Chapter Seven

The second half of his day wasn't all that bad. His favorite class of the day, Physics, consisted of learning about potential energy. It was really interesting. Everything gravitationally positioned had potential for kinetic energy, whether an object was on top of a hill or hanging upside down.

Yuu figured that class would be even better if Shinoa wasn't in that class and his seat partner. Nothing against her or anything, she just proved to be a... distraction, at times.

But as enjoyable as Physics was, the last bell of the day made him feel that rush of relief that he had survived another day of the Academy. The achievement wasn't anything special in itself, considering he had many more to go through until graduation in June, but at least it was something. Baby steps.

Yuu's driver was already waiting for him in the pickup loop when he headed out the school castle- er, school building. Just like the ride there, the ride back was just as quiet.

Getting home meant he could have the rest of the evening to himself, which is exactly what he liked. Although occasionally it got lonesome, Yuu enjoyed his solitude. He was more often present in his own thoughts than in reality, anyway. Unfortunately, this afternoon was not one to relax and unwind from the day's events; he had fencing practice at five that evening. This meant he could not be a typical teenager and idly procrastinate on his homework until late that night, it had to get done within the next hour.

Of course, he technically could push back the assignments until after practice, but he had other plans for that evening. Yuu had decided he was going to go into the city again to find Mika.

An exhilarating rush washed over him and he shivered. It was a long shot, seeing if Mika would be at the pub again, but he had a feeling Mika was there a lot.

With thoughts of the exciting blonde clouding his mind, Yuu forced himself to focus on his Japanese homework. It was annotating an article about some global issue that occurred thirty years ago. Yuu probably would've found it more interesting if he wasn't forced to thoroughly write down rhetorical strategies and summarize every paragraph. 

Yuu wondered if newsworthy issues like this were blown out of proportion. He figured in order for people to sell their newspapers and articles they'd have to make it exciting to read, right? Without the fear or sympathy for people, the stories aren't interesting enough to make a profit.

After he got the boring annotations out of the way, Yuu was able to focus on the assignment he enjoyed the most; physics note-taking. Of course, most people thought taking notes was the most boring thing on the planet, but Yuu was fascinated by the subject.

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that the total energy of the isolated system remains constant over time. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, instead is transformed into different kinds of energy....

Yuu got lost in the notetaking, hunched over his desk and probably setting himself up for back problems in his adulthood. His cotillion teacher would be extremely disappointed at his lack of good posture, but Yuu was too busy flying through his assignments to care.

He heard a knock that interrupted him from his math workbook. Not exactly sure if he was imagining things, he crept down the escape room stairs, through the secret passageway, and towards the bedroom door. "Come in," Yuu called to the person behind the door. It was Shiori, holding a pressed fencing outfit, with white folds of fabric perfectly creased.

"Pardon the intrusion! Your fencing lesson with Shinya-san in fifteen minutes, Yuichiro-sama," Shiori alerted him in a quiet voice, poking her head inside.

"No problem, thank you, Shiori-san," Yuu pulled the door open and took the outfit from her. "I will be downstairs in five minutes." Shiori bowed her head, nodded, and left as Yuu closed the door. He dressed quickly, holding the mesh mask in one hand. With the other, he grabbed his fencing sword case and slung the strap over one shoulder.

Yuu wasn't exactly sure why he chose fencing over other sports when his parents made him pick up an after school activity. His mom desperately wanted for him to continue tennis like she did when she was a teenager, but after about age twelve, Yuu realized he wanted to try something else. At least fencing was somewhat cool. It was almost like real sword-fighting.

Yuu made his way to the backyard, which was acres of land that bled out for what felt like (and probably was) kilometers. The built-in courts, which included tennis, basketball, and an addition for fencing, was over west, through the gardens. It was about a seven minute walk, but Yuu didn't mind. He enjoyed the serenity of the gardens, able to enjoy nature and the peaceful environment.

Upon arriving at the courts, Yuu already spotted Shinya waiting, leaning against the chain-link fence and looking up at the clouds. His épée was already unsheathed, the long, fluted blade gleaming brightly silver. Yuu squinted at the sun, peeking its warm rays through the tree branches, knowing the sun would probably get in his eyes.

"Good afternoon, Yuichiro-san!" Shinya bowed his head. "Are you ready for your lesson?"

Yuu grinned as he pulled his épée out of the protective case. "Of course I am, and I hope you're ready to lose!" He daunted in a smug voice. Yuu always got this way when it came to competition. They could be playing anything, hell, even jacks, and Yuu would stop at nothing until he won the game.

That's just the kind of person Yuu was.

"I wouldn't talk so high and mighty, Yuichiro-san," Shinya smirked. "You still haven't learned all my tricks. I hope you've been practicing."

Yuu hadn't, but he was certainly prepared to not lose. "We'll see about that, Shinya-san," Yuu retorted as whirled around. Shinya stood poised, much like that of a tiger ready to pounce, blade pointed right next to his jugular vein. Yuu saw his confident, easygoing smile.

"Rule number one. Always be prepared for an attack," Shinya explained. Yuu gulped and took a step back, hitting his back against the metal fencing. Smiling coolly, Shinya headed back towards the rectangle, which measured out the proper area for a fencing match. Yuu followed, slightly irritated that he didn't catch that sneak attack.

Standing on opposite sides of the rectangle, they saluted each other, as per directed by the official rules. As there was no referee, Shinya took the initiative of calling "En-garde!"

They pulled on their masks, putting the world through a darkened filter, and adopted the proper fencing stance. "Turn your back foot out more, Yuichiro-san," Shinya directed. Yuu corrected himself and bit his lip determinedly. "Ready?"

Yuu nodded, gripping his épée tighter.

The moment to start hung in the air like a marionette puppet, and Yuu felt its potential energy, begging to be released. Shinya shouted "Fence!" and then the energy rushed out of him as quickly as the first phrase began.

- - - -

"Argh!" Yuu cried out in frustration, ripping off his mesh mash.

The score was 37 - 9, with Shinya winning.

"Have you had enough?" Shinya asked kindly, but underneath his politeness was haughty sarcasm.

"No," Yuu pulled his mask back on, getting back into proper stance. "Another. I refuse to lose to you."

"Okay, hold your épée at a lower angle," Shinya directed. When Yuu followed his correction, Shinya nodded. "And bend your knees slightly. You're too stiff." Yuu bent his knees a bit, but he felt slightly awkward.

They began another phrase, with Yuu lunging forward and making a quick attack. Shinya parried effortlessly, and if Yuu was able to see his face right now, he assumed Shinya would have a face of utter calmness, smoothly matching every one of Yuu's moves.

Yuu thrusted his épée forward, but Shinya blocked the move once again, pushing him into an angle that left him vulnerable. Shit. Shinya took advantage of this split second in time, pushing against the butt of the blade and attacking nearby his left shoulder.

"Point," He said cheerfully.

"That was so a penalty," Yuu pouted.

"It was not, and you know it, Yuichiro-san," Shinya laughed. "Another match?"

He agreed, and they moved back to the starting position. This time, Yuu won the point. Upon winning, he cheered and pushed his fist victoriously into the air.

"Let's stop while I have a small victory," Yuu pulled off his mask and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Shinya pulled off his mask as well, grinning. He flicked his silver hair out of his eyes and went to fetch his fencing sword case. He slipped the blade inside and grabbed the case by its handle.

"You're improving tremendously," Shinya told him honestly. "I've actually had to try to win at this point. Farewell, Yuichiro-san."

"Hey, wait!" Yuu called after him. "You can't just say things like that and then walk away without letting me try again!" When Shinya ignored him and kept walking, Yuu huffed in exasperation and put his épée away. He slung the strap over his shoulder and rushed to catch up with Shinya.

"So, how's school going for you?" Shinya made conversation and slowed his quick pace to match Yuu's.

"It's alright, I guess," Yuu was always glad to talk to Shinya. Unlike most of the people he was around, he always had to watch everything about his appearance, his posture, and the way he talked. With Shinya, he felt like he could actually be himself for once, and that was not some presumptuous, well-mannered prince. He could actually be a normal teenager in Shinya's presence, because even though Shinya was a commoner, he was extremely laid-back and easy to talk to. "My girlfriend's birthday is next week and I'm wondering what I should get her."

"Ah, the forced marriage girlfriend?" Shinya confirmed.

"The one and only."

"I feel like you can't go wrong with jewelry," Shinya said immediately. "Girls love diamonds, and I know you have access to plenty of those."

"Isn't that too cheesy?" Yuu questioned.

"Believe me," Shinya waved his hand as he chuckled, "If you buy a girl a necklace, she'll love you forever."

Maybe I don't want that, though, Yuu thought with disdain.

"Why not?" Shinya cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Don't you love Shinoa?"

"Shit, did I say that out loud?" Yuu mumbled to himself, mentally face-palming. "Forget I said anything."

Shinya looked discouraged, but kept quiet, his lips pursed tightly. After a moment, he spoke again. "If you say so, Yuichiro-san..."

The conversation fizzled into silence and suddenly an awkward air hung around them. They walked the rest of the way back, cutting through the garden again. A bumblebee brushed right against Yuu's nose as it flew and he tried not to sneeze. Shinya smiled at that, but that was about the extent of their reaction. Shinya's larger stride sent him several steps forward, and an idea blossomed in Yuu's mind.

As quietly as he could, he slid his épée out of his case and ran towards Shinya. He was prepared to point the blade right by Shinya's neck, just like he had done to Yuu at the beginning of the lesson, but right before he could do so, Shinya whipped his blade out of his case and effortlessly blocked the attack.

"Nice try, but next time try using an attack that I didn't teach you, Yuichiro-san," He smirked, making Yuu scowl. "I'll see you again next week."

And with that, he walked away again, with his chin tilted up and twirling his épée before sliding it back into its case. Annoyed, Yuu put his own sword away and headed back to the doors of the castle. The sun was setting again, painting the world in orange. A euphoric feeling of doing something in secret filled his heart, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins. He was just going to quickly change out of his fencing outfit and then he would be off.

I'll be there soon, Mika, Yuu thought. Wait for me.