Ichijou is somewhat OOC, and so is Tatsuya (though not too much). But hey, that's what love does to a person. Tears them up, spits them out, and their loves fixes everything afterward

"Tatsuya-san, you do know that I would win the battle of ours if we used full power, right?" Masaki braged, still pissed that he had lost, even while using excessive strength. It was most definitely not something he was used to, and the complete defeat was still fresh in his mind, having been only the day before.

"Of course." Tatsuya answered briefly, uncaring about what the Crimson Prince said. He was busy and just wanted to get his work finished. There were still the CADs of all the other members on the team that asked for his help.

"Will you agree to fight me, then? I would like to know how you truly fight, without restrictions." Tatsuya responded without looking away from the programing he was doing to Erika's CAD. She had asked him to, even though she wasn't in the competition the next day. Tatsuya might not know feelings, but he did understand what 'friends' are supposed to do for each other.

"No." Masaki stopped dead in his tracks. This was not the response he was expecting.

"What do you mean, no?" He questioned, unable to comprehend someone not wanting to fight, as it was what he lived for.

"There's no reason to battle you again. My defeat would be certain. I just do not wish to fight." Tatsuya's voice was blank, no expression or feeling that would indicate any care of this conversation.

It just make Masaki mad. He wanted to be acknowledged, even if it was just a little! There had to be fear, anger, annoyance. Anything!

"Of course there's a reason to fight! We're magic users! We must rank ourselves, discover the strengths and weaknesses of our fighting style!" He paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction. Any reaction.

Tatsuya turned towards him, his full attention focused on Ichijou. The intensity of his gaze calmed Masaki just enough.

Caught in the icy look he was receiving, Masaki tuned out of the conversation. The look froze his thoughts, mind focused on Tatsuya and Tatsuya only. His perfectly sculpted face. The way his hair fell. How his lips curved down, just a little so he wasn't smiling or frowning, but wasn't even a blank look. How his eyes had a certain glint, their coldness only making the color shine even more. The beautiful blue color gleaming at separate areas. How his long eyelashes framed the top of his eye. His wonderfully tanned skin.

The complete opposite of his sister. Not that that was bad...

"-ow do you understand?" He head when he finally returned from his mind.

"... Of course." Masaki answered automaticly, not having a clue what Tatsuya said. "I guess we will meet again at the gathering. See you then." He gave a small nod and walked out of the room, passing Miyuki on his way out. With a small smile as a greeting to be polite, he left the First High School's wing.

What was with that look? I've never seen one so cold, not even from my enemies. And it's not like he hated me. He was just… cold, in a beautiful type of way.

What will happen with my new… attraction? First to Miyuki, and now to her brother. Why is this…? Maybe I should talk to Kichijoji about this. He is a genius, after all.

Wait, can I even call what was with Miyuki an attraction? She was strong and beautiful. Not a bad thing, but I never actually felt anything. It was more like I was… mindful of her. She could become a threat in the future. But so could Tatsuya. But I'm not just seeing where he stands in the room like with Miyuki. I'm truly aware of what he's doing, what he looks like at that time.

Of course, I don't know what a 'like' kind of attraction would feel like, so I can't be sure of anything at this point.

Definitely talking to George.

What was Ichijou doing over here? Was he talking with Onii-sama? That's the only thing that could make sense. He must have been apologising for using excessive force during the competition. I should be mad, but I'm not. I hope he will forgive himself. It is not good to feel guilty for so long…

"Onii-sama, why was Ichijo-san here?" Miyuki said when she walked into the room. "If he had anything to say, he could have said it at the gathering."

"It was nothing, Miyuki. He wanted talk about his strength, that's it." Tatsuya responded calmly, still focused on the CADs.

"But Onii-sama…"

"Miyuki." He said coldly. As much as he loved his younger sister, there was still a job he was given to complete, and he intended to do it.

"Sorry. I'll leave you to it, I guess." Miyuki walked to the door, feeling dejected once more. Tatsuya seemed to have been colder to her these days. No soft smiles, no small hugs. Nothing that usually made her love her brother even more. While, on one hand, she appreciated the fact she would be able to love him as just a brother, she knew she would miss the attention that was truly earned, not just given. With newly formed resolve, Miyuki decided to score first amongst the other contestants during her match.

Walking out the door, she went to practice her flying spells, the fact of Ichijou missing within her mind.

...

"Miyuki! Heeeey!" Erika shouted from the other side of the banquet hall. "What's wrong? You look tired! Did something happen?" Her questions shot out as they normally do, no pause in between.

"No. I was just practicing for my event tomorrow. Why? Does it show?" Miyuki held a worried look on her face. Erika had no doubt it was because Miyuki didn't want her brother to see her looking tired or worn down.

"Only because I know you so well! And because of this knowledge, I also know you have absolutely nothing to worry about! You're gonna destroy everyone in the competition!" She said, making Miyuki blush at the praise.

"No, no. I'm not really that amazing. I'm only a first year!" Miyuki said, feebly trying to persuade Erika otherwise.

"Maaah. We all know you're too modest! Right, Mizuki?" Miyuki turned to see that, indeed, the quiet first year was listening to their conversation.

"Erika's right, Miyuki!" She said, squeaking when Erika threw her arm over Mizuki's shoulder.

"Thaaaank you! Now you understand, Miyuki? Don't make me drag more people into this~" Erika threatened, causing Miyuki to blush just a little.

"Alright, alright, but I still need to practice. I still need to prove myself to everyone, after all." Her voice fell away when she saw Erika wasn't listening anymore. Glancing in the direction that caught Erika's attention so completely, she saw Tatsuya talking with Ichijou once again. Noticing the look in Ichijou's eye - though she didn't know what exactly it was - she moved to support her brother. Damage control, if you will. Though Tatsuya didn't need, it was needed for everyone around them. When one takes into consideration how Ichijou acts and who he is, you can never know what bugs him and what is alright.

"- with you. When do you think you'd be able to?" Ichijou was saying as Miyuki entered the conversation.

"I can not say. I have been very busy lately, and expect to be more so very soon." Why will Onii-sama be busy soon? Is the JSDF needing him for a mission? What do they think is going to happen? Miyuki's mind began to race over the possibilities before she consciously calmed herself. Onii-sama will take care of it. There's no way he would allow any harm to come to anyone he's supposed to protect. I just have to trust his abilities.

"- came to ask?" Miyuki tuned back into the conversation, realizing she did not hear anything they has said.

"Yes, but just so you know, I will win no matter what." Miyuki's eyes went cold, not that Ichijou noticed. He was too busy looking for a reaction on Tatsuya's blank face.

He only noticed when she exploded.

"Onii-sama is amazing! If he was at full power, there would be no way you could ever hope to even scratch him! You have nothing to boast about! You're just a man who wants people to worship him! That's nothing to be proud of! You shou-" She was cut off of her rant by Tatsuya who put an arm in front of her.

"Miyuki. How many times have I told you? You should know better by now." All the fire burned out within her, being replaced with only shame. She did know better. Tatsuya has told her many, many times.

"I'm sorry, Onii-sama." She said meekly. When Tatsuya placed his hand on her hair and her shame rose off of her shoulders just a little bit, she saw that the group of people around them were staring at her. The awkward tension continued to grow as each second passed until Erika broke in to lighten the mood once more.

"Haha, Miyuki's always defending her brother! Isn't it just adorable?" She continued to laugh, walking in to the center of the circle and resting her arms over Miyuki's shoulders. Miyuki let out a relieved sigh at the tension dissipated, not noticing the look Ichijou was giving Tatsuya. It was a look of pure interest mixed with just a little predatory gleam.

"Well, Onii-sama, I'm beginning to feel tired. Can you bring me back to my room?" Miyuki asked, tired of the party and wanting to spend time alone with her brother.

"Of course, Miyuki. Let's go." He replied, already walking back. Miyuki hurried to catch up, and they walked side by side. Just before the exit, Miyuki saw Ichijou standing near their path and walked in front of Tatsuya, thinking Tatsuya wouldn't take the time to talk with Ichijou if she was already gone.

Her plan worked, seeing as Ichijou only smiled at her and her brother. Satisfied, she continued on her way to her room, Tatsuya trailing behind.

She used to be fine before, but now Miyuki's getting on my nerves. With her around, i can't just talk with Tatsuya about our fight!

Masaki had left the group just second earlier and went to stand by the exit to think. It seemed quieter there.

How would I be able to get him alone? He's always surrounded by girls who want him, or guys that are jealous. It's just plain difficult! And adding on to that, he won't talk of he's working! It's just impossible!

Masaki noticed a change in environment and left his thoughts. Seeing Tatsuya and Miyuki coming, he stood up tall and smiled politely.

Sending a closed eye smile at Miyuki, he successfully appeased her annoyance at him and she continued on without another glance. With Tatsuya, however, he kept his eyes open and studied the man, still smiling. His gaze was drawn to the mouth when he saw a twitch on Tatsuya's lip. With slight awe, Ichijou watched as Tatsuya formed a smile. He watched the way Tatsuya's eyes warmed up, just a bit. He watched as his eyelids grew closed and formed a softer look, though they did not close fully.

And as he watched all this, he felt a warmth in his cheeks. Drawing his eyes away, he hoped the warmth would fade as well. Ichijou was trained to feel suspicious of any unusual feelings, whether they be good or bad. And this one was definitely too good to be true.

"I didn't think he would have this type of magic…" Kichijouji Shinkurou, known to many as Cardinal George, said. Masaki had just finished telling him about all the problems he was coming across when in contact with Tatsuya.

"What do you mean? What magic is there that could do this?"

"It's an ancient one. The name has been lost long ago, but not our information about what it basically does. It's supposed to be able to make the person it is cast onto fall under the magicians command. Once you're under it, there's no escape. Those under this spell had all of the symptoms you have. And the worst part it, you want to follow the master's command. They don't force you." Masaki was quiet for a moment.

"That sounds… bad. How can such a magic exist?"

"Again, this is a very old magic. There is the possibilities that the consequences for using such a magic is great. You should know this already." Masaki thought about that. It was true that the stronger the magic was, the more likely the caster will suffer harm as well. He had heard of magics that could destroy an entire city in one shot, but that the caster will suffer through the pain his victims felt. Then there were defencive ones that would protect an entire school with an impenetrable force field, but caused the user to be immobile for at least 12 hours if not an entire day.

"But… I haven't seen anything that would indicate the use of such a powerful magic. And he's a course 2 student. Aren't they supposed to be less powerful than the course 1?" George spent no time thinking up an answer.

"He could be a BS magician. It is said they have trouble with other magics. That could explain his power and how he's still in the lower class." George explained. Masaki thought about that. While it was true there were Born-Specialized magicians, they were very rare and seemed to be hated by the rest of the magic community. From what Masaki had seen, that wasn't the case with Tatsuya. People seemed to flock around that boy like their lives depended on it.

However, he reluctantly agreed. "I guess that could be it. But I'll have to be sure soon. I have already set up a battle with Tatsuya in just a few days. If you think it would help, you can come with me to talk with Tatsuya. That way you could see what happens yourself." Shinkurou seemed to contemplate the offer.

"I believe that would help, actually. When do you plan to talk to him again?" Masaki smirked.

"Now." With that one word, he left the room. Stifling a sigh, George followed.

"Miyuki, I will be battling with Ichijou-san in a few days, if you would like to come." Tatsuya announced casually as he dropped Miyuki off at her room. She paused in the doorway, trying to figure out what this would mean. Slowly turning around, she looked questioningly at Tatsuya.

"How much strength do you plan to use." Gone was the normal soft tone of her voice. Her outward appearance became cold, much like that of their mother's when she was serious. The atmosphere turned icy, showing how upset she really was inside as her emotions ran wild, leaking into her magic and making it harder to control. Her skin began to ice over - not a bad thing for her, being her magic and all - and the floor beneath her feet froze. Her hair shimmered as the added ice caught the light.

All in all, she looked like an Ice Queen.

But the one known as the Great Black Demon was not fazed.

"Not much. I will only convince him I am not as strong as he would believe. You have no need to worry." He answered promptly, the boundaries within their family now clear. She, the future leader. Him, the lowest of the low, less than a servant.

"And why do you feel the need to show him anything at all?" Her voice not questioning at all. However, it had Tatsuya stumped.

What do I have to prove? Why should I care about him. He is not part of my mission. And yet…

"Well?"

"I do not know." Tatsuya's icy eyes stared into Miyuki's own. With a small battle of the wills, Miyuki backed down, though not for lack of courage.

"We will talk about this tomorrow. I can't deal with this right now." She swiftly turned, slamming the door and taking the chilled air with her. Tatsuya faced the door with a bow before turning to go back to his own room.

"Miyuki, I will be battling with Ichijou-san in a few days, if you would like to come." Miyuki turned. Had she heard right? Her brother, Tatsuya, would be fighting Ichijou again? For what reason?

"How much strength do you plan to use." Miyuki was focused on trying to figure out what Tatsuya would do such a thing for, not even recognising the fact that she responded.

Onii-sama has nothing to prove! Especially not against an annoying man! Why should he care what that man thinks? It's not like he cares about anyone else! It's like he likes Ichijou more than our friends! And they were just fighting! I don't like it! He can't form connections with anyone but me! He's my protector! Mine! I won't hand him over to anyone else!

"Not much. I will only convince him I am not as strong as he would believe. You have no need to worry."

That's not the problem! Why must you fight him!? I won't allow this! You aren't allowed to do anything that does not have to do with me!

"Well?"

"I do not know." Miyuki's glare turned up to meet Tatsuya's eyes. She continued to glare until ultimately deciding it wasn't worth it. The adrenalin left her system, fatigue replacing it.

I'll… just think about this for a little bit. I can't handle it right now! Onii-sama's changing… but he shouldn't be able to. What is so great about Ichijou-san that even Onii-sama will bend to his will? There must be some form of magic he is using… a hypnotist, or even will changing! But he shouldn't be able to do that along with Rupture and the Air Bullet! Miyuki paused in her thoughts for a moment, reconcidering the sort of magic Masaki could be able to use. Wait, Ichijou-san's ability is passed down through his family. It should be possible for him to have more magics than just those few. If that's the case… Miyuki got off of her bed and walked over to the room's computer. When it loaded up, she searched for a magic that could sway the intentions of its victim. I'll figure out what you're using, Ichijou. I won't allow you to mess with my brother any more.

Tatsuya arrived at his room, taking note of the people in there before even walking in.

"Ah! He's back!" Misaki shouted, pulling George.

"I apologize for arriving late. Miyuki asked me to escort her back to the room. Now, what was it you wanted to discuss?" He asked, getting straight to business. In all truth, Tatsuya did not even know why he agreed to meet up with Masaki. The boy was no threat to his mission, and had no ill intentions against him or Miyuki. There was absolutely no reason, yet he still went along with it. However, seeing as this was not the time to be thinking about such things, he stored the information towards the front of his mind to analyze later.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to talk!" Ichijou said, sounding more excited than he normally would, something George seemed to notice.

Tatsuya was silent for just a moment before nodding his head, allowing Masaki and George to stay for a bit.

Some mindless chatter later - mainly George talking with Tatsuya about theories - Tatsuya noticed someone was missing. Glancing around, he saw the figure on his bed, asleep.

Masaki had gotten bored with George and Tatsuya's conversation, as he couldn't understand most of it - it was about the CADs right now, though they had only just changed to that subject; he couldn't tell you what they were talking about before that - and had gone to lay in the large bed just a little way away. Evidently, he must have fallen asleep not long after.

Only to be awakened by a being invading his personal space, luscious blue eyes staring deep into his own green.

Tatsuya glanced at George, silently asking him on whether or not to wake the younger boy. George answered with a look clearly saying 'do whatever you want'. Not fazed by the answer - though he was thinking why George would allow such a decision to fall upon him - Tatsuya decided to wake him.

Drawing closer, he began to notice how the younger was sleeping. His normally on guard figure was completely relaxed. He had curled up into himself, looking especially vulnerable. Hair had fallen over his closed eyes, and Tatsuya lifted his hand to brush it away before stopping himself and instead set it on the bed so he would be able to prop himself up while leaning over the short distance. He paused for just a moment, thinking how one would normally wake up a person. Not sure how it was, he just proceed to follow what Miyuki would do when he was restoring his body after she blew up at him.

As he had expected, Masaki awoke when his face was close to the other's.

Masaki quickly blushed, seeing how close Tatsuya was to him. He opened his mouth, trying to form words that wouldn't come out.

Tatsuya, however, didn't recognise the situation as an undesirable one and, therefore, did not rush to change positions. Rising off the bed at a normal pace, he stayed as calm as ever.

"Now that you are awake, I believe it is time for you two to return to your own rooms. It is late." He led them to the door, oblivious to the blush still present on Ichijou's face and his shy presence.

At the door, Tatsuya and George exchanged pleasantries while Masaki continued to stay silent, gaining a worried look from George and a questioning one from Tatsuya. After the final good bye and a door separating Tatsuya and the pair, George finally voiced his observations.

"He's not using magic." He stated, completely confident in his deduction. "Everything that happened was your normal reaction to these circumstances. So it's either you have been under his spell for a large amount of time - which is not possible - or you formed these feeling on your own." Masaki thought back to what, exactly, he was feeling and blushed once more. "Though," George continued, "I'm believe Tatsuya-san is having these same feelings." George thought of what he had seen.

Tatsuya moved towards Masaki, seeming to question himself on whether to wake him or not. Seeming to have decided waking him was the better option, he continued his movement.

Tatsuya paused for a moment, his eyes looking softly - for him - at Masaki. George watched as Tatsuya raised his hand, steadily allowing it to float towards Masaki, towards his hair, before stopping himself and seeming to decide against it.

Once again pausing before taking any form of action, Tatsuya leaned down, face just inches away from Masaki's own. George felt his eyes widen, completely expecting a kiss courtesy of Tatsuya, before Ichijou awoke and blushed. Tatsuya seemed reluctant to retreat, but did so eventually.

Then, he put on a professional appearance and escorted them out of the room.

"Yes, it definitely would seem that way." George stated, agreeing with his own deduction.

Masaki was struggling to force down his blush and deal with this seriously. Eventually he gave up on the blush, but he was able to ask one of the most important questions.

"So... what does this mean?" If not for the blush that refused to leave, he looked like his normal self.

George sighed. "I don't know. I have no knowledge of what this could possibly be besides magic! Something just as strong as one of these spells that controls a person's very willpower, yet the one causing it does not do such on purpose and is affected as well." He let out a deep breath. "We're going to have to talk with someone else. There must be someone who knows about such matters…"

His eyes...

Tatsuya's mind had gone into overdrive. The image of Masaki's glazed over, sleep filled eyes continued to invade his thoughts long after the two had left. There was just something intriguing within the emerald orbs. Something Tatsuya couldn't figure out.

But there was more than just his eyes. When he blushed, when he became so shy he couldn't even look into Tatsuya's eye, when he continued to be that shy for the rest of their visit. All of this drew Tatsuya in; making him wonder what Masaki was thinking.

He was only interested. That was all. Masaki was different, and it was intriguing. Tatsuya wouldn't accept anything else.

After all, he doesn't have any emotions left.

Does he?

Masaki lay in his bed. Lately he had been losing sleep for seemingly no reason, and his nap in Tatsuya's room seemed like a blessing, if only for the sleeping part.

Now, however, there was a reason. Masaki was confused.

"Reino-san! We could talk to him! He is supposed to help us emotionally, after all." Masaki thought about that. Sure, while Reino was the councillor for their school, he was not exactly right in the brain and would always talk to spirits, even though that was not what his magic was using. However, with no other recognisable choice, Masaki reluctantly agreed.

And off they went to meet up with their borderline insanity teacher.

It was George who knocked on the door.

Masaki stayed back just a little ways, still fully creeped out by the man inside. And for good reason.

Today, the white haired man was wearing a black vampire-looking outfit. The front was open, showing his bandaged chest, and the two sides were tied together with a thin black cord criss crossing over itself. He had a silver, long earing in today, and his rings glittered in the dim light. His fingernails were long and pointed, painted with a glittery silver polish. There was a collar around his neck and he was batting at the air, most likely playing with one of his little 'spirit' friends.

"How dare you. Don't try and escape me!" He said, grasping whatever it was he had imagined up this time. "There you go!" He shouted victoriously. "Don't try and get away from me again, you little-"

"Ahem." George said, interrupting whatever the older min was going to say.

"Ah! Students! I don't normally see you two here! What brings you around today?" He said, letting go of whatever he had ahold of. He sat back in his chair, paying full attention to whatever the two of them wanted. He blinked his purple-tinted eyes at them, waiting for an answer.

"Um, we believe Masaki-san has been cast under a spell by one of the competing schools. Or more specifically, a student in First High named Shiba Tatsuya." Reino lifted a long, pale finger to point at Masaki.

"How do you know this is magic?" He questioned, tilting his head back and effectively looking down on the Ichijou. His finger curled back on itself and he slowly dropped his hand. "It could, of course, be something else. Something you did to yourself with just him being here." Stumped on what that could be, the two students looked at each other before looking back at Reino with eyes begging to know what Masaki could be doing. Reino just lifted a ringed finger to his mouth, resting the metal against his lips. He narrowed his eyes as a smirk bloomed on his face.

"I could allow you to figure this out on your owns. A genius and the Crimson Prince. What a good pair you two are. You should be able to do such a small thing." Masaki considered begging for the answer, but that would hurt his pride too much so he brushed that idea away.

Luckily for him, George's pride was set aside when there was information at stake, so he had no such problem.

Bending at the waist, George asked.

And Reino grinned, motioning for George to step forward. He whispered something his his ear, and George jumped. His features lit up in realization.

And all Masaki could do was watch.

"You better not tell him anything. Got that?" Reino whispered, finishing up informing George on everything that was going on between the two. "It would be useless if he was told. The easiest way is for them to figure out everything on their own. Alright?" George was silent for a moment. On one hand, he could tell his friend everything Reino suspected him to be feeling, but would have to listen to complaints and him being in complete denial. On the other, he would have to listen to Masaki whine about not being told anything - which he could deal with - and would have to go through all the awkward conversations between the pair in the future. And that last part would be much more difficult.

"... I promise." He said reluctantly, knowing he may regret it later.

"Good." Reino clapped his hands before speaking to the both of them. "Now that that's over, Ichijou-kun, I have told George-kun not to say anything to you about what you're going through, so I do hope you can find it out soon. Now, you two had better get out of here. I have to deal with this annoying little pest…" Reino went back to grabbing at the air. George left with a sweat drop hanging around his head, while Masaki felt a chill go down his spine. That teacher really did creep him out.

"Are you really not going to tell me?" Masaki asked as soon as the door closed. George looked down, guilty at not being able to help his friend, but knowing it would be for the best. "Really? So we met with that guy for nothing? Wow…" Masaki sneered. He didn't expect George would actually keep it a secret, especially when it was one concerning him.

George, on his part, couldn't help but feel guilty. The answer was so obvious, but he couldn't say a word to help Masaki realize what he was feeling. This in turn left him feeling guilty. Masaki was going through so much, something he had now way of understanding, and yet he could do nothing without going against his word - something he had never done before.

Masaki himself wasn't making it any easier for George. For the rest of the day he was pouting and sighing, trying to guilt his way into hearing the truth.

"I won't tell you, though I'll help you figure it out yourself. However, I need you to tell me when you and Tatsuya-kun plan to get together in the future. There will be times I'll come along with you." George said, forcing Masaki to listen to his decision and agree to what he said. "Oh, and make sure you hang out often. That will be the most effective method of you figuring this out for yourself." When Masaki didn't do anything, George suggested-

"How about you go now?" Masaki nodded and walked off, silent with his movements as if about to enter a battlefield.

"Hey! Tatsuya-san!" A slowly becoming very familiar voice shouted out across the hall. Tatsuya turned around, Miyuki not at his side. "What are you doing?" Masaki asked, obviously wanting to find a good reason to start up a conversation.

"Chiba-san has asked for help her in practice. Miyuki asked me to go and assist her." Masaki seemed to think on that a bit.

"Can I come? It could help her, and maybe even be entertaining for the both of us." He was smirking up at Tatsuya, though the BS magician didn't understand why.

"You will have to ask her if this is fine. It is her practice." Masaki frowned. Tatsuya was almost ignoring him again. Almost because he was still responding, just not actually thinking about what Masaki said or his response any deeper than surface level.

"But do you want me to go?" He questioned before blushing, just realizing what he asked. Tatsuya seemed confused with the question, however.

"I have no opposition to you going." Masaki pouted, making sure to have turned his face away from Tatsuya before doing so.

"Jerk." He whispered under his breath, hoping Tatsuya wouldn't hear him. His wish, however, was not granted. Tatsuya's confusion grew with his statement, not understanding what it was, exactly, that he did to upset Masaki so much. Ignoring the tightness forming in his chest - he planned to get it checked out later - he chose not to comment on what Masaki said.

Tatsuya began on his way to meet with Erika while Masaki traveled behind, still pouting but not wanting to miss an opportunity to figure out what was going on with him concerning Tatsuya.

…

"Erika-san, Ichijou-san requested to join us for training." The pair had just entered a large clearing. In the center there was a beaten up metal training dummy along with the red headed girl responsible for it's beating. Erika was breathing harder than she normally would when fighting such a puppet, which Tatsuya deduced as the puppet being enforced by a spell.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That's fine, I guess. Just don't go using some majorly destructive magic like you did with this guy." She said, patting Tatsuya's arm before sauntering off to the other end of the clearing. "Well, right now it's gonna be just straight up fighting, no spells. Got that?" Both the boys nodded and Erika posed to attack. Tatsuya continued to stand in his normal posture, and Masaki did the same.

"Oh, come on! Take me seriously! I'm not useless, I promise!" Tatsuya sighed at her behavior, but did as she asked - though his stance looked abnormal for him.

Why is he trying to please her? Masaki thought/complained to himself. He only ignores me when I'm talking to him! What's so great about this annoying little red head?

"Ichijou-san. Will you prepare?" Tatsuya asked, breaking into Masaki's thoughts and irritating him further. Masaki did as told, mumbling incoherent words as he changed positions.

Again! He did it again! No regard for me, he just did what that woman said! What is she to him?

As Tatsuya continued observing Misaki after having asked him to change his stance, he noticed a aura of irritation surround the boy. Narrowing his eyes just slightly, he relaxed his own stance and walked over to the immobile boy. Tatsuya carefully placed a hand on the younger boy's hair. Seeing Masaki's consciousness return from his thoughts, Tatsuya spoke.

"Is there something wrong?" Masaki blinked up at the older. He stood there, momentarily stunned, before stepping back.

"U… um…" He stuttered, a blush already having erupted bright over his entire face. "Wh-what happened? I'm sorry f-for tuning out…" Masaki's blush slowly faded as he looked at the ground, but even Erika could see his red ears from across the clearing. Tatsuya - believing this to be a normal reaction based on how Miyuki acts - accepted his answer and just moved back to his original position.

However, their fight was not to be as Erika interrupted.

Just as Masaki's blush was disappearing completely, she shouted, obviously realizing or remembering something important. "Hey, I just forgot, Miyuki had wanted everyone to get together for a bit. She seemed a little upset…" The last part grabbed Tatsuya's interests. As Erika went jumping over to grab her sword, Tatsuya gave a small nod to Masaki.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience. We will spar later, if you would like." He offered, trying to make amends with the younger. Masaki looked away, dejected.

"I don't care. Just go already." With one last uncharacteristic, concerned look, Tatsuya followed Erika out of the clearing, leaving Masaki alone and abandoned. "Bastard." He whispered to himself. "Such a bastard!" He pounded on the ground. "Why does this bug me so much? There's no reason…. Ugh!" He collapsed onto the ground, sitting on his knees as he continuously pounded the ground in.

"I think I know the answer to your little question~" Erika sang as she and Tatsuya walked farther away from the training ground. Tatsuya waited for her to continue, but Erika had other plans.

She looked up at him with expectant eyes, waiting for him to ask. Once again, Tatsuya sighed.

"Hey, you've already done this much to figure it out."

Flashbacks

"Erika, may I ask you for something?" Tatsuya had just entered Erika's hotel room. Automatically knowing something was off, Erika immediately became semi-serious.

"What's up?" She asked, internally wondering why Tatsuya would come to her when he needed a question answered. Judging from his appearance - clothing only nearly perfect, eyes a little warmer than they normally would be - it had to have been something about Miyuki. Everyone knew there was something more than sibling love going on between the two, and Erika just assumed Tatsuya must have finally gotten a clue.

"It's about Ichijou Masaki." Erika rose an eyebrow.

"Okay, one; why did you come to me about this, and two; what's the problem?"

"Miyuki has praised you when it comes to helping her figure out problems unconcerning to battle or school. I believed you would be able to help me as well." He admitted honestly. "And for the second part… I've been acting differently when it comes to Ichijou-san. And I can't seem to be able to refuse him anything he as asked for so far." Tatsuya watched as Erika made an unknown connection. Her face lit up, realizing what it was Tatsuya was going through. "Do you know what it is?" Erika smirked, mischief filling her eyes and aura.

"Maybe~! But I won't tell you yet! I need to be sure first." She fell to her hands and knees before pulling out a manga hidden under her bed. She quickly flipped through the pages before finding what she was looking for. Thrusting the manga in Tatsuya's face, she forcefully commanded him to read what one character was thinking.

There were words spaced out over an entire page and a half. The first panel had the character's (male) face fading into black. The rest of the words were plain and white, though the borders around them gradually grew more and more elegant, starting at nothing before reaching a swirling decoration.

"I can't refuse him.

Not when he looks at me like that,

Or when he smiles so brilliantly,

When he cries,

Even as he sleeps.

Could Ren be right?

Could this really be…"

The page ended right then, whatever the character was going to say ending on the next panel and hidden from Tatsuya's view. Just as Tatsuya reached up to turn the page, Erika pulled it back and closed it, effectively blocking Tatsuya from ever knowing what the character believed his feelings to be.

"If you want to know what happens next, thus learning what you're feeling, you had better do exactly what I say. I promise I won't do anything annoying or useless." Tatsuya calmly - though reluctantly - agreed to her terms. "Good. Now, I want you to walk around where Ichijou-kun will normally be after lunch. Invite him to come with you to our main training ground - that's where I'll be waiting. Then I'm going to watch you two interact. Right once I find proof of what I believe you feel, I'll call you away for a little bit. Got it?" Once again, Tatsuya agreed.

Time Skip

Tatsuya had been walking around the main walkway, waiting for Masaki to show up. He had already been there for ten minutes and was beginning to doubt Masaki would be coming this way. With a sigh, he headed on over to where Erika was waiting, convinced Masaki had gone to George's room instead of going off to train like he had been doing since the tournament started.

Hearing the soft footfalls only one used to war would have, Tatsuya instantly brightened up before controlling his facial features, schooling them back to normal. "Hey! Tatsuya-san!" Masaki's voice shouted out. Once again controlling his expression, Tatsuya turned to greet the younger.

End Flashbacks

"If you didn't want to know, you wouldn't have come to talk with me. So just ask already!" Erika knew Tatsuya would push whatever pride he had to the side and cave into the temptation of knowledge.

When he still looked reluctant, Erika figured out what was going on in his mind. "You don't want to know, do you?" She pointed an accusing finger at Tatsuya's face, internally amused by the surprised expression that took over his features. "Well, whatever. I wasn't planning on telling you anyway. Now, go back to that boy and cheer him up!" Tatsuya blinked owlishly at her before turning away and walking back to the opening. "You idiot," She said once he was out of earshot. "I can't believe you left him in the first place."

She sighed before smiling, thinking about the scene that had played before her not long ago. Tatsuya being gentle to someone besides his little sis., Masaki-san blushing? What else could it be? Those two are in love~

I still can't believe it, though. It's just like in a manga! Ooooh, I wanna tell someone! But I really shouldn't…

Why wouldn't Masaki-kun tell me he was going with Tatsuya today? He had promised to… George had been going to meet up with his friend when someone told him Masaki had gone off with 'a tall man with blue eyes'. George immediately deduced this to be Tatsuya and asked his fellow student what direction they had headed in. The boy pointed in some random direction and George followed his finger into the forest.

After walking for only seven minutes, George spotted a red headed girl looking at the back of Tatsuya. He was about to leave the protection of the shrubs before he heard what she said to herself.

"You idiot," She said, just loud enough for George to hear her words if he payed close attention - which he did. "I can't believe you left him in the first place." With his interest peaked, George slowly exited the greenery and slipped over to where she was standing.

"Hello." He started, drawing her from her thoughts. "Are you friends with Tatsuya-san?" He asked. The girl looked suspicious of him for a moment before realizing who he was.

"Ooh! You're Masaki-san's friend, right?" She questioned in return. George just nodded to confirm her belief while she stuck her hand out. "Nice to meet you. Do you know what's going on between those two? 'Cause I need a partner for something concerning the both of 'em."

"Could you be talking about their feelings?" Erika grinned.

"Yep! And I've got a plan to get those two idiots together! You wanna help me?" Her getting widened and a spark of excitement lit in her eyes. George could feel himself being drawn into her wackiness. Without his permission, his mouth automatically began to form words.

"Sure." George was not given the time to process his words before Erika jumped over to him and began to drag him in the direction Tatsuya headed. Too surprised to do anything to resist, he allowed himself to to pulled along behind her. Half heartedly listening to Erika's ramblings, George decided to think of the questions he would ask her about her friend.

Not long later, he learned Erika had fallen silent. Glancing at her expression, he found himself in trouble. Erika looked annoyed that he wasn't listening and seemed ready to scold him for that very matter. Knowing how girls were - as he had meet many of them like her in 3rd High School - George quickly apologized for his behavior and lowered his head as a sign of submission.

However, Erika's response was not what he had expected. Most girls would just blush a little and brush it off, thus letting him off the hook no matter what the situation. Yet, Erika laughed at him. A loud, full laugh burst forth from her lips and she curled in on herself, seeming to struggle to stand.

"You - haaah! - apologized? Hehe, you're - pft - so weird!" She collapsed to the ground. George, not knowing what else to do, just stood there, waiting for her to finish.

Though she never fully did stop laughing, Erika did stand back up and lead George to where Masaki and Tatsuya were. The entire way over, Erika made fun of George, and George could see how hard she was trying not to laugh again. For some reason, she found everything he did funny, whether it was his speech pattern or how he walked. And when he tried to nitpick at stuff she did, she would just brush it off, saying that was normal for everyone.

It didn't matter to her that no one else laughed that much, or talked in the same rude manner to someone they just met. And it didn't bother her that he used words that she didn't understand in his explanations, or whenever he said something, for that matter. In some weird way, she reminded him of Ichijou - though he couldn't figure out how.

Just as George was about to say something in response to another of her comments, she forced a hand over his mouth and turned his head violently to look at their marks, aka, Masaki and Tatsuya. However, neither of them knew what was happening between the two.

What's wrong with Ichijou-san? Tatsuya wondered as he entered the clearing. Masaki was sitting on the ground in fetal position, head in his knees. Though he didn't know why he did it, Tatsuya walked up to sit beside Masaki. When he was just about to sit down, Masaki turned to look up at him. Freezing as if caught doing something he shouldn't, Tatsuya stood there for a few moments longer before Masaki looked away. Waiting seconds before he unfroze once again, Tatsuya couldn't help but continue to stand there.

But Masaki had other plans.

He reached up and yanked Tatsuya down by the hand. This action caused him to lose some of the grace he would normally have and land on the ground, eyes widened just a little in surprise with his right hand holding up half of his body weight.

Of course, even these actions seemed more practiced than what most could do.

The part that was difficult for Tatsuya was trying to figure out what he should do next. Masaki made no move after the initial one, and Tatsuya was lost. In a situation with Miyuki, he would either let her be or pat her head. He didn't know how Masaki would react or what he would think. So instead he crouched there, mind calculating all Masaki's possible reactions if he chose to do either of the two.

There were over 300. Each possibility had a different probability, but each was less than 1%.

And it was more likely Masaki would have an unwanted reaction than any other. A 66% chance.

So Tatsuya didn't think. He spoke out what he wanted without calculating the risks. Just a few short words that made Masaki look at him, surprised.

"Masaki… I-"

"Hey! I wanna see what's going on, too!" Erika sharply whispered. There was only one small place to look through the brush, and George was the one using it.

George didn't acknowledge her, ignoring the noise and just watching the show playing out before him.

It wasn't as much of a show - meaning kissing or feeling each other up - as it was cuteness. The two were just sitting there, Masaki leaning most of his weight on Tatsuya, and Tatsuya gently leaning into him as well. They seemed to be looking up at the sky, or maybe Masaki was sleeping. Either way, George and Erika would need a new spot to look from. All George could see was their backs. And, of course, Erika couldn't see a thing.

Moving as silent as he could, George stepped back from the opening and motioned for Erika to follow him. Erika cast a quick glance through the peephole before moving on, understanding what he was looking for.

Together, they traveled silently through the underbrush, searching for any good spots to peek. Every so often, they would switch who would lead, and would branch off to check out a spot. None they had found so far were giving a good view. Erika just got more and more determined to watch (stalk) them as time went on, moving erratically, investigating even the tiniest of openings.

Of course, it was her that found the perfect opening, and just in time.

Masaki looked tired, snuggled up against Tatsuya. His eyes were glazed over with sleep, and he continuously looked up at the older man. Masaki's eyes closed multiple times over a minute, struggling to stay open.

When he was no longer able to fend off sleep, Masaki sat up straighter and placed a gentle kiss on Tatsuya's cheek, just next to his lips.

Tatsuya looked down at Masaki just as he finally succumbed to sleep, resting against Tatsuya's chest. A gentle, serene smile overtook his lips, and he placed a hand in Masaki's hair before caressing his cheek.

Erika grinned and turned away, knowing they were officially violating the two's space. She motioned for George to follow, silently promising to tell him what happened.