Title: Mitsukaru High
Author/Artist: snooperj & Bloodysamurai
Series/Pairing(s): TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki
Notes: An alternative universe type of fanfiction, my partner and I take you to how the two couples began during their days in Senior High, with Takigawa and Kimeru in their 2nd year, and Shirota and Aiba in their 1st. This fanfiction will run from that setting until Shirota and Aiba's graduation from Senior High two years later. Most of the information here are either altered, made-up or real altogether. Hints of other pairings shall also be introduced, therefore expect to be seeing other members of the TeniMyu cast to show up in this Mitsukaru Senior High setting. This is meant to serve as a prequel to our fanfiction 'Anything for You'.
Here is the 2nd chapter entitled The Student Partner Program. This chapter begins the interaction of the two pairs with each other, where their feelings for each other are slowly blossoming from spending time together.
**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.
The first week of classes went by smoothly. Aiba was forced to help Kimeru every single day and the boy said nothing during those times but somehow managed. The following week, the silence along the school hallway was disturbed by the school band's resident vocalist.
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" he yelled as he looked at the bulletin board, where varsity results were posted along with some other things, like the school programs. In this case, Kimeru was staring at one of the programs, the Student Partner program, where students with low grades the previous school year would be partnered with another student in hopes to pull up his grade. Kimeru glared at the list; beside his name was the name 'Takigawa Eiji'.
Aiba, who was passing by decided to move quickly when he heard this outburst. Once he reached his classroom he grinned. "That was a first..." he said to himself.
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Kimeru grabbed the piece of paper from the bulletin board and stomped off to Takigawa's classroom.
Shirota had passed the junior as he stomped off with a paper in his hand before he himself headed to the bulletin board. "I wonder what Kimeru-senpai's angry about..." he muttered to himself as he reached the board and scanned it, grinning as soon as he found the results of the varsity try-outs before pumping a fist into the air. "YOSH! I got in!" he cheered before heading off to his classroom.
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"TAKIGAWA!!" Kimeru called out, making some of the people inside jump. "Explain," he said dangerously.
Takigawa, having just about to set down his book bag, turned to the door as soon as Kimeru called him. He blinked for a moment and abandoned his bag and eased his way to the door, gently pushing Kimeru out into the hall so as not to disturb his classmates. "What are you getting so hyped up about?" he inquired before spotting the paper in the boy's hand. He took it and read its contents. "Ah..." was all he could say.
"You...you had a hand in this!!" Kimeru accused him.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Kimeru-kun…" a voice said from behind him. Kimeru turned around and saw the principal. "I was the one who had personally set this up...consider this as a punishment for not doing your duty last week…" he told Kimeru before looking at Takigawa. "And not following orders," he said. "Work hard together then," the principal said as he passed the two to continue walking around the school.
Takigawa turned and bowed over to the principal. "Gomen nasai..." he apologized. "I'll do everything I can to get Kimeru-kun's grades up..." he vowed as he straightened up. "If he doesn't get any decent grades even you'll be satisfied with, I'll step down as Student Council Vice President," he stated boldly.
Kimeru stared at Takigawa, "You...you can't be serious!!" he said as he grabbed Takigawa by the collar of his uniform. "Do you realize what the hell you're risking for nothing?!" he hissed.
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Aiba smiled as he read the letter in his hands; he had been accepted in the school paper and he had just gotten the confirmation. He saw Shirota come in the room and smiled widely. "You seem happy as well. Did something good happen?" he asked his classmate.
Shirota hummed a melody and slid into his chair as he nodded over to Aiba. "I passed the try-outs for the varsity soccer team!" he said enthusiastically. "What about you?"
"I got in the school paper," Aiba said as he showed Shirota the letter he received. "They prefer handing out letters to the members instead of posting them," he explained.
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The principal stopped and turned back to the two. "A pretty bold thing to say, Takigawa-kun. Are you sure you can whip him into shape academically? We've had our share of delinquents like Kimeru-kun in the past and even with the Student Partner Program, nothing happened. Do you think you can really bring this boy's grades up at the risk of your position on the Student Council?"
Takigawa turned to the principal and nodded. "I would like to think so," he replied simply.
"Very well then, Takigawa-kun. If, by the end of the quarter, Kimeru-kun's overall grade doesn't improve from an F to at least a C, I will consider it as your resignation from the Student Council. Are we clear?" the principal stated as Takigawa nodded.
"Wait!! You can't do this!" Kimeru argued as he released his hold on Takigawa's uniform. "This guy..." he said as he pointed at Takigawa. "...he doesn't have to risk anything! You know that I'm hopeless so why the hell are you still bothering to try?!"
The principal looked over to Kimeru. "It's already decided," he stated commandingly. "It's apparent that Takigawa-kun is intent on having you reformed in terms of your studies and has thus banked your improvement on his position on the Student Council," he explained. "I will give him that opportunity, even if I already know that the chances of you getting better grades are already less than 1%."
Kimeru clenched his fists and glared at the principal. "I..." he started off, his voice laced with rage. "I'll show you that your analysis is wrong!" he said as he pointed a finger at the principal. "Takigawa won't lose his position and you...you will apologize to him by the end of the quarter!" he hissed as he grabbed Takigawa by the hand. "Let's go, idiot!" he said as he pulled Takigawa towards the rooftop area.
Sota, who was able to witness this, stared at Kimeru as he passed by. "What the heck was that?" he asked himself.
Kimeru didn't say anything until they reached their destination, locking the door behind him. "You freaking idiot! What the hell was that about?!" he asked Takigawa.
"I should ask you the same question," Takigawa fired back, slipping his hands into his pockets before his mouth curled up into a small smile. "But... did you really mean what you said just now? That you'll prove him wrong?" he asked.
"I'll show you that your analysis is wrong! Takigawa won't lose his position and you...you will apologize to him by then end of the quarter!"
Kimeru recalled his words and felt his cheeks heat up. He immediately turned around so that Takigawa wouldn't notice. "I'll do it..." he said. "Just because you were an idiot for putting your position on the line for someone you don't even know."
Takigawa chuckled. "Kimeru-kun... If I recall correctly, we attended the same Junior High together... And even the same elementary..." he explained. "Quite the contrary... I've put my position on the line for someone I've been around for the longest time but have failed to get to know more about other than the name he wants to be called by and his passion of becoming a J-Pop singer," he stated.
Kimeru turned around in surprise. "You...you…" he tried to fight down a smile but failed miserably. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" he said quietly. He moved closer to Takigawa and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Takigawa… You are not going to lose your position in the Student Council. I promise," he said firmly as he did a thumbs-up with his other hand.
Takigawa smirked, nodding. "I will appreciate the effort then, Kimeru-kun," he stated as he turned to the door. "Besides... I want the principal to know... Just what students who put their best foot forward can achieve..." he said as he unlocked the door. "I was thinking of having a study session every other night..." he suggested. "Is that alright with you?" he inquired, looking over his shoulder at the boy.
Kimeru thought for a moment. "I guess that would be fine..." he said. "Where?" he asked as he looked at his watch to check the time. "Oh yeah...just one question..." Kimeru added. "Why do you believe in me so much?"
"We could stay at my place... Or perhaps it would be beneficial if we stayed at your place?" Takigawa suggested. "And..." Takigawa paused as he pulled the door open. "I believe in you because..." he chuckled. "Well, that's my secret," he finished before heading down the stairs.
"Secret?!" Kimeru repeated as he felt his cheeks heat up again for a reason he didn't know. "O-Oi! Takigawa! Answer my question properly! And we can't study at my place since Aiba will be bothered-- I mean will bother us!!" he said, quickly correcting his little slip up. 'Darn it! Why am I acting like this?!' he asked himself. 'It's as if...I'm....it can't be...that I'm actually comfortable with this idiot?!' "Takigawa! Wait up!" he called out as he followed Takigawa downstairs.
Takigawa slowed down for Kimeru to catch up. "So we'll study at my place. Shirotan usually comes over to study as well, but I can always have him re-schedule his visits to work around our schedule," he explained nonchalantly. "We can walk to my place later after school. I have varsity practice until 5, so where do you propose to meet up?" he asked.
"That's fine…I have band practice till 4:30 anyway...I'll meet you at the gates," Kimeru said. "I'll see you later, I guess. I have to go and tell Aiba that I'll be coming back late," he said as he went ahead.
Takigawa watched Kimeru run off before heading back to his class. He had told Shirota about the plan for tonight when they met up during break time and explained that he'd be bringing Kimeru to his place to study. Shirota nodded in understanding.
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Later that day, Kimeru was waiting by the school gates. It was already 5 o'clock and he had been standing there for thirty minutes, Aiba deciding to go on back to the dorm after class.
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By the end of their practice, Takigawa changed back into his uniform and jogged to the gates, stopping beside Kimeru as he took a while to catch his breath. "Sorry I had you wait..." he apologized before he straightened up. "Shall we get going?" he suggested.
"Sure, whatever..." Kimeru answered as he took his bag from the ground. "Lead the way," he said.
Takigawa nodded, starting off towards his house.
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In the meantime, Aiba had managed to pull Shirota along with him as they hid behind one of the bushes near the gates. "Where are they going?" he asked Shirota.
"To Takigawa-senpai's house," Shirota explained. "Kimeru-senpai's part of the Student Partner Program and was assigned to Takigawa-senpai... So they're going to a study session. I heard from Takigawa-senpai that he made a bet with the principal that he would get Kimeru-senpai's grades up and staked it on his position at the Student Council..."
"That's strange...Kimeru-senpai hates studying...not to mention that he hates Takigawa-senpai...you should have seen him glare at him this morning..." Aiba said.
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Kimeru nodded wordlessly and followed Takigawa to his place. "You're still not going to tell me you answer, are you?" he asked randomly.
Takigawa smirked. "Nope!" he replied jovially. "Not in public, at least..." he added as an afterthought.
Kimeru frowned as he glared at him. "What do you mean 'not in public'?" he asked, "You can really be weird sometimes..." he said.
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"However strange Kimeru-senpai is acting... He's still going to Takigawa-senpai's place with him... And not against his will, either. Are you planning to follow Kimeru-senpai all the way to Takigawa-senpai's house?" Shirota inquired as he got to his feet, dusting his pants off.
"No. I was just wondering what a jerk like him was doing after school," Aiba said with a shrug. "I'm going to the dorms and hunt down some dinner. See you tomorrow, Shirota-kun," he said as he started walking away.
"E...Eh?" Shirota turned to Aiba, suddenly struck by an idea. "Ne, Aiba-kun!" he called, running up to him. "Do you want to have dinner with me somewhere nearby? My treat!" he said brightly.
Aiba paused for a moment, looking at Shirota. "Half the bill," he bargained.
Shirota shook his head. "I already said I'll pay!" he said, pulling Aiba towards the nearest yakiniku restaurant. "Call it my way of celebrating the first week we've spent as classmates!" he said.
"But Shirota-kun… It wouldn't be fair--" Aiba was cut off when he saw where they were headed. "Y-Yakiniku?" he read from the sign outside.
Shirota stopped at the door. "You like yakiniku, Aiba-kun?" he inquired.
"Well..." Aiba started, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "...sort of…" he admitted with a sheepish smile.
Shirota grinned widely. "That's a relief. Alright, it's decided! Let's get inside, hurry!" he said excitedly, pulling Aiba inside before they were quickly showed to a table.
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Takigawa smiled but said nothing for the rest of their walk to his house. They arrived at the doorstep as he took out his keys and unlocked the door. He took off his shoes and retrieved two pairs of slippers from the cupboard, setting them down on the floor in front of them. "Make yourself at home. I'll go make us some dinner," he announced as he neatly arranged his shoes by the cupboard, wore the slippers and headed into the kitchen.
Kimeru nodded as he sat on one of the couches in the living room. 'This place sure is big...and clean....not to mention silent....unlike the place where I came from...' he thought as he forced back the memories of his own home. He looked around and noticed a small cage containing a very fat rabbit inside. He approached the cage and looked at it. "I never knew that rabbits can get to be this big," he said in surprise. "You must have a comfortable lifestyle, don't you?" he asked the rabbit with a smile.
"His name's Q," Takigawa called. He was leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen and had watched Kimeru move to his rabbit's cage. "My parents go overseas quite often, so I'm alone most of the time. Shirotan comes over to keep me company sometimes and sleeps over. You're more than welcome to do so too if you like," he explained conversationally. "Oh, I just popped in a tray of Chicken Pasta Casserole in the oven... I made it this morning and thought of cooking it for tonight..." he added, as if to testify what he was doing out in the living room.
Kimeru jumped in surprise when he heard Takigawa talk to him. "I…er...I...never mind," he said as he moved back to the couch. "No thanks, I'd rather stay at the dorm than owe you something...." he said. "...and I don't mind eating anything as long as it's safe and edible."
Takigawa chuckled. "I see... Well, you do still owe me for last week, though I don't think we can still consider that with the situation we've been put into..." He turned and headed back into the kitchen. "And I can assure you the food isn't poisoned. I prepared it myself, so I should know," he added before moving to the stove. "Feel free to take Q out from his cage!" he called.
"Hey. Once I get the grade by the end of the quarter I won't owe you anything, Takigawa," Kimeru reminded him. He then looked at the rabbit in the cage for a while before glaring at the spot where Takigawa was a while ago. "Tell anyone about this and you die..." he said as he opened the cage to get Q. 'Aren't you an adorable thing...' He said in his mind as he took the rabbit out.
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"I still want to shoulder half of the bill, Shirota-kun," Aiba said as soon as he sat down.
Shirota shook his head. "No way. I offered first, and I'm not going back on my word. So order anything you like!" he said, handing him the menu.
"Your loss..." Aiba muttered as he looked at the menu, deciding on what to get.
Shirota smiled before flipping the menu open and browsed it for a while.
Aiba placed the menu down and decided on his food, waiting for Shirota to do the same.
Shirota looked over his menu before setting his own menu down and raised a hand up to call a waitress. "We're ready to order, aren't we?" he asked, looking over to Aiba with a soft smile as he lowered his hand.
"I think so," Aiba said. As soon as the waitress arrived he told her his order.
When Aiba was finished ordering, Shirota grinned and turned to the waitress. "I'll have whatever he ordered," he stated plainly as the waitress took their menus, bowed, and left to punch in the orders.
Aiba blinked as the waitress went away. "What do you mean have whatever I'm having? You're not even sure if you like what I ordered..." he said.
Shirota waved a hand in front of him. "It's fine. It's nice to try something new every once in a while," he admitted.
"You're one strange guy...." Aiba mused as he stared at Shirota for a few moments.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Shirota stated as he leaned back on the chair.
Aiba shrugged and looked around. "Hey, Shirota-kun....I guess it would be proper if I thank you for this...so...thanks," he said without making any eye contact.
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A small bark echoed from the backyard. "Oi, why are you outside?" Takigawa called, moving to open the screen door to let the small Yorkshire terrier in. The dog rushed in and scrambled into the living room, barking like mad. "Pearl!" Takigawa called from the kitchen. "Your food's here!" he said, as the Yorkshire looked at Kimeru and Q, barked for another time before running back into the kitchen.
Kimeru saw the dog enter and he felt his eye twitch. 'Seriously....I thought that one was enough...but two?!' he thought as he stared at the bunny in his hands. He sighed before smiling softly, adjusting his sitting position on the floor. He placed Q on his lap and stroked it.
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After managing to settle Pearl to eating her food in peace, Takigawa moved to get the casserole from the oven. He transferred it to a big enough serving plate, grating some cheese over it before he went to set the table. After about five minutes, he had set the Chicken Pasta Casserole in the center before he looked over to the living room. He smiled at Kimeru and Q before he returned to the kitchen to clean up and wash his hands before re-emerging, Pearl following behind him. "Dinner's ready," he called as he returned to the dining table.
"H-Hai…" Kimeru answered as he placed Q back in the cage and stood up. "I'll just wash my hands..." he muttered as he passed Takigawa to get into the kitchen, coming out a few moments later. "...Hey...that smells good..." he said as he looked at the food.
Takigawa had already sat himself down and gestured to the chair across him, a small smile on his face. "Thank you. I hope you enjoy it," he said as he stood and took the serving scooper, handing it over to Kimeru across the table. "Here, you can have the honors of trying it out first."
Kimeru hesitated for a moment, placed a serving on his plate before trying Takigawa's dish. "...This is insane...are you sure you made this?!" he asked.
Takigawa nodded as he took a serving for himself. "Why? Should I have added the bell peppers?" he inquired.
Kimeru's eyes widened. "What do you mean should have added bell peppers?!" he said. "This... Are you working part-time as a chef or something?!" he asked.
Takigawa sat back down after he got a reasonable amount and sprinkled it with grated parmesan cheese, chuckling. "Originally, I was supposed to add some bell peppers on top but decided against it," he explained. "And no, I'm not working part-time. I just enjoy cooking. Since I'm alone most of the time, I have to cook for myself. My mom taught me how to cook when I was little, so I didn't have much trouble adjusting and following recipes from a cookbook so I could make myself some dinner," Takigawa said as he tasted it, chewed and swallowed it. "This is actually my first time making this particular dish, though..." he admitted.
Kimeru felt his jaw drop as Takigawa finished what he was saying. "You...You don't follow stereotype don't you?" he asked incredulously before grinning. "This is quite a surprise...your girlfriend is very lucky to have someone like you," he teased.
"I don't have a girlfriend," Takigawa stated pointedly, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork and twisted it to get the pasta as well.
Kimeru looked up from his food to look at Takigawa. "Huh? Then the rumors weren't true after all..." he said as he thought for a while. "Why don't you have a girlfriend? I'm sure someone like you would find one easily," he asked.
"Hmm... The answer to that question..." Takigawa started slowly, twirling his fork to get some more pasta. "Is because I'm not all that interested in looking for a girlfriend..." he finished, bringing his pasta-filled fork to his mouth.
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"Anytime, Aiba-kun," Shirota replied, watching the boy for a while before their orders arrived, successfully diverting Shirota's attention. "Wow, this is great!" he exclaimed as he pulled his chopsticks apart. "Itadakimasu!"
"Itadakimasu..." Aiba echoed as he started eating.
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Kimeru took in his answer for a moment before turning his attention back to his food. "Academics first, huh....either that or you're in the same boat as I am," he said nonchalantly.
Takigawa paused, looking over to Kimeru. He took a moment to swallow the food in his mouth before asking, "The same boat meaning?"
Kimeru grinned. "Come on, Takigawa… It's public knowledge that I'm not really into women," he said. "If you're uncomfortable with that idea then I'm sorry to say that you'll be stuck tutoring me whether you like it or not."
Takigawa paused, lowering his fork and noticed that his plate was nearly empty. He rose from his chair and got himself another serving. When he sat back down, he took a piece of chicken and said, "To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not uncomfortable in the slightest." A small smile appeared on his face as he took the chicken into his mouth, chewing it eagerly.
Kimeru blinked. "For someone prim and proper, you sure are a weird guy…" he said as he continued eating.
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After dinner, Takigawa did the dishes and stored the leftovers in a Tupperware and put it in the fridge before emerging from the kitchen. "Let's get down to business, then. My room's this way," he indicated, gesturing to the stairs as he took his book bag he had left on the couch and led the way to his room.
Kimeru nodded as he followed Takigawa upstairs before taking his bag that he had placed by the couch.
At the top of the stairs, Takigawa hung a left and opened the door to his room, setting his book bag on his desk. "Would you prefer it if we studied on the floor?" he inquired, looking over to Kimeru as he opened his closet to get some floor pillows.
"Anywhere is fine," Kimeru said as he sat on the floor, near the bed so that he could lean on it. "So...what are we supposed to do today?" he asked.
Takigawa nodded, pulled out two pillows and tossed one over to Kimeru. He shut the closet door and set his own pillow down and retrieved his book bag and sat himself down. "Study, what else?" he replied cheekily. "Now, pick a subject," Takigawa said, opening his book bag.
"English?" Kimeru suggested as he opened his bag to take out a book.
Takigawa took a notebook and a book out. "Alright," he replied, flipping the book open. "Anything in particular you don't understand?" he inquired.
"There is this one part..." Kimeru started as he showed the book to Takigawa.
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Shirota, satisfied with the meal, leaned back and rubbed his stomach. "That was delicious," he said happily.
Aiba smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's why I like it."
Shirota asked the waitress for the bill and immediately paid for it before Aiba could begin bargaining to pay for half of it. "It's fine," he reassured him as he got to his feet. "You introduced me to some good food, so paying the bill is the least I could do," Shirota reasoned.
"There's no winning against you in this conversation…" Aiba said with a sigh as he picked up his bag from the floor and stood up as well. "We better get going then, Shirota-kun. Your parents might be looking for you," he said.
Shirota got his book bag and his gym bag and stretched his arms as they left the restaurant. "I'm in no hurry," he replied. "The only one that's probably looking for me is my older brother," he explained.
"I see..." Aiba said, silently walking beside Shirota until they reached the corner of that street. "The dorms are that way," he said as he pointed to a certain building. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Shirota's smile faltered slightly before nodding. "A...Aa..." Shirota replied. "See you..." He nodded a second time before he started off in the direction of his house. i'I wonder how Eiji-kun's Casserole came out...'/i he thought to himself. i'I'll have to pay him a visit tomorrow! I really wanted to try it out!'/i Shirota grinned. "But at least the yakiniku was delicious," he concluded.
The next day, Aiba rubbed his eyes sleepily. He was kept up the whole night by his roommate, causing him to be in a bad mood that morning. He sat on his seat and glared at the blackboard.
"Rough night?" Shirota inquired over to Aiba as soon as he arrived in the classroom and sat down in his usual seat beside him.
Aiba nodded. "Kimeru-senpai kept me up all night blabbering about Takigawa-senpai and his pets...that guy just doesn't know when to shut up..." he said with a groan as he placed his head on the desk.
Shirota raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Kimeru-senpai was talking about Takigawa-senpai?" he repeated.
Aiba shifted a bit to look at Shirota. "Yes...he was talking about a rabbit, a dog and some chicken dish....oh and Takigawa-senpai being a chef in the future...funny thing is I don't think he mentioned anything about studying," he said. "Then again, it's Kimeru-senpai."
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Kimeru, on the other end of the hall, was looking at the notes Takigawa had helped him make the night before. To his surprise he could actually understand what the lesson was about thanks to the other boy.
"Oi, Kime!!" Watanabe Daisuke, the band club's drummer and one of Kimeru's friends, called out from the side of the room. "You didn't answer my calls last night," he said.
Kimeru looked at him lazily. "I was studying with my partner. What did you want?" Kimeru asked.
"Why the cold attitude today, Hime-sama?" Daisuke asked. "I know what could fix that! Let's go clubbing tomorrow," he offered.
"Can't. I need to study," Kimeru answered, turning his attention back to his notes.
Daisuke frowned.
"Rejected by Kime at this time of the morning, Dai?" Nagayama 'Nagayan' Takashi asked his friend as he entered the room.
"Shut up, Nagayama," Daisuke said as he stormed out of the room, passing Sota who just came in.
"What's with him?" Sota asked as Nagayan just shrugged in reply.
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Daisuke went to the classroom of 2-1 and found who he was looking for. "Takigawa!" he called out, walking over and punching the boy across the face.
Takigawa collided with a few of the desks before he fell to the floor.
"Takigawa-kun!" Tsuchiya 'Tuti' Yuichi cried in alarm.
"It's fine..." Takigawa replied quietly, painfully pushing himself off the floor as he uneasily got to his feet with the help of the desks. He felt that his legs would buckle underneath him but he managed to stay his ground. "What's wrong, Watanabe-kun?" he asked, panting.
"You better stay away from Kimeru if you know what's good for you!" Daisuke said in anger. "He doesn't need people like you to mess with his life and not to mention take him away from his friends," he continued. "Who the hell do you think you are to intrude like this? Student Partner Program--whatever or not, you stay away from him, you hear?!" he said before walking out of the room.
Takigawa watched Watanabe leave the room before he faltered, unable to keep himself up anymore.
"O-Oi, Takigawa-kun!" Tuti cried again, moving forward to help him up. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
Takigawa nodded as he allowed himself to be helped up to his feet. He silently arranged the desks before moving to his seat.
Hayashino Takeshi approached him. "That's a nasty bruise, Takigawa-kun," he pointed out. "What got Watanabe Daisuke pissed to hit you like that?"
Takigawa winced when brought a thumb up to examine his bruised cheek. "I got partnered up with Kimeru-kun for the Student Partner Program..." he explained flatly. "Don't worry about it..."
Tuti took his seat in front of Takigawa. "Are you sure? Watanabe-kun's pretty possessive when it comes to his circle of friends..."
Takigawa nodded. "I know..."
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Nagayan saw Daisuke come out of the 2-1 classroom and hid in a random classroom when the boy passed. Nagayan came out after a few moments and went towards the room. He surveyed the people inside before spotting someone with a nasty bruise.
"Takigawa!" he called out as he approached. He saw the other students become apprehensive as he raised both hands. "I'm not going to do anything!" he said as he slowly went forward. "Listen… this may sound pretty random but...don't give up on Kimeru, alright? Just...don't," he said. "That's all. I'll be going!" he said before dashing outside.
"What was that about?" Tuti implored, watching Nagayan leave the room.
Takigawa managed a small smile as he took out his notebook for their Math class. "Don't think on it too much, Tuti," he said quietly. 'I don't plan on giving up, anyway...' he told himself firmly as the teacher arrived.
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"What happened to you?" Kimeru asked Daisuke as he entered.
"Nothing. Oi Kime...you won't be neglecting your band just because of that program, would you?" he asked.
Kimeru rolled his eyes. "Seriously...why would I..."
Daisuke nodded in approval.
"Though I might spend less time going out with you guys, but I'll still be around," Kimeru finished.
Daisuke frowned when he heard that. "Oi Kime maybe you would want--" he was cut off by the sound of the bell ringing and the teacher entering the room.
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"And he talked about that enthusiastically? How weird..." Shirota said as he folded his arms in thought before he looked over to the door as the teacher came. 'I'll have to talk this over with Eiji-kun later...' he thought to himself before they started Modern Japanese class.
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The day passed pretty quickly; before they knew it classes had already ended.
"Kime~ where are you going? Studio is that way!" Sota called out as Kimeru went out of the room.
"I know! I just have to see someone!" he yelled as he ran downstairs. "Where is he..." Kimeru muttered as he ran around. "There!" he exclaimed as he saw who he was looking for. "Takigawa!" he called out, stopping to catch his breath.
Takigawa was on his way to the gym before he turned to see Kimeru. "Oh… Hi there Kimeru-kun. What's up?" he inquired, forcing a smile.
"Listen..." Kimeru said as he approached him. "My English teacher gave a pop quiz earlier and I was able to pass. Not only that…" he then felt himself grinning. "I was one of the guys who got the highest scores." He paused. "I owe you for this, Takigawa."
Just around the corner of the hall, Daisuke listened to this conversation, undetected by the two.
Takigawa patted Kimeru on the shoulder, grinning. "Good for you, Kimeru-kun! See what you can do when you try hard?" he said, chuckling. "Last night's efforts weren't in vain, after all," he teased.
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Aiba packed his stuff and placed it in his bag. "You have varsity training, right Shirota-kun?" he asked lazily as he closed his bag. "Good luck. See you tomorrow," he said as he patted him on the shoulder and went his way.
"Yeah..." Shirota replied before he watched Aiba leave. Sighing, he zipped his gym bag closed and slung it on his shoulder. 'Walking off before I could even talk with him...' he said in defeat as he headed off to get changed.
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"Yeah...but that was because someone was keeping me in check in case I dozed off," Kimeru answered. "That's all I wanted to say now go on or your team will accuse me of being a bad influence on their vice captain!" he said as he playfully pushed Takigawa to the direction of the courts.
Takigawa laughed. "Yeah, I'm going, I'm going," he called. "I'll see you for our study session tomorrow, Kimeru-kun!" he added, waving a hand over his shoulder as he jogged the rest of the way to the gym.
Kimeru watched until Takigawa entered the gym. "Yosh! Now time to jam," he said as he ran off to the direction of the studio of the band club.
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Aiba yawned as he made his way downstairs. He stopped when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh shoot! I'm supposed to take pictures of the varsity teams for the school paper!" he exclaimed as he turned around to head to the fields.
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Shirota, after getting changed into his training uniform, headed out onto the field with the rest of the team as he did some self-stretching. "At least we'll be having a practice match today," he said brightly to himself.
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Aiba was fussing over his camera while running towards the field. When he got there he paused to catch his breath. "...Here...okay...first....soccer…" he panted. He went over the team, talking to the captain and showing his ID from the school paper before being allowed to go around and take pictures while the players were warming up. He was looking for a good angle and zoomed in on a certain player, noticing that he was in the right angle of sunlight and shade. He took the picture and looked at the screen to see if he got it right. It was only then did he realize who he had taken a picture of. "Shirota-kun?!"
Shirota, who had just finished stretching, turned when his name was called. "Hai?" He blinked when he saw Aiba. "A-re? What're you doing here, Aiba-kun?" He inquired, walking up to him and spotted the camera and remembered. "Ahh, you're here from the school paper, right? Well, I hope you take some good action shots. We'll be having a practice match today," he said, grinning.
"Shirota!!" the captain Wada Masato called. "We're assigning the teams now!"
"Ya-be!" Shirota cried. "I gotta go," he said hastily before running off to join the rest of the team.
Aiba smiled as he watched Shirota head to the team. "I guess a few more shots here wouldn't hurt," he said.
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Later that day, when practices were over, Aiba realized that all the pictures he took were that of the Soccer Team. "There's always tomorrow..." he reminded himself as he sat under the shade of a tree, checking the pictures.
"Aika!"
Aiba frowned; only one person calls him that. "Kimeru-senpai..." he muttered darkly.
Kimeru walked up to him and grabbed the camera. "You've been busy today…a-re? More than half of these pictures are of one person..." he said.
"What's it to you," Aiba said as he snatched the camera back. "He was just at the right places for a good shot..." he reasoned as he started to walk away.
Kimeru grinned as he followed the first year.
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"Good game, Shirota!" Wada said, patting him on the shoulder as they got changed in the locker room.
"Arigatou, Wada-buchou!" Shirota said, bowing as he loosely put on his tie before fixing his bag and headed out to the gates to wait for Takigawa.
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"Are you sure you're fine?" Gomoto Naoya inquired, approaching Takigawa after practice ended, fiddling with his tie. "That bruise looks pretty bad..."
Takigawa gave him a smile. "It's fine," he reassured him. "It's nothing..."
Naoya frowned. "Don't act like it's nothing!" he complained.
"Seriously, it's alright, Naoya-kun," Takigawa pressed on as he buttoned up his shirt.
"Tell me who it was, at least..."
"If I did that, you'd hit him back, right?" Takigawa inquired as he closed his locker and zipped his bag shut. Naoya said nothing as Takigawa gave him a small smile. "I'll be alright. Hitting me wouldn't keep me from doing what I enjoy doing," he said. "I'll be going ahead, then. I have to meet up with Shirotan. Ja ne!"
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Shirota and Takigawa arrived at about the same time before the silently nodded to each other and started heading to their houses.
"You're sleeping over tonight, right?" Takigawa inquired.
Shirota nodded. "There're two important things I'd like to discuss," he stated seriously.
"What would those be?"
Shirota counted one with a finger. "One, about Kimeru-senpai. And two..." He brought out another finger from his fist. "I want to try your Chicken Pasta Casserole!" he declared.
Takigawa burst out laughing. "You'd eat anything I cook!" he stated slyly.
Shirota pouted. "Of course I would! Because everything you cook is yummy!" he reasoned.
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"...and that's why I think I'll manage to pull this off," Kimeru finished as he looked at the freshman who was scowling at him from across the room. "What?" he asked.
"Can I have my camera now?" Aiba asked as he eyed the camera that was being held hostage so that he would listen to Kimeru.
Kimeru grinned. "Here you go," he said as he handed the camera over to its owner.
Aiba examined it for a while. "Senpai....can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"What happens when the quarter ends?"
"Then it ends."
"I meant your tutorials."
"Oh..." Kimeru frowned as he thought about it for a moment. "I guess we go back to living our own lives," he answered.
"So it's just for the grade?" Aiba prodded.
"That and Takigawa's position on the council. Once I'm done with this crap he can live his own life and I'll live mine. That way we'd be out of each other's hair," Kimeru said as he leaned back.
"You're not even going to stay friends?" Aiba asked.
"Friends? ...We live in two different worlds. He'll just get in trouble if he sticks with me," Kimeru answered.
"A-re? You're actually worried about him?" Aiba teased.
"Where did you get that?! Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow!" Kimeru said as he threw a pillow at Aiba and lied down, leaving no room for further conversation. Not that Aiba wanted to say anything else anyway.
"Whatever you say, senpai..." Aiba said with a grin as he closed the lights and went to bed.
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"He was telling all that to Aiba-kun?" Takigawa clarified as he sat down on his bed as he pressed an ice pack against his bruise after turning off the lights.
Shirota nodded as he tried to find a comfortable position on the futon bed Takigawa had spread out whenever he'd sleep over. "Ever since you two started taking that program seriously..." Takigawa chuckled as he averted his gaze to the window. "So what are you going to do?" Shirota asked.
"About what?"
Shirota grinned. "He's the one, isn't he?" he implied carefully.
Takigawa looked over to Shirota in the semi-darkness as he felt his cheeks heat up. "Wha--"
Shirota wagged a finger. "Childhood friends, remember? Growing up in an all-boys school will tend to have you develop those kinds of feelings," he explained needlessly. Takigawa groaned before settling himself into bed. Grinning triumphantly, Shirota shifted to his side. "Oyasumi~" Shirota called as he shut his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.
TBC
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