3
When Kuwabara entered Sarayashiki High the following morning, the racket of the student body was enough to send him reeling. He stumbled backward, shook his head, and strode through the double doors of the school, barely keeping himself from covering his ears to protect them from the tumult.
As he made his way toward his locker, someone thumped him on the shoulder. He turned and glanced at Yusuke, who was grinning sheepishly.
"Hey, Kuwabara. Can you believe this crap?" Yusuke asked, waving a hand at the crowds around them. "They're getting all worked up over that Jaganshi Hiei guy. I guess they must have forgotten that he plays for Kasane's team, not ours."
"Hmph. Yeah. He plays for the other team, all right," Kuwabara muttered. Yusuke blinked.
"All right, why do I get the feeling that you're not talking about soccer anymore?"
"Because I'm not." Kuwabara locked eyes with Yusuke meaningfully, and the other boy tipped his head to one side.
"You mean he's gay?" Yusuke asked incredulously. Kuwabara nodded, and Yusuke leaned toward him. "How do you know that? What, did he ask you out or something?"
"Ew! What did you have to say that for?" Kuwabara demanded, his face contorting in a grimace. "That's gotta be the most disturbing image you have ever put in my head, and that includes the one about Ruka and the dog. And anyway, he doesn't need to ask me out. He already has a boyfriend."
"Really? Who?"
At that moment, they walked by a large group of upperclassmen. The seniors were all babbling happily about the soccer game. In the center of the flock, talking and laughing with everyone around him, was Minamino Kurama. Kuwabara nudged Yusuke with his elbow, and Yusuke protested loudly before seeing Kuwabara jerk his head in Kurama's direction. The two boys stared at Kurama as they passed.
"Minamino Kurama. That's who he's going out with," Kuwabara stated bluntly. "I saw them leave together after the soccer game."
Yusuke paused for a moment.
"Well, at least Jaganshi has good taste," Yusuke said reasonably. "I mean, if Kurama had boobs, I would drop Keiko in a heartbeat."
"Oh, Yukimura's not gonna like hearing that..."
"What's that supposed to mean? If you even think about telling Keiko, you're gonna look real funny walking around with your head shoved up your ass."
"Fine, okay, I guess I can keep quiet... If you buy me the new Megallica CD."
"Are you trying to blackmail me?"
Kuwabara and Yusuke entered Mr. Akashi's chemistry laboratory, their conversation turning away from Jaganshi Hiei and focusing on the abysmal grades they had received on the last test. Several minutes before the bell rang, a girl with brown hair that didn't quite reach her shoulders walked into the classroom, holding her folder and notebooks against her chest. Her eyes warmed when she caught sight of Yusuke, and she crossed the room to take the desk in front of him.
"Yo, Keiko. Did you do the math homework last night?" Yusuke asked when she had seated herself.
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if I could borrow your homework—"
Keiko smacked him over the head before he could even complete the sentence.
"Don't even think about it, Urameshi Yusuke. You're not copying off of me," Keiko said petulantly. "If you want me to help you get the homework done, you can meet me on the bleachers during lunch."
A few hours later, Kuwabara and Yusuke grabbed their lunches and headed for the soccer field. Kuwabara sat down on the bleachers, munching on the cheesy bread he had bought in the cafeteria. He was clutching his jacket around his shoulders, since the wind was picking up and the weather was beginning to look stormy. Yusuke, meanwhile, had opened his math notebook and was staring blankly at the numbers.
"Yukimura's late. Do you know where she is?" Kuwabara asked, glancing at Yusuke.
"Keiko has a free block before lunch, so she usually volunteers at the elementary school across the street. She probably won't be here for another couple of minutes," Yusuke answered, peering down at his math homework. He skimmed through the problems and eventually huffed with frustration. "How does Keiko get this garbage, anyway? 'Write the square root of 192 in simplest form,' what the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"You should try splitting that into smaller roots," a voice suggested. Kuwabara choked on his bread and Yusuke nearly dropped the notebook. They both turned to stare as Minamino Kurama walked toward them, his hands clasped neatly behind him and his long red hair flowing on the wind. He was wearing a blue jacket over his t-shirt. "Once you do that, it's much easier to simplify."
"Minamino? What are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama locked eyes with him.
"I... I came to ask you a favor, actually," Kurama said hesitantly. He ducked his head, and his cheeks reddened. "I, um, heard you talking about Hiei this morning. Please, could you not tell anyone about what you saw? He only recently came back from Kyoto, and he has already been having trouble making friends at Kasane. Rumors like that would only make it harder for him." The two younger boys stared as Kurama lowered his head even more. "I'll do anything you want. Just... Please, don't say anything?"
Kuwabara considered the older boy for a several moments, feeling bad for upsetting Kurama so much. Kuwabara did not know him personally, but Kurama was one of the most decent guys a person could meet. He was popular because he treated everyone as if they were a friend, and he was usually seen helping people with their homework or personal problems. To see Kurama reduced to this, all for the sake of that Kasane brat...
"I'm not going to tell anyone," Kuwabara said. Kurama glanced up, looking shocked, and Kuwabara shook his head as he thumped the older boy on the shoulder. "What you do with your personal life is none of my business. Urameshi's, either," Kuwabara added, shooting a warning look at Yusuke.
Kurama's shocked expression slowly melting into one of gratefulness.
"Thank you," he said, his voice wavery with relief. "I—I appreciate it." Kurama suddenly beamed. "You're Kuwabara Kazuma, aren't you? From the soccer team. Hiei told me—"
"Yeah, that I'm clumsy and that I trip over my own feet," Kuwabara said sourly, his pride smarting from the comment even now. Kurama blinked.
"No," Kurama said. "He told me that your coach is a moron and that he has you playing the wrong position. Hiei said that you have a very solid build, more for defense than offense." Kurama smiled, tossing a stray lock of hair over one of his shoulders. "Did you notice? He made a point not to get near you during the game. Urameshi, as well."
"I— Really?" Kuwabara asked, stunned. Kurama nodded, his smile widening.
"Hiei would never have told you that, of course. He doesn't tend to shower people with praise. Something about overconfidence ruining a good player, if I remember correctly." Kurama shook his head, as if he thought the concept was immature. He glanced at his watch. "Oh, sorry. I have to go now. Talk to you later?"
"Uh... Yeah, sure," Kuwabara said numbly. As Kurama began to walk away, Kuwabara took a few moments to bring himself back to his senses. As soon as he managed to come back to earth, he suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Kurama!" Kurama paused in his steps, and Kuwabara ran to catch up to him. "Um, if you're going out with Hiei, then you must know Yukina, right?"
"Yes," Kurama said, one of his eyebrows raised. "Why?"
"I, um, met her at the game yesterday, and I was just wondering if you knew anything about her."
Kurama nodded, seeming to understand what Kuwabara was asking.
"Yukina is a talented ice skater. Ask her to teach you. She would be more comfortable if she was in her element, and she would also appreciate that you have an interest in the same thing she does," Kurama said. He had a knowing smile on his face. "Normally Hiei wouldn't let anyone near Yukina, but if you want, I'm sure I can convince him."
A/N: I'm not really satisfied with my writing, but the plot is progressing relatively according to plan. All in all, I'm glad I'm finished with this chapter. Please read and review, I'm dying of lack of attention.