The next morning:
Tsukushi awoke with a smile. It was a bright sunny day outside. The blustering winds of last night had calmed and the city was coming alive to face the new day. Tsukushi hopped out of bed, pulled on her school uniform, and padded into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Susumu soon joined her and she hurried to pack their lunches for the day. A quick glance at the clock soon told her that it was time to leave for school.
Hastily, Tsukushi went to find her book-bag, only to discover that it was nowhere to be found. Even a rapid but thorough ransacking of the apartment failed to turn up the missing books.
"Oh no!" Tsukushi realized, "I must have left it in the cab last night! I hope Nishikado noticed and took it. I can't afford to buy new books this year!" Her good mood shattered, Tsukushi set of f for school, "I hope he actually shows up today," she worried, "I really need those books for class... and my homework was in there too!" She refused to think of what she'd do if Soujiro didn't have her bag.
---
Tsukushi's rapid pace slowed as she neared the school gates. She let out a sigh of relief as she noticed the tall figure waiting just beyond, holding s familiar battered book-bag.
Soujiro, himself, felt ill at ease, though one would never have been able to tell from his impassive expression. Damn that girl anyway! He'd hoped to be able to skip school for a few days, get her out of his head. But instead, she'd gone and forgotten her books. If it had been anyone else, Soujiro might have let them come to him to reclaim their things. But he knew Tsukushi probably took her classes too seriously to even be able to do without her things for one day. And so, with a resigned sigh, he'd woken up early, and headed to school. Once he'd returned her things, he planned to slip away and do his best to drive all thoughts of her out of his mind.
Meanwhile, he leaned against the wall, flirting with the stupid girls who flocked around him. And if any of them noticed the battered book-bag slung casually from his shoulder, they were too preoccupied with his teasing banter and sparkling smile to mention the incongruity.
Tsukushi held back, despite her desire to collect her things and run to class. She was unwilling to push through the herd of flashy females, even to retrieve her own possessions. It didn't help that she found the idea of confronting Soujiro again, in the light of day, to be somewhat disconcerting, since she still didn't quite know what to make of his recent behavior. However, the bell would soon ring, and Tsukushi didn't want to be late, so at last she pulled herself together and slipped through the press of bodies. She pretended not to notice the deliberate elbows shoving her and the muttered whispers, just loud enough for all to hear, "What's she doing here?. She thinks she's good enough to talk to Nishikado now does she?. that ugly commoner needs to learn her place."
Soujiro noticed Tsukushi at last, and barely managed to stifle his smile of relief that he'd now be able to get away from his frenzied swarm of admirers.
"Yo." He greeted, holding out her bag, "You forgot this."
"Thanks Soujiro." Tsukushi blushed as she took it from him. Already she could hear the whispers beginning again, "Did you see that? She called him Soujiro! That little hussy! And what was he doing with her bag? Bringing it to school for her like some common servant!"
Soujiro began to frown, as the murmurs reached his ears. The pettiness of his schoolmates never ceased to amaze him.
His frown however, could not compare to that worn by Doumyouji at that moment. He had just arrived at school, and was extremely displeased to find his path blocked by the throng of girls centered on Soujiro. At first, he hadn't noticed the diminutive form of Tsukushi inching her way through towards Soujiro, but his keen ears could not help but overhear their brief exchange, as well as the biting commentary of the crowd. Already in a dour mood due to his lack of restful sleep last night, Tsukasa was ill prepared for the suspicions that instantly came flooding through his jealous mind. Tsukasa had Never been able to stomach the thought of another man getting close to His Tsukushi. and now here was another of his friends seemingly doing just that. And how had Tsukushi come to leave her bag with Soujiro anyway? In a flash, Tsukasa was reminded of his fears when he'd spied Tsukushi and Soujiro dancing in the club together - and they'd kissed! He remembered now.
Tsukasa's face grew grim, and he remembered more-how when he'd waited for her to come home that day, and all the following afternoon-he'd embraced her at last, thinking that everything was going to be fine again - It was then, when the world had seemed once more to belong to him, that he'd thought he'd smelled Soujiro's faint scent clinging to Tsukushi's hair. He'd thought he must have been mistaken-that it was only his insecurity and paranoia speaking. But now.
Something seemed to click. He, the Great Doumyouji Tsukasa would never let a heartless playboy like Soujiro steal his woman! He'd kill him first! It was already bad enough that Rui wanted his girl, but there was no way Tsukasa would stand to be betrayed by Soujiro as well! Tsukushi's virginity belonged to him!
Tsukasa was getting so worked up, he hardly noticed what he was doing as he moved to intercept Tsukushi.
Tsukushi's eyes were fixed firmly on the ground as she tried to ease her way back out through the throng of girls. Unhappily she strained to close her ears to the vicious whispers that surrounded her. It wasn't fair, damn it! She'd done nothing wrong. hell, she didn't even instigate her new and uncomfortable closeness to Soujiro. Not really. However, there was no way to avoid the cruel shoves and pinches that assailed her as she made her way towards the waiting school entrance.
"Oof!" one final shove behind her sent Tsukushi stumbling forward to impact an unseen body in her path.. "Excuse me. Sorry," she mumbled hastily, before backing away and looking up at last, "Oh! Hi Doumyouji!" Noticing at last who it was that she'd run into. "How are you ?."
And then, Tsukushi realized he was glaring down at her. Lapsing into silence, she awaited his reply with increasing tension.."Oh lord," she realized at last, "don't tell me he overheard those idiots.."
"Well? Aren't you at least going to greet me?" She demanded at last, tired of this stupid game. "The correct response when someone says hello to you, is to reply "I'm fine, and how are you?" So why don't you try that instead of staring at me like I've sprouted an extra head?" Inwardly, she was sighing to herself. She really was not in the mood to deal with another one of his jealous fits today. Not when she was already annoyed with him. If he started yelling at her, without getting his facts straight again, it might well be the last straw. It didn't matter how much she loved him, or how much he loved her. If the stupid boy couldn't trust her, couldn't think before he got all strung out and acted like an idiot, then she just couldn't take it anymore. If she hadn't been so pissed off by Tsukasa's continued hurt silence, she might have started to cry at the unfairness of it all.
And indeed, her fears were about to come to pass.
Tsukasa glared down at Tsukushi, thunder in his eyes. At last he spoke.
"Do you love him?" His tone was a icy monotone, yet sharp like tempered steel as it cut the air between them.
"Love who? You Idiot! What are you talking about?" Tsukushi threw up her hands exasperation. Sure, she knew who he meant. But if he wasn't even going to give her the benefit of the doubt, this time, he could bloody well damn himself!
"Did you sleep with him?" Tsukasa didn't even flinch. He'd keep at it 'till he got a straight answer from the girl. Why did she always have to play these games with him? He loved her best of all-and yet... she constantly pushed him away - would not let him take care of her! It was an agony that could not be borne!
He could see a conflict in her eyes. She was hiding something from him! How could she say she loved him one day, and still be so cold, so stubborn in standing apart from him? Why did she flinch when he asked her if she'd slept with slept with him? Tsukasa hadn't thought the ice in his heart could grow any colder, but he'd obviously been mistaken. It felt as though the creeping cold would crack his heart in two.
Tsukushi sighed, "What do you think? Idiot! If you truly believed in me, you wouldn't be so insulting? How could you not trust me now? After all we've been through?" Her face flaming with fury, Tsukushi slapped Doumyouji. Hard. She was about to stalk off, when she paused and turned back, a final time.
"I love you Tsukasa, but right now, I really can't stand you."
Long after Tsukushi had vanished into the building, Tsukasa remained standing in the deserted courtyard, the sting of her words hurting more than the sting of his slapped face. And she hadn't even answered his questions. The ache in his heart whispered to him, that if she loved him, she'd have told him straight out-no, she didn't love Soujiro. No, she hadn't slept with him. The voice of logic in his brain tried to raise he point that he was acting like an ass again, and she'd every right to be upset. But it could not compete with the nearly overwhelming emotions that flooded his soul.
Finally, Tsukasa roused from his reverie long enough to look for something to hit. Unfortunately, Soujiro was no where in sight, so he could not take his fury out on his treacherous friend. Instead, he had to satisfy himself with the cold grey concrete of the school gate. If that wall had been Soujiro's face at that moment, Soujiro's good looks would have been ruined forever. As it was, however, a good portion of the wall crumbled to dust, and Tsukasa's fist suffered two broken fingers and numerous lacerations. He didn't even notice the pain as he stalked off into the school garden to go think.
---
Meanwhile, Soujiro had at last been freed from his horde of admirers by the ringing of the bell. Sadly, he did not have time to enjoy this sudden reprieve, as just when he'd taken a deep breath and begun to relax, Akira showed up and with a, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, asshole?" dragged him off to a secluded corner of the school grounds.
Shoving Soujiro roughly up against a nearby tree, Akira demanded harshly
"Ok, talk to me! What is going on between you and Makino? And don't lie to me again! Sakurako and I saw you two last night! You took her to a hotel! What were you thinking? Are you trying to get killed by Tsukasa? She's not even your type!"
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down already!" Soujiro spread his palms out placatingly. You're getting way too upset over nothing!"
"Nothing? You say nothing? Did you even notice Tsukasa this morning? You should be grateful I got you out of there before he saw you."
"What are you talking about? Man, you're not making any sense! I didn't touch Tsukushi, I swear! What the hell is wrong with you people! Why would I go for a drab common chick like her anyway?" Soujiro felt a twinge of guilt at bad-mouthing the girl whom he'd relied on last night; the girl who had helped ease his eternal pain. Well, more than a twinge of guilt-more like a kick to the head. But he wasn't going to show it. There was no way he'd ever admit to what really happened, how he'd lost all control and cried like a little kid on her shoulder. He shoved all these thoughts safely behind his mask of righteous indignation.
Akira wasn't buying it though. "Come on, Soujiro. We've been friends for how many years? You're not telling me everything. Are you still working on the stupid bet we made last week? I thought we agreed that wasn't a good idea? And anyway, if you won, why won't you just admit it already? You've never been embarrassed about your conquests before!"
"Look," Soujiro growled flatly, "I'm getting really sick of this suspicion. Do you really think I'd risk getting killed by Tsukasa over a girl? Especially a prudish virgin girl like Makino? You have to be out of your mind. I'll tell you what happened last night, if you really want to know. It's not like there's much to tell. I ran into her on her way home from work. She was annoyed at Tsukasa as usual, so I dragged her out drinking, then when the other chicks at the bar got jealous, we left. I mean, you know what those girls are like when they get riled up! And then I helped her with her calculus homework," Soujiro laughed suddenly,
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking - why did we go to a hotel? - Well, you see.. I already had the key for the night. it seemed a shame to waste it."
Akira finally had to laugh at his friend's expression of wounded innocence. Soujiro was such a simple guy, it was hard to doubt him for long. If he'd slept with Tsukushi, Akira would know. Soujiro wouldn't be able to hide it from him, not when they'd been friends for so long.
"All right, all right! I believe you!" Akira finally backed away from his friend, "Though I don't understand why you'd choose to help her with her homework instead of picking up your usual quota of ladies. I mean, are you sure you're feeling ok?"
It never even crossed Akira's mind that Soujiro might have actually been interested in Tsukushi as more than just another female conquest.
Soujiro just laughed as he felt Akira's suspicions dispelling, "Hey, man! It's all your fault, you know! I was going to take this one hot babe.. But I was sure you were going to call me, and I didn't think I'd have time to satisfy her needs and meet up with you.. Hey why didn't you call me after all?? Did you finally get to score with what's-her-name? The secretary?"
"NO!" Akira made a sour face, "Sakurako dragged me off to find Makino- that's how we saw you."
"Oh dude, that sucks!" Soujiro laughed, "I don't think I could stomach another night with Sakurako. hey, wanna go drink now? There's supposed to be this great new bar where all the hot Eirin chicks go when they're skipping school-Let's go check it out!"
"Bah! Too young!" Akira grimaced, but allowed Soujiro to entice him with this new distraction. It had to be better than wasting time at school anyway. And he was glad that Soujiro seemed to be his normal self. He really didn't know what he would have done if Soujiro hadn't been able to dispel his unfounded suspicions.
---
Rui had been doing his usual thing that morning. Actually, he'd awoken earlier than was normal for him-it must have been the sweet dreams of Tsukushi inspiring him. He headed to school at a leisurely pace, and upon his arrival, began to saunter through the gardens, in order to enjoy the last bright flashes of fall foliage before the leaves commenced their descent. He'd just settled down on a secluded bench to listen to the birds singing and to watch the occasional flurry of leaves drifting in the wind, when he faintly overheard Akira's voice. It was not usual for Akira to be yelling so angrily. Rui's ears perked up as he thought he caught Tsukushi's name. Stealthily, he followed the sound of Akira's voice until he was close enough to clearly eavesdrop on the conversation.
Rui blinked several times in confusion at the conversation he heard. Tsukasa was angry? Akira thought Soujiro was hitting on Tsukushi? Seriously? Rui would not have thought Tsukushi would put up with such behavior. He never really thought she was comfortable enough around those two to let them get last close, last weekend's escapades notwithstanding. Still, the only really important thing was that from what little he'd heard- Tsukasa was going to be or had just been an ass to Tsukushi. She was going to be hurt. She would be needing him. And Tsukasa would most likely be needing a lesson from his fist.. if Rui's suspicions were correct.
No longer walking at a leisurely pace, Rui headed off to the emergency stairs. Perhaps he'd misheard Akira and Soujiro. Perhaps Tsukushi wouldn't need him. But he didn't think so.
Ah well, he'd find out soon enough..
----
Tsukushi made it through her first class, before she began to feel trapped and claustrophobic. She could feel the glares of Asai & co. drilling holes through her spine. The guy sitting behind her kicked her chair incessantly, and the teacher droned on and on about valences and electron energy shells. But all Tsukushi could think about was Doumyouji. Acting impulsively as usual, speaking before he thought. She was so furious. They weren't even dating right now. He had no right to accuse her of anything. And it hurt. It hurt when he doubted her, based on the whispered insults of a few vicious rich bitches. Unconsciously, Tsukushi's fist tightened on her pencil. Tighter, tighter. Knuckles tense and white, shaking from the tension, the fury building inside. Something had to give.
The pencil obliged. Snapping sharply, the world seemed to slow as Tsukushi watched the last two inches or so of her pencil bounce of the desk and tumble to the floor. When she looked again at her hand, drops of blood were forming where sharp wood splinters had dug into her flesh.
Yes, Tsukushi was well and truly Pissed off. Her back straightened as she stared unseeingly at the blackboard in front of her. Something would have to be done. She really couldn't deal with Tsukasa's idiotic jealousies anymore.
As soon as the bell rang, Tsukushi hurried out to the emergency stairs. She needed to sit and think without any interruptions. She wanted to be by herself awhile. However, she'd forgotten Rui's uncanny ability to sense her moods.
He was there waiting.
"Yo." Rui looked from his slouch against the wall.
"Hey." Tsukushi muttered. Damn it, she had wanted to be alone! Still, this was Rui's place as much as it was hers, and so she settled down onto her step with a sigh.
Folding her arms across her knees, Tsukushi glared off into space, as if seeing replayed before her eyes now, every moment where Tsukasa had pissed her off in the past.
Rui watched her surreptitiously from beneath his lowered eyes. She was looking mighty fierce, he had to admit. Still, it was often when she was angriest that she was also at her most vulnerable. Only the things that hurt her had the power to make her this angry. His heart ached with sympathy, and he wanted to reach out and pull her closer; to ease her pain within the circle of his arms. Wasn't he the one who'd always known what she needed? The one who'd more often than not been the one to save her from her own folly?
Rui nodded to himself. Yes. He knew her better than anyone. Tsukasa wanted to possess this girl, to be the one to take care of her-but how could he, when he could never understand her so well-much less restrain his own fire enough to give her what she needed. Rui knew he should not think so harshly of his friend. But it was hard not to. When it was so obvious that, once again, he was the cause of Tsukushi's clenched fists, her strained, pale face..
Rui could restrain himself no longer. Moving up to sit beside the immobile girl, he put his arms around her, and gently drew her in to lean against his shoulder-the shoulder that was always there for her to cry on.
"Tsukushi," he murmured, soothingly, "Tell me about it."
And she did.
Well, part of it, at any rate. By the same unspoken pact that led Soujiro to conceal the whole truth from Akira, so Tsukushi skimped on certain critical details of last nights events, and how they'd led to her confrontation with Tsukasa this morning. As she related how Doumyouji had stared doubtingly at her, his eyes harsh and accusing, she broke into tears at last.
"I hate him! Why does he do this to me?" Tsukushi pounded her fists harmlessly on Rui's shoulder."I love him."
"Shh." Rui caught her flailing fists in his, and cradled them gently. That idiot Tsukasa had hurt her again. He'd been warned. and now Rui was really angry. He'd take care of Tsukasa later. Meanwhile, he had a Tsukushi to comfort.
Pulling the small girl in closer, Rui stroked her hair, trying to sooth her jagged edges.
Unfortunately for him, Tsukushi at her most vulnerable, her most dependent, often seemed to be Tsukushi at her sexiest-at least in Rui's mind. He liked it when she relied on him, when she needed him to take care of her. Sure, he also liked her defiantly vibrant everyday character too-but nothing was quite so appealing as being needed..
Rui felt his heart beginning to speed up, it was truly amazing how Tsukushi could always manage to do this to him without even trying. Gently he stroked her cheek, until she raised her tear-streaked face to him. Seeing that she was beginning to get herself back under control, he seized the moment to bend down and kiss her.
I mean, hey, why not? There was no better way to ensure that she'd stop crying. Not that that was the primary, or even secondary motivation for Rui's actions. It just felt good. He loved the feel of her lips beneath his, the way her warm hair slid beneath his hands, the soft feel of her body pressed against his chest..
Sadly, Rui had, for once in his life, misjudged the moment.
Tsukushi was in no mood to be tossed about from man to man, to be treated like an object or a toy-that one could play with as one desired. No! nor was she a prize that Rui could claim simply because She was annoyed with Tsukasa! What was with these men, anyway? No, now Tsukushi was not sad, she was Furious. She was not going to put up with this nonsense a day longer!
Abruptly, she pushed Rui away.
"Stop it! I can't do this! Don't you understand? This isn't a game!" Tsukushi pushed to her feet, and stood over the now greatly confused Rui, "Just leave me alone! why can't you all just leave me alone!?"
Not waiting for a reply, Tsukushi fled down the steps, hardly noticing that she almost ran Sakurako down at the bottom of the stairs.
To be continued.
Tsukushi awoke with a smile. It was a bright sunny day outside. The blustering winds of last night had calmed and the city was coming alive to face the new day. Tsukushi hopped out of bed, pulled on her school uniform, and padded into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Susumu soon joined her and she hurried to pack their lunches for the day. A quick glance at the clock soon told her that it was time to leave for school.
Hastily, Tsukushi went to find her book-bag, only to discover that it was nowhere to be found. Even a rapid but thorough ransacking of the apartment failed to turn up the missing books.
"Oh no!" Tsukushi realized, "I must have left it in the cab last night! I hope Nishikado noticed and took it. I can't afford to buy new books this year!" Her good mood shattered, Tsukushi set of f for school, "I hope he actually shows up today," she worried, "I really need those books for class... and my homework was in there too!" She refused to think of what she'd do if Soujiro didn't have her bag.
---
Tsukushi's rapid pace slowed as she neared the school gates. She let out a sigh of relief as she noticed the tall figure waiting just beyond, holding s familiar battered book-bag.
Soujiro, himself, felt ill at ease, though one would never have been able to tell from his impassive expression. Damn that girl anyway! He'd hoped to be able to skip school for a few days, get her out of his head. But instead, she'd gone and forgotten her books. If it had been anyone else, Soujiro might have let them come to him to reclaim their things. But he knew Tsukushi probably took her classes too seriously to even be able to do without her things for one day. And so, with a resigned sigh, he'd woken up early, and headed to school. Once he'd returned her things, he planned to slip away and do his best to drive all thoughts of her out of his mind.
Meanwhile, he leaned against the wall, flirting with the stupid girls who flocked around him. And if any of them noticed the battered book-bag slung casually from his shoulder, they were too preoccupied with his teasing banter and sparkling smile to mention the incongruity.
Tsukushi held back, despite her desire to collect her things and run to class. She was unwilling to push through the herd of flashy females, even to retrieve her own possessions. It didn't help that she found the idea of confronting Soujiro again, in the light of day, to be somewhat disconcerting, since she still didn't quite know what to make of his recent behavior. However, the bell would soon ring, and Tsukushi didn't want to be late, so at last she pulled herself together and slipped through the press of bodies. She pretended not to notice the deliberate elbows shoving her and the muttered whispers, just loud enough for all to hear, "What's she doing here?. She thinks she's good enough to talk to Nishikado now does she?. that ugly commoner needs to learn her place."
Soujiro noticed Tsukushi at last, and barely managed to stifle his smile of relief that he'd now be able to get away from his frenzied swarm of admirers.
"Yo." He greeted, holding out her bag, "You forgot this."
"Thanks Soujiro." Tsukushi blushed as she took it from him. Already she could hear the whispers beginning again, "Did you see that? She called him Soujiro! That little hussy! And what was he doing with her bag? Bringing it to school for her like some common servant!"
Soujiro began to frown, as the murmurs reached his ears. The pettiness of his schoolmates never ceased to amaze him.
His frown however, could not compare to that worn by Doumyouji at that moment. He had just arrived at school, and was extremely displeased to find his path blocked by the throng of girls centered on Soujiro. At first, he hadn't noticed the diminutive form of Tsukushi inching her way through towards Soujiro, but his keen ears could not help but overhear their brief exchange, as well as the biting commentary of the crowd. Already in a dour mood due to his lack of restful sleep last night, Tsukasa was ill prepared for the suspicions that instantly came flooding through his jealous mind. Tsukasa had Never been able to stomach the thought of another man getting close to His Tsukushi. and now here was another of his friends seemingly doing just that. And how had Tsukushi come to leave her bag with Soujiro anyway? In a flash, Tsukasa was reminded of his fears when he'd spied Tsukushi and Soujiro dancing in the club together - and they'd kissed! He remembered now.
Tsukasa's face grew grim, and he remembered more-how when he'd waited for her to come home that day, and all the following afternoon-he'd embraced her at last, thinking that everything was going to be fine again - It was then, when the world had seemed once more to belong to him, that he'd thought he'd smelled Soujiro's faint scent clinging to Tsukushi's hair. He'd thought he must have been mistaken-that it was only his insecurity and paranoia speaking. But now.
Something seemed to click. He, the Great Doumyouji Tsukasa would never let a heartless playboy like Soujiro steal his woman! He'd kill him first! It was already bad enough that Rui wanted his girl, but there was no way Tsukasa would stand to be betrayed by Soujiro as well! Tsukushi's virginity belonged to him!
Tsukasa was getting so worked up, he hardly noticed what he was doing as he moved to intercept Tsukushi.
Tsukushi's eyes were fixed firmly on the ground as she tried to ease her way back out through the throng of girls. Unhappily she strained to close her ears to the vicious whispers that surrounded her. It wasn't fair, damn it! She'd done nothing wrong. hell, she didn't even instigate her new and uncomfortable closeness to Soujiro. Not really. However, there was no way to avoid the cruel shoves and pinches that assailed her as she made her way towards the waiting school entrance.
"Oof!" one final shove behind her sent Tsukushi stumbling forward to impact an unseen body in her path.. "Excuse me. Sorry," she mumbled hastily, before backing away and looking up at last, "Oh! Hi Doumyouji!" Noticing at last who it was that she'd run into. "How are you ?."
And then, Tsukushi realized he was glaring down at her. Lapsing into silence, she awaited his reply with increasing tension.."Oh lord," she realized at last, "don't tell me he overheard those idiots.."
"Well? Aren't you at least going to greet me?" She demanded at last, tired of this stupid game. "The correct response when someone says hello to you, is to reply "I'm fine, and how are you?" So why don't you try that instead of staring at me like I've sprouted an extra head?" Inwardly, she was sighing to herself. She really was not in the mood to deal with another one of his jealous fits today. Not when she was already annoyed with him. If he started yelling at her, without getting his facts straight again, it might well be the last straw. It didn't matter how much she loved him, or how much he loved her. If the stupid boy couldn't trust her, couldn't think before he got all strung out and acted like an idiot, then she just couldn't take it anymore. If she hadn't been so pissed off by Tsukasa's continued hurt silence, she might have started to cry at the unfairness of it all.
And indeed, her fears were about to come to pass.
Tsukasa glared down at Tsukushi, thunder in his eyes. At last he spoke.
"Do you love him?" His tone was a icy monotone, yet sharp like tempered steel as it cut the air between them.
"Love who? You Idiot! What are you talking about?" Tsukushi threw up her hands exasperation. Sure, she knew who he meant. But if he wasn't even going to give her the benefit of the doubt, this time, he could bloody well damn himself!
"Did you sleep with him?" Tsukasa didn't even flinch. He'd keep at it 'till he got a straight answer from the girl. Why did she always have to play these games with him? He loved her best of all-and yet... she constantly pushed him away - would not let him take care of her! It was an agony that could not be borne!
He could see a conflict in her eyes. She was hiding something from him! How could she say she loved him one day, and still be so cold, so stubborn in standing apart from him? Why did she flinch when he asked her if she'd slept with slept with him? Tsukasa hadn't thought the ice in his heart could grow any colder, but he'd obviously been mistaken. It felt as though the creeping cold would crack his heart in two.
Tsukushi sighed, "What do you think? Idiot! If you truly believed in me, you wouldn't be so insulting? How could you not trust me now? After all we've been through?" Her face flaming with fury, Tsukushi slapped Doumyouji. Hard. She was about to stalk off, when she paused and turned back, a final time.
"I love you Tsukasa, but right now, I really can't stand you."
Long after Tsukushi had vanished into the building, Tsukasa remained standing in the deserted courtyard, the sting of her words hurting more than the sting of his slapped face. And she hadn't even answered his questions. The ache in his heart whispered to him, that if she loved him, she'd have told him straight out-no, she didn't love Soujiro. No, she hadn't slept with him. The voice of logic in his brain tried to raise he point that he was acting like an ass again, and she'd every right to be upset. But it could not compete with the nearly overwhelming emotions that flooded his soul.
Finally, Tsukasa roused from his reverie long enough to look for something to hit. Unfortunately, Soujiro was no where in sight, so he could not take his fury out on his treacherous friend. Instead, he had to satisfy himself with the cold grey concrete of the school gate. If that wall had been Soujiro's face at that moment, Soujiro's good looks would have been ruined forever. As it was, however, a good portion of the wall crumbled to dust, and Tsukasa's fist suffered two broken fingers and numerous lacerations. He didn't even notice the pain as he stalked off into the school garden to go think.
---
Meanwhile, Soujiro had at last been freed from his horde of admirers by the ringing of the bell. Sadly, he did not have time to enjoy this sudden reprieve, as just when he'd taken a deep breath and begun to relax, Akira showed up and with a, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, asshole?" dragged him off to a secluded corner of the school grounds.
Shoving Soujiro roughly up against a nearby tree, Akira demanded harshly
"Ok, talk to me! What is going on between you and Makino? And don't lie to me again! Sakurako and I saw you two last night! You took her to a hotel! What were you thinking? Are you trying to get killed by Tsukasa? She's not even your type!"
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down already!" Soujiro spread his palms out placatingly. You're getting way too upset over nothing!"
"Nothing? You say nothing? Did you even notice Tsukasa this morning? You should be grateful I got you out of there before he saw you."
"What are you talking about? Man, you're not making any sense! I didn't touch Tsukushi, I swear! What the hell is wrong with you people! Why would I go for a drab common chick like her anyway?" Soujiro felt a twinge of guilt at bad-mouthing the girl whom he'd relied on last night; the girl who had helped ease his eternal pain. Well, more than a twinge of guilt-more like a kick to the head. But he wasn't going to show it. There was no way he'd ever admit to what really happened, how he'd lost all control and cried like a little kid on her shoulder. He shoved all these thoughts safely behind his mask of righteous indignation.
Akira wasn't buying it though. "Come on, Soujiro. We've been friends for how many years? You're not telling me everything. Are you still working on the stupid bet we made last week? I thought we agreed that wasn't a good idea? And anyway, if you won, why won't you just admit it already? You've never been embarrassed about your conquests before!"
"Look," Soujiro growled flatly, "I'm getting really sick of this suspicion. Do you really think I'd risk getting killed by Tsukasa over a girl? Especially a prudish virgin girl like Makino? You have to be out of your mind. I'll tell you what happened last night, if you really want to know. It's not like there's much to tell. I ran into her on her way home from work. She was annoyed at Tsukasa as usual, so I dragged her out drinking, then when the other chicks at the bar got jealous, we left. I mean, you know what those girls are like when they get riled up! And then I helped her with her calculus homework," Soujiro laughed suddenly,
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking - why did we go to a hotel? - Well, you see.. I already had the key for the night. it seemed a shame to waste it."
Akira finally had to laugh at his friend's expression of wounded innocence. Soujiro was such a simple guy, it was hard to doubt him for long. If he'd slept with Tsukushi, Akira would know. Soujiro wouldn't be able to hide it from him, not when they'd been friends for so long.
"All right, all right! I believe you!" Akira finally backed away from his friend, "Though I don't understand why you'd choose to help her with her homework instead of picking up your usual quota of ladies. I mean, are you sure you're feeling ok?"
It never even crossed Akira's mind that Soujiro might have actually been interested in Tsukushi as more than just another female conquest.
Soujiro just laughed as he felt Akira's suspicions dispelling, "Hey, man! It's all your fault, you know! I was going to take this one hot babe.. But I was sure you were going to call me, and I didn't think I'd have time to satisfy her needs and meet up with you.. Hey why didn't you call me after all?? Did you finally get to score with what's-her-name? The secretary?"
"NO!" Akira made a sour face, "Sakurako dragged me off to find Makino- that's how we saw you."
"Oh dude, that sucks!" Soujiro laughed, "I don't think I could stomach another night with Sakurako. hey, wanna go drink now? There's supposed to be this great new bar where all the hot Eirin chicks go when they're skipping school-Let's go check it out!"
"Bah! Too young!" Akira grimaced, but allowed Soujiro to entice him with this new distraction. It had to be better than wasting time at school anyway. And he was glad that Soujiro seemed to be his normal self. He really didn't know what he would have done if Soujiro hadn't been able to dispel his unfounded suspicions.
---
Rui had been doing his usual thing that morning. Actually, he'd awoken earlier than was normal for him-it must have been the sweet dreams of Tsukushi inspiring him. He headed to school at a leisurely pace, and upon his arrival, began to saunter through the gardens, in order to enjoy the last bright flashes of fall foliage before the leaves commenced their descent. He'd just settled down on a secluded bench to listen to the birds singing and to watch the occasional flurry of leaves drifting in the wind, when he faintly overheard Akira's voice. It was not usual for Akira to be yelling so angrily. Rui's ears perked up as he thought he caught Tsukushi's name. Stealthily, he followed the sound of Akira's voice until he was close enough to clearly eavesdrop on the conversation.
Rui blinked several times in confusion at the conversation he heard. Tsukasa was angry? Akira thought Soujiro was hitting on Tsukushi? Seriously? Rui would not have thought Tsukushi would put up with such behavior. He never really thought she was comfortable enough around those two to let them get last close, last weekend's escapades notwithstanding. Still, the only really important thing was that from what little he'd heard- Tsukasa was going to be or had just been an ass to Tsukushi. She was going to be hurt. She would be needing him. And Tsukasa would most likely be needing a lesson from his fist.. if Rui's suspicions were correct.
No longer walking at a leisurely pace, Rui headed off to the emergency stairs. Perhaps he'd misheard Akira and Soujiro. Perhaps Tsukushi wouldn't need him. But he didn't think so.
Ah well, he'd find out soon enough..
----
Tsukushi made it through her first class, before she began to feel trapped and claustrophobic. She could feel the glares of Asai & co. drilling holes through her spine. The guy sitting behind her kicked her chair incessantly, and the teacher droned on and on about valences and electron energy shells. But all Tsukushi could think about was Doumyouji. Acting impulsively as usual, speaking before he thought. She was so furious. They weren't even dating right now. He had no right to accuse her of anything. And it hurt. It hurt when he doubted her, based on the whispered insults of a few vicious rich bitches. Unconsciously, Tsukushi's fist tightened on her pencil. Tighter, tighter. Knuckles tense and white, shaking from the tension, the fury building inside. Something had to give.
The pencil obliged. Snapping sharply, the world seemed to slow as Tsukushi watched the last two inches or so of her pencil bounce of the desk and tumble to the floor. When she looked again at her hand, drops of blood were forming where sharp wood splinters had dug into her flesh.
Yes, Tsukushi was well and truly Pissed off. Her back straightened as she stared unseeingly at the blackboard in front of her. Something would have to be done. She really couldn't deal with Tsukasa's idiotic jealousies anymore.
As soon as the bell rang, Tsukushi hurried out to the emergency stairs. She needed to sit and think without any interruptions. She wanted to be by herself awhile. However, she'd forgotten Rui's uncanny ability to sense her moods.
He was there waiting.
"Yo." Rui looked from his slouch against the wall.
"Hey." Tsukushi muttered. Damn it, she had wanted to be alone! Still, this was Rui's place as much as it was hers, and so she settled down onto her step with a sigh.
Folding her arms across her knees, Tsukushi glared off into space, as if seeing replayed before her eyes now, every moment where Tsukasa had pissed her off in the past.
Rui watched her surreptitiously from beneath his lowered eyes. She was looking mighty fierce, he had to admit. Still, it was often when she was angriest that she was also at her most vulnerable. Only the things that hurt her had the power to make her this angry. His heart ached with sympathy, and he wanted to reach out and pull her closer; to ease her pain within the circle of his arms. Wasn't he the one who'd always known what she needed? The one who'd more often than not been the one to save her from her own folly?
Rui nodded to himself. Yes. He knew her better than anyone. Tsukasa wanted to possess this girl, to be the one to take care of her-but how could he, when he could never understand her so well-much less restrain his own fire enough to give her what she needed. Rui knew he should not think so harshly of his friend. But it was hard not to. When it was so obvious that, once again, he was the cause of Tsukushi's clenched fists, her strained, pale face..
Rui could restrain himself no longer. Moving up to sit beside the immobile girl, he put his arms around her, and gently drew her in to lean against his shoulder-the shoulder that was always there for her to cry on.
"Tsukushi," he murmured, soothingly, "Tell me about it."
And she did.
Well, part of it, at any rate. By the same unspoken pact that led Soujiro to conceal the whole truth from Akira, so Tsukushi skimped on certain critical details of last nights events, and how they'd led to her confrontation with Tsukasa this morning. As she related how Doumyouji had stared doubtingly at her, his eyes harsh and accusing, she broke into tears at last.
"I hate him! Why does he do this to me?" Tsukushi pounded her fists harmlessly on Rui's shoulder."I love him."
"Shh." Rui caught her flailing fists in his, and cradled them gently. That idiot Tsukasa had hurt her again. He'd been warned. and now Rui was really angry. He'd take care of Tsukasa later. Meanwhile, he had a Tsukushi to comfort.
Pulling the small girl in closer, Rui stroked her hair, trying to sooth her jagged edges.
Unfortunately for him, Tsukushi at her most vulnerable, her most dependent, often seemed to be Tsukushi at her sexiest-at least in Rui's mind. He liked it when she relied on him, when she needed him to take care of her. Sure, he also liked her defiantly vibrant everyday character too-but nothing was quite so appealing as being needed..
Rui felt his heart beginning to speed up, it was truly amazing how Tsukushi could always manage to do this to him without even trying. Gently he stroked her cheek, until she raised her tear-streaked face to him. Seeing that she was beginning to get herself back under control, he seized the moment to bend down and kiss her.
I mean, hey, why not? There was no better way to ensure that she'd stop crying. Not that that was the primary, or even secondary motivation for Rui's actions. It just felt good. He loved the feel of her lips beneath his, the way her warm hair slid beneath his hands, the soft feel of her body pressed against his chest..
Sadly, Rui had, for once in his life, misjudged the moment.
Tsukushi was in no mood to be tossed about from man to man, to be treated like an object or a toy-that one could play with as one desired. No! nor was she a prize that Rui could claim simply because She was annoyed with Tsukasa! What was with these men, anyway? No, now Tsukushi was not sad, she was Furious. She was not going to put up with this nonsense a day longer!
Abruptly, she pushed Rui away.
"Stop it! I can't do this! Don't you understand? This isn't a game!" Tsukushi pushed to her feet, and stood over the now greatly confused Rui, "Just leave me alone! why can't you all just leave me alone!?"
Not waiting for a reply, Tsukushi fled down the steps, hardly noticing that she almost ran Sakurako down at the bottom of the stairs.
To be continued.