WEEK TWO: Monday (Touji)

"Hey, I found you," I said.

Yuzuru was standing in line at the okonomiyaki booth. There were already a couple plastic food containers in his hands. He jumped at my greeting. "Geez, Seryou, don't sneak up on a guy like—"

Then he caught sight of me and his jaw dropped. "What the hell are you wearing?"

I looked down at myself sheepishly. "It's the costume for my dance performance."

Costume was too mild of a word, because the get-up Nakamura and her friends had insisted on was something right out of a dreamy pop music video. Tight white pleather pants, a white fishnet shirt with thumbholes, a weird leather jacket with slashes all the way down the sleeves, and boots. Giant white platform boots, covered in silver buckles, with quilted guards strapped around the knees. I'd done makeup as the girls had instructed—well, the black eyeliner anyway. I wasn't touching the silver glitter they'd wanted me to put on my eyelids.

Yuzuru continued gaping, his eyes skipping all over me like he couldn't figure out which part shocked him most. "You have pierced ears," he finally said.

That was actually the only thing I liked about the whole mess. I had a silver hoop in one ear and a long dangly chain with a cross in the other. I barely ever got to use my ear piercings since they were very much against school rules, so that part was kind of fun. I touched the hoop in my ear and nodded.

"You're humongous," he added, and took a step closer to prove his point. He had to tip his head back to look into my face, because the boots added a good ten centimeters to our height difference. Not only was I towering over him, but the things were damn hard to walk in. It was a good thing I wasn't going to be responsible for any real dancing during the performance.

Yuzuru lowered his chin so that he was eye-level with my throat. "And this shirt is see-through."

"It looks stupid, I know," I sighed, tugging the uncomfortable mesh a little farther down my arm so it wasn't digging into the crook of my thumb.

"It's hot."

My eyes snapped to his and he bit his lower lip, shoving one of the food containers into my hands. "Go find a place to sit. I'll grab some okonomiyaki and join you."

There wasn't really any place I could go where this outfit wasn't going to draw attention. I decided to head for one of the back tables in the maid café. My brother Natsuki was bent over the makeshift coffee bar showing one of the third year girls, in her mini-skirted maid costume, how to draw a teddy bear in espresso foam. He looked up as I passed and surveyed my attire with a smirk. Oh, I was so going to hear about this at home tonight. However, I had to admit to a wee bit of satisfaction when the girl he was trying so hard to impress came running over to me as if she'd forgotten about him entirely. That wasn't something that happened very often.

"Wow, Seryou-kun, you're so cool!"

I threw Natsuki a cocky salute as his smirk dissolved into a petulant scowl, and continued to the empty table I had my eye on. By the time I got there I had acquired an escort of giggling girls. I set the food container on the table. The ridiculous boots were so tall I couldn't fit my knees underneath it, so I had to settle for sitting sideways in the folding chair while the swarm of girls enveloped me with their camera phones and squeals and touchy fingers trying to stroke my gel-hardened hair. I got about a dozen requests for selfies, at least five appeals for a date, and one marriage proposal. I obliged the selfies as best I could and politely declined the other offers, but their enthusiasm was relentless. I was trying to be patient, but all I really wanted was to be alone so I could process the fact that Yuzuru had called me hot.

Kobayashi and Ueno, two of the girls from our dance group, came bounding over to coo about how great I looked. They wasted no time talking up our performance to the other girls and getting them to promise they'd come watch. I hadn't had the chance to open the food container Yuzuru had given me when he came walking up with his hands full of steaming, food-laden paper plates. Kobayashi saw him coming and suddenly she and Ueno were clearing a path for him to get to me, parting the crowd of girls as if they were his self-appointed bodyguards.

He set the plates down next to me, noticed my untouched food, and turned to the girls with crossed arms. "Go away," he said in the same authoritative voice he used in club meetings. "Seryou needs to eat."

The girls scooted back a couple meters, not actually leaving but giving us a little breathing room. He pulled a chair over and sat next to me, his jaw tight and irritation clenching his forehead. He hated girls making a fuss like this.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "Maybe I should have stayed in the locker room."

"Shut up and eat," was his only reply, and he stabbed his chopsticks into one of the plates like it had offended him.

I had to unhook the stupid mesh shirt from my thumbs so I could hold my chopsticks properly. Yuzuru had bought stir fried noodles, teriyaki chicken and the okonomiyaki, and all of them tasted pretty good. I had to eat fast, though, because Kobayashi and Ueno were pointing at the big gym clock and jerking their heads toward the door. Yuzuru saw me looking their direction and gave them both a scathing glare. They dropped their hands and looked elsewhere.

I shoveled a couple more mouthfuls of noodles and started to stand. "I'd better go."

He grabbed the hem of my jacket and pulled me back down. "They can wait a couple more minutes. You just spent an hour running up and down the archery range non-stop. Eat."

"Really, I'm—"

A wad of noodles was thrust against my lips, and he raised a dangerous eyebrow. "Eat."

Meekly I opened my mouth, and he stuffed the noodles in with the ends of his chopsticks. As soon as I swallowed, he had a piece of chicken at the ready and made me eat that too. Behind us the girls started trilling and snapping more pictures. He snorted and turned toward them.

"Cut it out!"

"Yuzuru-san." I laid a hand on his wrist, which was already aiming more chicken at me. When he finally met my eyes I smiled. "I'm okay. Really. Thank you for the food. I'll be back as soon as the dance is finished."

His face softened a little and he put the chopsticks down. "Wait here a minute." He got up and started toward the locker room door, then turned around. "Eat more. I'll be right back."

Curious, I watched him run for the locker room and disappear inside. I took a few bites of chicken and the okonomiyaki and slurped down some of the soda he'd brought while the girls closed in on me again. In less than a minute he reappeared, waving the girls away. He started closing up the food containers and stacking our mostly empty plates. "Masamune's going to cover the archery lessons," he said, "and I'm going to watch your dance."

"You didn't have to do that."

He tossed the plates in a nearby garbage can and gave the evil eye to the hovering girls. "Yes I did. Besides," he held a hand out and helped me stand up, "you're gonna break your neck walking across the snow in those things." The platform boots wobbled under me and I grimaced. He had a point.

He then eyed my chest. "Do you have a coat? You're practically naked, you can't go out there like that."

"Here, Seryou-sama," piped up one of the first year girls, and she handed me a fuzzy white thing with sleeves and a hood.

"Oh, I can't take your coat, Miyano-chan."

"It's okay, I have another one in homeroom. You wear that one. It goes with your outfit."

I was going to protest again but Kobayashi and Ueno were running for the gym doors. Yuzuru took the fluffy coat and swung it around my shoulders. "Oh, just wear it," he said impatiently, "We'll get it back to her later."

I shrugged and blew Miyano a quick kiss, borrowing one of Natsuki's favored moves. Evidently it was adequate thanks, because her face turned hot pink and she swayed so much that one of her friends had to catch her by the elbow.

"Are you done?" Yuzuru asked sharply, and I turned to nod at him.

Actually, it was a good thing he'd decided to walk with me. I felt foolish trotting across the icy, snow packed concrete in those huge boots and fluffy jacket, and if Yuzuru hadn't been there holding my elbow I definitely would have ended up on my ass more than once. We made it to the assembly hall where Nakamura and the other girls were waiting. I barely had time to toss the borrowed coat to Yuzuru before they swept me backstage.

"Seryou-kun, we thought you weren't coming!"

"Damn, you look amazing!"

"Can I touch your hair?"

Their chatter quieted as the event announcer started introducing our group. The house lights went down and we skittered onto the stage to take our opening positions.

The music and the lights came on at once, and the audience's shrieking actually drowned out the first few bars of the song. My classmates didn't let it faze them, though, and went right into the dance routine.

Even though my only job was to stand there and look insolent—my 'character' was supposed to be a pretty boy that the girls were in love with, who was too cool to return their feelings—every time I moved the audience screamed. The first time I took Sato's hand and spun her into me I thought I was going to burst an eardrum, and that was just the beginning. I had to stroke a hand up Kobayashi's fishnet-stockinged leg at one point, and sweep Nakamura into a dramatic dip a few beats later. I wasn't sure how the girls were managing to keep time to the music when I could barely even hear it over the noise, but somehow they kept it together. I strode across the stage—somewhat unsteadily—to wink and gesture at one side of the audience, then back to the middle so the girls could flock around me again, then over to the other side for more winking action. Finally we were getting to the end of the song so I headed to center stage, making sure to find the little green x taped to the floor that marked where I was supposed to finish up.

We had a little problem when Ueno went into position at my feet and accidentally bumped my ankle. I started to flounder but thankfully Kobayashi was a quick thinker. She grabbed my arm, pulled it around her shoulders, laid a hand on my chest and blinked up at me longingly... while making sure I didn't fall. It ended up modifying our final pose, but I think we were the only ones who knew that.

The assembly hall exploded. Like, to the point where I had to cover my ears because it hurt. At some point the cacophony devolved into a chant of my name, and my classmates grabbed my hands and pulled me to the front of the stage for a bow. We had to hurry backstage to make room for the next performing group, and I actually felt a deep sense of relief in ducking behind the heavy velvet curtains, away from all the chaos.

The girls crowded around me, laughing and cheering.

"That was amazing, Seryou-kun!"

"That was so much fun!"

"Everything went so great, you guys!"

I gave Kobayashi a grateful smile. "You literally saved my butt out there. Thanks."

"Aw, it's no big deal."

"That part where you twirled me was so sexy I thought I'd die," Sato announced, fanning her face exaggeratedly. I laughed.

"I can't believe you guys were able to hear the music with all that racket."

"It wasn't easy," Nakamura agreed. "But we are SO gonna have to do this again next year, right everyone?"

"Yeah!"

It was then that I noticed Yuzuru by the stage door, holding Miyano's fluffy white coat. I excused myself from my excited classmates and tottered over to him. "Thank god that's over. I can't believe we have to do it all again tomorrow." I bent to unzip the awful boots, putting a hand on his shoulder for balance. I got them off and sighed in relief as my feet met solid ground.

He hadn't said anything, so I straightened up. His enormous eyes looked even bigger in the backstage shadows.

"Yuzuru-san?"

He moved slowly, wrapping the coat around my shoulders, his gaze focused on my throat. For a second I thought maybe the band-aid Masamune had given me had come off, and the hickey was showing through the mesh shirt. But I put a hand up and could feel the bandage still. What was he—

He pulled the coat closed at my neck, and held it there. Then he shut his eyes. "I won't come tomorrow," he said.

"Huh?"

"Everybody looking at you and touching you." His lower lip started to puff out, until he was actually pouting. "I know I can't stop them from liking you. And I can't stop you from being so beautiful. But I don't like it."

The word beautiful rang like bells in my ears, filling me up with happiness even as his pout intensified. I covered his hands with mine. "Remember what I said yesterday? You're the only one I care about."

He glanced over at my classmates who I guessed, from the way he was scowling, were watching us. "But—"

"The only one," I said firmly. He was still in his archery gear, so I grabbed the ties of his hakama and pulled him closer. He grunted in surprise, his eyes flying up, and I held his gaze as hard as I could. With the girls watching I couldn't do any of the things I really wanted to prove it to him, but for once, I hoped the truth of it would show in my face. It didn't matter how many other people were interested in me, or even if no one else was. Yuzuru was all that mattered. Yuzuru and his shameless honesty, his impetuous passions, his tenderness and simplicity. He'd called me beautiful, but he was the one who embodied every sense of the word.

I felt his hand sliding underneath the coat. His fingers moved over the mesh of my shirt, caressing my skin with a torturously faint touch that was impeded a little, but not enough, by the fishnet. His hand came to rest directly over my now wildly erratic heart, while his eyes shone with a mixture of wonder and uncertainty that trapped the breath in my lungs.

Consciously, I knew he didn't mean it the way my body was interpreting it. He was seeking my warmth, and the reassurance that he didn't have anything to worry about. But he stroked my chest gently, and the feel of his fingertip grazing my nipple nearly made me cry out. I had to choke back the sound before it left my throat, which meant I ended up making a weird gasping noise and clapping a hand over his on my chest so he couldn't keep moving it around. Desire shot from my core outward, until every muscle I had was straining to contain it.

The irony was, he had no idea what he'd done. He couldn't possibly understand how much I wanted him, how even his most innocent gestures fanned that longing into something unbearable. I was trying to keep from losing my mind and he was just looking at me in sweet confusion. "Your heart's fast," he said.

No kidding. "I need to sit down," was all I could muster in reply, and his eyes went wide. He helped me to the concrete floor, where I sat with my hand over my chest trying to remember how to breathe right.

The girls came running over.

"Seryou-kun, what's wrong?"

"Are you okay?!"

"What happened? Senpai?"

Yuzuru shook his head. "He overdid it today. Anybody have any water?"

Four bottles magically appeared at his request, and he grabbed the closest one from Ueno, wrenched the top off and held it to my mouth. I drank, because I would feel even more silly if I didn't, and the situation was embarrassing enough. The water was ice cold and I felt it quenching some of the fire that had welled up inside me. I took the bottle from him and downed the rest. It wasn't quite as effective as a cold shower, but the idea was about the same.

They were all still hovering over me, so I waved a hand. "I'm okay. I'm fine now, guys. Thanks." With some of my composure back, I turned to Yuzuru. "We should get back to the dojo. The third years' demonstration is starting soon, yeah?"

"I can go alone. You need to rest."

"I want to get out of these clothes," I said, getting to my feet. He jumped up to help me and Nakamura grabbed my other arm as if she thought I'd collapse otherwise.

I had to put the enormous boots back on for the trip back. We were tailed by an entourage of I don't even know how many girls, but Nakamura, Kobayashi, Sato and the others held them at bay while Yuzuru helped me toddle across the courtyard. I tugged him toward the gym entrance instead of the dojo's. Walking through the dojo in a tiger suit was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but the idea of strolling through in this sexpot popstar look felt truly disrespectful.

The crowd of girls followed us through the gym until we reached the locker room door. It seemed rude to just vanish inside without acknowledging them, so I turned and waved while Yuzuru pushed the door open. I had to admit, though, that once the door closed behind us, muffling their shouting and catcalls, I felt a lot better.

Yuzuru barely seemed to notice this time around, he was so focused on me. He insisted on holding my arm until I'd sat on the bench in front of my locker, and then stood there looking fretful while I unzipped the boots. "Are you sure you're okay? I can go get you something else to eat."

I smiled up at him. "I'm good," I said. "You can head on into the dojo and I'll be out after I change.''

It took a second longer for him to be convinced that I wasn't going to keel over and die the minute he took his eyes off me, but when I started unbuttoning the skintight pants he backed up a few steps. "Okay. Take your time, though."

He headed for the dojo, and I peeled out of the pleather and fishnet. The cozy cotton of my archery clothes were a welcome comfort, and I waited until I had them back on before removing my earrings, stuffing the white costume into my locker, and heading over to the sinks with a little vial of makeup remover that Kobayashi had lent me. I cleaned my face and debated hitting the showers to get the gel out of my hair. But I didn't want to miss Yuzuru shooting in the last archery demonstration, so I left my gravity-defying hairstyle as it was and entered the dojo quietly.

The third years were already at the line, Yuzuru in the middle, but it looked like he hadn't begun his round yet. I crept slowly around the back of the mat to where the rest of the club members were seated, and settled next to them on my knees.

The thrill of archery lay in its seamless blend of peace and focus. A sense of quiet purpose filled the space between the archers and the onlookers, the arrows and the targets. It was exactly what I needed to regain a sense of calm after all the hoopla that had just gone down in the assembly hall. I breathed in and out, watching the first shooter, a third year girl named Ijichi, fire off a nice round that clustered well in the inner rings.

Yuzuru was who I was interested in, though. His stance was strong and confident, and from the moment he placed his first arrow on the bowstring he had everyone in the dojo holding their breath with anticipation. This was the Shino Yuzuru that most of them were familiar with. Dignified. Elegant. It was a side of him just as genuine as the lively, brash troublemaker I'd come to love, but the archery range was where it really shone through.

He raised the bow over his head, one sleeve drifting back to his elbow, and I admired the powerful tendons and veins that stood in relief along his forearm. He brought the fletching back to a half-draw, unblinking, and then all the way to his jaw. His chest expanded and contracted, but the bow never wavered. It was as much a part of him as his own limbs. His expression was deceptively relaxed, like the arrow had already arrived exactly where he wanted it. I found myself recalling that glimpse I'd had yesterday of his back, the golden-tanned muscles that bunched and flexed when he moved. It was a good thing they weren't visible right now, or I'd have been a drooling mess all over again.

The arrow flew. Yuzuru's arm extended in a graceful line behind him. I was too busy taking in the beauty of his ending stance to notice whether he'd hit the target. He repeated the process with a second arrow, then a third. By the time he was holding the fourth at full draw I was so lost in the sheer loveliness of him that it seemed he was the only person in the dojo. As if I was watching him on television, or in a dream.

I couldn't take my eyes off him even when his round was done and he lowered the bow. He stood quietly as the next archer took her shots. Then Tajiri stood up and started explaining the finer points of what each archer had accomplished. When she got to Yuzuru's target, I realized he'd shot a near-perfect round. Only one of his arrows wasn't completely in the bullseye, and that one was still on the outer edge, barely touching the first ring. Tajiri made a big deal out of how impressive that was, while Yuzuru tried to keep from looking smug. I could see it, though, in the lift of his cheeks and the light in his eyes. He'd done well and he knew it.

The third years then demonstrated, with Tajiri's narration, the proper way to close their stance and leave the line with the special meditative walk that was so hard to get the hang of. Once the ceremonial aspect of the demo was complete, our visitors stood and started chatting with the club members.

Yuzuru called my name and waved me over. He was standing with Tajiri and an older guy, someone I didn't recognize, who was a little taller than me and almost as good-looking as Natsuki. He had a strong, square jaw, thick eyebrows and features that were regal in their symmetry. His hair was dark and neatly trimmed around his neck and ears, with the exception of slightly longer wisps to his sideburns. He was dressed in a gi and hakama, and stood at serene attention as he looked me up and down.

"Okada Takahiro-senpai, this is Seryou Touji, one of our club first years," Yuzuru said. The familiarity of the introduction had me curious. He knew this guy?

I bowed. "Pleased to meet you, Okada-san."

He looked from me to Tajiri. "Shino-kun tells me that you are two of Houka's most promising archers," he said in an impressively deep voice. "I agree."

From his sleeve he produced three business cards, handing one to each of us. "I would like to invite the three of you to join Tokyo University Archery Club's national tournament. It's being held in two weeks, at the Tokyo campus dojo. We have competitors attending from high schools and universities all over the country. I think you would each make fine additions to the lineup."

Tajiri squealed in excitement. I turned the card over in my fingers, noting the dates. "It's an overnight trip?"

"That's right. We've already made arrangements with your club's faculty advisor, so no need to worry about the expense. Transportation, overnight lodging and meals will be taken care of. All you need to bring is your equipment and your skill."

Wow. A thrill ran through me and I looked over at Yuzuru, who was bowing to Okada with the card clasped between his hands. "This is awesome, Senpai. Thank you so much!"

Okada smiled fondly at him, which piqued my curiosity further. "Do you guys know each other?" 

"Okada-san was my archery club senpai in junior high," Yuzuru announced. "And we've competed against each other a bunch in high school competitions. He always beats me, though."

"Not for long, I think," Okada said, and I felt a zing of something unpleasant travel my spine. I peered at him a little closer, at the way his gaze seemed to linger affectionately on Yuzuru's face, the excessive warmth in his smile. Yuzuru scoffed and scratched his ear, his cheeks reddening, and I saw Okada's fingers twitch toward him almost imperceptibly.

I clamped down hard on the greedy impulse to snatch Yuzuru away from this guy. They obviously had a strong upper/underclassman relationship. Wasn't that a good thing? But the next words out of Okada's mouth brought me right back to that hyper possessive state.

"Do you have time this evening, Shino-kun? I'd love to grab a cup of coffee and catch up. It's been too long."

"He has cram school," I blurted out, and both Okada and Yuzuru turned to me in mild surprise. I felt my face warm, but gave Yuzuru a pointed look anyway. "Right? Midterms are right around the corner."

Yuzuru winced. "Yeah, I was super behind last week. I really shouldn't skip out tonight."

Okada reached out and ruffled his hair. Natsuki did that to me all the time so I don't know why it bothered me, but I found myself grinding my teeth. "I get it. Good for you. Keep those studies up and maybe we'll get to be schoolmates again someday."

Schoolmates? This guy went to Tokyo University. Did that mean...

I felt my blood run cold.

Yuzuru and I had never actually talked about his plans for university. I knew he would be sitting for the national exam in January like all the other third years, but it had never occurred to me to consider what would happen after he graduated. He wanted to go to Tokyo? T.U. was an amazing school. If you could get in, you could pretty much have your pick of the country's most desirable employers after getting your degree. It was a hugely ambitious goal, and an even bigger opportunity if it panned out. The kind that could change a person's life.

But Tokyo is so far away. I felt kind of sick.

"They're clearing the range for calligraphy club," I managed to choke out. "Gotta go."

I didn't even acknowledge Okada as I backed out of the conversation and practically ran for the dirt dunes at the end of the range, trying not to panic. I couldn't think about this right now. I had to finish this school day. Clear the range, tend to the club equipment, get my costumes ready for their repeat performances tomorrow. After school I could ride the train with Yuzuru to his cram class. I could ask him about it then.

If I had the courage.

XXX

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuzuru's worried voice sounded in my ear.

"Hm?"

We were on the train. I'd spent every moment since we left the school gates trying to figure out how to ask him about what Okada had said. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. What if Yuzuru did want to try for Tokyo University? I'd be the scum of the earth if I discouraged him from it. They had one of the greatest collegiate-level archery clubs in Japan. Some prospective students spent their whole lives, from elementary school on, just preparing for the T.U. entrance exam. I'd heard they were far harder than the national exams. It was incredibly competitive, so maybe I was anxious over nothing. Maybe he wouldn't get in.

Maybe I was an asshole for wishing that.

"You've been awfully quiet. And you look kinda sad."

I blinked, startled that his perceptive instincts were so unusually spot on. "Can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Are you—"

The train decelerated as we pulled into a station, and I lurched into him. He caught me against his body and my face ended up about two centimeters away from his perfectly shaped lips.

"Am I what?" those pretty lips asked.

"Never mind." I straightened and pulled away from him before I caved into temptation. We'd been together two weeks. Two. Weeks. And I was going to ask him to rearrange all his dreams for the future for my sake? I was an idiot. It was none of my business. "I think I'm just tired."

"You're spread too thin with all this festival stuff. Two dances, the maid café, the archery demos, being a runner and everything else. You shouldn't let people use you so much."

"They're not using me, I volunteered."

"...for too much," he tacked on decidedly. "You should have gone home to rest instead of riding this damn train all the way to the other end of town with me."

"I wanted to come," I argued. He raised an eyebrow, and I sighed. "I know I haven't been very good company so far, but I really did want to come with you. You worked just as hard as I did today and you still have to go to classes and do homework after. I'm the one who should be looking out for you right now."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of getting there on my own."

"I know that." It's just nice to pretend there's something I can do for you. "You shot really well today," I said in order to change the subject. "I mean, you always do, but today was especially good."

"It was, wasn't it?" he grinned widely at me and I socked him in the shoulder.

"You can't even pretend to be modest, can you? Seriously. I don't get how someone as scatterbrained as you is able to focus like that."

"Want me to show you?"

I hadn't been expecting that. "Huh?"

"Wednesday club practice was cancelled to give everyone a break after the festival. And I don't have cram school on Wednesdays. So I could show you then, if you want. Help you train for the T.U. tournament."

"You mean it?"

"What kind of senpai would I be if I didn't share my wisdom with my juniors, huh?" He dodged as I went to sock him again.

"If you're serious, I'm in."

"Cool." We braced ourselves as the train came to a halt again, and Yuzuru checked the scrolling overhead ticker. "It's my stop."

We got off the train and I walked him toward the escalator, but he paused before getting on. "You don't have to walk me up this time. You're tired. Head back and get some rest."

"You sure?" I'd spent nearly all day at his side and it still didn't feel like enough.

"Mm. I'll call you tonight when I get home."

"Okay. Study hard."

"Later," he said, and stepped onto the escalator. He waved at me on the ride up, and I waited until he vanished at the top before heading to the other side of the station to catch the return train.