A/N: Somehow the first chapters in this one are really fast paced, unlike the first two were it felt like I had to really push it to get the story rolling. Anyway, I think this fic will be about 10 chapters long. I got past my block (I hope) so updates should come pretty fast.

The parts go from past (high school years) to present to past again.

Chapter 2: Unavailable

Sickeningly hot rays of sun fall on the three friends as they walk home from junior high. The end of the school year is quickly approaching and soon they will be in high school. The girl sighs from in-between her two guy friends at this thought; time flies by so fast.

"What's up with you, Luka?" her blue haired friend asks, tilting his head. The other one continues walking for a moment but then stops and turns around confusedly, as if it took him that long to realize that no one was next to him.

She shrugs. "Ah, nothing Kaito. I just," she looks around the familiar streets. The three of them had lived in this city their whole life, although Kaito had moved from a different district when he was young. They had walked this way home every day for nine years, but one day they wouldn't walk it anymore.

Luka takes a step back as the boy ahead leaps backwards to her and whips a hand out of his pocket, slamming it onto her shoulder. She stares at him, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he just smiles and tosses his long hair back.

"You just what?"

Kaito's eyes flicker between the two of them, more exasperated than concerned. Luka furrows her eyebrows.

"What?"

"You were saying something," he frowns. "I put a comforting hand on your shoulder and you stopped. Continue."

"How was that comforting?!" Luka argues and the teen shrugs, turning back down the street with a sigh. Kaito shakes his head and continues after them, Luka fumingly stalking behind.

They reach a traffic light and Gakupo leans against a light pole, whistling. The wind plays with his long hair and the sunlight sends sparkles through his ice blue eyes. Noticing her gaze he turns his head again to her, and raises his eyebrows.

"Speechless?"

She waits for a second, the words on the tip of her tongue, before she shuts them down and stows them away.

"It's nothing."

The light changes and they cross, the two boys passing ahead of her, jostling and joking. One cerulean eye glances over a shoulder and settles on her, watching, making sure she crossed alright.

'Ah, nothing. I just,'

I just don't want us to grow apart.

Gakupo wakes to the sound of screeching and flings a pillow across the room. Through bleary sleep-ridden eyes he sees movement as a young lady nimbly dodges the cushion and steps back out the door, her magenta ringlets bouncing; his assistant.

With a groan he pulls himself out of his bed, blinking against the bright light that streams in from his the large window in his bedroom. He frowns. Hadn't he closed those last night?

"Teto!" he roars and throws on a shirt as the girl comes bouncing back through the door.

"Yes sir, good morning. Now get ready fast because-"

"Why the hell are you in my apartment at six in the morning?" She doesn't even blink, just taps her watch and shows him that it is in fact 6:03.

"You have a photo-shoot," she monotones as he strides into the bathroom to splash water on his face. "Your manager planned it last minute. I came to wake you up." Gakupo sighs, mulling over how his assistant managed to get in here without a key, and just how last minute this photo-shoot would have had to be planned for him to have not heard about it the night before. He had only gotten in at three AM after all.

"Go get me some coffee and…uh…something to eat that isn't eggs." She nods uncertainly and begins to walk away.

"Be in the lobby in five. And why not eggs?"

"Eggs are disgusting," he reasons. "Think about it." With an expression of utmost horror Teto trots away and leaves Gakupo to himself. The door slams as she leaves the flat.

After a few more splashes and a gargle of mouthwash, he returns to his bedroom. Crossing the main section of the apartment his eyes fall over the furnishings; wall to wall ash-grey carpet, an expansive designer sofa, a flat screen, a well-to-do kitchen that he doesn't know how to use…

One hand pulls tangles from his hair as the other pushes clothes around in his closet, taking out a pair of black jeans a flannel shirt at random. It doesn't really matter what he wears now; the designers were going to completely redo him anyway.

As he turns from the spacious closet to the rest of the room, a flash of light, a reflection, catches him in the eyes and he darts to the side, tracing the offending light back to its source. With an intake of breath he darts forward and grabs it, flipping it open and clicking away as he strides out the door.

Yesterday, 12:01 PM, From: LM

Aw, that sucks. Don't let them work you too hard :)

Yesterday, 3:17 PM, From: LM

Hey, I have a question.

Yesterday, 3:32 PM, From: LM

Hmm, working again? Sorry I missed you.

The girl glances up from the park bench as another figure approaches. He gives an easy smile and sits down next to her, reclining and leaning his arms over the back of the seat. His long hair is pulled back tightly against his skull and falls in an unusually orderly cascade down the back of his high school uniform. The girl sighs and leans her head on one hand, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"What do you want, Gakupo?"

The boy sends her a dour look and purses his lips, twirling a long strand of mauve bangs absentmindedly. "This is a public space. Maybe I just wanted to sit here. Can't there be such thing as coincidence?"

"With you," she slowly draws out. "…no." He stares at her for a moment and then turns away, making an odd clapping motion with his hands. When he turns back to her his expression is surprised.

"Oh, hello there Luka! Would you look at that, we just happen to be sitting on the same bench!"

"I'm leaving," Luka states boredly and begins to stand. A hand reaches up and grabs her sleeve, halting her. Glancing down, Gakupo is fingering the button on the cuff of her uniform and tilting his head sideways, frowning.

"So cruel," he sighs affectedly. "There's no need to mean." Luka waits for some continuation, and when nothing comes she tries to pull away again – to escape or get him to talk, she doesn't know – only to have him hold on tighter.

"If you keep doing that you're going to pull the button off," she warns. "You'll have to buy me a new shirt."

He pouts and releases her at last, eyeing carefully as if to make sure she doesn't run away while he's not looking. "I'm not that careless."

"You should be happy that when you hang onto my shirt like that, my most prominent worry is that you're going to break off a button," she snorts. He stares at her blankly.

"Luka," he raises his eyebrows. "Now you're giving me ideas." She snorts again. She's fairly certain that she isn't the one corrupting him. He suddenly stands and lifts his nose to the air, an aura of elitism wafting around him. "Well," he expresses. "I guess I'll just leave if you really don't want me around." With a pretentious sniff he spins and begins to walk away, not halting even as Luka yells after him that it was his idea to come by anyway.

"Get back here you little-" she stumbles, not really finding a word that would properly suit her friend. Nonetheless, he stops and turns around, faint amusement tracing his smile, mixed with a hint of understanding. Though she hadn't said the words, he knows what she meant.

Come back, I do want you around.

After a few strides he's back by her side again, his legs now long with the growth that came with adolescence. His eyes trained on something in the distance, he smiles and hurriedly grabs her hand, releasing a small gasp from her mouth at the unexpected touch.

Spun around, she is tugged persistently behind him as he strides down the pathway. At her question of what they are doing, where they are going, he just responds with a smile and 'a walk'. She sees behind the words too though, as he had done with her, and unexpectedly her hand tightens around his and she picks up her pace so that they're walking side by side.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I guess I just wanted to be around.