Aethan
Aethan watched Kiyaru leave, attempting to jumpstart his brain all the while. He finally managed it -- after he had left. Disgusted with his lack of thought process, Aethan stood, and gathered his papers into his briefcase. Then he headed out -- to the amazing British car that would take him home. He was so glad he'd brought it with him.

Kiyaru
"Hai, I suppose I should..." Kiyaru replied, glancing down at his watch once more. With that he turned, stooping briefly to gather up his notebook and bag again, before straightening, glancing back up at his teacher. "I hope you'll have a better day tomorrow, sir." He said, giving him a brief, warm smile. "And if you ever feel the need to talk, I'm perfectly willing to listen." Nodding at the taller man respectfully, he added a final "Until next lesson, Grey-sensei." before turning and walking back to and out the door.

Aethan (who thinks in inches... -_-;;;)
Cautiously, Aethan stood, and found himself abruptly looking down at his student. He'd known, surreptitiously, that he was taller than Kiyaru -- had to be, since he was a Westerner and Kiyaru was Japanese -- but this was a full four inches. He stepped into the gentle embrace, relaxing. God, had it been so long since he'd been touched? Finding himself reacting, Aethan pulled away abruptly, clearing his throat. "You said you had to go?"

Jin
"Shh. I understand." Jin smiled gently. "Don't worry." He gave the teen a tight hug. "It'll all be all right."

Kiyaru
"Iie, it's alright, Grey-san. I really don't mind..." Kiya replied quickly. He smiled an almost sad half-smile, absently brushing the hair out of his face. "Even if not to the extent that you do, I know what it's like to feel homesick." His eyes wandered up to the clock on the wall, before glancing down at his own watch. "Ne, I would very much like to stay and talk, Grey-sensei, but I think I should be on my way..." He trailed off, glancing up at the redhead again. "So, for the moment..." He set his bag down on the floor, notebook on top of it, and held his arms out to the teacher. "... this is the least I can really offer."

Eiichi
"I can't... I'm trying Jin.. I just don't know what's wrong."

Jin
Jin felt the teen only tensing up in his arms. "Eiichi-kun, you can relax."

Eiichi
Simply nodding, the blonde let Jin rock him, trying to make himself relax, but only getting more upset.

Jin
"Sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to," Jin said softly, rocking himself and Eiichi gently.

Aethan
Tilting his head up so that he could look at Kiyaru, Aethan replied. "I'm... homesick. And I haven't really gotten to know anyone here yet, and..." he sighed. "Suminasen. I shouldn't be unburdening myself on you."

Eiichi
"I guess... I try not to think about it." Swallowing thickly as he tried to dispel the memories, Eiichi simply let Jin hold him, though the tension didn't leave his body.

Jin
Jin hugged him gently. "Wow, that's awful." He gently released the boy. "You must have suffered a lot."

Kiyaru
Kiyaru's gaze lowered to the floor briefly as he thought for a moment, before glancing back up at the older man. "Would you perhaps care to talk about it?" He asked softly in a kind, gentle voice.

Eiichi
"Yeah... I was hit by a beam which caught my pyjama top on fire. It wasn't too bad... I didn't even notice I was on fire until I got outside."

Jin
Jin gently pulled the sleeve up, his fingers gently touching the burn scar. "Did you get this that night?" he asked softly, stroking it lightly, feeling the smooth skin under his fingertips.

Eiichi
Looking up again, Eiichi nodded silently, looking away again as he moved his arm slightly so that Jin wouldn't have to stretch to reach his sleeve. "Go ahead..."

Jin
Jin caught the movement of his sleeve and gently reached down to touch the sleeve. "May I?" he asked gently, gazing into Eiichi's eyes.

Aethan
Aethan closed his blood-shot eyes momentarily. What did one say to that, when he really didn't know what level of contact he should keep himself at with this student? "I just... haven't had a good day," Aethan acknowledged, slumping back down on the desk.

Eiichi
Sighing, Eiichi dropped his eyes, bangs falling forward over his eyes. "I know. And that just makes it worse, knowing there was nothing I could have done..." His left hand rubbed across his right arm in a nervous habit, the sleeve of his shirt pulling up slightly to show the almost flawless pink skin that was the sign of a burn scar before it dropped back into place again. "I thought I'd gotten over it though..."

Jin
"But it wasn't your fault," Jin said gently, his eyes gazing deep into Eiichi's. "There was nothing you could have done, save getting yourself killed." He held the smaller man just a bit closer. "It's not your fault."

Eiichi
Giving in, Eiichi nodded, leaning against Jin. "Thanks for understanding, and not saying that it wasn't my fault..." Looking up, he caught the older man's amber eyes, smiling slightly.

Jin
Jin sat up and gently wrapped his arms around the boy, stilling his rocking. "That sounds horrible..." He gave Eiichi a slight squeeze. "I'm sure you're living with survivor's guilt now too, which probably makes the pain a lot worse."

Eiichi
"We were like brothers... I... I was the only survivor of that fire. I had been sleeping over at his house went it happened. If I hadn't have gotten up to go to the bathroom..." Eiichi shook his head, caught in memories. "I remember screaming that there was a fire, and running out of the house as fast as possible, but... I didn't even think that my friend and his family may not have heard me..." The slim arms wrapped around his knees tightened as he rocked back and forth slightly, biting his lip.

Jin
Jin sat up a bit. "That's horrible... Anyone would be scared of fire after that... How close were you two?"

Eiichi
"I don't really know... As I said, I've always been afraid of fire... Ever since a friend of mine died when his house burnt down..." He sighed, closing his eyes. "The reading today just got to me, I guess..."

Jin
"So, what's wrong?" Jin asked gently, his amber eyes gazing concernedly at Eiichi. "I've never seen you so down, chibi."

Eiichi
Looking around, Eiichi took in the room before sitting down beside Jin, pulling his kness up to his chest and resting his cheek on them.

Kiyaru
Kiyaru nodded. "No problem, sir." He smiled softly, but it quickly faded. He tilted his head to one side slightly as he gazed at the redhead, a concerned look in his swirling red-purple eyes, brow faintly creased. "Is something the matter, Grey-san?"

Aethan
Aethan raised his head to see who it was. "Nakane-san. Domo arigatou." He glanced at the paper -- nothing important, but it had been a thoughtful gesture anyway. Kiyaru hadn't known that.

Kiyaru
Biting his lip slightly, the brunette slowly walked into the room and across to the desk, coming to stand a few feet from it. "I believe I may have accidentally picked up one of your papers with my notes earlier..." He said, opening his notebook and drawing the paper from the front, holding it out to the teacher. "So I thought it best to return it to you as soon as possible."

Aethan
The teacher didn't feel like lifting his head, so he didn't. "What is it?" he asked, voice muffled slightly.

Jin
Jin smiled gently and led the way down the airconditioned hall, out into the heat, leading Ei into one of the nearby dorms and up three flights of stairs. He unlocked the door of one of the rooms and stepped aside for Eiichi to enter. The room was relatively clean. Jin's desk held both a computer and a laptop. On top of the dresser was a TV, a DVD player, a discman, and a stereo. Jin kicked the door shut behind him, depositing his books and sword on his desk chair. He sat down on his bed, stretching out lazily, patting the spot next to him for Eiichi to sit down.

Kiyaru
Kiyaru absently ran a hand through his fluffly raven locks as he walked down the corridor towards his English classroom. He silently prayed that the teacher would still be there. And that if he was, he wouldn't be in the middle of a class... he always felt like such an idiot having to speak to a teacher in front of other students, especially older ones. He slowed his pace as he approached the half-open door, reaching out with his free hand and knocking softly as he timidly peeked into the room. "Grey-sensei...?"

Aethan (having a bad day, here...)
Still in the classroom, Aethan leaned on his desk, face hidden by his arms. His sophomores had gone, and he should have, as well -- he didn't have another class till tomorrow morning. He wasn't tired, though his mind felt a bit taxed; he simply didn't feel like moving. He wanted to go home -- and not to that tiny flat; he missed... everything. England. His family. James. God, he missed James. James had been his best friend-- until he'd been murdered. Aethan simply wouldn't, couldn't, stay after that. There was too much that reminded him of things that had been, dreams shattered, possibilities that could never be now.

Lan (*getting of his/her lazy ass*)
The persistent ring of his mobile brought the blue haired youth to awarness, tearing him out of his dreams. 'Damn...fallen asleep...again' After having sung his heart out he had lazed around and without wanting to slipped into deep sleep. Lan cursed under his breath as he fumbled the small mobile out of his pant pocket and flipped it open. "Yeah?" His voice was hoarse, unenthusiastic. He hated it to talk right after singing, it was so not worth it. With a flinch he held the phone away from his ear, the words being yelled at him uncomfortable loud and shrill. In a small pause, probably the other had to draw a breath, he dared to ask timidly. "What have I done now?" The yelling from the other end of the conversation continued, though this time being rudely interupted by Lan himself. "IT IS HOW LATE?!" "Will be right over!" Cursing colourfully he jumped to his feet, gathering his things together and tearing out of the squad. 'Shitshitshit...'rai is going to have my arse for that...i am soo fucked.'

Eiichi
Blinking, Eiichi cursed softly as he realized how his words could have been taken before nodding. "Sounds fine. Thank you, Jin."

Jin
Jin thought a moment. "Private... Well, since it's dinner time, that rules out the lunch room..." He glanced around. "If it's okay with you, we can go to my dorm room." He smiled gently. "I promise nothing funny."

Kiyaru
Saying a quick goodbye to the other two, Kiyaru headed off down the hall again at a trot. He hoped Mr. Grey would still be in his classroom by the time he made it there... shoving a door open, he hurried out into the courtyard and across to the other side of the campus.

Eiichi
"Anywhere, I don't care... Just somewhere, private..." He answered, biting his lip, unaware of what he could be alluding to in his fright.

Jin
Jin gazed down at Ei with a gentle smile. "So... Where did you want to go?"

Eiichi
"Yes, I'm fine." He smiles lopsidedly at Kiyaru. "See ya." As the brunette walked away, Eiichi turned back to Jin, eyes almost pleading.

Kiyaru
Kiyaru nodded. "Sure..." He glanced at his watch briefly, then between the other two. "I should get going..." He glanced at Eiichi again and tilted his head slightly to one side, hair draping over his eye. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked kindly, meaningfully.

Eiichi
Jumping as Kiya laid his hand on his shoulder, Eiichi turned and nodded to the shorter student. "Yeah, I'm fine. On your way home, or whereever, could you tell Tsuramoshi that I won't be able to help him tonight, but tomorrow's okay?"

Kiyaru
Walking quickly, Kiyaru headed out of the classroom and down the hall, his notebook in one hand. He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder slightly and sighed. At last, the day was over. All he had to do now was return the paper to Mr. Grey, and then... He'd barely walked eight feet down the corridor when the pace of the students in front of him slowed. He muttered a curse, struggling to slip past. Eventually he managed to weave his way through the crowd to near the front, making it back into relatively open space again. Kami, he hated being caught up amongst so many people... Glancing up ahead of him, he spotted the reason for the hold-up. Two students stood to one side of the hallway. As he got closer, he quickly recognized them as Eiichi and Jin. The former of the two was pale as a sheet, eyes full of slowly fading fright. A frown creased his brow, pace quickening slightly as he headed over to them. "Eiichi?" He asked, tone soft, one of concern. He placed his free hand on the taller boy's shoulder, staring at him, worry clear in his wine-red eyes. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Eiichi
"I don't care... Just, somewhere..." Eiichi looked up, his eyes locking with Jin's as another student approached.

Jin
"Well, where?" Jin asked, glancing up at the clock. He had plenty of time before his stage combat class. "I'm perfectly willing to listen..."

Eiichi
"I- I know. But..." He shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself. "I can't explain it. At least, not here..."

Jin
"Why are you afraid of fire?" Jin asked softly, his amber eyes concerned. "And you're just reading about it. It's not like it's here."

Eiichi
Eiichi froze, debating whether to tear away and stalk off, or to tell the man who seemed to be offering comfort, of SOME kind. "No, really, it's nothing. It's just an old fear, don't worry. I'll be fine." He cut himself off, realizing that he was rambling. "I'm afraid of fire, and we were doing a reading in class, that's all."

Jin
Jin got to his feet, letting his books tumble back to the floor. He grasped Ei's wrist in his hand gently. "No. Something's wrong. Tell me," he said, his voice soft and kind.

Eiichi
Shaking his head, Eiichi reached out to help pick up Jin's books, despite the fact that his hands were shaking almost violently. "No, nothing's wrong, but thanks for asking." When a book skittered out of his hand, Eiichi bit his lip and gave up, standing and preparing to leave.

Jin
"No harm done," Jin said with a shrug, sitting up and starting to collect his books. He reached for his foil when he saw Ei's pale cheeks and the freaked look on his face. "Something wrong, chibi?" he asked softly, sitting back on his ankles and gazing at Eiichi.

Eiichi
"S-Sumimasen, Jin." Eiichi blinked down at Jin from only inches, then scrambled off the older man, still frightened by the class reading.

Jin
Jin hit the floor hard, an armload of books and a fencing foil scattering across the polished hallway floor. A warm, heavy weight landed on top of him, and he looked up to see Eiichi. "Hey again, Ei-kun. If you wanted to be in my arms, you could have at least picked a more private spot."

Eiichi
(OOC: Time jump!)

The bell signalling the end of the period rang and Eiichi darted from his desk towards the door. They had been doing a reading, and the class had reached a point where one of the main characters burnt to death in a fire. To Eiichi, this was the worse thing that could happen to someone, as a childhood friend of his had died in the same way, and he'd always been terrified of fire. In his haste, he burst out of the class into the crowded hall, sending himself and another student sprawling.

Kiyaru
Kiyaru arrived at class ten minutes later, only moments after the bell. He hurried down the mostly empty aisle alongside the wall, nearly collapsing in his seat as he reached it, breathing heavily. He silently cursed his slight asthma. And his chain-smoking father, who was the cause of it. He leaned over and rummaged around in his bag, retrieving his stationery case and placing it on the desk in front of him, before sitting quietly and listening as the teacher gave the assignment. Once all was said, he bent over and scratched around in his case again, finally getting out his notebook. He sighed and flipped through pages of handwritten and printed notes - and paused abruptly as he came across an unfamiliar paper. Scanning over the text, he quickly realised it must have belonged to Mr. Grey. He glanced up at the blackboard briefly with a slight frown, and decided it would probably be best to leave it until after the lesson to return it. With that, he neatly placed the paper at the front of his notebook, before turning to a clean page. Clicking the nib out of his pen, he took another glance up at the board, and began taking down notes.

Eiichi (GOMEN!!!)
Spluttering, Eiichi shook his head, silently sliding into his car. "Get in. We're late as it is. And don't talk. You distract me and we're likely to crash, okay?"

Rafael nodded, walking around to the other side and getting in as well, staying silent the whole near fatal ride back to the campus.

Rafael, short post e.e;
Rafael took a step back from Eiichi, surprised by the man's sudden outburst.

"I'm standing," he replied politely. "Did I startle you? I didn't mean to."

Jin
Jin's eyes widened. "Oh, gomen, Grey-san." He bowed lightly to the teacher. "I shall leave you to your work then." He turned and headed out the door, smiling to himself.

Aethan
He stared at Jin. Was he purposefully ignoring the polite invitation to leave? Or was he simply that imperceptive? "Hitashi-san," Aethan said meaningfully, "I would prefer you leave before my sophomores arrive. God forbid you should... take an interest... in one of them."

Jin
Jin glanced up at the clock. "No, I still have another hour before my stage combat class. But thanks for reminding me."

Aethan
Aethan sighed, glancing at the standard clock on the wall. "I have a class in about five minutes. Don't you?" he asked meaningfully. He put his article away, and got out the material he was planning to work with for the next class -- sophomores, taking Literary English, a different class from English Lit. He was to teach them to write the English language.

Eiichi, being watched!
Freezing as the muscles of his back tightened in the sensation that he was being watched, Eiichi turned, and nearly crashed in Rafael. "Rafael!! W-What are you doing!?"

Rafael, back from missing in action o_o
Rafael suddenly realized he had a class in less than an hour and being late was a bad thing. He'd learned that the hard way. He silently wished the interesting surfer man goodbye and turned around, tearing down the street back towards the coffee shop.

He stood silently behind Eiichi as the man unlocked his car, staring owlishly at him, waiting to be noticed. The interesting man had left a giddy, playful feeling in his gut.

DS
(OOC: Archiiiiiiiiiiived!)