And here's chapter 2~

Beta : Leia-Kuroia aka never-ending-dream-19

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Misaki was giving me the cold shoulder. Well, that could easily be settled when I started to tease him and said something offensive about his precious "pride". Kamamoto was the one who hung out with him most of the time now, mostly to break up fights that Misaki starts, mainly with me. Totsuka shows his clear disapproval towards this. Sometimes I catch him staring at me, face unreadable before he shakes his head and turns away. Who cares? I was no longer a member of HOMRA. Even its King, Mikoto, didn't care if I was there; he would walk past me without sparing a glance. Chitose, Dewa and Bandou try to avoid me and, if they fail to do so, they would try to ignore my existence. As if I wasn't there.

Ahh, it wasn't like I cared anyway.

"Everyone talks about you, Fushimi-kun." said Kusanagi, and I froze.

I shouldn't have picked this convenience store to stop by in the first place. It was close to his bar. Why didn't I think about the possibility that I may bump into him one day if I shop here? How careless of me.

"I don't care."

Clicking my tongue, I turned my back on him and walked passed the vegetable stall.

"Honestly, you haven't changed. I've already rebuked them. They are too childish sometimes."

"Why are you telling me that, Kusanagi-san?"

I turned to glare at him, only to get my head ruffled like some kid's, well, yeah, I'm 16 but that didn't mean he had the right to treat me like one.

"It's because I don't think you are a traitor like Yata-chan said, it doesn't reflect who you really are. Your decision, I respect it. I don't even want to know what made you leave but, Fushimi, if you feel like talking to anyone then visit the bar. HOMRA will always open to you."

I kept my mouth shut and swatted his hand away before stalking toward the counter. Kusanagi Izumo, sometimes I wished that he hadn't known me that well even though we rarely talked. It was as if I was being read like a book and the thought itself was irritating.

It took a while, weeks actually, for Misaki to start talking to me again. At first it was awkward, which was laughable, because we didn't know what to talk about even though we had been friends since forever. In the end, he decided to start the conversation by asking if I was well. I told him I was fine and he let out a dry laugh. I didn't tease him or say anything offensive throughout our little chit chat. I didn't want to ruin this chance to be able to talk to him again. My precious Misaki came back and that was all I cared about. I missed him and he must have missed me too. Otherwise he wouldn't have been the one to make the first move. It couldn't have been Kusanagi who told him to befriend me again because my Misaki was really stubborn and he would never do anything he didn't want to. Although he showed his discomfort by not looking me in the eyes while we talked, I shrugged and thought that this was good enough. Having him here, talking to me, I couldn't have asked for anything more than this.

We weren't as close as before but that didn't mean we stopped caring for each other. We had known each other for too long to let go so easily. If there was something different about us now then it was the fact that we came close to the relationship of cats and dogs. Every time I fought with him over small, unimportant matters, I couldn't stop myself and end up provoking him until fists were thrown and blood was shed. It was like an addiction. Because only times like those would he look at me, fire burning in auburn eyes and it only had my reflection in them. I was noticed. He was mad at me. Even better. That way he would pay attention to me and me only.

Those were the rare times that I forgot about everything to exchange fists, kicks, and exchange insults with him. Usually, Kamamoto would be there to put an end to these meaningless fights. Sometimes no one would. At times like that, the outcome wouldn't be pretty for both of us. Bruises are formed, clothes are dirtied, and someone would be unhappy with the whole thing. In his case, it was Kusanagi, and in mine, a certain Student Council chairman.

You didn't like it. At all. The fact that I went and picked fights almost everyday. There was a time when I didn't bother to visit the infirmary and went to a student council meeting with a cut on my left cheek and swollen lips. Everyone turned a blind eye to that but you just had to point that out and demand an explanation from me after the meeting was over. I told you that I fought with my friend, it wasn't anything serious, and Misaki and I had always been like that. You seemed unconvinced but let it slide. When I was about to leave, you grabbed my hand and pulled me down on your couch.

"I'll wash out your wound with antiseptic so hold still."

As much as I would like to leave right there and then, I knew you were insistent, and complying with your wish was the best way to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience. So I did as you told me to, with you gently washing my wound, and telling me to be careful next time. You also said you didn't like it when I hurt myself like this. Heck, you weren't my mom and I only needed my Misaki so yeah, I didn't care. You could say all you want and I wouldn't give a flying fuck. Rebelliousness became evident in my eyes and in the clicking of my tongue, clearly annoyed. Sighing in defeat, you yielded to my obstinacy.

The next time I had a fight with Misaki, you were in the student council room, concentrating on your puzzle with a first aid kit on your desk. Looking up only to find me at the threshold, you motioned me to sit down. I was surprised. Why bother? Was it because of your responsibilities as the President of the student council? No, that was ridiculous because while work was piling up on your desk, you totally ignored them and made the other members do it for you instead. Why do this for me? I kept the questions to myself and let you do what you needed, wanted to do, whatever.

Our fights became more frequent for some unknown reasons. I wondered if it was my fault or his. But still, it brought me under your care from time to time. Gradually, it became an unspoken ritual between us. After every fight, I would automatically drag myself up to the student council room to find you. You would stop what you were doing (mostly solving puzzles, rarely work) to take a look at my wounds and bandaged them with care. I got used to it, got used to your hands touching me, as gently and carefully as possible. It wasn't like I was going to break!

I hated the way you treated me like you would something vulnerable, so goddamn breakable that if you handle it with stronger than necessary force, it would shatter. I absolutely despised how you took care of me, as if treasuring me, or how you would narrow your violet eyes to focus on disinfecting my cuts or grazes so as not to hurt me unintentionally. Funny, when did I start to take notice of those little things? The thought quickly evaporated as my mind edged toward Misaki. My wonderful, gorgeous, Misaki.

Working in the student council for a while, I made friends with a student from class C, Akiyama Himori; one of the council members who joined after me, and the only one who always called me 'Fushimi-san'. He took the initiative and started a conversation with me one Tuesday afternoon. Surprisingly, he wasn't a nuisance like I first thought, but rather, a quiet and friendly boy. He didn't bother me with dumb questions and was always aware of the thin boundary of my patience. Having a close-to-friend relationship with him turned out to be a good thing because now I had someone to dump my work load on and to tease for my own enjoyment. It made things at the student council seem a bit brighter and less dull. To me, at least.

Time flew.

Middle of June, the rainy season. Hydrangeas were blooming in full colours, and cries of cicadas began to resound throughout the street where I lived.

One Friday morning, I woke up and looked out of the window. It was raining cats and dogs outside and, suddenly, I remembered that I didn't have an umbrella. Actually, I used to own one but I must have thrown it in some place god-knows-where. I groaned at the thought of coming to school under this weather. I hated rain, it made clothes stick to my body like a second skin and doing laundry in this weather couldn't get any worse. The air was too humid and it rained too often for clothes to dry.

Misaki knew about my hatred toward rain. He thought it was rather childish since I would skip school whenever it rained. To him, rain was just water falling from the sky, refreshing things and bringing water to the plants. Rain was to be loved, not to be hated, that was what he said. But still, my opinion towards it remains unchanged.

Deciding to skip school that day, I texted you to inform you of my absence.

(Absent today. Tell Akiyama or Andy to handle your work.)

Having sent it, I crept under the cover and tried to go back to sleep. It had been a while since nightmares and bad dream had come to haunt me at night. Sleep came easier, more naturally. Besides, nobody minded when I skipped school for a few days before, why would they care now? No one died and the world didn't blow up. Everything would be fine without me presence.

(Is there something wrong?). You texted me back.

(It's raining.) Was my clipped reply.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang and I couldn't help but groan tiredly as I looked at the caller ID. Ignore it, ignore it and go back to sleep. The phone didn't stop ringing. Damn, now you had to prove yourself as the biggest asshole on Earth, terrorizing me with your constant calling until I answer you. Even though the urge to yell at you was strong, I decided to pick up the phone in the end and sighed in exasperation.

"What now? I told you it was raining so why couldn't you just fucking let me sleep in peace?"

"My, my, someone's grumpy. Put on the uniform then come down to see me. I'm waiting for you outside."

My eyes widened and I threw my curtain aside to look below. You were there in flesh and blood, waiting with a blue umbrella in your hand and smiling up at me when you caught me looking.

"Tch, fine. 2 minutes, I'll be downstairs. Did you walk here?"

"Your apartment is 4 blocks away from our school. Do you think I would drive a car here to pick you up?"

"Tch."

Cursing myself and my miserable luck, I hung up to change into my clothes, picked up some random books strewn on the desk, and went downstairs to meet up with you. You stood under the porch roof and offered me a warm smile when you saw me moodily greet you. We walked to school together under the rain. I totally ignored the fact that your shoulder was wet because you tilted the umbrella so that the rain wouldn't touch me.

The truth was nobody, not even Misaki could drag me to school in rainy days like today. Been there, done that, he tried and failed every time because of my consistence and determination not to set a foot outside until it stopped raining. So congratulations to you, Munakata, for being the first man to create a wonder.

Of course when I showed up in the beginning of the second class, Misaki gave me an incredulous look, not really believing what his eyes were seeing. It took a while for him to be able to say something and it came out as a dumb statement.

"You came."

"Yeah, something wrong with that?"

I scowled at him and he continued staring at me.

"It's raining today and you came to school. The apocalypse must be nearer than I thought."

"Oh just shut up."

Burying my head in my arms, I mentally blamed you for making me go to school today. The rain outside kept pitter-pattering on the windows. The day was boring until you showed up at my class when the last bell rang and offered to walk me home since I didn't have an umbrella.

Fine, I thought, fine by me because it wasn't like I was glad to have someone to walk home with, and I certainly did not feel the slightest bit of happiness when that person was you.

The rain didn't stop until a week later.

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