Room 304, Diety Hall

Author: Yukimi2 yukimi2@yahoo.com

Dedication: L7

Comment: Comments, pls ^_^

Episode 21: Ticket Blackmail

Ayumi sat on her seat by the counter and surveyed the scene before her. She smiled smugly to herself. The person she was supposed to meet up with was late, but at least she had something to entertain herself with and watch Toshiya and Miyabi glare at each other. She sighed and looked at her watch. The tutoring session was supposed to start half an hour ago. She pursed her lip. "That boy had better show up." She muttered to herself. She always wondered why she signed up to be a tutor.

*****

Shinya paced back and forth in front of Room 412’s door. He kept reciting practically the same stuff over and over again.

" ‘Die, I have two tickets to the play and I…’ NO! That doesn’t sound right….. ‘Guess what? I have two tickets to Macbeth.’ Mou~! No good either!" Shinya was so frustrated. He was frustrated because he is frustrated and he never gets frustrated. Whatever happened to his cold, frosty demeanor when he needed it?

Inside Room 412….

Die ruffled his hair in exasperation. He had two tickets to Macbeth, but didn’t know who to give them to. His roommates were all out of the question. Ryuichi is in the play. J and Ken would probably show up to the auditorium drunk and cause a riot. {like those stupid beer drunkards at OSU >.< ~yk2}

Suddenly, Die thought about the beautiful boy next door. Maybe Shinya would go with him to the play. It was a very nice thought, cuddling up with the auburn head and feeling comfort with each other’s warmth.

Die sighed. Shinya would never go to the play with him; the auburn head would rather go to his Yoshiki-sama. ~Shinya, shinya…..~ he thought absently. ~My little Shin-chan…I wish…I really wish….~ He picked up the tickets and stared at them.

His eyes swept over the little alarm clock by the tickets. He looked at it for a while before his thoughts finally registered in his brain.

~OH SHIT!!~

He was half an hour late for his English tutoring. Die quickly stepped into his shoes and slipped on his jacket. He still had his tickets on hand when he burst the door open and bumped into someone in front of his dorm.

"AH! Gomen!" Die helped the person up, then recognized the tufts of auburn hair poking out of the bandaged head. "Shinya?"

Shinya stared at Die. "Die. K-konnichiwa." He stammered.

Die gave a slight, nervous nod. "Konnichiwa. Ano, did you need something?"

Shinya opened his mouth, ready to tell Die what he’s been reciting all along, but stopped. He saw the two tickets to Macbeth on Die’s hand. Shinya’s face fell and he quickly stuffed his own tickets in his pockets.

~Die is going with someone else……~ he thought sadly.

Die noticed Shinya’s depressed expression, and instantly, he wanted to kiss those tempting lips to a smile. Yet, he held his longing. "A-are you OK?" was all he could stutter out.

Shinya tried to display a smile. "I’m fine." He quietly replied. "I’ve gotta go." He silently walked to the staircase with slumped shoulders.

Die felt helpless as he watched Shinya walk away. He couldn’t just leave the young man at such a state. He felt he had to do something. "Shinya! Wait!" He put his tickets in his shirt pocket and jogged to Shinya.

The younger man froze, but turned around and was greeted by Die’s smiling face.

"I’m on my way to the coffee shop, would you like to accompany me there?"

Shinya blinked. Die was asking him to go to the coffee shop with him???

~This isn’t happening~

Die started to become nervous after Shinya didn’t reply. "Um, if you have plans. It’s, you know, OK with me…"

"No, no. I’ll go with you."

The two walked in heavy silence to the coffee shop. Die contemplated on how he could ask the bishounen to the play with him, but couldn’t think straight. Shinya felt equally as nervous. He really wanted to clear up the jacket incident with the red head.

"Ne, die." He began.

"Nani?"

"About yesterday…"

Die bit his lip. "you don’t have to explain." He said. "You have the right to do and feel whatever you want."

"I know, but---"

"I really wish the best for you and Prof. Yoshiki."

"Please let me SPEAK!"

Die grew silent.

"There’s nothing between Professor Yoshiki and I, except that he’s my idol, but nothing more than that. That night, I was so distraught with….." He stopped and looked sadly at his feet. He was upset that night because he heard Die say he hated him.

Die furrowed his eyebrows. "Shinya….."

"I didn’t know where else to go." Shinya continued. "I couldn’t think….I……" Shinya could remember the anguish he felt. He never thought anyone could make him feel so emotional.

Die felt like shit. Shinya looked so hurt and depressed, and it was solely because of him. How come he can never do anything right for this beautiful man? Instinctively, Die felt himself step forward. He wanted to hold and comfort the younger man, to make him smile again and take away the pain, but stopped when he heard a yell across the lot. {doh! ~yk2}

"YOUUUU!!" a voice echoed.

Shinya and Die turned to see a very angry Ayumi storm toward the red head.

"How could you do this to me?!" she exclaimed.

"Ah! Gomen! I forgot and I----"

"You FORGOT about ME!!!??? You kept me waiting for 45 mts!"

Shinya surveyed the scene before him. "Y-you were supposed to meet her at the coffee shop, die?" Shinya quietly asked.

"W-what?" Die stammered.

Shinya stared from Ayumi to Die with big, surprised eyes.

~Masaka…..~

"Shinya, it’s not what you think…" Die tried to explain.

Shinya hastily turned around. "Die," He started with a trembling voice. "It’s never nice to stand up such a pretty girl, even if it’s only a lunch out to the café." He left quickly.

"Wait, Shinya!"

Shinya broke into a run across the lot.

Ayumi pouted. "What was that all about?"

Die kept staring at the receding figure in the distance.

Ayumi noticed the tickets on his shirt pocket. " *gasp* Those are tickets to Macbeth!"

"Yeah. What’s it to you?"

"They’re sold out already."

"So?"

Ayumi smiled evilly, then looked at Shinya, still running. "Take me to the play."

Die choked. "WHAT!!??"

"I said, take me to Macbeth."

"Are you on CRACK!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

"Your boyfriend seems uninclined to go with you…"

"…he’s not my boyfriend…"

"…you don’t want the tickets to go to waste, and you don’t want an F of English this quarter, or do you?"

Die widened his eyes. "Are you blackmailing me?"

Ayumi smirked. "Far from it. I’m merely……bargaining…… If you don’t take me to the play, then I won’t help you with English composition. You can kiss you A+ good bye."

Die narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you want to go to the play so badly?"

"Let’s just say, I harbor a fascination for one of the cast members…. SO, are you in or not?" She twirled a lock of her hair in one finger.

Die sighed. What could he do?

*****

Shinya ran into Diety Hall thinking of how stupid he just acted. Of course Die would go with someone else. And it was obvious he would be dating such a pretty sorority girl… why would the red head even think of going after a little anorexic boy like him?

~Calm down, Shinya…~ He said to himself. He breathed in and out slowly.

He saw Kaoru walk toward him from the staircase. He had books tucked under one arm.

"Oh, hi shinya!"

"Hello, Kaoru." Shinya forced a smile. "Where are you headed?"

"Oh. Just going to the library to Xerox a couple of pages."

"For biology?"

"Er..no." Kaoru blushed. "I need a good cookie recipe." He showed Shinya his ‘How to Improve Your Cooking’ book.

Shinya couldn’t help giggling at Kaoru’s embarrassed face. "You don’t need a book like that to cook well. I can help you cook better."

"Really?" Kaoru’s face brightened up.

"Hai."

He jumped around for joy. "Thanks so much! You don’t understand how happy this makes me."

"Hontou?"

"YES! I was planning on making cookies for Totchi to make up for the hard cookie I made him eat. You’ll help me, right?"

"Of course." Shinya smiled. Kaoru was such a sweet guy. He hopes the purple head will get together with someone as sweet. Shinya suddenly had a thought. He spoke up. "Under one condition."

Kaoru stopped. "Eh?"

Shinya took out his two tickets and showed them to Kaoru. "I really don’t want these tickets to go to waste. Come with me to see Macbeth if you want to bake some awesome cookies."

"What?" Kaoru blinked. Shinya’s asking him to the play. He couldn’t stop himself from feeling excited at that fact, but mentally slapped himself. He should refuse politely and persuade Shinya to go with Die. "But I’m busy, Gomen."

Shinya sighed. "I figured as much, but everyone is going to be there. Toshiya, Hakuei, Die, and that one girl."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. Why didn’t Die ask Shinya to the play? "Who’s going with Die?"

"That sorority girl." Shinya pretended to shrug it off.

Kaoru’s eyes almost popped out of his head. " @______@ AYUMI!???????!!!!!!!!?!?!?!" Die would never go anywhere with that girl. There must be a mistake or a good explanation. Maybe Ayumi is planning something fishy…. "Alright, Shinya. I’ll go to the play with you."

"OK. Thanks, Kaoru. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

"I hope this isn’t too much of a hassle for you. I totally understand how busy you are."

"Oh, no, no. Don’t feel guilty. It’s not a hassle at all. "

Just as long as he kept his thoughts pure, that is.

CONTD ~ @ Episode 22: "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! //Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough." (Macbeth, line 81-82)

{I know, I know… the title to the next part is long ^^; But I thought it was appropriate. ~Yk2}

to be continued~