Disclaimer: Takaya Natsuki is the rightful owner. I'm merely borrowing her creations for my own diabolical ideals. No, really.

Life's Many Indulgences
Chapter 12: To Whom We Owe Gratitude

"Here."

Kyo looked down, blinking several times. "Melon bread? Why'd you buy me this?"

"Home-made melon bread. Try some." Tooru urged her brother to take it from her. Kyo did take it, but he didn't unwrap it; in fact, he downright stuffed it into his backpack and that was that. "You're not going to eat it, Kyo?"

"Why should I?"

"Because it's good."

"Probably tastes like the one they sell here at school. Melon bread is melon bread." Kyo turned around to leave, but came face to face with Kimi, the first student council president. A fiery determination showed within her eyes. "Uh, can I help you with something?"

"The melon bread," she said.

Kyo quirked an eyebrow. "What melon bread?"

"The one I saw you put inside your backpack - how could you do such a thing!" Kyo sweat dropped; since when was Kimi given the authority to tell him what he could and couldn't do? He never did recall such a thing . . . Never.

"So what if I did. What's it to you?" Kyo asked, trying to walk around Kimi so he could get through. She latched onto his left arm then, making Kyo shiver from the shock of it all. "Aaaaauuuuggghhhhhh, get your hands off me!"

Tooru looked on helplessly, wondering what she should do.

"First, tell me, are you going to eat the melon bread you've stuffed down your backpack?"

"I won't!" Kyo said this more out of anger than rational thought. Then it hit home - Tooru bought him the melon bread, not some fan girl of his - he looked to his sister. He appeared to be quite shocked by his response, and he wanted to say something to comfort her. "Tooru--"

"Oh no, it's okay. If you don't want to eat it you don't have to," she replied.

"You're such a heartless person! A melon-bread your sister bought with her own money, and you refuse to eat it? I think I'm about to faint!"

"You're overreacting," Kyo murmured. "Looking like a big idiot and all . . ." Inwardly, he was feeling bad about saying what he said just before. He knew from experience that Tooru was not the type of person to openly show her wounded pride, feelings or anything of the sort. She'd keep it all in and only in secret, would she pour out her heart. "Tooru, I'll eat it . . . I will."

All Tooru did was smile and the red-head couldn't tell if there was an underlying message there or not. He couldn't see anything because his sister hid it so well.

"Kimi." Yuki's voice came from somewhere to the left. "Are you going around causing trouble for other again? Honestly, you're supposed to be helping with the donations." Violet eyes immediately steered themselves to a certain red-head. Yuki felt the need to be considerate . . . Considerate of what he really didn't know. "Hello, Mizunashi."

Kyo took a moment to register that Yuki was talking to him. "Oh, hey."

"Yuki, I really was helping . . . Until I saw him," Kimi pointed towards Kyo, "doing something despicable."

"I was not . . .!" Kyo instinctively roared. "I mean . . ."

Gift giving, receiving, and such is a big deal in Japan. More so than what Kyo wanted to acknowledge it as. The art of gift-giving was not based on what or how expensive the item was; what really matters was that the gift came from the heart - the gift giver gave it thought and placed his or her feelings into it - this was the true essence.

" . . . like I said before, Tooru, I'll make sure to do what I said I would."

"Okay," Tooru replied.

Yuki wondered what the two Mizunashis' were talking about. As curious as he was, he knew that it wouldn't be right to ask them about it. Someone needed to break up the awkward situation.

"Come on, Yuki, let's get back to what we were doing. So far I haven't found anyone with any money to spare, but perhaps we'll be able to find someone." Kimi steered Yuki away.

"The student council club is in debt, believe it or not," Saki suddenly said, standing beside Tooru.

"Yeah, I've heard the exact same thing," Arisa added.

"Where'd you two come from?" Kyo asked, looking slightly bewildered.

"Down the hallway . . . Didn't you see us coming?" Arisa stated. "It's not like we can appear out of thin air. You watch too much anime, Mizunashi."

"I never said I did, Yankee!"

"Call me that again and I'll call you--"

"Don't you dare say it!"

"--you started it." Arisa countered. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, understand?"

"Now, now." Tooru worriedly looked from her brother and then to her tall friend. "There's no need to fight. We can get along, can't we?"

"Stupid Yankee," Kyo muttered.

"What was that? Speak up."

"I said, 'for Tooru's sake' . . . that we'll stop arguing."

"I'll meet up with you after school, Tooru. In the meantime, I want to be alone," Kyo said, before walking off.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Melon bread! Get your melon here! It's at its finest! Melon bread!" Minami shouted.

"Melon, melon bread! Melon, melon bread! Its really tasty! Now be hasty! Come buy some melon bread!" Mai was helping advertise - thought she was singing it, but it seemed to be working. She mostly attracted male students though. As long as they bought melon bread, it didn't matter.

"Everything is going as planned; the melon breads are selling exceptionally well. See, this is what those who doubt us get."

§AT THE MELON BREAD STAND - BEGINNING§

"Why should we buy melon bread over the school's? Especially for a higher price, too. What? Do you think we are idiots?"

Minami tsked. "You pitiful soul - this melon bread is more costly than the school's, because we used fresh ingredients and made them just yesterday."

"So . . . The school does the same thing."

"Wait! Let me finish, will you!"

A student rolled his eyes. "We thought you were finished explaining."

"First off, you'll find that this melon bread tastes better than the school's. Honestly, who do you really see buying melon bread from the school everyday, anyway?"

"Her." They all chorused, pointing to Mai.

"She doesn't count, and besides, she likes the melon bread we've prepared much better. Isn't that right, Mai?" She signaled for Mai to back her up with the signal of her right hand. "Right . . . Mai?"

"Yes, Minami! Your melon bread and the school's melon bread is tasty!"

"This is a scam for sure," one student said.

"Yeah, let's go, guys."

"At least buy one and try it! I promise you, you won't regret it!"

§AT THE MELON BREAD STAND - BEGINNING (CONCLUDED)§

"Get the other box, Minami, we're almost out with this one!" Mio exclaimed. "They're selling like crazy!"

"On it!"

Meanwhile . . .

"Donations! Donations! Please help support the student council!"

One student came up to them - a male. Kimi's eyes lighted up. "This is all I have left after buying melon bread. Sorry I can't contribute more, since you bunch are good as the student council staff."

Kimi watched with disappointed eyes when the male student walked away. "Gee, how come everyone says the same thing? What's so good about the school's melon bread all of a sudden?"

"Not the school's melon bread - it's the YFC's melon bread," Kakeru corrected.

"Good timing, Kakeru. Come help us ask for donations. It's so boring with only Yuki, because he hardly talks to me."

If only Kimi knew why Yuki didn't want to say a word to her . . . Whenever he tried to have a normal conversation with her, she'd totally make it into something else. However, as strange as some of her conversations turned out to be, some of them were actually true. A scary thought, considering some of the wackiest things she'd say . . .

" . . . did you say YFC?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah. Who've of thought they'd make good melon bread. You should go thank them for such delicious melon bread."

"Why do you make it sound like I'm obligated to thank them?" Yuki wanted to knock some sense into the second student council vice-president.

"I don't know. They're you're fans, after all."

"So . . .?" Yuki never recalled asking them to be his fans. Yuki was about to say something more, but stopped from doing so when someone bumped into him from behind.

"Hide me!"

The gray-haired teen turned around to see who ran into him (rather forcefully). "Mizunashi?"

"Hide me, dammit! They're coming!" Kyo was saying this out of desperation, since he had been running from his fanatics for the last half hour.

"Hurry, Yuki!" Kimi urged. She was getting awfully excited over what was currently happening. "I think I see a mob of girls heading this way! They're holding . . . "Kyo" and "Yuki" flags . . .!"

"Not good," Yuki groaned. He took Kyo by one hand (not caring what the red-head thought of it at the moment) and lead him to a deserted classroom. The stampede of girls ran by, footsteps dying down across the hallway.

From where Kimi and Kakeru were standing, Kakeru stated, "hey, you made that up about the "Yuki" flags; none of the girls were even looking for him."

"Heehee, I needed to make them both run off together. I'm cupid in the making!"

Kakeru scratched at his head lightly. "Sure, you are . . ."

"What are you two doing in here?" Yuki heard Kyo ask. The deserted classroom they were now occupying wasn't deserted, so it seems. Yuki turned to look across the classroom. "Why are guys playing cards in a place like this?"

"Come join us! Haru and I are playing Drop and Roll!"

"What the hell is Drop and Roll?" Kyo certainly has never heard of such a card game.

"In other words," Hatsuharu put his cards down, "I'd like to ask what the two of you are doing here? You've disrupted Momiji's and my quality time together. So much for privacy."

Kyo pointed to Yuki, obviously not taking any blame for this. But he was demanding to be hidden somewhere in the first place. "He lead me in here."

Their hands were still entwined and both Hatsuharu and Momiji noticed this tidbit, but neither said nothing of it. Hatsuharu appeared to be a little surprised, while Momiji simply smiled. The gray-haired teen was also very aware of the fact that he and Kyo were holding hands . . . As long as Kyo didn't pull away, then he was content with holding on. Little did Yuki know that Kyo was looking at their clasped hands from the corner of one of his eyes.

After some contemplation Kyo finally loosened his grip and moved his hand away. Holding hands with the other teen didn't feel bad - it was just like any other hand, but Kyo was well aware in knowing they were both males.

Momiji could no longer contain his curiosity. "Are you two going out?" he asks.

"Excuse me?" Yuki blushed.

"Huh?" Kyo became wide-eyed.

"Oh, I see." Momiji batted his eyelashes while laughing. Kyo was starting to turn blue in the face.

"Better stop, Momiji, because I think you're scaring the poor guys. Especially him." Hatsuharu indicated to Kyo with a turn of his head. "Also makes m wonder why this sort of thing excites you, whether they be man and man or woman and woman."

"You're forgetting one . . . Man and woman!"

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Kyo exclaimed.

"It's okay. You two can be lovey-dovey together. Haru and I--"

"No, actually, he's got it all wrong. As anyone can see, the both of you are not dating and it was rude of my buddy here to say so. Aside from bring lovers, you two must at least be friends?"

"N--"

"Yeah." Kyo threw Yuki a sidelong glance. "Yeah, we are."

Was this the start of something better to come? Yuki hoped so.

SLAM! The classroom door slid open. "There they are, you morons! I told you not to overlook any place and you all forgot this room!" (Originally, there were only Kyo fans, but along the way Yuki fans also joined up in the search when they heard the two boys were hiding together).

"Excuse me, ladies," Yuki began.

"What!" Kyo's fans roared, obviously not interested in the gray-haired teen. Yuki's fanatics snarled at the insulting words thrown at their school prince, and were about to do something about it but Yuki shook his head for a no. No violence should be commenced during school hours within the school itself. In fact, no fighting was a whole lot better, really.

". . . may I ask why all of you are looking for Mizunashi?"

"This!" They all produced melon bread from behind their backs. "Please eat mine, Kyo!"

"No! Get away from me! I've told all of you a million times already!" All of the girls wailed; Hatsuharu, Momiji, Yuki, and Kyo felt like their heads were going to explode.

"He's already taken!" Momiji cried, overpowering all of the girls' voices. "He and Usuda are seeing each other so lay off him!" Kyo sweat dropped. "Oops . . . ! I think I spoke without thinking! I'm so sorry!"

"The agony!" one girl cried. Her and all the rest of the fanatics didn't think Momiji accidentally said false information, but rather he blurted a secret he shouldn't have. "Is this true, my dearest Kyo?"

Dearest? Kyo wanted to throw up at such a word. "It's a start," Yuki gave Kyo a look that told for him to be silent, "but Kyo and I aren't hitting it off very well. We're considering our options at this point. Who knows . . . Before it has even really begun, I think it's going to end. Right . . . K-Kyo?"

". . . . . . . ." Rendered speechless and pretty much out of it.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Ah, hell. Now I'm ruined." Kyo kicked a trash can, sending it flying across the hall way. He narrowly missed hitting his homeroom teacher, Mr. Katamura.

"Ack! Mizunashi, you could have seriously injured me, or someone innocently walking by! What has gotten into you!"

"Aaauuugggghhhh!" Mr. Katamura swapped Kyo on the back of his head with tightly rolled up paper. "I'm sorry, Mr. Katamura!"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it - clean up the mess. And you're staying an extra hour after school scrubbing and mopping this hallway."

"Dammit! Can my day get any worse!"

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Oh, Minagawa."

Apparently, Motoko came to the student council headquarters.

"Hello, Usuda. The YFC has come to pay their contribution to your cause. Please," Motoko offered Yuki a brown bag, "take this."

"For the cause?" Motoko nodded. "I can't take this much money from you. Minagawa, even if it's for the donation fund."

"No, no, I insist. I want to help you in any way that I can. The YFC too, of course. Please do take it."

As nosy as it sounded, Kimi just had to know. "Where did you get all this money?"

Yuki, Naohito, and Kakeru thought she was going to receive a dirty look for asking such a thing, but they were wrong. Motoko was more than happy to tell her. "The money . . . I, no, I mean the YFC sold melon bread today. They sold really fast, since a lot of students bought them. Minami's mother is the master behind all this - it is all thanks to her melon bread recipe. In fact, I've saved one for you, Yuki."

"Thank you," Yuki said, when he received the packaged bread. "I'll make sure to eat it today."

Mio, also known as number one, popped her head out from behind Motoko. "Motoko's made that one especially for you. She put all her heart and soul into that wonderful, crisp bread. If that doesn't make your heart throb, then I don't know what will."

"Ooooohhhhhhh, can I try some?" Kakeru asked. "I want my heart to throb for Kimi!"

"I want to try some, too, because I want my heart to throb for Kakeru! We can have throbbing hearts together! Wouldn't that be exciting!" Kimi exclaimed.

Everyone within the room grew silent (including her boyfriend, Kakeru). No one expected Kimi to take it so literally. Was it even possible to see one's heart throb for another?

"In any case, Kimi and I need to be somewhere. Finish up the rest of the papers, Nao, pretty please?" Kakeru dragged Kimi out with him so fast that Naohito didn't have the time to protest.

Yuki understood now - Motoko and her friends were selling melon bread at school to raise money for the student council. It was very thoughtful of them, and Yuki honestly appreciated the gesture. He spotted Motoko timidly staring at him and he smiled at her, mouthing, 'thank you very much'.

Chapter 13: END