Episode 11: Incomplete?

Die burst out of the oppressive lecture room.  He jumped around, did cartwheels, and cheered on top of his lungs.

“YES! I PASSED! I PASSED! *^________________________^*”

Kaoru shook his head. “So, what’d you get Die?”

Die shoved his paper in front of Kaoru. “Look, look! I passed! I freakin’ PASSED!”

Kaoru read the comment on the paper, which was written in red ink. “ ‘Your paper is fairly well-organized and would have been enjoyable to read if more effort was put into the writing.  The supporting statement is terrible and because the paper is incomplete, the idea you tried to bring out is inconclusive…’“

Takeo, who is behind Kaoru, read ahead. “ ‘…But since this is the best writing you have ever written, I shall give you a C+.’ “

Kaoru turned to his friend. “Takeo, you got an A+, didn’t you?”

“Of course, why would it be otherwise?” Takeo calmly said with a grin. “And I assume you have a B or B+?”

“Hai, Detective Takeo. I shall ask again, how’d you know?”

“If you had an ‘A’, you’d act like that.” Takeo pointed to Die, who was still doing cartwheels. “If you had a ‘C’ or less you’d mope.  As calm and nonchalant as you are now, a ‘B’ is the most logical conclusion.”

“Yep. Got a ‘B’. What’d you get, Jun?”

Jun smiled shyly. “A+”

“Really?” Kaoru gasped, “I’m not trying to insult your intelligence or anything, but that’s truly amazing!  No one except Takeo ever gets A’s in Prof. Pata’s class!!”

“I understand.  That’s because everyone sleeps during lecture,” Jun giggled, “except for Takeo-kun and he helped me with this paper.”

Kaoru frowned. “That’s not fair, Takeo! Why don’t you help ME with it?”

“Sorry, Kaoru.” Takeo shrugged. “Maybe because Jun bakes me cookies and you don’t.”

Die, who was done cartwheeling, spoke up. “Kaoru? Cook?!?!?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

>-< Kaoru pouted.

“Hey, have you guys seen Kirito?”

Everyone turned around to look at Kohta, who just got out of the lecture hall. His physical appearance suggests that he was practically pushed and dragged out of bed.  His hair was a mess and his clothes were wrinkly and he forgot to shave.  He was a worse grouch than Kaoru in the morning.

“No, I haven’t.” Jun replied.

“Usual Monday morning,” Takeo replied. “Most likely your brother is molesting Aiji in the Men’s Room.”

“What are you talking about, Takeo? Kirito’s not my brother…heh…heh…heh…^x^;;;.”

Jun giggled then whispered to Kaoru. “Yeah. Typical sibling relationship. It’s so cute.”

“I heard that!” Kohta growled. “If you had a brother like him….>_<;;”

Jun sighed. “At least you don’t have a sister like mine….” {You all know about his sister, ne? ~Yk2}

“Ne, Kohta!” Die piped up. “I PASSED!!!” He howled.

“NO WAY!!”

“YES WAY!!”

“Dammit, Die. You’re bullshitting me. I don’t believe you!”

“Hey! I’m not that dumb! Here. Lookie!” Die showed the paper to Kohta and pointed at his grade mark.  The blonde gawked in disbelief. Die began to sing and dance happily.  “No more ten paged paper. I passed. I passed. I passed!”

Die took his paper and began to tear it to shreds. Everyone else shook their heads and smiled.

*****

Hours later in Kaoru’s later class…..

Kaoru leaned back on his seat as he watched Prof. Yoshiki stroll into the lecture hall.  Shinya sat beside him.  Though the younger man showed no physical sign of tension, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.  Shinya eyed his idol as he walked to the chalkboard and write down the number of people who achieved A’s on the previous music assignment. Two. Two people out of the large class of 100 people {It’s a BIG college, ne… ~Yk2} earned A’s….

“I finished grading all your compositions.” Yoshiki announced. He tossed a stack of papers on a desk.

~His voice is so husky….How sexy…~. Shinya thought dreamily.

Yoshiki caught Shinya’s gaze and cleared his throat. The younger man blushed and hastily looked down.

“Only two people in the entire lecture earned A’s.” Yoshiki continued. “Frankly speaking, I am disappointed in a lot of you.  More attention should be emphasized in the feeling and artistic attributes of the music rather than the technical aspect of it.”

Shinya closed his eyes. He worked so hard on the paper; he surely got an A.

Kaoru stared at his companion. “Shinya? Daijoubou?”

“Ah, hai! I’m alright.” Shinya shook his head.

Yoshiki went on. “Because of the majority of low scores in the class, I am assigning another music composition.  This time, I want the composition made for guitar instead of piano.  The assignment is due end of next week.  You should know by now I do not tolerate late assignments.”

Yoshiki picked up two compositions from the pile. “These are the top two scores. Gackt with a 96%.”

Gackt stood up to get his paper and beamed proudly.  He blew kisses to everyone in the lecture hall, though nobody really cared except for himself.  He threw a glance at his archrival, Mana, and smirked. Mana remained cool and calm throughout the scene before him.

Yoshiki rolled his eyes. “You may be seated, Gackt-kun.”

Gackt gave a final bow then sat on his seat, still grinning like an idiot.

“Mana achieved the highest score of 97%.”

Mana quietly got up from his seat.  He had no expression on his face.  Mana didn’t walk, but practically floated over to Yoshiki and took his paper. Gackt grumbled angrily and crossed his arms over his chest.  Kaoru smiled and shook his head.  The rivalry between Gackt and Mana made music class more amusing and fun.  The competition was always interesting, but Mana always had the upper hand, no matter how cocky Gackt got.

“The rest of you can pick up your papers here.” Yoshiki picked up his suitcase. “Class dismissed.”

A swarm of students ran to get their papers.

Shinya was confused. ~Didn’t I get an A?~

To Kaoru’s surprise, the younger man jumped and rushed to the crowd. Kaoru joined Shinya after the crowd died down.  Shinya picked up the last paper on the table, but frowned. “It’s yours.” He handed it to Kaoru. ~Where’s my paper? ~Shinya thought. ~I turned it in the day it was due!~

Kaoru stared at his paper and frowned. “Man! Prof. Yoshiki marked off just because I wrote the notes off the music staffs!” Hearing no response from his companion, he looked up. Shinya was frozen and staring at the empty table. His face was unreadable. “Shinya?”

“It’s not here.” Shinya whispered. “My paper’s not here!” He got to his knees and looked under the table. ~Doko? Doko??~

Kaoru blinked. “Ne, Shinya. Maybe you should ask Prof. Yoshiki where it went. It probably got mixed up with other paperwork.”

Shinya let out a deep breath after a few minutes of scanning the floor.  He nodded quietly.  “When is Prof. Yoshiki’s Office Hours?”

“In an hour.”

“Sou ka?” Shinya slowly got up as he dusted his skirt from dirt.

Kaoru was a little worried about the younger man.  Going up and facing the ‘Akuma-sensei’ in his lair was not a feat anyone ever accomplished. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“Iie.”

“Sure?”

“Yes.” Shinya flashed a dazzling smile. “I’ll go by myself. What could be so hard facing Prof. Yoshiki on my own?”

Kaoru ~sweatdrop~.

*****

An hour later, Shinya walked up to Prof. Yoshiki’s office door. He raised his hand to knock, but hesitated.  He didn’t think he would feel this nervous, but knowing that his idol was near caused his heartbeat to multiply and his palms to sweat. After a deep breath, he raised his hand again, but before his fist could come in contact with the wooden door, a hand tapped him on the shoulder.

Shinya practically jumped out of his skin. He whirled around.

“Excuse me.”

Shinya thought his bladder was going to burst. He stood frozen in front of the door, but hastily and shyly moved out of the way. “K-konbanwa, Prof. Yoshiki.”

Yoshiki raised an eyebrow. “Konbanwa. Is there are problem with my office?”

“Um, ah, no!” Shinya stammered. “I, uh, I came to see you.”

Brief silence. “Do I know you?”

Shinya’s heart sank, but he lifted his spirits up immediately. “I’m part of your Music366 5:30 pm lecture.  Ah…I, um, need to speak with you…” Shinya stared at his feet in hopes that his hair would hide his flushed cheeks.

Yoshiki hid a smile and opened his door. “Come in.”

They seated themselves comfortably at his desk.  Shinya looked around the room. Several plaques and trophies of famous musical competitions were displayed everywhere.  The chairs were made of expensive and very very soft leather. Even a baby’s ass wouldn’t be able to compete with its softness!  The table was neatly organized with a stack of papers on one corner and a crystal pen holder on the other.  The pen itself was one of those really expensive gold ones with Yoshiki’s name engraved on it.  Shinya felt as though he was dirtying the office somehow.  But there was an object in the room that felt out of place: a picture frame set in the corner by the pen holder. It looked like something one would get at a thrift store and was lined with fuzzy tiger prints on the sides.  The frame held a picture of Yoshiki with his arm around someone…

Shinya felt his heart sink again. Maybe his koboito? He shook his head. As far as he knew, that person could be anybody to Yoshiki….

He stared at the picture.  The other person didn’t even look like Yoshiki’s type.  He wore bright and clashing clothing, totally different from Yoshiki’s preppy physique.  One aspect of the picture captured Shinya’s eye: Yoshiki was smiling.  He never does that in or out of lecture. At least, he never smiled the way he did in that picture.  Yoshiki seemed so….happy….

The older man cleared his throat and put his glasses on. “Ahem. You wanted to talk to me?”

Shinya blinked. “H-hai. It’s about the first music composition.”

Yoshiki nodded slowly.

“Well, I…” Shinya stammered. “…I, ah, didn’t get the paper back…”

“You must have turned the paper late.”

Yoshiki pursed his lips to keep from smiling.  Amazingly as it seems, the young man was amusing him greatly.  “What is you name? Maybe I mixed it up with the other papers…”

“Shinya. Terachi Shinya desu.”

“You must be the foreign exchange student. I’ve heard about you.” Yoshiki commented as he looked through a pile of papers.

“Hontou desu ka?” Shinya blushed and stared at his hands, which were gripping his skirt tightly.  God…he was SO nervous….he really needed to pee….

“Hmm…” Yoshiki adjusted his glasses. “Your paper is not here.”

Shinya gripped tighter.  How can it be? His paper had to be there somewhere. “B-but I handed it---“

“Apparently you didn’t hand in anything.” Yoshiki stared calmly at the young man. He leaned back on his expensive leather chair.

“D-demo---“

“I don’t accept late work---“

“GODDAMMIT!! I TURNED IT IN!!!” Shinya yelled and stood up. The tension and the stress was too much. If he received an F on the assignment, he would not be able to pass the class. And he would not be able to impress Yoshiki. Yoshiki stared at Shinya in amazement and amusement, but the younger man didn’t seem to notice. After Shinya realized what he did, he turned crimson then clumsily apologized to Yoshiki. “S-sumimasen, Prof. Yoshiki.” He stuttered. “Domo sumimasen!” He felt like such an idiot. He just yelled at his idol here! How could he? “I-I won’t bother you any further.” Shinya was about to turn and leave, but he flet a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Shinya-kun.”

Shinya’s breath stopped. He slowly turned around, but kept his face to the floor. {he sure does that a lot, doesn’t he? ~Yk2} Then suddenly, a packet of papers were displayed in front of him.

“Dozo.” Yoshiki said. “It’s your paper.”

Shinya, still in shock from the hand on his shoulder, stared at the composition.

Yoshiki, sensing no answer from his student, went on. “Shinya-kun, I expect a lot from you. As I’ve said, my colleagues mentioned your name with great praise.” Yoshiki took his hand off Shinya’s shoulder.  Shinya, startled, finally broke out of his trance. Yoshiki took a deep breath. “I am very disappointed in you.”

“W-what?!” Shinya squeeked. How is that possible? The composition is perfect.

Yoshiki gave Shinya the paper. “The composition itself was techincally able and flawless. Unfortunately, technical skill does not bring appraisal from listeners.” He walked over and stood by the window. He watched the beautiful red leaves flutter from the tree branches and gave a sad smile. “It also needs to convey feeling.”

“Feeling?” Shinya asked, confused.

“Yes, feeling. That’s why I’m having everyone compose a second assignment in guitar. Majority of the M366 students only play piano. Having everyone compose in an unfamiliar format requires students to engage with others, thus causing better compositions from the human interaction.”

Shinya bit his lip. “A-ano…Prof. Yoshiki. I don’t have a grade written on this---.”

“You receive an ‘F’.”

Shinya winced. WHY??? He wanted to ask.

Yoshiki saw the hurt and questioning look on Shinya’s face, but kept his own face calm. “It’s not because you lacked warmth in the writing.  I deducted because it was incomplete.”

“Incomplete??!” Shinya flipped through all the pages.  The last four pages were not even music sheets. They contained typed paragraphs with very bad grammar….

Yoshiki tried not to chuckle. “Apparently somebody had an interest in the effects of being in sports management.”

Shinya stared in shock. “How…?”

Suddenly, flashbacks formulated in his head.  That windy day….the collision…the papers….that…that…red headed jerk…. If Yoshiki was not there, Shinya would have raised bloody hell!

Yoshiki felt Shinya’s pissed off aura and said. “Shinya-kun, because you are an exchange student with high potential, I am giving you a chance to make up for it.”

Shinya widened his eyes. “Hontou?” he gasped.

“If you submit the completed composition of that work, I will give you an A+.”

Shinya beamed.  He wanted to jump around for joy, but Yoshiki’s neat office persuaded him otherwise.  Besides, he still had one excruciating obstacle to face. If he wanted that A+, he had to see that red headed jerk and take his paper back.

Shinya ran as fast as he could across campus until he reached Diety Hall. The young man was ready to bitch, yell, and throw a tantrum at a particular red head.  Shinya almost staggered up the staircase from his platforms.  He noted how quiet the entire building was.  No squaking cult sermons radiating from air pipes.  No gossiping residents standing in the way.  No blaring stereo systems.  No nothing. Complete and total silence.

Shinya reached Die’s dorm {Remember, they live next door to each other}.  He was about to start hitting/pounding/breaking down the door when he noticed a large sign posted on it.  The young man joined his eyebrows as he read the sign:

“BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Come one, Come all! Party @ Akira’s place! 7 pm, tonite! Booze available! Be there!! // From the wonderful, excellent, charming, sexy, one and only, Die”

Shinya stared at the sign for a couple of seconds, then clenched his slim fingers into a fist.  He raised his hand high and yelled on top of his lungs. “CURSES!!!!!!!”

*****

Shinya burst into Akira’s apartment with fumes coming out of his nose and ears.  He looked like a bull ready to charge {A pretty bull, I might add ^_~ Yk2}. The party didn’t seem to notice him because Yukihiro was blaring his remixes off the stereo and more than half the people were drunk all over the place; almost every resident from Diety Hall was there.

The dinner table, which was in the corner by the kitchen, was occupied by the usual poker players. {Duh! La’cryma! You always have that group of poker addicts in dorms, ne? ~YK2}.  Apparently, Levin was feeling much better because he was playing the game intently.  The kitchen was occupied by Jun, who was cooking, Takeo, who helped him, and Kohta, who tried to hide from his brother.  Kirito and Aiji though were obviously locked up in the bathroom having?er--- their own kind of party. {Geez! They don’t stop, do they? Wouldn’t that hurt your ass if you did it that often?? ~YK2}. Akira sat on the couch with his casted leg elevated on the low table in front of him.  Ryutaro sat beside him and had his head on his koi’s shoulder. Tadashi, Takashi, Hyde, and Kyo were sitting around the couch playing video games. Shinya shoved the people out of the way, then grabbed Kyo by the ear.

“ACK!! HELP!! I’M BEING ATTACKED!” Kyo screeched.

“It’s me!!” Shinya growled.

“Konbanwa!” Everyone else around that area greeted Shinya.

“Konbanwa.” Shinya mumbled, then turned to Kyo again. “Where . Is . Die?”

“Oww! I dunno! Maybe he’s takin’ a whiz!”

“Kirito and Aiji are fucking right now. I highly doubt Die would sit there and watch.”

“I guarantee you he would.” Hyde snickered.

Shinya glared.

Hyde shut up and cowered.

Takashi spoke up and pointed. “I think I see him drinking on the counter in the kitchen.”

“Arigatou.” Shinya released Kyo’s ear and stormed over to that direction. He fumed even more when he saw Die, Kaoru, and Toshiya drinking and smoking. As he drew nearer, he scrunched up his nose. God! He hates cigars. The red head was laughing, like always.

Shinya, with lightning speed, grabbed the cigar from Die and said in his murderously-low voice, “We need to talk.”

Die blinked, startled at first, but his lips slowly morphed into a smile. “Nice of you to drop by, Shin-chan!”

“Don’t call me that and don’t change the subject! We are going to TALK~!”

Die chuckled. “Whatever you say, Shin-chan!”

Shinya: “$(%^@(%@^#)&$@(%)!@%%#&$$&(^%)_(_*&%!!!!!”

Kaoru stared at Shinya in surprise. He’d never seen the young man so angry and out of control. Shinya’s eyes were glazed in anger, but his cheeks were blazing red.  He turned to look at Die, who was smiling broadly in amusement. Die’s eyes were twinkling with amusment, mischief…and…something else…

…admiration?

Could it be……..?

Kaoru felt his heart sink, but recovered immediately. {Don’t you hate it when you & your best friend like the same person? ~Yk2} Shinya was never his to begin with, and he had no right to oppose Die’s feelings either. Toshiya stood back, and frowned.  He noticed how Kaoru’s shoulders slumped as Die and Shinya argued more. This wasn’t going as he wanted. He nudged Kaoru.

“Huh? What?”

Toshiya rolled his eyes. “If you want the boy, you gotta stand up for him.”

“Totchi!”

Toshiya gave Kaoru a look.

Kaoru pouted. He was stubborn too. “Can’t you see he needs to talk to Die?”

“He’s not succeeding, now, is he?”

“Yeah, but…”

“MY GOD, KAORU!!! You are SO DENSE!!” Toshiya gave Kaoru a hard shove forward, causing the purple head to stumble toward the two argueing men.  Die and Shinya stopped and stared at Kaoru. Kaoru turned red.

“A-ano…” He stuttered as he turned to Toshiya for help. Toshiya gave him another look.~Toshiya! You’re no help!!~ He thought. He turned around again to see the inquisitive faces of Die and Shinya.

“I-I think he really needs to talk to you, Die.” Kaoru blurted out uneasily.

Die raised an eyebrow.

Shinya crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Die. “I think you should listen to your best friend.”

Die gave one of his really sweet dazzling {sigh} smiles. “OK, I’ll talk to you.”

“Glad you’re finally making sense! I’d like to have my pap----.”

“---under one condition!”

“HUH?”

“I’ll talk to you under one condition.”

Shinya stared, confused.

“We’ll have a drinking contest. If you win the contest, I’ll stop teasing and we’ll talk. If I win, you have to stay at the party all night.”

“Wait! This has nothing to do with---“

“Are you in, or not?”

Shinya bit his lip helplessly.

Kaoru noticed Shinya’s look. “Ne,Die. Everyone knows you have high alcohol tolerance, it’s not fair---“

“You’re in too, Kaoru.” Die exclaimed.

“What?”

“What’s the prob, med-student? Not man enough to take a drinking challenge?”

Kaoru pursed his lip.

Shinya, going nuts with frustration, cried out, “DIE!!! ALL I WANT IS MY PA---“

“Hey everyone!!” Die yelled on top of his lungs. The music and the chattereing died down.  Everyone had their attention to the red-head. “Drinking contest!!!” He howled.

All the residents cheered. The poker table left their station and set up the drinks and chairs. Shinya and kaoru reluctantly sat next to each other. Die sat across from them, beaming triumphantly. He winked at Shinya. Shinya looked away, angry. Kaoru sulked. Toshiya pouted.

“Man with the most mug consumption wins!” Die announced.

Koji was already walking around and taking bet money on a bag while stuffing some in his pockets {^^; Koji… ~Yk2}. Kyo was voted referee. Everyone else cheered on.

“On the count of four!” Kyo yelled. “READY?!”

Shinya gripped his hand on a mug.~ I can’t believe this… ~

“…One…!”

Kaoru sighed. ~What the hell am I doing?~

“…Two!…”

Toshiya frowned. ~What the hell is he doing?~

“…Three…”

Die licked his lips. ~This is going to be fun!~

“GO!!!” Kyo yelled. Cheers echoed throughout the apartment. Die, Kaoru, and Shinya began drinking immediately. At first, Kaoru was on the lead. He had consumed five mugfulls of beer in a matter of minutes, but soon began to feel the effects of the alcohol.

~Guhhh…I feel…sick….~

Despite that, Kaoru kept going; this time, he held a slower pace, allowing Die and Shinya to get ahead of him.

Shinya kept drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking. It wasn’t because he wanted to win.  It was because he was pissed beyond belief. He wasn’t thinking and the alcohol made him feel better.

~That jerk! That stupid head! That ignorant, conceited fool! That…that….~

Shinya finished his mug then accidentally grabbed Kaoru’s mug. Kaoru was already asleep beside him.

~That dumb red-head! I hate him! I hate him! ….I hate…I…I feel so sleepy…~

Shinya’s vision increasingly blurred and the cheers from everyone seemed to fade to mumbles. Soon, the young man placed his head on the table. He couldn’t take anymore.

Die slammed his last mug down then raised his hands above his head. “YEAH!! The Chugging Champoins Wins Again!!” He roared.

Everyone howled in hysteria then grabbed their own beer as well.  The party went on as Kaoru and Shinya continued to sleep on the table.  After four more hours of drinking, socializing, gambling, and video games, the guests began to go home.

“Die,” Toshiya pouted, “Thanks a lot for making Kaoru drunk!” He wrapped Kaoru’s arm around his slim shoulders.

“C’mon, Toshiya! It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Fun for you! I have to drag Kao-kao home!”

“Heh-heh. Gomen *grins*”

Toshiya looked around the apartment.  He and Die were the last ones left. They already cleaned up the apartment for Akira and Ryutaro; the other guests were too drunk to do anything but get out and stagger home. Die, unbelievably, didn’t even feel woozy from all the alcohol he’d consumed.

“Looks like you have to drag Shinya back to the dorm.” Toshiya informed Die.

“Me?”

“You live next door to each other.” Thinks: Hmmp! If Kao-kao wasn’t stupid and drunk, I’d have him take Shinya home, but noooo…

Die thought about the tempting suggestion. He didn’t mind taking Shinya back to Diety Hall, it’s just that, well, the temptation was there. A beautiful man like that, drunk in his arms, might drive him to commit indecencies… He didn’t want to force himself on Shinya. {How sweet ~Yk2} “Doesn’t he have Hyde, Kyo, and Levin to take him?”

“Kyo and Hyde are drunk, and they both convinced Levin the drinks are merely frothing apple juice. I doubt Shinya’s lil’ munchkins can take him anywhere.” {Totchi’s so harsh on short ppl! Yk2} Toshiya dragged Kaoru out of the apartment.

Die looked around the apartment. Takashi and Tadashi were asleep on the floor next to the couch.  Akira and Ryutaro were cuddled together on the couch, sleeping.

“C’mon, Shinya! Wake up!” Die shook Shinya’s shoulder gently.

Shinya whined and went back to sleep. Die sighed. He picked up the younger man in one easy swoop.  Die felt a little awkward to have Shinya in his arms.  The fact that Shinya was so close to him caused his heartbeat to multiply.  He could feel the heat radiating from Shinya’s drunk body. Die’s breath got caught in his throat when Shinya moved and buried his head on the red-head’s firm chest.  He mumbled slurred sounds and had a tiny smile on his face.  For a moment, Die stood inspecting the pretty face before him.

~He’s so beautiful…~

Eventually, Die broke his stare and walked out of the apartment, holding Shinya protectively in his arms.

*****

Toshiya trudged up the steps with a sleeping Kaoru dragging a lot of weight on his shoulders.  It wasn’t fair! He wasn’t built for heavy labor like Die was.  Toshiya does NOT work; Toshiya is SERVED. Toshiya pouted. Kaoru wasn’t particularly heavy; Toshiya was just spoiled.

“Ne, Kao-kao! Wake up!!” Toshiya slapped Kaoru {^^; ~Yk2}, who whined and pushed the blue head’s hands away. Toshiya huffed. “MOU!!! BAKA! You should’ve said no to Die!! You could’ve been going home with your little Shinya!”

With Kaoru leaning on him, Toshiya fiddeld with the keys and opened the door.  Toshiya dropped the older man on the bed. Kaoru clung to his pillow protectively, like a lover.

Toshiya watched. ~Kawaii….~  He thought, feeling his irritation and brattiness disappear. The blue head smoothed a strand of purple hair off Kaoru’s face.  The other man looked so peaceful. Toshiya pulled up Kaoru’s comforter then gave Kaoru a tiny kiss on the forehead. “Oyasumi, Kao-kao.” He said before he went to his own bed.

*****

“HEY! KYO! HYDE! LEVIN! OPEN UP!!”

Die knocked Room 411’s door in vain. It was the 40th time he did that, but to no avail.  Hyde, Kyo, and Levin were drunk; Die could hear Hyde and Kyo singing their own really terrible rendition of  “First Love” {Utada’s song ^^; ~Yk2}. Levin was probably dead asleep.  The red head looked at Shinya, still sleeping serenely.  What could he do? He couldn’t just leave Shinya anywhere. He’s vulnerable when he’s drunk.

~I know,~ Die thought, ~I’ll sleep on the couch and he can sleep on my bed!~

The thought of Shinya sleeping on his bed caused the red head to feel hot, but shook his head of impure thoughts.

~Think pure thoughts…think pure…pure…~

Die opened his door easily. None of his roommates were responsible enough to lock their door. Die entered.  He plopped Shinya on the bed and took off the young man’s platforms then taking off his own.  Shinya began to mumble again.

“Hmmm…shoooo…cold….”

“Shhh..it’s OK, Shinya.” Die pulled the covers up till Shinya’s chin.

“Not enough…not warm…ENOUGH!!” Shinya whined. He threw the covers down on the floor then hit his fists on the bed like a spoiled brat.

“Shin-chan! Be quiet!” Die grabbed Shinya’s arms, then checked his roommates.  Ken, who had the bunk above his, snored.  J and Ryu, the two grad students, slept soundly on their own bunks.  He let out a sigh of relief.  “Shin-chan, you have to go to bed! Everyone else is asleep!”

“No!!” Shinya threw a pillow at him.

The red head frowned. Even when Shinya’s drunk, they couldn’t get along. “Shinya, go to bed!” He picked up the pillow and placed it behind Shinya’s head.

Shinya made a slurring sound. “I’ll go…only…if youuuu…wanna go with me…”
 

“I would love to, but you’re drunk!” Die pushed the wiggling drunk man down on the soft bed.

Shinya pouted cutely and stopped struggling.

Die smiled. “Good, Shin-chan. Now stay here till morning, alright? Oyasumi…” Die let go Shinya’s arms and was about to go to the couch when slender, delicate arms pulled him down firmly.  Die froze as his face landed on Shinya’s warm chest. He thought he was going to have a heart attack.  “S-shinya?” He whispered, not knowing what to say or do.  He couldn’t move at all and was surprised at the slender man’s strength.

“MMnnn.. stay…” Shinya moaned.

Die was torn between logic and desire.  He was completely on top of Shinya; he could feel every curve emulating from the beautiful man.  “Shinya…I…I can’t..”

Shinya coaxed. “Please? I wanna be…warm…yer sho….berry…warm…”

Die shut his eyes and took long deep breaths, trying to keep control of this growing desire. GOD! He wanted Shinya so bad.  He wanted to taste those pink lips and taste other places too…. But he knew better than that. Shinya was drunk. Very drunk. Die took a deep breath then pushed up as hard as he could.  He was halfway up on his shoulders when Shinya again tightened his hold and unexpectedly leaned up to give Die one long, passionate kiss.

Die’s breath got caught in his throat.  The younger man’s lips were so soft and mellifluous.  Shinya tasted like honey and alcohol.  Die’s logical side tried to convince him to break the kiss, but his passionate side {+ testosterone ^^; ~Yk2} kept him from doing so.  Eventually, Die kissed back.  He slipped his hot tongue between the younger man’s parted lips and Shinya softly gasped.  Die enjoyed this sweet taste and he wanted more.  He thrusted his tongue in and out, causing Shinya to moan out loud.

~This is wrong…~ Die thought. ~…this is so wrong…but…~

Shinya began to become more aggressive.  He leaned in on the kiss, his soft lips stroking the red head’s, but the kiss could not satisfy his hunger for warmth, so he skillfully and quickly ripped of his own shirt and pulled Die’s face to his chest.  Clumsily and desperately, he wrapped his legs around the older man’s waist.  Die gasped at the intimate contact and broke away breathlessly as Shinya protested.  He stared at the topless Shinya and drank in the sight before him.  The young man was so beautiful, his skin as pale as smooth porcelain and so lush and fresh.

“Hn…why’d you stop? Don’t you…want me?” Shinya said eagerly.

“G-gomen, Shin-chan. I…I can’t…not now…next time…” He was trembling. He looked helplessly at the man before him. Maybe there won’t be a next time, but it wasn’t right to take advantage of the bishounen.

“Demo…I need it…” Shinya began to rub their hips together in slow, languid movements. Die groaned in despair. It felt sososososo good….

“Oh, God…Shinya…”

“Please…” Shinya whispered huskily. “I want you….Yoshiki-sama…”

Die froze. Yoshiki-sama???!

Die stared at the pretty boy.  He wished what he heard was just a mistake; unfortunately, Shinya continued to cry out the professor’s name again and again, each time felt like a knife stabbing the red head through his heart.  He felt a thousand emotions fill his chest, but none of them were pleasant.

Die forcefully got off Shinya, ignoring the bishounen’s whines and protests.  He walked slowly to the couch and lay down.  A sharp hurting lingered on his heart and he unsuccessfully tried to bury these painful emotions as he stared at the ceiling.  He wanted Shinya, yes, but Shinya’s heart was not his.  Shinya loved Prof. Yoshiki.  How could a gruff and stupid football player like him win over the auburn haired beauty if he was competing against such a successful man?

~I’m so stupid.~ Die thought. ~Why did I ever lust after someone who doesn’t care about me?~

Suddenly, flashbacks of what Shinya said to him before echoed through his head. What were those words?

I. HATE. YOU.

Yeah, that’s right. Maybe the bishounen really meant it and he was too dense to realize the seriousness of that phrase.  He thought at first they were amusing.  Shinya could never hate him, at least that’s what he thought until now.  Die shook his head and tried to forget those words.  Now that he knew what they truly meant, they hurt a lot.

Die took a long time to fall asleep. The small couch was cramped and cold…. *berry* cold….

 Kyo angrily stomped to his dorm room. He just got back from Math recitation with a paper in hand.

 FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!!

 He gripped his head and tugged tufts of blonde hair out of sheer frustration. He did not get a good grade on the last recitation quiz, which was bad news since fall quarter was almost over; it also means that he doesn’t have much of a chance to raise his grade.  The only way he can pass is to do really well on the final, which is an impossible option to execute, especially since Sugizo deosn’t help his classes any.  Majority of the students show up to recitations just to check out the pink head, and Sugizo shows up the look sexy and flirt with everyone. It’s a wonder how he was appointed a Math TA.  Hyde and Kyo show up because there was no where else to turn to for help. Hyde always listened intently at the TA’s explanations, but they never made sense. Hyde was just fickle ^^; Unlike his friend, Kyo never listened during class, he simply sat there and slept.

 But today, Kyo desperately needed help. Finals is next week. The short man gritted his teeth, remembering what happened at recitataion that day…

*Flashback*

Sugizo finished writing the equation on the board and turned around to face the calss. “Understand the solution?” He purred.

The entire class nodded absently in unison, except for Kyo, who rolled his eyes irritatedly.

Sugizo sat on a desk and crossed his legs on purpose, causing the skimpy leather shorts to hike up and expose more thigh.

“Good. We’ll move on to the next section, which will most likely be on the final. Anybody have questions in the homework for section 5.7?” He smiled feraly.

The class shook their heads, not paying attention to Sugizo’s shorts than to his words.  Kyo, who perked up hearing the word “final,” began to search for homework problems.

He raised his hand. “Question number 15 on page 123!”

Sugizo raised an eyebrow. “My, my…Kyo’s actually participating.”

Kyo scowled. ~Not that anyone in this fucking class pays attention…~ he thought.

“Hmmm..” Sugizo frowned cutely. “It seems I forgot my book at home. Kyo, Please come up here and write the problem on the board.”

Kyo sneered but went up anyway. He held his book on one hand and picked up a chalk with the other.  He started writing the problem hastily.

Sugizo smiled. “Sumimasen, Kyo-kun. The people in the back can’t see. I think you should write the problem a bit higher.”

~Why don’t’ YOU raise your ass a bit higher!~ Kyo fumed, but did what he was told. He wrote the problem as high as he could and set the chalk down.

“Are you sure you wrote the problem right?” Sugizo coaxed.

“Dude! It’s right!” Kyo snapped.

Sugizo smiled. “You may be seated. Thank you, Kyo.” He winked, then craftily snaked an arm around the shorter man’s body and quickly grabbed Kyo’s ass.

Kyo yelped in surprise and jumped ten feet from shock. The class laughed at him as he turned bright crimson.  Kyo turned and glared at the TA, who was giggling at Kyo’s predicament.

Sugizo ruffled Kyo’s hair. “Aww…poor kawaii Kyo-chan!”

Kyo’s eyes twitched. Ka…wa…ii…. KAWAII??!?!?! No one calls Kyo ‘cute!’ Before Kyo could make a comeback, the bell rang.

*End Flashback*

Kyo felt he should be greatful. That was the last recitation of the quarter. He was never going to see that damned slut of a TA.

“He should teach Slut Studies 101 instead of MATH!!” Kyo grumbled. He suddenly had flashbacks of Sugizo laughing at him. Kyo threw his papers on the ground and stomped on it repeatedly.

“Kyo, what are you doing?”

Kyo stopped. “Oh, hi, Die…” Kyo picked up his folder and fidgeted embarrassedly, “Um, nothing. I was just, heh-heh, exercising…”

“Oh, OK..” Die said.

Kyo joined his eyebrows. Normally, Die would make fun of him and embarrass him even more. Something must be up!

“Ne, Die, is somethin’ up?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing…” Die opened the door to his dorm. “A-ano…Kyo…Shinya’s still asleep on my bed, could you take him to his bed? I’m gonna be late for practice.”

“EH?” Kyo exclaimed, grinning. “You guys slept together last night?! Shinya must’ve been really drunk!”

Die frowned. “Haha. Funny, Kyo.”

The red head and the shorter man entered the dorm. Kyo noticed how quiet and absent-minded the red head seems to be. It wasn’t particularly unusual, everybody has their days. But no matter how tiring, depressing, or frustrating a predicament got, Die always had a smile on his face.

Kyo wanted to ask Die what the problem is, but Die already grabbed his football necessities and left. Kyo walked to Die’s bunk. Shinya was still asleep.  It was already afternoon; Shinya must’ve consumed too much alcohol for his tolerance level. The shorter man couldn’t lift Shinya, so he just dragged him across the floor instead ^^; Eventually, Kyo got Shinya to his own bed. The younger man hugged the pillows lovingly and began to mumble inaudibly.

Kyo shook Shinya after he noticed the time. “Dude! Wake up! You’ll miss music class!”

“Hnn..Yoshiki-sama…”

“Yes! That’s right! Prof. Yoshiki will kick your ass!”

Much to the shorter man’s dismay, Shinya turned the other way. “…Yoshiki-sama…Aishiteru…”

Kyo widened his eyes, then snickered. So that’s how Shinya feels about Prof. Yoshiki. The shorter man couldn’t wait to tell the gossip to the others.

*****

Kaoru felt a nudge on his shoulder. He pouted and buried his face deeper into the soft feather pillow. He had a splitting headache and he wasn’t in the mood for anything. Then again, he was never in the mood for anything when someone disturbs his beauty sleep.  The nudge came again. Kaoru ignored it and pulled the covers over his head. Suddenly, his covers were pulled away. Someone grabbed his ankles and pulled him off the bed.

“OW!!” Kaoru landed flat on his ass, but the gesture woke him up. Kaoru stood up, rubbing his sore butt. “Totchi! What the hell was that for?”

Toshiya couldn’t help giggling. “You ought to thank me. It’s time for your Music Class.”

Kaoru jumped. “Holy shit! I’m gonna be late!”

Toshiya tried not to laugh.

Kaoru glared. “Glad you find this funny.” He ran into their small, walk-in closet and quickly changed from his alcohol-stinking clothes to fresh clothing.  Once he got out the closet, Toshiya immediately handed him his jacket.  He quickly began to button up his jacket, but the fact that he was going to be late for an important lecture caused him to be shaky.

“Dammit! Forget the buttons!” He muttered.

“Kaoru!! It’s freezing outside! Here, let me.” Toshiya slowly buttoned up Kaoru’s jacket then smoothed it out. “You always get up looking like a slob! Put more effort into your physique, Kao-kao! You need to use your charm to lure your pretty boy into your mousetrap!”

Kaoru frowned. “>< Totchi…”

Toshiya grabbed a comb then fixed Kaoru’s hair. “There. All set. Seriously, you should thank me.”

“Heh! Maybe later.” Kaoru began to put his shoes on.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

“I’ll get it.” Toshiya said. “Moshi moshi? Hai, Toshiya desu.”

Kaoru got up and opened the door, ready to leave, but….

“Hakuei?” Toshiya exclaimed. {*gasp*}

The purple head froze in the doorway.

“Where were you? I waited and waited at the caf?! I was so WORRIED!”

Kaoru tried listening in to Toshiya’s conversation, not because he was nosy and curious, but because he was a bit concerned about his roommate.

Toshiya’s voice became softer and softer. “N-ne. You should have called! I dialed your cell but it was off! I left so many messages on your machine!”  Pause.  “Then why didn’t you call me back! I want answers, dammit!” Toshiya’s voice was starting to tremble. The blue head gripped the phone chord as an attempt to keep control. “Hai….hai…OK…I’ll be there. Ja…” Toshiya hung up slowly and stared at the phone for a minute.  Without turning around, he said. “Kaoru, you’ll be late for class.”

Kaoru slowly walked up to the blue head. “Daijoubou?”

“Daijobou, Kao-kao.” Toshiya softly said. “Hakuei said that---.”

“Totchi.” Kaoru put a hand on Toshiya’s shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me.”

There was a moment of silence when Toshiya lifted his head up to look out the frosted window. Then he sighed. “You know………… Everyone else tells me about their relationship problems like I know what I’m talking about, but in reality, I can’t even handle my own problems. I’ve had several unhealthy break ups before, and I bear it outside with a masked confidence. Inside, I am like a shattered mirror with no one to patch it up with.

“…. I have always been the ‘I-can-get-any-guy-I-want-Toshiya’ to everyone’s eyes…. To break that image seems to be a blasphemy or a cursed sin. I-I guess that’s what images do to people. They judge with what they see rather than how the person feels…. or maybe people just see what they want to see … Strange, ne? You’d think we’d be done with this kinda stuff in high school, but you realize that it will carry on with you in some form and some degree the rest of your life….”

The blue head turned to look at his roommate. “For some odd reason….I feel so comfortable talking to you about it.  Probably because you don’t gasp or gawk like anyone else at my breakdowns; you just sit quietly,support me, and lift my spirits. Please, Kaoru. Don’t feel guilty that I tell you about my personal life. I don’t seek for your advice in matters. I just want someone to listen to me for once.”

Kaoru took a moment for Toshiya’s words to digest in his brain.  It was something he never knew about the blue head. About how he tries to hide his real self from others. The purple head gave a sincere smile. “Alright then. Tell me.”

Toshiya took a deep breath. “You know Hakuei is a college drop out, right? But he owns his own small record label close to campus. Apparently, he had some emergency exec-meeting out-of-state that could make him a producer of some popular band, so he wasn’t home.  Hakuei wants to make it up to me though. So, he’s making me dinner at his place tomorrow.”

Kaoru bit his lip. He was skeptical about the entire exec-meeting thing. If that was the case, why didn’t Hakuei call Toshiya beforehand? And if Hakuei was excited and proud to be a potential band producer, then whouldn’t the first person to hear about it be the man that he loves? But Kaoru didn’t say anything about his suspicions.

“Ne, Kaoru.” Toshiya started. “What do you think about that person from the caf??”

“I don’t know what to think, Totchi. The person could be anybody. But the best person to ask about it is Hakuei himself.”

Toshiya sighed. “I wish it was that easy. I mean, what do I say: ‘Hey, Hakuei! You fuckin’ other people besides me?’”

“Well, you could start off by asking if he goes to the caf? often. And then ask if he comes alone or with company.”

Toshiya started chewing on his lip. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking too much. He had better things to stress about. Besides, thinking too much and not trusting one’s partner leads to relationship crumbles. At least, that’s what they preach in magazines and talkshows. The blue head plopped himself on his bed, causing it to creak and groan from the sudden force.

“Gomen, Kaoru. I detained you from your class. You should go before it ends. I’ll be alright.”

Kaoru sat on the bed. “Nah…screw Prof. Yoshiki {I’m sure Shinchan would like that ^_^ ~Yk2}. It’s almost done anyway.”

“Kaoru, you know how Prof. Yoshiki is…”

“C’mon, Totchi. Let’s stop moping around here.” The purple head got up with a bright beam on his face. “Let’s go out to eat!”

“EH?!?!?”

Kaoru gripped Toshiya’s ankles and pulled him off the bed. He laughed. “That’s the thanks you get for waking me up today!”

Toshiya pouted. “MOU~~!” He threw a pillow at his roommate and giggled.

*****

“I don’t believe this!” Shinya said to himself. He stood in front of an opened door to an empty lecture hall. Music 366 was done. He missed class and missed speaking to Prof. Yoshiki. Worst of all, he didn’t even get his paper from Die. Shinya leaned on the doorframe. He felt like crap. That was the worst hangover he’d ever had in a long while and it didn’t feel pleasant at all.

Shinya slowly walked out of the building with his head held low. If getting his composition back was this much of a feat to overcome, he’d be better off rewriting the entire thing.

Shinya passed by the small university stadium in gloom when he heard cheers from that area. He looked up and saw a group of football players coming out from practice. Shinya glared when he spotted a big tuft of red hair poking out of the crowd. With his lips pursed determinedly, he stalked over to Die.

“Die!” He called out.

Die stopped and turned around, his other teammates leaving him behind. His face fell after he saw the pretty boy in front of him. “oh, it’s you…”

Shinya raised an eyebrow. What did the guy mean by ‘oh.’ ? “I need my composition back.”

“What composition?” Die mumbled and stared at the ground. He wasn’t in the mood to be bothered, especially with what happened last night.

Shinya joined his eyebrows, slightly perplexed at the attitude Die was projecting.  That was strange. Usually, the red-head would avoid answering by teasing him ceaselessly or switching subject matters. What was more strange is the gloomy air that surrounded Die’s presence instead of his usual jubilant one. And what happened to that irritating mischievous smile of his?

“Die, is something wrong?” Shinya couldn’t help asking. He had to admit, he is a *little* worried about the jerk.

“It’s nothing.” Die avoided the younger man’s gaze. He put his hands in his pockets and began walking slowly away. “Gomen. Gotta go.”

Shinya bit his lip. Something is definitely wrong. “Die! WAIT!” He caught up to Die and walked along side him. “I know something is wrong.”

“Shinya, I’m sure you have better things to do than to talk to me.” Die walked faster.

Shinya stubbornly kept up. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s bothering you?” The truth is, the bishounen caught a hint that Die was upset because of him, but he didn’t know the reason exactly.

“You wouldn’t wanna know.” Die grumbled.

“DIE!!” Shinya protested and grabbed the older man’s arm.

Die shrugged him off and whirled around angrily. “You really want to know? HUH?!?!?”

Shinya nodded reluctantly and backed away involuntarily.  He was scared of Die’s menacing tone of voice. He’d never seen him so angry and upset and…and….what is that look in his eyes…….

…hurt?

“Well, let me tell you it’s none of your business and not your goddamned concern!!!” Die yelled. “Why don’t you go FUCK your favorite lecturer and LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

Shinya winced. ~How…how did he---?~

He didn’t know what to say to the red head, so he stood there frozen on the spot as he watched Die walk away with slumped, but angry, shoulders. Though the bishounen’s face was expressionless, his insides felt a wave of a million emotions.

He felt angry. For being yelled at.

He felt scared. Again, for being yelled at.

He felt like crying. But he doesn’t know why. He never cried. No one ever made him cry. Shinya DOESN’T cry.   It is a sacrilege engraved in stone. A profanity! A curse!

The young man bit his lip until it bled to keep his emotions from seeping through. Though no tears formed, his eyes were gleaming with moisture.

*****

Die put one foot after the other, thinking and thinking and thinking. Damn. He never used to think this much before. He turned back around. Good. Shinya wasn’t in sight and he wasn’t following him. He continued to walk some more.  He didn’t know how much time has passed, let alone where he is going.  All he knew is he wanted to get away. Get away from the painful torture he couldn’t help but feel. Get away from the only human being that has ever bewitched him to such emotional extent.

Die thought about himself. He is popular, good-looking, and charismatic. He knows many pretty girls and boys that he could grasp and wouldn’t they hesitate to be with him. And yet, why does he have to love someone who hated him with equal passion?

~Why, Shinya? Why can’t you just love me back?~

Die leaned on a lamp lost and hit his forehead on it. He felt so worn out from his depressed state. He really needed to recover from this moodswing before the game on Saturday. The football team has their last game that weekend. Without Die’s strength, they’d be worse off than the losing streak they already are now.

“Eh? Die, is that you?”

Die looked up. “Kaoru? Toshiya? What are you doing here?”

Toshiya spoke up. “We’re headed to Campus Steakhouse because Kao-kao’s too cheap to take me to a REAL restaurant.”

Kaoru frowned. “Hey! If you want to go to a ‘real’ restaurant, you pay!!”

“Ne, Die! Wanna join us?”

Die bit his lip. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for a night out.

Toshiya sensed Die’s gloomy air. ~Hmm… what happened to the happy-go-lucky-Daisuke?~  Toshiya nudged Kaoru with his elbow.

“Eh?”

Toshiya pulled Kaoru aside and whispered. “Ne! Don’t you notice Die’s a little disturbed right now?”

“Hontou?”

Toshiya sighed and pulled Kaoru’s face to look at Die, who was still leaning on the lamppost.  He didn’t have his usual smile, which was highly strange. Kaoru pursed his lips. Should he ask Die what’s wrong? Is it really any of his business? Die HAS become his best friend.

Toshiya smiled. “Kao-kao. I remember I have a design project due tomorrow.”

“HUH!?!? WHAT?!?” Kaoru blinked.

Toshiya pulled Kaoru’s ear and whispered hastily. “DUH! Take Die to dinner. I think he needs to talk to someone more than I do.”

“OW~~! What are you talking about! I can take both of you---“

“Just do it.” Toshiya said. “Ja ne, Die.” He smiled sexily and blew them both a kiss before walking away.

Kaoru pouted. ~Why does this always happen?~

Die shrugged absently. Toshiya didn’t exactly leave either of them much of a choice. ~I guess it’s alright~ Die thought. ~I do need someone to talk to about Shinya….~

*****

Kaoru scarfed his tiny, undercooked steak and his soggy french fries in one quick swoop. Die poked his rubbery steak and lumpy mashed potatoes. He didn’t feel very hungry. Actually, any food from Campus Steakhouse wasn’t very appetizing anyway. It’s surprising that Kaoru likes the food in this place.

Kaoru looked up with his mouth full. “Ne. Are you eating that?”

Die shook his head in disgust.

“Alright!” kaoru stabbed his fork thorugh Die’s steak and devoured it. “Mmmmm! OISHII!!” Die thought he was going to puke. Kaoru patted his tummy and leaned back on his seat. “SO, what’s been bothering ya, buddy?”

Die sighed. “You sure you wanna hear this?”

Kaoru nodded. “This may not be any of my business, but if you feel the need to talk to someone about it, I’m right here.”

“OK,” Die said. He placed his hands on his cup of hot chocolate, trying to get as much warmth from it as possible. “Let’s say there’s someone you really love….and….do you believe in love at first sight, Kaoru?”

Kaoru thought about it for a moment. “It’s possible, I think, but not highly probable. But hey! It’s quite a possibility.”

Die continued. “Well…what if every since you laid eyes on…this person…you’d do anything. You’d climb every mountain and pick a flower from them if this person asked.”

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “Die, I never thought you’d be the romantic type.”

“Point exactly! I never do this! I wouldn’t even think about doing what I’ve been doing…but…I can’t help thinking of those beautiful eyes and lips….” The red head paused to take a deep breath. He never thought it would be this difficult to describe his feelings in words. “Let’s say…let’s say you love this person like you’ve never loved anyone before…”

Kaoru bit his lip. He now had a faint idea who Die was talking about. ~Oh, shit, DIE! I’m the last person you should talk to about Shinya!~

“Ne, Kaoru. What would you do?” Die asked.

~Shimatta ><!~ Kaoru winced. What can he say? If he was Die, he’d go and tell Shinya how he felt, because it was obvious Shinya felt something for the red head, no matter how much he denied it. They both make each other feel emotions they wouldn’t normally feel.  Then again, if Die told Shinya his true feelings, they’d get together. Kaoru wouldn’t have a chance with the bishounen.

“Well,” Kaoru began. “I don’t know, Die. I really don’t know.” He looked at Die’s depressed face. He couldn’t do this to his best friend. “But I wouldn’t keep my feelings bottled up.” Kaoru bit his lip. “Tell him, Die.”

Die spoke in a quiet voice. “What if this person doesn’t love you back?”

Kaoru perked up hearing that phrase. ~WHAT?!?!~  “Are you sure about that?”

Die gulped. “H-hai. I heard it with my own ears. This person loves someone else…”

Kaoru froze. ~Does Shinya love ME?~  {uh oh. Kaoru jumping to conclusions… >< Yk2}. Inside, Kaoru was jumping for joy. But he stopped, feeling guilty for rejoicing in his friend’s misery. He came to Campus Steakhouse to help his best friend; he ought to set his greedy desire aside and focus on cheering up Die.

Kaoru cleared his throat. “Well, Die. If that’s how this person feels, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Die slumped.

Kaoru felt terrible. Even if he himself didn’t have a crush on Shinya, he would have given the same advice. {whatever, Kaoru… ~Yk2}.

“I know it hurts, but you can’t change people and you can’t change what happened. If something is meant to happen, it will, no matter how long you wait and no matter what you do. The best thing to do is to make the best out of it.” {Sound familiar? ~Yk2}.

Die stared at Kaoru.

Kaoru shifted in his seat. “What? Can’t I be philosophical for once?”

Die stood up. “Y’know what? You’re right! You are SO right!” He slammed his hand on the table. “I’m not gonna get depressed over that! I’m going to be positive!”

Kaoru smiled. “That’s right, Die.”

“I’m going to project my energies elsewhere!”

“Yep! That’s the idea!”

“I’m going to play some REAL football on Saturday…”

“You go, Die!”

“…and I’m going to study like a maniac!”

Kaoru almost fell off his chair. Die and study. That’s an oxymoron right there. “Did I just hear you right?”

But Die wasn’t paying attention. Now he wanted to study hard, not because Shinya thinks he’s stupid and he wanted to impress the bishounen, but because he wanted to prove that he could do better than Prof. Yoshiki. He could beat that scrawny professor with a  PhD and beyond. Die decided to forget about Shinya and move on. If Shinya and he were not meant to be, then stressing about it was not going to get him anywhere. Besides, feeling depressed sure hurts. It’s better to move on the let it be….

~Goodbye, my Shinchan~ the red head thought. ~Goodbye~

Kaoru looked at Die, who had a scary, determined look on his eyes.

Kaoru ~sweatdrop~

~I’ve created a monster. ~

###

Dear Journal,
 I should be studying for Music 366. It’s going to be tonight and thank God It’s my last exam.  I bet it’s going to be difficult. Akuma sensei is going to kick my ass. I even missed the last lecture session. Diety Hall’s toned down a bit. I guess everyone’s studying for finals. Either that or the people that have all their finals done have left for Winter Break.

I’m so proud of Die. What he said last week was true. He dug himself out his hole and focused on other things. The football team lost last Saturday, but it was the best game they had ever played in the university’s history. Die was so happy that the season is over so he could focus on his studies. I am amazed and proud of Die’s determination. Most of all, I feel really good I could make a difference to somebody. {sure, Kaoru. You just want Shinya for yourself =P ~Yk2}.

 I haven’t seen Shinya in a while. He’s been busy studying and rewriting his first composition. That lucky boy! Prof. Yoshiki actually let him redo it by today. We both turned in our other composition last Friday. I helped him with it too, but I’m sure he received an A+ on it.

 Totchi hasn’t been back since he went to Hakuei’s for dinner. Why doesn’t he just move in with that blonde bastard so he doesn’t have to pay for dorm expenses? At least he called this time, and he sounded really happy. I can’t really say much because it isn’t my business. I still don’t like it though. Anyway, I have to go now.

###

 Kaoru sighed and leaned back on his chair. He was so tired and his eyes were sore. He wondered why some finals are at night. It’s such a pain in the ass. He glanced at the clock. One more hour in counting. He should study, but…nah…

 Kaoru sat on his bed and fingered the dreamcatcher that hung on it. So the belief was true. Ever since Toshiya gave him the dreamcatcher, he hasn’t had any nightmares at all. Kaoru reached over with his other hand and pressed a button on the answering machine. He lay down on his bed and listened to the message again.

 Beep.

 Toshiya: “Heya, Kao-kao! I promise I’d leave a message, so here it is. I’m at Hakuei’s place right now and I have no idea when I’ll be back…”

 Hakuei in the background: “Hey, babe. Who’s that you talking to?”

Toshiya: “It’s my roommate.”

Hakuei: “Who?”

Toshiya: “Kao-kao.”

Hakuei: “What kinda name is that? Sounds like a chocolate brand.”

Toshiya: “It’s just a nickname. His name’s Kaoru.”

Hakuei: “WHAT? You live with Rat Face?! How can you stand that? Does he chew the headboards at night?”

Toshiya: “MOU~! He doesn’t like being called that. Be nice!……(giggles)….stop that….that tickles…g-gomen, Kaoru. Gotta go…(giggles)…

BeeP.

 Kaoru sighed. He had to admit, he was a bit jealous---of Toshiya. Kaoru wondered if he’d ever get someone to love that would love him with the same passion. He immediately thought of Shinya, but shook his head. Die just got over him; it still would not be right to go after the bishounen. He’d have to be patient….and wait…

 *****

 Shinya walked into the lecture hall early. He had to turn in his first composition. Shinya decided to rewrite it. It took forever to write, and on top of that, he had to study for finals. But the auburn-head thought it was worthwhile. He didn’t want to see Die. Actually, he couldn’t see Die. Shinya kept thinking about that incident over and over again. True, he was very worried about the redhead, but he was also scared to face him. It was obvious Die had a problem, and the problem had something to do with him! Whatever it was, it’s killing him thinking about it. Ever since Die yelled at him that night, the red head changed. He hasn’t thrown a party since then. Shinya heard from Kyo and the cult members that maybe Die was possessed by the devil, either that or Prof. Pata has mastered a new hypnotizing technique. Die even turned down an offer from Kyo to go drinking and study instead!

 Shinya mentally slapped himself. He shouldn’t worry so much about that jerk. It was Die that yelled at him; he should be the one upset.

 ~Christ! Why am I so agitated?!~

 “Shinya.”

 Shinya turned around and gasped. “Prof. Yoshiki.”

 Yoshiki gave a slight nod. “You’re here early.”

 “H-hai.” Shinya stammered. “A-ano…dozo.” He thirsted a packet of papers to the instructor.

 “Oh, good.” Yoshiki looked through the papers. “Hmm… you rewrote your entire composition.”

 “Hai. Is there something wrong?”

 “No, no. I thought it would be more convenient to just take your papers back from whoever you got mixed up with. Must’ve had problems doing that, huh?”

 Shinya bit his lip. “I…guess you could say that.”

 Yoshiki took out a red pen and marked a big fat A+ on the top.Shinya could feel his heart jump for joy.

 “Demo, Shinya.” Yoshiki said, “Are you upset about something?”

 Shinya blinked. “What makes you conclude that, Prof. Yoshiki?”

 Yoshiki pointed at the paper. “your feelings are conveyed through your writing. It seems that you are angry, frustrated, and yet, apprehensive about an incident.”

 “Oh,” Shinya said quietly. “It’s nothing to be worried about.”

 Yoshiki raised an eyebrow and observed the student. “Shinya, if something is wrong, don’t hesitate to fix it before it’s too late.”

 “Demo…I tried to ask him what was wrong, and he won’t answer me.”

 “Who is this person?”

 “Some stubborn and inconsiderate jerk.”

 “Oh? Sounds like you care deeply about him. Is this your koboito?”

 Shinya widened his eyes. “NO! Never!”

 ~Don’t say that, Yoshiki-sama! Your’e the only one for me! I can never go out with that red head!~

 Yoshiki hid a smile. “Well, whoever this person is has a problem that’s eating you alive.It’s bugging you so much that it seeped into your writing. I have no say in this matter because I don’t particularly know the details, but I suggest you talk to him.”

“But Prof.----“

“I was once a lot like you,” Yoshiki started. “I wanted something, that one particular thing so much, that it didn’t matter how other people were feeling. I learned things the hard way. I hurt someone badly and never bothered to reconcile.” Yoshiki looked outside the window. “I never got to see that person’s face again. In the end, the stubbornness of my ambition left an albatross hung around my neck.”

Shinya thought about it.

“I think you should go and be seated. Students are starting to come in.” Yoshiki smiled.

Shinya gasped. ~That same smile he had in the picture!~

Eventually, the classroom filled up with every student in the course. Even the students that never showed up throughout the quarter were there. Kaoru sat beside Shinya; he was obviously nervous. Gackt and Mana were seated in front of them, having a glaring contest. Of course, Mana won.

“Oh yeah?” Gackt retorted. “We’ll see who breaks the curve this time!” (insert sha-ne-ne finger snaps).

Kaoru and Shinya: ~sweatdrop~

Mana: “………..”

Yoshiki started passing out the final examination. Every other form had different answers to prevent cheating.

Shinya worked on the test absently. His mind was somewhere else, wandering and debating. Should he? Or should he not? If he talks to Die, would it make any difference? It shouldn’t…or should it? The red head would probably shrug him off anyway….maybe not… Shinya felt like pulling his silky hair off his scalp from frustration.

Kaoru was a wreck. The questions were not particularly difficult, but his nervousness was causing him thinking difficulties.

He bit his nails. ~What am I doing?~

Shinya tugged his hair. ~What should I do?~

Gackt chuckled. ~Bwahahaha! You’ll see, Mana. You’ll see…~

Mana: ~…………..~

“Time’s up!” Yoshiki yelled.

A mass of students got up slowly from their seats, grumbling about how complicated the test was. Shinya stood up immediately. “Gomen, Kaoru. I have something important to do right now.”

Kaoru nodded, a bit perplexed.

Shinya handed in his paper to the professor.

“Shinya-kun.” The professor called out.

“Hai?”

“If you need help in music next quarter, don’t hesitate coming to me.”

Shinya smiled. “Domo arigatou gozai masu, but I hope to see you in future lectures also.”

“Same here.”

Shinya nodded and left the lecture hall. He wasn’t paying too keen of an attention to the music exam, and truthully, he didn’t care at that point. He just wanted to burst out of the oppressive hall and run across campus and sort things out with Die.

“Dammit!” He cursed at himself once he got out the front doors. It was sleeting outside. The young man didn’t have an umbrella and he was clad in a thin jacket. He was used to it; his hometown is colder than the weather there, but he didn’t like that fact that he’s going to be wet.

Nevertheless, the young man trudged thorugh as the cold pelts infiltrated his thin jacket and seeped to his skin. He didn’t care. Prof. Yoshiki was right. The problem was eating him alive.

Shinya finally reached the dorm after a treacherous trudge through murky puddles and wet, sticky mud. He stood in front of room 412. Die’s room.

~I wonder if he’ll even answer the door?~ Shinya thought. He raised his hand. Hesitated. Then knocked on the door. His other hand clenched his wet skirt tightly as he waited.

~He’s probably not answering.~

~Why would he? He’s mad at me!~

~Why is he mad at me~

~Because you were never nice to him and you deserve to be treated this way!~

~NO! He made fun of me first!~

After a while, Shinya sighed and gave up. No one was answering the door. He turned around and walked slowly to his dorm door.

“Shinya?”

The young man turned around.

It was Ryuichi, one of the graduate students who roomed with Die. He is known to be the biggest ditz and the theatre department’s prima donna.

“Like, Shinya, was that you?”

“Ah, hai!” Shinya bit his lip.”I thought no one was home.”

Ryu rolled his eyes. “Dude! Like, I was fixing my hair! And what, like, happened to you?? You, like, look like crap!”

“Um…O-kay.”

“So, like, what do you want?”

“Oh! That!” Shinya gripped his skirt. “Ah…ano…could I speak with Die, please?”

“Like, for sure! Hey, DIE!!”

Shinya took a few deep breaths. What should he say? What should he do? Why is he so nervous?

Ryuichi popped his head back out the door. “Sorry, dude. It looks like he just left.”

“LEFT!?!”

Ryuichi winced. “Chill! Like, his last final was this morning. He, like, must’ve left for home this afternoon.”

The younger man stared at Ryuichi in silence. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or frustrated.

“Like, don’t stare at me like that!”

“Gomen.”

“You’re bogus, man. No wonder Die always talks about you.”

“What? He talks about me?”

“Chyeah! Well, at least, he did talk about you until, like, recently.”

“Oh.” Shinya replied. “Alright, I won’t keep you from your hair duties.”

~Die’s probably making fun of me behind my back…~

“And remember to call nexttime you want to knock on the door. My hair is super delicate, y’kno?”

Shinya gave a wan smile. “Sure, Ryuichi. Goodnight.”

“G’night.”

Shinya shut the door to his dorm and leaned on it.

~I guess I’ll talk to Die next quarter~

He suddenly had an image of Die’s angry and hurt face.

~…or maybe not…~

“Ahh…it’s nice to be back!” Kaoru sighed.

He sniffed the cold winter air around him after he set his luggage on the steps. He stretched his arms out to catch the biting wind in an open embrace. It’s been three long weeks since he’s set foot on Diety Hall. He spent his winter break at home, away from the dorm. It was nice to visit his family and old friends, but now, he felt more at home in Diety Hall than anywhere.

The outside of the building was the same as always, except the tree beside it was bare from the pretty red leaves. The residents resided inside from the cold, and all the windows were sprayed with frost.

~Yep~ Kaoru thought.~It’s nice to be back alright.~

Kaoru picked up his suitcase and climbed up the steps jubilantly. He was in a good mood. A damn good mood. He brought the dorm residents cookies he made using his mother’s recipe the day before. He couldn’t wait to have everybody taste it! Kaoru COOKED! (insert chorus: halleluiah!)

The purple head reached the front of his door without problems. He was so used to climbing the treacherously long staircase.

Room 304.

He heard sounds from the inside. He smiled. Toshiya must be home. He slowly turned the door knob then quickly burst in the room, beaming broadly. “Totchi!!! I’m BAAAAAC~~~----!!!??????????”

Kaoru dropped all his belongings and gawked, his eyes popping out of his head.

Toshiya was on his bed, on hands and knees, with his sweaty, flushed face buried on the pillow. Hakuei was right behind him and inside him at the moment…..{and you guys get the point ^.^!!} Hakuei noticed Kaoru and hastily got off the blue head and grabbed his clothes. Toshiya moaned, then turned around. He gasped and pulled the covers up, blushing really hard in embarrassment. Hakuei blushed too, but had a murderous glare directed to Kaoru.

“Um…I….uh….GOMENDASAI!!” Kaoru ran outside and shut the door. His face was bright red and traumatized.

~Oh SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!~

“Kaoru, you OK?”

Kaoru saw the poker players and Kyo walk toward him. He couldn’t answer, he still had his mouth open from shock.

“Hello? Earth to Kaoru!” Taka waved his hands in front of the purple head’s face.

“Heh heh. This is fun!” Kyo began to poke Kaoru on the ribs. ”Dude! Do you eat??!’

Kaoru finally woke up from his state of trauma.

*BAP*

“Ittai!” Kyo cried and rubbed his head.

“I eat, dammit!”

Shuse smirked. “That’s what you get for eating at Campus Steakhouse.”

“Totally unhealthy.” Taka pointed out.

Hiro made a face. “Not to mention the food sucks.”

“And they’re not worth your money.” Koji nodded.

Kaoru frowned. “But guys…”

Suddenly, Room 304’s door opened. Hakuei stood there with the most menacing face known to man. In slow motion, his hand lifted and pointed to Kaoru. “….You…” He bellowed.

~EEP @_@~ Kaoru thought. “Ano…gomen! Gomen! I didn’t mean to…HONEST!”

“YOU!!” Hakuei yelled, his voice echoing in the hallway.

0_0;;; Kyo and the poker players scurried back.

Toshiya appeared behind Hakuei. “Ne, Hakuei. He didn’t mean to. He seriously didn’t know.” Toshiya tugged Hakuei’s sleeve in vain. The blonde man wasn’t listening.

Kaoru started backing away slowly. “Eh-hheheheheh. I didn’t do it on purpose, ne? I just got here, right guys?” Kaoru turned to the cowering group behind him.

Kyo looked around. “Huh? Hey guys, did you hear something?”

Shuse laughed nervously.” Ah-hah-hah-hah-hah…I thought I heard Kaoru somewhere…”

Levin spoke up, puzzled. “You guys, Kaoru’s right ther----“

Koji clapped his hand on Levin’s mouth. “^^; Ah…lalalala…lala….~! We’re just passing by! Don’t mind us!” The group carried the struggling and gagged Levin as they quickly ran away.

“WHAT!?” Kaoru exclaimed. “Some friends you are!”

“Have fun, ‘kao-kao!’ ^0^” Kyo cackled in the distance.

Kaoru: >-<!!

“Hakuei-chan. Please. Just calm down. It doesn’t bother me, really.”

“But it bothers ME!!” Hakuei growled.

Toshiya furrowed his eyebrows helplessly.

Hakuei kept his stare on Kaoru deadly and steady. “What the hell’s your problem??”

“Look, I already apologi----.”

“Damn the apology, Rat Face!”

Kaoru’s eye twitched upon hearing that word.

“OoOOH?” Hakuei coaxed bitterly. “Did I strike a nerve? Huh? RAT FACE??!”

“Hakuei please.” Toshiya said in vain.

Kaoru felt his body heat up in anger. “I don’t know what Totchi sees in you.”

Toshiya bit his lip. “Kaoru!”

“ ‘Totchi’ ??” Hakuei raised an eyebrow, then glared.  “Oh! Now I see. You’re JEALOUS, are you?”

“WHAT??” Kaoru exclaimed.

Hakuei fumed. “That’s right, Rat Face!”

Kaoru raised his voice. “You have no fucking right to say anything! He’s my goddamn roommate and one of my goddamn best friends! Why the hell would I walk in on you and Totchi on purpose? HUH? Oh, but of course. You’re the sexy, tall, indominable Hakuei-sama who’s always right! You don’t even have brains to think of a clever comeback, so you call people names and provoke fights! Sorry, Hakuei, but maybe all that bleach has seeped through your thin skull----!”

Before Kaoru could another word in, he felt a hard fist on his jaw. He stumbled a bit then punched Hakuei on the shoulder. {C’mon, guys! Violence is not the answer! ~Yk2}

“Hakuei!! Kaoru!!…STOP!!” Toshiya sobbed. He tried his best to cease the fight, but couldn’t do it. The two men were to angry to think; the guys didn’t even notice Toshiya crying. The blue head sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands. He didn’t like the fights, especially if the conflict was between two people he really cared about.

Suddenly, a warm hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned his head and gasped, “Shinya?”

The young man gave an encouraging smile.

“How..? where…?”

“I was watching the whole time.” The pretty boy sat down beside Toshiya and watched the ongoing fight. “I’m the Mute One, remember?”

Toshiya blinked a tear away. “*sniffles* I tried to stop them. I---.”

“Don’t stop them.” Shinya said calmly. “In time, they’ll realize how ridiculous they are.”

“But I feel responsible.”

“Did you start the fight?”

“Well, not really…”

“So you had nothing to do with it. They started the mess themselves when they could’ve talked it through.”

“Hnn.. I still fell bad…”

“ne. Don’t feel bad. I wish I had two guys fighting for my affection.” {Gyah! Like Die and Kaoru? If only Shinchan knew!! ~Yk2}

Toshiya gasped. “But that’s not the case. Hakuei and I are together. Kaoru’s just pissed because Hakuei called him a Rat Face!”

“Rat Face?” Shinya covered his mouth with his hand, but ended up bursting into uncontrollable giggles.

The two fighting men stopped and stared at the younger man confusedly.

“What the…?” Kaoru said.

“Who the..?” Hakuei stared.

“Shinya?”

Shinya’s laughter died down a notch then laughed harder again after he glanced at Kaoru’s confused face.

Toshiya quickly took this chance to stand up. “Kaoru! Hakuei! Please! STOP FIGHTING!!!”

“He started it first!”

“NO! You did!”

“Bullshit!”

“You’re bullshit!”

“What’s going on here?”

All heads turned to look at Die, who just got up the steps and was looking from Hakuei’s bloody lip, to Kaoru’s blackeye, to Toshiya’s mascara-streamed face, and to Shinya, who stopped laughing and avoided his gaze.

“It’s nothing, Die,” Toshiya sniffed, breaking the silence.

“Nothing?! It’s all Rat Face’s fault!”

“Stop calling me that!”

“WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!” Die got between Kaoru and Hakuei. “You guys have to stop fighting! If the dorm president sees you like this, he’ll penalize both of you.” He turned to Kaoru. “Especially you!”

Kaoru grit his teeth. Everyone knew the dorm president is the one and only Takuro Kubo. He is also known to be the bossiest and biggest goody-goody student in the facility That’s why he was appointed dorm president by the administration. Hell, if the residents would have voted, Die would have won.

“Why should they penalize me?” Hakuei snapped. “He instigated the situation!”

“My ass!” Kaoru snapped and pushed Hakuei.

Die tried his best to keep the two grueling men apart.

Shinya turned to Toshiya. The blue head looked so hurt and depressed. “Toshiya?” Shinya whispered and touched his hand.

Toshiya shook his head and faced the young man. Silent tears streamed down his porcelain-like cheeks as he gave him a sad smile. “It’s OK, Shinya…I just need to…get away…” He gave Shinya’s hand a squeeze of reassurance, got up slowly, and left silently.

Shinya turned to Hakuei and Kaoru, whom were so intent at ripping each other’s hair out they didn’t notice Toshiya leave. Die was still trying to stop them. Under normal circumstances, he would be able to knock them both dead, but their hatred for each other seemed to have surpassed his strength.

Shinya gripped his hand into a tight fist. He was starting to become PO’d. {Warning! Warning! Pissed off Shinchan!! ~yk2}. He quietly and slowly walked up {w/ red chi surrounding him} to the two arguers, whom did not notice his presense.

Kaoru and Hakuei were about to throw one mean punch to each other when suddenly, their fists were stopped by slender, but strong hands. Before the two men knew it, they felt a powerful force push them both on opposite sides of the hallway. The shove was so strong they both hit the walls with a huge *SLAM* and had small cracks on either side of the hall.

{WOOHOO! Go! Go! Supah-Shinchan!~yk2}

Die, Kaoru, and Hakuei stared at the bishounen in amazement.

Shinya glowered his oh-so-deadly glower. “stupid. Stupid. STUPID!!!!!!” He yelled.”YOU!” He pointed to Kaoru. “AND YOU!!” He pointed to Hakuei. “You two were so focused and intent on fighting that you didn’t even consider Toshiya’s feelings! Do you know how he’s feeling right now?”

“Wait. Where is he?”

Shinya glared. “That’s right! Where is he? WHERE IS HE!?? You didn’t even notice and both of you are supposed to be the two people he cares about the most! What kind of a friend and lover are you?? He was CRYING when he left! He doesn’t like fights and you both should know that!!”

Both men looked at their feet sheepishly.

“Where is he now?” Kaoru asked.

“He went downstairs.”

Kaoru nodded, but Hakuei went off before he could.  Shinya held the purple head back and sighed. “Stay here, Kaoru. If you go, you and Hakuei are going to fight again. Talk to Toshiya later.”

Kaoru looked down at his feet. “Gomen, Shinya.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to Toshiya.” Shinya let out a deep breath. “Besides, I wasn’t directly scolding you.”

“Really?”

“Hai.” Shinya smiled. “I was here the whole time. Hakuei was provoking you from the beginning. It’s just that if I put the blame on him, you guys wouldn’t have stopped the fight.”

“Arigatou, Shinya.”

“Doitasimasite.” Shinya nodded. “But go to your room now and wait for Toshiya to come back.”

“Hai!” Kaoru saluted and sauntered to his room.

Shinya turned to leave, but felt the presence of the red head. Their eyes met and they both looked hastily away, blushing hard. Die looked at his own two feet. He wanted to apologize for his behavior last quarter, but couldn’t form any words in his mind. All he could think of was how beautiful Shinya was even when he was pissed off, and how gracefully, yet strongly, the young man pushed Hakuei and Kaoru.

Die lifted his head. Shinya was biting his lip and looking down. He looked so adorable. His eyes lingered a bit longer on the bishounen’s fair skin and pink lips. He wanted to taste its softeness again. He wanted to feel Shinya’s warmth and caresses.

~Shin-chan~ Die thought dreamily.

Suddenly, that word echoed in his head.

~’….Yoshiki-sama….’~

Die’s face morphed into a cold, unfeeling stone. That’s right. Shinya didn’t love him; he loves ‘Yoshiki-sama.’

“I’m leaving.” Die broke the silence with that frosty statement.

“W-what?” Shinya stammered and looked at him. ~You’re just gonna leave?! Just like that?!~

Shinya looked so vulnerable, so hurt. Die was tempted to stay, but forced himself to think otherwise. He grit his teeth. ~What do you care? You love Professor Yoshiki, why don’t’ you go to him?~

Without another word, Die brushed past the bishounen and climbed up the steps in cold silence.

CONTD @ Episode 16: Shuse’s Party