgiveness for his deeds and thanks to the account of that nurse you had finally been able to let go of your animosity for Naoto, to make, at least to some extent, peace with him and to draw an end to that chapter of your life for the sake of being able to finally move on.

Thanks to that grave visit a heavy burden had been taken off your shoulders and a dark, heavy cloud that had continued to overshadow your life at Shidou Gakuin, in spite of all the blessings you had experienced since your enrollment at that prestigious school, had at last been lifted, for which you are extremely grateful, but that you have at last managed to make your peace with your brother after all those years doesn't change the events of the past or the fact that the memories of what he has done to you are not only still vivid in your mind but extremely painful whenever they resurface.

oOo

"The 8th of June …one more week," you mouth inaudibly as your gaze happens to fall upon the calendar that's sitting on your desk in your dorm room and a faint sigh escapes your lips as you glance from the corner of your eye over to the other occupant of the room, Shingyouji, who is sitting comfortably on Misu's bed flipping through one of the books that belong to your roommate while you are mulling over your homework. You have grown used to the sophomore dropping by several afternoons a week in hopes to meet Misu or in order to wait for him whenever the busy student is out and can't be found in the office of the student council.

"Oh, it's raining again," you remark quietly, thus breaking the comfortable silence and look up from your notebook. "No, it isn't," Shingyouji retorts, sounding slightly confused at your revelation and rises from the bed. "It's drizzling, believe me. You can't see or hear it, but it's there nonetheless," you explain confidently while the sophomore makes his way over to the window, pulls back the curtains and opens one of the sash.

"It really is raining," he exclaims in astonishment and you can't help but smile to yourself at his reaction. "That's amazing Hayama-san! How could you tell?" "It has suddenly gotten more humid, hasn't it," you simply state in response, trying to sound casual, unwilling to share the real reason for your sensitivity to the weather during the rainy season with your new friend. "Would you mind closing the window Shingyouji-kun? It's getting a little cold in here."

"Of course Hayama-san," the raven-haired student replies and obediently shuts the window before pulling the curtains back into place. "If Gii-senpai knew I was exposing you to the risk of catching a cold, this year would turn out a living hell for me." "What are you talking about," you chuckle nervously, not exactly liking the direction into which the conversation is going. "It's not that Gii and I are dating or anyth…" "That may be so, but I think that you are still in love with Gii-senpai and he with you," the sophomore interrupts you gently, "so whether the two of you are officially dating or not isn't really of much importance, now is it?"

"Shingyouji-kun…about me and Gii…," you begin carefully, feeling that, based on what you have just heard, you could trust Misu's pet with the truth regarding your and Gii's relationship, only to be interrupted once more. "Based on your character, I think that you aren't the kind of guy who suddenly changes his heart between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next," he says firmly while rummaging through Misu's books that are neatly lined up on his desk and you can't help but blush a little, surprised at how well the younger boy is able to read you, especially since it has been only quite recently that the two of you have begun to become closer.

"If you switch things around too much, Misu will find out and you will get scolded again," you slyly remark on the boy's actions, in hopes to be able to change the topic and breathing a faint sigh of relief when the little scheme works out to your advantage. "Arata-san doesn't care that much about me," Shingyouji sighs somewhat dejectedly and your heart immediately goes out for the raven-haired sophomore. "Lately the only thing I get to hear from him is 'I'm busy, I'm busy'."

"You mean you haven't met Misu-kun recently," you ask somewhat astonished for Shingyouji would usually follow Misu around at any chance he got. "We have met alright, but that's only because we are both living here," the boy sighs despondently before jumping abruptly to his feet once he has taken a glance at the large clock on the wall. "Arata-san will most likely be back very soon, so I should get going," he explains while smoothing out his clothes. "He is probably going to kill me if he finds out that I came here without letting him know about it in advance."

And with that Shingyouji grabs the comic magazine and before you get the chance to say anything he has closed the door from the outside and smiling mildly at yourself at the actions of Misu's pet that are serving the single purpose of getting his master's attention you turn your attention back to your homework only to be interrupted by the PA system going off, a male voice announcing that you have a phone call and requesting you to head immediately down to the phone booth in the lobby.

For a second or two you remain motionlessly in your seat, heartbeat speeding up a pace as a sense of foreboding overcomes you and just a couple of minutes later your assumptions and apprehensions are confirmed. "Hello Takumi, how are you doing," the voice of your mother, to whom you haven't spoken ever since the spring term of the new school year had started, reaches your ear and you instantaneously grow tense for you absolutely certain about the purpose of the call. "Hello mother. I'm fine, thanks and you," you reply somewhat hesitantly and after a few minutes of meaningless, not to mention tense and awkward small talk about your father and the progress of your studies your mother finally changes the topic of the conversation, revealing the reason for her call and once more all your apprehensions are confirmed.

"Well Takumi, what are you going to do," she begins cautiously and you harden your heavy, troubled heart, your defense mechanisms kicking in almost instantaneously. "You know that you brother's death anniversary is approaching and…" "I'm sorry mother," you interrupt her in midsentence in a soft, yet determined voice. "I'm not sure yet. With the exams approaching and all my other school related duties I'm really busy at the moment, so I can't promise anything." "I understand, but I'll send you the train tickets anyway," your mother replies quietly after a moment of oppressing, almost deafening silence, "so that you can go and pay your respects to Naoto in case your schedule allows you to."

"Thank you mother," you reply hesitantly, trying to hide your discomfort and uneasiness as best as you can and once the two of you have exchanged their goodbyes you hang up the phone, a pained sigh leaking from your lips while you attempt to calm your raw nerves as well as your churned up emotions. For several long moments you keep staring at the telephone, rooted motionlessly to your spot, on the fence about what to do before you finally decide to make your way up to the long, narrow balcony that is accessible from the top floor of the dorm building, a quiet spot and therefore the perfect place to collect one's thoughts and as you lean against the balcony's wooden balustrade, staring out into the dense curtain of raindrops with unseeing eyes you review the conversation with your mother in your mind.

Her call had taken you by surprise for, in previous years, she had never bothered you give you one when Naoto's death anniversary had been approaching, had only send you a letter containing the train tickets and the only plausible reason you can think of, as to why she had decided to speak to you personally about visiting you brother's grave this time, is that she must have heard from the hospital's staff that you had actually gone and paid your respects to Naoto the year before because you have never told your parents about that visit to your brother's grave.

You also have to admit that you are feeling a little guilty for having turned your mother's request to finally visit Naoto's grave together with her and your father down, but you are not yet ready for that step and you are not quite sure if you are ever going to be, for even though people say that time is a great healer, you have come to understand that there are some things time cannot mend, wounds that have run too deep and have left equally deep scars behind, scars that are never going to fade.

You might have, after several long years, finally been able to let go of your resentment for Naoto and to make peace with him, but you are still far from being able to say the same for your parents. You still can't forget their conduct, the way they have treated you, especially after that fateful afternoon when your mother had finally discovered what had been going on between you and your brother and you simply can't bring yourself to pretend that everything between you and your parents is alright when in reality things are far from being so.

If there is one person in the world you would like to be accompanied by, should you indeed decide to go and pay your respects to Naoto like you did the previous year, then you want it to be the one who gave you the strength to face your past, to finally pay that first dreaded visit to your brothers grave 365 days since which had at last allowed you to move on with your life, your dearest boyfriend and lover Saki Giichi and an idea begins to form in your head, an idea that, within the blink of an eye, brings a mild smile to your face.

Thus on your way back home when you run coincidentally into the president of the disciplinary committee you ask him if he would have some time to meet you later that afternoon, the smile that had been playing about your lips immediately growing wider when you receive a positive reply from Gii's best friend and so about two hours later you find yourself sitting in the lobby of the dorm building, waiting anxiously.

"Hayama, I hope you haven't been waiting long," Akaike's voice rips you out of your thoughts. "I have to admit that I was quite surprised when you asked me earlier about meeting you as soon as possible." "Thank you Akaike-kun for taking the time to meet me here on such a short notice," you reply and offer the tall, dark-haired student who had made himself comfortable in an armchair opposite the one you are sitting in, a shy smile. "I know how busy you are." "Don't mention it Hayama, after all we are good friends, aren't we," the so addressed boy replies in his usual, calm and collected manner, "so why don't you tell me what's on your mind for I can tell by the look on your face that there is something you desperately wish to talk about, something that keeps occupying your mind and I guess it's related to a certain amber-haired student."

"Yes, you are right," you confirm the other's assumptions somewhat hesitantly yet truthfully. "I need to see Gii in private. It's quite urgent and…" "…and you want me to set up a meeting with Shidou Gakuin's finest student, am I right," Akaike finishes the sentence upon which you merely nod your head in confirmation. "May I ask why you want to meet him so all of a sudden?" "I need to speak to him about a private matter, something that is very important to me, so I'd be really grateful if you could help me out," you explain meekly while shyly casing your eyes and another brief moment of silence which seems like an eternity to you settles between Gii's best friend and you.

"Really, I don't believe it. I have become a messenger boy," the president of the disciplinary committee snorts at last any your heart sinks immediately as those words keep echoing in your ears since Akaike is the only safe and trustworthy connection to Gii that you have and you are just about to plead with the tall, dark-haired student when he speaks up again. "Playing messenger boy for you and Gii is tiresome, but under the present circumstances I guess it can't be helped."

"Y-You mean that it's okay, that you will convey my message to Gii," you ask shyly. Your heart beating like a drum when you look up to face the other boy again and a sigh of relief tears from you when you perceive him nodding his head almost imperceptibly. "When and where would you like to meet," he asks with a mild smile on his lips. "What's your schedule like?"

"Ano…let me think, I don't have anything special on the agenda for the remainder of the week," you reply hesitantly while trying to come up with a meeting place that is easy to access for your boyfriend and you yet not much frequented by others and therefore rather discreet. "You practice the violin at the greenhouse almost every afternoon, don't you," Akaike asks slyly thus interrupting your thoughts. "So how about meeting Gii there tomorrow afternoon after classes? Would that be alright?"

"Tomorrow afternoon…that would be perfect," you practically beam, the thought of being able to meet your beloved so soon making you feel immediately warm and fuzzy inside and you can feel your cheeks reddening with excitement. "Well, that's settled then. I will deliver your message to Gii tonight," the president of the disciplinary committee states and rises to his feet offering you another mild, encouraging smile, "so make your way to the greenhouse as soon as you can after the final lesson has let out tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you Akaike-kun. I promise I will," you reply softly before the tall, dark-haired student takes his leave and as you keep your eyes riveted the boy's retreating back until it is out of your sight, a happy smile that keeps lingering on your features even after having returned to your room starts forming on your lips and the last thing that appears before your mind's eye as you are slowly drifting off to sleep several hours later is an image of your one and only, his beautiful eyes holding that warm, affectionate glow that is exclusively reserved for you.

oOo

The sound of your alarm clock rips you rather abruptly out of your peaceful slumber and once you have rubbed the sleep out of your eyes while trying to stifle a yawn a mild smile begins to tug at the corners of your mouth as your thoughts drift to your upcoming meeting with Gii and your heart inevitably begins to beat a tad faster. However, you also know that you have to make it through six tedious classes first and as you get ready for the day that lies ahead of you, you are trying with all your might to focus on the task at hand…studying.

The first period starts off with the usual fifteen minutes of homeroom during which the class representative Minoiwa not only announces that this year's special summer event is going be a snooker tournament but that it would be held on Sunday the 15th of June, the day of your brother's death anniversary and you can't help but starting to feel somewhat anxious because of the information you have just heard, doubt and insecurity beginning to gnaw at you almost instantaneously.

As the most famous and popular student of Shidou Gakuin would surely be expected to participate in that tournament, so even if Gii were to wholeheartedly accept your request, would it possible for him to accompany you to your brother's grave due to all the expectations of students and teachers alike that would surely weigh heavily on his shoulders from this moment onwards and thus, as the school hours keep slowly ticking by, you try your best to focus on the lessons taught, but no matter how often you attempt to block out the rather distressing news for the time being you simply don't succeed, a sense of foreboding that is lingering somewhere in the back of your mind refusing to go away and by the time the lunchtime bell starts ringing at last you find yourself wishing that you could put the clock forward, so that you could finally meet up with your boyfriend.

Consequently the afternoon lessons can't let out too soon for your liking and at the first sound of the final bell you literally dart out of the classroom, down the corridor and stairs towards the main entrance of the building, then make your way to the greenhouse in record time, not caring about the odd glances some students are throwing you and while taking several deep breaths to fill your lungs with the much needed oxygen, after your mad dash you have just made, you sit down on the edge of one of the big planters that are arranged on a slightly elevated, wooden patio.

Once you have calmed down a little you can't help but laugh lightly about your antics and glance at your watch, an action you repeat countless times as the minute hand of the watch keep slowly moving forward on the dial, your nervousness and restlessness growing with every passing minute and when you finally, after what has seemed like a little eternity, perceive the sound of the door being opened, followed by the one of footsteps you jump from your seat in anticipation as if you had been burned, unable to hold back a deep, dejected sigh of disappointment upon noticing that the person who has just entered the greenhouse isn't the one you are so desirous to meet, but your roommate's pet-like boytoy, second-year student Shingyouji Kanemitsu.

"Hayama-san, it's terrible! He has found out," the sophomore exclaims in a desperate manner and trying to conceal your disappointment as best as you can you force a mild, compassionate smile onto your face. "He has found out everything!" "Are you talking about the comic you took from Misu the other day without having asked for his permission," you ask slightly confused and sit back down, somehow succeeding in suppressing a dejected sigh. "Did you get scolded again?"

"No, no! That's not what I'm talking about. I mean RinRin, the stray kitten I found a couple of weeks ago," Shingyouji explains hastily and you do your best to pay attention to the younger boy's account while your mind is occupied with a totally different matter. "Arata-san found out that I adopted that kitten. That guy dislikes animals, even such cute ones as cats and dogs and he threatened that he would report to the head teacher about me keeping that kitten because students aren't allowed to keep pets on campus. If Arata-san really tells the teacher RinRin will be taken away and will surely end up in one of these horrible pounds, so please Hayama-san help me! Help me to protect RinRin, I beg you!"

With that Shingyouji's voice trails off and unable to resist the pleading as well as hopeful look the sophomore is giving you, you hesitantly agree to do what you can to prevent his kitten from being taken away. "Really?! Thank you Hayama-san for doing this, thank you so much," Misu's pet exclaims gratefully while grabbing your hands, the boy's face glowing with relief and happiness and after he has thanked you a second time the second-year student darts off to his kyudou practice, thus leaving you to your thoughts again.

Sinking back onto the edge of the planter you listen to the boy's footsteps that are quickly growing more and more distant until they at last trail away completely and soon the greenhouse has fallen silent once more, except for the sound of the raindrops patter softly onto the glass roof. Another series of seemingly endless minutes ticks by and after you have checked your watch for the umpteenth time, with a sad sigh tearing from your lips, a feeling of anxiety begins to churn inside you.

"Gii, where are you? What's keeping you," you whisper almost inaudibly and the words have barely left your mouth the sound of the door being opened reaches your ears once more, this time followed the appearance of a familiar shock of hair between the tall plants and saplings and, at least in your opinion, the most beautiful baritone voice in the world. "Yo," the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin greets you smiling warmly once the two of you have come face to face and before your beloved is given the chance to say anything else you have jumped up from your seat and thrown yourself into the handsome upper-class man's arms with so much strength that it causes the tall boy to stagger, light laughter escaping his mouth as he returns your embrace, holding you tight in the most in the most loving and affectionate manner. "Takumi?"

"I'm so glad you came. I began to think that you wouldn't be able to make it because of your duties," you breathe softly and rest your head comfortably in the curve of your boyfriend's neck. "I had almost given up hope." "Have I made you wait that long," Gii replies in the most soothing manner upon which you raise your head to face him properly and you have barely met his gaze when he reaches out to tenderly cup the sides of your face with his hands. "I'm sorry Takumi that I have kept you waiting," he whispers breathy, ever so slowly inching closer, thus causing your heart to speed up a pace in anticipation and as soon as you finally feel your lover's lips brushing softly against your own your eyes drift shut.

Responding eagerly to the most gentle and affectionate kiss the handsome upper-class man is bestowing upon your lips you quickly lose yourself in the heavenly taste and feeling of it as well as in the precious minutes of intimacy the two of you are sharing, unable to hold back a faint sigh of dismay when the lack of oxygen finally forces you to pull away. With burning cheeks you meet Gii's eyes once more and for a long, beautiful moment you simply gaze deeply at each other during which you contently drink in the love and affection reflecting in your beloved's hazel-colored orbs before you finally decide to break the magic of it in order to address the matter for which you have asked the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin to come and meet you, even though it costs you a good deal of effort for you could happily remain in the amber-haired youth's arms like that forever.

"Gii, ano ne…," you begin somewhat clumsily, trying to find the right words for what you want to request from your one and only, but much to your dismay the sound of the door being opened, announcing a new arrival, not only prevents you from continuing but makes Gii jump away from you and he hastily takes his leave, throwing you a quick glance over his shoulder before he at last disappears a row of tall, leafy plants, his handsome features holding an apologetic as well as worried expression.

"Oh dear, it seems like I have interrupted something," the new arrival who turns out to be Ohashi-sensei, the biology teacher, addresses you and steps closer, affectionately petting the kitten he is holding gently in his arms. "Saki was looking quite pale when he left just now." "No, no, you haven't. He said that he had been in the middle of something and just happened to pass by," you reply quickly, afraid that your secret might have been discovered despite your and Gii's efforts, being more than grateful when the kitten playfully scratches the teacher's hand, which causes the man to his in pain, for that incident stirs the conversation exactly in the direction you wanted it to go.

"Ah sensei, I wanted to tell you something regarding RinRin," you change the topic in hopes the teacher would take the bait and leave the subject of your relationship with Gii alone. "Apparently Misu-kun has found out that you are keeping the kitten here and I'm worried that RinRin might be taken away to the pound since keeping pets on campus is prohibited." "That might be true, that rule applies for students only, doesn't it," the middle-aged man explains with a mild smile playing about his lips. "But I'm a teacher and since there aren't any rules regarding teachers and pets, I think there shouldn't be any problem to keep RinRin."

"Really, that's good to hear sensei. Thank you," you reply breathing a sigh of relief happy that the kitten is going to be safe as well as elated that you'll be able to put a big smile on Shingyouji's face, not to mention that you'll also take a heavy weight off his heart by giving him the news and when you are just about to bid the teacher goodbye he speaks up once more, his words not taking you by surprise, but making you feel once again nervous and uncomfortable.

"You are very close to Saki, aren't you," he states with another mild smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and your heartbeat immediately speeds up a pace, but you are determined to keep your cool for both your and your beloved's sake. "No, not particularly," you reply in a seemingly collected manner, trying to hide your discomfort behind a slightly shaky smile, hoping that your act would suffice to convince the teacher that you had spoken the truth. "Is that so," the middle-aged man muses thoughtfully after a brief moment of silence. "But when Saki left a while ago he seemed pretty worried about you. I'm quite sure of that."

"You really think so," you inquire, trying to sound casually, letting your gaze inconspicuously wander to the path that is leading towards the door of the greenhouse and once you have bid finally bid the teacher goodbye a short while later you make your way back to the dorm grounds contemplating the question how you could arrange another private meeting with Gii as soon as possible, especially since the news of the snooker tournament has already spread all over the campus and you are therefore fearing that, if you don't act quickly, meaning before anyone gets the chance to bug him about the event, your one and only will give in to the pressure exerted on him by students and teachers alike due to his status in the school and agree to participate even if he doesn't want to.

With a desperate sigh tearing from your lips you enter the dorm building and after a moment of hesitation you walk over to the post boxes, your fingers trembling slightly as you open the box labeled '270' for you know that a certain letter is due to arrive any day now or might even have arrived already and you can't hold back a gasp when you notice that inside the postbox sits an envelope that's addressed to you. For a long moment you only gaze upon it, a feeling of discomfort and anxiety beginning to churn inside you almost instantaneously, even though you were mentally prepared for this moment or at least you had thought that you were, and as you take the letter out of the postbox it costs you an enormous effort to keep yourself from breaking into trembles for a flood of memories has begun to enter your mind.

You remember the day one year prior when a similar letter had arrived as if it had been only yesterday. You vividly recall the pain, anger and the animosity you had felt when you had been holding the envelope in your hands, not to mention the panic and anxiety that had literally taken your breath away and had eventually caused you to faint, but you also remember, yet again, the other events of that day, the events that have changed your life forever.

You think back to the hours in room 305 after you had regained consciousness, the memory of the first time Gii had made love to you, his sincere assurance of his affection for you as well as the comfort he had provided by simply holding you tight and whispering sweet, soothing nothings into your ear after you had finally trusted him with the story of your past, bringing a gentle smile to your face and while you are climbing the stairs to the second floor an idea as to how you could encounter your boyfriend in private before curfew begins to form in your head.

Still contemplating the and weighing the risks of your endeavor you enter your room, perplexed to find Misu sitting at his desk studying for usually is, during weekdays, seldom in at this time of the afternoon due to his duties as head of the student council which were often keeping him busy until dinner time, but you quickly recover from your surprise and once you have exchanged greetings, you decide to confront him about the matter of Shingyouji and the kitten, especially since it would also be the perfect way to distract your roommate's attention from the envelope in your hands.

"Ne Misu, you know you really upset Shingyouji with your threat to report to the head teacher about RinRin," you say softly and begin to change out of your uniform into something more comfortable. "He was extremely worried that the kitten would be taken away and would end up in the pound. You really shouldn't do such things to him."

"Hayama, it seems that recently you and Shingyouji are spending a lot of time together, so I would like to warn you," the so addressed student replies in his typical, collected and slightly distant manner that never fails to leave people guessing about the boy's true thoughts and feelings. "Don't become too close to Shingyouji. I don't like it. Shingyouji is my possession."

"But the two of you aren't officially dating or anything," you answer innocently, trying to suppress a grin at the display of Misu's jealousy, not that the head of the student council would ever admit to having such feelings, for his reaction to your relationship with Shingyouji clearly shows that he cares more about the sophomore, is more attached to him and holds more affection for the boy than he is leading on. "Besides, my heart belongs to Gii and Gii only. Shingyouji and I are only friends and I guess that for several reasons I'm the only one he can comfortably talk to about his love and adoration for you."

"That might be so," Misu states somewhat thoughtfully and suddenly rises to his feet. "I need some fresh air, so I'm going for a walk. See you later," he announces and only a short while later you find yourself alone in the room. Smiling mildly to yourself, for you are having a pretty good idea as to where your roommate might be going, you walk over to your desk and sit down, staring for several long moments at the envelope you have put there before you finally open it to inspect its content that turns out to be a round-trip ticket for the train accompanied by a short, handwritten note from your mother, just as you had expected.

With a sigh escaping your lips you put the piece of paper down and once you have gazed at the train ticket again you rise resolutely from your seat, then head for the door, your need and desire to see Gii and to speak to him at last becoming too much to bear. "We used to be roommates last year, so this is no big deal," you keep repeating in your head like a mantra as you climb the stairs to the third floor, your heartbeat speeding up with almost every step you are taking and beating so hard against your ribs by the time you have reached room 300 that it has become somewhat painful.

For several long moments keep standing indecisively in front of the door, rooted motionlessly to your spot, the resolution and determination you had been having when you had left your room being now replaced by doubt and insecurity and after another couple of seconds have ticked by you finally turn on your heals to head back downstairs, mentally scolding yourself for your weakness and cowardice, but you have only taken a few steps when the voice of a freshman causes you to halt in your tracks. "If you need to see Gii-senpai, he is definitely in. I've seen him enter the room earlier."

You politely acknowledge the boy's information with a nod of the head as well as with a shy smile, even though the news doesn't do much to make you feel any better about yourself and when you notice what the younger student is up to only a second later he has already knocked on the door before giving any chance to object. "Gii-senpai, you have a visitor," he announces once the door has opened, excusing himself with a polite bow as soon as the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin has stepped out into the corridor.

"Takumi," the handsome upper-class man exclaims somewhat surprised, but with a warm smile gracing his lips and you can't help but start to fidget a little. "A-Ano," you begin clumsily, not daring to look your boyfriend straight into the eyes, only to be interrupted almost instantaneously. "Stop flirting with the freshmen and come in already," your beloved says with a teasing undertone in his warm voice and pulls you inside, closes the door then pushes you into the living area of the room with gentle resoluteness before you get any chance to protest where you find Minoiwa sitting comfortably on the small sofa, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Oh Hayama, good evening," the dark-haired student greets you smiling mildly and rises to his feet mere seconds after you have returned the greeting in an equally polite manner. "I have just remembered that I have some important business to attend to," he excuses himself nonchalantly, obviously knowing very well how to read the atmosphere in a room and quickly takes his leave. "What a weird excuse," Gii chuckles lightly once the door has been shut from the outside and offers you another smile. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Y-Yes, please," you stammer nervously and unsure of what to say or do you keep standing where you are, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other. "Takumi, stop worrying and sit down already," your boyfriend who has almost instantaneously noticed your insecurity states with gentle determination in his voice before he crosses the room to fetch a cup from the small cupboard, taking off his glasses and placing them on a table along the way, knowing that you aren't exactly fond of them since they are part of the Saki Giichi your beloved is pretending to be and not the real Gii, your Gii.

"Ano Gii, is it really alright for me to be here," you ask softly as you finally make your way to the sofa where you hesitantly lower yourself onto the soft, comfortable seat cushion. "Is it bad for us to be alone in this room at this time of the evening," your one and only remarks casually and taking you by surprise for he has once more put your thoughts perfectly into words. "If that's what you are thinking then you have nothing to worry about. After all I have been alone in here with Minoiwa just now."

"Ano, is Minoiwa-kun really okay with this," you ask cautiously, feelings of guilt for having interrupted the boy's meeting with Gii beginning to gnaw at you. "I mean he surely had a reason for coming here, right?" "it wasn't anything important I suppose," the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin answers with a light chuckle, the confident undertone in his voice providing you with some much needed reassurance and your nerves at last begin to calm down a little. "But however that may be, with so many different guys constantly coming and going I myself must seem suspicious, now don't I?"

With that his voice trails off and the handsome upper-class man returns to the living area, placing the coffee carefully down onto the table before taking the empty seat on the sofa right next to you. You instantly turn your head to face your beloved properly and for a long moment simply hold the boy's warm and affectionate gaze, the alluring mix of love and longing that is reflecting in his beautiful hazel-colored eyes making you feel all fuzzy inside.

"I'm really glad that you came," he whispers softly while running the back of his hand caressingly over your cheek which is more than enough to get you excited, to make you yearn for so much more than this loving yet innocent touch and you can't prevent yourself from letting out a faint, barely audible purr. "I've been regretting that kiss at the greenhouse ever since I left." "What?! A-Are you trying to say that…," you stutter highly alarmed and wide-eyed with apprehensibility as you experience a déjà-vu of a certain incident at the beginning of the school year and you can't help but be a little afraid to hear what your one and only might say next, but luckily the amber-haired students proves your misgivings wrong.

"No Takumi, calm down because that's not what I meant at all," he interrupts you, his soothing voice ringing with nothing but love and sincerity. "But you know me. You and I haven't been able to meet for a while in order to spend some quality time with each other and therefore I'm having only very little self-restraint," he then explains laughing nervously and in spite of the rather dim light in the room you can detect a faint blush tainting the handsome upper-class man's cheeks.

"Gii, then you aren't angry with me for showing up like that, without letting you know beforehand," you whisper hoarsely, convinced that your voice and eyes are holding the same longing and desire the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin had tried to put into words only a minute before. "Of course not," your one and only sighs breathy and the words have barely left his mouth when you feel his lips brushing sensually against your own.

Deciding instantaneously that the issue you came here to raise can wait, at least for the present moment, you let your eyes drift shut and willingly return the kiss that is bestowed upon you, enjoying its tenderness as well as relishing its taste, a taste you have become hopelessly addicted to since the evening at the concert hall when Gii had confessed to you. Unfortunately the need for air eventually forces you apart, a disapproving moan tearing from you when the handsome upper-class man reluctantly pulls away and not afraid to show your beloved that you want more you give him that innocent, yet seductive and heavy-lidded look you know he simply can't resist, rejoicing inwardly when the amber-haired youth reacts in the exact manner you had hoped he would.

"Don't tempt me Takumi," he breathes hoarsely upon which you close your eyes again and only a second later your mouth is taken captive once more. With a soft moan of pleasure leaking you, you eagerly return the kiss, parting your lips obligingly when you boyfriend outlines them in a playful yet highly stimulating manner, demanding entrance and Gii takes immediate advantage of it for not only does he deepen the kiss with ardent passion but pushes you down against the arm rest of the sofa with gentle determination.

Unable to keep another lustful sigh from escaping your lips you wrap your arms around your boyfriend's middle and quickly lose yourself in the heavenly sensation of the long, romantic kiss, savoring every second of it, enjoying the delightful tingles it sends down your spine, tingles that cause you to shiver lightly in pleasure and when Gii has at last pulled away your breath is hot and ragged.

"Ah…Takumi, I won't be in, so I'm going to switch off the light," the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin states only a second later, thus breaking the magic of the moment and pushes himself rather abruptly off the sofa which leaves you slightly confused and perplexed. "W-Were you planning on going out," you ask somewhat shyly, trying your best to sound nonchalantly and to hide your disappointment. "In that case I'll return immediately to my room and…" "That's not what I meant," your beloved replies with a mysterious, barely noticeable smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and pushes back onto the sofa from which you have half-risen already before he walks casually round the table then disappears in the short corridor that is leading to the door.

The next thing you hear is the sound of a lock being turned, followed by the one of a switch being flipped, upon which the room goes dark and merely a short while later the handsome upper-class man reappears, leaning himself casually against the corner of the wall. "Sofa or bed…which do you prefer," he says softly in his low, sexy bedroom voice, giving you such a seductive and longing look that it causes your cheeks to redden and for a long moment all you can do is to gaze back at the amber-haired student, totally mesmerized by his sex appeal and his charisma.

"Ei…Ei-Either one," you finally manage to stammer somehow, the words having barely left your mouth when Gii is already by your side, lifts you up from your seat into his arms without any effort, at least he makes it look that way, and carries you princess-style over to the bed, that is well hidden from curious eyes by a tall wardrobe, where he carefully lowers you into the pillows before greedily claiming your lips again with ardent longing and soon you immerse in the most heated and excited passion.

"Takumi, my Takumi," your beloved whispers wantonly between a series of kisses he has begun to trail down your neck, his husky voice heavily laden with lust as well as with need and the feeling of his heated breath tickling the sensitive skin of your throat sends shivers of pleasure down your spine.

"G-Gii," you gasp out hoarsely, pretty sure that your voice is heavy with the same need and desire that had been so evident your boyfriend's only a few moments prior and with a wanton sigh escaping your lips you slightly tilt your head to give your one and only full access to your neck, thus surrendering yourself completely to his mercy, something of which the handsome upper-class man takes immediate advantage.

He hungrily attacks the tender, highly sensitive flesh, nipping, licking and biting it in the most stimulating manner while brushing your shirt up inch by inch at the same time and with a lustful purr leaking from your mouth you arch into the amber-haired youth's ministrations, enjoying the caresses which are of a fervent and impatient desire that clearly shows how much the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin had been missing you, your nearness and your touch, a yearning you can understand only all too well for you have been feeling exactly the same desire and you are more than willing to show it.

"Gii," you endearingly whisper your beloved's name once again and lift your shoulders off the bed upon which the handsome upper-class man relieves you off your shirt with one swift motion before he quickly removes his own and then proceeds with his sweet torture. With ardent desire he begins to shower your chest with burning kisses, giving your nipples special attention with his lips, tongue and fingers thus driving you wild with lust. Soon your whole body is on fire, your skin is tingling and unable to conceal your need any longer you take hold of one of your boyfriend's hands, slowly directing it south with gentle determination. "P-Please…"

Getting the hint the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin obliges almost instantaneously and skillfully undoes your pants before slipping his hand inside where he begins to stroke and fondle your hardening manhood, never ceasing the tantalizing caresses of your chest and neck, well aware of what his actions are doing to you.

Waves of heat begin to rush over you and moaning lustfully you buck hips while setting to work on undoing your beloved's slacks, desirous to make him feel the same pleasure his caresses are giving you, which earns you a raw, appreciative moan of anticipation from the amber-haired youth. Smiling mildly to yourself you swiftly pull down his pants including his underwear and begin to move your hand rhythmically up and down the boy's hardening member, a series of soft, throaty moans almost instantaneously reaching your ears which is followed by a needy plea. "Oh God Takumi…I…I can't take it anymore. I want you…I want you so much."

"I…I want you too, Gii. I…I want to feel you," you reply huskily and only a few moments later you feel your lover entering you, slowly pressing inwards, deeper and deeper until he has buried himself completely inside you. With a moan of pleasure escaping your lips you push down your hips and you are moving in rhythm with your lover's thrusts, your bodies joining and coming apart in perfect harmony, the fervent almost frantic manner in which you caress each other's necks and chests at the same time speaking of the yearning and desire for one another the two of you had been forced to suppress for quite some time, the burning desire to feel the other and to become one with him.

Letting out several muffled screams when you feel your beloved's member brushing repeatedly against your most sensitive spot, hitting it hard with every single one of his deep strokes, you cling on tightly to the handsome upper-class man, afraid that you would otherwise drown in the sea of ecstasy and blissful pleasure you have lost yourself in and only a short time later a familiar feeling begins to churn inside you. Heat begins to gather in your abdomen, your skin starts to prickle, your body to spasm and after another series of thrusts into your channel you finally reach your peak and screaming into Gii's shoulder in sheer ecstasy you go over the edge, taking the handsome upper-class man with you.

"That…that felt amazing," you whisper hoarsely once you have come down from your high and let your fingers trail gingerly along the sides of your boyfriend's face, "absolutely amazing." "It sure did," the amber-haired youth replies huskily and bestows an affectionate, post-coital kiss on your lips, a kiss that is followed by several others. "I love you Takumi. I love you more than I can say." "I love you too," you sigh happily and snuggle contently up against the one you have given your heart to, soon losing any feeling for time as you cuddle with him, basking in the feeling of precious intimacy the two of you have just been sharing and thus minutes quickly turn into hours.

"What time is it," you sigh at last into the comfortable silence before slowly turning your head so that you are able to glance at the alarm clock that is sitting on Gii's bedside table and within a couple of seconds after your gaze has landed on the glowing, digital numerals on its display you are wide awake. "Oh my God Gii, it's already past curfew! I need to get back to my room," you exclaim while shooting up into a sitting position only to be, almost instantaneously, pulled back down onto the pillow again. "Please stay here Takumi, don't go," other occupant of the bed whispers, cradling your head lovingly against his shoulder. "Please be mine, at least for tonight. I'm sure Misu will cover for us."

"Alright," you breathe softly any tension immediately leaving your body since you are only all too happy to oblige the handsome upper-class man and thus, smiling mildly, you snuggle into your lover's side like a contented cat, basking in the feeling of being able to stay the amber-haired youth until the break of day. "Ano…Takumi," Gii finally speaks up after a long moment of comfortable silence, "yesterday you received a phone call in the early evening. Would you mind telling me who it was from?" "It was from my mother," you answer truthfully after a second of hesitation and feeling that this is the perfect moment to address the matter you have originally come for, you gather your courage.

"Ano Gii," you begin cautiously. "We didn't really get to talk properly at the greenhouse, but there is something I would like to speak to you about." "Does it have something to do with the phone call," your boyfriend asks warily. "Did you have a fight with your mother because of your brother?" "Ehhh? How could you tell," you exclaim somewhat astonished and slightly lift your head in order to be able to face your one and only. "Takumi, this Sunday is your brother's death anniversary, isn't it? If you are planning on going to visit your brother's grave, may I accompany you," the amber-haired youth inquires cautiously rather than answering your question, his usually firm voice trembling a little and the words have barely left his mouth when you shoot up into a sitting position again, then pull your knees up to your chest to hug them tightly for the handsome upper class man's request has caught you off-guard and taken you utterly by surprise.

"I…I'm sorry Takumi…of course it's not possible. Such a visit is a very personal thing after all and I'm not a family member," the one you love with all your heart stammers clumsily and sits up as well, but doesn't dare to look at you, clearly thinking that, due to the way you have reacted, he has overstepped a boundary with his request and therefore offended you in some way. "Forgive me, I spoke without thinking. I'm…I'm not…Having lived in the US almost all my life, I'm not very familiar with the customs and rules of society here in Japan. I…I really didn't mean to…"

"It's alright Gii, it's alright. I'm not upset or offended at all," you reply in the softest, most appeasing manner and turn your head to face your beloved properly. "I was just so astonished about you asking me if we could go and visit Naoto's grave together because I wanted to ask you exactly the same thing. This grave visit is the reason why I wanted to meet you at the greenhouse this afternoon."

"If that be the case, then let me ask you properly again," the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin states huskily and offers you a relieved yet somewhat shy smile. "Can I accompany you this Sunday, your brother's death anniversary, to his grave to pay my respects?" "Yes…yes, you can," you whisper happily and when you notice that the amber-haired youth is slowly inching closer in response you also lean in until you are meeting his lips with your own upon which the two of you share a long, romantic, open-mouthed kiss.

"Ano Takumi," your beloved breathes softly once he has pulled away from your lips, "since this visit is an important event I want to do it properly, so let's leave the campus together instead of just meeting up at the train station." "I'd love to do that, but is it really okay," ask cautiously, your heart fluttering with happiness and excitement at the mere thought of probably being able to leave the school grounds side by side with the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin, just like the couple that you are. "I mean wouldn't it cause trouble for you if the freshmen see you leaving the campus together with me?"

"Don't worry about that my love. Everything will work out just fine," your so addressed boyfriend explains and offers you a warm, reassuring smile. "In any case I want to do this properly. I fear that I'll make your brother angry if I don't and that he will think that I'm not good enough for you because all I've done since the beginning of this school year, instead of taking proper care of you, is to make you cry."

"He won't be mad and I think that he is definitely going to approve of you as my boyfriend because knows how you feel about me. Besides I haven't cried that much," you reply with sincerity in your voice and a smile on your face as you lean in to rub noses with the handsome upper-class man, trying to reassure as well as comfort the amber-haired youth to the best of your abilities, knowing only all too well how guilty he is feeling for having dragged you into leading some sort of double life by making you pretend that the two of you are indifferent to each other thus hiding your true relationship, even though you agreed to that scheme out of your own free will and without your one and only having put any pressure on you. "But what about the snooker tournament? Will it be alright if you don't sign up for it?"

"I couldn't care less about that tournament or the fact that I'm going to disappoint many students by not participating. Accompanying my one and only on his brother's death anniversary to his brother's grave in order to pay his respects is much more important than some school event," Gii declares firmly while running his hand over your cheek in the most loving manner and you relishing the tender touch you close your eyes for a moment, your heart beginning to do little summersaults when you perceive your beloved's voice once more. "Don't worry my love. The snooker tournament won't be a problem and I swear that I won't allow anything to happen to prevent me from keeping my promise of accompanying you this Sunday to Naoto's grave."

"Thank you Gii," you sigh happily and nestle up even closer against the handsome upper-class man than you already are. "You can't imagine how much this means to me." "I should be thanking you because you have made me very happy with your request," the one you love best in this world replies huskily and finally captures your lips with one swift motion upon which the two of you share another sweet, romantic kiss. "I love you Takumi," he sighs breathy once you have broken the intimate connection several long moments later and a soft "I love you too" is all you can say before your mouth is taken captive again.

With a sigh of pleasure tearing from you, you slightly part your lips in invitation, an invitation of which your lover takes immediate advantage and as he passionately deepens the kiss he pushes you back down into the pillows, the last thought on your mind before letting yourself go being that neither Gii nor you would get much sleep this night.

oOo

"I'd like to hand this one in, please," you state politely as you hand the application form for leaving the campus over to the staff behind the counter in the student's affairs office, your heart fluttering once more with happiness and excitement for your brother's death anniversary is only a few days away and you still can't believe that Gii is really going to accompany you to Naoto's grave, on a day that is probably one of the emotionally toughest days of the year for you.

"Gii," you whisper inaudibly as you leave the office and you can feel a smile forming on your lips, a smile obviously still lingering on your face by the time you arrive at the gazebo near the greenhouse, where you had agreed to meet up with Akaike for a little private chat, for the president of the disciplinary committee greets you with the words: "You're looking very sunshiny this afternoon." "Really," you reply trying to sound casually and accept the can of instant coffee the other boy is offering you with a slightly nervous smile before you make yourself comfortable on one of the wooden seats. "You must be very busy these days with the preparations for the snooker tournament," you finally change the subject after a few minutes of small talk and take a sip from your coffee. "It's quite an important event, isn't it?"

"I'm a bit busier than usual that's true, but nothing I can't handle," the tall, dark-haired student explains calmly. "And it's definitely going to be a great event. There will even be a 'Totocalchio'." "Excuse me, but what is a 'Totocalchio'," you ask curiously since you aren't familiar with this term. "It is a game of some sorts?" "It's a bit like sports betting," Akaike replies with a smirk. "The students can bet money on who is going to win the tournament, but since gambling isn't allowed on campus we will have to keep this game secret from the teachers." "My lips are sealed," you state with sincerity upon which the president of the disciplinary committee offers you a mild, grateful smile, "and this Totoclachio will make the whole event even more exciting."

"Without a doubt," the other boy chuckles, "especially since Gii is one of the contestants. He is also the favorite to win this tournament." "Wait…d-did you just say that Gii is going to participate in this event," you mutter in sheer disbelief and as you take in a shaky breath you can feel all the color draining from your face, your heart skipping a few beats while you try to convince yourself that you had to have been deceived by your ears. "Yes, he is," Akaike explains, confusion and astonishment evident in his calm voice. "I thought you knew about that. Hasn't Gii told you?"

"N-No," you stammer and the words have barely left your mouth when your eyes begin to cloud over with tears and you break into heavy sobs, completely ignoring the president of the disciplinary committee who immediately crouches down next to you. "You liar Gii," you sniff brokenly as your whole world comes crashing down within the blink of an eye. "Y-You promised…how…how could you…?" "Hayama…Hayama, what's wrong," Akaike's voice that seems to come somewhere from the farthest distance eventually reaches your ears and you slowly raise your head to meet your friend's genuinely worried gaze.

"It's…it's n-nothing," you sniff and with that you run off to the shelter of your room, not being in the mood to answer any further questions, even though you really appreciate the other boy's concern, but for the time being all you want is to be alone, so that you can at last let your tears flow freely and cry your grief away. However upon your arrival at room 270 you find that, contrary to what you had hoped and much to your dismay, the room isn't unoccupied but that Misu is in and being the quick, sharp guy that he is the head of the student council immediately notices that you are distressed. However, he somehow seems to be able to tell that you don't want to talk about what's on your mind and knows better than to pry for he merely gives you a long questioning look before he turns his attention back to his studies.

Grateful that your roommate had obviously understood that you aren't in the mood for small talk or any lengthy conversation you take out some of your books and sit down at your desk with a faint sigh of relief escaping your lips. Thus the room falls silent except for the occasional rustling of paper when either you or Misu turn a page in your books and many minutes have already ticked by when a firm knock on the door suddenly interrupts the quiescence.

"I'll answer it," Misu announces while rising from his bed and walks briskly over to the door while you keep your eyes riveted on the notebook that is lying in front of you for you can guess who the visitor is most likely going to be. "Saki? That's unusual…Hayama, it's your boyfriend," Misu's voice reaches your ear only a moment later, confirming your assumptions, but since you have no ambition whatsoever to see, let alone to talk to the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin you remain motionlessly in your seat, staring at your notebook with unseeing eyes.

"Maybe you should come back another time Saki," you hear Misu, who has obviously read your behavior correctly once more, say calmly. "Hayama seems to be in a bad mood tonight." "I appreciate your concern Misu, but I have to speak to Takumi anyway. It's important," Gii's voice that's laced with urgency echoes through the room and you close your eyes, taking a deep breath at the same time in order to brace yourself for the encounter between you and your boyfriend, the confrontation that seems to be inevitable, given how stubborn Gii can be and that he, especially at moments like the present one, doesn't give in until he gets what he wants.

"Alright, I'll take a walk and be back in one hour. That should give the two of you enough time to have your little chat," Misu announces with a sigh of resignation tearing from him, understanding just like you that the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin wouldn't book any opposition about seeing you and thus he takes his leave, quietly closing the door from the outside upon which the room falls silent again.

"A-Ano…Takumi," Gii finally begins carefully, at last breaking the long moment of tense, oppressing and almost deafening quiescence that has settled between the two of you, after Misu had taken his leave, and reluctantly steps closer to your desk. "I…I think you might have already heard that…" "As you can see I'm doing my homework," you briskly interrupt your boyfriend without looking up from your notebook, your voice being so cold and indifferent that it causes the amber-haired youth to stop dead in his tracks, "so stop bothering me and leave!"

"I'm…I'm so sorry that this happened, but…," your beloved tries again with a hint of distress in his slightly shaky voice, refusing to give up, but once again you cut him short. "Save it! I don't want to hear your excuses," you state icily, trying your best to keep your composure and not to let the tears that are burning in your eyes fall. "Takumi, please! I didn't mean to…believe me this wasn't supposed to happen. You have every right to be angry and all this is painful for me too…," the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin tries to reason with you, knowing only all too well that he has hurt you deeply, but you are too disappointed in him, not to mention that you are feeling utterly betrayed by him, to give in and to offer him a chance to talk things over.

"Will you just stop it already," you say sharply instead, still not willing to look up from your notebook in order to face your boyfriend properly, determined not only to make him understand the gravity of his actions but to make him feel the consequences of them dearly. "I said it before, I don't wish to hear your apologies!" "Believe me, there was nothing I could do," your boyfriend tries again, just as you had expected him to, seemingly unperturbed by your denying attitude. "I merely practiced a little and by accident…"

"It's fine! You don't have to explain. I don't care," you sternly interrupt his account once more and throw your lover a glance from the corner of your eye, but keep showing him the cold shoulder otherwise. "Just do your best at the tournament." And with that you return to your studies, scribbling down words into you notebook in an almost furious manner, trying hard to ignore your boyfriend who is now standing forlornly in the small corridor, rooted to his spot, looking miserable as well as insecure and after a long moment of silence he meekly speaks up again. "I understand," he whispers and sighs dejectedly. "I'm going to play in the tournament, but I'll lose right at the beginning, so that I can go with you to your brother's grave."

"Can you really do that," you exclaim angrily while turning your head to finally face the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin properly, immediately noticing the mix of shock and surprise his face is portraying upon your outburst, but you harden your heart and decide to ignore it. "Given how good you are, everybody will think that it was planned if you suddenly lose in the first round, especially with the Totocalchio being held. Akaike told me about it and he also told me that you are the favorite contestant in that tournament, so you can't lose just like that. This time your brilliance is against you. After all, the one most likely to win is you, the great Gii. If you lose unexpectedly against a weaker contestant in the first round people will start speaking badly about you and it will cause trouble for everybody in class 3B."

And with that you avert your gaze once more before you continue, your voice being firm and cold. "Forget it, I will go alone. Don't worry about it." "Takumi," Gii begins meekly for the umpteenth time, but just like the previous times you don't give him any chance to finish. "We are done talking! Leave," you say firmly, the stern tone of your voice making it perfectly clear that you wouldn't book any opposition, but for some reason your lover still refuses to give up.

"I will lose right away, right at the start. I promise," he keeps insisting in an almost desperate manner, but you just as stubbornly refuse to give in to his pleas, being to hurt to let him off that easily and to make nice again. Can he really not understand how much pain he has caused you with what he has done? "I don't care," you therefore hiss grimly. "I already have permission to leave the campus, so I'll go alone." "Won't you at least wait until eleven o'clock," Gii tries to reason with you, sounding truly desperate by now, but you don't allow yourself to be touched or swayed by his words.

"No, I won't," you exclaim angrily and look up to face the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin once more. "Just do what everybody expects you to! Isn't that how you are anyway?!" "Takumi, please! Just give me one last chance," the handsome upper-class man exclaims pleadingly in response, the trembling in his voice indicating that he is trying hard to keep his composure, to keep his emotions under control, but you remain unmoved.

"I won't, though I know that it is wrong, but I just can't forgive you," you say resolutely, at last putting your true feelings into words. "I tried to judge the situation from where you are standing and I really think that it would be right for you to participate in that tournament…but no matter how hard, how desperately I try, I just can't forgive you this time!" With a shaky breath escaping your lips you let your voice trail off and after you have looked your beloved silently into the eyes for a long moment you finally avert your gaze and lower your head, thus showing the amber-haired youth that, for the time being, there is nothing left to say between the two of you.

"I understand," the handsome upper-class man finally whispers brokenly after what seems to have been a little eternity and slowly turns to leave, but halts his steps once again as he has reached the door. "What you say is true Takumi. I'm the one at fault…I'm sorry Takumi." With that your boyfriend quietly lets himself out and for a long moment you keep your gaze riveted on your notebook, tears burning in your eyes, before you finally bury your head in your arms and break into heavy sobs.

Luckily those tears have subsided by the time your roommate returns, clearly disappointed to find you alone. "So Saki didn't use up the full hour I gave him then," he states nonchalantly and sits down at his desk. "I guess the two of you have made up then. I had hoped to interrupt you two at the climax of your reconciliation. I assume that you had a date planned for Sunday, but now that Saki is to participate in the tournament you don't get to go and that he had to cancel that long awaited date put you in a bad mood."

"Yes, it's something of that sort," you reply quietly, trying to hide your true feelings as best as you can. "I'm quite tired, so I'll go to bed even though it's still a bit early. Oyasumi." "Oyasumi Hayama," your roommate replies politely and returns to his studies while you slide under the covers of your bed thinking that the engagement you and Gii were having for the upcoming Sunday was more than just a date or at least to you it was and for the first time ever since you became a couple you start doubting your relationship with the handsome upper-class man.

Maybe the physical separation and the fact that you don't get to see each other that often anymore has weakened the bonds between you and the two of you aren't as good at reading each other as you used to be when you were still sharing the same room. Somewhere in the back of your mind a tiny voice keeps telling you that you might be wronging him, but you can't help but think that accompanying you to your brother's grave didn't mean anything to Gii. For him it was probably just visiting a grave together and you are sure that he had no idea how you felt about inviting him, why you had so desperately wanted him to make this visit with you.

And with those gloomy thoughts occupying your mind you eventually drift off into a dreamless sleep that should prove to be anything but regenerating.

oOo

The morning of your brother's death anniversary is dawning at last and the clear sky that is almost untarnished by clouds promises a nice day, but your spirits this morning are quite dampened. Ever since your fight the other night you haven't spoken to Gii at all and have tried to avoid him. You have ignored his text messages until the handsome upper-class man had finally given up, but you simply aren't ready to make up with him yet, the pain he has caused you this time still running too deep.

However, you can't stop thinking about the amber-haired youth and the harsh words you have spoken, words that had stung, that had hurt him tremendously as you had been able to tell by the tone of his voice as well as by the look on his face and you can't deny that somewhere deep inside you are still hoping for the impossible to happen. "I'm taking the bus to the station at nine o'clock," you inform your roommate quietly while the two of you are getting dressed, your voice barely more than a whisper. "That means you are going to take the train at ten o'clock," Misu muses calmly and puts on the jacket of his school uniform before checking his attire in the mirror that is attached to the inside of the closet's door. "So you and Saki haven't made up yet after your fight."

"It wasn't really a fight, just me getting angry," you reply hesitantly yet truthfully, somewhat surprised that Misu changed the topic so all of a sudden. "Saki might be the favorite contestant in today's tournament, but I haven't given him a single vote," your roommate continues with a smirk, taking you once more by surprise. "Why have you done that," you ask curiously, suspecting that the reason for his actions is most likely the fact that Misu dislikes Gii, but what the head of the student council says next leaves you shocked and in sheer disbelief.

"Saki's request to leave the campus today was granted on Monday morning and it hasn't been revoked," your roommate explains quietly. "It seems that your boyfriend really wants to accompany you on this grave visit, no matter what." "M-Monday morning, you say, but…but…," you can only stutter helplessly as the meaning of the words you have just heard hits you like lightning and instantly causes you to feel extremely guilty. Gii had handed in his request to leave the campus before you had actually talked to him about visiting Naoto's grave together!

"Hayama, just out of curiosity, how long could you wait? What would be the latest train you could take to make it to your brother's grave and back to campus before curfew," Misu's voice rips you out of your stupor and you need a moment to regain your composure. "T-That would be the train at eleven-thirty" you finally reply softly, your voice trembling a little. "I can't wait longer than that." "I see," Misu murmurs thoughtfully, "it might be impossible for Saki to make it to the station in time, but can I tell him about this anyway?"

"I…I guess so," you reply hesitantly, not quite sure what the head of the student council is up to , but since he has helped you and Gii in the past and the two of you have developed a good friendly relationship, after you had become roommates, you decide to trust him. "I will wait at the station until eleven-thirty, but when the eleven-thirty train arrives at the platform I will definitely take it." "I understand Hayama and I will convey the news to your boyfriend and though I can't promise anything this might be the third favor Saki will be owning me," Misu smirks and after a few more minutes of meaningless small talk the two of you part ways, the words of Gii's rival still ringing in your ears as you board the bus that is heading for the train station in the city center, words that are leaving you confused and mystified, no matter how often or long you contemplate them in the futile attempt to read between the lines, to find a hint hidden in those words as to what your roommate could be planning.

Thus time passes quickly and you are astonished for a little when the driver suddenly announces that the bus is about to approach its final stop, the station, after what seemed to have been, at least to you, nothing more than five or ten-minute's ride. With a sigh tearing from your lips you enter the station, make you way through the ticket barriers and sit down on the bench at the platform before checking your wrist watch which is showing nine-fourty. "The tournament will start soon," you sigh almost inaudibly and doubt begins to gnaw at you, after all considering that you are taking the train at eleven-thirty and the time it takes from the school to the station it seems quite impossible for your boyfriend to make it on time for your departure unless a miracle would happen.

"Gii," you whisper longingly. "I've been so ungenerous towards you. You had planned to accompany me on this visit long before we had made that promise and I…" Your voice trails off and feelings of guilt and remorse enter your heart as you recall the fight you have had a few days before. Unlike you had supposed Gii had been well aware of what visiting Naoto's grave together with him had meant to you, had truly been devastated by the way things had turned out in the end, but you had been too selfish, too egocentric and too stubborn to see it and to listen to what he had to say that night when he had come to see you and to talk things over.

"Gii, please forgive me," you sigh dejectedly and as the minutes inevitably tick by and the trains keep coming and going, memories of this time the previous year begin to fill your mind once more. You clearly remember waking up on your bed in room 310 after your fainting spell, how you pretended to be asleep when you heard Gii enter and approach your bed. You recall his hushed, soothing voice beseeching you not to wake up for another while as well as the feeling of his lips brushing against your own only a moment later, an innocent kiss which the handsome upper-class man had tried to turn into something far more intimate once you had begun to respond and the fear that had overtaken you in the blink of an eye as a result of the amber-haired youth's actions.

Pictures of how you had struggled in sheer panic, after the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin had pushed you back down onto the mattress, using all his weight to keep you pinned down underneath him while he was trailing hungry yet tender kisses from your mouth down to your neck before eventually stripping you and himself off your clothes, then proceeding to caress your chest with his lips, his tongue and his hands and suddenly his soothing voice rings in your ears, the words he had spoken when sheer panic had been about to overpower your senses echoing so clearly in your head as if the young man in question were right by your side, tenderly whispering them to you. "It's me Takumi…it's me, so why are you making such a face?"

As if you were watching a movie, you see yourself relaxing almost instantaneously, then reaching up and snaking your arms around the amber-haired youth's neck in order to pull the boy into a kiss, but what you remember most of that night is the tender passion with which the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin had made love to you as well as the feeling of being treated like the dearest treasure and Gii's strong arms, his firm chest and his sweet words of affection that had provided you with so much comfort and reassurance after you had at last confided in the handsome upper-class man, had opened up to him completely, had bared your soul and told him everything about your past, about the things that Naoto had done to you as well as about the reaction of your parents once they had found out.

"Gii," you whisper for the third time and with a dejected sigh escaping your lips you take another glance at your wristwatch before rising to your feet. "He couldn't make it after all," you breathe softly as you walk towards the edge of the platform since it is almost time, blinking your eyes rapidly a couple of times in order to prevent the tears that have begun to blur your vision from falling, the somber clouds that are now veiling the sky fitting your melancholic mood and only a few moments later a sound that announces the approach of the train begins to echo over the platform, a signal that seems to be taunting you, laughing at you for having been so foolish as to hope for a miracle to happen.

Sighing for the umpteenth time in desperation and sadness you turn your head into the direction from which the train is approaching and your eyes immediately grow wide in disbelief at the scene that is unfolding before them for there, dashing down the street towards the station, keeping level with the train is none other than Gii. With your heart beating like a drum and tears filling your eyes you turn your head once more, riveting your gaze onto the entrance to the platform while the train is coming to a halt behind you and then there he is, the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin, your boyfriend, running towards you with his chest heaving but a bright smile on his handsome face.

"T-Takumi," he gasps breathlessly, grabs your hand, then pulls you into the train since you are still standing there, rooted to you spot as if you had turned into a pillar of salt and you have just stepped inside the car when the doors close behind you. "Phew…, th-that…that was a close call," your beloved gasps out and flops onto one of the many vacant seats, visibly exhausted, "really close." "B-But Gii…how," you stammer clumsily, still unable to believe that the handsome upper-class man had been able to make the impossible happen after all. "How did you manage to pull this off?"

"Well, we have to thank Misu for that," the amber-haired youth explains, still trying to calm his breath. He was my opponent in the opening match of the tournament." "Misu?! But when the tournament was announced he said that he wouldn't participate," you exclaim in confusion. "Right until the beginning of this tournament one spot was kept open for a teacher or any student who has some special duty at Shidou Gakuin to take and obviously Misu used his privilege of being the head of the student council and nominated himself to take that remaining spot," your one and only replies chuckling lightly. "That guy is really something."

"So that's what he meant," you murmur almost inaudibly and a mild smile begins to tug at the corners of your mouth as you snuggle contently up to the most popular student of Shidou Gakuin. "What was that," he inquires curiously and quirks an eyebrow. "Did you just say something?" "It's nothing," you reply innocently, a wide, radiant smile now gracing your lips and lighting up your face. "Thank you Gii. Thank you for keeping your promise." And with that you lean your head against your boyfriend's shoulder, letting out a contented sigh as you let your eyes drift shut, deciding that there would be enough time later to fill your boyfriend in with the details regarding the part Misu had been playing in all this.

Only a moment later you feel Gii nuzzling your hair in the most affectionate manner before slightly tilting his head in order to rest it against your own and for the whole duration of the journey to your destination you remain in that rather intimate position, both of you enjoying the closeness of the other.

oOo

"…our final stop. Please make sure to have all your belongings when getting off the train," the voice from the speakers rips you out of the light slumber you had into and less than a minute later the train stops at the platform. "Well, this is it," you murmur almost inaudibly as you make your way towards the ticket barrier with Gii walking right beside you which has not only a calming effect on your raw nerves but gives you some strength as well and you make a mental note to thank Misu properly for his help as soon as you are back at Shidou Gakuin and to treat him to lunch or dinner sometime.

"Outside the station building is a big flower shop and once you and your beloved have chosen one beautiful bouquet each you begin your walk to the hospital grounds through tranquil woodland paths, but your anxiety grows with almost every step that brings you closer to your destination. "Takumi, it will be alright," Gii who has obviously sensed your discomfort says softly and laces his fingers gently with your own. "I'm right here." "Yes and I'm so glad that you are by my side," you whisper breathy and offer your boyfriend a mild, yet affectionate smile, "so incredibly glad."

In response the handsome upper-class man merely smiles warmly back at you while squeezing your hand lightly in silent encouragement and you cover the remaining distance in comfortable silence. Soon the hospital comes into view and once you have reached the gates to its woodland cemetery you draw in a deep, slightly shaky breath before entering the burial ground. Naoto's grave is situated in a beautiful, quiet part of the cemetery and is surrounded by majestic, tall and ancient trees. Rays of sunlight are falling through the leaves, illuminating the tombstone of your brother's grave in a very atmospheric way, making the dark marble glisten as if it were studded with hundreds of tiny diamonds.

For a long moment you keep standing motionlessly in front of the grave, letting your gaze linger on the on the inscription engraved on the memorial stone that is simply saying 'Hayama Naoto 1998 - 2008' before you finally crouch down to place the bouquet at the foot of the stone, then close your eyes and fold your hands. You take another deep breath and begin to move your lips almost imperceptibly, no sound leaking from them for you are saying the words you would like to address to your brother merely in your heart.

'Nii-san, it's been a long time since my last visit and unlike last time I'm not alone today. I brought a very special person with me who I'd like to introduce to you, my boyfriend Saki Giichi aka Gii. Isn't he a cool and handsome guy? I really wanted to introduce him to you because he means everything to me and has changed me as well as my life in so many ways. With his patience and his profound, unwavering affection he is feeling for me Gii has cured my phobia and has turned my whole life upside down. He cares a lot about me, is extremely protective and though his ways of ensuring my wellbeing might seem rather strange, even extreme at times he always waits on me hand and foot…Gii is the best boyfriend I can imagine and he asked me if he could accompany me today so that he can introduce himself to you personally. I really hope that you will approve of him nii-san, that you will give us your blessings and become our guardian angel who will always watch over us.

As you can see I'm doing fine these days. I'm happy and I enjoy my life at Shidou Gakuin, especially the hours I get to spend in the company of my friends and Gii of course. Everything is as it should be, so I don't want you to blame yourself anymore for what happened in the past. With Gii's help I have been able to finally leave it behind, to move on and I hope that you will be able to do the same, that you can let go of your feelings of guilt and find peace…'

With that you slowly open your eyes again and let your gaze wander over the inscription on the tombstone once more before you rise to your feet, turning your head to look at your beloved who is gazing back at you with a warm, loving smile gracing his handsome features. "Are you ready to go," he asks softly and when you nod your head in agreement he holds out his hand which you are only all too willing to take.

"Until next time nii-san," you whisper throwing one last glance at Naoto's grave before you and your boyfriend make your way back hand in hand to the gates of the cemetery at a leisurely pace. "Takumi, let's make a promise," the handsome upper-class man at last speaks up softly after you have walked a couple of minutes in comfortable silence and stops in his tracks. "Let's promise each other that we will come here together again next year, the year after next and so on, no matter where in the world we are going to be. And even if you should one day finally allow yourself to come here with your parents, let me still be by your side on that visit."

"G-Gii, I…I'd love to," you stammer somewhat clumsily and can't help but blush faintly for you, just like at that night at the old concert hall several weeks ago, have the impression that your one and only has just proposed to you and the expressions that are portrayed on his handsome face as well as the in his eyes prove your assumptions right, the love, affection and sincerity shining in his hazel-colored orbs saying more than a thousand words. "I love you Takumi," he whispers hoarsely while pulling you close. "I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too Gii," you sigh breathy, the words having barely left your mouth when you feel your lover's lips brushing ever so gently against your own and snaking your arms around the amber-haired youth's neck you let your eyes drift shut, the last thought before you lose yourself in the wonderful feeling of the slow, deep, romantic kiss being that you and Gii have yet overcome another obstacle and that your relationship as well as the magical bond between the two of you, between your hearts, have therefore become stronger again.


A/N: Wow, that was a long chapter and quite tough to write!
What do you think about it? Please let me know!

Well, that's two movies down and one more to go! The next chapter which will be dealing with the events that are happening in "Pure" will be a bit shorter since the movie focuses mainly on Misu and Shingyouji and will therefore serve as the epilogue to this fanfic.

So please stay tuned and as usual, since I'm extremely busy: 4 reviews minimum = new chapter

P.S: For those of you who are waiting for the new chapter for "Sourire Encore Demain", I've already started to work on it and if all goes well it will go online in about two weeks, So please look forward to that update as well.