Chapter XIII.

When I woke up in the morning, I was surprised to find myself in Shunsui's bed, instead of my futon at my grand-parent's house. And contrarily to what I had expected, I felt unbelievably well; I was still a bit shaken by what happened, but I didn't feel unwell.

Getting to my feet, I came out of the room in search of the reddish-brown-haired young man, and I found Gōjun and he sleeping each one on a sofa in the living room. Pausing down in the corridor, I gazed at the two young men with tears coming to my eyes.

I was so grateful to them. 

It wasn't hard for me to understand that if they had been at the hotel, it was because they were worried about me. I didn't even dare to imagine what could have happened if they hadn't arrived at the right time. And if Shunsui had brought me to his house, it was most definitely because he didn't want my grand-parents to discover what happened, in order not to worry them. I guessed that he must have come up with something or another to explain my absence from home for the night. I wondered what he had told Ojii-san and Obā-san. But, for the time being, all that I really could think about was how to thank Gōjun and he for having saved me. 

I decided to prepare them a good breakfast, even if neither this, nor anything else that I could think to do for them, would ever appear sufficient to me to show them the whole extent of my gratitude. 

After having prepared them breakfast, I came back into the living room, but only to notice at that moment that their knuckles were terribly bruised as a result of the blows they had laid upon Hibiki Jojima. 

Immediately, I ran back to the kitchen to return to the living with the first-aid box, and sitting myself down onto the floor, I picked their hands up gently in mine, in order not to wake them up, and began to clean their wounds. 

'Thank you,' I whispered to them, softly, with all the gratefulness of the world after I was done, squeezing their hands slightly, tears coming back to my eyes.

***

Gōjun Shoran was awakened by a sensation of tightness and warmth around his right hand. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he noticed that somebody had taken care of the injuries at his knuckles. 

Shunsui Shigeizumi stirred up by the same moment, and he, too, stared at his hand which was all warm and which bore the lingering feeling of a small squeeze.

'Was it you?' Gōjun asked the reddish-brown-haired young man, with a questioning look, lifting his hand up to show it to the latter. Doing the same action, the reddish-brown-haired young man replied, with a puzzled expression, 'No.'

Then, who was it who took care of our injuries? they both wondered. Was it the dark-haired girl?

They had the impression that there had been someone there just a minute ago before they had woken up.

Springing to their feet, they began to stride for Shunsui's bedroom in search of the dark-haired girl, but only to jerk to a stop in the corridor by the doorway of the kitchen as they realized that somebody had prepared them breakfast. 

Entering the kitchen, they uncovered one of the plates on the table, and exchanged another puzzled look with each other, before they saw the note that had been left there for them. 

They picked it up and read it immediately. 

It was a note from the dark-haired girl, which said thank you.

'Oh no! She should have woken us up!' uttered Gōjun, scratching the back of his head, feeling embarrassed for having been asleep during that while.

'I guess that this means that she's feeling fit and fine,' Shunsui told him, with a happy smile. 'It's the most important point!'

'Yeah, you're right!' 

***

Meanwhile…

I headed home in nervous worry.

Today, it was a Sunday, and Ojii-san was most definitely at home. I wondered how Shunsui had explained my absence to Obā-san and he. 

Once I was inside of the small apartment, my eyes began to search for the two of them to find them sitting around the table in the living room. 

Rushing up to them, I bowed down immediately to apologize, 'Ojii-san, Obā-san, I'm really sorry for having worried you!'

'Yosh! Yosh! It's okay, Hime!' Ojii-san told me, in a reassuring tone, getting to his feet. 'Tsubasa-sama has called me up last night to tell me that you were extremely tired after the Kendō training, and that you were feeling unwell, and since it was particularly late, that you were going to stay over at the young master's place!'

My eyes widened in surprise.

Shunsui has told his mother about what happened? 

I had no doubt about it.

When I had discovered that Shunsui didn't live with Tsubasa-sama, it had worried me; I had thought that perhaps they weren't on good terms with each other. But if he told her about what happened, then I guessed that they must be especially close to each other, and that mother and son must trust each other completely!

This, caused me to smile.

'What do you mean by "it's okay"?' demanded Obā-san, petulantly, standing up equally. 

'There she goes staying out all night! All we need now is for her to come back with a bun in the oven!'

My heart squeezed at her words.

'Ah! What are you saying, Shigure?!' said Ojii-san. 'I have utmost trust in our Hime! I know that she's not that kind of girl! And I trust the young master completely! He's a good boy!'

'And what about the other boy he always hangs around with? With his angry look, tattoo and bleached hair, if he's not a delinquent, then he resembles one!'

'I have no doubt that he's also a very good boy! After all, he's the young master's best friend! They are no less than brothers!'

'Right!' she muttered, grimacing, and shaking her head, she walked away.

Ojii-san's eyes shifted back onto me after that, and he hurried up to me to send his arm around my shoulders to give me a one-arm hug in comfort, telling me, 'Please, don't mind her! It's her way of expressing her worry for you!'

'I know,' I whispered, swallowing back my tears and giving him a faint smile.

***

Sometimes later…

I left home earlier than the appointed time to reach the school for today's Kendō training.

As I was approaching the gymnasium, suddenly, my eyes fell onto Gōjun just outside of the building and, for a few seconds, we both paused down to look at each other before I ran to close the distance between us, and the moment I reached him, I bowed down to tell him with all my heart, 'Thank you for having rescued me last night!'

But, he didn't respond. 

At his silence, I straightened up to look at his face and saw that he was staring at me with an unfathomable look. 

I stared back at him with curiosity, until his face scrunched up, in all of a sudden, and without giving any warning, he gave me a punch on the head to exclaim at me, angrily, 'You idiot! Next time somebody asks you to come up in a hotel room for an interview, you don't go!'

'Ow!' I cried, rubbing my head with my hands, and staring into his eyes, more puzzled by the blow, than ashamed of my own stupidity. 

It hurts!

But then, unexpectedly, his attitude changed. 

He averted his eyes to look at the floor and sigh, his expression showing torment. 

'No,' he said, in a lower tone, 'I should have realized that something's fishy! Shunsui kept telling me that he has a bad feeling about all of this, but every time I would tell him that he's only imagining things!'

My eyes went wide at him in surprise. He's blaming himself?

As his eyes returned onto me, suddenly, he seemed to notice something. He lifted his hand up to touch my jaw lightly with the tip of his finger, just where Hibiki Jojima had left me a mark last night when he had seized me by my jaw.

At this, Gōjun's face scrunched up again with anger, and calling me an idiot once more time, he gave me another punch on the head, before he flounced away.

'Ow! My head! My head! It hurts!' I moaned, rubbing rubbed it with both my hands while I stared after him, even more puzzled than before. 

What has taken over him?!

***

In the late afternoon...

'Hey, how about we meet in an hour for a karaoke plan?' Shunsui proposed to Gōjun and I as we were preparing to leave for home.

'Karaoke?' I said, almost to myself, cupping my chin. 'I have never been to the karaoke.'

'What?!' he exclaimed in astonishment, moving to place himself in front of me, while we were walking, cutting my way. 'You've never been to the karaoke?!'

I shook my head, blushing a little in embarrassment.

'Well, no worries!' he told me, cheerily, sending his arm around my shoulders to pull me against his side. 'There's a first time to everything!'

'Huh?' I uttered, panicking a little, as I wondered if it was really alright for me to accompany the two of them.

Catching my expression, he put a forefinger up at me, and drew his face closer to mine, to add with a merciless look, 'And don't even think about refusing! Being my slave, you're completely at my disposition, remember?! If I tell you to come, you come!'

I flinched, my expression turning awkward.

'Ah! We're going to spend a very good evening together!' he exclaimed, his tone becoming all cheery again. 

We had resumed our walk now. 

'I'm going to invite a few other girls and you'll see, you won't even have the time to get bored!'

At this, I pressed my eyes shut to smile cynically. 

Right! What he doesn't say is that the girls will be there to entertain HIM! That's exactly what I feared! That I'd get caught up into one of those infamous rendezvous of his! 

'Do you really want us to come?' Gōjun asked him, with a skeptical look, and the reddish-brown-haired young man responded by giving him a large pat on his shoulder and telling him, 'Yes, of course!'

And on this, we parted with one another to head for our respective home, only to meet on later. 

After I had freshened up a bit, I began to search for something to wear to the karaoke. I was unsure about what kind of dress I should wear and I realized that it was the very first time that I was really going out somewhere with Shunsui and Gōjun outside our normal school routine. 

I ended up wearing a pair of black mini shorts that had braces and a white T-shirt with its long sleeves hitched up to my elbows. 

Shunsui sent me the address of the karaoke by text message, and when I reached the location, Gōjun had already arrived and was waiting in front of the building. 

He had clothed himself in a pair of blue jeans that was torn at several places, a white long-sleeved T-shirt, and a black sleeveless jacket. His hands were dug in the pockets of his jeans, his expression terse. 

'Hi!' I called timidly, as I approached him.

He turned to look at me and nodded once in acknowledgement.

Shunsui arrived the next second, accompanied by three young women. 

The reddish-brown-haired young man was clothed in a pair of black jeans that were hitched up to his knees, a white shirt, a gray coat, and a black tie. A hat and casual shoes completed his outfit.

He presented each one of the women to us in turn. The first one was from Europe and she had curly blonde hair. The second was from Russia, and her hair was red. And the third one was from South America; she had sleek black hair, and light brown skin. All three women were wearing the same dress, but each of a different color.

'Well, what are we waiting for?!' the reddish-brown-haired young man declared, looking at the women, and he began to head inside of the building with them, keeping his arms around their waist, while Gōjun and I followed them quietly from behind.

We were given a compartment room on the third floor of the building. It was very small and rectangular. There was a couch on the two sides of the room, facing each other, with a table full of refreshments in the middle, like in a restaurant. A karaoke machine was set against the back wall, just opposite of the door. 

Shunsui took a seat at one of the couches with the girls sitting by his sides, while Gōjun and I took place on the other couch, and from there ensured our evening at the karaoke. 

The three women were very lively. They sang and laughed, and Gōjun and I watched them as they interacted with Shunsui. 

Gōjun seemed to be a bit bored; on my side, I was feeling way too shy and nervous to muster a word during the whole evening. At some point, Gōjun left to answer a phone call, and things sped up between Shunsui and the three girls. As I was watching them talk, suddenly, I saw the reddish-brown-haired young man pick a strawberry stick up and put one end in his mouth to eat it, while one of the girls began to eat it from the other side, until their lips came to touch and they kissed each other.

At this view, I flushed tomato red, and half-covered my eyes with my hands. 

Oh no! What is he doing?! 

But apparently, the reddish-brown-haired young man had grown completely oblivious of his surroundings. 

He turned his head around to kiss one of the two other girls next, and I thought I was going to burst a vessel when I saw his hand slip down her collarbone, past the neck-string of her dress.

Wah! What is he doing?!

'I have to use the washroom!' I exclaimed in a panic, and jumping to my feet, I rushed out of the room without looking back, closing the door behind me. I hurried for the staircase and plumped myself down to sit there at the head of it, my heart racing, my face warm and glowing. 

A few minutes had passed when I heard somebody coming into this direction, and when I looked around, I saw that it was Gōjun. 

Scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes, he told me in an uncomfortable tone, 'Uh, I think it's better that you do not get back in there immediately. Shunsui and the girls are...' 

He trailed off, and my face flushed bright red once again.

'I-I see!' I stammered, looking away immediately.

He came to sit himself beside me at the head of the staircase, and we both remained silent for a whole moment- feeling awkward at the situation, but also at finding ourselves alone with each other like this- until he asked me, unexpectedly, 'Shunsui has told me yesterday that you live with your grand-parents. Where are your parents?'

Spontaneously, I looked at him, jarred.

Shunsui didn't tell him anything about my parents? I'm sure that Tsubasa-sama must have told Shunsui about what happened.

Gōjun's question was so direct and personal that I was disconcerted for a minute. 

'W-Well...' I murmured, uncertainly, turning my head back to the front and lowering my eyes; all the pain that I had been hiding, rushing back to the surface and threatening to overpower me.

'Oh! Gōjun!' called an unfamiliar, male voice, abruptly, making me jump. 

We looked around to see a young man of our own age approaching with two young girls. The young man was smartly dressed, and had an arm around the neck of the two girls, who were helping him walk as he was quite drunk.

Gōjun and I stood up, and I wondered if the latter knows the young man in question. I obtained my answer immediately, as Gōjun called back at him, 'Ah, Rikishi!'

'By God! It's been such a long time since we've last seen each other!' the latter exclaimed as he reached us. 'What do you become? And where's Shunsui? Is he with you?' 

He didn't wait for Gōjun to reply. 

Casting a quick glance at me, he drew his face closer to Gōjun's face, as though to speak in his ear, telling him, 'The girls and I were out to go to the hotel. Wanna join us?'

My cheeks took yet another shade of red, and I looked away in embarrassment.

'No, thanks,' Gōjun replied, bluntly, and the young man pulled backward to stare at his face with a half-surprised, half-incredulous look. 

'I can't believe it!' he exclaimed, seeming to be amused by something. 'All those rumors about you were real, then?'

Rumors? I asked to myself, becoming intrigued. 

The young man Rikishi looked at me then, to tell me, 'Perhaps you don't know it, but only a few months back, this guy here used to be the biggest flirt that I had ever come across in my life! He would never date the same girl twice! In fact, I don't think it ever happened to him to go on a date with only one girl at a time. There wasn't a single place that you wouldn't find him with several girls clinging on his arms!'

Huh? Really?! 

I looked at Gōjun's face, more than astonished; finding it hard to believe.

'And Shunsui! He was the complete opposite from what I've heard he has become now. Not only was he a doutei, but that guy had never gone out with a girl in his life! He was of the kind to believe in the "true love" and "soul-mate" kind of stuff. He wouldn't miss an occasion to lecture Gōjun and I about our lifestyle or to preach about love!'

HUH?! 

I was even more astonished. 

This was even harder to believe! 

Are we really talking about the same persons here?

'I really, really don't understand what has happened to these two! I really don't!'

'Now! Now! That's enough!' one of the two girls chided the young man. 'You're too drunk! Let's get going!'

'Alright! Alright!' he said, not protesting, and we watched the two girls drag him away until they were out of sight.

'That was Rikishi, ne?!' came Shunsui's voice, at that moment, and we turned around to see him arriving with the three young women by his sides, a devastating smile on his lips. 'Sorry, guys!' he told us, 'I think the ladies and I are going to leave now to spend the rest of our evening elsewhere. That is, if you don't mind.'

'No,' stated Gōjun. 'I was thinking about leaving too.'

'Same here,' I murmured, timidly.

'Very well then, see you tomorrow!' the reddish-brown-haired young man declared, making sign at us with his hat, and from there, we came down the building all together, only to part ways once we were on the street. Shunsui left with the girls, while Gōjun and I left each one in a different direction.

My mind was filled with questions. 

Gōjun had not denied what the young man Rikishi had said, which meant that what the latter had told me wasn't untrue. 

What has caused such a sudden change in Shunsui and Gōjun, that they completely changed their lifestyles overnight?

However, from what Shunsui had told me that day when he had visited me at my workplace, I was more than confident that, deep down, he still believes in true love; he still believes in finding that special someone. And therefore, it was Gōjun who intrigued me the most.

I broke out of my line of thoughts when my phone began to ring in all of a sudden. I had received a text message. Taking out my cellphone, I was surprised to find that it was a message sent by Shunsui. Opening it, I read it. It said:

Don't forget our lunch box for tomorrow!

The expenses will be on me.

Eh? I felt a surge of panic. Oh no! I had completely forgotten about that!

Immediately, I took to my heel to head for the supermarket before it would close down, leaving out all other thoughts for the night.

Thank you for reading!