Gomen! Has it been since 2012 since I last updated this story! I have missed writing so much....Well without further ado...a long awaited update.

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Chapter Six:

Soon it was lunch time for Yuichi and Tatsuya.  As they sat in their classroom/homeroom they opened their bentos. They were joined by some other friends of theirs, Tegoshi Yuya (the freshman girl that Megumi had made cry her first day there), Crystal Kay Williams and Kazuya Kamenishi. Tegoshi was the only freshman girl of the group. Kame was sitting at the table due to her association with Yuichi.

As usual there was a lot of talking going on.

“Tat-chan! That ball was OFF THE CHAIN” Tegoshi aka Ya-chan said. “Thanks for inviting me!”

Tatsuya laughs at the over hyper Yuya. “I heard from a little bird that you and Yamaa were making out in one of the bedrooms upstairs.”

Ya-chan’s eyes widen and a deep blush covered her cheeks.

“WHAT?!”  Mama Yuichi nearly screamed. How come she hadn’t heard about this!?

“And I heard that Yuichi was kissing a guy as well.” Crystal,  who had not been able to make the party because she had flown overseas to America to visit her father’s family for Christmas and New Years, so how the hell had she known about that?

Yuichi eyes widened as she realized. “TATSUYA!”

Smirking, “What? What’s a little gossip among friends?” Tatsuya laughed. “Girls, maybe you can get Yuichi to tell us who the guy is. I didn’t know him. Which means I didn’t invite him personally and she won’t tell me his name for some reason…”

“If you didn’t invite him then.., then what? A party crasher?” Crystal surmised.

“Probably, definitely…but he was one fine looking party crasher.” Tatsuya said scooping some rice into . She throws a playful wink Yuichi’s way for good measure. Yuichi just blushes.

“It sounded like a killer party. Wish I had been there.” Kame-chan hadn’t said anything. She wasn’t sure how it would be received that the person that Yuichi had been kissing had been a waiter and not a guest or even a party crasher for that matter. Not that it would matter with Yuichi. Kazuya knew that Yuichi came from a working class family and that she was attending this elite school on scholarship just as she, Kazuya, is. It was just that the clique that they hung out with were…well it could only be described as high maintenance. Kazuya didn’t believe that her friends were shallow…just super sheltered.

“Kame-chan? When you told Tatsuya that you had plans was it really to work as a waitress at Tat-chan’s party?” Yuya asks.

“Well, when I said I had to work I didn’t know it was for Madame Tatsuya since I was working with the caterer; But I still had fun.” Kame said sincerely. And she had.

“So… I ALSO heard….” Tatsuya said, propping her chin on her hand as she smiled knowing at Kame-chan.

“You heard…what?” Kame looked nervously at her friend. By the way that Tat-chan was looking at her it could only mean that she found out that…

 “A certain turtle was kissed by a red baka” Tatsuya said tilting her head and smirking in Kame’s direction.

Kame choked on her soda. “What?!” So she had found out.

“You too?!” Yuya asked. She smiled all delightfully at her senpai. “It must have been our lucky night.”

“Wait! Red Baka…Do you mean Jin Akanishi?!” Crystal asked.

“Yep” Tatsuya answers. “Do you know him?”

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a while now. Maybe five years or so. We meet through our love of music.”

“I knew he was going to try something with Kazuya by the way that his eyes followed her around the room. It is definitely no secret that Jin and Yamaa are serious Casanovas…however, I want to hear more on…” Tatsuya smiled at her best friend as Yuichi squirmed in her seat. There is a hint of red on her cheeks.

Yuichi clears , “umm…he is just some guy…” She darts her eyes quickly between the now expectant faces of her friends before darting them back down to her bento. Yuichi really hoped that it would end there, but what was she thinking? Of course it wouldn’t.

“Just a guy? Hmmm…” Crytsal smirked. “Is he a cute guy?”

“Is he tall?” Yuya asked. “is he as y as Yamaa?!”

“Does he at least have a name?” that last question came from Kazuya. No one knew that she knows who the mystery man is. Honestly she was curious to hear what Yuichi said about Koki.

Yuichi sighed, “Okay…Here it is…Crystal he is a really, really cute guy.” Kazuya was surprised but happy to see the cute blush that flooded her face even more as she talked about Koki. Her eyes even took on a dreamy gleam to them. “As for his height his is average, but he is built.” Yuichi paused for a minute biting her bottom lip. “And his kisses, or rather kiss was the most beautiful. It made me feel beautiful.” That last part came out in a whisper and there is a gentle smile on her face.

“SO!! What is his name! With a description like that I am more curious then ever!” Yuya asked literally bouncing in her seat.

“Tanaka. Koki. Koki Tanaka...”

~~~

“Koki! Junno! Wait up!” Jin Akanishi called out as he ran to catch up with his two best friends, Junnosuke Taguchi and Koki Tanaka. They met in the center of the courtyard where they usually met for lunch. It was cold outside but at least they could feel the cold winter sun on their skins which helped them feel remarkably more refreshed to help them face their afternoon classes.

Horikoshi High School is an elite all boys school in Tokyo. It has a reputation for educating the wealthiest families.  Some of the students’ families have been studying there for generations, like the Taguchi and Akanishi clans. (Just for a side note, if Tatsuya had been born a boy she would have attended there also as all males in her family were educated there.)

Koki didn’t come from a well-do-family so his time at Horikoshi is due to an academic scholarship. Not only had the scholarship opened the door to a better education that he might not have received otherwise, it exposed him to how the other 1% of the Japanese population lived. It took some getting used to.

When Koki first arrived at the school he had pretty much been left alone. His appearance, a rough hip hop style, with a bald head and tan skin turned a lot of classmates off. They were quick to judge by appearance then to actually get to know him for who he really was.

That is until he met Junnosuke Taguchi. The goofball didn’t believe in judging on the bases of looks. Although Junno saw a boy who appeared very tough on the outside he sensed that the inside housed a gentle soul.

Junno had run across a display of Koki’s real personality one cold and rainy night when they were both freshmen. Koki was just coming back from an errand that his father had asked for him to run. And hearing the sound of a scared whimper Koki stopped and discovered a cold and shivering puppy in a small alleyway. At that exact moment Junno runs into him, almost literally. There was Koki hunched down in his hooded jack in the pouring rain.

“Koki?” Junno called out from his under his umbrella

Koki turned his head to see Junnosuke Tagughi At first Koki didn’t recognize Junno because for one it was raining pretty hard and visibility was not so great. Second it was his first time seeing a classmate in regular clothes, and it just seemed weird for some reason.

“You know my name?” Koki was confused. Since he had entered Horikoshi High no one, not even Taguchi had talked to him.

“Yeah, I do.” Junno came closer to Koki squatting down to eye level with Koki allowing the umbrella to cover both of them. Koki swipped the large drops of water from him face so he could see better. “We are in the same homeroom. Why, won’t I know what your name is?” Junno asked quite sensibly.

“Oh…well everyone else acts like they don’t know that I exist, that’s all.” Koki states matter of fact. All of a sudden there was a little yelp that came from the puppy.

“I think this little guy is trying to tell us that it wants to get out of the rain.” Junno laughs. Koki did too, as he gently ruffled his hands through the puppy’s fur. “I only live around the corner. Why, don’t you come with me to get out of the rain until it stops? And you can dry your clothes too while you’re there.” And without waiting for Koki to answer Taguchi Junnosuke stood to his full height and took three steps toward the direction of his place. He stopped and looked back at Koki who was still stooped down clutching the dog. “Well, aren’t you coming?”

Koki awoke from his stupor quickly standing and moved under the umbrella with Junnosuke. It was at that moment that Koki realized how tall Junnosuke was in comparison to himself. It was a little disconcerting for Koki. You could say that Koki has a complex about his height.  

The guys walked in silence and in a matter of minutes they reached Junno’s home, a condo called The House. Koki’s delivery had been in the Minami-Azabu district of Tokyo (the most expensive neighborhood in Tokyo) and the fact that Junno lived in the area wasn’t a surprise. Junno opened the door with his key and entered into the apartment.

Koki stood at the door and just stared in awe of the place and he was only looking at the hallway. The hallway floor was made of Italian wood and along the entrance hallway it has walls that open up to massive shoe storage unit. Junno opened the one closest to him and there sat at least 40 pairs of shoes. With the last two shelves empty to accommodate any guests that came over.

“Koki take off your shoes and put them on this shelf. Here are some slippers. Wait here. Let me get some towels for you and then I’ll take you to my room to change into some dry clothes.” Junno said. Placing his damp umbrella in the holder he walked a little more ways in calling out…”Jin!! Jin!! Get in here and help me! Jin!!”

“Taguchi, how many pairs of shoes are in here?” Koki asked curiously.

“The storage unit opens up all along this hallway, so about 200 pairs can be housed here, but I only have about 100 pairs of shoes.” Junno says this all nonchalantly, like it was an everyday occurrence to own two hundred pairs of shoes and have a hallway closet to house just them alone.

Before Koki could even comment on that they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching on the imported stone and wood flooring.

“Okay, Okay! What’s the deal?” Jin stopped at the sight of the Koki who was drenched from head to toe. Koki attempted to toe off his soaked shoes without dropping the puppy. “Hey, you didn’t say you would be picking up the beer and a stray.” Then Jin notices that the shivering puppy in Koki’s arms. “Two of them to be exact.”

“ I ran into Koki, literally, on the way back. Don’t be a wiener and go get me some towels from the bathroom.”

Jin just rolled his eyes at being called a wiener but went in search of the requested towels.

“Hand him to me. Take off your jacket.”

“It’s a her, actually.” Koki corrected holding tight to the dog. Jin came back with an arm full of towels.

“Here,” Junno said handing a towel to Koki who sat on the floor and dried the shivering puppy while speaking to her in a calming tone. The dog, liking Koki’s kind eyes had taken an immediately liking to him, gladly let the boy rub her dry, her tongue hanging slightly to the side her eyes closing in slits from the massage that she was getting.

Jin, Junno and Koki laughed at the sight.

“Apparently, getting pampered is a female thing no matter the species.” Junno laughed. Jin nodded in agreement.

“Junno- did you manage to get the beer?”

“I said I would didn’t I? But it’s only a case. The store attendant wouldn’t sell me more than that. Considering what he was doing was illegal I was lucky to get this.”

“Hey beer is beer.” Jin turned to Koki and looked at him, taking him in. “So Koki, are you staying?” Jin took another one of the towels and came behind Koki dropping one of the towels on his head and began to dry Koki’s hair in just the same way that Koki was doing to the dog.

Again, Koki is surprised that another classmate knew his name. 

“Sure…at least until the rain stops but what about your parents Taguchi?”

“Its Junno actually; Don’t worry. This is my apartment. My parents don’t stay here. They live on the other end of this district. Since I turned sixteen a few months ago, I’ve been living here by myself. My grandfather bought this for me when I turned 16. When I turn 18 it will be legally mine.”

“Are you serious?” Koki is startled by that declaration. Living alone was a whole unknown concept for Koki since his family was rather large, loud and noisy and to live in a place like this?!.

“Yep, its why I came hang out here like I do. I wish my granddad bought me a 1.8 billion yen ($21.8 million USD) place. That’s a 4,434 square foot (411.932 sq m) 1-Bedroom apartment That averaged to  a mind-boggling $4,920.75 per square foot!”

Koki’s eyes bugged out of out that little tadbit of information.

“Stop scaring the boy!” Junno scalded Jin. “He might not want to hang out with us. He’s already freaked that we even know his name. Come on Koki. Let me get you a change of clothes” Grabbing Koki’s arm he dragged him through his apartment with Koki only seeing a little bit here and there. They came to Junno’s bedroom and opened the closet to his bedroom.

                There before them was another long corridor, housing his clothes.  It was almost too much for Koki to take in.

                “Take your time; pick whatever you want to change into. I’m sort of tall so my pants may not quite fit but you should still be able to make them work. I’ll come back and get your clothes so I can throw them in the dryer. Hey. She followed us. I guess she doesn’t want to be separated from you. Kawaii.” Junno smiled showing the crinkles around his eyes. “I’ll let you change.” So Koki and the puppy were left alone.

***

                Jin was in the living room with an open beer in his hands. Leaning back on the sofa he looked out at the night sky was a light with lightening and a heavy thick curtain of rain.

                “I’m glad that you braved this storm to get some beer; I really needed this tonight.” Jin stated. He took a long pull from the beer bottle’s neck.

“What did you and your father fight about this time?”

“The usual; my destined place in the family business. Why doesn’t he understand that I don’t want to be him when I grow up?” Jin sighed. This was a long standing issue between Jin and his father. Jin Akanishi is an outspoken, wild child and wanted to do everything his own way. Stubborn is the term that you would use for Jin. Jin’s father is an extremely strict traditional Japanese father who was just as stubborn as Jin was.

“Take it easy; don’t rile your father too much before you can make a way to your own dreams.” Junno suggested as he sat in a chair close to Jin.

“So did you really just run into him in the neighborhood?” Jin asked quickly changing the subject.

“Yeah, It looks like he was rescuing the puppy damsel in distress. This is a perfect time to talk to him. He always shuts himself off from everyone.”

“Yeah, he does seem like a pretty cool dude. I wonder how he came to come to Horikoshi High?”

“I earned a fully paid scholarship. That’s how.” Koki states as he stands in the doorway with his damp clothes in his hands. “Why are you guys so curious about me? You’ve never approached me before?”

“Actually we have, several times but you give us a drop dead look and walk right past us. You do realize that you have a thug...aura around you? Most of the guys are scared of you, believe it or not.” Jin says with raised eyebrows.

“But you two aren’t?” Koki asked even more curious. Koki knew how he came off to others. He came from a rougher side of Tokyo and his look worked to his advantage to deter real thugs from approaching him. It also was a guise to keep unwanted bullies from making him their new target. It had worked but apparently not on these two.

“Nope, its just that some things about you don’t add up” Jin answered.

“Yeah, like how studious and thoughtful you are when you think that no one is watching. Thugs aren’t known for that. Standing up for that new kid, Kinda gave it away. What’s his name?”

“Fujigaya Taisuke.”

“Yeah! That its. Your only friend at school as far as we know…"

What the both of them had said was all true. There were things that didn’t add up about him, but Koki had assumed no one cared enough to even notice. Apparently, these two did.

“Well, there are some things that don’t add up about you two either. Like for one, Taguchi, why if you are so well of do you take public transportation to school? And you, Akanishi…you’re just weird!” Koki said.

At that statement, Junno spit out his beer that he had been sipping on. The look and the way Koki said that Jin was weird was just too funny! Junno couldn’y help laughing. He laughed so hard that he feel off the sofa.

“Stop laughing you !” Jin said scrowlling at Junno.

“I can’t help it! Your face was priceless.” Junno managed to say after in a large amount of air. “and lets face it. You are weird.” Junno gets up and takes the wet clothes from Koki’s hands. “I go and put these in the dryer to get dry. Help your self to any food in the fridge. As you can see the Panda here is already stuffing his face.”

“Yeah…Thanks.” Koki stood for a minute and looked around and after a moment realized that almost all furniture in the home is custom designed by Cecotti Collezioni. A super expensive designer that Koki only knew about because he happen to read about Collezioni’s designs in an architectural magazine the year before while waiting in the dentist’s office. Koki’s keen eyes noted that many of the walls, flooring and doors are Italian imported stone and wood

“Damn! How wealthy is Junno’s family?” Koki asked himself.

“They are pretty wealthy actually. Their wealth goes all the way back to the Edo period.” Jin said. It was at that moment that Koki realized that he had said his internal question outloud. Koki blushed at his perceived error. “Don’t worry about. I looked the same way when I visited Junno’s parents place. This is actually tame compared with his parents mansion. Come on, lets go raid the kitchen and you can explain that weird comment.”

Studding his hands into the pockets of Junno’s borrowed jeans he followed behind. They passed a features a Japanese ‘Ryotei’ style dining room for dinner parties allowing chef to serve guests directly from gourmet kitchen with a  Parisian-style terrace overlooking Arisugawa park on one side and a massive enclosed courtyard garden. Original works by the famous Japanese artist  Hiroshi Senju hung intermittedly on the walls of the apartment. Koki latter found out on another occasion that all the pieces were painted on site.

After seeing all this it was no surprise that the kitchen was just as spectacular and all the kitchen appliances by La Cornue. Grabbing some food to go with their beer, they sat at the bar in the kitche. Sliding a bee toward Koki jin waited. After a moment of hesitation, Koki took the beer, opening it, taking a swallow. This was Koki’s first taste. Allowing it to flow over his tongue he let the liquid linger over his tongue letting the yeasty bubble tickle his tastebuds before he swallowed the fermented refreshment. To his surprise it tasted refreshing.

“Good?” Jin asks with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah…”

“Sooo…”

“You’re just weird…you’re totally Japanese yet you are too American and a lot of things you do are weird…”

“says the guy who looks like he walked straight out of a rap video. An American rap video.”

“A Yakuza Movie actually.”

Jin just looks at him  for a moment before he bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Junno asks grabbing a beer from the counter.

“I like him!” Jin said taking a drag from his beer.

“Good. SO want to hang out? It’s a Sunday after all.”

“I better get back as soon as my clothes dry. I was on a run for my dad’s restaurant.”

“Cool—but until then hang with us. We don’t bite.” Junno smiled.

“unless you want us too.” Jin smirked.

Koki was startled from his reminiscence when Jin popped  him in the face with a balled up napkin.

                “Earth to Koki!” Jin said “What’s up with that far off look on your face?” It was lunch time. And after the grueling fitness test that Koki had to endure earlier in physical education class, Koki was starving yet his mind was all over the place. It was the first day of classes after the holiday and Koki was feeling more reflective then usual. He was inclined to think that it was because he was only a few short months from graduation and how in three short years he had gone from a loner to one of the guys in one of the most powerful cliques at Horikoshi. And it was all due to the kindness of Junno.

                From that first meeting until today Junno had been straight forward and cool with him allowing him to become friends with other guys that would have overlooked him otherwise. And Jin was okay too.

                “Thinking about Lucille. Its been a while since I saw her.” Lucille was the name of the puppy Koki had rescued.

                “Lu is fine but she misses you. You need to hang out with me this weekend so you can spend quality time with her.”

                “What’s up guys! Wasn’t the Ueda party the !?” At the sound of Yamapi’s, Tomahia Yamaa, voice the guys called out greeting and made room for the other member of their clique. Yamapi, whose nickname  was a combination of the first part of his last name and the first two letters for the English word pink. He acquired the nickname in part due to the fact that his favorite color was pink and that he made a habit to wear something pink every day. If Tomahisa wasn’t a straight up man’s man the fact that he loved the color pink would be a cause for concern. Yamapi was captain of the basketball team and one of the biggest man s on campus, to the envy of all the guys on campus. The only other student who came close was Jin, which was part of the reason they were best friends.

                “Yep, it was. I heard you got lucky at the party Yamapi. Did you at least get her name?” Jin asks. Yamapi was notorious for sleeping with a girl and never even knowing her name.

                “Oh yeah…she is worth getting to know her name. Yuya.”

                “She looked hot, what ever her name is.” Jin nodded in approval.

                “She is…but I want to know is it true?” Yamapi asks looking at Junno directly in the eyes.

                “ What?” Junno asks.

                “ Did you really go off an make out with Tatsuya Ueda?”

                “Yeah, Junnosuke Taka?”

                Koki snickered at the alias name that he had given. “Yeah, Junno that was a smooth alias name.”

                “Shut up! It was a one time thing. And it was just a kiss. Nothing life shattering.:

                “Dude…I just never knew you like to walk on the wild side.” Yamapi laughed.

                For the rest of the lunch the discussed the party and things that maybe men shouldn’t have talked about. But what was male youth without a little locker room talk.