Your Protector

Chapter 2

Taro and Budo had started walking to class in silence, but what had just happened needed to be answered now.

"Taro, what the hell was that all about?"

"It's none of your business, Budo," Taro replied simply, keeping his eyes forward.

"You SLAPPED Osoro Shidesu!" Budo retorted loudly, causing Taro to jump. The smaller boy quickly covered his mouth.

"SHH! The entire school doesn't need to know!" he hissed.

Budo removed Taro's hand from his mouth, and his patience was wearing thin. However, the last thing he wanted to do was snap at the boy he felt so fondly towards, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Taro continued walking to class as Budo pleaded genuinely, "Seriously Taro, tell me; what is going on with you and Shidesu-Kun?"

Taro shook his head. "Budo... please, now is not the time to explain."

Budo was getting more annoyed by the second, and he was trying his hardest not to grab Taro by his shoulders and shake the answers out of him. "Did you ever plan on telling me? I had no idea that you were apparently friends with the guy!" he couldn't hold back the aggression in his voice.

They then reached their classroom, and Taro sighed as he leaned against the door. "There are some things that have to be kept private, Budo. I'm sorry, but this is exclusively between me and Osoro right now." He turned to face Budo, who had his arms crossed with an unpleasant expression on his handsome face. "So please, understand why I am being short with you."

Taro then displayed Budo's ultimate weakness: his puppy eyes. God damnit, why is he so cute, Budo thought. He wasn't finished with this conversation, however; he still had too many questions that had no answers.

But to respect Taro's wishes, he nodded to his request. He was rewarded with a lovely, small smile from the boy.

"Thank you," Taro whispered, before walking into the classroom.

Budo had been smiling, but inside, he was fueling with determination to find out more about this relationship his dear Taro has with the leader of the delinquents. He recalled Taro saying that he and Osoro were going to discuss everything at a park after school. That may be Budo's only chance to get some real answers.

It was invasive to follow Taro and spy on his conversation, he had to admit, but he didn't like the idea of Taro meeting up with some other guy in private. Who knows what their relationship is like? They may even be boyfriends–

Budo refrained from gagging at the thought. He remembered the dream he had not even an hour ago, and the thought of the man dressed in a fine suit on a white steed whisking Taro away to a private picnic being anyone but him made his blood boil.

Budo took another deep, calming breath, reminding himself that he may just be jumping to the wrong conclusion. That was why he was going to follow Taro to the park and listen in on his conversation with Osoro.

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The bell for class to end rang, and the nurse gave Raibaru the OK to go. The girl was adjusting her knee brace when the nurse told her, "Please avoid getting into fights, Fumetsu-San."

Raibaru nodded to the nurse's instructions. "Yes, Ma'am, thank you."

When Raibaru got the knee brace on and was readying herself to get up from the bed, Osana came into the infirmary with a worried look.

"You doing okay?" she asked as she walked to Raibaru's side.

The orange-haired girl smiled warmly at her best friend and nodded. "I'll be fine; the only major injury I have is a sprained knee. The nurse told me to wear this knee brace for the next two weeks."