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 11th chapter entitled Doom, Gloom and Regret. This chapter introduces us to an avid admirer of Aiba and threatens Shirota to stay away from him. This rift causes both Shirota and Aiba to move away for quite some time, ultimately ticking off Kimeru who decides to do something about it and tries to get the two back together. To do this, the band vocalist makes use of the empty band club studio.
**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 rest of the day proceeded like normal. It didn't take long before the last class ended and everybody was off to perform their club duties. Shirota was off to the Council Room to meet up with the other two as planned. Aiba had left to finish his section of the paper that afternoon with the rest of the members of the school paper.
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Reaching the third floor, Shirota turned a corner from the stairs before he stopped when he saw a senior student blocking his way. "Can I help you?" Shirota inquired.
"I've been waiting for you..." the senior began.
Shirota blinked. "What for?"
The senior advanced before taking Shirota by the collar of his uniform. "Shirota Yuu... You're the guy Aiba bid for yesterday, right?"
Shirota nodded calmly. "So what if I am?"
The senior, who was taller and apparently stronger than the boy, pulled the freshman off his feet and slammed his back to the nearest wall before leaning in close to whisper in his ear. "I'll only say this once. If you know what's best for you, you'll stop hanging around Aiba."
"I can't do that," Shirota replied, earning him a knee to the gut.
Kamei pulled back, the anger evident in his face. "Kozo! Doyou know who you're talking to?!" he bellowed.
Shirota shook his head, wincing at the pain.
"Captain of the Judo Club, Kamei Haruteru," he introduced. "Give me one good reason why you can't do what I ask you to!"
Shirota gritted his teeth. "He and I are classmates... And there's also that Buddy--"
"To hell with that!" Kamei interjected, punching the wall beside Shirota's head. "I know I can't do anything about you being in class together, but you'd better stay away from him after classes."
"That's not for me to decide..." Shirota reasoned.
Kamei let Shirota go as the boy slid down the wall, clutching his stomach. "I won't tell you again. I'd better find Aiba alone tomorrow after class at the courtyard or I swear I'll make your life hell." With that, Kamei stomped off as Shirota groaned, leaning against the wall, hissing in pain.
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Aiba put down his camera after taking a few shots, 'That's strange...he should be here by now...' he thought as he looked around. "Yuu...where the heck are you?" he muttered.
Kentarou looked around and saw that Aiba was there. He jogged up to him. "Oi, Aiba-kun. What are you doing here?" he inquired. "Didn't Shirota-kun tell you he only comes to training every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? He's doing work for the Council on Tuesdays and Thursdays," he explained.
Aiba blinked. "Oh yeah....it's Tuesday...I forgot about that," he admitted. "Oh well...for a minute there I thought something happened," he said. "A-no sa...if he comes by can you tell him I have to cover another club for a while? One of our staff is absent and he was supposed to take pictures of the members today," he explained before picking up his things. "Thanks!" he said before heading back to the building to locate the club he was talking about.
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Takigawa and Moriyama stepped out of the Council Room for a while to submit some things to the Vice-Principal.
"Where's Shirota-kun?" Moriyama inquired as they turned a corner.
Takigawa shrugged as he moved along with his crutches. "Must've--Shirotan!" he exclaimed, seeing the boy in question on the ground, leaning against the wall and clutching his stomach. Takigawa moved forward as quickly as he could. "Oi!"
Shirota opened his eyes at the sound of Takigawa's voice. "E...Eiji-kun..."
"What happened?" Takigawa demanded as Moriyama arrived and knelt down beside Shirota.
"Are you alright?" Moriyama asked.
"What happened?" Takigawa repeated.
Shirota took a while to catch his breath. "I just experienced being picked on by an upperclassman..." he mused before wincing in pain.
Moriyama and Takigawa exchanged glances. "Do you know who it was?" the president inquired.
Shirota nodded. "A senior Judo captain."
Moriyama shrugged. "Kamei-kun..." he said. "He's causing trouble again..."
Shirota looked over to him. "What do you mean?"
Takigawa sighed. "Can you stand, Shirotan?" he asked.
Shirota nodded as Moriyama helped him up. "Do you think you need to go to the clinic?" Moriyama inquired.
"I'll be fine..." Shirota said.
"Let's take him back to the Council Room for now..." Takigawa suggested before the three headed back in that direction. "I'm sure Shirotan wants to know all about Kamei Haruteru..."
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Aiba sighed before knocking on the door of the Judo Club. "Aiba Hiroki of the School Paper, I'm supposed to take pictures of the club," he announced with a bow as soon as the door slid open.
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As soon as Moriyama set Shirota down on the couch at the room, Takigawa lowered himself onto the other one.
"Kamei Haruteru... He's quite a troublesome fellow since his freshman year..." Moriyama began as he poured some tea for the two. "I was already in the Council at the time and he was part of the Judo club as soon as he entered Senior High..."
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Kamei grinned. 'What a lucky day this turned out to be,' he told himself. "Oh, Aiba-kun! I'm the captain of the Judo varsity, Kamei Haruteru. Don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions with things. Come in," he said, stepping aside.
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"And what was wrong with being in the Judo club?" Shirota inquired.
"Well, it gave you a good idea that he knew how to use his fists when he needed to," Takigawa explained, taking his cup of tea.
Moriyama nodded. "Usually, he'd get into a confrontation with an upperclassman for being too arrogant and it was settled with a fight. When he entered second year, he began to get these feelings towards a student from Takigawa's batch... But that student was already with somebody else, so..."
"So Kamei-senpai threatened that somebody else to leave the senpai he liked alone..." Shirota chimed in as Moriyama and Takigawa nodded.
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Aiba nodded. "Hai. I'll keep that in mind Kamei-senpai," he said before stepping inside the room. He sighed inwardly. 'In all honesty I would rather be with Yuu right now...stupid Nakagauchi-senpai...you just had to be absent on a day like this....' he thought before going to the side, preparing the camera to take pictures.
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Moriyama blinked, looking back to Shirota. "Wait... That would mean that..."
Takigawa rubbed the back of his neck. "Kamei-senpai's got his eye on Aiba this time around..." he muttered.
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Aiba took a few more pictures, checking them once they were captured before deciding that he was done for the day with that club. He looked around to look for the captain and approached him once he spotted him. "Kamei-senpai, I finished taking the pictures of the club. Thank you for allowing me to take them and look forward to seeing them along with Nakagauchi-senpai's article in the next issue of the paper," he said as he smiled diplomatically. "I'll be going now." he said before turning around to leave.
Kamei took hold of Aiba's arm. "Chotto," he called. Most of the members headed for the locker rooms for a shower, leaving Kamei alone with Aiba. "I need to ask you something."
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Takigawa looked over to Shirota. "And do you plan to do anything about that, Shirotan?" he inquired.
Shirota was tracing the rim of his cup with his thumbs in deep thought. "If he wants me to stop being with Hiroki, there's nothing I can do..." he said quietly. "It's not my decision to make because..." He paused and took a sip of tea. "Because Hiroki and I..."
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Aiba looked at the hand that was holding his arm before looking at Kamei. "What is it, senpai?" he asked.
Kamei stared into Aiba's eyes. "Do you... have any special feelings towards someone?" he began.
"W-W-What?" Aiba asked as he looked at Kamei, subconsciously taking a step back. 'What has that got to do with anything?!' he asked himself. "A…A-no...Yes senpai...I do have …er...special feelings...towards someone," he answered.
Kamei frowned. "That's too bad..." he said, taking a step forward. "So someone's beat me to you, then? Confessing their feelings, I mean..." He narrowed his eyes. "It's that soccer prodigy Shirota, isn't it?" he said dangerously.
Aiba tried to free his hand from Kamei's grip. "I don't see the point of sharing that piece of information with you senpai," he said with a glare.
"Like it isn't obvious, seeing how much time you spend with him after classes..." Kamei scoffed. "We'll see who deserves you more... Me or him..." Kamei released his hold on Aiba before storming off.
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"Hiroki and I still have a lot more to learn about each other..." Shirota finished before he drank the rest of his tea. "I for one don't truly understand Hiroki's feelings yet... Despite what's happened... I cherish Hiroki... but I feel as it there's still a lot of ways for us to strengthen our relationship more..."
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'What the hell was that about?!' Aiba thought as he rubbed his arm. "They weren't kidding when they said he had a killer grip...." he muttered before heading out.
"Oi Aiba!"
Aiba turned around when he heard a familiar voice. "Kimeru-senpai," he greeted with a nod.
Kimeru frowned. "What were you doing in the Judo Club?" he asked.
"I was covering the club since Nakagauchi-senpai is absent," Aiba replied.
"Oh. So anyway, I was heading to the council room. Wanna come with?" he asked.
"Sure, I'm heading there anyway," Aiba agreed.
When they reached the council room Kimeru knocked on the door.
Shirota set his cup of tea down and leaned back on the couch, bringing a hand to his stomach, wincing slightly. "Itte..." he hissed.
Moriyama set his cup down and got to his feet. "Kamei-kun's built himself up because he does Judo, so it's no wonder the pain lasts this long..." he sympathized before attending to the door and slid it open. "Oh, Kimeru-kun and Aiba-kun," he greeted, nodding to them.
Kimeru entered the room and nodded to them. "I found this guy along the hallway and decided to bring him along," he said as he gestured to Aiba who made his way towards Shirota. "Sorry for barging in," he said to Moriyama before noticing something strange about Shirota. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Takigawa nodded to Kimeru and Aiba as he took another sip of his tea as his gaze moved to Shirota.
Shirota closed an eye as he adjusted himself. "Not as well as I'd like to be," he admitted.
"Why? What happened?" Aiba asked in concern.
Kimeru looked at the three. 'What's this? Student Council tea party?' he thought in amusement.
"I got a knee to the gut from Kamei-senpai earlier..." Shirota said quietly.
Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. As if reading his mind, he closed his eyes and continued drinking his tea. "It's not what it looks like. Moriyama-senpai made some tea that can help Shirota calm down," he explained.
Kimeru looked at Takigawa in surprise. "How do you do that?!" he asked.
Aiba frowned. "Oh...him...." he muttered. "He said something funny earlier after I took pictures of the Judo Club....and he left me with something too, I think," he said.
Shirota frowned, looking over to Aiba. "Left you with something?" he repeated.
Takigawa shrugged. "You're the only one I know who'd think like that, Kime-kun," he accused lightly.
Kimeru chuckled. "You know me so well..." he teased.
Aiba sighed before removing his blazer and showed Shirota his arm where, sure enough, the part that Kamei had gripped earlier was a bit red.
This caught Kimeru's attention. "What the heck?" he muttered.
Moriyama looked over and sighed. "They say Kamei has quite a pincer-like grip," he said. "The two of you better be careful around him," he said, looking over from Shirota to Aiba. "Shirota more than Aiba, I might have to say..."
"And that's because Kamei-senpai will be venting out his anger on Shirota rather than Aiba... Just like what he did with Hayashino last year..." Takigawa said slowly.
Aiba, finally putting two and two together in the scenario, frowned before turning to look at Moriyama. "This...this is about me isn't it?" he asked. "He did that to Yuu because of me," he said as he looked down. "Darn it...." he muttered before looking at Shirota. 'What am I going to do?' he asked himself.
Moriyama and Shirota's eyes met for a moment before the younger boy nodded. "Kamei... He said something along the lines of liking you, didn't he, Aiba-kun?" Moriyama began. "If that's the case, he wants to find a way to get you alone and see the relationship through from his perspective... And put Shirota-kun out of the picture in the process."
Aiba chose not to reply as he thought things over.
"Aiba?" Kimeru said as he placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder.
Aiba shrugged Kimeru's hand away and looked at Shirota. "I'll fix this..." he said before running out of the office to track down a certain senior.
Shirota's eyes widened as he watched Aiba leave. "Oi, mat---" He moved toward the door before stopping, wincing at the movement as he brought a hand to his stomach.
"Easy, Shirotan..." Moriyama said quietly, easing him back onto the couch.
Kimeru frowned. "I don't like this one bit..." he muttered. "I'm going to follow Aiba!" he said before heading out as well.
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Takigawa watched Kimeru leave before turning to Shirota. "Oi..."
"I want to go after him..." Shirota muttered. "But I can't..."
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'Damn it! I don't have any idea where he ran off to!' Kimeru thought in frustration as he looked around, running down the halls.
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Aiba frowned as he closed the door behind him. "You....why did you do that to Shirota?!" he asked in anger.
Kamei smirked. "Why are you getting angry?" he inquired, moving towards him. "Someone like him couldn't possibly protect you from anybody who dares to hurt you," he said. "You're better off with me, don't you agree? I'll keep you safe, Aiba-kun."
Aiba glared at him. 'No. I don't agree!' he told himself. He fisted his hands, "What do you want?" he asked. "What would make you stay away from Shirota? What do I have to do to ensure that you wouldn't hurt him again?!"
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"Aiba!!" Kimeru called out, stopping near the courts. "I can't find him anywhere...." he muttered as he looked around. "This is not good..." 'Aiba, you better not do anything stupid!!' he shouted in his mind in frustration.
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Kamei smirked. "Leave him. The only reason I'd hurt him is to make sure he stays away from you, anyway," he explained calmly. "So if you're begging for me to leave him alone, you'll leave him... and be with me."
"What?!" Aiba exclaimed. "That's stupid I..I..." he paused, his heart racing at the adrenalin rush. He looked down and thought for a moment. "If I do this...will you guarantee that you will not harm Shirota Yuu ever again?" he asked.
Kamei nodded, bringing a hand to his chest. "I guarantee it."
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Kimeru returned to the Student Council office. "Couldn't find him anywhere..." he said as he went inside. He saw Aiba's blazer on Moriyama's desk and a thought came to mind. "That idiot! He couldn't have possibly went to.....damn it!"
Shirota got to his feet and took his bag with him.
"Oi, Shirota..." Moriyama called.
"I'm going home..." he replied, glancing over to the others in the room. "Gomen, I can't help you with Eiji-kun tonight, Kimeru-senpai..." he muttered, nodding before leaving.
Takigawa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is going to hurt them both..." he said.
Kimeru frowned. "I'm going to look for that brat and knock some sense into his head!" Kimeru proclaimed before turning around to hunt down Aiba once more.
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Aiba took a deep breath before looking at Kamei, 'Please forgive me, Yuu....I just don't want you getting hurt because of me...' "I'll do it."
Kamei's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Glad to hear that, Aiba-kun," he said before turning around. "I'll see you tomorrow during lunch at the courtyard then. I'll bring some food for us to share, alright?" he explained. "Jya!" He headed back to the locker rooms.
"Aa...." Aiba replied before turning around to leave.
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Shirota was walking away from the school building, his pace decreased due to the pain delivered to him earlier. He winced in pain every few steps. 'How in the world do you think I'd feel, then..? If you went off and did that...' he thought to himself in anger.
The next day at classes, Aiba sighed as he went to his seat. He had arrived late that morning and most of his classmates were already in the room. He went straight to his seat and ignored Shirota.
Endo looked over at Yanagi. "Okay....something's wrong with those two. Want to go and find out?" he asked.
Ueshima stepped into the room. "Ohayou~" he greeted brightly before he went to his desk, noticing that Shirota had stood. "Something wrong, Shirota?"
The class looked over to him. Shirota took a moment's glance over to Aiba before he turned to Ueshima and said, "Sensei, would it be alright if I asked for a transfer of seats for a while?"
The rest of the class -Aiba included- stared at Shirota in shock.
'T-transfer?' Aiba thought before immediately looking away, trying to will away the pain he felt at Shirota's sudden request.
Ueshima blinked, looking between Shirota and Aiba for a minute before clearing his throat, nodding. "Very well, then. You can take the empty seat here up front," he said, gesturing to the seat right in front of him.
Shirota bowed. "Arigatou gozaimasu, sensei." He gathered up his things and headed to his new seat as murmurs engaged between the class at this sudden request from Shirota.
"Let's check attendance, then!" Ueshima said distractedly.
Aiba couldn't concentrate the whole morning. When he was called up to answer for one of their morning subjects all he could do was look away from the teacher and quietly say that he didn't know, earning a surprised look from both his teacher and his classmates.
During the first break he remained in his seat, refusing to talk to anyone, even Adachi who came over for something about the school paper. When classes resumed everyone could feel the tension between Shirota and Aiba but no one dared to say anything about it.
Shirota, in the meantime, was showing a different side of him that the rest of the class never really thought existed in the boy. He was silent during breaks when he would usually engage in conversation and rarely offered anything for class discussions as he usually would.
Then lunch came. Aiba dreaded that certain period and inwardly groaned when the bell rang to signal the second break of the day. Shirota had left the classroom and headed out on his own to think. Aiba stood up from his seat. "Aiba? You're not eating with us today?" Zukki asked as he looked at him. Aiba shook his head before leaving the room to head to the courtyard.
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Kamei was waiting on a bench at the courtyard when he saw Aiba arrive. He smiled as he approached. "I'm glad you made it," he said. "I've got us some sandwiches to feast on."
Aiba couldn't even force himself to smile as he sat down beside Kamei. He looked at him for a moment before turning away. "Gomen, Kamei-senpai....I'm not hungry," he said.
"You're still holding feelings for him, aren't you?" Kamei said as he took a sandwich from the pack and ate it. "Better you let them go already, Aiba-kun."
'And you honestly think that it's that easy...wait scratch that...I don't even want to let those feeling go you idiotic--' Aiba cut his train of thought there before he let something slip out. He chose to stay quiet and just let Kamei do the talking.
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Shirota was sitting down on the steps of the auditorium building, his face in his hands.
"Oi, Shirota!" Kujirai called, approaching him.
Shirota looked over to see the 2nd year approach him as he got to his feet. "Something wrong, Kujirai-senpai?" he asked bluntly.
"Are you coming to practice later?"
Shirota slipped his hands into his pockets. "Maybe not," he replied before walking away.
Kujirai glanced over to Shirota. "Something's distracted him..." he muttered, shaking his head.
Shirota was in a bad mood for the rest of the week that he refused to go to soccer practice - more to save himself the indignity of being distracted -, and rarely spoke a word of random conversation to his fellow classmates. He even rejected any calls from Takigawa that weekend and spent the weekend locked up in his room, much to the worry of his sister Maria.
Kamei was spending time with Aiba every chance he could, talking about himself in his arrogant manner and very rarely asked Aiba for any insight. It was clearly a one-sided 'relationship' between them. Moriyama and Takigawa, who were worried about Shirota and Aiba's lack of performance during the week since the incident, decided to do something about it the following Monday.
Aiba had also been ignoring all his priorities that week; he didn't attend to his assignment of covering the activities of the varsity club nor did he attend to any of the club meetings of the school paper. Yagami was quite alarmed when he found out about this and immediately approached Moriyama to look into it.
At home, his sister also noticed the lack of enthusiasm she had grown accustom to when Aiba was around, and when she had asked about Shirota, Aiba just simply looked away and excused himself to go up to his room. During those times Aiba would only come out the next day.
Then there was another thing...Kamei. The senior had taken every chance to with Aiba and the freshman knew that he couldn't take it anymore. He had spent almost all of his free time with the senior and it always ended up with him listening to things he wasn't even interested in. There were many times that he just wanted to snap at him but refrained from doing so because he kept in mind that if he did there was a chance that Shirota might get in trouble for it afterwards.
While all of this was happening, a spectator to this problem was growing more tired of watching the melodrama for the whole week. Kimeru was fed up with them; both of them. He knew that what was happening was definitely something that the two freshmen had no power over so he was wondering why the two, instead of talking in a civilized way to get things settled, completely ignored one another and chose to mope in their own little corners of woe.
Monday came along and he knew that it had gone too far. That morning, the band vocalist barged in the student council room and slammed the door close behind him. "I am sick and tired of all this drama in the campus," he started as he glared at the two. "We are going to do something. NOW!"
He looked at Moriyama. "The band studio is empty. I made sure that no one would be entering until we're through with it. I need you to get me some heavy duty locks." He then faced Takigawa. "You...you will get Shirota and drag him there! I don't care what it takes as long as you get him there in 10 minutes. I'll take care of Aiba."
Moriyama and Takigawa, surprised at this sudden entrance, looked at one another for a minute before nodding to Kimeru. "A...Aa..." they replied before dispersing. Moriyama headed off to get the locks from the equipment room in the gym while Takigawa - thankful that his sprain was healed - went off to look for Shirota.
The Student Council Vice President had found his childhood friend in a particular location by the soccer field, lying down on the grass. He approached him. "Oi, Shirota."
"What?" Shirota asked in annoyance, looking up at him.
"Come with me for a bit," Takigawa requested firmly. Not waiting for an answer, he took Shirota by the wrist and dragged him to his feet. "And I won't have no for an answer," he added before pulling the freshman off to the band studio.
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"Kimeru-senpai! Let me go!!" Aiba yelled as he thrashed against Kimeru who had hoisted him over his shoulder and was now carrying him like a sack of potatoes.
"I'm sorry Aibacchin, I can't do that," he said as he stopped by the door of the band studio and opened it. "In you go," he said as he dropped Aiba unceremoniously by the platform and exited the room. "I love sound proof rooms..." he said with a grin as he leaned on the door to prevent the boy from escaping.
Takigawa arrived not long after with Shirota in tow. "Kime..." he started before Moriyama arrived moments later.
"I've got them!" he exclaimed.
"Quick, shove him in!" Kimeru said as he opened the door and closed it as soon as Shirota was inside. He held the door down as Moriyama placed the locks. "That should do it," Kimeru muttered. "Now we look for the one who caused all this..." he told the two.
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Aiba blinked as he saw who arrived. 'Oh please no...it can't be!' he thought in alarm.
Shirota got to his feet. "Of all the places..." he muttered before he turned to see Aiba there. "And what did they want to achieve with putting me in here alone with you?" he asked bluntly, shaking his head.
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Takigawa looked over to the door. "Are you sure it's alright if we leave them in there, Kime? At this point they might end up throwing fists at one another instead of actually talking..." he reasoned.
"You honestly think that the Student Council is the only organization with cameras?" Kimeru asked with a grin. "Don't worry. If anything gets out of hand Nagayan and the others will step in," he assured the two. "Now where the heck is that Kamei person?"
Takigawa nodded. "Kamei usually comes to school right before pre-homeroom, so he'll be on his way at about his time," he explained.
Kimeru smirked. "Good...coz he's in a lot of trouble," he muttered.
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"I don't know," Aiba answered flatly before adjusting his sitting position so that his back was facing the other boy.
Shirota was looking at his palm, curling it into a fist. "Are you enjoying yourself with Kamei-senpai?" he inquired off-handedly.
Aiba frowned. "It's not what it looks like," he said. "I'm not with him because I want to."
Shirota approached Aiba and pulled him around to face him, gripping on his collar. "Is that right…well then what the hell are you doing with him?!" he demanded.
Aiba glared at him and pushed him away. "Because he promised that he won't hurt you anymore if I go out with him!!" he snapped.
Shirota's hand was trembling and before he knew it, his fist had collided with Aiba's cheek, sending the other boy to the floor. "You idiot!" he bellowed. "Just because he drove his knee to my gut back then doesn't mean you have to risk yourself to prevent me from getting hurt!"
Aiba's glare intensified but he chose not to fight back. He got to his feet and met Shirota's gaze dead on. "I would rather do that then see you beaten to a bloody pulp because of me!" he yelled. "Don't you understand?! That was the only way to get him to stop threatening you and hurting you!"
Shirota chuckled. "And you think I'm grateful for that gesture?" he said angrily. "Do you think I'm happy because you stuck up for me?!" Shirota yelled back. "
"And you honestly think that I'm happy with what I'm doing?!" Aiba said. "I never expected you to be grateful for what I did! I know that this would end up with you hating me!" He looked away. "But guess what. I still did it. Because I didn't care!! All that mattered to me was that you were safe!" He paused for a moment. "Now if you can't get it through your head that I'm not doing this because I want to nor am I doing this because I have a reason that apparently YOU'RE not listening to then I would rather not talk about it!!"
"Oi..." Shirota kicked Aiba in the stomach, causing him to move back into the seat nearby. "Nobody said I hated you..." he hissed. "I'm just generally ticked off that you went and did that without telling me properly!" he shouted, stomping off to the other side of the studio, kicking a chair down as he crossed it, his back to Aiba. "Did it even occur to you that by doing that it was just like burying me in my grave?!" he yelled, shutting his eyes when he felt tears cloud his vision. "Darn it, this is worse than anything Kamei-senpai would've done to me if you didn't say anything!!"
Aiba brought a hand up to his stomach. 'This guy doesn't know his own strength...' he thought as he winced in pain. "Look. I don't have anything else to say and I won't even bother justifying what I did since none of it is getting through you," he said before looking at Shirota but soon realized that the other was not going to look at him anytime soon. "But let me tell you one last thing.... I'm sorry."
He then looked down. "I'm sorry for deciding all this on my own. I'm sorry for not telling you anything and most of all...I'm sorry that I caused you to suffer for the past week...and even if there's a chance that this has no meaning to you anymore...during the times that I was with Kamei-senpai...I felt nothing...nothing compared to what I feel for you," he finished. "So go ahead. Punch me, Kick me…do anything you want because I won't say anything else anymore."
Shirota took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I heard from somewhere... that while actions do speak louder than words... in a relationship... words deal more damage... whether they are intended for good or bad..." he explained slowly, loud enough for Aiba to hear him.
"When you left the Council Room last Tuesday, I understood it already... what your intentions were... and I had resigned myself to not stop you from doing what you thought was morally right... Even if it was at the expense of killing me inside to have to ignore you and see you with Kamei-senpai..." Shirota sniffed, wiping the tears that started to form in his eyes.
Aiba sighed. 'If you had said something back then I wouldn't have done what I did...' he thought to himself. He stopped himself before he could say something that might cause Shirota to lash out again; so he decided to keep silent.
"I wanted to run after you, you know..." Shirota said after managing to compose himself a little. "But my state didn't allow me that privilege... So I didn't bother... But I wanted to tell you something... before you ran off so suddenly..."
"What...what did you want to tell me?" Aiba asked quietly, but loud enough for Shirota to hear.
"I would've told you I would rather get beaten up by a guy like him than renounce my feelings towards you... Because... I promised you that I wouldn't leave your side... That I'd protect you..." Shirota said before chuckling slightly. "I'm afraid I've broken my word quite a few times already, though... Especially when I let myself get affected by the thought of not being able to be with you whenever I could... Gomen..."
"Yuu...I..." Aiba started as he shook his head. "I can't blame you for being unable to keep your word because I was the one who had caused you to break it in the first place..." he said. He felt his vision fog up and used his sleeve to wipe away the impending tears. "I really...really didn't want to leave you but I also didn't want you being beaten up by someone if I can do something about it...you were not the one who first turned against the other. It was me..."
"What would you have done...if I told you what I said earlier back at the time? Would you have let me try and handle the situation at the expense of being physically abused by him... or would you still have left?" Shirota inquired.
"I...I would have stayed with you," Aiba answered. "But I would also try to find a solution to it. I wouldn't have just stood idly by.....but still I would have stayed," he said truthfully.
Shirota turned on his heel to finally face Aiba before slowly approaching him. He stopped a short distance away before he got to his knees, bowing. "Gomen!" he exclaimed. "I didn't intend to you hit you earlier..."
Aiba's eyes widened when he saw this. "Y-Yuu…" he said before rushing over. "Come on get up..." he said as he pulled Shirota up to look at him. "It's alright...I understand...I deserve it anyway. After all that I have put you through…this is nothing." he explained. "I'm the one who should be sorry...not you."
Shirota looked at Aiba for a moment before finally nodding, using his left arm to pull Aiba close. "Even still..." he whispered. "I apologize for not saying what I wanted to at the time... We wouldn't have had to go through all this if I said it..."
Aiba shook his head. "It doesn't matter now...it's over," he said quietly. "...and there's no way I'm going back to him after this..." He placed his arms around Shirota. "Let's try and talk things out next time we have problems so that we won't end up hurting each other again..." the younger pleaded.
Shirota winced before gently pushing Aiba back with his left hand. "Wait... Please don't touch my right elbow..." he requested. "It hurts..."
Aiba frowned. "What happened to it?" he asked.
Shirota got to his feet slowly. "Self-inflicted..." he muttered. "During the weekend..."
"S-Self inflicted?!" Aiba exclaimed. "Now I really want to hit you..." he muttered. "WHY?!"
Shirota shrugged, looking away from Aiba. "It's my penance for not doing anything about this sooner..." he muttered.
"Now that has got to be the most stupid thing I have ever heard, Shirota Yuu," Aiba said, deciding against hitting him. "Please promise me that you won't do this again."
"If you haven't noticed, me making promises end up in being broken eventually..." Shirota muttered.
Aiba frowned. "Will you please stop being stubborn about this one?" he said flatly. "Getting hurt by someone else is one thing but hurting yourself is another and not to mention stupid. I don't care if you think that you'd break this promise. At least try and keep it..."
Shirota looked over to Aiba for a few seconds. "If you want to do it, do it," he said. "I deserve that much, at least."
"I won't do it," Aiba said. "I don't like resorting to violence, thank you."
Shirota smirked. "Fine, then I won't make that promise just yet..." he said before moving off to the door.
Aiba frowned. 'I hate to do this but if it's the only way...' "Oi!" he called out and just as soon as Shirota turned to face him, Aiba punched him across the face. "There...happy?" he asked.
Shirota stumbled to the side before he found his balance, looking over to Aiba, smiling. "Aa... Sankyu..." he replied.
"Now promise me that you wouldn't do that again!" Aiba demanded as he walked up to Shirota.
Shirota moved forward as well and closed the gap between them before pulling Aiba into a kiss before he replied, "I promise, then..."
Aiba sighed in relief as they pulled apart.
----------
Meanwhile outside the room, Kimeru, Moriyama, Takigawa and Yagami were sitting along the hallway.
"Do you think we should check now?" Yagami asked the other three.
Kimeru looked at his watch. "Yeah maybe we should...Moriyama-senpai... I think you can open the door now."
Moriyama nodded as he got to his feet and undid the locks before opening the door.
"Oi!!" Shirota exclaimed from inside. "Don't scare us like that, opening the door so suddenly..."
"So I hope that you two were able to talk things out?" Yagami asked.
"Oh yeah...Kamei won't be bothering either of you anytime soon..." Kimeru added with a grin.
"Why is that sen--" Aiba was cut off when he felt pain shoot up. He stepped back a bit and leaned on the table just behind him.
"Oi, Aiba what's wrong?" Kimeru asked.
"N-nothing...." Aiba lied as he managed to get his balance back.
Takigawa looked at the two and shrugged. "Come on, let's get you two to the infirmary..." he said, reaching out for Shirota's arm before he inched back. "What's wrong?"
Shirota looked at the ground. "Don't touch that arm..." he muttered.
Kimeru chuckled. "I don't think so..." he said. "Now off we go."
Shirota and Takigawa looked at one another before shrugging their shoulders as they set off after them.
"What happened to your arm, then?" Takigawa inquired.
"I'll tell you later over the phone..." Shirota muttered as he brought a hand up to his elbow.
As soon as they reached the clinic the nurse had told the three upperclassmen to leave.
Kimeru frowned as they headed back to their rooms. "You were right after all, Eiji...they DID get physical…" he said.
Yagami chuckled. "I'd be more surprised if it didn't," he said.
Takigawa chuckled. "On Shirotan's part, it's to be expected when his mind is in that state..." he explained.
----------
Aiba stared at the white ceiling as he thought about what happened. 'I wonder why we don't have to worry about Kamei-senpai anymore...' he wondered. '…and more importantly...I don't know if Yuu and I are back in good terms as before....'
Shirota was on the other bed, heaving a sigh of relief as he was provided an elbow band and the bruise on his face attended to. 'Sempai tachi... They actually found a way to get Kamei-senpai off our backs, huh..?' he thought to himself with a smile.
Aiba turned to his side, his back on Shirota. 'But I would have to admit....I was stupid as well when I agreed to Kamei-senpai's terms without consulting Yuu...' he thought, frowning as he did so. 'I have to remember that I don't just make decisions like that alone anymore...'
----------
Kimeru grinned. "I guess so…but I'm surprised that Aiba even fought back," he said.
"That's because he's not the type to get physical, I guess?" Takigawa offered.
Kimeru nodded. "I guess that's it..." he said with a smile. "I'll see you at break then, Eiji. See you around, Yagami-senpai."
Yagami waved at him as he went to his classroom.
----------
Shirota looked over to Aiba. 'If anything... I want to believe that this is just a hurdle we need to get through...'
Aiba looked at the empty bed beside his. 'I guess I have to re-evaluate myself because of this...' he thought.
"Hiroki..." Shirota called, pulling the boy out of his thoughts as he pushed himself to sit up. "A-no sa... I'm going back to training later... But I already know I'll get scolded for missing all of last week's practices..." he started. "And we never got to do anything for that Buddy Auction last week too... So is it alright if we... go out later? After training?" he suggested.
Aiba, a bit surprised by Shirota's voice, blinked for a while before turning around to face the one on the other bed. He smiled softly. "That would be great..." he said.
Shirota nodded before chuckling to himself. "I'll probably be running laps throughout most of the practice days this week," he mused.
"Oh I'm sure you'll manage to survive it," Aiba said with a grin.
"Which reminds me..." Shirota said, frowning. "How's your stomach doing..?" he asked. "I apologize if I kicked you too hard..."
Aiba blinked. "It hurts a bit, but I'll be fine so there's no need to worry about it," he answered reassuringly.
"I failed to mention anything to you before... about what I tend to do when I end up with a mindset like that..." Shirota said, sighing as he brought his left hand to his injured elbow. "I probably didn't bother talking about it since it doesn't really happen very often... But..." he looked over to Aiba again. "...now you know."
"Sou...." Aiba said. "And the next time you even dare to do it I will wring your neck. Got that?" he warned.
Shirota broke a smile, nodding. "Douzo. I'd appreciate the gesture, actually," he replied coolly.
Aiba sighed. 'There is just no getting through this guy about things like this...' he thought. "I'm not kidding Yuu...if you try to injure yourself one more time for any reason. I'm going to get mad at you and I swear it'll take more than a punch for me to get over it and forgive you," he said.
Shirota nodded. "I understand... To prevent that from happening, you and I will have to avoid getting into a similar situation that gets us angry or upset with the other for a span of at least 3 days," he explained.
Aiba shrugged. "That could work, I guess..." he said.
Shirota nodded before he lay back down to get himself some rest.
----------
After classes that afternoon, Shirota rejoined practices, apologizing to Wada for his sudden absence during the span of last week. Wada had assigned him 50 laps to do that day and asked him to come back to their early morning practice on Wednesday to resume training. Apparently, Kujirai had informed Wada that Shirota was having some emotional problems that week and decided not to attend practice to relieve him of being a burden to the team. "Otherwise I would've had you run more laps every practice session this week," Wada had told him.
'I'll have to thank Kujirai-senpai for that, then...' Shirota said to himself.
----------
Aiba was also back with the team after a lecture from Yagami about letting his problems get the better of him. He was tasked to return to the soccer team to continue covering their progress. Nakagauchi also apologized for getting him into trouble but Aiba told him that it wasn't really his fault. So here he was again taking pictures after talking to the captain to ask for updates on the team.
----------
Takigawa was taking a break from the games for a while to rest up his foot as it was still a little sore from his sprain as he volunteered to do the referee work for the time being.
----------
Kimeru and his group were given the day off from band activities. They were currently at the rooftop chatting with one another about random things.
"So how did you manage to convince the two to lock Shirota and Aiba in the room?" Nagayan asked.
"Well...I told them we had surveillance," Kimeru answered.
Daisuke stared at him. "Kime...we DON'T have surveillance," he said.
Kimeru grinned. "They don't need to know that."
----------
As Shirota ran his laps, the rest of the team were doing a few drills that concerned passing, receiving lobs, and scoring goals at certain angles.
Kentarou and Zukki partnered up as Shirota was running laps as Zukki's usual partner was off sick.
Zukki took a moment to watch Shirota's progress as he passed the ball to Kentarou. "That's his 19th lap already and he's not slowing down," he pointed out.
"He's the one with the most stamina on the entire team, I'd say," Wada said from the sidelines, overhearing Zukki's comment. "I'm not surprised he's not tired yet."
Kentarou nodded. "He was part of the varsity team back in his Junior High too, wasn't he? Maybe that's why..." he offered, passing the ball back to Zukki.
"Yes, well I'm glad he's back training with us. He's just been acting different the past week the atmosphere in the classroom was frightening," Zukki admitted.
Kenken heard their little conversation and decided to move a bit closer to them. "Frightening? Why what happened anyway?" he asked.
Zukki looked over to Kenken. "Ah, Shirota and Aiba seemed to have had some sort of fight... They weren't their usual selves in pre-homeroom... Last week, Shirota even requested to transfer seats, and we all knew that he always liked sitting beside Aiba..." he explained.
"We're fine now," Shirota said brightly as he passed them before moving onto his 23rd lap.
Kenken grinned at him. "So that's why our resident photographer was missing last week as well," he said.
Aiba, who heard this remark, resisted the urge to roll his eyes and opted to take a shot of Shirota running instead.
"Irei! Get on goal! The rest of you, shooting practice!" Wada bellowed to the team a few minutes later after checking his watch. He looked around and spotted Shirota. "How many laps so far?" he called.
"Just finished my 28th!" Shirota called back as he turned a corner. "Starting the 29th lap now!"
Wada nodded. "Keep it up, Shirota-kun!" He looked back to the rest of the team. "Begin!"
Aiba grinned as he watched Shirota. 'This guy...no signs of slowing down...jeez,' he thought in amusement.
----------
The band club in the meantime, suddenly appeared behind Takigawa. "We're here to bother you~" the group -minus Daisuke, Furukawa and Konishi- said.
Takigawa looked over his shoulder and blinked. "Oi, what are you guys doing here?" he hissed. The practice game had ended and the last runs were being administered by the team along the court.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to the friends of your--" Nagayan was cut off as Kimeru elbowed him.
"We didn't have club activities today and since I accidentally slipped out that you wouldn't be playing today they decided to drag me here," Kimeru explained.
"The captain's told me to take it easy for the next two days then I can start playing again on Wednesday," Takigawa explained. "I could leave now, actually," he added, looking over to the courts. "Practice is about done."
"Really?" Nagayan asked. "Then maybe you'd like to come with us!"
Kimeru glared at Nagayan. "I told you he won't like what--"
"Come on! Go clubbing with us!" Nagayan cut off.
Takigawa looked over to Nagayan, blinking for a while before shaking his head. "I'll have to decline the offer, Nagayama-kun," he said.
"I told you," Kimeru said with a smirk.
"That's too bad..." Furukawa said. "Can we take Kimeru, then?" he asked.
Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. "I'm not supposed to decide those things for him," he said with a smile.
"You're doomed," Furukawa said as he smiled at Kimeru.
"HEY! I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT TO GO!!" Kimeru yelled as the band club dragged him out of the court.
"Thanks Takigawa!" Nagayan said before closing the doors.
Takigawa watched them leave before shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like I'll have to stop by the drugstore and get some painkillers..." he muttered to himself.
----------
Shirota was on his 47th lap when Wada had officially called the end of their practice that afternoon as he and Kujirai stayed, looking after Shirota's last 3 laps assigned to him.
Kujirai smirked. "That guy... He's only half-tired from all that running he's been doing?" he noted.
"These 50 laps will build up his stamina even more," Wada said. "It'll be useful if and when we head into overtime."
Aiba, who wanted to rest for a bit, fell asleep under the shade of a nearby tree with his notebook still in his hand.
Takigawa had left practice shortly after Kimeru and the others left, changed back into his uniform and decided to pass by the soccer field for a change. He chuckled as he saw Shirota still running his laps before he spotted Aiba, approaching him. "Oi, do you plan to stay the night here?" he mused to the boy, nudging him slightly.
"LAST LAP, SHIROTA!!" Wada called out.
"Wh-Wha? Huh?" Aiba asked a bit disoriented. He looked at Takigawa and frowned, "Takigawa-senpai.....?" he asked as he looked at his watch. "Thanks for waking me up," he said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Takigawa nodded before looking over to the field. "Looks like Shirotan's been assigned to do laps during the whole practice session," he noted with a fond smile. "Back when the two of us were in Junior High... He and I would have an afternoon jog after we had dropped off our things in our houses after school had ended..." he said conversationally, looking over to Aiba.
Aiba looked at him and blinked. "So that would mean that you also have this insane super human stamina..." he said.
Takigawa chuckled. "If you call it that, then yeah..." he said. "We stopped doing it when Shirota had become captain of the soccer varsity last year. But it was enough for the both of us to have that much stamina for our respective games that I'm glad we did it. For him more than me, I guess," he said as he watched Shirota finish his lap and practically drop to the ground in exhaustion.
"Good work, Shirota-kun. We'll see you Wednesday morning, then," Wada said, approaching the boy.
Shirota controlled his breathing before nodding. "Aa."
Takigawa smiled. "Shall we congratulate him on his successful laps?" he suggested.
"Sure!" Aiba said with a smile before standing up and picking up his things.
Shirota was panting slightly as he sat himself up. "Kujirai-senpai!" he called to the junior, who was about to leave.
"What is it?"
"Arigatou," he said, nodding to him.
Kujirai nodded in reply before leaving.
"Good work," Takigawa congratulated, approaching him.
Aiba held out a hand to him and smiled. "I can't believe you managed to do that without stopping. Everyone on your team was impressed," he said.
Shirota grinned as he took Aiba's hand and pulled himself up. "Doumo. I have to thank our previous training regime for that," he explained, nodding over to Takigawa.
Aiba chuckled. "It pays to have friends who are inclined to sports, so it would seem," he said. "Oh…how's your ankle by the way, Takigawa-senpai? And I'm a bit surprised that Kimeru-senpai isn't with you."
Shirota led them to the bench where his things were as Takigawa smiled. "It's nearly healed," he said. "A few more days and I can play without worry. And as for Kimeru... he's been dragged off by the band club to some club," he stated.
Aiba frowned. "Club? They went to a club on a school night?" he asked incredulously. He sighed. "Based from experience…whatever he will be doing once he gets back from there he won't be remembering in the morning. Oh yeah, he'll be irritable and have one heck of a headache in the morning too," he said.
Takigawa nodded. "I was planning to drop by the drugstore later to get some painkillers for him," he admitted.
Aiba nodded. "That would be a good idea..." he said.
"I need to get changed," Shirota announced, picking up his towel and his water jug.
Takigawa nodded over to him. "I'll be going ahead, then," he told the two. "See you tomorrow!"
"Aa, tomorrow," Shirota called as Takigawa headed over. "It'll just take me 2 or 3 minutes," he said, looking over to Aiba before sprinting off to the locker rooms.
"I'll just wait right here," Aiba called after him as he took a seat on the bench. He looked at the empty soccer field and thought for a moment. 'This would be a nice picture...' he thought as he pulled out his camera to take a picture of the field.
Shirota came back after 2 minutes with the rest of his things with him. "Back," he announced.
Aiba smiled at him as he stood up. "So where do you want to go?" he asked.
"I thought we had agreed last week that you'd be calling the shots?" Shirota reminded him.
Aiba thought for a moment. "I forgot about that..." he admitted. "Hmmm....I don't really know where I want to go."
"Anywhere is fine," Shirota said, pulling Aiba to start walking. "Besides, I already chose dinner back then, so you'll have to take me off to another restaurant this time around."
"Let's see..." Aiba thought as they started walking. "How about Cajun cuisine?" he asked.
"Never tried it," Shirota admitted right away. "But I'm willing to give it a shot. Let's go!" he said, pumping a fist into the air. "I'm starved after running all those laps," he added.
"You're going to love it," Aiba said with a grin. "I think there's one nearby where they serve Cajun."
"I can't wait, then," Shirota said happily.
After locating the restaurant Aiba was talking about they were seated by a waitress near the large windows of the place. "Let me guess...I'm going to order for you too?" Aiba asked.
Shirota nodded, not bothering to look at the menu. "I leave my satisfaction of food choice to you, Aiba-sama," he teased.
Aiba chuckled before looking at the waitress to place their orders.
"Ne..." Shirota called as the waitress left. "I want to make it up to you... For hitting you like that earlier..." he said quietly.
Aiba sighed. "I thought I already told you that it's all fine..." he said.
"I know... But I still want to do something to make amends for it..." Shirota muttered, racking his brain for a minute. "I'll get you something over the weekend!" he said with a grin.
Aiba blinked a few times before shaking his head. "I'll look forward to that, then," he answered with a smile.
Shirota nodded. "Which gives me five days to figure out what to get you..." he said, stroking his chin in contemplation.
Aiba chuckled. "I wouldn't really mind, as long as it's from you it's fine," he said.
Shirota frowned. "But I want it to be special so you completely forget what I did to you!" he reasoned.
Aiba sighed. "Alright then, I leave it to you to surprise me," he told him.
Shirota grinned, nodding. "Hai, Aiba-sama!" he chimed as their food arrived.
"A-Aiba-sama?!" Aiba exclaimed. "You don't have to call me that, Yuu...." he said as he noticed some people looking at them.
Shirota chuckled. "Fine, I won't," he said, looking enthusiastically at the food as they were set on the table for them. "Just tell me what the dishes are."
"Oh. I basically ordered crawfish boil and Jambalaya," Aiba answered as he looked at the food.
Shirota let out an interested "Heh..." before looking over to Aiba. "Itadakimasu~"
----------
Takigawa came out of the drugstore, finally on his way home. He had bought some painkillers for Kimeru as he decided on what to make for dinner tonight. 'Just me, huh...' he thought to himself, chuckling. 'Looks like I can write a report about last week to mom and dad tonight...' he added, smiling.
----------
Kimeru looked over at his friends who had already ordered their drinks.
"You don't want any, Kime?" Daisuke asked and Kimeru shook his head.
"It's a school night," he answered.
Nagayan and Daisuke looked at one another before deciding on one thing.
----------
When Takigawa arrived home, he went to the kitchen after setting his things down on the couch, deciding to have himself some macaroni and cheese. He ate in the living room with Pearl, who was also eating her dinner enthusiastically. 'Well, the good thing is Shirota and Aiba are back together...' he thought to himself as he served himself another spoonful of his dinner.
----------
At around 10 in the evening, Furukawa had brought Kimeru home.
Furukawa knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. "I tell you.....he's going to kill me...." Kimeru muttered as Furukawa tried his best to keep his friend standing.
After dinner, Takigawa had done his homework and e-mailed his parents before he heard someone knocking on the door. 'I was wondering when he'd be back,' he thought to himself as he headed downstairs and to the front door. He pulled it open. "About time you got--Furukawa-kun?" Takigawa paused, looking over to Kimeru, shaking his head and heaved a sigh. "Do I even want to know what happened?" he inquired.
Furukawa grinned. "Nothing much, all we did was spike his ice tea and half an hour later he started dancing on the table much to the amusement of each and every one of us," he explained. "So...here you go," he said as he handed Kimeru to Takigawa. "Good luck!" he added before leaving.
Takigawa stumbled back as Furukawa handed Kimeru to him. "C...Chotto!" he called before looking over to Kimeru. "Let's get you to bed..." he mumbled before closing the front door.
"But I don't want to go to bed yet~~" Kimeru said as he tried to glare at Takigawa but failed. "I'm not sleepy...."
Takigawa sighed. "Trust me, you will be when you lie down," he said, practically carrying Kimeru's weight up the stairs to his bedroom.
"I don't wanna sleep!!" Kimeru complained but let himself be brought upstairs with the help of Takigawa.
Once in the bedroom, Takigawa moved his things from his bed and set Kimeru down onto it.
Kimeru looked lazily at Takigawa. "Are you forcing me to sleep?" he asked. "Because it's.....NOT....wor....king...." he muttered before falling asleep.
Takigawa chuckled before pulling the blanket over Kimeru, kissing him on the forehead before heading outside. 'Let me get that painkiller ready for him in the morning...' he thought to himself as he descended to the first floor and got a glass of water and the painkillers before returning upstairs. He re-entered the room and set them down on the bedside table. "Oyasumi, Kime..." he whispered before settling himself down on the futon, falling asleep as well.
TO BE CONTINUED. :D
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