SkyGem: Hey all! Thanks soooooooo much for all the reviews. Anyways, the result of the vote from the last chapter was completely one-sided. It was a landslide victory, and you'll see the result in this chapter. I hope you all like it. ^_^. Also, to the user CoffeeTea, technically, both spellings of the word are correct. Sempai can be spelled both ways, since, even though it would be spelled senpai in Japanese, it is pronounce sempai, so both spellings are considered as correct.
_
Ryoma
After I had finally calmed down and stopped crying, my eyes were red and puffy, and school was already over. Putting on my favorite white fila cap, I left my refuge, and headed downstairs, avoiding contact with anyone.
Heading for the outrageously flashy car which had become familiar to me these past few weeks, I climbed in and to the safety of Atobe's arms.
"Tough day?" he asked as his driver headed to my house.
I nodded into his chest, and slowly drifted off into a tired sleep.
Atobe
Smiling down at Ryoma's sleeping form, I gently took off his hat, and was surprised to see the skin around his eyes was puffy and red. Worry creasing my brow, I wondered what could have made him cry so much as to make his eyes such an angry red color.
"We have arrived, Atobe-sama," said the driver from the seat.
"Thank you, Sebastian," I said.
Deciding to let Ryoma sleep, I picked him up and carried him up to the temple.
I knocked on the door, and, within seconds, a pretty young lady who looked to be a few years older than me answered. "Oh," she exclaimed in surprise when she saw me holding Ryoma. "Please, do come in…..umm…"
"Atobe, Keigo," I supplied.
"Yes, please come in, Atobe-san."
I walked in and the girl, Nanako-san, showed me to Ryoma's room. Gently laying him down on his bed, I looked around the room.
Suddenly, I was attacked by a small, furry body. Looking down, I saw a white and brown Himalayan cat purring in my arms. Smiling, I said, "Hey, Karupin"
I stroked her back and she purred harder. I sat down on the floor, and played with her, waiting for Ryoma to wake up.
Ryoma
Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at my bedroom ceiling. Confused as to how I had gotten to my bedroom, I slowly got up, looking around.
The room was empty, and the door open. Grabbing a rubber band from my bedside table, I tied my hair into a messy ponytail, and headed downstairs. When I got there, I heard laughter coming from the living room.
Walking in, I saw Atobe, sitting on the sofa, talking to my dad, and Karupin on his lap. As soon as I walked in, Karupin jumped up and came up to me, rubbing herself against my legs and purring.
Ignoring her, I walked over to Atobe, gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Hey sleepyhead," he said, pulling me into his lap. Even though I was taller than I had grown these past few years, he was still quite a bit bigger than me.
My father just kept smiling the whole time, and his only response to all this was to laugh and say, "Now, now, you two, leave the honeymooning until after you're married."
I blushed and shouted , "Oyaji!"
Chuckling softly, Atobe said softly, "Just calm down, brat."
Pouting sulkily, I said, "Whatever. So, what are you doing here?"
Smirking, he said, "Well, after you fell asleep, I didn't feel like waking you up, so I brought you up to your room, then came downstairs to became more acquainted with your father."
After he was done saying all this, he shot a meaningful glance at my father who responded with a laugh, and said, "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone now."
After he had left, Atobe pulled me closer, and said, "So, what happened at school today?"
At first, I was confused, then realized what he must be talking about. "I met Eiji-sempai and Oishi-sempai."
Atobe
"I met Eiji-sempai and Oishi-sempai."
"And?" I asked, knowing there was more.
"And they apologized," he said.
"What?" I asked, confused.
His voice wavered when he next spoke. "They said they were sorry for what they did and…"
I listened calmly as he explained what had happened and what they had said.
"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to forgive them?"
"I don't know! Keigo, what should I do?"
Seating him on the sofa, I looked into his eyes, and said, "Listen, you have no idea how much I want to say that you should completely forget about them and never talk to them again, but that would only make you miserable. So instead, I'll say, you should do whatever you think is right."
"What I think is right?"
"Think, Ryoma. You know them better than I do. Do you think they were telling the truth? That they should be forgiven?"
"I don't know!"
"Then how about this, do you want to forgive them?"
He stared at me, and I knew the answer without him having to say a thing. Slowly, hesitantly, he nodded.
"But what if they do the same thing again?" he asked, looking panicked.
Sighing, I said, "Look, Ryoma, I know that what they did was terrible, and that you're scared, but you've got to come out of your shell sometime, because even though not getting close to anyone will stop you from getting hurt, it will also make you lonely. Nothing worth having comes without a price."
His eyes when they looked into mine had finally lost their frightened look, and he nodded.
I smiled, and leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "And remember, if anything happens, I'll be here."
Laughing softly, he said lightly, "And I thought you were trying to make me feel better?"
At this, I just laughed, relieved that he was okay enough to joke around.
Ryoma
The next day, as soon as gym was over, I headed to the cafeteria and got in the lunch line.
After I had gotten my lunch, I looked around for a place to sit.
Among the sea of students, a flash of red stood out. Looking closer, I recognized it to be Eiji-sempai and Oishi-sempai, sitting together at a lunch table with a few other third years.
Taking a deep breath, I headed over, butterflies in my stomach.
I was halfway there when Eiji looked up and spotted me. His eyes widened as he saw me coming towards him. He turned to Oishi, who was sitting beside him, and turned to stare at me.
I hesitated a second, then, Oishi shot me a happy smile, gesturing me to come over, and all my nervousness disappeared.
It seemed completely natural for me to head over to their table, and set my tray down. It seemed completely natural to smile at them, albeit nervously, and say, "Hello." And it seemed completely natural to let Eiji glomp me, and nearly suffocate me in the process.
And, for the first time in years, I was genuinely happy.
_
SkyGem: Well, that's it. So, did you like it? Please review and tell me what you thought, and I'll see y'all next time! ^_^
