I stand corrected! You guys really stood up for yourselves, thanks for the reviews! You guys really helped me get back into the groove of things, unfortunately, circumstances were against me updating. Never fear! I have updated for I am the...RED MAGE! (Just kidding.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Kare Kano.
Warnings: The usual. Angst. Teresa, it's your favorite part. Ehehehehehehehee. Omigod, it's the first time I've ever written...oh boy. I guess that HYD story though...eeek.
Not Permitted
Chapter Six
"Come on, come on!" Asaba ran excitedly up to the cheering stands. The bleachers that were located around the track were pretty crowded, but Asaba seemed to have found empty space right next to where the school's track team was warming up.
"Yukino rules!" Tsubaki began cheering. Yukino looked up and waved at them.
"Is Yukino going to run soon?" Shibahime asked almost in a whine. "I hate watching the track team. I mean other than Yukino."
"Yeah, yeah." Kazuma poked her in the side. "Ya' gonna fall asleep again?"
"No!" Shibahime glomped him. "It's your job to keep me awake."
"Psssst, Asaba." Tsubaki hissed into Asaba's ear. "Um, doesn't it seem like Kazuma and Shibahime are together?"
"Like together together?" Asaba asked, looking somewhat horrified. Then he waved it away. "Psh, no. Come on, Shibahime wouldn't go all monogamy on us."
"Well I know they've been sleeping together and Shibahime hasn't been sleeping with anyone else." Tsubaki pointed out. "Doesn't it seem a little weird?"
"I guess." Asaba shrugged.
"Yukino's running!" Aya exclaimed, sitting on the edge of her seat. Arima's eyes were glued to the orange-haired girl as she went up to the line. She turned, looked straight at him, and winked. He suddenly felt as though he were floating.
And then she took off. Running along, arms pumping swiftly as she tried to take a lead. And she did, she was ahead now. The whole group was standing up and cheering, even Arima was yelling encouragements before Yukino passed the finish line and the bleachers went wild with applause.
Yukino ran over to her team and got a bottle of water and a few pats on the back before wandering up to where they were.
"Hey, Arima, how was I?" She asked him.
"You were great." Arima told her enthusiastically, pleased that she had talked to him first. The others began piling on compliments and he was forgotten for the moment, but it didn't matter as he watched her smile and laugh.
Maybe there was hope for the two of them.
* * *
"Good morning Mr. Souchirou." He was greeted as he sat down across from three very stern looking adults. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, sir." Arima was a little nervous. Why had he been called down here? It was the middle of classes after all. Was something wrong? Were his parents okay?
"It's been brought to our attention that you've been having problems with your grades." The main speaker looked down at his papers before turning back to Arima. "Why is that?"
"I...I've just been having some trouble." Arima didn't know what to say. This had never been a problem before. Ever.
"Your last school said you were the most brilliant student they had last year. And the year before that as well." The main one leaned back in his chair a little. "Who are your roommates?"
"Hideaki Asaba, Miyazawa Yukino, and Izawa Maho." Arima answered. What did his roommates have to do with anything?
"Oh, that group." A woman to the left of the guy in the center shook her head almost in dismay. "Mr. Souchirou, it should be brought to your attention that that particular group thinks school is a joke, and they usually just skate by."
"Which is fine, you can try doing that." The man put in. "But you obviously don't have experience with it like that group does. You need to bring your grades up or you will be kicked out of school."
"Kicked out?" Arima couldn't believe it.
How could I get kicked out?
Then what would I do? I mean, I could just go to school somewhere else but...
They wouldn't be there. Yukino wouldn't be there.
"Yes, but if you can pull your grades up then you won't be kicked out. My advice to you is to transfer out of your current room into somewhere you can work." The man told him. "This is your official warning Mr. Souchirou. You may go."
Arima left the room, his head bent low. When had things gotten so out of hand? But then, all he did was hang out with the group, and that didn't leave room for homework sometimes. How did the others get it done? How did the others do it?
"Remember your grades Arima."
What would his parents say? And he was overcome with guilt and shame. His parents paid lots of money for him to go to this school and grades were supposed to be the most important. Not friends or having fun. When did it get like this?
He went back to the room now that he didn't feel well. He felt as though he was going to throw up. Kicked out of school. It just wasn't possible. Arima hit the door with his hand before opening it.
Yukino was sitting there, her glasses on, and she was working. She was doing her homework. She turned around and saw him, blinking several times.
"Arima, are you okay?" Yukino asked. She could tell something was wrong. How could he tell her? He plopped down on the couch next to her.
"I'm failing, they're going to kick me out of school unless I bring up my grades." Arima closed his eyes; he was in a definite state of upset. "I've always had good grades, I just...I can't believe this is really happening to me."
"Asaba never has any better than a D in all his classes." Yukino tried to comfort him. "But we help each other out, we pull through. And don't think we aren't going to help you."
"What if I can't? What if I get kicked out?" Arima asked her wildly.
"Those administrators just like scaring people." Yukino rolled her eyes. Then she put her hands on his. "Don't worry about it." He looked up into her bright eyes, which were full of concern and sympathy.
"Yukino..." Arima licked his lips as he saw how close her face was. Yukino seemed to sense what he wanted because she kissed him, very gently. Arima kissed her back, much more forcefully than he had initially intended.
Her tongue entered his mouth and he went with it. He was making out with Yukino. On the couch. The thought wasn't really sinking in as they fell over onto the couch, Yukino underneath him.
Their hands began to move over each other and Arima didn't know if he had ever felt anything like this before. It was bliss. It was bliss just kissing her like this. It was almost like...
And then he stopped.
They weren't together. It was possible that Yukino wasn't thinking along those same lines at all. In fact, she could just be making out with him the same way she did with all the others. He pulled away from her.
Yukino sat up, obviously confused.
"We need to talk." Arima declared.
"What?" Yukino looked around dazedly as if she had missed something crucial.
"If..." Arima tried to clear his throat and get rid of the lump that had settled there. "If we're going to be together then...I mean...I want us to be together exclusively."
"What?" Yukino now seemed to not believe what she was hearing. "What are you talking about?"
"I...I can't do things the way you guys do." Arima shook his head. "So, if we're going to be together, then it has to be monogamous." Yukino shook her head, tried to say something, failed, and then finally gathered herself together, giving him a rather hesitant smile.
"I'm way too young to waste my time with that sort of thing." Yukino told him outright and Arima could feel something inside him tearing in two. "I mean, its just friend sex, it doesn't mean anything."
"But..." Arima tried to protest.
"I think you got the wrong idea." Yukino stood up. "I didn't realize you were going to get all mushy on me." Her face twisted slightly, and then she left the room, slamming the door that lead to Yukino and Maho's room.
Arima went into his own room, sitting down on the bed before he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to dry them as quickly as possible, but they just kept coming.
Great, now you're going to cry too? Oh boohoo, my grades suck and boohoo, Yukino doesn't like me.
It's your own fault.
You should have been paying attention to grades, not girls.
Somehow, none of this was making him feel better as he put his face on his hands, peering through them at the carpet as he continued to cry. It hurt so bad. He had never felt anything like it before. Why did it have to hurt like this?
Of course he didn't hear anyone enter the room. He didn't even hear them close the door. He only realized he wasn't alone when there was a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Arima, are you crying?" Asaba asked him with concern. But Arima didn't want to tell him why. He couldn't even answer. "What happened?"
What happened? What happened? Arima could have started laughing. What happened was that he was dumb enough to think that maybe, Yukino felt the same way he did. And now he was paying the price.
"It'll be okay." Asaba told him while moving to sit on the bed. At first Arima didn't understand what he was doing until he felt two hands rubbing his back. And suddenly he realized how tensed up he had been.
Asaba began to speak again as he worked on Arima's back. "Come on, tell me what's wrong."
"Well...it's a lot of things." Arima was starting to calm down. "They called me into the office and had an official meeting about my grades."
"They have about two of those a year for me." Arima could practically see Asaba rolling his eyes. "But then I pass with C's and they can't touch me."
"It doesn't bother you though?" Arima questioned.
"Um, a little, I guess." Asaba shrugged. "But I usually get called in with Tsubaki, so I haven't heard what the hell they've been saying."
"Well, I guess I don't have your good luck." Arima sighed heavily. "Other stuff too...I'm not sure I can tell you though, you'd probably laugh at me." Or blow him off the way Yukino had.
"Go on." Asaba urged him.
"Before...well, I was crying because of...Yukino." Arima admitted. He waited and for just a moment, Asaba stopped completely before going on with his hands to work out some particularly bad knots.
"What happened?" Asaba questioned. "I came in here and she was stomping out of the room, saying something about practice."
"We were..." Arima felt a slight heat go to his face. "Were kissing on the couch."
"Oh." Asaba sounded interested but slightly distracted by what he was doing.
"I didn't want to just, well…I know you guys are okay with doing stuff with people and it not meaning anything, but I just...with Yukino, it's different." Arima's shoulders dropped. "I really like her, but if I'm going to be with her, I want it to be exclusive."
"Um...Arima, you didn't tell her this, did you?" Asaba asked him slowly and hesitantly.
"Of course I did." Arima tried to turn but found it was rather hard so he stayed where he was sitting. "Was that wrong?"
"It…it really depends on how you look at it." Asaba finally answered.
"She's going to hate me forever, isn't she?" Arima felt his throat go dry and a lump rise up. Asaba patted his back, obviously sensing the upset in Arima. He moved and hugged Arima, who was happy to have someone there to comfort him.
Arima looked up to tell him so and was surprised by Asaba kissing him. He was so utterly confused by this action that he didn't stop him at all. In fact, it didn't feel as weird as it should have. Asaba took his lack of action as permission and began to get even closer, the kissing growing more intense. Asaba went to kiss Arima's throat and Arima finally gathered himself together enough to say something.
"Wait!" Arima stopped him. Asaba blinked a couple of times in surprise.
"Do you want me to stop?" Asaba questioned, his voice as serious as Arima had ever heard it.
"Well...er..." Arima shook his head. What the hell? Did he want him to stop?
"Don't worry, we're just friends. I just wanted you to feel better." Asaba told him while starting to move back in, straddling Arima's waist rather suggestively.
"But...but I'm not gay." Arima shook his head.
"Sure." Asaba smiled secretively and wiggled slightly. Arima's cheeks went red as he felt an odd sensation between his legs. He knew what that was. "Besides, it's not about being gay or straight, it's about feeling good."
"I'm way too young to waste my time with that sort of thing."
"I didn't realize you were going to get all mushy on me."
I'm sorry Yukino...I'm sorry I got like that. Did I overreact to the situation?
She does this sort of thing all the time.
Does it matter? Does it really matter now?
"Don't stop."
* * *
Dun dun DUN!!! Omigod, Asaba you were sooo great in this scene! ^_^. I love my Asaba-sama. Okay, so please review you guys! I bet you guys can't wait to see what happens next. Which way will this story turn? What weird turn of events do we have in store for the cast? Why don't you look at our fine selection of ANGST??? (Okay, spaaaaazzz.) D'accord, allons-y!