What Rules Cannot Hold (A Naekusaba story)

Summer Camp I

''Emptier than I expected,'' Makoto remarked upon disembarking; looking over the desolate airport. 

''Maaan, it's as if they rented the entire island!" Kazuichi said. 

''Such ignorance,'' Byakuya muttered, pushing Kazuichi away. ''Perhaps some people value education more than you do, and are willing to make concessions for its sake.'' 

''Yeah, yeah, I get it. . . But you don't need to push through people, you know?'' 

''You were in my way,'' he scoffed and walked away. 

''Same old Byakuya, huh?'' Makoto joked; Kazuichi shrugging in tacit anger. 

Makoto left his friend, looking around the students. To his satisfaction, spotting Mukuro; to his dissatisfaction, seeing that she was looking back at him. In as much as he inwardly hoped for a chance to talk to her, doing so here would be too suspicious, and a reciprocal gaze was no less damaging in the rumours it could arouse once fortuitously noticed. Yet, the two of them were locked; he walking closer, while Junko nudged Mukuro and, finding her unresponsive, turned her head similarly. 

''Whatcha looking at, Makoto?'' 

Makoto yelped and blushed. ''K-Kaito? N-Nothing really. . .''

''To say that you were looking at nothing is kinda rude,'' Kaito said with a creeping smirk. ''Especially when you were looking at a girl.''

''I was l-looking at something else and she j-just. . . happened to be in the way,'' he explained, while trying to simulate a sense of indignation. ''Besides. . . that probably happened to you too before. . . I'm quite sure of it.''

''C'mon, Makoto, everyone already knows-''

''With Maki. . . You always stare at her during maths-''

''Nah, that's just. . . the sun's rays, when I tilt my head one way-''

''And people accuse me of talking nonsense,'' Yasuhiro chimed in, containing a laugh under his smug smile. 

''Stop ganging up on me!'' 

''Ganging up on you? Hmm. Maybe you should look at it from another angle, like. . . Encouragement! Yeah – that sounds good: we're encouraging you to confess to Maki!'' 

''Alright, I get it,'' Kaito's mischievous smirk returned, ''so Makoto's gotta do some confessing, too!'' 

''Huh? Why me?'' Things turned once again. Makoto turned his head, skimming through the crowd before him; Mukuro was there, though evidently being scolded by Junko. ''Hiro was talking about you.'' 

''But that's not what friends do – we stick together through thick and thin!" Kaito exclaimed, to the amusement of some students, including Maki. 

''Dude, maybe lower it down?'' Kazuichi sighed. 

''You,'' Kaito pointed at him. ''You're the biggest loser here!''

''Shut up. What are you even saying?!''

''We know that you know that we know, and the entire class, as well, whom you like,'' He smiled triumphantly. ''And you never even asked her-''

''Are you just trying to make everyone feel down?!" 

''Kaito wouldn't do that,'' Makoto said. 

Soon, they retrieved their belongings and had to wait for a bus to transport them to their resort. 

''I think you're right, Kaito,'' he admitted, as they were waiting.