Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Japanese Hideaway ❯ here we are again ( Chapter 2 )

As Kouga directed his new charge through the different buildings, he noticed the way Kitsune's eyes tended to follow the attractive boys as they waved hi or stopped to chat briefly. Kouga would courteously introduce them, but Kitsune could not remember any of the names that went with the faces that he met. Kouga also noticed that Kit did not pay attention to the attractive girls other than a friendly hello. No lingering curious glances, no shy blushes. His little newbie was easy to read.

Kit stopped at a drinking fountain for a moment and bent to get a drink when Kouga spotted Treize and Zechs headed towards the café. He waved hello at them as they called out. Kitsune was facing towards them with his head down to get the water and had raised his eyes to see who was yelling at his guide. The water ran past his lips unheeded as he found himself staring at the two older boys in fascination. One walked with his hands folded behind his back conversing with his friend. Silver hair laying casually down the back of one's Kendo uniform while the other wore khakis with and a partially open dress shirt. It was their bearing that really caught his eye. The one with his hands behind his back walked with a regal bearing, carrying himself with such an air of confidence that he just radiated power. His dark, honey blond hair styled back made him look like a GQ model. The other appeared graceful and restrained, every step taken as if it were a performance. The hair framed a face that Kitsune was not close enough to see. But he did not doubt that it would be equally gorgeous. These beautiful creatures were so far out of his reach; he did not even feel worthy enough to worship at their feet.

A cough and someone clearing his throat abruptly brought him back to reality and he realized, ashamed with himself, that water was hitting the side of his face and starting to run into his collar. He pulled away quickly and grimaced. Looking down to hide his embarrassed face. Kouga handed him a handkerchief and walked towards the temporary dorm that Kit was assigned to as Kitsune quickly wiped up his dripping face.

"Those two are probably the most famous couple on campus, Treize and Zechs. Zechs is the one with the silver hair. I think they have a fan club devoted to them, but I'm not sure about that. Treize is the captain of the soccer team. I am the goalie so we know each other fairly well." Kouga watched as Kit continued to blush and study the carpet. 'This boy will be perfect for them. If anyone can bring him out of his shell, it would be those two.' He considered and grinned as he had solved his friend Heero's little dilemma on who to assign with the two boys.

"This is your room, so stow your luggage and we can head to the café for lunch." Kouga advised briskly as he made plans for his conference with Heero. "You will receive your regular room assignment from your home room teacher in two days. That should give you some time to meet people and get used to the campus."

'Yes, thank you" The younger boy replied, his words barely above a whisper.

'Geesh, for a kid that is majoring in the fine arts with courses in drama and choral skills, he is freakishly quiet.' Kouga decided as he led the boy back to the café.

Kitsune looked around at the elaborate cafeteria. It had multiple food stations with all different offerings. The earth tone colors it was decorated in were inviting and soothing. The food even smelled wonderful. He nodded his head to acknowledge that Kouga had told him to eat up, as it was all paid for with the tuition and that he had business elsewhere.

A girl bumped into him as he was trying to decide what to eat first and promptly apologized. Shi giggled and took his hand shaking it energetically as she introduced herself. "You are new here aren't you?"

"Yes, I just moved to Japan from England. I went to a public school there, but this is so much nicer. There is no comparison really." He looked around again with a vaguely dazed smile. The girl was friendly and bubbly. It would be impossible not to like her, even if she seemed a bit loud. He was happy to see a friendly face. Most of the students he had seen so far looked so serious all of the time.

Shi grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards a station where a cook was sautéing Mongolian Beef with vegetables to order. "This station always has something great." She exclaimed enthusiastically. "You must try this and over at the next station they have American style junk food like corn dogs or pizza or cheeseburgers, depending on what day it is. There is also a really good salad bar over there," she pointed out; "and over there is the dessert bar. The desserts here are really nice." Her short curls bounced as she hopped up and down in excitement. She ordered different foods for him and set them on a tray then guided him to a table where some of her friends waited.

"Hi, I'm Mandi and this is Becky," the other two girls introduced themselves. "Wow, I hope Shi didn't run you over. She tends to be very energetic." Mandi smiled from sparkling brown eyes.

"Well, she should definitely be nominated for the greeting committee, I think." Becky added laughing.

The girls chatted away happily telling him about the different classes and teachers and he discovered that Shi was in his homeroom, which he was glad of since it meant that he would at least know someone.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a flash of silver and turned to look. Shi followed his gaze and saw Treize and Zechs discussing something with some friends on the opposite side of the large cafeteria. "Aren't they just too hot?" She drooled.

"Definitely." Kitsune agreed with her. 'Oh crap, did I just say that out loud?' He started to panic, hoping she didn't notice and think he was pond scum now.

"Hmm I think that Kitsune has a crush." She teased lightly making him blush. "Which one do you like?" She asked.

Kit looked down at the table. "I guess you caught me. I think that they are both so beautiful." He whispered looking back at the older boys wistfully. "But I sincerely doubt that they would even notice my existence."

"Hey now, don't sell yourself short. You're damned gorgeous yourself. We are just disappointed that you prefer guys." Becky admonished him with a wink.

"So true." Sighed Mandi. "The best looking guys at this school always seem to be gay. Makes it hard for a girl to get a decent date around here."

The girls went over his schedule with him and showed him to the bookstore to pick up the necessary items he would need for class. They also showed him where the sports fields and the gymnasium and workout rooms were located. Finally, after an exhausting and somewhat stressful day, Kitsune made his way back to his room and promptly fell asleep on his bed.

~~~~~@~~~~~~

Kitsune looked out the window caught up in an absentminded daydream when his teacher called for him. He snapped to attention. "Yes Sensei."

"I would appreciate it if you would listen when I make announcements in the future. Here is your new room assignment card. If you don't know where this dorm is located, it is on the map that was given to you in your orientation folder."

"Thank you sensei." He took the card from her hand and went back to his seat until the end of class was signaled.

When the bell rang he rushed out to his temporary room and grabbed all of his stuff, shoving it into his duffel bags. If he hurried, he might still have time to go by the gym and work out. Kit wasn't really into the beefy, muscled look but he did enjoy lifting weights and was quite toned. Surprisingly, it was something he used to do on a regular basis with his father. His parent's were both heart surgeons and believed in living healthy. It was also a way to spend time with his dad so it worked out fairly well.

He headed out of the room and dropped his keys off with the floor supervisor and quickly made his way to the new dorm. It was mostly upperclassmen, although the top two floors were for girls and for a boy to be in anything but the common room could result in disciplinary action.

I glanced at the doors searching for the one that matched the number on my slip of paper. When I found it I was surprised to see that it was hanging wide open but far more surprised when I saw who was sitting on a couch in what could only be considered a small apartment. It was none other than Zechs. As Kit stepped up the doorway he slowly knocked on the frame.

Zechs turned and beckoned him in. "Treize, our new roomy is here." He called out. Treize stepped out of the bathroom, shirtless, running a towel through damp hair.

"Hi, I'm Treize Khushrenada and this is Zechs Merquise." He offered a hand to the younger boy.

Kit shook his hand briefly, looking down at the floor. He was trying not to feel embarrassed. He had always been shy, but since his last year in London he had grown painfully so. Treize pulled him in by the hand he was still gripping and said "Come in, this is your place to now. No need to stand in the doorway like someone selling cookies." Zechs just glanced up and waved him in and went back to watching his show on the TV.

Kitsune noticed that there was a microwave, coffee maker and mini-fridge in one corner with a small dinette table that could seat four, a loft style bed with a desk underneath it and a very large king size bed in the other corner surrounded by shoji screens and glimpses of a few other pieces of furniture. "This is your bed here," Treize pointed out, "there is a chest of drawers and a small closet area built into it and a little ironing board that pulls out of the door. You can hook up a computer if you brought it. There is also a high-speed modem that connects to the campus internet on that shelf over there, if you brought your computer. You are allowed to use the fridge and the microwave, the laundry is down the hall. Please ask before snatching any food that you didn't buy and please respect our privacy in the are that we have bed and personal belongings. The common room is down the hall; turn left at the next hall and go straight. There is a full-sized kitchen there you can use for food preparation, but don't leave anything there and clean up your mess." Treize stopped for a minute, apparently trying to think of what else he meant to say. "As you may have noticed, the rooms here are somewhat bigger and the common room is much more well equipped and that is because this dorm is shared with the university students. We as high school students do not generally get such nice accommodations, but many of these rooms are not filled, so they let the high school upperclassmen have them. Why don't you go ahead and unpack and then we can discuss what we expect from you and you should expect from us as your mentors."

Kitsune nodded his head. "Yes Sempai." The first thing he did was pull his lap top and the base out of the top of his duffel bag and set it up. Then he set out his books and put his clothes away. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the other two boys sitting on the couch talking quietly. Zechs was stroking his partner's leg lightly. The sight made Kitsune blush as he felt his body start to respond to the slightly erotic scene. He turned away and climbed up onto his bed, clumsily pulling sheets and his blankets onto the mattress. Trying to balance himself in the awkward position required without falling on the floor.

Kit's feelings were a little hurt by the less than warm greeting form Zechs, but he can't say he was really shocked. After all, this was one of the most popular guys on campus. Why pay attention to some freshman. He was just fixing the last corner of his fitted sheet over the mattress when he stretched his back to far and bumped his head on the ceiling. "Damn!" He lost his balance and rolled onto the bed holding the top of his head.

The boy felt someone pulling his hands away from his head and carefully probing fingers stroking through his hair. He looked up to see Zechs concerned blue eyes looking back at him. I"I think it might be a little tender, but I doubt you hit it hard enough to get a concussion." Seeing the puzzled look on Kit's face, Zechs started to explain. "Sorry about earlier, I was taking notes on a lecture that one of the professor's was giving on our school channel and it was very complicated so I couldn't miss anything." He smiled gently. "I am usually not so rude as to ignore someone that has just walked into the room, especially not my own roommate." He glanced back at the sofa as Kitsune slowly returned his smile. "Let's go sit with Treize and we will explain how are living arrangements and this mentoring thing is supposed to work." He jumped off the ladder and sat next to Treize on the oddly colored couch and patted the cushion next to him.

Trying not to appear hesitant or scared, Kitsune joined them on the couch and looked at them attentively. He waited for them to speak as he did not really have anything to input at the moment and he was a naturally quiet person.

"Well Takahashi-san, this will be the last time we address you as such. As we are to be roommates and live with each other for the next year at the very least, we will be going on a first name basis."

"OK." Kit nodded his head in acceptance. He was used to the informality of England and the honorifics and calling each other by the last names seemed awkward to him anyway. He did not think to volunteer this information however.

"We are here to help you with any problems you might have, somewhat like big brothers. We will help you with your schoolwork and make sure that you study, but we will also make sure that you rest and eat if you are not taking care of yourself very well. If you have needs you have to tell us so that we can accommodate them. There is a midnight curfew and it is enforced. If you want to have someone over, please let us know in advance." Treize explained to him. While both Kouga and Heero had managed to discover that the boy seemed to prefer other men to girls and that he had some traumatic experience in his past. They had not, as of yet, found out what it was. Treize pitied the quiet boy next to him and hoped that this would work out.

Zechs stepped in to voice his own directives. "I am going to be very blunt and upfront about this, Treize and I are gay. We are also a couple. While we may occasionally have sex with someone else, we are very devoted to each other. I hope that this doesn't cause any problems for you. If it does, then you need to say so right away so we can find you another room." His serious face showed a hard edge underneath the surface. He would not take nastiness from anyone because of his love life.

"It's alright." Kitsune replied softly, turning his eyes to the floor. "I am too." His face grew hot with shame. He did not find it easy to admit this fact to anyone. The since of shame and pain had started when he had been faced with his sister's condemnation and total strangers outside the court room had said horrible things to him. His heart was battered and he had started to hate that part of himself.

Treize easily read the expression on the younger boy's face. "Look," he said with a strong tone of voice. "I don't want to seem cruel, but here are some things you should be aware of. This is not Europe or the U.S. and the rules of the western culture do not apply here." Kitsune looked up at him confusion swimming in his dark blue eyes. "In Japan, homosexuality has been accepted as a normal part of life for well over a thousand years. It is not taboo and it is not disparaged. Historically, love between two men was considered to be the purest form of love. In this country the gender of the person you love is not important. It is your love that is important. While people do not express themselves as openly in public, the people of Japan do not have even a tiny portion of the hang ups on sex and love that the western civilizations do."

"It's true." Zechs added. "Western civilization has used its religions since the dawn of time to make taboos and sins regarding sex and love and because of this have made it difficult for many to express themselves freely, with real feeling and love. Japanese religions do not make these things or most forms of sex taboo. However, it does seem that because of popular culture and the way gay men are portrayed that there is a strong association with cross-dressing and sometimes transgender roles. So occasionally there can be misunderstandings that lead to insult. But people will leave you alone about your sexual preferences for the most part."

"As your mentors and hopefully, your friends. We want you to feel good about yourself and to help you do your best in all things. So please don't worry so much about whom you can and can't love and just love who you love. You will be much happier." Treize reached across Zechs and held onto Kitsune's hand as he spoke. Kitsune felt tears leaking from his eyes as he finally realized that he had found a sanctuary of sorts. A place where he did not need to fear or hide his true self; a place where he could live with acceptance and have peace and joy without worry or condemnation. He smiled through his tears, the first time he had really smiled in months.

His roommates smiled back at him, glad that they had break through with their young fox. Not knowing that the problem was far more complicated then dealing with old social morals. Still for Kitsune, it was the start to healing his emotional scars.