Author's Notes: Thanks again for all the kind reviews. ^^ I'm glad to see that this story is 'reaching out' to people who have experienced similar situations. ^^;;
As always, please read, review and enjoy ^^
--------------------------------------------------------
"Hiten…why must you be like this…" I thought to myself regarding the boy that walked alongside me.
We'd been best friends since my first day at my new school. A bit of a mix-up due to our similar appearances left us as a dynamic duo that was not be messed with. He was the only guy that got to hear some of my darkest secrets… all, except for one.
Jakotsu joked once and said it was our "rainbow secret"- but right now it felt like a dark gray, something to be kept in the shadows and never see the light.
Keh. I'd spent months with these people. People who took me in and accepted me as their friend… And now, by saying one little word, I could lose all that in a heartbeat.
'Gay'- it used to mean happy and cheerful… but now, the meaning is something else. Something unpleasant to society's eye. Something- unwanted.
And here I was left with one day to try and tell people… that's what I am.
-----------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3: One Step at a Time
----------------------------------------------------
Walking down the hallway, Bankotsu paused at his locker he shared with Hiten.
"So um… why aren't you in class yet?" He said nervously, trying to break the silence.
"Someone hid Mr. Mukotsu's planner apparently. So he left class to go look for it…and since you weren't here yet I was coming to wait for you."
Rummaging through the books inside the small metal confines, Bankotsu could feel his heart still racing.
"Should I just…say, 'Hey, about that joke earlier…um… you were right' No…argh, he'll probably hate me…but… with Jakotsu coming… I've got to…"
"Bankotsu, are you sure you're not sick? You look kinda pale, man."
"I'm just fine…perfectly fine- nothing wrong at all," He replied quickly.
Hiten narrowed his eyes, knowing something was up.
Bankotsu offered a nervous smile and shoved some books into his friend's arms.
"There are your books. Let's go see if Mr. Mukotsu's found his planner yet."
Running ahead as if he actually cared to get to class sooner only made him more suspicious to Hiten.
"Something's not… right with him today…" His red-eyed companion thought before following him down the hallway.
Opening the doorway to the science lab, Bankotsu's eyes fell on the many people he'd come to call his friends during this school year.
"Naraku- come back here! I swear I'll kill you for this!" A black-haired boy yelled as he chased another boy around the room.
He was followed by two others, "Kouga! Kouga wait up!"
Bankotsu's smile was semi-lopsided as he watched the fiasco unfold.
"Same as usual, right?" A red-haired female spoke up walking up beside him.
"Oh, morning Ayame."
She sighed, "I swear- Kouga will never change. I'll be married with him and have kids and he will still be after Naraku for some reason or another…"
"Well if Naraku keeps failing his classes, he'll be stuck in high school forever and you won't have anything to worry about."
The girl shook her head as she sat down, "I can only hope he leaves with your class."
Rushing past with something clutched in his hand, the brown-haired teenager in question had a malicious grin plastered on his face.
"Ha! Once I show the rest of the track team this- you'll be the laughing stock of the school."
"How the hell did you get that picture!?" Kouga fumed, still trying to catch him and toppling a few chairs in the process.
"I never reveal my evil plots to anyone except my loyal minions," Naraku laughed.
Hiten walked in the doorway just as the two ran past.
"I see the morning is going by as usual…" He remarked taking a seat.
Bankotsu looked over to his two partners for this week's chemistry project, almost glad for once that he wasn't working with Hiten.
Then again- Sesshoumaru and Kagura could be worse than Hiten given their moods.
"Morning," He said, not really expecting anything but a cold stare and perhaps a mutter if he was lucky.
"Yah…whatever…" The black-haired girl shrugged, hiding a yawn behind her notebook, "You think you can take your baseball bat to Kouga's head?"
The braided-boy blinked, "Wha?"
"They've been at this since twenty 'til class began," She said shaking her head, "I'm not sure who I want to kill more- Kouga for being an idiot or my asshole older brother for taking advantage of the idiot."
"They are both becoming quite the nuisance," The other young man finally spoke as he pushed a strand of white hair out of his face.
"You are so lucky your half-brother goes to another school, Sesshoumaru. I swear- between Naraku being held back two grades and getting stuck with me and our psycho cousin in the Junior class, I am never going to be considered sane."
"Musou's not that bad," Bankotsu remarked, flinching as something crashed to the ground.
"You seem preoccupied," Sesshoumaru noted, his usual unreadable expression set firmly in place.
Diverting his eyes, the black-haired teen looked to the ground, "Just…thinking over something I need to talk to my friends about."
"Like?" Kagura prompted him.
"It's…well, it's kinda serious…" He muttered, wondering if he could manage to tell them without all hell breaking loose.
He'd met Kagura the first day- her spitfire temper hidden by a cool and confident air, making her one of the more unique members of the Senior class. Then again the unspoken fact that she was supposedly dating Sesshoumaru only helped with her enigmatic nature. They'd always managed to be some nice leveled headed, albeit sometimes very blunt friends that Bankotsu knew he could always count on despite their strange and silent bonds of loyalty.
"Does this pertain to the arrival of your friend from Japan?" Sesshoumaru asked nonchalantly as he flipped through his notes.
"Well…sorta…"
"What the hell is it?" Kagura pressed, becoming unnerved by the drawn out answer, "He's not hurt or sick, is he?"
"No…it's just…"
Seeing the anguish on his face, the black-haired girl placed a hand on his shoulder, "Bankotsu? You can tell us, right?"
"I've…I've got to tell them…sooner or later. But… what if she freaks out and yells it out in front of the class?" His eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Suikotsu's right though… if they're my true friends… this won't matter. But still… it might be a shock…"
Looking up at the two people sitting besides him, Bankotsu bit his lip.
"Shit…this is driving me insane…"
He snapped his head up at the sound of Sesshoumaru standing, the metal chair grating on the cold floor.
The golden-eyed young man frowned as he caught the wadded ball the photograph Naraku had had become.
Placing it in his palm, he casually flicked it directly at Kouga's forehead before walking over and bending over next to Bankotsu.
"Speak." He said simply, his tone practically an order.
Closing his eyes, and knowing of all people- at least Sesshoumaru wouldn't cause an outburst, the young man leaned over to his friend's ear.
"It's… about my…friend, Jakotsu."
Sesshoumaru nodded slightly, waiting for the rest.
Lowering his whisper even more so and clutching at his jeans 'til his knuckles were white, he bit the bullet and rushed it out.
"…He's actually…my boyfriend."
Drawing back slightly, the white-haired young man quirked an eyebrow as he regarded Bankotsu's expression.
His eyes were squinted closed, as if waiting some horrible disaster and his posture was tense.
"I see." Sesshoumaru murmured in return.
Bankotsu cautiously opened his eyes, scared- yet wanting to be able to see the other boy's expression.
Not to disappoint, the usual dead-pan was set in place, as if nothing out of the ordinary had been said or done.
"You…you…see?" He practically squeaked out under his breath on noticing Kagura's strange looks from behind them.
"Your love life is not of my concern." Sesshoumaru stated, turning to go back to his seat.
At that, Bankotsu's face lit up.
True, to most- such a statement would seem negative. But to those that knew Sesshoumaru, they also knew that was his strange way of saying he cared.
Unable to resist, the braided teen grabbed hold of Sesshoumaru's arm, and mouthed a quiet, "Thank you" to him.
He received a simple nod in reply.
"What's going on here? And don't you tell me it's "Guy's stuff" because I know neither of you do that kinda crap," Kagura butted in, a bit thrown by the odd exchange between the two.
"Shall I?" He questioned taking his seat.
"Um…well…okay…" Bankotsu managed to reply; still dreading each time he had to endure the few seconds before the person reacted.
Tugging at her red shirt, Sesshoumaru leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Her eyes widened, and Bankotsu winced in anticipation.
She looked at him, then back to Sesshoumaru before muttering, "Well damn…"
Not quite sure what his male friend had told her, Bankotsu bit his lip.
"And I thought my brother was one of the few around here…" She whispered back.
At that, it was his turn to be surprised, "You mean- Naraku is…?"
"Well- he's not that…he's…well, both…girls or guys, he's not picky."
Breathing after what seemed like the longest breath he'd ever held, Bankotsu's smile finally found its way back to his face.
"I…I never knew…"
"We never knew about you. Who else knows?" Kagura asked, keeping her voice low and for once being thankful for the ruckus the other classmates were making.
"Just you two…and my roommate that's in college. It's…it's not like I'm looking or anything…"
Smirking Kagura had to withhold a laugh, "Good. I'll be stuck with the Ice Prince for the rest of my life then."
Sesshoumaru glared on overhearing the nickname some of the other classmates had given him due to his cold nature.
"Lucky me," He said dryly.
Before anymore could be said amongst the three friends, a loud crash announced that Kouga had finally caught up to Naraku and that some furniture or lab equipment was now damaged.
Of course, much to the two boy's misfortune, it was also that choice moment that Mr. Mukotsu had returned with his missing material.
"Kouga! Naraku! Not this again…" The short man sighed on seeing the fallen table and a few shattered beakers on the ground.
"He started it!" Kouga protested.
Naraku just smirked slyly, "So sorry for the trouble, Mr. Mukotsu. Here, I'm sure Kouga here would be more than willing to pick up the mess he's made."
Knowing it really was of no use, the teacher shook his head, "Never mind- just, take your seats."
The two grumbled a few obscenities at each other before retreating to their respective chairs.
As Mr. Mukotsu began his lecture, Kagura leaned over and whispered to Bankotsu.
"Hey, we do we get to meet this boyfriend of yours anyways?"
Tapping his pen against his forehead, he looked over to her, a bit thrown by hearing her call Jakotsu as such.
"Well… he gets in tomorrow morning, so he'll be at the game in the afternoon."
She nodded, "Have you told Hiten?"
Biting his lip again, he nodded in the negative.
Of all his friends, it was Hiten he dreaded telling the most… especially since he knew his friend would sometimes use the word in a derogatory manner and figured he felt equally appalled with the actual thing.
"If he tries to be an ass about it, let us know. We'll knock some sense into him," She said with a smirk.
Nodding, he looked down at his notebook- a bit thrown by what he'd absently drawn.
He never considered himself much of an artist, but when bored in class he'd found himself doodling small things on the corners of his notebook pages.
The drawing was simple- just a sketch of him, Jakotsu and his friends.
But one person was missing…
…Hiten.
-------------------------------------------
Preview for Chapter 4:
Twenty-four hours in one day. They say, you have all the time in the world… but sometimes- you don't.