"Hijiri!"

The brown-haired boy stopped at the door of the Violin Room 1, waiting for the boy that had called his name to put his instrument in the cabinet and catch up. The Violin Room had been rebuilt after last year's mysterious fire that Yamashita was still declaring was Saionji's doing, even if no proof was seen.

"Hurry up, Yamashita." Hijiri joked. "So slow."

"Shut up." He said pointedly before becoming casual once again. "Ne, Hijiri, do you want to see a movie this Sunday?"

Hijiri reviewed his week's plans in mind, finding nothing imposing. "Sure. What's out?"

"Aw, are the fags making a date?" The longhaired Saionji sneered at them from inside the room. His two followers laughed.

Hijiri lifted a certain finger, but otherwise ignored him and started walking to the next class.

"Hijiri, you're looking for a fight." Yamashita scolded as soon as they were out of hearing distance. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well, the damn bastard has a beating coming." Hijiri shrugged.

"Such words are unbecoming of Minase Hijiri, number one violinist." Yamashita grinned.

Hijiri smiled back. "But such words are perfectly natural for Minase Hijiri, third year violinist."

"Same difference." He shook his head. "Baka."

They laughed, and Hijiri suddenly felt better. He had been feeling nostalgic that it had been nearly a year since he had that adventure with the Shinigami, and he hadn't heard from them since that letter at his concert. But things had gone back to normal, his friends were no longer afraid of him, and even Yamashita had quit worrying so much. Of course, he could still play the Devil's Trill, and he had decidedly moved onto other Tartini sonatas.

"So, which movie?" Yamashita asked.

"What was out?"

"Well," Yamashita went through a list of the movies that were out. "There's supposed to be a premiere of that movie on the Meiji restoration- my uncle could probably get us tickets."

"That sounds good." He didn't want to worry the boy next to him, but he was drifting in and out of the conversation.

"So we're on for Sunday?" Yamashita asked, opening the door to their next class.

Hijiri nodded, forcing a smile.

Mitani could not keep his eyes from Tsuzuki. Neither could Izuru, but he was much more polite about it. While the younger of the two was still paying attention to Tatsumi's reports on EnMaChou spending, the older was completely zoning him out, watching Tsuzuki and his piece of cake.

"Ne, Hisoka…" Tsuzuki poked Hisoka, who looked back at him with a glare that didn't even phase the inu Shinigami. "Are you going to eat your cake?"

Without saying a word, Hisoka pushed his back and turned back to Tatsumi, who hadn't stopped talking.

"Arigato!" Tsuzuki grinned, and those who looked closely could almost see an amused smile on Hisoka's face. Not much of one, but a slight one. And Tsuzuki had worked hard to get Hisoka even to that, and he just missed it for food, dang it!

(Little muses (Yamashita, Izuru, and Zaha (Koori no Mamono no Monogatari)) run up and whap the authoress. Zaha: We're sorry about that. **gets glomped**)

"And now, GuShouShin." Tatsumi waved his hand mystically and pointed the GuShouShin brothers.

"Right!" GuShouShin Ani opened up his laptop. "We have a report from one of our demon exorcists, Tsukiori Kira-"

"Ah, Tsukiori-san!" Tsuzuki stood up, smiling (and wagging his chibi inu tail). Hisoka coughed and glared. This time, it took effect and Tsuzuki sat down.

"Tsukiori?" Mitani wondered.

"Yes, she was involved in your case." Konoe-kacho nodded.

"She?"

A hard nod.

"Getting back to our report." GuShouShin Ani coughed. "She has reported demon activity within our vicinity."

"Is it Grand Duke Ashitarote?" Konoe stood quickly.

"No." GuShouShin Otouto took over. "It is a single demon. As it seems from the recent run of events, the Akuma Empire is fading out of the Grand Duke's control. There are more and more rebels surfacing. Kesabel was one of them, and a high-ranking one at that. He had been a General in one of the divisions. However, now…"

GuShouShin Ani finished. "Dragon Calvary Brigade Commander Sagatanis' second-in-command seeks revenge. As it seems, Sagatanis and his brigade had been planning a coup, and without their commander…"

"The whole plan is ruined, and they seek revenge." Watari pushed up on the noseband of his glasses. 003-chan hooted in agreement.

"Correct." Both brothers answered at once.

Tsuzuki's eyes widened, something dawning on him that had not yet come to the minds of the others yet. He stood abruptly, flinging the chair out from under him. "Who is it that they plan to take the revenge of Sagatanis' death on?"

All the humans in the room, Tsuzuki being the exception, had a sudden realization. Their eyes widened slowly.

"Hijiri…"

"Mou…" Hijiri sighed.

"The movie sucked." Yamashita shook his head. "I thought it would be something like that anime."

"Yeah." The darker-haired one shrugged. "Well, at least we got to hang out."

The other smiled. "Yeah." It relaxed back into a slight frown before he asked, "Hijiri, life seems back to normal now, after all that stuff last year, huh?"

Hijiri nodded.

"You're a great violinist, no longer acting all possessed and stuff, your grades are… okay, but they always weren't the highest, and yoru fangirls are no longer shying away."

"I know." Hijiri shook his head. "Why won't they go away?"

"Well, it could be that in all of your time in high school, you have yet to go out with anyone, and all of them want to be the first to date Minase Hijiri."

"Why is my name so important to people?" He asked, curving his arms behind his head and staring at the sky.

"You know why." Yamashita looked at him pointedly.

Hijiri dropped his arms. "Is playing the violin so important? I mean, it won't get me anywhere in life, not in the real world. So, it's a great hobby, but in life, hobbies don't get you places, academics do."

"For one thing," Yamashita interrupted, "you can get a scholarship to nearly any university in Japan, or the world, with your skills, and for another," he smiled, "your playing is who you are. Hijiri, with that violin, you can express yourself in so many ways… you can convey how you feel to the listener so well that, well, you reach a level that some people can only dream of. I love listening to you, Hijiri." He looked up to the darkening sky, as if the stars held the answer to what riddle was plaguing his thoughts.

Hijiri sighed. "Thanks, Yamashita."

"No problem."

"Oy, Minase-kun! Yamashita-kun!" A group of girls from school ran up.

"Konbanwa." They greeted each other.

"Ne, ne, Minase-kun!" Two of them grabbed onto his arms. "Come with us, please? We're thirsty, can you buy us some drinks?"

"O-okay…" Hijiri sweat-dropped, allowing them to drag him off.

There was a high-pitched squeal in answer of his response.

Yamashita sighed, hesitating before following. "Of course, Yamashita, this is your life." He smiled pathetically.

The light-haired boy waited outside the café as his friend pried himself away from the girls with every excuse from, "I have homework to finish" to "I have to pick up my dog from the vet." He laughed quietly. Hijiri didn't have a dog, but they didn't know that.

"How do they have so much energy?" Hijiri staggered out. "They all talked, I swear without closing their mouths or blinking once!"

"Minase Hijiri, complaining about his fans?" Yamashita laughed louder now.

"Shut up." Hijiri sighed.

"Well, I guess it is about time to head home. I, personally, do have homework tomorrow." Yamashita sighed.

"Un." The other agreed. Both violinists turned in the direction of their homes, which happened to be the same direction.

"So," Yamashita broke the silence that had been hovering around them after a few blocks. "Is there anyone you like?"

Hijiri rolled his eyes. "Why are you so interested in my love life?"

"Because of what Saionji said about us being fags. He can spread rumors very easily, you know. People will listen to him."

"Well, I've never really thought about whether or not I was gay." Hijiri placed a finger to his lips. "I have yet to really be attracted to anyone. As far as I see it, if I fall in love with someone, then that's that, there's nothing more to discuss." He turned to his friend. "What about you?"

"I don't know."

There was an awkward silence as they walked. Neither wanted to press for any more information or wanted to be pressed.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Yamashita bid Hijiri farewell as the dark-haired one entered his apartment complex.

"Yeah, tomorrow." He waved apathetically. He disappeared into the building.

Yamashita started walking, but then paused to look at the door that Hijiri had just passed through. "Maybe another day." He swung his foot around and continued onwards.

"Hijiri!" Yamashita ran up to meet the other, entering class as the bell rang.

"Yo." Hijiri waved offhandedly.

"You okay?" He sat down next to the number one violinist.

"Yeah, tired." Hijiri yawned. "Bad dream."

"About what?"

"I don't remember." Hijiri answered so quickly that Yamashita knew that he was lying. But whatever it was, he wasn't about to pry. However, what the boy didn't know was that Hijiri had dreamt of his adventure with the Shinigami, but several things were different. Yamashita had been there instead of Kazusa, and there were more Shinigami than whose faces he recognized. He hoped it wasn't an omen. Omens usually weren't good. But…

Was this an omen, he would probably see Tsuzuki again. He let out a sigh. But the dream had Yamashita in it, and that could be bad. He had already lost Kazusa, and he didn't need to be losing anyone else.

"Minase-kun!" The teacher yelled.

"Hai!" Hijiri stood, the class laughing at him, all except for Yamashita, who looked at him with worry.

"Read the lines on page 23."

"Hai." He picked up his English Language textbook and started reading.

"I can't believe I spaced like that… four times!" Hijiri groaned. It was after school and they were walking home.

"You aren't okay." Yamashita huffed. "You can tell me what's wrong, you know. I mean, if I felt like shit, I'd tell you whether you liked it or not, so you can do the same to me."

"Nothing's wrong." Hijiri shook his head.

"So, that's why you were just complaining about spacing. Before today, the last time I had ever heard you play a flat note was, well, a year ago with that freaky Devil's Trill."

"Don't bring that up…" He groaned.

"Sorry." Yamashita apologized.

"That's okay. I just feel… tired." He suddenly leaned against Yamashita, who sagged slightly under the weight.

"H-Hijiri!"

"Hisoka!" A voice yelled, and a man Yamashita recognized as the substitute school nurse from last year jumped out of nowhere, holding a piece of paper. A boy a little younger than Yamashita held up another that cast a light purple shield around them. "Demon, be gone!" The adult Shinigami yelled, coat swirling around him. Flashes erupted in various places around the half sphere before stopping.

Tsuzuki lowered the fuda, checking around and making sure his invisible enemy was indeed gone. Hisoka did the same, and the violet field disappeared.

"We need to get Hijiri." Tsuzuki turned to the two boys.

"Take him where?" Yamashita yelled.

"I'm sorry, Yamashita-kun." Tsuzuki apologized. "We will have to take Hijiri-kun with us for protection and erase your memory of this situation. The less you know, the better."

"Hell no!" Yamashita tightened his grip on the friend's shoulders. During the short bout, they had fallen to their knees, Hijiri unconscious. "You're not taking him anywhere!"

"Look, we're friends. We have to protect Hijiri-kun from that demon." Tsuzuki held out his hands desperately.

"You're not taking him. I won't let him leave my sight, if you say he's in danger."

"Tsuzuki," the younger stepped forth, speaking for the first time, "we have no choice." Yamashita almost let go of Hijiri, shocked by the resemblance between the two. The same frame, hairstyle, and a similar voice. The hair was different, and their skin tone very little, but even their eyes… no, their eyes weren't the same. The stranger before Yamashita had eyes that showed a mature seriousness that held an intensity that Yamashita only saw on Hijiri when he wad challenged on the violin. Those eyes that turned to him, sending freezing chills down his neck, seemed like they could not smile.

Tsuzuki groaned. "Tatsumi and Konoe-kacho will be unhappy."

"But it's obvious he isn't going to give up easily, and we don't need a fight." Hisoka walked over to Yamashita and held two fingers in front of his face. "I'm sorry."

Yamashita blackened out, those eyes still staring at him, piercing into his mind.

It was light when Yamashita woke up, but a different kind of light than when he had blacked out. It had been blazing sunlight then, but now it was a soft, dimmer and more comfortable sort of natural light. The air was cool; the window was open to allow a breeze in. The white curtains billowed gently. He could see sakura blossoms blooming outside and falling quietly to the ground. It would have been beautiful if he had not been alarmed.

"Is this heaven?" He asked out of nowhere. Where else could he have awakened to such a beautiful sight?

"I asked the same thing when this happened to me." A crisp, familiar voice laughed. Yamashita, ignoring his sore muscles, twisted around to see Hijiri sitting there, smiling at him. "But no, it isn't. This is Meifu, but it's as close as any living person can get."

"Hijiri, are you okay?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Those guys…" Yamashita sat up slowly. "They were trying to kidnap you. But the younger one did something… something to knock me out." He blinked a few times. "Where are we…? There are sakura blossoms at this time of year."

"We're in Meifu, the land of the Shinigami." Hijiri explained. "Those were Tsuzuki and Hisoka. Hisoka was the younger one."

"You know them?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "They protected me last year. I guess I can tell you everything, considering it's not going to be hidden from you, knowing where we are." He sighed. "Last year, with that entire Devil's Trill thing, a demon contract had been inside the eye I was given…" He explained the entire story, Yamashita clinging to his words, but not necessarily believing all of them. It was difficult to believe, understandingly.

"Wait a second." He held up a hand. "Shinigami? As in Grim Reaper, Death, 'I've come for your soul' type Shinigami?" Hijiri nodded in response. "Damn."

"Neither heaven, nor hell." Izuru commented from the doorway, making his presence known and attempting to look imposing.

"You two aren't the same ones that took us."

"No." Mitani appeared behind Izuru, shaking his head. "Konoe-kacho charged we two with your protection because Tsuzuki-san and Hisoka-kun are busy with something else."

"You two are Shinigami?" Yamashita peered. "But you look so… normal, alive."

"Because, I suppose, are bodies are alive, in a way. We'd make one hell of a science fair project." Mitani joked.

"As soon as you can move, Konoe-kacho would like to see the four of us." Izuru interjected seriously.

There was a nod in response. The younger of the two Shinigami turned out of the room silently, long shirt sweeping behind him.

Mitani watched him go for a few paces before turning back to the two. "There are sandwiches there, in case you're hungry." He pointed at the table near the bed.

"Did Tsuzuki make them?" Hijiri blanched. Yamashita noticed the lack of honorifics.

"No, no." Mitani laughed.

Hijiri sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"It's okay. Get better quickly." He turned to Yamashita with the last part.

The Shinigami were gone and the two living people were left to their own devices. Yamashita, between bites of sandwich, interrogated Hijiri, making sure he was perfectly okay. They were then greeted by an awkward silence yet again. Yamashita took this time to delve into all of his problems and sort them, as many teenagers do at some point in their lives, some more than others.

"Yamashita." Hijiri broke it after a few minutes, interrupting the mental sequence. "Are you sure that you're okay? I mean, this is the first time this has happened to you."

Yamashita shook his head, despite that his head was reeling from all that was happening. But one thing was sure: if someone or something was out to kill Hijiri, then he would sure as hell protect him. His Shinigami friends weren't the only ones who cared about his safety. He had someone… right here.

I'm pathetic! He yelled at himself mentally. First I was a damn idiot and bigot for being scared of what I am, and now… now I just don't know. He glanced around the room and out the window, gazing at the falling blossoms.

"The sakura blossoms always bloom here." Hijiri said absently. He smiled, looking out the window as well.

Yamashita could feel his heart pounding. He supposed that he could be bisexual, and was now, after months of wondering, ready to say that he was, but not openly, of course. It wasn't that he was attracted to men, just that… that he wanted to be with one particular person for as long as he could manage. But unfortunately, society isn't accepting of such thoughts (even if a small population of his unnamed (and to this story, unimportant) friends were openly gay or bi), and it was possible that this person, the one whose opinion meant most in the world to him, would turn him down and leave him.

Enter the soap opera.

He sighed, shoulders heaving. There's no way. Just get it out of your head. Go… find yourself a girlfriend or something. Just push the one person you actually feel for out of that section of your life and pretend nothing's wrong. Bury it.

He was extremely thankful that his thoughts were his own at this point of time, lest someone else should find his own feelings out and exploit them. That would be horrible and, well, seppuku didn't sound that bad. Just a gash along the gut, that's all. Granted there's no one to cut off your head once the pain's too much, but hell, you can slowly and painfully die. No problem with that. Or maybe there's a cliff.

"So, are you ready?" Hijiri asked, holding a hand out to help him up.

Yamashita almost laughed at the theatrics in his mind before nodding. Some things are better left unsaid to anyone but yourself. He took the hand and hoisted himself to his feet. Time to meet destiny and go into the light.

Chibi: (**sign** Poor Yamashita, we love him. And Hijiri.) **does the happy Chibi dance Variation 1**

Wildwolf: (**sign** But unfortunately, he is saddened that the anime was changed from the manga in some ways.)

Chibi: (**sign** Yamashita is sad that in the anime, he had no "love confession")

Wildwolf: (**sign** Does this intrigue you? Are you dying of wonder?)

Chibi: (**sign** There is a cure, out there somewhere!)

Wildwolf: (**sign** But we already think you know what it is.)

Chibi: (**sign** We sound like the Adult Swim ad… things…)

Wildwolf: (**sign** Feh. **heart heart**) **Pause** (**sign** Is this starting to seem Yamashita-centric?)

Chibi: (**sign** Does it matter?)