Hey everyone! I am soo sorry about the long wait. I was having a hard time figuring out how this should go. So if some of the parts seem a little off, I'm sorry. It took a while to get over my writers block. I think I might be over it on this story though! My friend, thegreatonesapprentice, has helped me a lot. She got me sour gummi worms, butterfingers, and cookie dough as a treat for finishing this today! So thank her! Anyways, without further ado, here's the long awaited chapter.

Ken left the classroom during lunch saying he was going to go buy bread. But, instead of going to the cafeteria, he trudged towards the Art Room instead. Daisuke was eating with Noriko in the cafeteria today. Things seemed to be going well between them.

Since that painful afternoon, Daisuke and Ken had sex three more times. Daisuke would always force Ken to come to his house on the way home. Ken now felt that Daisuke knew every part of his body. He knew where to touch to make Ken moan, what the dark haired teen didn't like. They had even tried a lot of different positions and a few kinks. Ken would always resist at first, but he would always give in, and open his body to Daisuke.

'Because no matter what happens, I still love him.' Ken thought, sighing dejectedly.

Luckily the door to the Art Room was unlocked and no one was in there. Ken sat in a chair next to the window and gazed out absently. The pool for their school was closed for the season and the icy water looked muddy and murky. Last summer, Ken had often come to watch Daisuke swim like a beautiful dolphin. Back then, he never would've imagined that things would end up like this. In just a few days, his and the brunette's bodies had joined, but their hearts were still far apart.

"Is that you, Ichijouji?" A surprised voice called from the doorway. Ken turned around and saw Ryo standing there. "It's unusual to see you here during this time of the day."

"Hello," Ken greeted before turning his gaze back to the window.

"What are you looking at?" Ryo asked from behind him. "The pool? It looks cold out there, huh? It's about time to bring out the winter coats."

"Huh? Already?"

"I get cold easily." Ryo shrugged. "Have you already eaten lunch yet?"

Ken shrugged his shoulders vaguely.

"You're hopeless." The other teen sighed. "What if your stomach growls during afternoon classes?" Ryo gave Ken a cream bun shaped like a cornet from the paper bag he had in his hand.

"I'm fine, thanks," Ken replied. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something," Ryo insisted. "Sorry this is all I have. I just bought sweets for a snack. What are you so worried about that you don't have an appetite?" he asked casually.

Ken silently unwrapped the cream bun. He picked off the narrow part of the bread and then put some of the chocolate custard cream from the larger part on it. The narrow part usually didn't have any cream in it, and there was always too much in the large part.

Ryo laughed. "I eat those the same way! I wish the cream was more uniform. Do you eat fish pastries from the tail first, or the head?"

"The tail," Ken said shyly. "But halfway through I eat the head, too."

Ryo laughed again. "Me, too!"

As the two exchanged small talk, Ken began to feel better. Ryo didn't ask about his worries, and time passed peacefully.

He was glad he had come to the Art Room. He didn't have to think about Daisuke. He didn't have to wonder when the brunette would come back, or what he was doing.

The bell rang, and Ken stood up saying, "I should go. See you after school!" He bowed his head.

"Hey, Ichijoiji, are you worried about the art contest?"

"Oh, yeah… I have to do that."

"What, you forgot?" Ryo laughed as Ken playfully stuck his tongue out at him.

When Ken returned to the classroom, he saw that Daisuke had already come back.

"Where were you?" Daisuke demanded.

His voice sounded strange. Ken wondered why he seemed so angry after he had just eaten lunch with his girlfriend.

"Who cares?"" Ken retorted carelessly.

"Were you eating lunch with someone else?" Daisuke pressed on.

"Why does it matter?" said Ken, a bit exasperated. "Go back to your seat."

"What's up with you?" Daisuke asked. "You were late so I was worried. You said you were going to buy bread, so I thought you were just wandering around somewhere."

Ken thought that Takeru must have told him about that, and he noted that Daisuke really did seem worried.

The brunette still wouldn't go back to his seat, so Ken whispered, "It was too much of a pain to go to the cafeteria, so I just went to the Art Room. Club President let me have some of his lunch, so I'm full."

"Club President? You mean Akiyama-san? He bought you lunch? Did you eat together?"

Ken was a little confused at how meddlesome Daisuke was being. Daisuke hated when others butted into his affairs, so what was going on?

"You probably didn't eat enough. Here." Daisuke pushed a paper bag towards Ken.

"What's this?" Ken opened it up and saw an egg salad sandwich inside.

"You like those, right?"

"Yeah…" Ken answered, his eye wide. He wasn't the only one who like the sandwich. It was really popular, and if you didn't go to the cafeteria really early, you wouldn't be able to buy one. He wondered if Daisuke had gone to the trouble of getting him one while he was out with Noriko.

As he stared at Daisuke in shock, the bell rang and the teacher came through the door. Daisuke quickly brought his lips close to Ken's ear and whispered provocatively, "Come home with me today."

Going home together meant only one thing. Ken felt his body grow warm, and then he felt flustered. He sighed as he clutched the paper bag in his hands. The last time they had had sex was the day before yesterday. He thought that the intervals were too short. The traces of their last encounter still lingered on his body. If they kept doing it this often, there was no way Ken could forget his feelings. And Daisuke looked like someone who was obsessed with a new toy he had gotten. He would get tired of Ken eventually. What would Ken do then? He felt like crying just thinking about it.

Takeru watched the exchange between his friends. The atmosphere between the two seemed strange somehow. It wasn't the first time he had noticed it. He didn't want to interfere, but he felt that he had to do something today. If he didn't step in, something dangerous might happen.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Takeru called to Ken after school.

Ken stopped and smiled. "What's wrong?"

"It might just be my imagination, but… are you guys doing something?"

Ken knew that 'you guys' meant him and Daisuke. And 'something' was… Was it so obvious that Takeru could tell just by looking at them? Ken felt sweat running down his back as he considered this. Had he done something to give it away?

"You don't have to be scared. I don't think anyone else has noticed," Takeru reassured him, as if he had read Ken's mind.

"H-how?" Ken whispered in surprise..

"Well, I wasn't positive, but the atmosphere between you two seemed… suspicious."

Ken couldn't play dumb. His silence answered Takeru's question.

"How did it happen?" The blond asked. "Daisuke's…"

"I know," Ken moaned. "But I couldn't help it! Before I knew what was happening, I couldn't run away."

Takeru pulled him into an empty classroom, and looked at him in a concerned way.

"Don't look at me like that!" Ken scowled. "I don't know what to do either."

"Didn't I tell you?" Takeru reminded him. "If you get carried away, you'll get hurt."

Ken looked down and whispered, "I know."

"No, you don't!" said Takeru. "He's a beast. I can't believe he'd do that to his friend. I mean, if he loved you, I'd totally support you guys, but he…"

"I know," Ken repeated. "He's just doing this out of curiosity. He just wanted to try it out at first. But after the first time, he said it was better than he'd thought it would be, so…"

"Ken, why aren't you mad?" Takeru asked angrily. Seeing this quiet and shy Ken worried him. "You need to be mad and seriously tell him to stop. If you avoid him then you can get out of this. If you had come to me first, I could've helped you! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm sorry," Ken whispered. "But I was so embarrassed… I couldn't."

"Well, for being a genius, you're slow sometimes so you just let yourself be persuaded by him. You're the dangerous one! I knew that if he demanded it, you wouldn't be able to say no. But this isn't good. Don't you think it's worse because you love him? He has a good body, but his feelings aren't there!"

As Takeru finished his rant, Ken lifted up his face in amazement and his eyes widened. What had Takeru just said? He knew that Ken had been hiding romantic feelings for Daisuke?

"Oops…" Takeru said, but it was too late.

"You know, Takeru?"

"Well, I…"

"I'm sorry I worried you," Ken said quickly. "But it's okay now."

He wasn't sure why it was okay, but he needed to run away from Takeru's side.

'He probably thinks I'm pathetic,' Ken thought as he ran. He had been proud to be friends with Daisuke and Takeru, but now he felt that he was going to lose both of them. His legs felt rubbery beneath him, but he kept running, even though he didn't know where to go.

Finally, his legs brought him to the Art Room. Everyone was probably already gather in there. He didn't think he could get anything accomplished in this state. Suddenly, he saw Ryo standing in front of the room. Ryo was about to lock the door. He turned around when he heard the sound of Ken's footsteps running towards him.

"Ichijouji? Club is cancelled today," he said smiling. "One person was sick and went home early, and only three other members showed up, so I decided to cancel… Ichijouji?" Ryo looked concerned as he noticed that Ken looked strange. "What's wrong? You're white as a ghost!"

"Oh, nothing," said Ken. "I'll go home then."

"Wait." Ryo unlocked the door, took Ken by the arm, and led him inside. They sat down on some nearby chairs and he asked again, "What happened?"

"I…"

"It's okay. You can tell me. Or won't I be able to help?"

Ken shook his head. "Not, it's not that."

"s someone bullying you? Did you get in a fight?"

"No, but… I… if I tell you, you'll judge me." Ken said looking away.

"No, I won't," Ryo quickly replied.

Ken didn't know what to do. Then he figured if two people had already abandoned him, what was one more?

"Yes, you will!" he blurted out. "I had sex with one of my friends. It wasn't girl, either It… It was a guy."

"Did he rape you?" Ryo said, putting a hand on Ken's arm. "It's okay, just calm down."

""No," Ken replied, "it wasn't' rape."

"That's good then," Ryo said, not disgusted at all. "So what's the problem? As long as you love each other, it doesn't matter if you're the same sexx."

Ken was relieved at Ryo's calmness. He felt that he could tell the teen anything now.

"No," he revealed. "I love him a lot… But he doesn't feel the same way. He's just oidn it our of curiosity."

""Did you tell him you love him?" Ryo asked.

Ken shook his head. "No, He doesn't know how I feel. He was the one who proposed to do it because he wanted to try it out."

"Try it ou?" Ryo repeated. "Wait, are you sure he doesn't like you?"

"I'm sure," Ken said firmly.

"Must be hard for you," Ryo whispered solemnly.

Rear welled up in Ken's eyes. It was. It was really painful. Having sex with someone you loved when they didn't love you back was really painful.. It was as if his heart was crying out in pain.

"And you still love him?" Ryo asked gently.

Ken nodded, crying silently.

"Why don't you try to tell him how you feel?" Ryo suggested. "Tell him you love him.. He might surprise you."

'I can't…" Ken whispered. "I'd rather die than tell him that."

"oiir thing…" Ryo murmured, stroking Ken's dark hair. "But if you keep this up, it'll just become more painful, you know."

"I know," Ken sobbed silently. "That's why I want to stop, but I can't turn him down when he asks me to. And my other friend found out And he related to Ryo what Takeru had told him.

"Hmm… It sounds like you've gotten yourself into a difficult situation. He sounds pretty forceful. And really into you."

Ken silently corrected him. Dai's not into me, he's into the newness of the pleasure he gets from me.

"Ichijouji, do you want to stop," Ryo slowly said, "doing it with him?"

Ken nodded without hesitation.

"Even though you love him?" Ryo added.

"It's too painful having just a physical relationship with him," Ken said honestly.

"I guess so,' Ryo said sympathizing. "Hey." He peered at Ken. "Want to go out with me?"

"What?" Ken stared blankly at Ryo, not understanding the meaning of his words.

"Of course it will just be for pretend," Ryo said, patiently. "But to resist him, I think you need a really good reason. If it was a girl, you'd be in the same position as him, so it probably would be meaningless. Do you understand?"

Ken shook his head vaguely.

"He has a girlfriend but is still having sex with you, with no problem," Ryo explained further. "So if you start going out with a girl, and say "I have a girlfriend now, so we can't do it anymore,' he'd just say, 'I have a girlfriend, too, you know.'"

Ken nodded. Ryo was probably right.

The president continued. "But if you say 'I have a boyfriend and I don't want to do it with anyone else but him,' he probably wouldn't be able to say anything, right? He'd probably be too surprised that you're going out with another guy. And since he had sex with you, it's not like he could be prejudiced about it. What do you think?"

Ken wasn't entirely convinced. He wasn't sure how Daisuke felt about gay relationships. That was why Ken had hidden his feelings for so long.

"Why don't we just go home for now?" Ryo suggested. "Did you promise to go home with him today?"

"Yes."

"The just stand him up," Ryo said with a smile on his face. "He might get angry about it, but that's when you can tell him you're going out with me now."

Ken found himself nodding. He felt bad for involving someone else in this, and also doubtful as to why he had confided in Ryo so much. But when he looked up and saw Ryo's cheerful face, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

Just as Ryo had told him to, he stood Daisuke up and went straight home.

That night, Daisuke called him.

"Why did you go home early?" Daisuke demanded over the phone.

"Club activities were canceled," Ken tried to explain, but the soccer player wouldn't accept it. He had no choice but to continue with what Ryo had told him to do. "I won't sleep with you anymore."

The other end of the line went silent. After a while, Daisuke asked in a disturbed voice, "Why?"

"I… I love someone," Ken said. Immediately, Daisuke's face appeared in his mind.

"Oh, that?" said Daisuke. "Who cares? I have a girlfriend, too, so we're in the same boat!"

Ken almost gasped. Ryo had been totally right!

"It's not the same," Ken replied.

"Huh?"

"It's different from your situation. The person I love is a guy. I started going out with the Art Club President, A- Ryo-san. So, I don't want to do with anyone else but him. I can't have sex with you anymore." Ken was thankful he was doing this over the phone. If Daisuke could see his face, he would know that Ken was lying, he knew him too well. Over the phone, Daisuke couldn't see how bad Ken's body was trembling, or that he was about to cry.

Ken prepared himself for a comment like, "Ew! You're a homo? I can't believe it! You're going out with a guy?" But the brunette's reaction was different.

"I see…" Daisuke said. he sounded disappointed. "Well then, I guess we can't anymore."

Ken sighed with relief.

"Since when?" Daisuke asked a bit hesitantly. "Since when have you been going out with him?"

Ken hadn't expected Daisuke to ask more questions. He was at a loss for words. "Um… We started going out l-last week." There was no way he could say "Yesterday."

"Hmm. So you've liked him for a while?" It seemed Daisuke still wasn't convinced.

Ken closed his eyes and whispered, "Yeah, for a long time. I've loved him for a long time." His voice became unexpectedly intense. When he said those words, he was thinking of how he felt towards Daisuke, not Ryo.

Daisuke remained silent. Apparently the tone of Ken's voice had affected him.

"Dai?"

"Oh. Yeah. So you like him that much, huh? I was just surprised a little." Daisuke's voice sounded a little shaky now.

Ken was relieved, but he felt uneasy about hearing the sound of Daisuke's voice and about answering all of his questions. Of course there probably weren't many people who would immediately smile and give their blessing to their friend who had just come out to them. Even if they were having sex with that person for fun.

"What's so great about Akiyama-san?" Daisuke asked after a while. "What do you like about him?"

Ken didn't know what to say for Daisuke to be satisfied. He thought of Ryo's face and then tried to think of his good points. "He's really kind and gentle, and he gives me a lot of advice. I can count on him when I need help. Since I'm often absentminded when I'm thinking, he always takes care of me." As he spoke, he began to be confused of who he was talking about It wasn't Ryo who took care of him when he needed it. It was Daisuke. He was the one Ken counted on. "And he always waits for me without getting irritated." That was Daisuke too.

The more he spoke, the more blurry the image of Ryo became in his mind, until it was replaced completely by Daisuke's face. This made Ken realize exactly how much he loved Daisuke, where he like it or not.

"Really?" Daisuke interrupted. "That's a different impression than I have of him. I think Akiyama-san is good-looking, but he's kind of stuck up and eccentric. I never know what he's thinking about."

Indeed, Daisuke's description of Ryo was a lot more accurate. Was it just Ken's imagination or was there a sense of hostility in his friend's voice?

"No, he's not like that at all," Ken defended.

"Okay then," said Daisuke. "You don't have to gush about him. So? You told him you like him and then he said he like you too?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, I'm sorry for bringing you into a strange relationship. He seems kind of prude, so it's better if he doesn't find out that you've slept with me." Daisuke spoke so quickly, it took a while for Ken to understand what he had said. "Don't worry, I won't tell. And you're not so used to doing it that he'd find out if you two do have sex. Hey… have you done it already?"

Ken couldn't answer such a straightforward question. Luckily, the beeping sound of the phone broke the awkward silence.

"Oh, sorry. The other line's ringing. See you at school tomorrow," Daisuke said simply, and hung up.

Ken was relieved, but for some reason he wasn't completely satisfied. After he hung up the phone, he stared at the receiver. Was it really okay to leave things like this, even if the time he had spent with Daisuke was like sweet torture that would never come again? He should be happy, so why did he feel so sad, as if he would soon cry? No matter how he felt about the other, he couldn't just confess to him. Besides, Ken was the one rejecting a purely physical relationship. Maybe he was the one who was being greedy for not accepting it. Maybe he should just have let it stay as a physical relationship. But, even as he thought about it, he knew he couldn't do that. And that was why he had no choice but to end that kind of relationship. It had to end.

He kept thinking to himself that it was for the best.

... I am sooo sorry! But I promise! This has to happen for the story to continue! You should've seen me cry when I was trying to type this. I kept meowing at it pitifully while my friend look on, laughing. I do, however, have the next chapter almost done. I should have it posted either today, or tomorrow. I promise!