4That day, Fushimi went running. It wasn't as if he particularly cared about fitness or purposefully intended to exercise. Rather, he considered the physical exertion more of a misfortune than something beneficial. He hadn't been given orders by the Captain or Lieutenant Awashima. That would be a different matter. Then, it would be something he could perform perfunctorily and be done with it. Through a series of poorly thought out events, he had brought this affliction upon himself.
In the hallway of Scepter 4's dormitory ward, Akira Hidaka was knocking on doors after everyone's duties were finished for the day. The bothersome brunette was desperately searching for someone to join him in some pointless activity but was having no luck. Apparently, all the others were already preoccupied. Fushimi felt a dark sensation sink within him. If he had known in advance that the fellow blue clansman would be going door to door at a time like this, he would have avoided returning to his room. As it was, he had left an important document on his desk, and there were no alternative paths he could take to avoid Hidaka.
Feigning single-minded focus only allowed him to go unnoticed until he began to turn the doorknob. At that point, the older clansman ran up to Fushimi excitedly, as if he was trying to catch him before he disappeared into the room. Hidaka was waving around a DVD that—based on the cover—was the long anticipated release of the sequel to a popular film.
"Hey, Fushimi-san!" He greeted, "Wanna watch it with me?"
"I refuse," Fushimi responded so quickly it nearly cut his coworker off. "I'm busy."
Hidaka laughed in disbelief, "Fushimi-san? Has something to do on his down time? What is it?"
"I'm going out." It was a downright lie. Somehow he felt a little bad about it, yet it wasn't a statement that couldn't easily be made true by stepping outside for a few moments. If he admitted that he had no real plans after completing the five minute task of turning the document in his room in to the lieutenant, he would for sure be coerced into something boring. Therefore, accepting that he had just lied to a person who was a so-called 'teammate,' he took the first step into his room.
Still skeptical about the truthfulness of Fushimi's words, Hidaka pried further, "Where are you going?"
With an irritated sigh, Fushimi turned back to face the brunette. His mind was racing for an answer that would suffice. It had to be something believable to his personality—nothing like a date, a concert, or the theater. It also had to be something unlikeable, otherwise Hidaka would try to join him in the activity. And he had to come up with the excuse quickly, or the lie would easily be seen through.
"Jogging," Fushimi supplied, hopes slightly raised that their encounter would end now.
Hidaka repeated the word, curiously pondering its veracity. He wasn't really one to doubt people, though, and quickly decided, "That sounds fun. I'll come with you. Let's meet by the door in fifteen minutes." Then, he rushed off to change into workout clothes.
Scoffing, Fushimi muttered a curse word to himself. That had turned out the exact opposite as planned, and on top of it, he now had to go jogging. To save face, he called after Hidaka, "I won't wait for you if you fall behind." With that statement made, it was possible he could slip by before fifteen minutes had passed and simply claim Hidaka had been too slow. Slipping into his room, he closed the door behind him. Did he even still have tennis shoes?
Surprisingly, he managed to dig up some old things from junior high and nearly fit into them. In that way, he headed down the stairs after ten minutes feeling—and looking—like the nerdy, poor kid in school that was always wearing clothes he had grown out of. It made him wonder why he had bothered keeping clothes from that long ago, especially the ones that reminded him of Misaki. Maybe that was the reason why. He scoffed. That boy…
The day had just gotten a bit heavier.
Waiting outside the door, Hidaka was doing awkward looking stretches. He must have assumed that the less social Fushimi would try to get out of any sort of activity that didn't take place alone. Still, he looked sincerely innocent as he stood up, pulling one arm across his chest.
"Oh, Fushimi-san, you're early. Are you ready to get started?"
Conceded to his fate, Fushimi looked away, "Let's go already."
The dark haired boy in glasses who spent most of his sedentary life in front of some sort of screen was by no means athletic in any way. In fact, the light pace Hidaka set for them was probably faster than anything Fushimi could manage for any period of time. Unfortunately, that comment he had made pushed Fushimi to drive the pace ever faster. I won't wait for you if you fall behind. That had been rather cocky. Now, he was obligated to appear to be a decent runner. He had to stay ahead of Hidaka; he had to try to lose him.
There was one major problem with this: each time Fushimi increased his speed, Hidaka kept up just fine. Maybe it was his superior height, those lanky legs, that propelled him so easily down the street. Fushimi could tell himself this, but he knew it was more likely his own fault for being out of shape.
Sweat dripped down his nose, making his glasses slip around on his face. How troublesome. He couldn't give the impression of being a decent runner pushing the black frames back into place every five steps. His chest was burning, yet he forced the pace even faster. What was he trying to accomplish? Show himself superior? Nothing could be proved by keeping up this guise. Yet his subordinate trotted along with infuriating ease.
Fushimi waited until Hidaka finally started to perspire. Then, even as his legs had turned to mush beneath him, he pushed forward another block from sheer stubbornness. At that point, he thought it wouldn't look weak of him to suggest a small break. They had certainly gone far enough to merit fatigue. When he turned to Hidaka, only two steps behind him all along, a cold wind suddenly assaulted him. The autumn leaves carried in the air seemed to be trying to knock him over.
Rain started to fall from the sky.
While Fushimi nearly got the chance to say they should wait for the rain to pass, Hidaka spoke quicker in the situation. "If we hurry, we might make it back to the Annex before the rain gets too hard." Not allowing any time for the younger boy to process or refute the idea, Hidaka grabbed his wrist and sprinted back to their headquarters.
When Fushimi returned to his room, he was soaked and chilled to the bone. His lungs screamed desperately for air as if he had been drowning. Shallow but quick breaths were accompanied by weary coughing. Even his glasses were streaked with the falling water droplets so that his vision was unclear. That did not prevent him, however, from sighting a well-endowed female standing in official uniform at the door to his room.
That chest was impossible to mistake. It was Lieutenant Seri Awashima, the second in command at Scepter 4. The way her arms were crossed and her eyes were directed sideways in a glare, it was easy to tell she was vexed. Great, Fushimi thought to himself bitterly. What ideal timing.
"Fushimi-kun," she began, every ounce of her impatience coming through in her condescending use of his name. "What has taken you so long with that document?" It seemed she either didn't notice his condition, or simply only cared about why he hadn't fulfilled his duty.
Through half lidded eyes, Fushimi responded listlessly as he threw open his door, "I ran all the way here."
This is what happens when I get called Fushimi in a text message and try to exercise on the same day. It honestly is not meant to turn into a story any bigger than this, and does not in any way indicate I own the K characters, blue clan or otherwise. If you liked this little segment, though, please check out my ongoing story (with a real plot) called Waiting for Totsuka!