Shuu was thinking.

Most people took for granted that he could be thoughtful when he wanted to, and that his mind was as capable of intense thought as any one else's. Of course, it often took Shuu longer to work out the finer details of the serious things he thought about -these being things other than when his next fight would occur and what he wanted for dinner- but he was more than able to engage in profound mental activity.

Two days later, that sad, hopeless expression Shin had worn at five-thirty in the morning still haunted him.

He didn't know why it bothered him so much; he had seen Shin upset and emotional many times. But the memory of that look made his heart hurt; even when he was sad, Shin wasn't supposed to look like that. Besides, Shin just wasn't supposed to be sad. He was supposed to be happy, go swimming and cook. Maybe that was why it bothered Shuu so much that such a look had ever clouded his friend's face. He hated to see Shin unhappy.

It was raining again. Shuu was bored, and that wasn't helping to get the unsettling image of Shin's pathetic, sad expression out of his mind. He couldn't take over the television, because Touma was engrossed in some noisy, blowing-things-up video game. He couldn't go in the kitchen to get a snack, because Shin was puttering in there and he could be scary sometimes when some one disrupted his cooking. Ryo and Seiji wouldn't be much in the way of entertainment; Ryo was always shy when Shuu tried to be overly-friendly (it wasn't his fault he was so outgoing) and Seiji was undoubtedly engaged in a meditation session that involved far too much silence and sitting still to be enjoyable. Even Nasuti and Jun would be an acceptable distraction, but they were out running errands.

Bored; bored; bored. Shuu fidgeted restlessly. He hated having nothing to do; he was a man of action. Watching Touma play a one-player game was hardly pleasurable and besides, it seemed like his old friend was in some kind of coma anyway. He was staring at the glowing screen, eyes glazed, mouth hanging open, fingers taping incessantly. Shuu almost thought he saw him drooling at one point.

The couch was comfortable, but Shuu's butt was starting to hurt from sitting in one place for so long. He had been shuffling through a copy of Zero Sum that Shin had thoughtfully picked up for him while on one of his grocery shopping expeditions, but even that had failed to hold his interest for long.

Sighing, he slumped further on the couch, half-hoping Touma might notice and maybe tear himself away from the game. Not that Touma was much of a conversationalist, but anything would be better than this, even some dry, boring discussion about astro-something-or-other or the principles of aero-something.

Touma didn't even flinch at the sound and Shuu was fairly certain had had slipped into some vegetative state.

Tossing the magazine on the coffee table, Shuu rose and stretched. He was still thinking about that sad-Shin expression and he couldn't think with all the explode-y noises and the occasional whoop of glee from Touma as distractions. It was hard enough to keep his mind on task normally, and all the little electronic sounds weren't helping.

Although…

His mind seemed to be doing a pretty good job of staying on topic on it's own that day. Every time his thoughts started to meander off into some strange direction, they would always settle back on that night in Shin's bed, when it was storming and both of them were lonely. Something had been wrong and that something had been wrong enough to set Shin off crying so much that he woke Shuu from a dead sleep, something which did not happen often.

As he shuffled down the hall to find a quieter, less distracting place to muse over the situation, Shuu passed the kitchen and paused, silently watching Shin for a moment. The older boy was back and forth between the stove and the counter, seemingly stirring something -which smelled good- and chopping something at the same time. Shuu loved watching his friend cook, but more often than not, he was ordered out of the kitchen after one too many queries of "is it done yet?" He'd learned that it was wise to just not be in there at the same time as his talented friend, because it was all too easy to forget to be quiet and that little obnoxious question would just slip from his mouth.

Something was still off with Shin, Shuu noticed. He wasn't as animated as usual, or as bouncy. Even though he was usually a flurry of activity in the kitchen and stressed himself out, any one could tell how much he enjoyed cooking, simply because he was flitting around, not just rushing. But today…He just looked contemplative and maybe a little sad, staring down at the knife in his hand as he cut up an onion.

Shuu didn't like it. Shin was supposed to be happy when he was in the kitchen, after all.

He kept up his silent study from the doorway. Shin had either failed to realize he was there, or was purposely ignoring him, which meant Shuu could look as long as he liked. It was bothering him that he couldn't figure out what was wrong with Shin -he hadn't been normal since that crying episode- and he thought maybe he could solve the mystery if he was actually observing his friend.

There was something about being around Shin that Shuu found enjoyable. He was just a welcoming person and reminded Shuu a bit of his own mother, always ready and willing to listen, or offering some sort of snack to cheer a person up when they were down. Shin could be chatty at times, especially when he was excited, but more often than not, he was a kind of quiet presence which nicely filled in the gaps in Shuu's own loud rambling.

Shuu liked the way that Shin would listen to him and not make him feel dumb, most of the time. Shuu never felt stupid when he was around his quiet friend, just a little awkward at times, but never as much of an idiot as Seiji or Touma made him feel. Touma was just way too smart, and Seiji always thought before he spoke, often leaving Shuu with only "Yeah, well shut up" as his last words in any argument with the blond. Shin didn't make him feel that way; Shin was patient with him when he couldn't quite figure out how to explain something and let him go on and on about things that were important to him without telling him he was being too loud when he got a little too enthused over his topic. No, Shin would just gently rest a hand on his arm, signaling that he needed to tone it down a little, instead of embarrassing him in front of every one else.

Shin was also a good friend, the person who took care of them all. Coming from a big, close-knit family, Shuu could appreciate that. He knew Ryo blushed over Shin's fussing and Touma always snapped at him that he "didn't need a mother; he already had one," but Shuu found it comforting, sort of like he was still at home and his family was around, which made him happy. The other guys were all family, but Shin was the most like family, because they had gotten so close so fast, and it felt like they had known each other forever.

Shin moved towards the sink to throw something down the garbage disposal and Shuu's blue gaze followed him. He always felt a bit clumsy when he was around the brown-haired boy, but it wasn't Shin's fault that he was graceful and Shuu was not. He liked watching Shin move, because Shin was at ease when he did almost anything, and made it all look so effortless. Even though he was slightly taller, he never seemed quite as gangly as Shuu felt, never tripped over his own feet, and never dropped things that just didn't want to stay in his fingers. He was graceful; he was delicate; he was some one Shuu would protect with his life, even though he knew Shin could very well protect himself.

Shuu was certain that, if Shin were a girl, he wouldn't hesitate to ask him out.

That thought had crept into his mind more than once, leaving him feeling rather squirmy every time. This was his best friend he was thinking about, and it was wrong to be thinking "if he was a girl, I'd…" He hated himself for it, mostly because it was weird and creepy to think that about any one, but also because Shin wasn't a girl.

And Shuu definitely wasn't gay.

"Do you need something?"

Shin was peering at him curiously and Shuu blushed when he realized he'd been caught staring. Okay, so Shin hadn't been purposely ignoring him, just entirely engrossed in what he was doing. "Um…" Shuu fumbled for something to say, "No…I was just…" Just what? Just staring at you and thinking that you would make a good girlfriend, even though you're not a girl. He couldn't come up with a decent explanation for why he was hovering in the doorway. Shin tipped his head to the side, looking adorably confused, and Shuu could feel the blush deepen.

"What do you need?" Shin smiled that kind, patient smile that only made Shuu's stomach squirm more, "If you want to come in and get a snack, you may."

That was a good excuse. A very good excuse. Shuu nodded dumbly, padding into the kitchen and making a beeline for the fridge. "Smells good." He mumbled, rooting around for leftover take-out that he hoped Touma hadn't already finished.

"It won't be ready for a couple hours still." Shin was watching fondly as Shuu rummaged for something to eat, knowing damn well that a little (or big) snack would never spoil the younger boy's appetite. Shuu was a bottomless pit and he was always hungry, no matter how much he ate.

"Don't worry; I'll be hungry again by then." Shuu made a triumphant sound when he found what he wanted and rose, whacking his head on the roof of the fridge in the process. He gave Shin a goofy, sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.

"I know." Shin's laugh was easy, light and airy like a burbling stream. It suited him so well. The smile that followed the laugh came easy too, and Shuu was a little relieved. This was the Shin he was used to; the one who was happy and teased him gently, never meaning to hurt any feelings or cause upset.

"I better get outta here." Shuu found himself a pair of chopsticks and turned back towards the door, "It's dangerous to be in your kitchen while you're cooking." Shin blushed, laughing again, and threw a potholder at him.

"I'm not as bad as all that!" He called after the retreating figure.

Shuu was grinning as he headed back to the living room. Mission successful; Shin looked happier and was laughing. Maybe he'd finally be able to chase that sad-Shin image from his mind and not have to spend so much time thinking.

Touma was still in his video game trance when Shuu plopped back on the couch, shoveling cold noodles into his mouth. Rain was still streaking down the windows and there was the occasional ominous rumble of thunder, but that didn't dampen Shuu's good mood. The world was as it was supposed to be now; Shin was happy again.

Only now…

Now an image of happy, laughing Shin was stuck in his mind. Shin's turquoise eyes, shimmering with good humor and other soft emotions. The way his bangs fell lightly over his forehead, sweeping to one side when he cocked his head curiously in that split second before he got the joke. The way his mouth curved upwards when he smiled or laughed and his eyes would crinkle shut slightly. The way he always -always- blushed when he was exceedingly happy about something. His skin was still its natural pale tone; it wasn't yet warm enough for him to have tanned at all and the blush stood out more because of that.

Shuu didn't often find reasons to use the word "cute," but in that moment, he decided that if anything or any one was cute, it was Shin.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Shuu knew he was in trouble.