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 5th chapter entitled I Want to Be with You. This chapter relays the junior's field trip to the mountains, where we witness Kimeru's longing to be with Takigawa. If you recall, the partners were finalized in the previous chapter (so Kimeru is paired with Abe-kun, and Takigawa is left without any partner), so the field trip is set around this circumstance. On the side, we get to know a little bit more about Aiba and his family.
**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.
School proceeded as usual for the following day, with Shirota and Takigawa immersed in varsity practice after school. It wasn't long before the day of the juniors' field trip arrived.
Takigawa was already on the bus, seated somewhere near the back, his bag on the floor.
Kimeru and Abe were seated on the second to the last seat of the bus, on the other side of where Takigawa was seated. In the back seats --the one just behind them-- were Naoya, Sota, Daisuke and Furukawa.
Three sections were mixed up and the filled up two and a half buses. For their bus, the teacher in charge was Ueshima-sensei, a first year homeroom adviser that was asked to come along.
As soon as the bus started moving, chaos ensued. Toru and Nakagauchi, who were seated a few seats from Kimeru and Abe, were singing various songs. The pair across them, Kujirai and Hayashino, was arguing about one thing or another.
Furukawa had wondered what their teacher was going to do something about it when he found Ueshima laughing along some other second years in front.
Takigawa settled with spending the trip gazing outside his window or even taking a nap, oblivious to the noise around them.
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Kimeru spent the trip listening to Abe talk about various things and before he knew it they already arrived at the area.
"Alright everyone! Wake your partners up and form a line outside!" Ueshima said from up front.
Kimeru glanced at Takigawa and saw he was asleep.
"A-re? Takigawa's still asleep. Someone should wake him," Abe said.
"I'll do it!" Kimeru said quickly as he went over to Takigawa's side. "Oi Takigawa, wake up! We're here!" he said as he shook him in an attempt to get the boy to wake up.
"I'll wait for you outside, Kimeru-kun," Abe said with a smile and Kimeru nodded at him.
"Takigawa!" he tried again. "Oi! Takigawa!...Eiji!!" Kimeru said.
Furukawa and Ueshima -- who were by the door of the bus-- looked at one another and grinned.
Takigawa's eyes slowly blinked themselves awake. "We're here...?" he inquired before seeing Kimeru. "Ah, gomen..." He bent down and retrieved his things before getting to his feet. "Thanks for waking me, Kimeru-kun," he said with a smile. "Saa, let's get going."
Kimeru simply nodded as he went outside, stopping to stand beside Abe who was at the end of the line.
"Alright kids! You better be ready because we're not stopping until we're midway to the top of that mountain!" one of the teachers said as he pointed to the mountain behind him.
Kimeru's eyes widened. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!" he yelled, causing the people in front of them to cover their ears.
"I'm afraid that we are! Don't worry Kimeru-kun. I'm sure you'll make it," Ueshima said with a chuckle.
The batch of juniors and the two teachers started their trek uphill. Takigawa opted to stay at the back, watching the others and enjoying the view at the same time. 'Looks like this trip might just turn out to be a good one... It's a nice location...' he noted to himself.
They weren't even halfway and Kimeru was already panting. "This is...insane...I can't...do this…" he muttered as he paused for a while.
"Here, Kimeru-kun…it would be easier if you didn't have that bag," Abe said as he took Kimeru's bag before the other could complain.
"Ah...Abe-kun, you don't have to do that, I can still manage," Kimeru said.
Abe shook his head. "You're already having a hard time as is. I don't mind carrying it," he reassured him with a smile.
Kimeru blinked at him. "Thanks..." he said simply as he started walking again.
Takigawa observed this before shrugging, stopping and set his bag down.
"A-re? Something wrong, Takigawa-kun?" Ueshima inquired, noticing that Takigawa had fallen behind.
Takigawa zipped his bag open and rummaged through it before pulling out a bag of chips. Closing his bag once more, he brought it over his shoulders before heading up after Kimeru and tossed it to him. "That should give you some strength to keep going..." he stated simply.
Ueshima smirked and followed after them. 'That guy...'
Kimeru caught the bag of chips with ease. "Thanks!" he called over with a grin as he opened the bag and proceeded to eat its contents. "Want some?" he asked Abe who shook his head.
"Go on ahead, Kimeru-kun," he said.
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It wasn't long before they reached the midpoint of the mountain. "I think I'm going to die..." Kimeru muttered as he sat on the ground, his friends went over, laughing at him.
"So this is why you never came to the road trip we had last summer," Nagayan teased.
"All right kids! We're stopping here for the hour so rest and have lunch!" a teacher announced.
"Takigawa-kun!" Naoya called. "Want to have lunch with us?" he inquired. Kujirai and Hayashino, as well as Ryunosuke and Kanata were there with him.
Takigawa looked around for a moment before nodding. "Aa," he replied, walking over to their group.
Kimeru frowned as he saw Takigawa join his own group of friends. "You honestly expected him to hang out with us?" Daisuke asked. "Come on Kime, he has his own life," he added.
Kimeru looked at the lunch – one that he bullied Aiba into making-- that he brought along. "I know that, Daisuke...so drop it unless you want to roll down the mountain path," he said with a glare.
Daisuke raised his hands and backed away. "I just wanted to state a fact, Kime."
"That's enough Daisuke. Let Kimeru have his lunch..." Furukawa said.
Their group talked about other things to get Kimeru's mind thinking about something else.
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Soon, they had to get going again. "Thanks, Abe-kun. I'll be able to take carry my things for the rest of the way," Kimeru said before Abe could take his bag again.
"Are you sure? Cause I really don't mind..." Abe said.
Kimeru smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, Abe-kun," he assured him.
Abe wasn't sure why that statement caused him to blush a bit, so he decided to blame the scenery.
Takigawa rose to his feet after putting a close to their group's inquiries about his packed lunch. He pulled his bag up with him before they resumed their trek.
"Can you at least write the recipe down?" Hayashino implored.
Takigawa sighed. "I will. Can we please stop talking about it now?"
"Yosh!" Hayashino cheered.
Kimeru was glad that it took longer for him to tire out for the second part of their trek. It wasn't long when the entire group stopped talking, using their energy to concentrate on the walking and getting to their destination.
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The sun was already setting when they reached the campsite. Kimeru looked around; he had to admit it was worth the trek.
As soon as they got there, both the students and the teachers were setting up the tents where they would sleep in for the night.
Kimeru and Abe had finished setting up their own and were helping those who were having difficulties with theirs... like Toru and Nakagauchi who were arguing as they set up their own tent. Abe went over to his friends to assist them while Kimeru tried to calm Toru and Nakagauchi down.
After the tents have been set up, the teachers and the students had a bit of interaction and a brief biology lecture while having dinner.
While all this was happening, Kimeru felt uneasy. He really didn't like the idea of going outdoors in the first place but he knew he had to do it. Another thing that was bothering him was the fact that every time that he tried to interact with Takgiawa something just had to happen to prevent him from doing so - whether it be Abe wanting to talk to him or one of his friends fooling around. He sighed heavily as they resigned to their tents for the night.
"Ano...Kimeru-kun?" Abe started as he set up his sleeping bag.
"What is it Abe-kun?" Kimeru asked tiredly.
"I really had fun today and I'm glad that you accepted to be my partner even though we both know that you wanted to be partners with someone else," Abe started.
"Abe-kun you know that--"
Abe shook his head, cutting whatever Kimeru was going to say. "All I'm saying Kimeru-kun is that there are times when you're actually allowed to be selfish. And by that I mean allowing yourself to do what you want. You already made me happy by being my partner and staying with me for this trip…even talking to me...so...go and be selfish for once this day." Abe scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Er...that's all. Good night Kimeru-kun!" he said quickly before going into his sleeping bag and turning away from Kimeru who just sat there in shock.
"A-Abe-kun..." Kimeru said slowly, a smile forming on his lips. "Thanks...I owe you for this," he said before he grabbed his sleeping bag and went out of the tent.
Abe peeked from under the sleeping bag and chuckled he got out and zipped the entrance of the tent close. "I know that you'll look after him...Takigawa-kun," he said before laying back down to go to sleep.
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Takigawa was in his sleeping bag, unable to sleep. With his hands underneath his head, he allowed himself to stare at the stars through the transparent 'roof' of his tent. Dinner brought about more excitement over his packed food - a personal dish that mixed macaroni and cheese with the Chicken Pasta Casserole he had made before - as his classmates bombarded him with questions about it.
Takigawa shrugged. Perhaps he was brooding over the fact that he was without a partner for that trip, which would've explained why he struggled through answering the inquiries with a forced smile. He sighed. "Why did we have to be an odd-numbered batch...?" he cursed quietly to himself.
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Kimeru quickly located Takigawa's tent; after all, he was watching him set it up a few hours ago. "Psst! Takigawa!" he said as he stopped by the zipped up opening of the tent. "Takigawa!" he hissed again.
Takigawa sat up. He recognized the voice and crawled over to the 'door' and zipped it open. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be with Abe-kun?" he inquired tiredly.
Kimeru grinned at him. "Believe it or not, he was the one who told me to go here," he said. "Now move over."
"Wait... what?" Takigawa asked, not sure if he had heard correctly.
"I said it was Abe who told me to come here! Are you deaf or something? Now move over," Kimeru said as he gently pushed Takigawa back inside, entered and zipped the opening close behind him, making sure that it was locked before he set up his sleeping bag beside Takigawa's own.
Takigawa fell back onto his sleeping bag before turning to Kimeru. "What's with this sudden want to stay with me?" he inquired, even though he already knew the answer.
"Because in case you haven't noticed...I've wanted to be with you the whole day," Kimeru said as he finished setting up his sleeping bag. "There...now I'm done," he said before adjusting it a bit so that it was side by side with Takigawa's sleeping bag. "Finally I can get some sleep…" he said in satisfaction as he removed his shoes and went to lie down beside Takigawa, placing his arms around him. "Oyasumi~" he said before closing his eyes.
Takigawa lied back down just as Kimeru had put his arms around him. He silently thanked Abe as a small blush came to his cheeks as he looked over to Kimeru before nodding. "Aa... oyasumi," he said in reply before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, Abe woke up with a huge smile.
He went out of the tent after arranging his things; he saw that a lot of people had already woken up.
"Oi Abe! Is Kimeru still asleep?" Daisuke asked.
Abe nodded as he zipped up the tent. "He's still asleep, I wouldn't want to disturb him," he stated simply.
Furukawa and Ueshima looked at one another; they had seen that there was no one in the tent before Abe zipped it closed. "Takigawa?" Ueshima asked and Furukawa just nodded.
"Oi, Takigawa's usually already awake, isn't he?" Hiyashino pointed out, looking around. "Is he still sleeping?"
"He's probably tired," Tuti offered. "Let's not disturb him," he suggested.
Furukawa went over to his friends. "Kime isn't in Abe's tent," he stated simply and they all stopped what they were doing to stare at him.
"What?! Then where is he?!" Nagayan asked.
Furukawa smiled. "He's in Takigawa's tent. I'm sure of that."
"Then why did Abe.....oh....now I get it...Abe likes Kimeru but he knows that Takigawa and Kimeru..." Daisuke said and Sota hit him on the head.
"Complete your sentences, idiot!" he said.
"That hurt!" Daisuke complained. Furukawa chuckled.
"Hey Furukawa...do you think that they're..." Nagayan asked.
"Saa....I guess so," Furukawa answered.
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Takigawa finally woke up and found himself disoriented for a minute when he heard soft breathing beside him. He turned and nearly jumped back in surprise at the sight of Kimeru before his mind registered that the boy had come in late that night and wanted to stay with him. He smiled and moved to get up before he found himself trapped in Kimeru's arms. "Kimeru...let...go..." he muttered, tugging to pry the other boy's hands away from each other. "We need to get up!" he hissed.
Kimeru loosened his hold and turned around. "Early...." he muttered sleepily as he opened his eyes before sitting up. "I'm still...sleepy..." he managed to say as he looked at Takigawa. "Bed hair..." he said as he patted Takigawa on the head. He yawned as he looked around, finding his bag that he had dragged along last and changed his shirt. He looked at Takigawa. "I'll be going ahead...after all, everyone thinks I shared a tent with Abe..." he said before going out.
Takigawa watched Kimeru head off before he went on to get dressed for today.
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"And may I ask what you're doing in there?" Kimeru froze as he heard the voice who spoke up.
"Ueshima-sensei…" he said as he turned around. "I-I can explain…" he said.
Ueshima grinned before lounging an arm around Kimeru. "It's fine, it's fine," he said in the boy's ear. "It's already pretty obvious, anyway. At least for those who're keen enough to spot the clues," he added slyly.
Kimeru turned red when he heard this. "I...er...I…I'm going to get some breakfast," he said hurriedly as he went to join his friends.
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Meanwhile back at school, Aiba sighed heavily as he entered the classroom. The power in the dormitories was gone and according to the one in charge, the power wouldn't be coming back until Saturday. Now he was faced with a problem: How would he finish his paper that he had to pass by Saturday evening via email to the Editor in chief? He only thought of one way...and that way involved a certain someone named Shirota Yuu.
The boy in question had just arrived, sliding the door open as he stretched his arms over his head. "Ohayou~!" Shirota greeted cheerfully as he headed to his desk.
"Ah. Shirota-kun..." Aiba said as he lifted a hand to wave at the boy.
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Takigawa, after changing, fixed up his bag before he stepped out of his tent. He observed that everybody was settling down to breakfast.
Kimeru was with Furukawa and the rest of their classmates when he saw Takigawa. "Oi! Takigawa! Over here!" Kimeru called out.
"Eh? What happened to 'Eiji'?" Furukawa teased.
"Shut up, Furukawa," Kimeru hissed, causing Furukawa to laugh out loud.
Takigawa headed towards Kimeru, slipping his hands into his pockets as he reached them. "Ohayou," he greeted, nodding to the others.
Kimeru smiled as Takigawa joined them and the group resumed their discussion about various things.
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"Ohayou~"
"Juus~"
Yanagi and Endo chimed in, stepping into the room at the same time.
Shirota set his things down, giving a wave over to Aiba. "Early bird again, Aiba-kun?" Shirota teased.
"Shirota-kun!" Endo called, waving him off. "I need to ask you something."
"Endo-kun forgot all about his Math homework. Again," Yanagi stated.
Shirota walked up to the two as Endo slapped Yanagi on the arm. "Maa, maa. Let's not start a fight here," he requested.
Aiba sighed as he heard the conversation. 'I'll ask him later...' he thought.
Shirota sat down and began telling Endo how to do a problem he didn't understand as the rest of their classmates started to arrive. Shirota left Yanagi to look after Endo before he returned to his seat.
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After breakfast the teacher announced that they will be leaving in a while.
Kimeru went over to Takigawa's tent to retrieve his bag. While he did so, Abe approached Takigawa. "Takigawa-kun..." he started.
Takigawa, having already brought his things out and waited for Kimeru so he could put the tent away, turned to Abe. "Something wrong, Abe-kun?" he inquired.
Abe smiled. "No nothing's wrong. I just came here to tell you that I told the teachers that you'll be partners with Kimeru-kun on the way back," he said before turning around. "That's all. See you!" he said before heading off to meet up with Nagayan and Tuti who were waiting for him.
Takigawa stared at Abe before shaking his head, smiling to himself.
"What are you smiling about?" Kimeru asked as he went out of the tent.
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Aiba watched Shirota as he went back to his seat. "Ne, Shirota-kun...I have a favor to ask," he said.
Shirota leaned an elbow on the desk and turned to Aiba. "What kind of favor?" he asked.
"Ano....we sort of lost electricity at the dorms and they told us that the electricity won't be coming back until Saturday evening and I need to get a paper passed by then… but I don't think I could rush the paper so..." Aiba stated before pausing. "Could I stay over at your place to finish it?" he asked.
Shirota blinked a few times before a genuine smile crept up his mouth. "Sure, I don't mind. Just tell me when and I'll have things set up in my room," he said enthusiastically.
"Would tomorrow night be alright?" Aiba asked hopefully.
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Takigawa moved to start dismantling the tent. "Seems Abe-kun's told the teachers that we'll be partners heading back," he explained quite happily.
Kimeru blinked. "He did what?!" he exclaimed.
"You don't want to?" Takigawa asked with a frown, already packing everything in the bag of the tent.
"N-No! It's not that!" Kimeru answered quickly. "It's just that... it's surprising, that's all..." he said.
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Shirota thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I-yo. I would have to warn you about my older brother, though..." he said warily. "He might jump at you... not literally, of course."
"Why would he jump at me?" Aiba asked in confusion.
Shirota gave out a nervous chuckle, scratching his cheek. "You'll find out..."
Aiba shrugged. "Okay.....well. Thanks a lot Shirota-kun. I promise not to be in the way while I'm there."
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Takigawa got to his feet and nodded. "Alright, then. Let's get going, shall we?" he offered.
"Aa. At least it's easier going down this mountain than going up," Kimeru said with a smile. He looked at the other people who had already lined up. "Let's go!" he said as he took Takigawa's hand and led him to the group.
Furukawa saw this and grinned. "Kimeru you dolt..." he said. "...I guess this just proves that even a person like Kimeru would end up eating his words."
Takigawa pulled his things along with him.
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Shirota shook his head. "You won't, I promise. But since it's a Friday..." he said, suddenly thinking out loud. "Maria-neesan will still be around... And so will Jun-ani... I doubt Dai-ani will be coming to the house..." he muttered to himself.
Aiba raised an eyebrow. "How many siblings do you have, exactly?" he asked curiously.
Shirota, stirred out of his thoughts, turned to Aiba. "Four... Two older brothers, one older sister and a younger sister," he replied.
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As soon as they got into the line Ueshima had announced that they were going to start the trek. The big group headed down the mountain making small idle chats with one another. Takigawa and Kimeru took up the rear as they slowly made their way back downhill.
"So was this your first outdoor exposure?" Takigawa asked. "I recall you didn't attend the one last year."
"Aa...and for a good reason. I tire easily," Kimeru said with a frown.
"You should start exercising more, then," Takigawa offered.
Kimeru chuckled. "Maybe I should…" he said with a smile.
----------
Aiba thought about this for a moment. "Must be nice...having a big family," he said.
Shirota rubbed his nose. "If you think so..." he replied distractedly before their classes began.
Aiba said nothing as he saw a substitute teacher enter for their homeroom class, since Ueshima-sensei wasn't around.
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It wasn't long till they reached midpoint again. Kimeru leaned on a rock, panting. "Seriously!! This is why I don't like outbound activities!" he exclaimed.
Takigawa chuckled, offering his water jug. "Here, you seem to need this more than I do," he stated.
"Ah...thanks..." Kimeru said as he gratefully took the jug and drank some water.
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Homeroom went by pretty quickly before their first class began. Shirota began taking some notes, scribbling them down diligently into one of his notebooks.
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Soon they continued their trek down, and Kimeru couldn't believe that most of his batch mates still managed to chat while they were walking.
Takigawa watched Kimeru. "Do you need another energy boost?" he teased. "I have another snack in my bag, if you want."
"I....I'm fine....just a....a...little more to go, anyway," he managed to say. "I can do it..."
"I'll have to get you to start exercising before our next field trip," Takigawa suggested, chuckling.
"W...Whatever Takigawa…" Kimeru managed to say.
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Aiba thought about what he could do after class. He knew he had to rush everything and finish what he could before nightfall came. He sighed. 'At least I won't have much of a problem tomorrow,' he thought.
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After half an hour they were back on the bus and on the way back to school. Kimeru sat on the aisle seat while Takigawa was on the window seat.
"I…am...never...doing...this…again!!" Kimeru said.
"I highly doubt that, right Dai...suke?" Furukawa said as he looked at his partner who was out like a light already.
Takigawa leaned on the window and fell asleep not long after the bus had started.
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Aiba sighed. It was already lunch break and he was at the library. His phone was ringing again; he looked at it and decided to answer it. He went out of the library and ran to the bathroom before pressing the answer button.
"Hiroki!!" A voice came from the other line.
"...Nee-san..." he answered quietly, smiling a bit at the sound of his sister's voice.
"Where have you been? Why haven't you been answering our messages?" Hinako asked.
"I...I'm sorry nee-san..." he said simply. "I can't tell you where I'm staying right now, okay? Please understand...and don't tell kaa-san that you managed to talk to me," he said.
"Hiro...please come back home," his sister pleaded.
"I'm sorry nee-san....I can't," he answered. "..I have to go...I still have class." He didn't wait for an answer as he ended the call, wiping the tears that ran down his face. He went to the sink to wash his face to help him calm down.
Shirota was at the courtyards, managing to find some time alone. He took out his soccer ball and began dribbling it. 'So Aiba-kun is coming over to the house tomorrow... I'll have to ask Maria-neesan to cook up something special…' he thought happily to himself before his cell phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Startled, Shirota quickly flicked the ball up and caught it before fishing his phone out and checking the display. "A-re?" He smirked and moved to a bench as he flipped his phone up and brought it to his ear.
"Yuu, did I catch you during your lunch break?" the voice began.
Shirota chuckled. "Hai, Dai-ani. Anything special you wanted to say? You rarely call, after all..."
"Aa. I called to tell you that I'll be staying over at the house this weekend since kaa-san's coming home, too. I'll be there by tomorrow afternoon," Dai explained.
Shirota groaned. Now all his older siblings would be home tomorrow. "Glad to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow, then," he stated.
"Ja."
The call ended as Shirota closed his phone, heaving a huge sigh, rubbing the back of his head. 'I'm in a big pinch...' he told himself.
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Kimeru looked over at his partner and noticed that he was asleep. He sighed. 'Oh well...at least he's my partner now...' he thought as he leaned back on the chair. He heard the soft snoring of Daisuke at the back and soon enough he fell asleep as well, his head falling on Takigawa's shoulder.
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Nagayan, who was in the seat just in front of the two grinned as he propped himself up on his seat and took a picture.
"I want a copy of that!" Furukawa said from the back.
"Hai hai~" Nagayan said with a smile.
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Aiba went back to the room, eyes still a bit red from being overwhelmed by his emotions. 'Calm down Hiroki....this was your choice after all...calm down...' he told himself as he buried his face in his arms as he leaned on the table.
Shirota returned to the classroom with his ball. "You alright, Aiba-kun?" he inquired.
"I...I'm fine..." Aiba managed to say, not daring to look up. "No...I take it back, I'm not fine," he said as he felt the tears threatening to fall again.
Shirota frowned and leaned against his desk, watching him. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked quietly.
Aiba bit his lip, thinking about it for a while. "My...my sister called a while ago..." he started. "They don't know that I'm staying at the dorms...heck they don't even know if I'm in the city…all they know is that I'm going to school here at Mitsukaru..." he explained as he sat up to wipe his tears away with his sleeve. "I never answered their calls or their mails... until now..." he said, looking blankly at his desk. "...I just...never realized that I miss them, I guess…"
Shirota listened to Aiba before he shrugged. "I'd be intruding on your privacy if I asked you why you're living in the dorms... Even if you have a family who're worried about you..." he stated sadly.
Aiba shook his head. "I have a reason why I'm staying at the dorms and I don't regret leaving the house...After all...I just can't take it anymore because of-- I'm sorry Shirota-kun, I must be boring you with all of this...please forget that I said anything..." he said as he closed his eyes to calm himself down.
Shirota shook his head as he straightened up. "I wasn't bored..." he said quietly as he moved to the door. "I do hope to hear that story soon..." he said, lingering for a moment before leaving the room to go to the bathroom.
Aiba sighed, slightly wondering what possessed him to tell Shirota what he just did. 'This is the very thing I didn't want to happen....' he thought sadly. 'I can't....not now...and most importantly...not him...'
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It was already 5 in the afternoon when the buses have returned to the school.
"Wake up, people!! We're here!" Ueshima announced happily.
Takigawa had stirred from Ueshima's loud voice as he made to get up before he felt a weight on his shoulder, seeing Kimeru asleep. He gently shook him awake. "Oi. Kimeru... We're back at the school... Wake up," he called.
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Shirota had just come from soccer practice when he saw the buses. Grinning, he headed up to meet up with Takigawa.
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Kimeru grunted. "No...." he mumbled.
Furukawa chuckled. "Good luck with him, Takigawa. It would take more than the end of the world to get his mind working properly."
Takigawa turned to Furukawa. "Is that right?" He returned his attention to Kimeru. "Kimeru, I'm cooking Okonomiyaki tonight. Do you want to come over and have some?" he inquired.
Kimeru opened his eyes sleepily. "I heard Okonomiyaki..." he said slowly as he looked at Takigawa.
Furukawa chuckled as he got up, "You're really one of a kind, Takigawa." he said as he headed to the doors.
Kimeru yawned as he took his bag. "Let's go...I wanna eat..."
Takigawa laughed. "So my bait worked, and that means I really do have to make Okonomiyaki tonight..." he thought as he and Kimeru disembarked the bus.
"Eiji-senpai!" Shirota greeted.
"You're still here?" Takigawa inquired.
Shirota nodded. "Aa. Practice just ended. So I'm staying over with you tonight."
Takigawa took a moment to check his watch. "It's Thursday, isn't it? Sure, no problem," he replied with a grin as he turned to Kimeru. "Though it seems I'll have to feed this guy some dinner..."
Kimeru almost fell from the steps of the bus; luckily Ueshima caught him in time.
"Careful there, Kimeru-kun..." Ueshima said with a chuckle.
"Hai...." Kimeru answered drowsily.
"Are you alright? You look a little tipsy," Takigawa stated as he spotted Kimeru and frowned. "Will you be able to walk on your own?"
"Swear to sleepy I am not Kami-sama..." Kimeru mumbled.
Ueshima laughed. "I think he meant: Swear to Kami-sama I am not sleepy," he said.
"That's what I said…" Kimeru said with a glare towards Ueshima, but it didn't exactly work.
Takigawa sighed as he shed off his bag. "Can you carry this for me, Shirotan?" he asked, handing it out to the younger boy.
"Okay..." Shirota replied, taking the bag and slinging it over his other shoulder.
"In the state he's in right now, he won't be able to support himself..." Ueshima noted.
"Looks like I'll have to bring him home tonight..." Takigawa stated with a shrug. "I'll take it from here, sensei."
Ueshima nodded. "Make sure he gets some rest, Takigawa-kun. And I'll see you tomorrow, Shirota-kun," he said before taking his things and headed into the school.
Kimeru looked at Takigawa for a while. "....I can go home by myself..." he said with a pout. "Just need to get to get my orientation back..." he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
"Going up five floors? I don't think so..." Takigawa said in disapproval. "Come on, let's get some food into you..." he said, nodding to Shirota. "Ikuze, Shirotan."
Shirota followed as they started off heading to Takigawa's place.
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As soon as they arrived at Takigawa's home, Kimeru went straight to the couch and slumped down. "I can't keep my eyes open..." he whined.
Shirota entered and set all the bags down in the living room before he wiped the accumulated sweat on his forehead. "You guys don't have classes tomorrow, right?" he inquired.
Takigawa moved into the kitchen to wash his hands. "Aa." He peeked out into the living room to look over to Kimeru before gesturing Shirota to help him out in the kitchen.
"I'm just going to....close my eyes for a..." Kimeru didn't finish his sentence as he fell asleep on the couch.
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"You realize that with both of us here in the kitchen, Kimeru-senpai can fall asleep again?" Shirota whined as he began making the batter for the Okonomiyaki.
Takigawa nodded. "Yes, I do. He just might be lacking sleep, so let him fall asleep all he wants for the time being," he explained. "We can wake him up when dinner's ready."
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Aiba looked out of the window and sighed heavily. He looked at his phone that was now turned off. He didn't want to entertain any more calls from his family when one was enough to push him to tears. More importantly…he had things to think about.
'Why did I openly tell Shirota-kun that my family didn't know that I stayed in the dorms?' he asked himself. 'This is what I was avoiding...I should have stopped earlier...' he looked at the picture in his hands. It was one of the first pictures he took of Shirota.
"I want to tell you..." he said sadly. "I want to tell you everything...but I just can't... Not now.... and not ever."
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It wasn't long before Takigawa and Shirota's combined efforts produced a number of pancakes that Shirota had transferred to the dining table as Takigawa moved to wake Kimeru from his slumber.
"Kimeru... Okonomiyaki's ready..." Takigawa stated, shaking the boy.
Kimeru, upon hearing this, woke up immediately. "Where?" he asked sleepily as he stood.
Shirota was halfway into a chair as Takigawa led Kimeru to the dining table, easing him into a seat. "Hai, dozo," he offered before taking his own seat. "Shirotan, you should relax," he added.
Shirota sat down on the chair. "Aa..."
"...Oh...Shirota-kun is here too...hi…" Kimeru said as he tried to blink himself awake. "Itadakimasu..." he said before he started eating.
The three partook of the Okonomiyaki for dinner. Afterwards, they decided to head to bed early.
Shirota had brought the bags upstairs as Takigawa helped Kimeru up the stairs, the latter of whom was still drowsy despite having eaten.
"Gomen, Shirotan. Looks like you'll have to use my parents' room tonight..." Takigawa apologized as soon as he reached the top of the stairs.
Shirota looked over to Kimeru, who Takigawa had put on his back. "I don't mind..." he replied carefully. "But I'm surprised he got even drowsier after he ate..."
Takigawa looked over his shoulder to see Kimeru's sleeping form and chuckled. "He probably just needs a good night's rest. He'll sleep in the room with me tonight. I'll be up early so--"
Shirota shook his head. "No, it's alright. I don't want to impose on you making breakfast. You can sleep in, Eiji-kun," he reassured him. "Take care of Kimeru-senpai," he added.
Takigawa blushed for a moment before nodding. "Aa... Oyasumi..." He headed to his room and set Kimeru down on his bed, deciding to let him sleep there for the night before he got ready for bed himself, settling into the futon on the floor after pulling the blankets over Kimeru and settling to sleep as well.
Unfortunately for Takigawa, he had failed to notice one thing. Kimeru's bed in the dorms always had the left side against the wall...and it was for a good reason. Kimeru had this habit of always moving to the left of whatever he was sleeping on. That was why he always made a conscious effort of sleeping on a place where his left side would be blocked. But in this case...he didn't. That's why in the middle of the night, he fell off the bed, onto the futon where Takigawa was sleeping on. He subconsciously moved towards the warmth and placed an arm around him.
TBC
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