Chapter 7

Kaori bit her lip as she handed in her mock exam paper. It had certainly gone better than the last few exams. She noticed the disappointed faces of her classmates and realized that she must have done better than she thought, if everyone else found it so difficult. A little relieved, she hurried out of the building.

"Kaori-chan!" a voice called after her. Kaori whirled around to see one of her classmates running up to her. Mika seemed a little upset. "Hey, how was your paper? Mine was awful, what was even up with those history questions, huh?"

Kaori nodded. "Hai, it was a pretty difficult paper."

"Well, you always manage to do well so I suppose it doesn't matter," Mika teased. "A few of us are going out right now to get coffee and exchange notes. Do you want to join us?"

"Gomen'nasai, I can't. My boyfriend's actually waiting for me." Kaori flushed as she said it. It was the first time she had actually called Sousuke her boyfriend on a serious note. She realized that she liked the way it sounded. My boyfriend. Sousuke. It felt so different. Even though they'd confessed to each other back in middle school, they'd never quite used words like that. Some tiny possessive part of Kaori was pleased.

Mika laughed. "Jeez, you're blushing. Must be a new boyfriend. Wait… is that him? Wow," she mumbled, as Sousuke came walking over. Kaori whirled around and smiled. She had to admit that with his tall, hulking figure and strikingly deep eyes, he was quite the sight. "I'll leave you alone. Come with us next week, okay?" Mika said with a grin, walking away.

Sousuke came up to Kaori and gave her a small smile. "Hey. How was your test?"

Kaori grinned and hitched her bag up on one shoulder, before slipping her other arm into his. His skin was cool and he smelled like chlorine. She could tell that he'd recently gotten out of the pool. Sousuke seemed a little surprised, but he let her cling onto his arm. "My test was great. What makes it even better is that everyone else's was terrible," Kaori replied cheerfully.

Sousuke chuckled. "You have an evil side, you know that?"

She nodded. "Well, it's a competitive exam. No true friendships are formed in a place like this. But enough about me. How are you? What did you do all day yesterday?" she asked. Although the question was simple, Kaori's heart was thudding.

Sousuke glanced down at her. "I told you, we had a training session. I was swimming all day."

Kaori's face fell. He's lying.

The previous day, Sousuke hadn't answered his phone for quite some time. It was all that Rin could do to keep Kaori from panicking and wondering if he was all right. A few hours later, though, Sousuke had casually gone back to school. Rin had called Kaori around 7 pm.

"Rin-kun?" Kaori demanded. "What happened, did you find Sousuke?"

"Yeah, he came back to campus," Rin replied slowly.

Kaori breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was safe. "Thank goodness. Where was he all evening? Why didn't he answer his phone? He'd better have a good explanation for disappearing like that!"

"Kaori-chan." Rin spoke slowly. "I asked him where he was. He told me that he was with you."

"What?"

"Yeah. Look, I don't really want to make this an issue. It's none of my business where he went. Maybe he went to deal with some stuff regarding his college admission and didn't want to rub it in our faces that we haven't gotten admission anywhere yet."

Kaori hesitated. "I mean. Maybe, but…"

"All the same, if you want to confront him, that's fine. Look, I have to go, I have some work to do. Bye."

"A training session," Kaori repeated slowly. Her arm was still clutching Sousuke's, but it was difficult to maintain the grip. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was looking down at her as he always did, his teal eyes fixed on her with a small smile on his lips. Kaori doubted herself for a minute. Was she making too big a deal out of this? "Right. Prefecturals are coming up. What events are you participating in?"

"Just the medley relay," Sousuke replied. They crossed the street together, Sousuke pausing to take Kaori's hand firmly in his as they did so. Kaori flushed a little. Sometimes it was the tiniest things he did that made her heart leap. She barely heard what he said next, she was too focused on the feeling of his rough hand in hers. "…you come watch?"

Kaori blinked at him. "The prefecturals?"

Sousuke nodded with a smirk. "Hai. Weren't you listening?"

"Gomen. Of course I'll come. I mean, I have cram school on Sunday but I can blow it off for one day, right?" Kaori replied with a shrug. Sousuke's expression tightened a little.

"Kaori-chan, if you have class…"

Kaori sighed. "Sousuke, don't start that again. I'm not an idiot. Just because I now have a gorgeous and sweet and sensitive boyfriend doesn't mean that I'm going to get distracted from my studies, okay? I'm the one preparing for the exam, I'll decide whether or not it's okay for me to miss class. And this Sunday, it's okay. If it wasn't, I would tell you."

Sousuke bit his lip. They had reached the familiar noodle shop that they usually sat and ate at; Kaori followed Sousuke inside the cozy and noisy restaurant. "I know," he said quietly. "Fine. I just want to be sure that I'm not taking up time that should be spent preparing for your entrance exam."

Kaori smiled and slid into the booth beside him. She leaned up to peck Sousuke on the cheek quickly, blushing as she did so. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let you do that even if you tried. I refuse to let you go to Tokyo alone. When you go to college, I'm coming with you."

Sousuke stiffened. "Okay. As long as you have your priorities straight," he muttered.

Kaori blinked. "Are you serious? I've been dreaming about both of us going to study in Tokyo ever since you left. There's so much we can do together, unlike this stupid town. We'll go to all the sightseeing places and historical museums, and shopping malls…"

Sousuke was silent. He was looking down at the table quietly, his smile a little forced. "Hmm."

"Oye, don't look so upset. I promise I won't drag you around museums," Kaori joked. She glanced at the menu that the waiter had just handed her. "Ooh! Let's try something new this time. Have you ever tried their miso ramen? Let's split one today."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Why do we have to split it? I can afford two."

Kaori whacked him lightly with the menu, noticing that his mouth was still a little stiff. His smile had disappeared ever since she'd mentioned Tokyo. In fact, that wasn't the first time it had happened. Every time she said something about Tokyo, or rather, about the future in general, Sousuke seemed to stiffen. Kaori cleared her throat and tried to push the thought out of her mind. He had never been a very smiley person in the first place. She was just overreacting. "Baka. Sharing a dish is supposed to be romantic. Not that you would know anything about that."

"There's nothing romantic about not getting enough to eat," Sousuke replied, looking slightly amused. "Besides, what would you know about romance? Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

"Shut up," Kaori mumbled. "I said I'd wait for you, didn't I? How can you ask me that? Why, did you date any girls at Tokitsu?" she asked nervously.

"It was an all-boys school. Although we did have a very pretty nurse working in the infirmary…" Sousuke said with a playful smile. Kaori frowned and hit him with the menu again, while he flinched slightly. "Oye. Be careful with that thing. I'm not going to pay if you damage the restaurant's stuff."

Kaori pouted as she put the menu back on the table. "You've become so mean, Sousuke."

He chuckled and leaned over to gently kiss her pouting lips. Her cheeks were pink and he kissed her cheek too, gently, until they both heard someone clearing their throat. A waiter was standing at their table, looking slightly annoyed. Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the menu. "Uh, two miso ramen, please," he said quickly.

The waiter scribbled down the order and left, while Sousuke placed a hand on Kaori's cheek, turning her to face him as he kissed her again. "Don't worry," he whispered against her lips. "We'll split them both."

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Kaori bit her lip as she looked down at the pile of requests and budget demands from the various clubs. She resisted the urge to throw something at the wall. Did she really have to sit and read through all these stupid requests before passing them over to the teachers?

"You look tense, Kaori-san," said one of the other student council members. Ayaka came and sat next to Kaori, glancing at the pile of request sheets on her desk. She raised an eyebrow. "Wow. The Basketball club wants a budget increase so they can buy imported oranges for freshly squeezed juice?" she demanded.

Kaori frowned and set the slip onto the pile of requests that were rejected. "This is torture. I can't believe I'm staying behind in school for this. The Art Club wants a fog machine and they haven't even mentioned what they're going to do with it. How am I supposed to get requests like these approved from the teachers? I have so many better things I could be doing."

Ayaka smiled. "Hai. Word around school is that you're dating a hot swimmer from Samezuka. Is it true? I never thought you would be so wild, Kaori-san. You seem so responsible and studious."

Kaori flushed. "It's not like that. We were childhood friends. And it's true; we barely get any time to meet between my work and his swimming tournament coming up. Eto… do you have a boyfriend, Ayaka-san?"

Ayaka nodded happily. "Yup! We've been dating for two years."

Kaori hesitated. "Has he ever lied to you?"

"About what?"

"I don't know. Little things. Like about where he is?"

Ayaka shrugged. "Maybe in the beginning. There were some friends of his I didn't like, so he used to lie to me whenever he went to hang out with them. But I found out. He eventually promised to tell me the truth as long as I didn't get mad when he spent time with them. I realized that I shouldn't get upset about who he was friends with, as long as he stayed a good person. Why? Has your boyfriend been lying to you, Kaori-san?"

Kaori flushed and cleared her throat. "Well, kind of. He told me once that he had swim practice when he didn't. And it wasn't to spend time with his friends, because even they didn't know where he really was. But it's okay, right? Maybe he just wanted some time alone."

Ayaka shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, you don't… do you suspect him of being unfaithful?"

Kaori's eyes widened. It hadn't even occurred to her that Sousuke could be unfaithful. The idea was almost absurd and she shook her head. "N-no way. I've known him for a long time, he would never do that. He's a really kind-hearted person. I trust him to be honest with me."

Ayaka shrugged. "If you know that he wouldn't lie to you, then let it be. Don't make a deal unless something bigger happens. Kuso, look at the time. I have to get to my club meeting. Bye, Kaori-san! I hope things work out with your boyfriend!" Ayaka replied, gathering her things and hurrying out of the room. Kaori was left alone with a pile of absurd budget requests and her own raging thoughts.

She's right. I should give Sousuke his privacy. Besides, I know he would never lie to me, Kaori thought quietly. But at the same time, she knew it was wrong. It wasn't as though Sousuke had never lied to her. He had admitted to lying about rigging her middle school election. And he had maintained that lie for years. What was to say that he couldn't lie about other things as well? And he'd been acting so odd lately whenever she mentioned Tokyo and college.

Kaori shook her head and reached for another request sheet. It was stupid. Sousuke had lied to help her back then. Besides, Ayaka was right. Unless she had something more concrete to go on, she shouldn't worry herself about this. Kaori had enough on her mind.

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"Sousuke-senpai, please!"

Sousuke clenched his fists as he reached for his towel. He'd just gotten out of the pool and now this little bugger was annoying him again. He resisted the urge to reach down and punch him. It would just be an unnecessary strain on his shoulder. Instead, he turned around and gave him a sharp look. "What now, Mikoshiba?"

Momotarou pouted. "Please help me get a girlfriend!" he cried.

Sousuke wiped his face with the towel, taking a deep breath. His already tense nerves were about to explode. He looked down at the orange-haired boy who was watching him hopefully. "Shouldn't you be practicing? You're against Tachibana Makoto in the backstroke. He's tough competition. Go practice and stop worrying about girls."

"But Sousuke-senpai! I need your help! You're my role model! Girls don't like guys on the swim team; you're the only swimmer I know with a really pretty girlfriend! Please teach me your secret to success!" he cried loudly, bowing before him with respect. Sousuke sighed, just as Rin came walking up to them with a frown.

"Oye, what are you bothering Sousuke for?" Rin asked Momotarou sternly. "He might be one of the best butterfly swimmers in the country, but his backstroke is terrible. Go practice with Uozumi; his times are looking far better than yours, Mikoshiba."

"It's not backstroke he wants help with," Sousuke explained.

Momotarou turned and looked at Rin with pleading eyes. "Please, Rin-senpai! Convince Sousuke-senpai to teach me his secret technique of wooing girls! I want to learn! How do I make pretty girls like me? What's the technique?"

"You could stop trying so hard," Rin muttered. "Look. Go practice now. At prefecturals, I'll let you stay and watch the women's swimming events once we're done, okay?"

Momotarou's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. Go."

He grinned happily and rushed off to finish his laps. He seemed to have completely forgotten that nobody had given him the advice he wanted. Once he was gone, Rin turned and grinned at Sousuke. "I'm curious. What is your secret?" Rin teased.

"Shut up," Sousuke muttered. He tossed the towel down on a chair and frowned. "You could get a girlfriend if you wanted to. Although I wouldn't advise it now, at such a critical point in your career. How are the scouting calls going? Did you get any more?"

Rin shrugged. "One or two. I'm not ready to choose yet. Unlike you, I haven't gotten one so amazing that I can relax and spend time messing around. Speaking of which, you've been cutting on practice to go see Kaori-chan a lot lately. Are you sure travelling all the way to Iwatobi isn't tiring you out too much? I'm surprised she asks you to come despite knowing you have swim practice."

Sousuke shook his head. "She doesn't know I've been skipping practice. I told her that I've changed my practice timings to suit her schedule. And I have; I've been making up for the practice at night."

Rin frowned. "Is that a good idea, Sousuke? You just said that you wouldn't advise getting a girlfriend at such a critical point in my career. Should you be compromising on your training so much? You guys will be together once you both go to study in Tokyo at the end of the year anyway."

Sousuke stiffened. "How do I know that we'll both be going to Tokyo? This might be the last chance we both have to live so nearby. Maybe we'll end up in different cities once this year ends."

"You don't believe Kaori will crack the exam for the University of Tokyo?" Rin asked in surprise.

Sousuke frowned. "I don't doubt her abilities. But the future isn't exactly certain right now."

"I guess…" Rin muttered. He sighed. "Well, as long as your times are consistent, I can't really order you do otherwise, huh? Go see your girlfriend as often as you want; but when you're here, your ass better be in that swimming pool."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, captain."

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A/N – Thanks for reading and for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like the flashbacks. I know this chapter doesn't really have one, but I do have more written for future chapters! Enjoy!