Aoi Kodoku; Blue Solitude
Author: Nekocin
Warnings: some angst, out of character, weird humor, this is not a school fic (!), a bit repetitive, random culinary stuff.
Disclaimer: see previous chapter
Author's notes: Need a new summary. The current one doesn't seem to cover the whole story.
I was supposed to update this yesterday, but due to my sleepless night I forgot to save it in my floppy. I apologize for my lateness.

It had taken one lift in Hiwatari's nice car to make Rei realize he loved his current life, thank you very much.
Hiwatari had graciously (between quotation marks) pushed him into his car, before racing off down the hill as if it were normal to drive in turbo speed. It didn't take long for Rei to notice the arrogant smirk playing on the other's smirk.

Fortunately, he didn't let out screams of terror throughout the "funky" ride or else that little smirk would have stretched further, mocking his neko-jin pride.

They arrived at Mizuhara's convenient store within roughly calculated five minutes and fifty seconds.
Hiwatari slammed the brake hard, resulting to Rei almost hitting himself face-first on the dashboard.

"Out!" Hiwatari commanded.

"Geez. Couldn't you drive a bit slowly? We could've gotten killed in traffic!" Rei muttered, unfastening his seatbelt and opened the door by his side. He received no verbal response. Instead, he got himself in a painful chokehold for the second time that night.

"How much did Ivanov pay you to do this dirty work?" Hiwatari demanded, voice low.

—dirty—work—?

His eyes of vermouth pinned Rei to his seat like missed knives in the concrete walls. He couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind those accusing words. But he knew something sinister must be at work or else why would Hiwatari want to kill an oblivious village boy in his own car?

Rei regretted being so easily persuaded for such a trivial thing like getting a free car ride down town. He might as well hope for the best that Rai, one of his most respected friends back at the village, would give his body a proper burial... he missed the village.

It took quite a moment for him to realize that he was hacking for breath and desperately clawing Hiwatari's grip for release.

His ears felt like they were going to pop out in a few more seconds. He was seeing white blotches already.

Was he going to die there?

Even for someone like him to be always imagining how he would die, he actually didn't like to get killed just yet. People tend to imagine impossible things of their nearest future, feverishly hoping that everything would turn out to be like they had wanted to be. Instead, when the chance was given to fulfill these dreams, people back out, having second thoughts and at last, decided that their current life was more welcoming than their dreams.

Rei realized why Mao's grandmother liked to call him a hypocritical brat.

In another desperate attempt to escape, he struggled, clawed across Hiwatari's cheeks and was immediately released. A distinct hiss of pain and cursing reached his almost deafened ears. But he didn't care about that.

Grabbing his chance firmly with his nails and teeth if it must, Rei fumbled to open the door and threw himself out of the front seat, greedily breathing in the cold night air as much as he could. The insides of his head was whirling due to a higher and quicker oxygen pressure entering his brain cells through his lips and nostrils.

He better gets out of there before that guy comes to take his vengeance or something.

Rei scrambled back on his feet, albeit ungracefully, breaking into a run for Mizuhara's convenience store, silently hoping never to see that weirdo, Hiwatari Kai, again.

—How much did Ivanov pay you to do this dirty work?—In his mind, he repeated these words sarcastically before promptly dismissing the quote as unimportant.

Heh. Now, how exactly would he go home in case Hiwatari decided to wait outside?

3. Beginning C: Rei

The week in which the Institute would welcome the new school year opened with Rei struggling to wear the school's standard spring uniform at the same time. Pants up. Shirt on. Jacket on top. And he didn't really know how to bind his tie. He'd spent a good fifteen minutes fighting with the many knots he'd tried before giving up and opting to put the tie in his navy blue jacket's pocket, instead.

The pants felt a bit strange against his sensitive skin. The fabric -scraped- and -pricked- his skin whenever he walked. The white shirt felt thin and open. There's a possibility that the shirt had only 5 percent woven nylon and the rest cotton. All in one layer. And sadly, there's no high collar.

The clothes were completely different from the clothes he usually wore. He was used to soft cotton caressing his skin whenever he moved, elaborately embroidered satin gracing his neck and sleeves and the "homely" smell that lingered on the outer vests where the linen buttons should be fastened.

He looked at the little white tiger alarm clock Kiki had given him as a "Be Safe" gift when he was about to leave the country. Kiki might have been the brattiest and the most uncontrollable one within his circle of friends; he was perhaps the only one -sincere- enough to send Rei such a gift for his own safety.

5:15 AM

He wasn't late for school. Yet.

Taking one last look at his room to see if anything was out of place, he closed the bedroom door and walked swiftly to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Takao wasn't awake yet for he didn't have school. He'd heard from Max that Takao had taken a 'shortcut' just to become what he is now. His flat mate didn't have to go through college to be Ivanov's best cook.

Lucky guy. Takao had already known what he wanted to do with his life before he went to high school. Rei, however, didn't. He'd just randomly chosen (all right, maybe not really that randomly since MER was a suggestion he had taken account for) a study where a master's degree was required.

It took a while for him to realize they were running low in stock -again-. Sigh.

X - X

"I'm seriously going to put you on a diet, Takao, " Rei remarked to his drooping flat mate when the other trudged into the kitchen with his hair sticking to all ends.

Takao mumbled something in return and stared at his plate. "What's this?"

"Toast with butter on top," Rei answered bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This is an outrage!" Takao was immediately wide-awake. "It's not enough to be my breakfast, Rei!"

Too bad. There was nothing else in the stock-cabinet. Not even in the refrigerator.

Rei looked over at the clock, which adorned the hall. It was almost time for school. "I don't care. Hopefully, I can see you alive, tonight,"

"REI!" Takao whined, horrified.

He waved once and walked out of the kitchen. "I'm off. Bye,"

"How can you leave your hungry, battered roommate behind? REI!"

-Patan!- (door closes)

He closed the front door behind him, carefully straightening the sides of his cotton shoes to give his feet some breathing room in the narrow spaces. Without a backward glance, he jogged past the elevator door on which a big notice board hung with the message "Due to technical difficulties, this elevator is closed for the time being. Please use the stairs instead" to the stairs.
Rei took two steps at the same time, jumped when he neared the last one and sprinted down the sidewalk.

He didn't know what to expect from the Institute he would be attending.
Huge? Small? Ancient? Modern? Ugly? Anything was possible.

The building was bigger than any school he had visited so far back in China. And perhaps, prettier even. The outside walls were made of green glass that mirrored the outside world. Sakura trees were planted on each side of the lane that directed anyone towards the building or to the back of the building. They were fully bloomed. Pretty white, rose and deep pink petals adorned the branches.
He supposed the back of the building was were all the P.E. activities were held.

Rei suddenly realize a lot of people were staring curiously at him. He lowered his head self-consciously and quickly entered the building not before reading the school's name.

Bakuten Sunshine Institute founded by Dr. Daitenji

The first thing he had to do was to find out in which class he was placed.

He searched for his name (either in kanji or in katakana) on the school's notice board where long lists of names under each class form were written.

Class 1 - C

20. Kon Rei

Something else was written besides his name. It was a quick message for him about meeting up with the head master to get a whole overview of the school rules and his schedule.

It's his first day to school and he already got himself injured during P.E.

Just great.

Normally, he had no problems with physical education for he was a naturally athletic (well, most of the time, when he wasn't lazy). But if all the boys in class corner one classmate during a friendly game of "Dodge ball", the result is always the same. The victim has already been decided.

It seemed like everyone was out to get him when they had noticed he was pretty quick at dodging balls with his--what they had dubbed as "show off"—maneuvers. Or it was perhaps because he looked strange and came from China. Whichever. He got injured some time during the game and was sent off to see the school's doctor by the teacher. All by himself. Even the teacher teamed up with his classmates.

At least the girls were rather... motherly and overly nice. He suspected that his looks made their hearts "flutter" and "dance". He never did understand such terms, even when Mao had tried explaining the "first stage of love where girls are rather obvious about their crushes" thing.
Not that it's a bad thing for not really knowing what exactly Mao was talking about. He might be naive but he wasn't stupid. Those dreamy looks on him gave everything away.

Finding the doctor's office was quite one large task he hadn't suspected of doing.
He took almost a half hour trying to find the doctor's office, limping slightly with one hand holding his bruised arm in place.
The office wasn't on the first or second floor as he'd suspected. It was on the third, near the second years' classes.
Who was the idiot who'd built the rooms haphazardly like this? Shouldn't the doctor's office be on the first floor for easy access when students get themselves injured during P.E.-classes?

Rei wouldn't be surprised if the school doctor admits he needed immediate treatment. He could see his injured arm swelling up. And that bruise looked very nasty. Who gave him that bruise again?

He knocked first before sliding the door open, saying the customary "Good morning, Doctor,"

The doctor turned around from looking through the medicine cabinet.

Rei realized the nightmare he had the other night wasn't over yet.

Vermouth-colored eyes™. Weird cheek markings™. The smirk™.

"Good morning," Hiwatari Kai responded, coolly taking in his appearance behind a pair of glasses. He looked even scarier in that white doctor's uniform. This must be a dream.

"Do you want something?"

Rei was really getting scared. This was the same Hiwatari who tried to kill him? "Uhm—"

Dr. Hiwatari's eyes trailed down to look at the arm he was holding, probably choosing to see what was wrong instead of hearing what went wrong.

"Sit," he ordered, gesturing to the examination bed before squatting down to open the cabinet underneath the medicine one and rummaging through its content.

Hiwatari didn't look like he recognized him. The moment he had entered the room there were no long smirks; no amused eyes and note even a pleased look for the fact that Rei had, willingly and unknowingly, wandered back to him—the unofficial Death Bringer of an orphaned neko-jin.

He obediently pushed himself up to sit on the high bed.

Finally, Dr. Hiwatari closed the cabinet, having found the kit he had been looking for and turned to his patient. "Show me,"

Rei dutifully pointed to the swollen parts.

Dr. Hiwatari's cool fingers touched the purple bruise on his arm, inspecting the damage with a few light probing—and then repeated the same actions on Rei's leg. There was no thoughtful crease on Hiwatari-sensei's forehead.

"How did you get these?"

Rei felt his left ear flatten against his hair when Hiwatari-sensei's hot breath graced his delicate skin. His hand immediately flew up to rub his ear.

Did he do that on purpose? It didn't seem like the doctor had noticed how tense he was sitting.

"Dodge ball," He inwardly congratulated himself for sounding rather cool than panicked. Suspiciously, he watched the doctor with guarded eyes.

Hiwatari-sensei opened the first-aid kit and picked out a bottle with the inscription of "Alcohol" on it. What's that for?

"Unfortunately, I don't have ice here. Let's settle with alcohol then," Hiwatari suggested. He twisted open the cap, applied the liquid on a cotton pad and stepped closer to his patient.
He silently asked for Rei's swollen arm. Without warning, he started rubbing the swelling with the drenched cotton. Harshly.

Rei cried out like he had never done before. Tears started gathering in the corners of his eyes, as the pain seemed to deepen with each rub. His arm instinctively wanted to pull back from the treatment, but with Hiwatari's death grip round his wrist Rei was doomed to bear it until the very end.

Sadistic jerk!

For a moment he felt soft breezes caress the abused part of his arm.

What the-?

The breezes felt cold against his skin and--welcome too. Teary-eyed, he looked over at his arm.

"You're not that tough, after all, Kon," He could just -feel- the smirk in Hiwatari's biting words.

Rei suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He felt ashamed of himself for letting his tears flow in front of his Death. A strange swirl of self-disappointment was raging inside his stomach when he turned his eyes away from his throbbing arm.

"I can never forget the face of the culprit who gave me these scars," Hiwatari said dangerously low and brought Rei's numbed fingers to touch said scars on his cheek.

Rei felt mortified.

Dr. Hiwatari dropped his arm and went to prepare for the next round of treating the second bruise.

This time, Rei had scraped the little courage he had together and waited anxiously for the doctor to complete his torture. He did not scream or resist—he had whimpered, grit his teeth and scratched the bed with his sharp nails.

He disliked the Institute on his first day already.

"Your throat must be sore from all that screaming. Drink this,"

A cup of water was offered to him, after the rough treatment. He realized it did hurt. The water had cooled down the burning within his throat a bit. Admittedly, its cooling effect didn't entirely ease the pain. Rei wasn't expecting it to.

Wiping away some straying tears, Rei slowly slid down the examination bed and placed the empty plastic cup in Hiwatari's awaiting hands. He'll never try to step into this mad doctor's office in the near future again.

"You can save your pride by staying here with me—," Hiwatari-sensei offered.

Already horrified at the prospect of being in the same room with his tormentor, Rei shook his head hastily to shoot down the offer and mumbled a quick but polite, "No, thank you. I'll be fine. Thank you for treating me,"

He did not miss the light smirk on the doctor's face when he gave the other a fleeting glance, before rushing out of the room. Whether it was mocking him or not, he wasn't sure and didn't want to find out.

That was the most horrible experience he had ever taken part of. He would write to Mao's grandmother and ask her for some pointers about healing herbs. (Herbs that preferably could treat cuts, bruises, headaches, flu and other sorts of ailments and physical wounds.)

When he got back to P.E.-class he was completely swarmed by his extremely worried female classmates. The way they fawned over him and his haggard state was more than welcome—even though, most of them had admitted having crushes on the handsome Hiwatari Kai-sensei—also known as The Sadist in his head—and decided to worship him, instead.

"I'm home!" he called out tiredly and leaned against the wall in order to take off his shoes without putting much pressure on his leg. He hate to admit it, but the rough treatment had helped a bit. The pain had subsided most of the time—when he wasn't pressuring either his arm or leg, that is. It was as if he had never been bruised up during a game before.

"Welcome back!" Takao had appeared out of nowhere into his face. Grinning.

Rei let out a startled cry, instinctively jumping up—and accidentally hit his bruised arm against the door handle. Fuck—
He hissed aloud, immediately grabbing his injured arm and tried to will the sudden tears from the corners of his eyes away. A long but reserved "ow" followed.

His flat mate's eyes widened.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you or anything. Are you okay?" Takao stopped grinning and worriedly stepped closer to Rei as if he was about to faint.

"Y-yes. I'm fine. I'm all right," Rei managed to bit out. He held his arm to his side to prevent any more stumbling against random objects as he made his way down the narrow hall with Takao following him.

"Want me to carry you to the sofa? You don't look so good,"

"No, thank you for asking. I'm okay. Don't worry,"

"But-,"

"There's nothing wrong with me. I just hit my arm. Big deal!"

"—okay, if you say so—," It seemed as if he would drop the topic, but Rei knew Takao's sharp eyes was observing his every move from behind. He cautiously let go of his injured arm and slowly stretched the muscles to feel if there was anything broken.

"Have you prepared lunch already?" Rei asked over his shoulder as he unbuttoned his jacket.

"No. I was waiting for you to do it," Takao responded cheerfully.

No hint of feeling guilty or regret. Sure. Just let nice Rei do all the work because he simply -loves- to play housewife for him. Rei rolled his eyes and loosened the tie round his neck. (He'd gone through all his classes with a tie, after all. One of the girls had offered her service of tying it properly for him. Thanks to her, he didn't have to make a fool out of himself for not wearing the school's dressing code)

"What will we have tonight?"

X - X

After changing his uniform to his house clothes, Rei went to the kitchen to prepare dinner at 16:35. His stomach was growling already—or maybe it was Takao's? Whichever.

"So, how was your day? Was it exciting? Normal? Did you get yourself a girlfriend?"

Chop!

"Awful and humiliating,"

Good.

"Why? Did you annoy some teachers on your first day already?"

Chop!

"Not really. Well, maybe the Physical Education teacher—and the guys in my class,"

Right side.

"Only that?"

Chop!

"Uh-huh. They dislike me,"

Above.

"What did you do? How can anyone dislike you? You're Rei!"

"I'm not sure because I look weird? Because I have all the girls in class worshipping the ground I walk? Because I'm a good dodge-,"

Cho- "ARGH!"

Annoyed, Rei slapped the cookbook closed and threw it against the opposite wall behind him. His eyes twitched when he turned to look down at the unevenly chopped pieces of spring onions.

Where did he do wrong? Such an easy task like chopping onions should be completed within a few seconds. Instead, he had taken one minute and forty seconds to cut the onions into pieces of four centimeters long. Sloppy work was intolerable, especially when he was the one behind it.

Dicing the onions into itty-bitty pieces is a piece of cake, naturally. So why did he fail to dice them correctly? Was it because of his injury?

"That's it! You're going down and I don't care how long you're supposed to be!" Rei snarled, tightened his grip on the knife handle and attacked his failed task, mincing the pieces to his liking.

"Uh—Rei—want me to help? I know a great deal about European dishes," Takao offered suddenly

Rei shot him a glare. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? Now, how can I do this required length of 4 cm? Using a ruler?"

Takao smiled disarmingly. "Why not?" And he reached out his hand, silently asking for the knife.

Minutes later, Takao wiped his hands on the end of the white apron he was wearing, and suddenly started laughing out loud. "I can't believe my boss did that to you, the other night. What did you do to get his attention?"

Rei stopped staring in wonder at the sizzling mix of spring onions, red onions and white beans in tomato sauce. So that's how it's done.

"What do you mean?"

"Ack! Nothing important. Just thought of something funny," Takao grinned, waving his right hand in a poor attempt to erase whatever had been said. He then returned his attention to the wok, when he was sure his flat mate wasn't going to prod any further.

Rei did the same, promptly dismissing his confusion. After all, it was hard to understand how Takao's humor worked. His eyes followed Takao's every move when stirring the beans to one side and then to the opposite.

"It looks so easy,"

"Of course it is! They're canned beans with tomato sauce. We don't have to make the sauce. We don't have to wash these beans. We don't need many ingredients for this dish. All we have to do is cook! Neat, huh?" Takao reasoned in his rather unusual matter-of-fact voice.

"It doesn't look like an European dish to me," Rei's skeptic remark made the temporary cook face-fault.

It really wasn't an European dish. White beans were just swimming within the mild red sauce with onions sticking and floating here and there. Nothing spectacular about the disk's looks. Nothing unique about its taste. Argh! There was not even a bit of eye-candy in the mix.

Rei felt wounded. How could such a -simple- thing defeat him when he was trying to cut those infuriating onions? His right eye twitched in annoyance. And the picture in the cookbook doesn't look like that! Was that book lying? Or worse, was he losing his magical touch?

"Oi, Rei, could you get the door. You can mope later,"

Door? Oh.

Without a word, Rei walked out of the kitchen.

Once his flat mate was out, Takao let out the breath he wasn't aware of holding, and slid down to the tiled floor, chuckling to himself for no apparent reason.

"I think I'm going crazy," he told himself. With the back of his hand, he wiped his forehead and sighed. He had almost got himself into trouble with that slip of the tongue. Yuri would kill him for being such a blabbermouth. Taking a deep breath, he stood up just as Rei walked in with something in his hand.

"Who's at the door?"

"The neighbour's kid,"

"Which one? Did he demand to be let in?"

"What for?"

"To steal my games, what else? So, did he?"

"No—he was just passing this card to me"

"Card?"

Rei showed the white card in his hand. "This one,"

"Oh,"

"He said it's specifically for me because I have long hair and look girly,"

Takao muffled his snickers behind a hand.

Rei shot him an annoyed glare. "It's not funny, Kinomiya! I bonked the kid's head for insulting me. Want me to repeat it on your head too? I assure you, you won't see it coming until tomorrow,"

"Sorry," Takao opened the card and stared at the message. He stared some more before looking up at his flat mate, embarrassed smile playing on his lips.

"It's—it's—it's an invitation!"

An invitation of someone who was interested. And he knew...

Rei nodded. "From someone going by the name Suzaku. Do you know that person?"

"No," Takao wanted to hit himself. This must be some sick dream. He had to be dreaming.

"I can't believe it's already getting started," he murmured.

"What is getting started?"

"I mean—will you go?"

Rei shrugged. "Probably not. I don't want to miss my 7:30 culinary show. I read in the newspaper they'll have it about giant shrimps, exotic roasted giant shells and Japanese-style grilled beef,"

Takao face-faulted. "You're going to ignore this invitation for a stupid show?"

"Hey! I love that show," he said defensively. "And I don't know anyone going by the name Suzaku. So why should I?"

Takao decided to let the whole thing slide—for a while.

It was 7:45. Rei was already excitedly pointing at the TV screen, making impressed noises and writing down notes (for future references) in a small worn notebook he'd found in his luggage.

Rei had become a whole different person. He'd completely forgotten about his rotten day. And about the evil doctor Hiwatari.

The screen showed how three VIPs (they were probably members of a boys band) and the show's host looked over the lunch table on which large delicacies was served: a large silver bowl filled with the biggest shrimps covered with fried flour and ketchup any outsider had seen (really, they were as big as an S-cup beverage. Probably even bigger); another larger bowl filled with xxx-roasted shells and at last, the grilled steak—thing.

The camera zoomed in to show how the shrimp looked like.

"I've never seen sea shrimps with those sizes before. Are they for real?"

The host and one of the guys were rapidly exchanging comments about the shrimp and its background.

"Rei-," Takao tried.

"It's a famous delicacy in Kyoto, huh?"

Rei scribbled something hastily in the notebook.

"Rei-,"

Next, the camera showed the bowl of roasted shells up close.

"Look at those shells! Should we eat their pearls too?"

Sadly there were no pretty pearl in one of the shells one of the guys was testing out. It seemed the pearl wasn't edible enough to be roasted along with the shells. Lots of laughing between the host and his guests.

Rei didn't really understand their jokes.

"Rei-,"

It was then the beef--the steak--whatever it's called--turn. The host said something crude and his guests laughed... for some reason. Must be an inside joke.

"Hey! That beef is so disgustingly huge, don't you think so too?"

"Rei-,"

Takao got impatient and threw a pillow at the back of his flat mate's head. The pillow hit its target with the result of Rei's pen being forced to write into a different direction. "REI! Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"A-yah! I meant -shell fish- not -statement shell-," ...he had miswritten a word or two, not even showing signs of having heard Takao's shout.

So this was the side of his unusually quiet flat mate when he was not moping around and about the crowded city life.

Takao sighed again. He felt exhausted and completely out of it. "—I knew this would never work out,"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

He'd almost blurted it out, but decided it was best wait till Rei find it out himself. It wouldn't be pretty, considering the fact that Rei didn't ask to be sucked into their lives and would probably beat the living daylights out of him.

He wondered who was the most foolish one? Him or his boss. If anything goes out of hand, he's willing to sacrifice a limb for Rei's sake. After all, who likes being toyed around without knowing? And though, Rei might be a bit harsh and way too serious for his own good, Takao liked his flat mate. Rei was a perfect example of someone who was earnest about everything he did and say, without trying to wound anyone, unknowingly.

The guy doesn't brag about his talents that is brought out by the low self-esteem he had for his own abilities. Always saying that the women back in his village were better cooks while he was mediocre.
The guy doesn't brag about his looks. Sure, he has the handsome looks, the charms and this healthy aura surrounding him; it doesn't look like he cares much of how he should appear.
The guy doesn't even talk about himself, only preferring to let others do the talking while he lends a comforting ear.

Rei seemed oblivious to the fact that most people are envious of his fortune. His fortune to have a knack for everything. Like a born genius, but not really one.

"No. Nothing,"

His head hurt. He wondered if it's because it had been a long time since he had last thought about anything this deep before.

"Oh... I must be hearing the neighbours. How do they cook so many huge things in one little wok?"

Takao smiled faintly as he noted the awkwardness in Rei's arm movement. Every time Rei flailed with his arm—he always does that when he was excited—Takao noticed him twitch and bite back a hiss before pulling the arm back as if nothing happened.
His flat mate's seating position was awkward too. Rei liked sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of the TV. He could sit that position for hours without complaining about "crawling ants" lack of blood streaming to his toes. Tonight, his flat mate had switched his leg position ever few seconds: stretching out his legs, pulling them back, spreading them, crossing them, uncrossing them...

Did someone beat his flat mate up at school and leave a few broken bones behind?

Here goes nothing...

"Rei—do you need a doctor to look at your injuries?" Takao spoke up at last. "I mean, I can always ask for Kai's assistance. He may be a cold bastard, but he is simply the only doctor I can entrust you wi-Ow! Hey!"

A pillow had struck him squarely in the face.

Rei looked serious again. Gone was the childish personality Takao had just witnessed. His flat mate was currently glaring at an unseen spot in the carpet, scowling. "No doctors. I am my own doctor," Having said that one, he scrambled on his feet and slammed the bathroom door behind him.

Takao could only blink stupidly at the door. What did he say?

- END 3. Beginning C: Rei -

(To be continued in: 4. Beginning D: Rei)

Notes:

- 5:15 AM – I'm not exactly sure how early Japanese colleges begin, so I based it on my school.
- School's name – took the school's name of "Darling, I love you" (yaoi manga by Ioka Noeru; illustrated by Mamahara Erie) except for the "Bakuten" part. XD
- It's only natural to write Rei's name in Chinese (the Japanese call the Chinese words kanji: 金李) because of his origin. However, when I looked up the cast at one of BB's official Japanese sites, his name is written in katakana (they look mostly like sticks, commas stuff: レイ).
- Dodge ball – I'm not sure what the official name is of this game. It's where two groups are formed in the field. The member who has the ball should aim at the opposing group their legs and try to hit them.
- "Good morning, Doctor" – uhmm... it's still the same as calling "Ohayou gozaimasu, sensei!". People with certain respectable jobs are all addressed as "sensei". In anime, we mostly see doctors and teachers being addressed as "-sensei".
- The part where Kai roughly treats Rei's bruises is based on one of my own experiences. Whenever I get bruised here and there, I always rub something alcoholic or rub medicine on the bruise. And hard, too. If one of my parents get the chance to treat my bruises, they're surely going to rub as harsh as Kai had on Rei's. T.T

TheNekoTalks:

- Re-wrote this chapter so many times that I felt like re-creating the idea and re-do the beginning. (Had to write this without looking over my notebook; so please forgive the stagnated text I'd written so far). ARGH! I hate it when my stories don't want to go along with my ideas. Hopefully, "Catyph" (my newest BB fanfiction—please look forward to it :gets beaten up:) is more willing to let me do what I want. There's one thing I have to say about Rei's character here—(anata wa dare?) who the hell are you, you—you—you Rei impersonator?

Thank you for taking your time to read! This is longer than the previous chapter ♥♥♡♡✩

.:Nekocin:.