The Cherry Blossom That Never Bloomed - Chapter 3 [Kouki's POV]

[misfitmisfit]

Title: The Cherry Blossom That Never Bloomed
Chapter: 1/?
Author: atmosphere_zero and misfitmisfit
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Drama, Humor, Romance, Yaoi, AU
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Strong Language, Men Kissing
Band(s): Born, D=OUT, exist+trace, SCREW, ViViD
Pairing(s): KoukixByou, JinxTomo, RenoxMiko, and more to come!
Disclaimer: We own nothing except for the plot, unfortunately...T_T. This is a work of pure fiction and any similarities are pure coincidences. We do not make anything off of this story.
Summary: Had that one flower bloomed, things might have taken a different turn...
Comments: This story has two POV's for every chapter, so please read both parts for the full story. We wouldn't want any of our readers to miss out on anything, ^^

Ch1: Byou's POV || Kouki's POV >>>> Ch2: Byou's POV || Kouki's POV >>>> Ch3: Byou's POV || Kouki's POV





The roads were quiet, and the sky was still blanketed in a dark haze. Light was trying to break through, but it would still be some time before the sky would brighten into its more familiar baby blue shade spotted with fluffy, white clouds.

This morning, I woke up feeling slightly hurt and lonely when I saw the gap between us. Normally Byou would be snuggled against me, and I would be able to stroke his handsome face. But this morning he had his back facing me. He must have come into bed really late, and didn’t want to disturb me. I almost wished he had woken me up, so we could have cuddled together.

Before I left the house, I left Byou a note along with the berry smoothie I made for him. Hopefully he would see it and think of me.

This weekend made me felt ill at ease. Byou mainly cooped himself up in his home office, and he only came out of there to eat with me, otherwise he seemed to prefer solitude. I tried asking him if it was something I did wrong, but he kept telling me it was just stress from his upcoming deadline.

I told myself to believe him, although I have never seen him this spaced-out before. Sometimes Byou liked to take a walk or enjoy a board game with me to take his mind off of work, but he didn’t want to do either of those activities this weekend.

I didn’t mind giving Byou peace and quiet. I wanted him to do well in his job, and if that meant no snuggling and cuddling for a weekend, I could bear with it for him. Then last night after I came out of the shower, I heard him chatting and laughing with someone inside his office. I didn’t want to be nosy, but I couldn’t help feeling a little left out and ignored.

Question after question raced through my mind. Who could have that been? Why did I feel that Byou sounded happier than I had heard him in months? When was the last time I heard Byou laugh so carefree?

I cranked up the radio in my small car in a failed attempt to blot out my thoughts. As my destination came up on the right, I gripped the wheel to make a sharp turn into the practically empty parking lot. I stepped on the gas to feel the rush of adrenaline give my heavy heart a push, then I made the car tires squeal when I abruptly swerved into a tight parking space. My knuckles were white from unconsciously gripping the steering wheel that tight.

As I began to calm down, I realized how silly and non-rewarding it would have been if I had gone to heaven just now. I still had many questions to ask, answers to discover, and matters to settle. Hmm! I nodded to myself as I stepped out of the car and headed inside the grocery store. The smell of the fresh bread baking made my stomach grumble, but I had to remind myself I had already eaten breakfast.

I strolled over to the bakery section of the grocery store, and deviated over to the tasty, colorful donuts in the glass cabinet. I gazed longingly at the one that was closed with filling and topped with a supple amount of chocolate. The more I stared, the more I imagined its fried, delicious, sweet goodness.

“Why don’t you just buy it then?” Someone whispered into my ear.

I nodded sadly, “Normally I wouldn’t hesitate, but I already-”

“Ate breakfast?” That someone continued my conversation. “Oh, that’s all right. Just think of it as a morning snack.”

I didn’t register that someone else was talking to me. I thought it was just my evil, manipulative subconscious trying to trick me into buying that donut, but then the voice started to sound extremely familiar. I lazily looked beside me to confirm my sanity. Someone was truly standing next to me. That someone turned away from the donuts and towards me…. Kaz-

What?! What was he doing here? I quickly peered at my watch. It was only 7:05AM. How… why… why was he here this early?

“Good morning.” Kazami smiled brightly at me. “Why do you stare as if you’ve seen a ghost?”

“I seriously thought I did.” I gulped.

Kazami arched his eyebrow and stifled a small laugh. “Always the comedian, Kou-chan.”

I desperately shook my head, “No, no! It’s the truth. I swear. I…”

Because Kazami was still trying to contain his laughter, I gave up trying to explain. It was useless.

Instead, I decided to ask, “So… what brings you out here this morning?”

Kazami shrugged, “It’s been awhile since I’ve cooked for myself, actually. I’ve been living alone ever since we broke up, and it’s difficult to cook for only one person.”

Could it really be true? Had Kazami really not dated anyone since that time? I found it a little difficult to believe, although a feeling in my heart told me Kazami had no reason to lie.

“Oh…” That was the only response I had.

I almost cringed at how insensitive my reply came out, but I really had nothing else better to say.

Kazami immediately read my mind, “No worries, Kou-chan. I’m not looking for pity. It’s just a fact. Anyway, are you here for any particular reason?”

Kazami… he still knew me so well. It almost felt… comforting to have someone understand me… Ahem, that was right. No time to waste. I was here on a mission to buy breakfast for my team because they did so well last Friday at the championship game.

I realized Kazami was still waiting for my answer, “I’m just here to buy some breakfast for my team.”

“Great, let me help you then.” Kazami more than gladly offered his services.

I felt guilty for trying to push him away since he probably meant it in good favor, and after all, I did think of him as a good friend.

“Thanks.” I quietly replied.

Kazami and I fought over who should push the cart, and eventually, Kazami won with his convincing argument that I was the one buying the food for my students so I needed to be the one picking out the items to put into the cart. Damn… I had no comeback for that.

We pulled into the dairy aisle, and as I was about to select the brand named milk gallon, Kazami called out, “Wait! Why don’t you get the one that’s on sale?”

I let go of the gallon and stepped back a little to take a look at what Kazami was pointing out. “But that’s the grocery store’s brand. That milk probably has lower quality compared to this brand name one.”

Kazami shrugged, “Milk is milk. Does it really taste that different? It’s an entire dollar more for the one you’re going to buy.”

“I…” Kazami was right.

I was shocked at my own behavior. In only a year, I became pampered without realizing it… In the past I would have never bought this brand of milk unless it was on sale. I forced myself to get the grocery store brand milk.

As we continued to circle the store for more food to buy, Kazami kept calling me out on buying the more expensive brand when there was a similar item on sale. I felt sort of ashamed of how much of my bargaining skills I had forgotten. Had I converted to the rich society that I disliked?

The last item we bought was cream cheese. Kazami had to remind me to buy it because I wasn’t much of a cheese eater. I always forgot that people enjoyed their bagels with cream cheese. Luckily Kazami had my back.

As we rolled up to the cash register, the lady who punched in all of the items asked, “Cash, debit, or credit?”

Kazami and I both spoke.

“Cash.”

“Credit.”

Damn that Kazami. Always trying to make me look like a woman by always trying to pay for me.

The lady gave us a funny look. “Well, pick one.”

I playfully pulled the shopping cart at an angle, so Kazami was corned behind it. I quickly swiped my credit card into the machine before Kazami was able to race around to the front of the cash register.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.” The lady handed me my receipt.

Kazami immediately grabbed all the bags.

“Give me those!” I tried to snatch them out of his hands, but he ran out of the store taunting me to chase him.

“Raaawrrr!” I charged after him, but he reached my car before I did.

“Some coach you are. You can’t even catch me.” Kazami laughed as he was still catching his breath.

I rolled my eyes and took everything from Kazami to pack into my car. “See you at school.”

Kazami nodded as he headed over to his car. As I started my car, I wondered if there would be a day when I could shop this carefree with Byou.

Once I arrived to the athletic building, I noticed it was eerily quiet. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 7:50AM. Where were the rest of the coaches? Could this have been a day off?? Could I have stayed home with Byou today?? But Byou still had to go to work. Bah, what was I thinking?

I shook my head and tried to pull open the door leading into the conference room. It was locked. What?? The conference room was rarely ever locked. What was going on here? First, no one was in the office. Now the conference room was unavailable. Argh…

I placed the food down on a nearby desk, and went to seek help from a janitor. After searching all over the floor for one, I finally caught someone come out of the men’s bathroom.

“Excuse me, but I really need to get into the conference room. Unfortunately, it’s locked. Can you help me unlock it?” I literally begged the janitor.

The janitor frowned at me thinking that I was looking for trouble.

“I swear, it’s not open. I just tried it.” I pleaded my sanity case.

The janitor sighed and pulled out his ring of keys from the side of his belt. I eagerly followed him back to the conference room. As the janitor tried to remember which one of the keys lead to this room, I gasped.

The janitor arched his eyebrow at me.

“Ah ha…ha… nothing, nothing. Continue, please.” I waved my hands in front of me and awkwardly smiled.

What the hell??? Where did all the food I had here go? There was no food in sight. The nearby desk had been swiped empty. I pinched myself.

“Ow!” I sharply inhaled.

The janitor looked over at me again. I only nervously laughed. Freaking janitor. He was still deciding on a key. Goddamnit. Was I really going insane or what?

Finally, the janitor remembered, “Ah hah!”

I rolled my eyes. He unlocked the door and glared at me once more before walking away. I shook my head and tried the door. The minute I stepped inside I was ambushed by a bunch of confetti and shouts, “Hip hip hooray!!!”

The lights flashed on, and I saw all of my coworkers wearing party hats. The food had been neatly arranged in the center of the table, and my students were smiling at me.

“You guys!” I grinned. “You really gave me the scare there!”

“Congratulations, Coach!” My students gathered around me. “Thanks so much for all the food. You’re the best!”

My heart started to feel fuzzy. “No! No! Congratulations, kids, for all your hard work. It paid off, didn’t it?”

“Whatever, Coach!” The kids dismissed me. “You know we couldn’t have done it without you.”

I loved it when my students were happy. They certainly deserved it.

“Congratulations, Kou-chan.” I heard Kazami from behind.

I whirled around, “Kazami! What are you-”

“Did you think I’d let you celebrate alone?” Kazami chuckled.

“Oooooo!” My students clamored. “Who’s this, Coach?”

“Huh?” I quickly feigned my stupidity. “Who? What? Where?”

“Coaaaach!” They complained in unison. “Don’t be stupid.”

I blinked rapidly at them, but they weren’t buying it. They threatened to tickle me to death.

“Ahhh! Alright! Alright! This is Kazami. He’s a visiting art professor, and an old friend of mine.” I introduced.

Kazami smiled as he gave them a slight nod. Only then I noticed that one of my key defense players was missing.

“Wait a minute, where’s player 88, Minase?” I looked around at the others for an answer.

Minase’s good friend, Ibuki, spoke up, “Coach, Minase wasn’t feeling well today. That’s all.”

“Yeah, right!” Another player, Reika, objected. “He’s skipping class today because he caught his partner cheating last night.”

“Wait… is Minase okay?” I quickly asked.

“Don’t worry, Coach.” Reika continued. “He just needs to bawl his eyes out and he’ll be back on his two feet tomorrow.”

I sensed the situation was more serious than that, but Ibuki didn’t seem willing to talk about it in front of everyone. I had to make sure Minase was okay.

“I see. Okay, everyone. Clean up and get to class. See you all later tonight for practice, alright?”

“Yes, Coach.” They chimed together.

As some of the students swiped some food to take with them and others finished their drinks, I tapped Ibuki on the shoulder and signaled that I wanted to talk to him in my office.

“Kazami, I’m going to talk to Ibuki for a little bit. I guess I’ll-” I turned to briefly speak to Kazami.

Kazami slightly shook his head, “No worries, Kou-chan. Catch you around.”

For some reason, I felt relived Kazami implicitly understood what I meant. I watched Kazami leave for a few more seconds, but then I remembered Ibuki was waiting in my office.

“Hello, Ibuki.” I slipped into my swivel chair.

“Yes, Coach?” Ibuki seemed nervous.

“What’s wrong, Ibuki?” I asked. “Is Minase really alright?”

Ibuki chewed on his lip, and seemed to ponder for a few minutes before answering. I didn’t want to rush him into answering.

Suddenly, Reika appeared at my desk, slightly out of breath, “Coach!”

“What is it, Reika? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” I questioned him.

“Coach, if you really want to know what happened to Minase, let me tell you. Good old buddy, Ibuki, won’t tell you the entire story.” Reika blurted.

Now I was starting to feel nervous.

“Go on.” I steadied my voice.

“Last night, Minase, Ibuki, Hikaru, and I were at the local restaurant around the corner, and we were happily eating until we saw Minase’s partner Yuugri holding hands with that sleazy kid, Nao.” Reika narrated.

“What did Minase do?” I asked.

Reika snorted, “What could he do, Coach? He was embarrassed and devastated. For the rest of the night, he refused to talk about it and tried to ignore the entire situation, but as we were walking home, Minase bought three six-packs of-”

Ibuki stepped hard on Reika’s foot, “He just went home to sleep it off, and this morning he said he wasn’t feeling well.”

Reika glared at Ibuki, who ignored it, “Is there anything else, Coach? I think Reika and I are going to be late for class.”

I saw the time was almost 9:30AM. “Well, thank you for letting me know. See you guys later for practice.”

Ibuki nodded and Reika limped out of my office. I made a note to myself to personally visit Minase later. I treated my students as if they were my own children. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something had happened to any one of them.

For the rest of the afternoon, I finished some of that office work I had been putting off earlier in preparation for last week’s championship game. The university required professors to do more than the simple job description they had been hired for. Despite the fact that we’re supposed to dedicate 95% of our time as coaches, we were also required to teach a couple of physical education courses to non-athletic students.

I didn’t mind teaching. In fact, I loved teaching students, but some of these non-athletic students drove me insane. Some of them thought they could cruise through my class without even breaking a sweat, and they sure didn’t like it when I gave them a poor score for their physical exam at the end of the class. Being as this university was private, I usually had to give a make-up exam to those failing students, who I had to end up passing.

I didn’t enjoy the politics, but I had to participate in order to get paid and to be allowed to continue doing what I loved - coaching.

“Hey, Kouki!” Kazuki playfully rapped his knuckles on my opened door. “Congratulations on the win last Friday! Your team played excellent.”

“Thank you, Bo- Kazuki…san.” I immediately stood up from my chair and bowed.

“Ahhh! You’re making me embarrassed.” Kazuki covered his blushing cheeks. “This is a casual talk. No need for the formalities.”

I quickly came around to the front of my desk and pulled out one of the guest chairs for Kazuki to sit in. As Kazuki bounced into the chair, I couldn’t help myself from staring at Kazuki’s fiery red hair. Could Kazami’s observation have been right?

“Soo…,” Kazuki sat crossed legged in the chair and pouted, “I’m really sorry I wasn’t here this morning for the celebration breakfast with the team! I feel like a complete jerk. How can I make it up to you??”

I wish I could have seen what Kazami saw… but my boss seemed so nice. It couldn’t have been him, could it?

I realized Kazuki stopped talking, “Umm, no worries, Bo- Kazuki-san. The celebration breakfast was more for the students. I felt bad not being able to celebrate with them that night, so this was my way of making it up to them.”

How could I ask him if he knew Byou? If he said, yes, then what would I say?

“Oooh, I see.” Kazuki nodded. “I’m so happy we have dedicated professors like you. That’s why we have such an excellent basketball team. Oh gosh, I seem like such a sloppy boss compared to such a hard worker as you.”

I blushed like mad, “No, no, Kazuki-san. I … I … that’s too much of a compliment for me. I’m … just doing my job.”

“Okay, okay.” Kazuki swiftly picked up the squeezable stress ball on my desk to play with. “Tell me. Anything on your mind lately?”

Impossible. It couldn’t have been him. Then… who was that red-haired guy with Byou that night?

“Huh?” I automatically responded. “How … how did you know?”

Kazuki flashed his dazzling, handsome smile at me then winked, “Because you’re usually more talkative.”

Could my boss know that I was thinking of accusing him of meeting up with Byou behind my back?

“All right, you win.” I confessed.

I decided to push those distracting thoughts out of my mind and recap the little I knew about Minase’s situation. For some odd reason, retelling Minase’s story in front of Kazuki bothered me a lot.

After a few moments, Kazuki rubbed his chin, “Hrm… sounds pretty serious. What are you going to do about it?”

I paused to consider if I should tell Kazuki what I planned to do.

Kazuki suggested an idea, “If it were up to me, I’d probably raid the convenience store of snacks to bring to Minase to eat. Then I would eat and cry together with him. That usually works.”

I couldn’t help chuckling at the image of Kazuki stuffing his face.

Kazuki grinned childishly, “It’s been awhile since we’ve pigged out, hasn’t it? College days were so long ago.”

I was surprised to see Kazuki gaze out the window with an innocent, dreamy look on his face.

“Okay, let’s go then!” I agreed.

“Yaaay!” Kazuki popped out of the chair and sang a little tune as he walked, “We’re going to cheer up a friend. Cheer up a friend. Oh yeah!”

I shook my head as I smiled. Kazuki could be so silly sometimes, but he was great company. As we walked to the convenience store, I found it interesting how we liked many of the same snacks. We could have been the best college buddies.

“Here we are.” Kazuki rubbed his hands together. “The moment we’ve been all dreading. Hohoho.”

“Bo- Kazuki-san… cut out the drama.” I nudged him.

Kazuki snickered, “I bet there’s going to be a lot of beer bottles inside.”

I didn’t even want to imagine what Minase and the others could have been doing last night. I knocked on the door several times, but there was no answer.

Finally on the last knock, Ibuki opened the door wide enough so he could stick his head out. “What is it, Coach?”

“Hello, Ibuki.” I found it strange that the background was pitch-dark behind him. “Do you mind if we come inside to visit Minase?”

Ibuki’s eyes widened when he saw Kazuki, “Good afternoon, Kazuki-sama.”

“Hey, hey!” Kazuki stopped Ibuki from bowing. “No need, Ibuki. Just think of me as one of your friendly seniors. Okay?”

Ibuki obediently invited us inside, and the room reeked of alcohol.

“Geez… how much did he consume, Ibuki?” I pinched my nose.

The smell was starting to turn rancid and making me feel queasy. I quickly opened the black curtains to let some light filter into the musty room. I pushed open one of the windows to allow some air to circulate inside. Within a few minutes, the room started to clear up a little.

“Woo wee… what a mess.” Kazuki stepped over multiple empty beer bottles.

I didn’t see Minase in his bed, “Where is he, Ibuki?”

Ibuki looked at us timidly.

“Don’t worry, Ibuki. I won’t write you guys up for underage drinking for this incident, but I need to know where he is.” I assured him.

Something clicked behind us. Both Kazuki and I quickly turned around and saw a pale looking Minase trudge out from the bathroom and stumble into his bed.

“Minase?” I walked over to the side of his bed.

“Coach… please leave me alone. I’ll be back to practice tomorrow. I promise.” Minase weakly responded.

“No, Minase. You know I can’t do that.” I tried to get him to talk. “Tell me. What happened last night? Why are you in such a mess?”

Minase refused to answer me.

“Minase…” I continued. “You have to talk to me in order for me to help you.”

He grumbled and slowly responded, “Coach… how would… how would you feel … if you saw your lover happily dining with someone else right in front of you and not even noticing you were there?”

I could barely believe what I was hearing. It was only a few days ago that I saw Yuugri happily come pick Minase up from practice. They seemed so happy together.

“Have you talked to Yuugri about this problem?” I suggested.

“Why should I? The answer was literally shoved in my face last night.” Minase heavily sighed.

“Here! Here!” Kazuki interjected. “Don’t pour more salt on your wound. Eat some snacks. Here!”

I couldn’t understand what Kazuki was trying to do. Minase was about to talk about his feelings, and he interrupted.

Kazuki opened a bag of chips and started munching on them himself, “You know what, Minase? Love stinks like a bitch. Sorry for the language, but it’s true. Sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it’s overwhelmingly joyful. You can never predict what love is going to bring you that day.”

“But one thing for sure,” Kazuki pressed Minase’s hand against his chest, “is what you feel in your heart.”

I was amazed at how serious Kazuki’s manner and tone had become.

“If you still love Yuugri, then you can’t give up. Drinking is the worst possible solution. You should throw a few punches at the punching bag in the gym, but then think of how to change to be a better person for Yuugri. I’m sure he’ll notice you in no time.” Kazuki patted Minase on the shoulder.

Minase tried hard to give us a small smile, and that made me feel relieved.

“Okay, I’ll excuse you from practice today, Minase, but make sure you rest well tonight, so you will be back on the court tomorrow.” I said slightly stern.

Minase nodded, “Thanks, Coach. Thank you, Kazuki-sama.”

“No worries, young man! That’s what we are here for. You are here to get the best education, and we’re here to see you do your best. Keep fighting!” Kazuki laughed out loud.

As we left the dorms, I felt very pleased with the result. Although Minase didn’t get to talk to Yuugri about the situation, at least he was able to get the sorrow off of his chest by letting it out in telling us. I was confident now that Minase could pull himself up and solve this mess.

I nervously turned towards Kazuki, “Umm, thank you very much, Bo- Kazuki-san. I’m very grateful for what you have done for Minase. It means a lot to both me and the students.”

“Psht, Kouki.” Kazuki waved me off. “Don’t be silly. We’re all a team, remember? Hrm, what time is it?”

I peered at my wrist watch, “About 3PM now.”

“Ah crap!!! I have so much to do and so little time to do it now! Ahhh! Ummm, sorry, but I have to go now. See you later!” Kazuki ran off to get back to his office.

I also hurried to my desk to get cracking on grading papers. Practice would start in another three hours, which barely gave me enough time to finish grading. About two hours into grading, I started to develop a severe pain in my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut for a few minutes to let my eyes rejuvenate. Shutting out the light actually felt kind of soothing and relaxing. I almost wanted to take a quick nap, but the sudden ringtone from my cell phone startled me.

I popped open my eyes and squinted at the caller ID, “Kazami?”

I held the phone to my ear, “Hello?”

“Kou-chan!” I could tell Kazami had something in his mouth. It was probably a brush. “How’s everything going?”

“Kazami… I just saw you this morning… what do you want?” I said as I rolled my neck around.

“I am painting cherry blossoms to demonstrate a few technique skills for my advanced class that is coming up in an hour or so, and I thought of you. Is that so wrong?” Kazami innocently stated his case.

Cherry blossoms… I glanced at the clock on the bottom corner of my computer screen. It was almost six! Ahhh! I needed to call Byou.

“Umm… Kazami, I need to go. Can we talk some other time?” I was urgent to end this phone call.

I sensed discomfort through Kazami’s silence, but I couldn’t acknowledge it. Byou was more important. “I’m sor-”

“No worries, Kou-chan! I understand you are very busy attending to your students. Okay, talk to you later.” Kazami hung up.

I sort of felt bad when I heard the dial tone go dead before I could say bye in return, but I quickly reminded myself of Byou.

I speed dialed Byou’s number, “Uh, hi, Byou. I won’t be able to make it home early today. I have practice with kids. Sorry…”

“Oh, I see.” I was surprised that was all Byou had to say.

I tried to make the situation less awkward, “So, ummm, don’t hesitate to grab a bite to eat first or have one of the maids cook dinner tonight.”

“I think I’ll get something to eat.” Byou immediately responded.

Did this mean Byou didn’t mind that I was coming home late? Usually Byou would object or throw a sarcastic comment at me about abandoning him, but this time Byou seemed a little too nonchalant about the situation. Was I worrying too much?

I heard what sounded like elevator doors opening in the background, and a mess of voices jabbering all at once. What was going on?

Before I could ask, Byou cut me off, “Anyway, I’ll talk to you later then.”

I tried to squeeze myself into the blind situation, “Byou, what’s that noise? Are you okay?”

Byou seemed to be in a rush to somewhere, “I’m fine. Anyway, I’ll… I’ll see you tonight. Bye.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but Byou already hung up. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I couldn’t help wondering who the people in the background were, and I almost thought one of the voices sounded familiar.

No, no, no. I was probably imagining it. I was letting my emotions get to my head, and being ridiculously jealous. I grabbed my water bottle and chugged down half of it to wash out the tightness in my throat. I stared at my desk and saw a few more paper stacks that needed to be graded. Oh, whatever. I could wait until tomorrow to finish these.

I grabbed my bag and headed to the basketball court first. Perhaps I had been sitting here too long and needed to get some blood circulating into my body and brain.

After a few dribbles and hoop shooting, I started to feel more at ease. The court was my safe zone. Here I understood what was going on, and I felt more in control of what I was doing. I only wished I could call the plays in life as easily as I could on court.

“Hey Coach!” Reika rushed onto court, full of energy.

“Hello, Reika. Good day in classes today?” I waved.

“Psht, Coach. I was boooored. I have been waiting all day to practice.” Reika laughed as he caught the ball I passed to him.

Soon enough the rest of the team started to trickle in and I started to let my troubling thoughts drift away temporarily as I focused on practice with my students. A couple of hours easily passed us by, and I could tell that many of them were silently begging for me to call it a night.

I was a softie at heart, so I let them go. “All right! Great practice. Let’s keep up the good work. See you all tomorrow!”

I waited until every last student left the gym before I started to pack my belongings.

“Hey.” I got goose bumps hearing Kazami’s voice. “That was an intense practice. Is everything okay?”

I smiled at Kazami, “Hello. Really? What do you mean? I normally drill them this way.”

Kazami lightly chuckled, “You can’t hide from me, Kou-chan.”

I was nervous in what he was hinting at.

Kazami gently poked the left side of my chest, “You might be able to disguise this from someone else, but not me, Kou-chan.”

“Baaah.” I whapped Kazami’s finger away. “Were you watching the entire time?”

Kazami nodded. “Soooo, can we go get something to eat? You must be famished after such a hard practice.”

I wanted to object, but my stomach betrayed me with a loud growl. Kazami grinned, “Great! I know of an awesome place.”

I reluctantly got in my car and follow Kazami’s car to a strangely familiar place. I couldn’t quite place why this place caused a wave of nostalgia to resurface in my heart.

The restaurant was a small, road-side stand, which served simple noodle soup. When I took a slurp of the noodles, I remembered that Kazami and I used to frequent this place when we were dating because Kazami loved beef noodle soup. Because of that, I learned how to make it so we could enjoy it at home…

“Is it good?” Kazami offered me more beansprouts to add into my soup.

I nodded, “Mmm, thank you. Yeah, it’s still pretty good.”

Kazami’s face brightened up, “Kou-chan!! You remember.”

I averted his hopeful eyes and slurped up more noodles.

Kazami didn’t seem to mind, “Hey, Kou-chan, this weekend I’ve been invited to participate in the well-known regional art festival. A few of my students are going as well to present their art portfolios. But I’ve also been given a complimentary guest pass. Can you come with me?”

A noodle went down the wrong pipe. I coughed several times until my eyes started to water, and I took a couple large gulps of water.

“Ahem.” I punched my chest to get my airways working again. “Aheeeem. What?”

Kazami immediately reached over to wipe my eyes with his napkin, “Kou-chan, are you okay?”

“Yeah…” I wheezed. “I am, ahem, fine.”

He timidly reached over and placed one of his hands over mine, “Kou-chan… can you please come to support me? I want you to see my artwork. It’s improved a lot over this past year. “

I chewed on my bottom lip. I couldn’t exactly go. It would give off the wrong message to Byou. I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship, but then again … Byou hadn’t talked to me in a couple of days. Perhaps this was a good chance to give him some space?

“Umm… but …” I hesitated. “Byou… he … I don’t think … I feel he might be really saddened if I tell him this.”

“Kou-chan…” Kazami squeezed my hand. “It’s a school-related trip. I promise we’ll be in separate rooms.”

I still felt it was wrong to go, and I withdrew my hand from Kazami’s hold. “I… I don’t know.”

Kazami wouldn’t drop the matter, “Kou-chan… one of the students that had been selected to compete this year is in one of your fitness classes. He told me that you inspired his drawings because of your motivational ways of teaching the importance of exercising. Don’t you want to see the product of your inspiration?”

I covered my face with my hands and rubbed my eyes.

A few more minutes passed, and the next thing I knew, I was agreeing, “Geeeez, Kazami. Fine, fine, fine... I’ll go this weekend, but don’t try anything funny on me, okay?”

Kazami quietly cheered, “Yes! I love you, Kou-chan! Thank you. Thank you!”

Just like that, I was cornered into going to this event. Did I make the wrong decision?

Dinner quickly wrapped up after that, and I was thankful because the time was late. I really wanted to head home to see Byou. There was so much I wanted to ask him since we barely got a chance to talk this weekend. I hoped he felt better today.

“Bye, Kou-chan.” Kazami hugged me.

I awkwardly half-returned his hug, “Bye, Kazami.”

Moments later, I was in my car and I was speeding like a madman. I needed to get home and tell Byou all that had happened to me today. I planned on spilling the entire story about Kazami and me. These secret meetings weren’t my style. I didn’t like hiding things from Byou. He was my love. My one and only now. I … I couldn’t let this continue.

Once I swerved into the driveway, I couldn’t hardly wait to bust through that front door. My seat belt wouldn’t come off despite how hard I pushed down on the release button. Arrrrgh! Goddamnit!! I kept pulling and the seat belt continued laughing at my desperation. Momentarily, my door opened.

“Sir? Do you need help?” The driver asked me.

I sheepishly laughed, “Umm… this seat belt is giving me lots of trouble. I think I may have to spend a night in this car.”

The driver examined the situation, “Do you mind if I give it a try, Sir?”

“Please. Please do.” I immediately let go of it all.

With one easy swift push, the release button clicked and the seat belt zipped right back in its place. I was free. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Ah haha!” I awkwardly laughed. “Umm, thanks!”

I popped out of the car and gave the driver my keys so he could park my car in the garage, and I hustled up the stairs to get inside the house. The butler greeted me and took my belongings as I threw off my shoes.

“Byou!!! I’m home!” I exclaimed as I ran into the living room.

I stumbled upon an empty living room. None of the lights were on. The pillows were still in the same position on the sofas as I saw them this morning before I left the house. Byou’s papers weren’t lying around anywhere either. Could he have gone to bed? It was kind of late.

Immediately I ran upstairs into our bedroom. The door was only left slightly ajar. I smiled. Maybe I could give Byou a little goodnight kiss. I gently swung the door open and tiptoed inside. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but even without 100% vision, I knew exactly where Byou slept. I crept over and kneeled down to caress Byou’s face. As I reached downwards, I felt nothing but an empty pillow. I continued to feel across the bed but I didn’t stumble upon anything. What was going on? I flipped on the lights and to my huge disappointment there was no one sleeping. The bed was neatly made.

Curiously, I noticed the closet door had been left opened. Was Byou in a rush this morning? I looked inside and I saw several clothes piled on the floor as if he had been deciding what to wear. Byou rarely ever did that, and even so, he always hung the clothes back up. I backed out shaking my head in confusion. I headed over to our bathroom to splash some water on my face.

After I gave myself several, crisp cold splashes, I dried my face on a clean towel. I pressed the towel against my eyes. I couldn’t let my imagination and wildest thoughts get the best of me. I still believed in Byou. I still believed in Byou. I let go of the towel and only then did I see that Byou’s cup was still filled with water. His toothbrush was resting on the sink edge. How come I didn’t notice this before?

The last place I thought of checking was Byou’s office. I wrapped my hand around the cold, metal knob. Normally I didn’t like going inside unless Byou invited me because I respected that an office was every person’s own personal space, but tonight I needed to calm down my nerves. I was up to my head in frustration, confusion, and worry. I took a deep breath before turning the knob. It was stuck. I tried turning it multiple times, but it didn’t budge. The door seemed locked… that rarely happened.

All the events today were certainly off kilter. I didn’t remember the forecast saying it was a full moon tonight, and I don’t remember any bright, blinding full moon on the drive home. I trudged over to the kitchen. Maybe I needed to eat more. I barely ate anything during dinner with Kazami. He was scaring me with all the emotions he was displaying towards me. Didn’t he understand I was already with someone and that we already broke up over a year ago? Why was he still chasing me and being so persistent?

I pulled a large bag of spicy Doritos chips out of the pantry. I gripped the bag and dragged it over with me to the living room. As I passed the dining table, I saw a fully filled glass cup of the berry smoothie I made this morning. The umbrella hadn’t been taken out, and the cherry was drowning at the top. Condensation was still pooled around the edges of the glass cup. I nodded to myself. Yes, Byou must have definitely been in a rush this morning. Yes.

Wait, there was still someone who could confirm my thoughts. “Butler-san! Butler-san!”

Like magic, the butler appeared me, “Yes, Kouki-san?”

“Umm… has Byou not come home yet?” I prayed Byou was just somewhere else in the house I forgot to check.

The butler shook his head, “I’m sorry, Kouki-san. He hasn’t returned yet.”

“Was he in a hurry this morning getting ready?” I anxiously asked.

The butler bowed slightly, “I’m sorry, Kouki-san. I cannot say for certain if Byou-sama was in a rush this morning. I was discussing the new schedule with housekeeper for the rest of the maids.”

I slowly nodded and turned around to sit on the sofas in the living room, “Thanks, Butler-san.”

The time was already past 11PM. Where was Byou? Could he still be discussing and working on his project with the others? I pulled out my phone and dialed, even though I had a feeling that Byou wouldn’t pick up. The phone continued ringing several times, but it eventually went to voicemail every time I tried calling.

An uncomfortable worry started seeping in my heart making it beat irregularly uncomfortable. My mind itched thinking of possible places Byou could be. I almost wanted to call the police, but I knew that was being ridiculous. I searched through my phone contacts.

Oh, right! Jin. He should have some idea of where Byou was.

Ring. Ring. Ri- “Hello?”

“Jin!” I was elated to hear his voice. “Hey, it’s me, Kouki. How are you?”

“Gre- Ahhh! Stop. Stop. Hahaha, cut it out. Tomo!!! I’m on the phone. Thank you.” What was Jin doing? “Ahem, hi, Kouki. Heh heh. What’s up?”

“Umm… is this a bad time to call?” I hesitantly asked, although I was dying to ask Jin if he had seen Byou.

Jin was definitely distracted, “Huh? Umm, no! No! Nonsense! What’s up?”

I was about to speak, but then I heard lots of extraneous noises in the background and Jin whispering, “Nnngh… wait, Tomo, I’m still on the phone!”

“I’ll leave you two alone.” I finally said.

“No, no!” I heard a slap and someone say owie. “No worries, Kouki. Tomo is just being rude. Excuse him, hah hah… so umm… what’s on your mind?”

I decided to make it quick, “Umm, I was just wondering, have you seen Byou… recently in the last hour or so?”

There was an awkward silence.

“Byou? Wait… wasn’t Byou with-” I heard Jin talk in a low voice.

There was another loud slap and shuffling noises.

“Jin? Are you still there?” I turned up the volume.

“Ah yeah! Yeah! Still alive. Still alive.” Jin chuckled. “Haha… I, umm, no, no, I haven’t seen him. I haven’t seen him since the last time we all left work.”

“Oh…” I was a little disappointed. “Do you know around what time that was?”

Jin paused to think, “I believe it was around 6:30PM.”

Now was 11:30PM. Where was Byou?

“Oh okay. Thanks for your help, Jin. Bye.” I conceded that Jin didn’t know about Byou’s whereabouts.

If Byou had been off work around 6:30PM, then where could he have gone afterwards? Hrm… oh right! I did tell him to get his own food since I knew I would be home late from practice, minus Kazami’s distraction. But … he couldn’t have gone eating for four hours… I continued searching my contact list. I wasn’t satisfied with Jin’s answer. Someone had to know where Byou had gone.

“Hello, Manabu?” I called.

“Ahem, hello?” Manabu’s voice was a little hoarse.

“Sorry for waking you up, but…” I apologized. “I thought you might know Byou’s whereabouts in the last hour or so.”

I heard Manabu drink some water before answering, “Excuse me, my throat is a little sore. Uh, I’m not sure where Byou is. Sorry. I just know we all left work today around 6:30PM.”

“Okay. Thanks, Manabu.” I said, disappointed that Manabu didn’t know either.

“No problem.” Manabu hung up.

I chomped on some chips and continued searching through my contact list. Could it really be that I was just making a big deal out of nothing? But … but… even so, Byou should have called and left me a voicemail, right? I crunched another handful of chips and exited the contact list to make sure I didn’t miss any calls while I was calling Byou’s coworkers. Nnnn… no missed calls.

The last person I could call was Rui. I wondered if I should even bother. Would I just be disturbing him like I did to Jin and Manabu? I juggled the phone in my hand for a minute or two wavering between whether I should or not, but then I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. At least I gave it a shot.

I dialed Rui’s number.

“Hello?” A cat mewed in the background. “Come here, sweetie. Let Daddie talk on the phone. Be good.”

“Rui?” I asked.

“Hi, Kouki!” Rui laughed out loud. “Excuse me for talking like that earlier. My cat was freaked out by my loud ringtone. I had to calm her down. What’s up?”

“Aah, just me being a worry wart, I guess.” I shrugged. “I… haven’t seen Byou recently in the last hour or so, and I tried calling him, but he didn’t pick up. So I was wondering, have you, by any chance, seen him?”

Rui chuckled, “Umm, yeah, you do sound a little on the over-worried side. But I understand. If my cat was missing, I’d probably sound even more flustered than you right now.”

I didn’t know if I should have been relieved to hear that or not.

“Well… let’s see. We all left work around … I think 6:30 or so… and then… I haven’t heard from him since. I was actually waiting for him to call me because I still have some design details I need to go over with him.” Rui thought out loud.

“I see.” That was all I could think of to say.

“Oh, but when he comes home, can you remind him to give me a call? I’m probably going to be up late tonight working on these designs.” Rui added.

“Sure.” At this rate, I hoped I would be able to see Byou tonight.

I was about to hang up when Rui quickly chirped up, “Kouki!”

“Yes?”

“Umm…” Rui slightly chuckled. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel like I need to tell you this.”

I stayed silent, holding my breath in anticipation of what Rui had to tell me.

“Well… I’m not exactly closest to Byou-sama, but I’ve noticed that he hasn’t had his creative energy lately. He can’t seem to decide on any designs these days. I was wondering, are you guys okay?”

Oh no… was our relationship discord that obvious?

I pretended all was well, “Oh, haha! You gave me a scare there, Rui. I thought you had something more serious to say. Oh yeah, we’re okay. I think Byou’s just stressed. Don’t worry. I’ll tell him to take it easy. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Whew.” Rui sounded relieved. “For a moment, I was seriously worried about the stability of you two’s relationship, but now I feel so much more relieved. Yeah, please tell Byou-sama to relax. I know he has a bad tendency to lose sleep over our projects. He used to be even worse before he met you.”

“Really?” I was surprised. Could I have that much of an influence on Byou?

“Oh yeah. He used to not even sleep or go home. We’d all come into work the next day and he’d be in that same spot, still working diligently over our project.” Rui giggled thinking back on it. “But I’m glad he’s smiling more now.”

Could Byou have been that lonely before?

“Thanks, Rui.” I smiled a little.

“No problem, Kouki. Byeee.” His cat mewed before he hung up.

I sunk back down into the sofa. The TV was on mute, and I watched the players dash back and forth across the basketball court. Although Rui’s words were comforting, I still had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something might have happened to Byou. I started to flip channels again. My fingers were fidgeting. I was shaking my legs. I couldn’t sit still.

I finally turned the TV off and tossed the remote onto the coffee table. I ran my fingers through my hair. What was wrong with me? Byou wasn’t a little child. He could take care of himself. Why was I so worried? Why did I keep feeling like something was happening to Byou and I was powerless to stop it?

Arrrggh! I needed to get out of here and take a breather. Luckily I pulled on a sweatshirt before I left the house. There was a mild, chilly breeze tonight. Normally the moonlight was strong and bright, but tonight the cloud coverage was high which blocked the moon’s radiant beauty causing a hazy atmosphere. I walked around the quiet, sleepy town. In this section of town, because of the people’s wealthy demographics, it was safe to out and about at this late hour. Many shops and food stands were still open. I half scoffed as I remembered that I used to come here with Kazami on our days off as a way of treating ourselves to a nice dinner or time out, but now it was a part of my daily life with Byou.

Baaaah! Why was I thinking of Kazami at a time like this? I pushed away those thoughts and kept on walking. Without realizing it, I ended up in the town’s popular ice cream parlor. I could hardly believe the amount of people inside and outside eating and chatting as well as the number of people waiting to order at this hour. I shrugged and decided to join in.

As I waited in line, I noticed most of the people were either families or couples. I watched several couples feed each other ice cream, and I couldn’t watch them for long without feeling nauseous. The young children racing around the store teasing and playing with each other was adorable. The atmosphere was a painful reminder of what I hoped to achieve with Byou someday.

“Sir?” One of the ice cream scoopers called out to me. “What flavor would you like tonight?”

I quickly scanned the many tubs of ice cream. Every flavor looked good, actually. Hrm, should I choose chocolate or a fruity one? I knew Byou would have chosen a fruity one.

“Okay. Can I have the mang-” I was suddenly interrupted by a sudden eruption of cheering coming from the back of the shop.

“Whooo! Congratulations!” I saw a crowd of people towards the back celebrating. But what?

I cranked my neck over the crowd and some of the people parted from the circle allowing me to see who was in the middle. I gasped. It was Reno passionately kissing Miko.

“Happy five year anniversary!” Someone from the back brought out a large ice cream cake lit with sparkling candles.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” People chanted.

Reno certainly looked like a happy man tonight. I almost wanted to wave at him, but I didn’t know if I might ruin his night. He placed his index finger in the middle of his pursued lips and signaled for everyone to quiet down, then magically from behind his back, he pulled out a dozen roses for Miko. She blushed furiously and demurely pecked him on the cheek. He didn’t let her escape and with one swift motion he pressed his lips against hers for a long, deep kiss. Everyone was intently watching in awe of this cute couple. When they parted, all the people around them whistled and called out their congratulations once again.

This time Reno stood on top of one of the chairs. “Thank you. Thank you. Thanks to all those who came out to support us this evening. I really appreciate it. These years have been rough on my family, especially Miko. I’m very thankful for her support and my in-laws. They’ve all helped Miko and I achieve today.”

I bit my tongue to keep from tearing up at Reno’s words. I kept thinking about Byou and mine’s relationship. Would we get this much support at our one year anniversary?

“And now, all my lovely supporters, any words?” Reno looked at the crowd for some people to say something.

One couple raised their hands. “We would like to thank Reno and Miko for being the most wonderful people. They helped us fundraise to buy the lovely apartment we live in today.”

A man raised his hand. “I’d like to thank Miko for being Reno’s guiding light. Before he met Miko, he was nothing but a street rat.”

“Hey, hey, now!” Reno shot back.

Miko raised her hand. Everyone eagerly looked at her.

“I’d like to ask a special someone here in the crowd tonight to give us some encouraging words.” Everyone looked around, curious as to whom that could be. “Kouki-san, please come up here.”

The room went deaf with awkward silence. Reno looked just as shocked as I. He instantly gave me a cold glare as if I set this incident up. I tried to ask Miko with pleading eyes as to what she was doing, but she didn’t seem to catch on.

She came over towards me and grabbed my hand, “Everyone, we all know Reno grew up as an orphan, and he didn’t have the most fortunate life. Well, here’s great news. We have found his long lost brother, Kouki-san!”

The crowd politely clapped, although they were extremely skeptical of me. I definitely wasn’t a known face to them.

Someone spoke up, “Hey, isn’t he that basketball coach dating that famous jeweler Byou-sama?”

“Yeah, I remember seeing Byou-sama on the news earlier today talking about his company.” Someone else chirped up.

What? Byou had a press conference? Was that what was worrying him? Damn it. Why didn’t he tell me about these things?

“Wait a second, aren’t you just dating Byou-sama for status and money?”

“I heard you only got promoted from being a high school coach to university coach because of Byou-sama!”

The crowd started to go wild with accusations. I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn’t get out a word over the loud commotion.

“Whoa! Whoa! Calm down.” Reno finally spoke up. “Okay, okay, everyone. This is an honest mistake. This guy is Kouki-san, the well-known basketball coach. Do we even look like brothers?”

“Nooo.” The crowd shook their heads.

“Exactly.” Reno smiled. “Miko, honey, nice try. I know you feel my life growing up as an orphan was unfortunate, but hey that’s life.”

“But Reno-san, don’t you think it’s low of him to try to become a part of our society by pretending to be your brother?”

“Yeah, Miko. Don’t be tricked by those types of sleazy low-lifers.”

Miko opened her mouth to say something, but Reno continued, “Isn’t she a sweetheart? She’s always trying to find if I have any blood-related kin. This is why I love her so much.”

“Awwww.” The crowd crooned, calmed once again by Reno’s words.

I couldn’t believe it. Reno was denying our brotherhood in front of so many people. He didn’t seem at all disturbed by it. I was a bit upset at how smoothly he was concocting this story about him being an orphan. Where the hell did he come up with that lie and how long had he been telling this?

“Wait! Wait!” I spoke up.

But the crowd was already leaving, following Reno out the door. He was their hero. I could tell the town looked up to him, and apparently he had done many good deeds to earn the people’s trust. How could the loving brother I know denounce me as a low-life in front of so many strangers? What was I to Reno?

I busted out of that store as fast as I could. The manager was kind enough to show me the way through the back door. I almost bawled in public. Thankfully with my long legs I was able to rush home in time to let my tears flow freely. I curled up on the couch in the dark pulling my legs to my chest. I just prayed for Byou to come home soon. I missed him terribly.

Soon afterwards, I ran out of tears and went to the kitchen to clean my face plus get a glass of water to drink. As I sipped on my water, I heard the front door open. Byou was home??

I was delighted to hear Byou’s voice.

I rush out into the foyer, “Byyyyou!! I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Did you get hurt somewhere? Let me see, let me see.”

I quickly circled Byou and then hugged him dearly. Ah, I really missed his… scent? Did Byou wear new cologne today?

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Byou gently signaled for me to release him.

I peered at Byou’s face. There were dark circles around his eyes. Had he not been sleeping well lately? How come I hadn’t noticed until now? I touched Byou’s forehead and smoothed his furrowed brow.

“Byou, maybe you should take a few days off from work. It seems that work is tiring you out more than you have expected.” I was very worried for him.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t need to take off from work. I have important deadlines coming up.” Byou shook his head.

“Byou… is there something you’re not comfortable in telling me? I called all your coworkers earlier this evening because I couldn’t get ahold of you.” I quietly said.

“Why did you call all my coworkers? You don’t trust me that I’m working late in my office? I can take care of myself. I’m not a child.” Byou seemed extremely hurt and offended. “Do you not trust me?”

“I-” This was an awkward situation.

My concern for Byou was backfiring on me. “I… I was just so worried about you! Is it so wrong of me to call for support when I have absolutely no idea of where you are and I can’t even reach you?”

Byou closed his eyes momentarily and sighed, “I don’t even call your coworkers when you don’t come home at the expected time. I trust you. Why can’t you give me the same respect?”

Respect? Did I really step out of my boundaries? Should I not have been that worried about Byou? Was it so wrong to be concerned about my own lover? Byou… Reno… can’t you guys see that I am acting out of love?

“F-f-fine! Fine!” I unexpectedly raise my voice. “I’m sorry I cared so much about you! Next time- next time I’ll just leave you alone.”

Without waiting for another response from Byou, I stormed out of the living room and before I ran up the stairs, I rushed back to where I left Byou.

“And you know what? I was going to run through whether I should go on this trip this weekend, but forget it! I’m going with or without your approval!”

To hold back from spilling my tears in front of Byou, I ran for the stairs to go up to our room. I couldn’t stand fighting with Byou. Perhaps this was my entire fault, but right now, I was feeling hurt from being accused of not being trustful. I couldn’t see what I did wrong.

I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and clothes then busted into the guest room to take a shower. I didn’t want to further stress our relationship. I would just sleep in the guest room to let the atmosphere cool down before I try to talk to Byou again.

I looked at the mirror in the bathroom, “Byou, do you still love me?”

A/Ns:
Whew ... this was one hefty chapter, but I hope I didn't lose any of you along the way ^^;;;. I know the next chapter is going to difficult to write, emotionally at least. There is so much to happen, and I can't wait to get started on it =D

Edit: Yaaaaay! Today I had time aaaaaand I created two different banners for this story. How does it look? ^^ I'm so proud of myself for being unlazy, hahaha, and please do check out the banner for Byou's POV =]

Credits for the scans go to brocade_lounge and textures to shedyourskin @ deviantart