Chapter Three

They danced for hours, but it felt like mere seconds. Maybe it was minutes. It could've been days, and Yuu wouldn't have noticed.

Panting for air and laughing breathlessly, the two slow down. Beads of sweat lined their hairlines and Yuu watched as Mika pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. "Another round?" He grinned as another song began to play.

"I'm exhausted," Yuu shook his head, still smiling. God, that was so exhilarating. It was more than just living; he felt truly alive, and now he couldn't get enough of the feeling. He wanted the fleeting moment to last forever.

But of course, the moment passes, and they slip through the crowd and head to the back, where Mika explained had a bunch of tables and booths. Not only was the place a dance floor and a bar, but they served food too. Yuu wasn't really hungry, so he passed on that idea.

They sat down across from each other, and Yuu tries not to squirm on the slippery vinyl booth cushion. The table is sticky from alcohol and greasy foods, but Yuu blocked it out of his field of vision the best he could by focusing on the guy in front of him.

They were silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Only one thought ran around in Yuu's head, and he said it before he could stop himself. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

Mika shrugged. "I've had practice, I guess. I love coming to this place."

"You're an amazing dancer," Yuu said breathlessly. The apples of Mika's cheeks lit up with a soft blush and he bit his bottom lip, trying to suppress a bashful grin.

"Thanks. You too, Yuu-chan." Mika sounded happy.

Yuu was happy too.

"What else do you do for fun?"

"Well, let's see... Besides dancing?" Mika tapped his chin, eyes casting upward as he thought about his answer. "I like gambling."

"But you're underage!" Yuu was appalled. Breaking the law for nothing more than a trivial game? It was unheard of, in his opinion.

"That's what makes it fun, Mr. Goody-two-shoes," Mika winked flirtatiously.

Yuu stumbled over his words as he tried to respond after seeing Mika wink at him. "Y-yes, I suppose." He stuttered awkwardly.

"Alright, my turn for questions," Mika announced, rubbing his hands together. "Where are you from?"

"Uh, nowhere." Was the idiotic answer that came out of Yuu's mouth. If Mika's eyes weren't trained on him, Yuu would seriously be slapping his forehead in stupidity right now.

"Nowhere, eh? Sounds like a great place," Mika joked sarcastically. "How's the weather up in Nowhere?"

Yuu ended up playing along with the joke, smirking as he did so. "Often quite chilly in the winter months, but in the spring the weather is just gorgeous." Yuu elongated his words, attempting to sound as presumptuous as possible. He couldn't keep up the façade for much longer, and they both began to laugh.

"Next question... what do ya do for fun, Yuu-chan?" Mika questioned after they fell into a comfortable silence when the laughter died down. "Oh, and a serious answer this time, please."

Yuu had to think about that one. What did he do for fun? His life was so boring in the castle, so he had to make his own fun. "I love to read."

And that he did. When he read, he was engrossed, absorbed, almost in a trance. He was transported to another reality. In the castle library, he had read every book cover to cover, some even twice or three times. The stories just didn't get old, and no matter how many times he read them, the stories would remain fresh. Yuu remembered how he will pour himself into the pages every night and read until he became cross-eyed and straining to see under a meager candlelight, the words blurring into nonsense.

Reading was his escape.

"Of course ya do," Mika grinned, sounding almost American with his dialect, yet he still was clearly fluent in Japanese. "I should've guessed."

"You can't read me," Yuu pursed his lips in a thin, tight line. Read me like a book. He thought, as they were on the topic.

"Well, I'm trying to, cant'cha see by the questions?" Mika retorted, resting his chin in his hands. "I want to know more about you."

"Why?" Yuu questioned with an edge in his tone. "Why are you so curious about me, Mika?"

"Because ya seem like you're worth getting to know, Yuu-chan."

Yuu didn't completely get what he meant by that, so he looked away to avoid eye contact. Somehow, Mika's blue eyes just got a lot more intense to look at. Flushing slightly, he mumbled a subpar response. "Believe me, you don't want to," Yuu fidgeted in his seat. "So you tell me about yourself, instead."

Mika's previously narrowed-with-suspicion eyes snapped open and he waved his hand to shoo him off. "Ah..." He trailed off. "There really isn't much to say about me." Beyond the sparkle of his sapphire eyes, something else sparks behind them, but Yuu can't tell what it is.

"That can't be true," Yuu said. You're way too interesting to have nothing to say. "Okay then... Do you have family?"

The word rolled so smoothly off of Yuu's tongue, but it didn't hold any meaning to him. What was family supposed to feel like anyways? Was he supposed to feel something? Any time he ever saw his parents were for business dinners or other royal events. Yuu didn't really understand what family truly meant, and he wasn't sure if he ever would, considering his situation.

Mika flinched the slightest bit. "No," He responded shortly. He said nothing further, and that was that. He had struck a nerve, but Yuu hadn't really noticed. He was too busy wondering if he would ever experience that feeling, that closeness.

Feeling slightly bad he brought up a seemingly sore subject, Yuu tried to empathize. "I don't really have a family either. I mean, they're around, but they're never really there, you know? Sometimes it feels like it's just me, myself, and I."

Mika nodded in understanding. "Family is supposed to be our safe haven, but often it's the place where we find the deepest heartache."

Not knowing how to reply, Yuu pursed his lips and looks at the table. He picked at the suddenly-interesting fabric stuffing coming out of the booth cushion. Mika said nothing.

Sensing the awkwardness, Yuu changed topics again. "What about friends?"

Mika's eyes lit up, and Yuu knew this was a happy medium, something Mika actually would be interested talking about. "I have a friend I'm very close to, her name is Akane," Mika babbled. "We've been together forever."

Yuu startled, and he felt an indescribable lurch in his stomach. Jealousy? He wondered. That didn't make any sense. "I didnt realize you had a girlfriend." He commented casually.

"Oh, Ha! not together like that!" Mika laughed at his own slip-up of words. "We've just been best friends for years. Plus, I don't really like girls that much, if you catch my drift."

"Oh." Yuu nodded absentmindedly. Then, the underlying meaning clicked in his brain, and realization hit him like a brick. "Oh."

Oh? Is that all you can say, Yuuichiro? He mentally berated himself. So lame. "Well, um, that's cool." His face was burning and he didn't know why.

"Are y'alright there, Yuu-chan?" Mika cocked his head to the side questioningly.

Yuu's hands were shaking, and he balled them in fists and willed them to stop. What was happening? Why did he feel so incredibly dizzy, so light-headed, and like he was going to explode all at once?

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. But I have to go now... Thanks for the dance, Mika." He scooted out of the booth and was prepared to rush out of the building when Mika grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Hey, hold up a second! Will I ever see you again?" There was a sense of urgency in Mika's voice, one where he strained himself to push the words out.

"I- I don't know." Yuu stuttered. He couldn't concentrate with Mika's hand on his. "I don't think so. I'm sorry."

It was probably a mistake, and Yuu knew he would regret it later, but Yuu ripped himself out of Mika's grasp. The feeling of his fingers still burned on Yuu's arm even after he pulled away.

And then Yuu ran off, pushing through the crowd of dancers without looking back, leaving Mika absolutely crestfallen.