• My eye twitched. "Sorry..."
    The principal crossed his arms. "Don't twitch your eye at me, Ryuuji. It's your fault you were late."
    I bowed my head. "I know. I'm sorry... but... why do I have to tutor him?" I ask pointing at Ushio sitting with a smug smile on his face only a few feet away from me.
    The principal blinked. "What do you mean? He's an amazing student. Your lucky I don't give you one of those slacker students." He said narrowing his slanted eyes at me.
    I nodded and bowed my head. "Yes, sir. Thank you for not giving me a slacker student."
    He had a good point... All the unlucky teachers got the unfocused, slacker, spoiled students, but only the well paid and special teachers got the good students. {The focused, smart, well behaved students.}
    He nodded. "Your welcome. Now, get to work."
    I gave him a 'what the h*** are you talking about' look. "Huh?"
    "I want you to start tutoring him today, if you don't mind?" He said, but he wasn't asking, he was ordering. He didn't care if I had something to do, I was going to stay at work and tutor him until after school sessions were over, which ended in forty minutes...
    I'm stuck with this kid for forty minutes!? Your kidding, right!? This is just a joke! ... Right!?
    Come on... Someones pulling my leg here...
    My boss waved his hand at me. "Go on now, get crackin' on it." He said with a smile.
    I felt a cold sweat form on my forehead. "Yes, sir."
    Ushio stood up and walked to the door.
    I could sense his amusement, I didn't even have to look at him, I could almost feel it... Creepy, huh? I turned and followed him to the door.
    Ushio opened it and let me walk out first, a smug grin spreding across his already thin lips.
    I growled and pushed past him. "Brat."
    He closed the door behind us and chuckled. "I know."

    I walked us to my class room, but kept the door open just in case, and sighed. "Fine. Get your text book out and turn to page three sixty two." I ordered walking to my desk and setting my case down, since I wasn't going home now... Stupid kid... keeping me from seeing my precious Juko... and protecting him like I told myself I had to.
    Ushio took out his text book and started flipping through the pages.
    I sat down, thinking hard about Juko. What if that Zakku boy comes over again? I won't be able to keep him safe! I pinched the bridge of my nose and took in a deep breath. The image of Zakku's arm around Juko's neck and their faces so close made my stomach ache. I growled and reached for my cell phone in my pocket.
    Ushio glared at me. "Don't do it."
    I blinked at him, taking my cellular phone out. "What are you talking about?"
    He jabbed his mechanical pencil at me. "Don't baby him like that. If I was your kid and you babied me with phone calls or s*** like that... I would have killed you already." He growled.
    I flipped it open and narrowed my eyes. "But, your not my kid, so I don't care. Now do your work."
    He put his pencil down and steadied himself, like he was about to stand up. "Don't you dare dial that number."
    I put my thumb on the first number.
    He sprang up and ran at me, going faster then I could follow.
    I jumped up and put the phone behind my back.
    He toward over me, his eyes filled with darkness. "Give it." He growled.
    I shook my head. "No. I have the right to call my son. I want to make sure he's not with Zakku-."
    "Why? Can't Juko have relationships too? Your in one with me, so can't he have one with Zakku?" He asked, his voice getting terribly low.
    I narrowed my eyes. "He's too young! And I'm his father! It's my choice! I can choose if he's good enough for him or not!"
    Ushio's eyes seemed to darken even more. "Fine. Go ahead and choose for him. Push all the people Juko has ever loved away. But when Juko turns on you, because you can't except letting anyone have your adorable Juko, don't come crying to me."
    I felt my heart ache.
    He had a point... I'd been pushing all of Juko's friends away... not letting anyone come close to him... trying to keep him safe... not really thinking about what Juko wanted... and I'm sure Juko wanted to keep his friends, not lose them because they had some 'bad food' at his dads house...
    Ushio stepped back. "Go ahead. Call him. See what he's up to. Ask him if his friend is over, scare him away, go ahead." He said pointing behind my back.
    I swallowed and looked at the floor.
    He smirked. "You can't, can you?"
    I glared at him and put my phone back in my pocket. "Shut up, brat. I... I didn't really want to call anyway..." I lied feeling my face get hot.
    He smiled and patted my head. "Good, boy, teach. Your on your way to not babying your kid so much. That's a good thing." He teased.
    I growled and looked at the floor. "Shut up..."
    He chuckled. "I'm proud of you."
    I nodded.
    He held out his hand. "Now give it to me."
    I looked at him, 'what the h***' was writen on my face.
    He pointed at my pants. "Phone. Give it. Now." He ordered.
    I stepped back, glaring at him. "No way."
    "Come on. I'm not going to steal it, why the f*** would I do that?" He grined.
    I gasped. "Language!"
    He chuckled. "Oh, come on. Like you don't curse?"
    I growled. "Shut up, snot."
    He grabbed at me. "Give it to me."
    I slapped his hand away. "Knock it off."
    He smiled. "Knock what off? I'm just trying to help."
    Pfft! Bulls***!
    Ushio somehow slipped his hand in my pocket and yanked out my cell phone. "Too easy." He chuckled.
    I blinked in amazement. "How did you...?"
    He flipped it open and began going through things. "Long story short: I grew up in a bad neighborhod, so I got to pick up a few things from my friends."
    I narrowed my eyes. "Do you still hang out with these friends of yours?"
    He chuckled. "No."
    I smiled. "Good. Why not?"
    He glanced at me. "They got shot."
    I shuttered and looked at the floor in pity. "Oh..."
    He clicked a button and put the phone to his ear. "It's fine. I don't really remember them anyway."
    What a horrible childhood he must have had... What kind of parents' does Ushio have? Are they like Ushio? Does he even have parents?
    "This is Ushio... Your dads staying after to tutor me today. So he won't be home till later, got it?" He growled at Juko on the other end of the phone line.
    I sighed. "Why are you so mean to him?"
    Ushio held up his hand, silencing me.
    I glared at him. "Excuse you?"
    He grined. "Yes, that's him... No. You can't talk to him... Because I don't want you to..." He chuckled. "I would care?"
    I snatched at the phone. "Give it to me! This isn't fair!"
    Ushio looked down at me, looking like he was enjoying this, like this amused him in some sick way. "I'll 'give it to you' alright. Just wait a minute."
    I jumped and stepped back, my face going red. "Sh-shut up... Give me the phone!"
    "Am I what?" Ushio asks Juko chuckling.
    What a little brat!
    Ushio's face went a slight pink. "No. But I tried to... He got really mad... Yes... He yelled at me... -."
    I grabbed the phone and put it to my own ear. "Juko?"
    "Papa? Are you okay?" He asks sounding worried.
    My heart settled. "Yeah. I'm fine. How about you?" I ask turning to see if Ushio was going to grab at the phone.
    Ushio glared at me.
    I smiled teasingly.
    "I'm okay. Zakku was home sick today, so I'm all alone..." He said softly.
    My heart rentched. "I'm sorry about that."
    He giggled. "It's okay. It's not your fault."
    I remembered when Ushio's face went slightly pink and then a few odd things he said, like Juko had been asking him questions. "Oh, yeah. What were you asking Ushio about just now?"
    Ushio jumped and grabbed at the phone. "No."
    Juko hesitated. "I was asking him if you and had-."
    Ushio snatched the phone from my hand and sighed. "Geez..." He started talking to Juko again. "Sorry. We have to go. Bye." He said hanging up.
    I glared at Ushio. "What the h***!? I was just asking him what he asked you about!"
    Ushio put the phone down on my desk and turned away from me. "It's nothing..."
    I growled. "Tell me."
    He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, not facing me still. "Nope."
    I grined. "If you don't tell me I'll get Juko to tell me instead, I live with him, remember. So I'm going to find out no matter what."
    He sighed and nodded. "Yeah... I remember... Fine." He faced me. "I'll tell you what he asked me about."
    I smiled proudly.
    "He asked me if I had sex with you yet." He murmured.
    I blinked, my face going red.
    The room went quiet, making it feel awkward.
    Juko did what!? No way! Juko would never say the word sex! Or even bring up the subject! He can't even talk about going to the bathroom without his face going red! How the f*** did he get the courage to ask that!?
    I swallowed and felt my heart throb.
    Ushio looked away from me. "I said no, of course. And then he asked me if I wanted to have sex with you... but you pulled the d*** phone away before I could friggin' answer the kid." He said as his face went a light shade of pink.
    I looked down at the floor. "Thank you."
    He smirked. "For what?"
    "For not lying and saying we did have sex..." I said, my voice almost cracking.
    He patted my head. "Of course. I knew if I did you wouldn't tutor me anymore, and then I would never be able to have sex with you."
    I shuttered. "You want to?"
    He pulled his hand away and looked at the floor. "I... I thought you already knew... In the library I..."
    I smiled. "I guess I already knew... It's just sort of hard to hear... Especially from a student."
    He nodded and swallowed hard.
    I grabbed my phone off of the desk and put it in my pocket. "Hey, Ushio?"
    He glanced at me. "Hm?"
    I pointed at his face. "Your red."
    He jumped and turned away. "Tch... I know... It's just red because it's hot in here..."
    I cocked an eyebrow. "You shouldn't lie to your teachers."