Okay, I know I have 2 other fics over on AO3 (along with this one now) BUT this popped into my head and would not leave! haha Plus I was sort of blocked on my Klance fic and sometimes writing something else helps unblock me and it did. So it's back to Chapter 10 of my Klance fic. I will finish this one but it is now in the update rotation;

1) Klance (The Sun Shines Brightest On Broken Glass)
2) Katt (Then I Met You)
3) Matchablossom (Sakura Falls)

So, I will update Klance next, then Katt, and finally this fic.

So please enjoy and ignore my crazy writing, I'm sorry for getting distracted!

Love is not simple, and anyone who says any different is a dirty liar, at least as far as Kaoru is concerned. The adults were useless. They were supposed to help him; they were the ones who allegedly knew all about love because they were older and wiser.

Well, that was a load of bullshit.

Why should age determine how you feel and understand love? Children understand it enough to say I love you to their parents or a treasured stuffed animal. Why is it that when those same children become teenagers, they suddenly "don't know anything" about love because they're too young too? Why are teenagers so easily dismissed when they want to say those three little words to someone outside their family? Why are they told; you don't love them, or you're too young to know what real love is?

If all that is true, then why was he here? Why was he sitting in the emergency room with his parents, hacking up dainty pink petals? If he didn't understand love because he was only 17, and what would a 17-year-old know about love, why was he sitting here listening to a doctor tell them his diagnosis?

Hanahaki disease.

The disease of love, or more accurately, unrequited love. If teenagers were too young to know anything, how could he be sitting there with a condition known to afflict those truly in love? The answer to that was simple, but no one wanted to listen to him when he told them.

He, Sakurayashiki Kaoru, was in love with one Shindo Ainosuke.

How could he have let this happen? He had been so careful with his heart, careful not to give it away to just any old Tom, Dick, or Stanley, and yet here he was. Giving his heart to someone who he couldn't even be certain felt the same way. When did this start? When did he lose his heart without noticing?

Earlier this year, he supposed when he and Kojiro had run into another group of third-years skateboarding at their spot. He should've known from the moment he saw Shindo that this would happen to him. He should've known that he'd be a goner once he saw that, aside from being handsome and mysterious, the other boy was an incredible skater too.

Everyone told him that there was no way it could be love, that he was too young to know what real love is, yet he had contracted Hanahaki. So everyone who had tried to discount his feelings can shove it right up their asses. Kaoru made a mental note to rub it in Kojiro's face especially. Kojiro has been his closest friend since kindergarten, and he had been the first to say that there wasn't any way that what Kaoru felt for Ainosuke was love.

Now Kojiro could suck it, and Kaoru was more than happy to tell him so. He sat there quietly, barely listening to what the doctor had to say. He already knew all there was to know about Hanahaki. He had meticulously researched it from the moment he remembered what coughing up flower petals meant. So he let his mind drift to the day that Ainosuke had first entered his life and changed it forever.

"Guys, let's stack more boards. A baby could jump over this," one of their friends groused from the wall he was leaning against.

"So go ahead and jump it," Kojiro challenged him with a smirk.

The teen groaned and sunk to the ground. "It's not challenging enough, didn't you hear me? It's a boring jump." Kaoru rolled his eyes; Aoi was not going to jump it. He just wanted to sound like a badass by complaining about how the jump was just too easy for him.

Kojiro shrugged his shoulders as Kaoru snickered. "I'm just saying if you're gonna complain about it, dude, then do something."

"I'll jump it," a new voice chimed in, and their tiny gang turned to see a group of teens from another school standing in front of them.

Kaoru eyed them warily. He recognized their uniforms. They were from a rather prestigious high school known for its popularity among wealthy families. What could a bunch of spoiled rich kids want from them? Did they honestly think they could best him and his friends in a skating competition?

"Can you even skate, rich boy?" Kojiro teased them from his spot beside Kaoru; their uniforms did not go unnoticed by the taller boy, it would seem.

The teen in front seemed to be their leader, but he hid his face beneath his black hood, and Kaoru was staring, hoping to catch a glimpse of the stranger's face. The other boy let out a soft chuckle. "I can."

"So, how about a friendly competition?" Kojiro smiled lazily and grabbed his board. "You and me, I'll show you how it's done."

As Kojiro prepared to clear the skateboards they had precariously stacked up, Kaoru was suddenly consumed by an urge to make the jump first. To show these intruders exactly how they did things in their neck of the woods and if it impressed their leader well, that would just be a bonus. Without a second thought, he was reaching out to grab Kojiro's shoulder, jerking the other teen back, propelling himself forward, and hopping on his board. Kaoru cleared the jump effortlessly and stood before the mysterious boy with one pale hand on his hip; his lips pulled back in a smirk, and the moonlight glinting off his lip piercing.

The two of them stared each other down for a few minutes before the newcomer was rolling towards the boards. Kaoru swore his heart stuttered at the slight peek of smug grin thrown his way before the other boy easily flew over the stack of skateboards. Kaoru watched with wide eyes; he had only ever seen pros make a jump that high. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn that the boy had wings.

"H-how…" Kaoru trailed off as he watched the stranger hit the ground and straighten up. He looked over his shoulder at the pink-haired teen and huffed out a laugh.

"Told you I could skate. See you around," the hooded teen said as he began to walk away.

"W-wait!" Kaoru called out to him and his retreating group. "W-will you come back? We'll be here tomorrow, after school." He could hear some mumbled protests from Kojiro, but he ignored them.

The other boy stopped and appeared to be listening, but his back was facing Kaoru, and he couldn't be sure. "Maybe." was all he said before walking away.

"Why did you stop me, jerk?" Kojiro grumbled once the other teens were out of sight.

Golden eyes rolled so hard that the green-haired boy was afraid they would roll right out of their sockets as his friend turned to him. "What does it matter? We both know you can't jump like that either. You should be thanking me because I saved your ass from embarrassment."

"Whatever," Kojiro snarled. "Let's go home."

The strange teen was already at their hangout when Kaoru and his friends arrived the next day. He was alone this time, leaning up against a wall and staring intensely at his phone.

"You came," Kaoru said as he stopped before him.

The teen looked up and nodded. "How could I not when you asked me so sweetly?"

The pink-haired boy blushed while Kojiro stepped forward. "What's your name, dude?"

His hooded head tipped to the side as he thought about what, Kaoru wasn't sure. Perhaps he was debating on whether or not to give them his real name. "Shindo Ainosuke," he finally answered. "What about you two?"

"Nanjo Kojiro," the green-haired young man answered before turning to their friends standing behind them. "This is-"

"Not interested." Shindo interrupted to a chorus of objections. "I just wanted to know your name and," Kaoru caught a flash of red as Shindo turned to look at him. "Yours."

"S-Sakurayashiki Kaoru," he breathed, cursing inwardly at his stutter. Why was he acting this way? Around this boy? It wasn't like him.

"What a surprisingly beautiful name; it suits you."

Kaoru could feel his face start to warm as he blushed again. He could feel Kojiro watching him with wide eyes as his pale cheeks turned rosy. No doubt surprised at how he reacted to the unexpected compliment.

"Well, Nanjo, Sakurayashiki," Shindo said. "Let's skate."

That was all it took to get the three of them on their boards and skating away. Their friends were struggling to keep up. It was clear to all of them who the best skaters of the group were. Kaoru didn't care about any of that, though. It was exhilarating to skate with someone new. He tried to guess the thoughts running through Shindo's head as he pulled off incredible jump after incredible jump.

Kaoru laughed loudly at Kojiro's shocked expression during a particularly difficult aerial that Shindo executed perfectly. Kaoru pushed ahead as soon as Shindo landed, passing the talented teen. He continued to speed forward, eyeing the closed gate of a parking lot. He could hear Kojiro yelling that he wouldn't get enough air to clear it from his current position, but Kaoru didn't need to jump. He leaned back until he was practically parallel to the ground, his arm stuck out behind him to keep balance as he skated underneath the bar like it was a limbo stick.

He tossed a wild grin over his shoulder to look at their stunned faces. He couldn't help but show off a little in front of Shindo. The other boy seemed to notice if his sudden burst of speed was any inclination. "Well, aren't you interesting?" Shindo laughed as he caught up to Kaoru. "Show me what you got, Sakurayashiki."

Gladly, Kaoru joyously thought as they skated away into the night.

"Kaoru, are you listening?" His mother's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "You need to pay attention. The doctor is going to give you some medication to help with your..." she paused, "condition." His mother hesitated even to say the name of his illness. She was a staunch believer that Kaoru could not possibly be in love despite all the evidence supporting it.

The young man in question just rolled his eyes and stared coldly at the doctor. "I have Hanahaki disease. It can only be cured when my feelings are returned by the one I love, correct? The medication can slow the blooming of the flowers in my lungs but will not cure me. Surgery is an option, but it would not only take away my feelings for the person who caused this but would take away my ability to love completely."

"Well, it sounds like he was paying attention," the doctor said before clearing his throat nervously. "The medication I will prescribe needs to be taken twice a day with food. It should slow down the flower buds that have yet to bloom in your lungs. It will not get rid of the ones that have already flowered. Unfortunately, you will just have to cough those up. It could be petal by petal, or you could dislodge an entire flower at once."

Kaoru nodded and ran a hand through his long pink hair. "Right. So I'll just take the prescription and get out of here."

"Kaoru, don't be rude," his father admonished.

The young man rolled his aureate eyes and stood up to bow. "Thank you so much, doctor." He reached for the proffered prescription before strolling out of the room.

Kaoru retreated to his bedroom the moment they returned home. He didn't want dinner, and he wasn't all that hungry anyway. He just wanted to be alone. He climbed into bed and stared up at the ceiling. He debated what to do. Should he tell Shindo how he feels and hopes that the other teen felt the same way? Or should he hide it and hope that he survives to adulthood before the flowers fill his lungs and asphyxiate him?

He sighed and closed his eyes. He could worry about it in the morning. Finding out that you're completely enamored with one of your closest friends, to the point that you developed a disease because of it, took a lot out of you. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep; unfortunately, his restless mind plagued him with dreams of Shindo all night.

They had been meeting after school to skate for about two months. But the once large group of teens soon became just three. Kojiro and Kaoru's friends grew tired of Shindo, claiming that he only seemed to care about the two of them and couldn't bother to speak to the rest of the group. Kaoru honestly preferred it to be just the three of them. The other guys were mostly Kojiro's friends and only put up with him and his sometimes mean-spirited quips because Kojiro threatened to punch anyone who complained about Kaoru.

With Shindo, it was different. Kaoru enjoyed his company and wanted to be around him, and the reverse seemed to be true. Shindo certainly looked like he enjoyed hanging out with him and Kojiro, which made Kaoru unbelievably happy. Kojiro finally appeared to feel that pull to Shindo that he did and challenged him to a friendly race at every opportunity. Kaoru felt like they had the world at their feet, that anything was possible as long as the three of them were together, and it seemed that the other two felt it as well. Nothing could stop them now.

"I wish something exciting would happen in this town," Kojiro griped one night while the three of them were out skating.

"You always say that," Kaoru said with his customary eye-roll.

"And it's always true, pinkie pie."

"Do not call me that." Kaoru glared at the other teen.

"Why not? It's fitting and so cute. Don't you think so, Shindo?"

"Don't drag me into this," Shindo said with a poorly disguised laugh.

They continued this back and forth for a few minutes, with Shindo chuckling from where he skated on Kaoru's right side. "How about a race Nanjo?"

Kojiro suddenly seemed less bored as he grinned at Shindo. "Oh, you're on!" He shouted from Kaoru's left.

"How about we make it a three-way race?" Kaoru asked. He usually stayed out of their races, content to be the race official, but tonight he wanted more, wanted to show Shindo that he could just as easily keep up with him as Kojiro could.

"I wouldn't mind racing against someone as pretty as you. It'll be a nice change of pace from the homely visage that is Nanjo," Shindo said, desperately trying to hold back his laughter.

"HOMELY?!" Joe squawked.

"Pipe down, you idiot, and get ready to race," Kaoru hollered. He had to be loud to be heard over Kojiro's indignant cries and Shindo's laughter.

The three of them finally organized themselves into a makeshift starting line and decided that the fairest way to start was for each of them to take a turn in the countdown.

"One," Kojiro started.

"Two," Shindo continued.

Kaoru paused for dramatic effect before smiling at his friends. "Three."

They sped off into the night, laughing and cheering as they each tried to outdo the other. They raced through the quiet city streets, filling up the silent night air with their enthusiastic shouts. One building that they passed didn't take too kindly to loud teenagers skating around outside, and the sound of police sirens quickly mixed with their jovial clamor.

"Shit," Kojiro swore.

"This way!" Shindo called out to them, and they followed him without question. Adrenaline was coursing through Kaoru as they tried to outrun the cops. He caught Shindo turning to look back at him, and from this angle, Kaoru could get a small peek of his handsome face. It was suddenly hard to breathe. He could feel something begin to climb up his throat, and he tried his best to keep it down.

He was so busy trying not to cough and maintain his speed to get away from the police that he failed to notice a rock in his path, and Kojiro's warning came too late. Everything seemed to move in slow motion after he lost control. He could feel his board slide out from under his feet, and there was a moment of weightlessness before his stomach lurched into his throat as he fell. He shut his eyes to brace for impact, and when nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes.

Shindo's handsome face was inches from his own. His black hood cast a shadow over his face, from which his bright red eyes gazed down at him. Kaoru's breath was stuck in his throat as he gazed up at Shindo. He became hyper-aware of the hand sitting firmly on the small of his back and could barely think of anything else. He felt frozen under the weight of the other boy's stare.

"Careful," Shindo whispered, and Kaoru swore he could feel his warm breath on his lips.

Kaoru nodded, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't think of anything to say. He blinked slowly and noted the slight shift in the other boy, and he seemed to be moving closer. Kaoru's heart stuttered as he peered up at Shindo through half-lidded eyes. His heart was beating impossibly fast, but he couldn't stop himself from leaning towards the incredible boy in front of him.

"Move it, you two!" Kojiro's voice cut through the tension just as Kaoru had begun to close his eyes, expecting a pair of warm lips on his, and the two boys jerked away from each other. "Did you forget about the cops?" The green-haired teen yelled, he had his back to them, but Kaoru could see the hard line of his shoulders. Kojiro's body was tense, but Kaoru just assumed it was in response to the police chasing them. The faint sound of sirens steadily grew louder as they stood there awkwardly. Kaoru turned to Shindo, who nodded and began to move towards Kojiro. The pink-haired teen grabbed his board, and the three of them skated away wordlessly.

They found shelter beneath a bridge and decided to hide out there for a bit before heading home.

"Finally, I can breathe," Kojiro sighed as Kaoru rolled his eyes. "I really did not wanna go to prison." Kaoru could see that his tall body was still tense and knew he could help his friend relax. What better way to do that than by antagonizing him.

"You're such a dramatic monkey," Kaoru drawled.

"Says the one who tripped and had to be saved like some kind of damsel in distress!" Kojiro bit back. "Talk about dramatic." It seemed to be working. His friend was falling back into the safe familiarity that was their bickering.

Pale cheeks turned bright red. "I am not a damsel in distress," Kaoru growled as he whirled around to face him.

The two of them were too wrapped up in their little tiff to notice Shindo lowering his black hood. Kaoru was the first to see it as he turned away from Kojiro in an annoyed huff. He stopped midsentence as the unfamiliar sight caught him off guard.

"Shindo, y-your hood," he whispered.

Kojiro looked over, and his eyes widened. "You never take that off."

"Well," Shindo smiled happily at them. "It's okay because I'm with you guys. We're friends, right?"

The other two teens looked at each other before turning back to Shindo and nodding.

"We are; we're just surprised that you finally let us see your face," Kaoru replied softly.

Shindo rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "I figured it was about time. This...us," he motioned between the three of them before continuing, "is special."

Kojiro grinned widely with a shout of "hell yeah, it is!"

"What about you, Sakurayashiki? Do you feel the same way?" Shindo turned to him. With his red eyes focused on Kaoru's golden ones, he could feel that same sensation as before, the same strange tickling in his throat that made it hard to breathe.

"Y-yes," he smiled beautifully, trying to hide his discomfort from his friends. "I do."

Shindo returned the smile with one of his own. "I'm so glad that we met."

Later that night, when they were all safe in their own homes, Kaoru heard his phone buzz. He snatched it off the table to see who had texted him so late.

Shindo

I didn't want to say this in front of Nanjo

But

You have a gorgeous smile.

Kaoru felt his heart skip a beat at that. He smiled shyly at his phone screen as his cheeks turned pink. Shindo thought he had a beautiful smile? But why couldn't he have said it in front of Kojiro? They were best friends, he didn't hide anything from Kojiro, and he thought Shindo shouldn't either. He made a mental note to ask Shindo about it before he looked back down at his phone. The text had made him indescribably happy, confused, and then instantly sick. He started violently coughing and had to sit up. Kaoru pressed one pale hand to his chest as he continued to choke and hack. It was getting harder to breathe, and tears stung the corners of his eyes.

What was happening to him? He felt fine all day; he couldn't have caught a cold or the flu. Perhaps this was something else entirely. He could feel something tickling his throat and nearly choked on it as it filled his mouth and poured from between his lips. Kaoru watched in shock as tiny pink petals softly floated to the ground while a few drops of bright red blood stained his white sheets.

He continued to stare wide-eyed at the small mess. What was happening, and why did it seem so familiar? He wracked his brain for an answer; eyes still focused on the pink petals. A hazy memory slowly crept up into his head, a warning, something he had been told years ago and stored away in the back of his mind. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he still couldn't place it. He remembered that he had convinced himself that he would never need that information and promptly forgot it. Lost in thought as he was, he nearly missed the buzzing of his phone. He looked at it again and felt his heart sink.

Shindo

I'm sorry if that was too forward.

Kaoru scrambled to answer back. He didn't want Shindo to think that he had been offended. He would leave this puzzling event for a later time.

Sakurayashiki

No, I didn't think you were.

I was just distracted by something.

Thank you for saying that. I don't think

Anyone has said that to me before.

Shindo

Well, I meant it.

Someone should tell you that more often.

Goodnight Sakurayashiki.

Sakurayashiki

Goodnight Shindo.

Kaoru put his phone to charge and stood. He cleaned up the mess of petals and changed his sheets, leaving the stained ones to soak with some hydrogen peroxide before crawling into bed, suddenly exhausted.

He woke up with a groan. Why had he dreamt of that night? It happened two weeks ago, and he was no longer worried about what could be wrong with him. He had a name for it now. So why had he dreamt of that night? He sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A small voice in his head told him that he knew precisely why he had that dream. He didn't want to acknowledge it, didn't want to make it real. He knew he had to make a choice he didn't want to make; Confess or hide?

He decided to put it off for now and get dressed. He had school to focus on, and he could worry about these feelings for Shindo later.

"So why were you at the hospital the other day?" Kojiro asked him when he finally stepped out of their classroom to meet the tall teen in the hallway after school. Kaoru guessed that he had been waiting all day to ask him that, which was puzzling because he hadn't told Kojiro that he had gone to the hospital. Golden eyes narrowed at his friend, so how could he have found that out?

"Why does it matter to you?" Kaoru grimaced as he started the slow walk towards their hangout spot, board in hand.

"You're my friend, asshole. I can't worry about you?" Kojiro replied with a scowl of his own as he hurried to catch up to him. "Your mom texted me, and she told me that they were taking you to the hospital. She also asked me to get your schoolwork from the teacher." Kojiro always did have a knack for guessing what he was thinking. It must be a result of having known each other for as long as they had.

"Don't worry about me, you dopey monkey. I'm fine; I just had an infection and needed some antibiotics. Now back off before you smother me." Karou tugged on his lowest earring nervously. Should he tell Kojiro the truth? That he had been diagnosed with Hanahaki disease? He was afraid of what his friend would think. Especially considering how unsupportive he had been when Kaoru told him about his feelings for their friend. "Do you think Shindo is waiting for us today? We should hurry; it would be rude to keep him waiting."

Kojiro blinked. "Shindo can wait for a few minutes. Why are you so anxious to meet up? He's there every day, and you've never worried about him not being there before. What's going on? You wanna challenge him to a beef or something?"

"I just want to talk to him, you brute. I don't only think about racing because I'm not as simple-minded as you." He could tell that his friend was staring intensely at him, and he sighed. "You can relax, Kojiro. I just have something I need to say to him."

Kojiro rolled his eyes. "Do you still think you're in love with him?" He asked, proving that he wasn't as simple-minded as he appeared.

Well, there went any hope Kaoru had of confiding in his friend about his disease. His anger began to bubble inside of him as he stared at his Kojiro. "I don't think, I know, dimwit. I know how I feel, and I'm tired of idiots like you telling me how I feel. Surprise moron, you are not me, and you cannot possibly know what I'm feeling."

"I'm just trying to look out for you, dude. I'm trying to stop you from making an ass out of yourself. Shindo is my friend too, and I honestly don't think he's interested in anyone, let alone in another guy."

"Fuck you, Nanjo," Kaoru growled. He rarely used the other boy's last name because of how close they were, but he felt like it was appropriate at this moment. Kojiro had never felt as distant as he did right now. "I don't care what you think. You can take your asinine, homophobic comment and shove it up your ass."

Kaoru turned in a huff to start walking away when he heard heavy footsteps behind him. "Don't you dare follow me!" His long pink hair whipped through the air as he whirled around.

"C'mon Kaoru. We always walk together. Don't be like this," Kojiro sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Be like what, Nanjo? Did you expect me to agree, bat my eyes up at you, and tell you that you are absolutely right? Tell you that you were right and that I've been silly to think that I could be in love with him?"

"N-no, I just," the taller boy trailed off as he took a step back, surprised at his friend's ferocity.

"Just what? You've made your opinion about my feelings for Shindo very clear, and I made it clear to you that I don't care about what you think. I will do what I want and if you don't like it, then you can just leave me alone!"

The emerald-haired teen sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Kaoru, please, stop being dramatic. I only meant, are you sure that what you feel is love? You've never been in love before, and Shindo is, well, Shindo. I'm not sure he really cares about anything other than skateboarding. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"How kind of you," Kaoru snarled and walked away, leaving his closest friend to watch him go.

"Hey, Sakurayashiki almost didn't recognize you without your other half," a voice floated over to Kaoru as he sat at the edge of his school's rooftop. He nearly fell off as he flinched in surprise.

"S-Shindo!? What are you doing here?"

Golden eyes scanned the taller boy, his heart beginning to race as his eyes landed on Shindo's face, hidden beneath bright blue bangs and a black hood. He struggled to keep his composure so he wouldn't aggravate his hanahaki. Unfortunately, he lost any sense of calm as soon as Shindo approached him and offered a hand to help Kaoru up. He happily took Shindo's hand as his cheeks turned a bright red.

"I should be asking you that," Shindo said with a small smile.

Kaoru sighed as Shindo pulled him up and off the ground. "Kojiro and I argued, and I came up here to be alone."

Red eyes glinted curiously. "Should I leave you be?"

"N-no!" Kaoru nearly shouted before clearing his throat. This wasn't good. Kaoru could feel the petals beginning to clog up his throat. "I wanted to see you today. I, uh, had something that I wanted to tell you. We were on our way to meet you when Kojiro and I fought. I didn't want to see him for a bit, so I came here instead of meeting up with you."

"Nanjo told me you guys argued," Shindo said quietly. "He guessed that you would be up here. He said you like to find high ground when you're upset. Something about it being quiet and vacant," he chuckled softly. "I asked him how to get to your school. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Kaoru couldn't breathe, primarily due to his illness and because Shindo was coming closer, and he had just admitted to coming here to check on him. Kojiro was wrong about everything. Shindo cared about things other than skateboarding. He cared enough for Kaoru to go looking for him!

"What about Kojiro?" He couldn't help but ask. While he was still upset at the other boy, he wanted to apologize for exploding the way he did. Kojiro was his best friend, and he cared about him, after all.

"He wanted to come, but I suggested he go home. I told him that if you were as mad at him as he said, then you probably needed more time to cool off." He reached out and brushed some of Kaoru's hair off of his face, tucking the long pink strands behind his ear.

Kaoru felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. How could Kojiro say that Shindo didn't care about him? He was concerned and looking out for him. "S-Shin-" he started but was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit. He covered his mouth with his hands as he doubled over from the force of his coughs. He felt large hands gently grab his shoulders and squeeze them.

"Are you alright?" Shindo asked worriedly.

Kaoru could feel the petals filling his mouth and the tears spilling from his eyes as he spits the petals into his cupped hands. He tried to pull away and discard the petals discreetly, but Shindo grabbed his wrists and tugged him close. "Please don't hide from me, Kaoru. May I call you that?"

The shorter boy could only nod as he stared up into fiery red eyes. He was so mesmerized by his crush that he barely noticed it when Shindo opened his tightly fisted hands to reveal the soft pink petals sprinkled with bright drops of blood.

"You're sick," Shindo whispered, bringing his face closer to Kaoru's. "Hanahaki disease." He smiled, and if Shindo's closeness hadn't blinded Kaoru, he would have noted its predatory nature. "Who is it that you love, sweet little Kaoru?" the taller boy breathed. "Could it be Nanjo?"

"N-no," he stammered as his golden eyes looked to the side in embarrassment. Kaoru had been eager to meet up with Shindo after school because he wanted to tell the other boy how he felt and, hopefully, Shindo would return his feelings. Now that he was in the exact situation he had been looking for, he wasn't sure how to respond.

"I-isn't it obvious?" His voice was soft.

"Tell me who. Say his name," Shindo replied and moved in close, impossibly close.

"W-why do you think it's a guy?" Kaoru looked back over at Shindo and studied his face, trying to see if the other boy didn't mind that he was gay. Shindo gave him a knowing look and remained quiet, so Kaoru sighed and decided that it was now or never.

"It's you, Shindo. I-I'm in love with you."

Shindo chuckled and ran his fingers through Kaoru's long hair, twirling a few bubblegum pink strands around his finger. "Oh my sweet Kaoru, what a cute little confession."

Kaoru could feel his face burning. "Is that your answer? If you don't feel the same, then just say it and stop playing with me." He tried to pull away, but Shindo held him in place tightly. Rather than give him an answer, Shindo pressed his lips to Kaoru's. The petite boy tensed in surprise before relaxing in his arms. He tentatively kissed back as he slowly wrapped his arms around Shindo's shoulders.

Shindo seemed to take that as a sign to pull Kaoru flush against him, his hands gripping Kaoru's slim hips possessively. They kissed for what felt like hours, even though the pink-haired boy knew it could only have been minutes before the taller boy pulled away and studied Kaoru's flushed face.

"S-Shindo.." Kaoru began before a brief kiss silenced him.

"Call me Ainosuke. You're mine; after all, it would seem strange if you didn't call me by my name."

Kaoru's face turned bright red as he pushed and wiggled against the tight grip Ainosuke had on him. "I-I belong to no man."

"Your body tells a different story." Ainosuke smiled and tightened his hold before stealing Kaoru's lips in another heated kiss. The smaller boy immediately turned into putty, putting up very little resistance as Ainoksuke guided him away from the roof's edge and towards the wall by the stairwell.

"I-" Kaoru began before coughing violently. The blue-haired boy loosened his hold and tried to give his sickly friend room to breathe. "A-Ainosuke?" His voice was raspy as he spoke, and petals fell loose from his lips.

Long fingers caught a falling petal and held it between them. "The disease of love. It's tragically beautiful." He used the fingers of his free hand to grab Kaoru's chin and tilt his head up. "Cherry blossom petals, how fitting." His red eyes focused on the pink petal between his fingers. "My beautiful little cherry blossom." Ainosuke's eyes moved from the petal to Kaoru's face. "Hanahaki is quite becoming on you." He ran his thumb across Kaoru's trembling bottom lip.

"A-Ainosuke, please," Kaoru begged softly.

"Please, what?"

"Make me yours."

Ainosuke grinned widely, looking to all the world like the cat that ate the canary, but Kaoru could only see his handsome face smiling down at him. "It would be my pleasure," he purred before sealing their lips together.