Chapter Four: Cassius:

I looked in the open room before me. I had to back up when I first smelled pot. Cassius glanced over and noticed my face.

�Aw, don�t mind the smell,� he said. �The last roommate we had smoked pot all day long in here.� I blinked in discomforted.

�Oh, so that�s it,� I mumbled.

�Hang on,� he said. Then, Cassius went into the room and opened up the windows.

�That should help get the smell out,� he said. He turned his attention back to me.

�Well, come on and get a good look around,� Cassius said. I glanced down at my feet and walked inside. To my surprise, this room looked cleaner than the living room did. The only things inside were a desk, bed, chair, and chest for clothes.

�This is the quietest room in the whole house,� Cassius told me. I perked up at that sentence.

�This is good,� I said. �I can study in peace!�

�Oh, for the entrance exams?� Cassius asked.

�That�s right,� I said.

�Which university?� he asked.

�Tokyo,� I replied. Cassius gave off a low whistle.

�Wow, that�s elite!� he said. I nodded at him.

�It�s hard to get into,� I said. �A couple of people from my neighborhood had to retake it twice to get in.�

�Why do you want to go there?� Cassius asked.

�It�s one of the best schools in the country,� I replied. I noticed the looked on Cassius� face. �What?� I asked. He shook his head at me.

�Nothing,� he replied. �I didn�t say anything.�

�You made a face at me,� I pointed out. Cassius threw up his hands at me.

�That�s all you,� he said. I turned around to face him.

�And what about you?� I asked him.

�Went to college, moved to Japan, and ended up here,� Cassius summed up. My face became a rather confused one.

�Why?� was all that I could ask him. Cassius shook his head.

�I was in love,� he replied. Suddenly, he held my interest.

�What about it?� I asked. Cassius sat down on what was to be my bed in a few moments.

�I had always had a fascination with all things Asian,� he explained. �Japan in particular is a personal favorite of mine. In fact, my first love got me here. He himself was Japanese. Best times that I had with him.� I held up my hand rather confused.

�Wait! Are you�� I began to ask. Cassius leered at me.

�Am I what?� he asked. It took me a few seconds to try and piece together what I wanted to say. I brought my face closer to his.

�Are you gay?� I whispered. Cassius raised an eyebrow at me.

�And what if I am?� he asked. I couldn�t come up with a comeback for that once. Cassius gave me a smile.

�Don�t worry,� he said. �You�re too skinny to be my type.� I looked up at him.

�Heh?� I asked. Cassius laughed at my response. I could see his gold tooth towards the back of his mouth.

�Now if you were someone like Yamapi, I�d be all over you right now,� he said.

�Gee, thanks,� I mumbled.

�Then again, Akemi-san would probably kill me,� he added. �She�s really protective of you like that, you know?� I looked at him quite surprised.

�Does she?� I asked. Cassius straightened up his black-rimmed glasses.

�Yes, yes,� he said. Then, he rose to his feet. �Well, if you need anything, my room will be across from your room,� he said. �Akemi-san�s room is just two doors down from us.�

�Okay,� I said.

�We�ll have to get you some sheets and stuff,� he said. �I�ll go get the bed stuff right now.� I nodded at him. Cassius paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.

�Oh, there�s one more thing,� he said. I looked up at him from where I stood.

�What?� I asked.

�Watch out for Sakura-hime,� he warned me. �It would be best to lock your door at night.�

�Why is that?� I asked, blinking.

�You don�t really want to find out right away,� Cassius said in a serious tone. �Just lock your door, okay?� I nodded at him slowly.

�Okay�� I mumbled.

�You�ll do fine here,� the black man in white told me. �If you need to eat, the kitchen is open to everyone in the house. Plus, it�s two people per bathroom. You�ll be sharing with Isaac. Is there anything else?� I shook my head at him.

�No, I�m good actually,� I said.

�I see,� Cassius replied. Suddenly, we heard the door shut downstairs.

�I�m back!� a man�s voice followed behind. Cassius perked up.

�Ah, speak of the devil, Isaac�s back,� he said. �Just let me know if you need anything, okay?� I put up a thumb up at him.

�Sure,� I said, unsure of my own answer.

�I�ll go tend to Isaac now,� the Yamapi fan said. Then, he went out the door, closing it behind him. I gave it a small wave. He�s not bad, a little strange, but not a bad guy. I wondered how he came to live in a place like this with my sister and those people. And what is this Sakura-hime person like? Why would I have to lock my door at night? I shook my head of these thoughts. I can�t focus on that. Now that I have a room in this weird place, I might as well try to study. I sat down at the desk and set up my notes and textbooks. It didn�t take me long to get right to work.