Chapter 2

Kichijouji spent three weeks floating through a massive life change. The Ichijou family secured temporary guardianship of Kichijouji, which in cases like these wasn't too difficult—especially when one was rich and powerful like Mr. Ichijou. Mrs. Ichijou and Masaki took Kichijouji to what remained of his house. It looked like a tornado had hit it. They helped him pick through the wreckage and collect what they could of his belongings and keepsakes from among his parents' possessions. The entire Ichijou family, including Masaki's two younger sisters, attended the funeral for Kichijouji's parents, which was a mass funeral for all who'd died in the invasion.

At the same time, Mr. Ichijou worked with the executor of the Kichijouji estate to arrange to sell the land the house had stood on. Then he took the money from Kichijouji's parents' bank account and opened a bank account for Kichijouji. Kichijouji was promptly hit with a crash course in money management.

As if that wasn't stressful enough, Kichijouji was enrolled in Masaki's junior high school, and three weeks to the day after his parents died, Kichijouji started school. He ended up enrolled in class A with Masaki.

He spent the entire day glued to Masaki's side, overwhelmed by the new school, the abundance of rich kids, and the nerve-shattering stress of taking on this change in addition to all the other ones he'd just faced.

The only thing he could say he liked about the situation was the school uniform. It was the typical sailor-style, just like his previous one, except that instead of black it was a deep shade of crimson. It matched his eyes, and even he realized it was flattering. But it was an awfully small plus amongst such a huge day of minuses.

At lunch time, Masaki led Kichijouji up to the school roof, which was apparently where all the cool kids ate at this school. Kichijouji had also learned right away that all the cool kids packed bento boxes and didn't eat at the cafeteria. This was the exact opposite of his old school.

Masaki and he ended up sitting against the outside wall of the stairwell. The day was sunny and warm. A cloudless blue sky stretched overhead. It would have been nice except for all the students peering their way. Kichijouji felt like a corpse being eyed up by a flock of hungry crows.

Masaki's three close friends, a girl and two boys, clustered around them as they picked out places to sit. Masaki made sure Kichijouji was by his side. Unbeknownst to Kichijouji, Masaki had been worrying all day about lunchtime. He'd always trusted his friends to be cool, but this was different and Masaki knew it. Their group had formed more or less naturally, and now Kichijouji was in the middle of them, unilaterally chosen by Masaki. What was more, all three of his friends were aces who came from one of the Eighteen Assistant Houses, and although they were kind to all their classmates, none of their close friends had ever been from outside of the top twenty-eight houses.

They were all in the same class, so they'd had a chance to size Kichijouji up all day. Masaki was worried about their reaction—not only because he didn't know how they might receive Kichijouji, but also because he didn't want anyone freezing out Kichijouji when he'd just lost everything and buried his parents.

"Wow, Ichijou-sama packed you a bento," the girl, Emi, said to Kichijouji. She was petite and blonde. "Lucky." She smiled, but Masaki couldn't tell what she was really thinking. On the surface she was always cheerful and sweet, even to people she hated.

"Yes," Kichijouji said. "She's an excellent cook." He wasn't going to make the mistake of sounding anything less that fully complimentary and grateful.

The taller boy—Hideo—was studying him intently. "Kichijouji, huh? I haven't heard that surname before. Who was your father?"

Kichijouji braced for impact. Hideo was a member of the Hassaku Clan. "My parents worked as magic researchers on Sado Island."

Hideo's eyebrow arched. "Both your parents?"

"Yes."

Hideo's gaze slid to Masaki and then back to Kichijouji. "I see. Your family worked for Masaki-kun's family. Basically."

Ugh. He's going to be an arrogant asshole. Kichijouji affected a bored expression. "My parents researched weight-type magic in addition to organic body impact magic. I hear your family is tied to the Eighth Institute, where they study gravitational magic." Kichijouji always reverted to facts and research when under stress.

"Yeah." Hideo's gaze slid back to Masaki. Kichijouji wasn't quite sure what the boy was thinking, but he could tell Hideo wasn't kindly disposed toward him. Hideo was, in fact, Kichijouji's exact opposite—tall, muscular, athletic, and tanned. He wondered if that had anything to do with it, or if it was just that Hideo saw him as an invader.

"My father respected Jouji's parents and felt indebted to them for their research and service to our country," Masaki said. "It's not like the Kichijouji family worked for us."

Emi paused with her chopsticks poised over her bento. "Oh, so that's why your father took in Kichijouji-kun. To pay off a debt."

"No," Masaki snapped.

"Why, then?" Emi asked, as though the situation were incomprehensible.

Masaki clenched his fist around his chopsticks. "Are you here to eat lunch or to pick on Jouji?"

Emi stared at him. "Why are you being so oversensitive? I'm just curious. I've never heard of one of the Ten Master Clans taking in an outsider."

Kichijouji's stomach was so clenched he had trouble eating. He took small bites, focusing on the maki sushi.

"'Jouji?'" Hideo echoed. "You're already to the point of not using honorifics? But it's only been three weeks, Masaki-kun!"

Kichijouji wondered how long Hideo and Masaki had been friends.

The second boy, Akio, who had short black hair, finally stirred. "They seem close already, Hideo-kun. And, well, Kichijouji-kun is living with Masaki-kun."

A virtual storm cloud passed over Hideo's face. "Yeah. I got that little factoid."

Kichijouji wondered why Hideo seemed so offended by it.

Masaki felt an angry heat bloom across his face. "We're basically Kichijouji's new family. We don't need honorifics."

Emi let out an exasperated sigh and looked away. "If you're protecting Kichijouji-kun out of duty to your parents, you could just say that. We understand. You can't let your parents down."

"I'm not just being dutiful!" Masaki tossed down his bento box.

Emi's eyes widened in shock.

Masaki realized she'd never heard him yell at anybody, much less her. He scowled. "If you were in the same position as Jouji, I wouldn't be pressing the point and asking questions like you weren't sitting right there listening. You're cruel, Emi-chan."

Emi stood up unsteadily, mouth agape, and ran away, leaving her bento behind on the roof.

Masaki crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at his other two friends.

Akio looked torn. He glanced between the glowering Masaki and the retreating Emi several times.

Kichijouji was hit with the suspicion that Akio had a crush on Emi.

Akio finally stood up. "You were too hard on her. And don't throw out your old friends in your rush to protect your new one." Despite the severity of the words, Akio sounded and looked worried rather than angry. His forehead was furrowed.

Without another word, and also leaving behind his lunch, he dashed after Emi.

Hideo grabbed his lunch and stood as well. "It seems I'm not wanted here today. Later, man." He stalked off.

Kichijouji sighed and set down his chopsticks. His stomach was one big knot.

"No one wants to be around you when you're being an obnoxious idiot," Masaki called after Hideo. He picked up his bento box again. "It's not your fault, Jouji, so don't sigh. It was their decision how to behave."

The last thing Kichijouji wanted to do was get between Masaki and his friends. At the same time, he wasn't about to give up Masaki's protection. Masaki's support and care were the primary things that had enabled Kichijouji to live through the previous three weeks. If he hadn't had Masaki there to talk to him, play video games with him, accompany him to painful places, and give him secret hugs, he would have fallen apart.

And there was one more thing, too: the unspoken feelings between them.

Despite being given his own bedroom, Kichijouji had spent the first three nights sleeping in Masaki's room. A futon had been dragged in there for him. Mrs. Ichijou had been very understanding about Kichijouji's desire not to sleep in a strange house alone in a strange room. She had also easily caved into Masaki's requests to accommodate their guest.

A few times, when Kichijouji had experienced violent nightmares, Masaki had relocated to his futon or had him relocate to his bed.

A lot of hugging had occurred over the last three weeks. There had been no confession of romantic feelings, no kisses, and no other signs of dating. But boys simply did not hug and share beds—especially junior high school boys. Their entire culture forbade it.

And yet Masaki and Kichijouji were.

Because of their unspoken feelings, Kichijouji glanced around, verified they were alone on this part of the roof, and scooted closer to Masaki. "I suppose they think I will steal all your time."

"If they can't understand your grief, I don't want them around." Masaki wrapped his arm around Kichijouji's shoulders. "They can't imagine what it's like to lose their parents. They rely on their parents for everything. Especially Emi-chan. She cried once when her mother forgot to make umeboshi rice in her bento for her birthday." He sighed. "As for Hideo-kun, he wishes he came from a more important clan and was an eldest son. He's the second son, and his older brother gets all the attention. I know he's friends with me to compensate for feeling like he's not important. He can be clever and funny when he wants to be, but it's not his place to question my father's decisions about taking you in. Or to get jealous of you. That totally denies your pain."

Masaki glanced away. "Akio-kun just hates conflict. That's all. Did you notice he has a crush on Emi-chan? He takes her side even when she's wrong. She always ends up apologizing for the both of them."

Kichijouji stopped caring about all the drama the moment Masaki's arm was around him. He felt a warm blush settling in his cheeks. It was hard to be angry about school melodrama when his real problem was his parents were dead and he'd been torn away from the home he'd lived in ever since he was three years old. When nightmares about magical explosions and corpses tortured him at night, it was hard to worry about a jealous, over-compensating jerk. The only reason Kichijouji was even paying attention in class was because his parents would want him to keep his A average.

He leaned against Masaki's side. "You're right. They can't understand what I'm going through. I won't worry about them. I know you'll protect me." He hoped he didn't sound pathetic to Masaki. As a boy, Kichijouji was supposed to protect himself. But the objective of his declaration wasn't to hand away his personal responsibility but rather to show Masaki that he trusted and wanted him.

Masaki smiled, relieved. "That's right." He relaxed enough to take a bite of lunch. "I'll protect you. We're basically family now. Don't worry about anything else."

At this renewed declaration of protection, Kichijouji felt the aching need to snuggle right up to Masaki, but he couldn't very well do that in such a public place. He was already running a huge risk just to lean against Masaki, much less have Masaki's arm around his shoulders. I can get closer to him at home.

Kichijouji wanted to be closer. Much, much closer. Everyone had always said that many teenagers were bundles of raging hormones, and in his case, it was true. Even in the midst of all his stress and disorientation, he felt the unmistakable burn of his attraction to Masaki.

"I'll let you protect me," Kichijouji murmured, a blush tingling in his cheeks. He focused on his lunch again, attacking the nigiri sushi with what passed for a legitimate appetite.

Over the next three days, the tension between Masaki and his friends didn't get any better. Hideo got grumpier and grumpier. In fact, by the third day, Hideo didn't even join them for lunch.

In the meantime, Masaki's feelings for Kichijouji only solidified more.

Soccer was especially hard that afternoon because Masaki couldn't stop glancing across the field at Kichijouji. Kichijouji had been assigned goalie, and he looked small and adorable in his soccer uniform. Luckily, they were on the same team, so Masaki didn't have to feel bad scoring goals on Kichijouji.

Hideo was on the other team, though, and he had a cold look in his eyes every time he glanced towards Masaki. Masaki tried to keep a good portion of the field between them.

In the middle of Masaki's play, Hideo intercepted the ball and charged Kichijouji's goal. Hideo was devastatingly good at soccer, unfortunately. He evaded defensive plays from all directions. Masaki gave chase, but he knew he wouldn't catch up.

Hideo kicked the ball directly at Kichijouji's face.

Masaki cried out.

One of the boys from Class B intercepted the ball instead: Rokugo Kosuke. He had cut across the gap at stunning speed and stopped the ball with his hands.

Their P.E. teacher blew his whistle at the illegal move.

All Kichijouji could do was feel profoundly grateful that he hadn't just gotten his nose broken by a soccer ball. Hideo had kicked at such a close range he hadn't had time to react. Even though Kosuke had been so close by, Kichijouji wasn't sure how he'd intercepted it, either. He assumed Kosuke had already been in motion.

Kosuke turned toward him with a worried expression, the ball still clutched in his hands. "Are you okay?"

Kichijouji nodded numbly.

Hideo had already covered the distance between them and bore down on them both. "What the hell? Can't you even defend the goal by yourself?" He jabbed Kichijouji's chest with his finger. "Why do you always need someone to save you?" He followed up with a hard, two-handed shove.

Kichijouji hadn't been prepared for the shove, and Hideo—being nearly twice his size—easily knocked him off his balance. Because of the angle he was standing at, his head bounced off the side pole. Despite his helmet, a sharp pain exploded through the back of his head and neck. A grunt escaped him. He had an instant pounding headache that radiated through his entire skull.

Kosuke threw down the ball and yanked Hideo away from Kichijouji. "Stop it, man! You clearly meant to hit him in the face, and now you're shoving him around? What's your problem?"

The P.E. teacher had reached them and had clearly overheard the accusation. "Is that true, Hassaku-san? Did you aim to hit Kichijouji-san in the face?"

Masaki sprinted to Kichijouji's side. "Hideo-kun's been angry at Kichijouji since he arrived here."

Hideo turned a withering glare on Masaki. "You traitor."

Kichijouji was wildly uncomfortable at all the attention. He rubbed his head, feeling hot at the pounding in his skull.

"Enough!" The P.E. teacher turned to Kichijouji. "Are you injured?"

"I got an instant migraine."

Kosuke bowed to the teacher. "I'll escort Kichijouji-san to the nurse's office, sensei."

"All right," the teacher said.

"Wait," Masaki protested. "I can – "

"There is no need to pull you both out of class to escort Kichijouji-san," the teacher said.

Kosuke turned to Kichijouji with a winsome smile. "Please come with me, Kichijouji-san. I'll lead you to the nurse's office and make sure you arrive there safely."

Dully, it dawned on Kichijouji that Kosuke was a handsome boy—tall and athletic like Masaki, except with shiny black hair and blue eyes. Like Masaki, he appeared older than his age, more like a first year high school student. And Kosuke was smiling at him. Softly.

Masaki felt the flush break out across his face. There were rumors Kosuke was gay. The way he looked at Kichijouji… Stop poaching my boyfriend! He was miserably angry that he didn't have the nerve to come out of the closet, much less claim Kichijouji as his boyfriend. "I'll come visit you as soon as class is over."

Kichijouji smiled at Masaki. "Okay. Thank you."

Kosuke escorted Kichijouji away. He raised one eyebrow at Masaki as he left, as if to say Why are you so angry?

Kichijouji walked beside Kosuke in silence, his head throbbing.

"I'm sorry Hassaku is being a jerk," Kosuke murmured. He kept pace with Kichijouji despite his longer stride.

Kichijouji glanced up at Kosuke. He was getting vibes off the boy, and he had to admit Kosuke was in general his type: tall, handsome, athletic, protective. However, his heart was already Masaki's. "He thinks I'm going to steal his good friend. I guess."

"Oh? Are you friends with Ichijou? I haven't seen you hang out with him before today," Kosuke said. "In fact, I'm certain I would have noticed such a beautiful person before. You're a transfer student, aren't you?"

Kichijouji couldn't help it. The compliment hit him squarely, especially given he'd been experiencing so much badness lately. He ended up blushing. "Ah—yes." He paused. "But I—I can't say that I'm beautiful." He was too taken off guard not to stutter.

Kosuke grinned and chuckled. "Modest and humble, too. I like you, Kichijouji-kun." Then he looked more serious and nodded. "It must be difficult for you. I was a transfer student in elementary school. The first day of school was terrible. I thought I might never go back to school after that day."

Kosuke opened the side door into the school, and they headed inside. "Then, in the last class period before the end of the day, a boy befriended me and kept me company during class cleanup. I joined his club and spent the rest of the year with a friend I could rely on."

He glanced away. "I know you're not in the same exact position because you already know Ichijou, but I would still like to be friends with you, Kichijouji-kun. You're a fascinating person."

"Fascinating?" Kichijouji sputtered. He blushed again, once again unable to help it. "I'm not sure what's fascinating." You just met me, after all. "But sure." He saw no reason not to make more friends. He couldn't rely solely on Masaki, especially since he couldn't guarantee he'd be in Masaki's class again next year.

They turned down the first hallway on the right. Kichijouji could see the sign for the nurse's office over the second door to the left.

"Most people would be angry at Hassaku, but you instantly tried to understand his point of view," Kosuke said. "That shows you're deep. You didn't fight back, either. You don't undertake conflicts lightly. That's the kind of friend I want to have."

Kichijouji stared up at Kosuke. Is this guy for real? He felt like his head was swimming, and it didn't have anything to do with the splitting headache.

Kosuke opened the office door for Kichijouji and explained the situation to the nurse.

The nurse ushered Kichijouji into a bed and ran a hand-held scanner over his head. She wasn't a magic-based healer, so once she determined that he had a minor concussion, she merely gave him some painkillers and turned off the lights on Kichijouji's half of the room. There were two beds with a curtain partitioning them off.

Kosuke stayed with him.

Kichijouji lay down, his head still throbbing, and relaxed in the semi-darkness. "You can return to class. I'll probably be here for awhile."

Kosuke shook his head. "What kind of friend would I be if I did that? It's all right. I can stay with you. Besides, it's helping the nurse out if I keep an extra eye on you." He smiled.

Until she decides you just want to skip class and then kicks you out. Kichijouji offered a tentative smile in return. "Thanks. Just keep in mind it'll be more like an hour before I can return to class."

That caused Kichijouji to realize he was stuck in his gym clothes. "My clothes! I don't have them."

The sudden exclamation just hung in the room, and Kichijouji found himself hyperaware that to a passerby, that might sound wrong.

"Oh. I'll get your clothes." Kosuke stood. "Don't worry. I'll come back. You need to be able to change back into your school uniform, after all. What's your locker combination?"

Kichijouji paused, but he doubted Kosuke would remember his combination even a few hours later. Plus he could always reprogram it. "151-324-211. And thank you."

He watched Kosuke leave and wondered how he'd managed to gain the romantic attention of not one but two boys. At his old school, there had been no one. Not that he would have had the courage to date any of them. Even after decades of effort toward gay rights, things were not equal. World War III and the loss of half the world's population had caused people to grow more conservative, especially in Japan. Gay couples could legally marry, but there was still a high level of pressure upon children to start hetero-normative families and carry on the clan lineage through traditional means, most especially in magical families. The non-magicians were far more free to engage in same-sex marriage and to utilize adoption than the magicians.

That said, when Kichijouji had come out to his parents six months earlier, his mother had said, "Oh, I know, honey. Just find yourself a good man."

His father had said, "Well, I want you to be happy. But would you consider genetic engineering so your children can still carry our DNA?"

Kichijouji had dutifully agreed to the arrangement. They might not be one of the Ten Master Clans, but they were strong magicians. He had a duty to pass on his genes.

Now his parents were gone, he had no idea what the Ichijou family thought of same-sex marriage, and a complete stranger was hitting on him.

Kosuke returned ten minutes later wearing his own uniform and carrying Kichijouji's. As soon as Kichijouji saw Kosuke in the school uniform, he understood just how handsome he really was. It was far more flattering on him than the gym clothes had been.

When Kosuke saw Kichijouji, he smiled. It was a very gentle smile. He crossed the room and set the folded clothes on the bed. "Here. Now you can change clothes when you're ready. Is your headache any better? If the painkillers don't start working soon, we'll have to tell the nurse."

Kichijouji watched Kosuke settle in the chair by his bed. "Only slightly." He glanced at the clock. "It has another five minutes before it really kicks in."

A tranquil silence filled the room. Despite the fact Kichijouji had given his heart to Masaki, he felt relaxed and safe with Kosuke there. It was nice having someone notice him.

Kichijouji stirred and spoke. "I forgot to thank you for saving me. If you hadn't intercepted that ball, my nose would have been broken. So thank you."

Kosuke shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. That much I would have done for anybody." He grinned. "Walking you to the nurse's office, on the other hand… I only did that because I like you and want to get to know you. So, don't thank me for that, either. It was selfish of me. Ichijou seemed to mind, too. Why do you think that was?"

Kichijouji blushed so hotly his cheeks burned. He hoped most of it was hidden in the semi-darkness. "Well, ah—I mean, I live with Masaki-kun." He was so self-conscious he used the honorific when he didn't have to. "He's, um . . ." He didn't dare admit that Masaki and he had feelings for each other, especially when they hadn't verbalized them. "Well, he saved me. During the invasion. You know, because he worked as a volunteer solider." He figured the entire school had heard about that. Thirteen-year-olds didn't often end up in combat, even on a volunteer basis. There had been a lot of publicity.

"Ah, so that's how you met, and why Ichijou is so interested in you," Kosuke said. "He probably feels responsible for you." He smiled. "Not to mention it sounds very romantic, the way you two met. I'm sure if I had met you in such a way I would have fallen in love with you."

Although Kichijouji had been sure he was being hit on before, now it was so obvious that it was unavoidable. He dodged what may have been an implied question about Masaki's feelings by instead asking a question of his own. The only question he could have: "You—you would have?"

Kosuke nodded and smiled angelically. "Mm-hmm." He winked. "You'll hear rumors that I'm gay. They're true."

Kichijouji was utterly blown away. Here he was unable to tell anyone except his parents. Masaki couldn't say anything at all, apparently, even to Kichijouji. And Kosuke had just charged forward and claimed this part of his identity—even when with a complete stranger.

Kichijouji felt a raging wave of utter envy. I wish I could be so brave! And bold. After three weeks, Kichijouji and Masaki hadn't even kissed, although Kichijouji felt sure they were technically secret boyfriends.

Meanwhile, Kichijouji suspected Kosuke was laying foundation to ask him out in a week or two.

He also realized that his lack of reply and his miserable blush had likely verified for Kosuke that he, too, was gay.

Kosuke chuckled. "That's okay. It's even more reason that we should be friends. We've got to stick together, haven't we? Even if you don't want to date me, I still want to be good friends. Besides, I suspect that you like Ichijou. If you think there's even a small chance, you should go for it. I'm a romantic."

In a moment of stunned silence, Kichijouji realized he'd been wrong about the timing: Kosuke had just indirectly offered to be his boyfriend. He had thought he was blown away before. Now he was more like a flag fluttering away from a flagpole during a wind storm. He stared up at Kosuke with wide eyes, blushing and unable to speak.

The nurse's office door opened, and Kichijouji heard footsteps.

Masaki ran in. "Jouji! Are you okay?" He froze when he saw Kosuke sitting beside Kichijouji's bed. His gaze flitted back and forth from one to the other. As he took in their expressions, his chest seized up. "Rokugo. What're you doing here?"

Kosuke stood. "I was concerned about Kichijouji-kun. He has a mild concussion."

Kichijouji glanced back and forth between the two boys. They were nearly of identical height and stature and both handsome. It was merely that one had auburn hair and the other black hair. Kichijouji felt the tension radiating off of Masaki. "The pain medicine is beginning to kick in," he offered. He wasn't sure if an argument would break out, but he doubted it. That would require Masaki to be obvious about his feelings. "Rokugo-kun went and got my uniform for me." He realized the two comments were totally disconnected from each other, but he was trying to fill the sudden heavy silence in the room.

Masaki's shoulders slumped. "You're feeling a little bit better? That's good." He looked away. "I didn't know what Hideo-kun was going to do. I should have stopped him myself."

"That's all right," Kosuke said. "People need more than one friend, you know. Kichijouji-kun and I friends now, too." He glanced between Kichijouji and Masaki. "I think I'd better be going. You probably want to be alone." He glided away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Masaki protested.

Kosuke didn't answer. He just slipped out the door.

As soon as he did, Masaki bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Jouji. I said I would protect you. I didn't."

Kichijouji took in Masaki's utterly defeated expression and rushed to reassure him. "You were all the way across the field. You couldn't have protected me without using magic, and then you would have gotten into huge trouble."

Masaki plopped down on the end of Kichijouji's bed. "But I didn't keep my promise."

Kichijouji wanted to move so he could get to Masaki, but his head still hurt too much. Instead, he held out his hand, signaling Masaki to get closer. "It's okay. Really." He wasn't sure how to get Masaki to stop beating up himself. "I might need your help when we get home. Maybe a cold washcloth. Or a hot one? I feel very light-sensitive, and my neck hurts, too."

Masaki instantly relocated and clutched Kichijouji's hand. "Of course. I'll do anything I can. And the next time Hideo-kun and I are alone, I'm going to beat him up."

Kichijouji smiled up at Masaki. It wasn't so much because Masaki was going to beat up Hideo. It was because they were holding hands. They hadn't done that since the first day they'd met, and admittedly, that had been different. Masaki had been leading him away from the bomb shelter while he was in shock.

Kichijouji gave Masaki's hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you. I know you'll take good care of me."

Masaki clung to Kichijouji's hand in return. "Well, I did swear to."