"And I wonder, day to day,
I don't like you any way…
I don't need your shit today,
You're pathetic in your own way…"

-Godsmack

As anticipated, when Shuichi awoke the next morning, the fatigue born of his late night lingered like a bad cold—he groaned loudly at the shrill wail of his alarm, internally cursing its existence as he reached out to silence it. After denying it's harsh wake-up call several times, he finally submitted, slowly sitting up and kicking aside his comforter. Sluggishly, he removed himself from the comfort of his bed, groggily making his way into the bathroom. He felt somewhat better after washing his face, the cool water refreshing against his sleep riddled eyes, but still lethargic—he returned to his bedroom and dressed for the day before heading downstairs to grab a quick bite for breakfast and make himself some tea. Given his current listless state, a healthy dose of caffeine certainly would prove helpful in preparing him to get through his classes.

Shiori was waiting for him when he reached the kitchen—she had just finished preparing breakfast when he entered.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted him with a warm smile as she reached for the big serving spoon that sat alongside the heated stove. "How did you sleep?"

"Not long enough, I'm afraid," he replied honestly, heading towards the electric kettle on the counter and turning it on.

"That's a shame—well, perhaps some food will help," she offered, gesturing towards the dishes that cluttered the stove top. "I was pretty hungry when I woke up, so I decided to cook—would you care for some?" Shuichi nodded in agreement, grateful for the suggestion. A decent meal would certainly serve him better than a simple banana, and he needed all the energy he could muster to tackle the day ahead.

As he prepared the hot water for his tea, his mother dished him up some of the rice porridge and several of the rolled omelets she had made, placing them on his typical spot at the table. Once his tea was ready, Shuichi claimed his position, and Shiori joined him, wielding her own plate. They ate in comfortable silence, and by the conclusion of their short meal, Shuichi was feeling far more alert.

"That was delicious," he said with a grateful smile, pushing aside his plate. "Thank you, mother…" Only then did he notice that she was still in her robe rather than dressed for work, which struck him as odd.

"I'm working from home today," she explained quickly, noticing his quizzical stare. "Kokoda has a doctor's appointment early this afternoon, and I have to take him, so I figured it would be much easier to stay in rather than trek back and forth from the office."

"Ah," Shuichi replied, taking another long sip of his tea. "Well, let me know how it goes—I have a date tonight, so odds are I won't get home until late." He hadn't really wanted to share this news with her, knowing that she would counter with a number of questions he was in little mood to entertain, but the need to inform her outweighed his desire to keep quiet.

"A date? How wonderful! Is it with your friend, what was her name? Diana?" Shiori asked immediately, causing Shuichi to internally sigh.

"Davina, and yes. We're meeting this evening, around six thirty," he replied, hoping that she wouldn't push for too much information.

"That's lovely—I hope it goes well," his mother responded, smiling over at him encouragingly. "You'll have to fill me in on all the details later, because if you don't get going shortly, you'll be late for school."

A quick glance at the overhead clock informed Shuichi that she was indeed correct—he had ignored his alarm for far longer than he had first thought. While he had initially been planning to ride his bike over to the university, there wasn't enough time to do so now—he would have to take the train, which meant that he had less than fifteen minutes to get down to the station, lest his miss the next run into Osaka. He would definitely be late for class if that happened.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he said his goodbyes to Shiori, then raced into the bathroom to brush his teeth before grabbing his bag and hitting the street. Luckily, the Kaiden station wasn't far from his home, and he made it there a mere two minutes prior to the arrival of his train. The remainder of his venture to Chishiki No Eda was blissfully uneventful, and he made it to his first class of the day with a solid ten minutes to spare.

When he arrived to his second class, Shuichi slipped into his usual seat near the front of the lecture hall, willing himself to focus. There was a major calculus exam approaching come the end of the following week, and the professor had warned the students that they would be starting the necessary reviews for the test material that day. He took the time to carefully layout his materials, ready to take solid notes for him to study in the coming days—however, his space was infringed upon by an uninvited party without warning, which suddenly prompted a rush of irritation to blossom deep within him when he realized just who the infiltrator was.

"Hi, Shuichi," Amaya Noriyaki offered with a small smirk as she quickly slid into the vacant seat of the bench alongside him. What had vaguely interested him several weeks prior now only served as a source of annoyance, and the fact that she had purposely inserted herself into his personal perimeter when he was in no mood to deal with her soured him towards her even further.

"Amaya," he replied briskly, doing his best to ignore her presence on focus on mentally preparing himself. He hoped she would take the not so subtle hint that he wasn't interested, but had a gut feeling that he wouldn't be so fortunate. While his intentions were to remain polite, he housed no qualms about being blunt if she pushed for his consideration.

"So, we've got that big test coming up next week, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out and…study," she continued, placing a blatant emphasis on the last word to convey something far different than the term suggested. Out of the corner of his gaze, Shuichi could see her twirling a long lock of her vivid purple hair around a single finger, and could feel the pressure of her stare pressing firmly into his face in attempt to capture his attention. He intentionally avoided meeting her eyes, hoping to further convey his disinterest in her brazen attempt to lure him into her loaded conversation.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid all of my time in the near future is spoken for," he retorted firmly, the exasperation unfurling within him starting to bubble as she continued to ignore his silent sighs of indifference.

But this unfavorable remark did not dissuade her as Shuichi hoped—rather, it prompted her to try even harder, her efforts starting to wear even on his extensive sense of patience.

"Surely you can make some time for me," she responded sweetly, her tone suddenly salacious. "You know I would make it worth your while…"

He suddenly felt her hand resting on the length of his thigh, and fought to urge to bear his teeth at her—what might have thrilled him before was now merely source of infuriation, and the fact that she kept pushing and invading his space had him internally seething at her dismal desperation.

Shuichi reached down and quickly liberated her hand from his leg, rearing it up to push to back over to her. He met her gaze as he did so, an icy look coming to rest across his face.

"Since being subtle is failing to deliver my point, allow me to be clear," he announced firmly, his tone decidedly harsh. "I have no interest in what you are offering me—the fact that you keep attempting to throw yourself at someone who doesn't want you is pathetic. I suggest you move along, and leave me be."

Amaya's eyes widened at this cruel dismissal, a flash of white hot fury igniting behind her blue eyes. Unable to devise a clever retort, she quickly removed herself from the bench and stormed off to her usual place near the back of the classroom. While instantaneously relieved at her sudden absence, Shuichi could feel the pressure of her rage torn aura swirling across the room, and sighed deeply. There were a number of other students present in the hall, most who of which had just witnessed their little exchange—within seconds, they were exchanges of quiet whispers among the bystanders, and Shuichi had little doubt that those who enjoyed the art of gossip would happily devour the story of what had just occurred. Realizing that the potential for sour rumors was inevitable, he made a mental note to share with Davina what had happened, just so that she could be aware of the situation—he considered texting her, but didn't wish to disrupt her day and cause her concern.

The interruption was already in the back of his mind at the conclusion of his calculus class, and he pushed any lingering thoughts of it aside as he made his way to his next academic obligation. But for Amaya, who was left cradling her wounded pride and furious at his refusal, it was all she could think about. For the entire length of the free period she had between calculus and her next class, all she did was openly complain to her quad of closely knit friends, unwilling to fathom that Shuichi had so willingly cast her aside.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" she growled for the third time in less than ten minutes, slamming a tightly closed fist into the side of her leg. She and her small group had claimed one of the vacant tables that sat upon the open air patio just alongside the university's cafeteria, which was their typical spot to meet between classes. "I mean, it's me! I've never had a guy turn me down before! This is such bullshit!"

"Well, maybe he swings for the other team," her fellow sophomore, Itsuka, suggested contemplatively, only to be quickly interrupted by their other companion, a blonde junior by the name of Mari.

"No, Shuichi's definitely not into guys," she offered firmly, taking a long sip of her soda before continuing. "He was dating that one girl, Kanaka, for a while last year, but they broke up before summer started. We had economic together—she was pretty crushed when he dumped her."

"So, he's single and still turned you down? What a weirdo," Itsuka chimed in, placing a consoling hand on Amaya's shoulder. "He's obviously an idiot—I wouldn't be too upset over it, Ama—he sounds like a lost cause."

"It's the principle of the thing," Amaya hissed, shrugged the hand away. "And when I flirted with him at the start of school, he was all about it—stupid asshole!"

"Are you guys sure he's single?" Yunaka, the only freshman present in their little circle suddenly interjected, her inquiry earning her a curious stare from the remainder of her group. "There's a girl in my class, Dani, or something—she's an exchange student, I think. I've seen them together in the library, looking pretty cozy. Maybe he's dating her?"

"I think that's the redhead he blew me off to go talk to that day at the train station!" Amaya exclaimed angrily, crossing her arms over her ample chest.

"Well, why don't you track her down and find out?" Itsuka suggested quickly, hoping to diffuse the situation. "At least if he's dating her, it would be a good reason why he told you no."

"Pssh, being in a relationship doesn't mean crap," Amaya huffed. "It's never stopped me before."

"You could always find this girl and mess with her," Mari offered with a haughty smirk. "Even if they are a thing, if you put it in her head that Shuichi's messing around, she might dump his ass—it could send him running right back to you." Her smirk widened considerably. "And even if it doesn't, it will upset him."

"Sounds like a win-win to me," Itsuka replied, turning her attention back to Amaya, who suddenly appeared thoughtful.

"That's an awful idea—I love it!" she announced with a sinister grin, her eyes lighting up at the unsavory plot.

"Don't you guys think that's kind of…messed up?" Yunaka interjected, looking uneasy. She quickly earned a mean glare from each of her companions, promptly causing her to fall silent and keep her thought to herself.

"Now, I just got to find this girl…Yuna, you said you have a class with her? Tell me what you know about her."

The remainder of their free period flew by quickly, and by the end, Amaya was feeling almost elated with the hatchings of her unkind plot. She now had a fairly solid idea of how and when to locate the girl in question—all that was left to do was say her piece and let the destruction of Shuichi's happiness unfold. She could hardly wait.

. . .

Once back at her apartment, Davina's nerves began to twang. The unanticipated encounter on the train had rocked her, and even though she had shut it down without hesitation, the entire incident had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She never understood why some people favored drama and chose to act with such spite—it all just seemed so unnecessary. Furthermore, the fact that she felt compelled to discuss what had happened with Shuichi made her feel a sense of righteous irritation—having to talk about bullshit drama on the night of their first official date would undoubtedly be a mood killer. She considered avoiding the subject for the time being, but knew it was something that would be best addressed sooner rather than later.

Pushing aside the feelings of unpleasantness, Davina turned her focus on what was to come.

Following a quick but satisfying shower, Davina searched her closet for something to wear—given that they were having a casual dinner at the same pizza place they had recently visited with Shuichi's friends, she didn't see a need to get too crazy—she didn't want to be overdressed for their outing, After some brief consideration, she selected a pair of dark gray skinny fit jeans and a loose fitting peasant style blouse with quarter sleeves—while the color of the shirt was black, the light fabric was patterned throughout with a continuous print of soft pink cherry blossoms. It was tasteful enough for a date, but informal enough to keep her in the casual theme. Her one concession was to wear her knee high suede boots in place of her usual converse sneakers—she thought they would work better with her outfit, and, following a quick once over in the bedroom mirror, Davina was satisfied with her choice. She was quick to finish her preparations, applying her simple make up and quickly styling her hair into a loose, messy bun with her bangs left free to frame her face.

Following a generous application of her deodorant and a few carefully placed sprays of perfume, she raided her jewelry box to withdraw the small silver leaf pendant she had first worn during their previous rendezvous at the Secret Garden and put it on as a finishing touch. She was in the middle of applying some lip balm when a firm knock echoed upon her door, causing her stomach to flip within the confines of her belly. Taking a deep breath, Davina headed towards foyer, trying to contain her excitement.

. . .

Much to his relief, the remainder of Shuichi's school day was had without further interruption—while he was successful in keeping the insufferable interlude with his scorned admirer more or less out of his thoughts during his later classes, the instance rose to nag him incessantly during the brief walk over to the train station. While he was loath to mention the incident to Davina, knowing that it would inspire a more somber mood during their time together, he much rather her learn of the true account of events as opposed to the twisted explanation of hearsay.

Without warning, his stride towards the exit of the university was interrupted by the sound of his name being called by a voice he did not recognize—a heavy sigh of defeat escaped him before he could suppress it, fearing that whoever it was vying for his time in that moment was looking to glean details or perhaps one of Amaya's underlings, eager to attempt to put him in his place for his treatment of her. Regardless of their reasoning, Shuichi had no interest in either option, and was preemptively irritated with the unanticipated interruption—he only had so much free time remaining prior to the set time he was due to collect Davina, and there was still much he had to do before their impending rendezvous.

Making no effort to conceal the stern look that had quickly spread its way across his steely visage, Shuichi turned to locate the source of this uninvited contact, quirking a mild brow in the direction of the black haired girl who was quickly approaching him. He did not know her by name, but was quick to recognize her as one of Amaya's friends, having seen the pair together often, eating lunch on the patio abreast of the cafeteria. His spine stiffened as she grew closer, in no mood for a confrontation—but to his surprise, she appeared contrite as opposed to angry, her lips pressed into a tight frown.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but it's kind of important," she explained swiftly, glancing back over her shoulder as if to make certain that she wasn't being watched. "So, Amaya's pretty mad over what happened earlier, but considering what she's planning on doing, I…I just thought you needed to know."

Shuichi suddenly felt a twinge of nervousness well up within his belly, but kept his face perfectly schooled—he had been anticipating some sort of backlash, although wasn't sure just what avenue Amaya would take. "And what exactly is that?"

"That girl you've been hanging out with, the redhead—she's planning on talking to her. I don't know exactly what she's going to say, but I can't imagine that it's anything good," she admitted, looking apologetic. "It's kind of my fault—we have a class together, and I…kind of told her how she could find her. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it's pretty messed up and I feel awful for even putting the idea in her head."

Shuichi felt a white hot rush of rage race down the length of his spine, followed by a brief panic. There was no doubt in his mind about the chaos Amaya was intending to instigate, and if she proved to be successful, his relationship with Davina could be in danger. While there was no doubt of her intelligence, given her hesitant nature and wary mindset, he feared that Davina would believe whatever lies Amaya decided to construct.

"I appreciate your honesty," he said quietly, attempting to mentally collect himself. "Do you have any of the details on where and when Amaya plans to do this?"

"She just texted me that she's at the train depot, and that your friend is there—the next train leaves in a few minutes," she replied sullenly, realizing that there was little to be done to avoid the situation. "I'm really sorry…"

He immediately felt a sense of helplessness—there was no way he'd make it to the station in time to stop their interaction from occurring. He could text Davina and ask her to wait for his arrival, but that wouldn't stop Amaya from approaching her to speak her piece while she lingered. In a brief second of desperation, Shuichi considered texting her and telling her everything that had unfolded earlier in the day, but realized that such an effort would probably do more harm than good in the moment—it would certainly come across as suspicious, as if he were the guilty party instead of a victim of undesired events. He gritted his teeth, seething at his useless position—there was nothing he could do to alter the circumstances. All he could do was hope that Davina would see through her manipulative spiel and place little value on her false narrative.

"I can talk to your friend and tell her the truth," his companion offered quietly, remorse written all across her demure face. She was attempting to be helpful, and while Shuichi was grateful for her efforts, he couldn't ignore her responsibility in the matter.

"Thank you for telling me, but I'll handle things on my own," he replied coldly, his stare growing icy. "Perhaps next time, you'll rethink your position before getting involved in situations like this in the future." He took his leave then, unwilling to linger any longer lest he give into his anger and say something cruel.

Knowing there was little point in rushing over to the train depot, Shuichi continued his venture with a mild stride, trying to devise a plan of action—damage control was his only true option. He only hoped Davina would give him the opportunity to explain himself—she could very well decide to never speak to him again, depending on how creative Amaya's deceit proved to be.

The ride home was had in heavy silence as he contemplated what was to come. Upon his arrival home, Shuichi decided to make an attempt to call Davina, but his efforts were met with nothing. As the call was headed off to her voicemail, he felt his heart sink in his chest. The only notion that gave him hope was the fact that it had rang a number of times before the call was redirected—if Davina had refused the call, the diversion would have occurred much more quickly. Perhaps she was in the shower, or busy with something that kept her from her phone—either than, or she had simply watched it ring, unwilling to answer his call. He decided to be optimistic and believe it was the former.

Shuichi went about with his preparations for the evening, taking a shower, and dressing casually. He forced himself to focus on the task, despite the fact that his mind was racing in several different directions. After mindlessly glancing through his closet several times, he selected a dark red button down shirt with mid sleeves and a pair of comfortable dark gray jeans—considering the plans for the evening consisted of grabbing pizza and keeping things casual, he saw little need to overdress. It had taken him a great deal of consideration to decide on a destination to follow dinner, and the winning design was to take Davina to the nearby laser tag arena—given her love of games and her quiet competitive streak, Shuichi believed that she would more than appreciate the idea.

Once he was finished getting ready, he checked his phone, disappointed to find it lacking in any response from Davina. There was still a good thirty minutes before he was supposed to head out to meet her, so he decided to try and calm his nerves with a cup of tea. The effort did little to comfort him, but it did kill time, and before he knew it, the time had come for him to leave. With a sigh, he rose from the kitchen table, placed his soiled cup in the sink, and returned to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Vaguely, he wondered if Davina would even open the door when he came to call—the fact that she hadn't returned his call or even messaged him was disheartening, to say the least, and just…not like her. This heavy sense of upset flooded through him as he headed for the door, a sinking feeling deep in his chest.

The walk to Davina's complex was a short one, but it felt like a small eternity. Shuichi sluggishly climbed the steps, pausing at the top of the stairwell. There was the temptation to just turn around and return home, to abandon his efforts and accept defeat. But it was a fleeting idea and he quickly pushed it aside, determined to at least discover his current standing. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward, fixing her door with a firm knock to announce his arrival. He waited with bated breath, hoping that Davina would answer.

. . .

Swallowing hard, Davina reached for the door, tugging it open as a small smile perched across her lips. Her gaze immediately met that of Shuichi's, and she suddenly felt a pang of concern. For the slightest moment, he looked defeated, as if someone had deeply upset him. But that pained expression swiftly morphed to one of surprise, as if he hadn't been expecting her to open the door.

"Hey," she offered softly. Despite her desire to not put him on the spot, she felt compelled to inquire about what she had just witnessed. "Is everything okay?"

"It is now," he replied, sounded relieved. "Today has been…trying, to say the least. I was worried when you didn't answer your phone earlier."

"You called?" she asked, her surprise genuine. She hadn't bothered to check her device, she had been so consumed with her thoughts and getting ready. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

"Don't be sorry," he said gently, attempting to smile. "And I don't wish to alarm you, but we need to talk about something before we continue our evening."

When he said those words, something clicked in Davina's mind. "I take it this is about your friend, Amaya?" she replied, feeling a simultaneous rush of both dread and relief in that instant. Now that he had breached the subject, it would be far easier to get the unpleasant discussion she had been quietly dreading out of the way.

"Trust me, she's no friend," Shuichi replied swiftly, his tone growing stern. "An acquaintance at best—and after what she attempted today, I have no desire to ever speak to her again." He paused, sighing deeply. "I take it she approached you and said something uncouth about me?"

Davina nodded quickly, respite immediately overwhelming her concern. If his reaction was indicative of anything, it was that she was entirely correct in her assumption of what had occurred. "She was riding the train, and came over to talk to me—she tried to convince me that you were taking her out on a date this Friday…"

Shuichi's face darkened at this explanation, his green eyes suddenly seething.

"I didn't fall for her bullshit, if that's what you were worried about," Davina offered before he could say anything, determined to reassure him. "It was pretty obvious that she was trying to instigate drama."

His stern visage quickly dissipated into one of relief, and he fixed her with a small smile.

"I'm glad you saw through her—she tried to proposition me this morning during our calculus class. I turned her down—quite firmly, to tell the truth. She was enraged when I refused to entertain her. I'm sorry she saw fit to bother you with this nonsense."

"No apology necessary," Davina replied with a smile of her own. "The way she was trying to spin her story just didn't sound like something you would do…" she continued softly, feeling as if a huge weight had been removed from her shoulders.

"I'm happy to have your trust—it means a great deal to me."

"Well, I followed my gut—it hasn't let me down yet," she replied with a small chuckle. "And I gave her a not so nice piece of my mind before I got off the train."

"Good—she more than deserved it," he tacked on firmly. "I only hope she takes the hint and stops trying to cause further issues."

"Here's hoping—if she is stupid enough to that crap again, she's going to regret it," Davina said bluntly. Now that she had been validated, there was no reason to play nice with someone who harbored nothing but ill intentions. And while she wasn't much for confrontation, she was no door mat.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, are you ready for our date?" Shuichi asked, fixing her with a hopeful stare. Davina's smile widened, and she quickly nodded her head in agreement. He stepped aside, gesturing for her to join him outside.

"Shall we, then?"

. . .

Author's Note: My apologies for not posting last weekend. I failed to finish this chapter during the week, and didn't want to force it. I worked an insane amount of overtime, so most of my free time was spent sleeping or trying to get my personal things done. Things were better this week, and I did manage to get a solid start on next week's chapter, so that bodes well. Thank you for your patience, and thank you to everyone who read/favorited/reviewed. You guys are fantastic and I appreciate each and every one of you. Hope everyone is doing well out there!