Chapter Twenty-Eight: Memories & that 'Doki – Doki' sensation…-

Date: May 1st, 2012

Time: 8:45 AM

Alarm buzzing. Bed hair. Sunlight. Throbbing headache. Ren groaned in pain, slamming a hand down on the snooze button of his alarm clock before taking shelter under the bed sheet away from the sunlight. He chuckled once he realized that he was wearing one of Masato's yukata's. Damn. One thing was for sure. He wouldn't be attending his other classes for the rest of the day. Everything from last night came back to him in a flash. Masato entered the dorm already carrying a binder full of notes from his previous class. The pianist made sure to slam the door harder than before this time. Blasted. Hangover. Ren threw his pillow at Masato, only to have it land under the sofa.

"Seriously keep the noise down," Scowled Ren, slightly wincing from the sunlight once he sat up in bed.

"I refuse," Masato sighed kneeling before his calligraphy table to start on a class assignment, "You're the one who consumed to much alcohol last night. So deal with the consequences."

Ren chuckled slightly, "My, my such a cold reaction. I must have really acted like a fool last night."

"Actually you were completely intoxicated," Masato opened his binder pulling out an envelope which was addressed to him, "Asami and Chi were quite surprised when you decided to 'drop in' last night."

"Damn," Ren sweat dropped, "Hijirikawa…- I can explain about…-"

"Don't bother," Masato sighed once he saw the contents of the letter, "However…- you should apologize to the ladies."

"I will," Ren stumbled out of bed making his way to the bathroom, "But for now I need medication to take care of this damn headache."

EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS

Time: 10:30 AM

"Jasmine or Oolong tea, Mr. Hijirikawa-sama?" Asked Yuudai already standing beside a silver trolley, which was set with tea and assorted biscuits.

"A cup of Jasmine tea will be fine. Just call me Masaru, there's no need to be so formal. I should not be confused by last name relating to my young grandson," Said Grandfather Hijirikawa.

"Of course…- Masaru," Yuudai placed a cup of Jasmine tea on the coffee table before taking his seat from the wise old man.

"Still soft spoken, I see that your still carrying that pocket watch," He said before taking a sip of his tea. He smiled. The scent of Jasmine wavered under his nostrils.

"Trinkets of the deceased hold past memories," Yuudai rubbed his thumb over the backing of his black pocket watch, "Somehow I can't throw it away since it carries special memories of my deceased father."

"True, very true. Everyone values an object close to their heart," Masaru smiled.

"Yes," Yuudai tucked the pocket watch into the sleeve of his silk green changshan, "Now…- what brings you to the academy, besides checking up on your grandsons academic marks?"

Masaru Hijirikawa chuckled lightly, resting his hands on top of his lacquered bamboo walking cane. The Chinese scion already knew from the start what Masaru had in mind once he had entered the principal's office.

"Yuudai, the reason for my visit…- well you clearly know already," Masaru eyed one of the picture frames on the wall of the office, "It's been a long time since I've seen the young lady. Funny how time flies by so quickly. I would like to invite…-"

EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS

Time: 3:30 PM

Masato blushed, quickly averting his eyes to the pages of his textbook. Damn. It. Exhale. Inhale. Slowly. Asami had fallen asleep instantly when she only took half of a painkiller. Her head was resting comfortably upon Masato's shoulder. The two were alone in the white bandstand. Oh. Fuck. There was that crazy 'doki-doki' sensation going on inside his chest. Masato took a deep breath. No, no, no. He could not afford to loose control. Damn. Hormones. Exhale. Inhale. Asami stirred in her sleep only to fall sideways. Masato quickly wrapped his arm around her waist. He sighed in relief. The young siren had avoided a concussion. Uh. Oh. He brushed aside her bangs. Her skin was delicately soft and smooth. Asami stirred in her sleep once more alarming Masato, he quickly released his hold around her waist before focusing his attention back to his textbook.

"Oh...- damn," Asami slightly yawned, stretching her legs, "How long was I out for?"

"Half an hour," Masato quickly turned a page in his textbook all the while avoiding eye contact with Asami, since he was feeling a bit hot under his shirt collar, "Um…- how are you feeling?"

"A bit groggy," Asami scanned her notes in her binder, which was placed on the seat beside her. She sweat dropped realizing that she could hardly make out the last four lines from her tenth note sheet, "Masato…- sometimes your too much of a gentleman to try to wake up a lady from her sleep."

Masato sighed. He didn't know what to say back. Damn. Sweaty. Palms.

"Anyways, judging by the messy handwriting of the last few sentences from my notes it's a clear sign that the medication had a stronger affect than I thought," Asami sighed, "Great. I can't even translate my own handwriting. It looks like some text from another dimension."

"We can continue our study tomorrow," Masato closed his textbook, "Since your still feeling a bit ill I think you should get some rest."

"A bit ill?! Masato…- I feel fine," Asami sighed, "I'm not that weak just because I…-"

"Asami. Just get some rest," Masato slung her bag over his right shoulder before exiting the white bandstand, "After all you should save up some of your energy for your stage performance at MX."

"Dazzling lights. Shiny costumes. Late night interviews," Asami pouted, "Seriously Masato…- you're sounding a bit too much like Yuudai."

"…"