As always, a big thank you to those of you who dropped a comment on the last chapter! I live to see those notifications in my inbox.

This chapter is a favorite of mine. I'm sorry it's so short!


Chapter 6

If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.

—Hermann Hesse

o0o

The final days leading up to the exam passed quickly. In what seemed like no time at all, 'Keisuke' found himself accompanying Ichigo and Aoyama to Hibiya High School where the full day of exams would take place. Today, at long last, all their hard work would be put to the test.

It was a little strange to finally meet Aoyama as Keisuke. Kish stood by somewhat awkwardly as Ichigo introduced him as her tutor and talked about how helpful and patient he'd been in explaining the concepts and equations she'd been struggling with. Aoyama regarded him with curiosity and a small amount of confusion. "I didn't realize there was a Keisuke in our grade," he remarked, bringing a hand to his chin and looking thoughtful, like he was trying to place Kish's face.

"Ah, I do a lot of traveling with my parents so I'm often absent from school," Kish hurriedly covered himself.

To both his and Ichigo's relief, Aoyama accepted this explanation readily enough and asked no more questions, though Kish did occasionally catch the other boy examining his face like he was still trying to work out where he might have seen 'Keisuke' before. Kish was careful to walk ahead of his love rival so that Aoyama couldn't accidentally catch a glimpse of his sharp canines as he talked with Ichigo.

When they reached the school, they encountered a swarm of other students all wearing uniforms from various junior high schools around Tokyo. These would be the best and the brightest from each of their schools and they certainly looked the part. Their uniforms were clean and pressed and they were all on their best behavior, each student trying his or her hardest to make a good impression. The three of them joined their ranks, and soon they were being efficiently herded indoors for a long day of exams. Just before they were separated, Kish felt a grip on his hand and he turned to look at Ichigo inquisitively. She brought their clasped hands up between them and gave his a squeeze. "Do your best."

Kish grinned and gave her hand a return squeeze. "Same to you, Ichigo."

Ichigo's cheeks pinkened visibly at his rare use of her name and then she was being whisked away to the classroom where she would take her exam. Kish saw Aoyama tilt his head curiously at their interaction out of the corner of his eye but he didn't have time to dwell on the other boy because he and Aoyama were being ushered to their own classrooms.

Thanks to all his and Ichigo's studying, the exam wasn't difficult so much as it was a test of endurance. Kish breezed through the math and science and even history portions, though the literature portion had him working all the way to the final chime. As he plugged numbers into formulas and filled in answers, Kish's mind wandered to Ichigo who was doing the same thing somewhere down the hall. Was she nervous, he wondered, or was she calm? He smiled to himself as he encountered the formula she always flubbed and he wondered if she would remember to write the minus symbol outside the parentheses like he always reminded her to.

Five tests and a group interview later, the exams were finally over. All the time and effort they'd put into preparing for this day would be weighed by the examiners and the results sent to them in a few weeks. It seemed to Kish an awful lot of preparation for something over so quickly. His brain was still trying to catch up with the fact that the tests were in fact over and done as he exited the school with the other members of his interview group.

Outside, Aoyama had already finished and was waiting near the gate. Kish's eyes settled on the form of his rival and he strongly considered turning around and finding another place to wait for Ichigo, but that was something Kish would do, not Keisuke, so he exhaled a short, put-upon sigh and dragged his feet over to join Aoyama by the gate.

Aoyama greeted him with a friendly smile and a wave. Typical goody-goody nice guy, Kish grumbled in the privacy of his mind as he settled against the gatepost beside the other boy. Still, he managed to dredge up some semblance of a smile in order not to appear rude. He hoped Ichigo would come out quickly. Aoyama had that look about him that said he would attempt to make polite conversation and that was the furthest thing from what Kish wanted right now. Or ever, for that matter.

Kish was caught quite off guard, then, when instead of remarking on the weather or other such empty drivel, he heard Aoyama's soft voice say, "You don't like me much, do you."

Kish blinked and looked at the dark-haired youth with an expression of confusion. How on earth had he deduced such a thing when they'd hardly said two words to each other all day? Kish couldn't think of any hints he might have let slip that morning. He'd been on his best behavior. "What makes you say that?" he asked carefully.

Aoyama smiled softly down at the ground. He rolled a small pebble under the toe of his boot. "I can tell," he answered simply. "Your aura is hostile. You see me as an obstacle."

Kish quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. So much for light conversation. "Are you some kind of psychic?" he asked dryly. If Aoyama had already figured out his true feelings, he saw no reason to cover them up.

Aoyama shook his head. He was still wearing that soft smile. Kish hated it. "No. Just, I've felt the same way as you in the past, so I can tell." He lifted his head to gaze wistfully at the entrance to the school. "Ichigo is a very special girl. Her compassion and courage are tremendous. She charms everyone she meets. I can't possibly fault you for developing feelings for her."

Kish said nothing to that. He didn't need to waste breath confirming what both of them already knew.

"I love Ichigo," Aoyama said, finally looking at him. His deep brown eyes were calm. "I have for a long time. I have few wishes in this world, but to see her safe and happy is definitely the first and foremost of them. I wanted her to find that happiness with me, but lately I feel as though she's been drifting away from me." He regarded Kish with a look that was pointed but not angry. He seemed to be waiting for Kish to say something. Either to defend himself or otherwise.

Kish just scoffed and looked away. "If you're worried about Ichigo leaving you for me, don't be. She made her feelings clear a long time ago. And besides, the whole reason she took the exam today was because of you. She wants to be with you."

Aoyama hummed low in his throat and looked back at the doors the girl in question had yet to emerge from. "Ichigo is young. She has room yet in her heart for many kinds of love. I just wonder if the kind she feels for me is the same as what I feel for her."

Kish felt a sudden rush of annoyance at his rival's words. Was this really the boy he'd lost to a year ago? He focused back on Aoyama's face and narrowed his eyes. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds an awful lot like you're giving up at the first sign of adversity. Say I did harbor some dastardly plan to steal her away from you. Were you just going to let her go without putting up any kind of fight?"

Aoyama didn't turn his face from the door. He seemed completely unruffled by Kish's accusation. "Did you know that Ichigo is still reluctant to act like herself around me?" he asked in lieu of answering. "We've been together for over a year, but she doesn't come to me with her problems. She tries to act like an adult around me because she thinks that's what I want. She's afraid to show the real Ichigo to me because she believes I won't accept her." He finally tore his gaze from the school to look back at Kish. His smile was sad. "But you're different. She never tries to hide from you. She doesn't fear rejection from you. She trusts you with the ugliest parts of her. I can't compete with that."

Kish's jaw slackened as he was blindsided by Aoyama's confession. Masaya Aoyama, Ichigo's perfect, can-do-no-wrong boyfriend, thought that he was being outcompeted by him. It was a claim almost outlandish enough to distract Kish from the oddly knowing way in which he'd said it. Almost. He recovered his composure and his eyes flashed as he regarded the boy next to him. "You figured it out, huh? Guess I should've known better than to try to pull a fast one over his excellency."

Aoyama's mouth dipped into a frown and he exhaled in a manner that sounded too old and tired coming from a face so young. "I'm not Deep Blue, Kish."

Kish smiled wickedly, showing off his sharp canines. "I know. If you were, I'd have already put my swords through you." He flexed his fingers demonstratively. The threat was an empty one and they both knew it. "But you're wrong. About Ichigo, I mean. She's only ever had eyes for you. I gave up trying to win her heart a long time ago."

Aoyama chuckled. The sound contained little mirth. "That so."

The two of them stood in silence for a drawn-out moment, neither quite wanting to continue the current line of conversation. It was an odd moment of solidarity between the two males. Finally, Kish broke it by asking, "How'd you figure out it was me, anyway? I thought I was doing a pretty good job throwing people off."

Aoyama smiled for real at his question. "It took some time," he admitted. "I could tell right away that you weren't human, but I couldn't figure out why an alien I'd never met before had come to Earth and was shadowing Ichigo. I didn't expect you to come back."

Kish nodded at that. "It's only temporary. I'll have to return soon." For reasons he couldn't explain, Kish was finding it surprisingly easy to talk to Aoyama. Perhaps it was because Aoyama was the only one who could understand his position. Or, perish the thought, perhaps it was because the two of them really weren't so different after all. Kish elected not to follow that line of thought any further.

Finally, the doors of the school opened and a group of students filed out. Among them, Kish was quick to spot Ichigo's perky red ponytails. The two males abruptly broke off their conversation and turned their attention to the beat-looking Mew Mew.

Ichigo's whole body drooped in fatigue as she dragged her feet over to them. "That was the longest and most punishing thing I've ever done," she moaned as she joined them at the gate. "I just barely made the cut for today's interviews. Thank goodness I did, because I really didn't want to have to come back again tomorrow."

Aoyama laughed and Kish grinned lopsidedly. "How do you feel?" he asked as they began the long trek home. "Confident?"

Ichigo smiled brightly and her whole form visibly perked up. "It went way better than I thought it would," she said, all her former weariness gone from her voice. "I think I might actually have a shot, and that's something I never thought I'd say."

Aoyama laid a hand on her shoulder with a soft smile. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "You worked hard for today."

Ichigo looked up at him fondly. Kish dragged his eyes away as she returned her boyfriend's smile with a heartfelt one of her own.

By the time they reached Ichigo's house it was well past dark. Ichigo's eyes lit up as her front door came into view. A delicious smell wafted from the house. The perky redhead clapped her hands together and she smiled broadly. "I totally forgot that mom promised to make beef stew tonight. Score!"

"I'm sure your parents will be wanting to hear all about how the exam went," Aoyama said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the door with that ever-present soft smile of his.

Kish stepped forward and placed a hand on the small of her back, shoving her gently toward the door. "Go give 'em the good news," he instructed with a grin.

Ichigo nodded and moved to grab the door handle, then she paused. Turning back around, she gave the two boys her most dazzling smile and said, "Thank you. Both of you. Whether I pass or not, today wouldn't have gone nearly as well as it did without your help."

Aoyama merely smiled and shook his head and Kish made a shooing motion with his hand. "Just go and enjoy your dinner."

Ichigo nodded again and her hand found the door handle. A moment later, the door closed behind her, leaving the two boys alone in the cold night.

Kish shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded to Aoyama. "Welp. I'll be seeing you, I guess."

Aoyama regarded him with his usual neutral expression. His eyes were calm. Kish thought he would merely nod and take his leave, but then he opened his mouth and said, "If you don't mind answering a question for me before you go, I'd like to know: how are our people faring?"

Kish raised an eyebrow. Of all the things Aoyama could've said in that moment, that was the furthest from what Kish expected. He cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine," he answered simply. "Mew Aqua worked as advertised. The quality of life on our planet has improved a lot."

Aoyama's eyes softened and he nodded. "I'm glad." He lifted his chin and turned his gaze upward to the star-choked heavens. He watched the night sky with fondness, as if he could see past the cluster of galaxies straight to where Kish's planet lay. "You know, in the beginning, Deep Blue really did just want a better life for our kind. I know it's hard to believe after everything he did, but I can tell you that's the truth."

Kish just shrugged and said, "Yeah?"

Aoyama's small smile fell away and he turned back to Kish. "I guess telling you that doesn't really change anything. I'm not trying to justify what he did or what happened to your parents. I just thought you might like to know."

Kish's eyes narrowed and he cast his gaze to the concrete. "So, Deep Blue knew about that, too. And here I thought his servants were all the same to him."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aoyama shake his head. "He didn't like to be caught unaware," he explained.

Kish sighed and lifted his head. He felt suddenly weary. This wasn't a topic he harbored much love for, and as Aoyama said, it's not like knowing any of this would change things. But he supposed he did appreciate his old enemy's thoughtfulness in explaining himself. "Well, in any case, it's a matter of the past now. The usurper has been put down and my people are safe. There's no point in dwelling on it."

Aoyama's smile returned. He dipped his head in gratitude. "Thank you."

Kish raised his arms behind his head and made a show of looking bored with the conversation. "If that's all you had to say, then I'll be going now. It's cold out here and I'm tired."

Aoyama nodded. "Until next time, then."

Kish turned to go but threw his rival a parting wave over his shoulder. "Sure."

Not looking back, he took to the skies and made for the unoccupied house that had become his temporary residence. He was looking forward to taking a nice long bath after a grueling day of tests.

oO0Oo


At last, the exam has been taken. Now we wait to see how our favorite duo did.

Bet y'all weren't expecting this to be an Aoyama chapter. Poor guy has been kept on the periphery of this story up till now. I ended up really enjoying writing his and Kish's interactions in this chapter. I think my respect for him has grown. Just a little. (And so has Kish's.)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you again next week.