“Kazuya, come out from there,” Ueda called, knocking softly on the cubicle door. Kame, in his haste, had locked himself in the girls’ restroom at the end of the corridor.

 
Getting no response, Ueda sighed and knocked again. “Kazuya, please come out. They’re about to drag me away for sexual harassment. And maybe peeping too. And indecent behaviour. And…”

 
Ueda was interrupted by the door unlocking. Kame stared back at him with a forlorn expression. “Tat-chan…” Kame mumbled, staring down at the floor.

 
Ueda tugged the younger boy into a hug. “It’s okay. It’ll be alright. You have us here,” he whispered, patting Kame’s back softly.

 
Kame nodded into the crook of Ueda’s neck, returning the hug. “Thank you, Tat-chan.”

 
“Ba~ka! There’s no need for thanks. We’re beyond that, aren’t we?”

 
Kame nodded again, squeezing Ueda for a moment.

 
Ueda released Kame from the hug, ruffling the younger boy’s hair. “Now where’s that infamous Kamenashi smile?”

 
Kame managed a small smile. Ueda frowned. “Wow… It’s not as good as they say it is. Actually, it pretty much sucks.”

 
Kame gaped before hitting Ueda on the arm, laughing when the older boy smirked back at him. “Tat-chan, you’re mean!”

 
Ueda looked back at Kame, mirroring his smile. “There is it! There’s that Kamenashi smile!”

 
Koki, Nakamaru and Kusano walked in on the two laughing boys. “Kame-chan?” Koki asked hesitantly.

 
Kame looked over, and smiled at his friends. “I’m fine, guys. Don’t look so glum.”

 
Koki broke into a smile. “That’s our Kame-chan!”

 
Nakamaru looked over to Ueda. “What would we do without you,” he said, giving Ueda the thumbs up.

 
“Kamenashi-senpai! I was so worried!” Kusano cried, bumping Koki, who was en route to hug Kame, into another cubicle.

 
Kame laughed, patting Kusano. “But why? I’m perfectly fine.”

 
Koki slung his arm around Kame’s shoulder. “Shall we go home? It’s been a long day.”

 
Kame nodded, and the little group walked off. Nakamaru and Ueda walked a little ways behind the other three.

 
“How do you think he’s taking it?” Nakamaru asked.

 
Ueda shrugged. “Not very well, but he’ll never show anything but a smile in front of Kusano. You know that as well as I do.”

 
Nakamaru frowned. “Yeah. I hope he gets over that insensitive idiot. He really has the worst luck with guys.”

 
Ueda sighed. “If only he’d realize Koki isn’t joking with the love confessions. Then he’d get treated right. Though it’s strange to think of Koki with Kame.”

 
Nakamaru made a face. “Actually, it’s strange to think of Koki with ANYONE. Imagine the amount of bling he’ll buy that person.”

 
Both boys shuddered.

 
“Tat-chan! Maru! Hurry up! Stop having a secret date behind us!” Kame called from the front, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

 
“Oi! Watch your mouth, young man!”

 
“Geez, Maru! Stop trying to be my mother. You’re too ugly!” Kame stuck his tongue out.

 
Nakamaru sprinted after the laughing Kame. When he finally caught up to Kame at the platform of the train station, he was panting too hard to even smack Kame on the head. Nakamaru doubled over on the bench, deciding to wait for the train instead.

 
“Unfit old man.”

 
Nakamaru managed a half-hearted glare at the smirking Kame.

 
******************

 
Kame finished dinner with the guys and waved goodbye to them when they got to his apartment. The instant they turned the corner, Kame lost his smile and let himself into the apartment.

 
Curling up on his bed, he hid under the covers. Biting his lower lip, he let silent tears fall.

 
Why does it always end up like this?

 
******************

 
“Pi! What did I do? What was I thinking? How could I say that! What am I going to do now?! Pi! Pi? Pi~? PI!”

 
Yamapi barely paid any attention to his mobile phone, hidden under his pillow. Jin had called him half an hour ago. After listening to Jin repeat the same questions for the fifth time, Yamapi had lost his patience.

 
He needs somewhere to vent, Yamapi thought. Being the good friend that he was, but taking into his own sanity into account as well, Yamapi came up with a brilliant plan. Jin could ask all he wanted, he would not even notice that Yamapi was not actually listening to him.

 

And so, Yamapi stuck his mobile under his pillow to muffle Jin’s laments. Turning the page of the latest An-An magazine, Yamapi’s eyes bulged at the suggestive photoshoot of one Matsumoto Jun. In the bath. Naked.

 
The captain of Arashi High’s football team was known to be a part-time model. That’s probably why Jin and MatsuJun never got along. Neither could understand how the other was so popular with the ladies.

 
Grabbing his phone, Yamapi cut Jin off halfway through his name. “Have you seen the latest An-An?”

 
“No. And why are you ignoring me, Pi? You’re supposed to be my best friend!” Jin whined, picking up the magazine from under his pile of clothes.

 
“You should be helping me think of how to fix this,” Jin continued, absently flipping the pages. “And now even Ryo-chan’s mad at me. How can I fix OHMYGOD JUN’S TRYING TO BE AS SEXY AS ME!!”

 
For the next hour, Jin totally forgot about his problem with Kame, focusing instead on finding faults with MatsuJun’s photoshoot.

 
******************

 
Kame’s mobile phone rang, and he picked it up listlessly. “ ’lo?”

 

The person on the other side cleared his throat. “Um, hey. It’s Nishikido Ryo. You… remember me?”

 
Kame sat up on his bed, frown forming. “Yeah, I know who you are. How did you get my number?”

 
“Yamapi,” came the short answer.

 
“So, why did you call?”

 
“I just wanted to see how… you’re holding up. Kinda.”

 
“I’m fine as I can be. So what’s the real reason you’re calling?”

 
“I just thought you should know. I’m gay too.”

 
It took Kame a few stutters before he choked out, “And?”

 
“Nothing. I just wanted you to know you’re not alone,” Ryo answered simply.

 
“Okay. Good for me then, I guess,” Kame said, mind still buzzing from the bizarre conversation.

 
“Yeah, well. That and the fact that we call him Bakanishi for a very valid reason. Sometimes he… well, most times… actually, he just doesn’t think before he opens his mouth. So, don’t take offense to what he said. He didn’t really mean it.”

 
Kame smiled slightly from Ryo’s hurried explanation. “It’s fine. This isn’t the first time this has happened. And he’s lucky to have friends like you and Pi.”

 
Ryo hmphed. “Yeah, he’s one lucky bastard. The Sexy Osaka Man doesn’t make friends with just anyone.”

 
Kame laughed. “Are you the Sexy Osaka Man? Because I really couldn’t tell.”

 
“Oi! Take that back before I make you bow before my sexiness,” Ryo retorted in jest.

 
Kame laughed harder. “Forgive me, O mighty but delusional one.”

 
“Cheh. You’ll realize soon enough how sexy I am,” Ryo’s voice came, filled with amusement. “Well, as long as you’re fine. I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow then.”

 
“Yeah, thanks for calling,” Kame said earnestly.

 
“I just don’t want you to look uglier than you already are. Bye bye.”

 
Kame grinned. “Never uglier than you. Bye bicycle!” he said, hanging up before Ryo could get a word in.

 

Kame settled back into bed, a small smile on his lips. Who needs love when I’m blessed with such good friends, were his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.

 
******************

 
As Kame walked into class with Koki the next day, he was greeted with an awkward silence. Confused, he looked at his classmates. Most of them avoided his eyes, covering their mouths with their hands.

 
Shrugging, he started over to his desk when he realized why his classmates were acting so strange.

 
“Is that what I think it is?” Koki whispered, positioning himself in front of Kame, just in case.

 
Nakamaru let out a laugh muffled in a cough. Ueda covered his mouth with the back of his hand but his shivering shoulders gave him away.

 
Kame’s jaw remained in its open position. Koki grabbed a ruler from the nearest person, and prodded the thing on Kame’s desk.

 
“Hey! That’s mine!” Junno said, making a grab for his ruler. Koki batted him away. “I’ll give it back. I just need to know if it’s alive.”

 
Kame snapped out of his trance when he heard them arguing. Pushing Koki aside, he grabbed the horror on his desk and stormed out of class.

 
The multi-colored ribbons trailed on the floor as the little chimes attached to it tinkled behind Kame. Kame had a good hold on the thing’s hand, while the head was attached by a single string. The tail was lost somewhere behind in the hallway.

 
“Where are you going with that?” Sakamoto-sensei asked, poking his head out from a class.

 
Kame barely slowed his pace. “I’m returning it to its owner.”

 
Sakamoto-sensei nodded, going back to his class. “Rare to see such considerate youngsters these days.”

 
Kame drew the attention of most of the entire school, as he made his way to Jin’s class.

 
******************

 
“And in the 28^th year of the Taisho era…” Nagano-sensei was cut off abruptly when the door to the class slammed open.

 
All attention was focused on the fuming Kamenashi Kazuya. Bowing slightly to Nagano-sensei, Kame said, “I’m sorry for disrupting your class.”

 
Nagano-sensei nodded mutely, more curious about the rainbow-colored mangled mess behind the first year student.

 
Bowing slightly again, Kame stepped into the class, looking around for his target.

 
Seeing the younger boy, Jin immediately stood up. <i>He’s forgiven me!

 
Kame stopped a few feet away from Jin. He did not return Jin’s hopeful smile.

 
Jin’s smile faltered as his present to Kame came sailing to his face. Catching it, Jin lowered it to come face-to-face with a glowering Kame.

 
“What exactly do you mean by this?” Kame seethed.

 
“Exactly what it says here,” Jin answered, slightly confused. Kame was supposed to find it touching and forgive him. Then maybe he’d get another kiss, even though that might make him gay.

 
Kame’s frown deepened. “A voodoo doll is not an apology.” And with that, Kame left the class.

 
Jin turned a confused face to Yamapi and then to Ryo. “What did I do wrong?”

 
Nagano-sensei cleared his throat. “I believe it has something to do the words on your toy.”

 
“What? This? It’s my apology! What’s wrong with it?” Jin asked indignantly.

 
“ ‘Gays are nice, gays are cute, gays are beautiful, just like you!’ isn’t exactly an apology, idiot,” Ryo muttered, facepalming himself repeatedly.

 
Jin looked disheartened. “So it didn’t work?”

 
Everyone in the class nodded sympathetically.

 
******************

 
When Kame got back to his class, Nagase-sensei had already begun teaching. “And where have you been, Kame-chan?” Nagase asked as Kame slipped into class through the back.

 
“Uh… I was returning something to its rightful owner,” Kame answered, fidgeting even though Nagase-sensei had his back to him.

 
Nagase nodded. “Take your seat.”

 
Kame let out a relieved breath.

 
“And see me in the teacher’s lounge after school,” Nagase continued, ignoring Kame’s sudden groan at that statement.

 
Kame dragged himself back to his desk, flopping his head down on his textbook.

 
Nothing good ever happens when it comes to Akanishi.

 
******************

 
Kame took a deep breath before opening the door to the teacher’s lounge.

 
“Excuse me for inter….” Kame began, but could not find his voice to finish the sentence.

In the middle of the room, Okada, Nagano, Inohara, Miyake and unexpectedly, Morita were piled up on each other to form a human pyramid. Sakamoto was in the middle of berating the group of them.

 
Off to the side, Nagase, Mabo, Taichi, Joshima and Yamaguchi were stark naked and laughing their heads off.

 
Koichi and Tsuyoshi sat quietly on the couch, each absorbed in their magazines.

 
All the commotion came to a halt when they noticed Kame standing at the doorway.

 
Sakamoto cleared his throat and gently pushed Kame out of the room. “Give us 2 minutes,” he said, before slamming the door shut.

 
Kame stood there, dumbfounded. There was a lot of commotion inside the lounge for a few seconds.

 
Before he could come to his sense, Kame found the door to the lounge opening.

 
“Come in, Kamenashi,” Yamaguchi said, a friendly smile on his face.

 
Kame bowed and stepped into the room, eyes still wide and body working on autopilot.

 
Nagase motioned for Kame to join him at his desk. “Now, I need you to do me a favour,” Nagase said.

 
“What sort of favour?” Kame asked doubtfully, not trusting his teacher after seeing him stark naked.

 
Nagase leaned over and whispered into the boy’s ear.

 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ end of chapter ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 
A/N: FINALLY!! After ages, this gets updated. Sorry it’s not really going anywhere this chapter… I need to warm up the old creativity engine. Things should pick up in the next chapter, mainly because I’m looking to end it within 15 chapters. All my other ideas will be one-shots that I’ll slot in randomly.