FURINKAZAN ~ A WBW Production [it starts!]

[Weasel Overlord]

Inoue Hotaru
サンクチュアリ
Sunday [at] post-battle ** then [at] Akio’s house

As soon as Akio extended the invitation to his house, Hotaru pretty much couldn’t keep still. He bounced around, as much as his poor bruised self would let him, almost all of the way back to the Kasai place, which he supposed was a manor or a mansion or maybe even a castle! He didn’t know much about the Kasai’s, just that they were super uber rich, and that he didn’t know Akio was one. He felt slightly indignant that his Akio had never mentioned this fact before, but the feeling soon went away, replaced heartily with thoughts of hot chocolate and marshmallows and Akio’s (most likely) gigantic bed and a new house to explore and everything.

Taguri-san seemed lovely, offering tea and snacks and baths and general niceness, and Hotaru quickly decided that he liked her. Anyone who offered him sugary snacks was good in his eyes.

“Taguri-san… um, will there be tea?” Hotaru ventured.

“Of course there will, Taru-san!”

“Could I help you make it?”

“You certainly can not! You’re a guest, Taru-san, no helping for guests.”

Hotaru pouted, but he was pleased secretly. He did love making tea, but being a guest was so much better!

“Akioooo-saaaan,” he grabbed Akio’s arm and clung to it. “Where will we sleep? In your room? Is your bed big? Is it comfy!? Do you have curtains round it?” He chattered away, hugging Akio’s arm as if it was a comforter. Turning to Dai, he grinned. “Daiii, you have to sleep in the same room with me and Akio! It’ll be like a real sleepover and everything!”

Taru was completely oblivious to Dai’s disapproval of this idea. “I’ll stand guard for you, Taru.”

“No-one will ever get past if you do, Dai! You’d be the best guard in the world.” Hotaru poked Dai in the chest, to emphasise his point. “Akio, how far away is your housie? I’m sort of tired…”

***

“Akioooo your house is soooo big!” Hotaru gaped from the gateway. “It’s like a mansion! Akio went red, and pulled Taru into the grounds quickly.

“Shh Taru-san,” he said, hurriedly.

“No, he’s right Akio. Your house is pretty large,” Dai nodded in agreement, looking slightly impressed. “Maybe now you can both get changed,” he gave a significant glance at their overly-baggy, stolen clothes. “Not that you don’t look dashing in nurse outfits…” he trailed off with a smile.

Taguri stared at Hotaru and Akio, as if noticing for the first time that they were both wearing scrubs, and Cho laughed quietly in the background.

“We must sort this out immediately, Akio-san! How could you… oh never mind. I will iron you some nice warm pyjamas. And Hotaru, Dai and Cho, I’m sure I can find you some nice spare ones from Akio’s old things!” Tagari bustled off in front of the group, presumably to stoke some fires and press some jimmies*. Cho pulled a slight face, probably at the thought of wearing boy’s pyjamas and Dai just looked disapproving.

“As long as they don’t have duckies on, or bears sitting on marshmallows or something,” Dai commented, as they entered in through the huge oaken door.

“Funny you should mention bears sitting on marshmallows, Dai-kun…” Akio grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Oh joy,” Dai groaned, “if this gets out, I will kill you!” He turned sharply, as his coat was taken by a smartly-dressed butler type. “Akio… you have butlers.”

“Yeaaah…” Akio looked highly embarrassed, but smiled at the butler anyway. “They sort of come with the name. Anyway! My room’s this way! We can all sleep there!”

Taguri came sweeping out of one of the many corridors, a disapproving look on her face. “Akio-sama, I do hope you’re not planning on letting Cho-chan sleep in a room full of boys!” She grabbed Cho by the hand, and led her off up the staircase directly in front of the doorway. “You can sleep in the room opposite Akio-sama’s, Cho-chan. Come along now Akio-sama, don’t leave your guests loitering around in the cold doorway.” Akio looked at Dai and Taru ruefully, and then followed Taguri up the wide staircase.

“How many staircases do you have in this house, Akio-kun?” Hotaru felt slightly daunted by the amount of stairs, but the thought of a bed at the top of them gave him the energy to power through. “Whereabouts is your room? Is it big?”

“Taru, you’re repeating yourself,” Dai said.

“I’m tired Daaai-kunnn, don’t be so mean.” Taru pouted.

“It’s ok, we’re here now Taru!” Akio stopped outside another large door.

Stopped here for convenience or character interaction or something. Will post again (after Wenny, most likely) with actual sleepover content. XD

*jimmes = pyjamas. Shh.

EDIT: OOOH YEAAAAH PAGE 3

[Emotional Faun Chiko-sai]

Sakamoto Dai

12/9

Shinagawa Double Suicide
(Lead-in)


"Oh, isn't he precious!"

"Now, mother, stop gushing, we've had four days of it already and I have certainly had enough."

"But he's such a stiff. As a corpse. And inside - all fluffy."

"The hag has a point, mother."

"Ah, sisters, you're so callous."

"We'll soon be seeing enough - far too much, even - of the boy."

"He isn't even good with the ladies."

"Much less ladylike men."

"Like now."

"Exactly."

"Exactly."

"This should be entertaining."

*

The main thing that Dai noticed about Akio's house, no, mansion, was the size and scope of the kitchen. This fact was none too discreetly hammered into his brain by his sister's exclamations of wonder and delight. She flitted about the cavernous kitchen, accompanied by sparkles and a houseproud Taguri-chan, examining the fittings, the cabinets, the custom-made sinks and an actual, real, working hearth. It was when they started talking about different sizes of moustache spoons and their uses that he made a surreptitious escape to Akio's room.

Where they were playing dress-up. Hotaru, making his famous moue, was pretending to be a geisha with what looked like Akio's silk dressing-gown, a scarf, several clothes-pins and a decorative folding fan.

Dai, stone-faced, reached for the doorknob to make yet another escape (this time blatant), but was stalled by Akio (with his hair in a towel, turban-fashion, perhaps trying to emulate Sindbad the sailor) catching hold of him and chivvying him to the dressing room. Like everything else in the mansion, it was vast, large, gargantuan, and any other word that comes to mind that vaguely recalls the adjective 'big'; Dai was directed to the sleepwear section.

There was indeed a set of pajamas patterned with bears and marshmallows. The rest weren't much better. They ranged from ducks to smiley-faced onigiri to tooth-achingly cute rainbows.

Wordlessly, he stalked away from his flailing friends down the seemingly endless rows of clothing until he found something that looked relatively normal: a nondescript yukata that Akio wore when he went to his family's private onsen. To Dai's biased and unfeeling eye, the unassuming folds of cotton were an oasis in a sea of unremitting, embarrassingly patterned dunes.

When he emerged from the dressing room, they were on the bed having a pillow fight. Two people who'd just sort of checked themselves out of hospital that same afternoon were now engaged in some kind of childish brawl - and now that he came to think of it, Akio hadn't so much as a scratch on him. Also he could smell the secret the two were keeping between them a mile away, even if he didn't know exactly what it was, yet.

He ignored their entreaties to join in and settled down by the door, perfectly determined to hold good his promise of standing guard.

Did they think they would worry him with whatever they were holding back? What a laugh, I've been having these albatrosses round my neck for as long as I can remember, I'm immu-

A pillow hit him in the face.

With commendable composure, he threw it back to the duo on the bed.

Four pillows later, the inevitable happened.


I know, I know, it's short, but I swear I can't even think of Dai getting stripped by the merry duo without convulsing (in a good way). GO GO WEASEL POWER~

[classy_cat18]

Itou Cho - Stewing and Soaking
Current music - "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)" by Pink

"Cho? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I told my mother over my cell phone. It took a bit of effort to mask my voice so she wouldn't worry.

"Where are you? I got worried when you hadn't gotten back with the groceries."

I idly walked across the hall to Akio's room. "Oh, I ran into a friend of mine on the way there. She kind of dragged me to her house so now it's an impromptu sleepover."

"She?"

"Yeah." With a small smile, I held up the phone to the door in time to catch one of Hotaru's high-pitched squeals.

"She sounds excited," she said with a laugh.

"She's always like that. Sorry about not coming back; I should've called you earlier. She and I will walk to school together in the morning, okay?"

"Okay then. Good night." She hung up.

I pocketed my cell phone and finished the rest of my instant ramen. Despite the big kitchen, as well as the cook that was willing to cook something for me, I convinced Taguri that I could do just as well with one of the instant ramen bowls that Akio was sure to have had lying around. "Besides," I told her earlier, "I probably can't keep much down now."

"Cho-chan!" Aria rushed to me, her eyes darting to the door. "What is going on in there?"

We both winced as I heard a loud thump. "Beats me," I groaned. "I'm not looking in there."

She gently pushed me aside and stormed in there. I took a few steps and froze as I heard a loud shriek. That didn't sound like Hotaru. Shortly after I heard another shriek. Now that one did.

I went downstairs to throw my trash away and noticed something in the nearby sitting room (or whatever they called it). On the wall, there hung a familiar painting of a feudal lord sitting next to his lady, both wearing elaborate kimonos. "That's one of okaa-san's paintings," I whispered. "That was one of my favorites."

Taguri found me while I was still gawking at the work of art. "There you are! What are you doing down here and by yourself?" she asked me.

"Well...Aria-chan is busy with the guys--"

Busy giving them an earful.

"--so I decided to not interfere."

She sighed and handed me a set of red pajamas. "There's a bathroom near your room so you can get a nice bath. It already has everything you need."

I smiled. "Arigato, Taguri-chan."

She smiled back. "You're looking better."

I nodded and headed for the bathroom. Funny. I still feel like crap. I'm just doing a good job of hiding it.

The extravagant bathroom included a deep clawfoot bathtub, perfect for a hot soak. Minutes later, I was neck deep in bubbles and hot water. "How is Akio-kun not a spoiled brat?" I asked myself in awe. "This is heaven."

I feel so awkward being here. Not because it's a mansion, just that...it's their sleepover. Akio, Dai, and Hotaru's sleepover. Those three have been friends a long time before I met them. Now it's like I'm being kept out of their circle. I blew a few bubbles away from my face. Actually, it has always felt like that, even though it hasn't been this strong.

It might have been me overreacting. As a girl, a gap was to be expected. And Akio sometimes had to deal with an elbow to the stomach whenever he got too close or too protective, so he usually didn't smother me like he did with Dai. I am a little too rough around the edges. So it made sense that my perfect match would be someone from a martial arts team.

"Maybe I should try slipping out of here while everyone's preoccupied." I climbed out the bathtub and toweled off, then put the pair of pajamas on despite my plans.

It was a good idea too. Akio caught me the second I left. "Cho-chan, you look so cute in those!" He gave me a tight squeeze before I could make an attempt to escape.

I winced as he pressed down on the bruise that Akaryou gave me earlier. "No bra..." I murmured with a blush.

"Hm? Come again?"

"I'm not wearing a bra."

He quickly released me and turned red. "Gomen! Are you feeling better?"

Don't know. I gave him a fake smile. "A little."

"Ano..." He fidgeted, probably finding some way to comfort me.

For some reason, I found myself spilling my guts. "Ryuu-kun and I...first met at our first competition against each other. We put each other in the infirmary." My smile disappeared. "We couldn't really date each other since our two schools were at each other's throats. But he was really special to me. He'd go through hell just to see me."

I leaned against the wall before I started again. "He was someone just for me, if I'm not sounding selfish. Like Dai and Hotaru are to you." I wiped a tear away. "Losing him was worse than when I lost my eye."

"Your...eye?" He leaned down as if checking to see if I was missing one.

"My green eye isn't really mine. I got in a bad fight before I met you. I didn't tell you before because it makes me sound like such a guy." I forced out a laugh.

Our moment was ruined when Hotaru walked out and saw us. "You look so cuuuute, Cho-chan!"

"So I've been told." I yelped and struggled as he hugged me.

"Let's adopt her! She'll have the cutest room and we'll get a collar for her kitty and she'll have a room right next to ours!"

[Bulbasaur4]

Tai, Yuuto
[ Kazan Student | M | Currently: In an old park, by Rika ]

The girl hadn't taken Yuuto's hand, but rather had pushed her palms against the sidewalk and helped herself up. Brushing herself off, she looked back up at Yuuto with a bit of a scrutinizing stare. It didn't take long for her to notice the rather wine-bottle sized Ouzo at his side, attached to his waist by some odd combination of leather string and a container.

"Is that... alcohol?" She asked, pointing at the Ouzo. Yuuto took his hand and ran it absently through his hair before plunging it back into his jean pocket.

"Yah." Yuuto said.

"You're drinking in a park?" She shook her head, perhaps at the absurdity of someone drinking in a park near dusk. Yuuto raised a brow, perhaps picking up on this as he absently took a sidestep and peered down at her a little.

"Dun judge. I'm not drunk, yah just think that 'cuz of the odd surround'ns." He nodded towards the foliage around them. The large, branching trees gave enough cover to make the park seem secluded but also gave way towards the sky to allow the sunset to filter through.

"Oh... I see. Well, I'll just be going now..." The girl didn't seem to trust Yuuto or his words that much, and swiftly she started to make her exit by brushing past him.

"Oi oi! Do I know yah from some where?" Yuuto quickly asked, reaching out to perhaps grab her shoulder but she whirled around before it was necessary.

"Nope." She said clearly, and almost took another step before a large, obnoxious sound rumbled through the air.

Soon a man, seemingly on a bicycle, went flying through the air screaming at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!...." and it trailed off as he flew past. A distinct thud could be heard in the distance shortly after, to which Yuuto blinked.

"Yah know, did yah just see what I saw?" He turned to look at the girl, tilting his head to the side. She simply nodded in response, perhaps in shock or thinking about what exactly had just happened.

"Ah, so I'm not see'n things. That or yah are drink'n some thing tainted."

"No, I'm not drunk!" She furrowed her brow, "You are."

"Me? Oh no no no, I'm not drunk, yah see. I have quite the tolerance and 'ave been gambl'n too much to really drink that much."

"You make it sound like you always have liquor at your waist." She frowned once more.

Yuuto smirked lightly, his sea-washed eyes glinting with what could easily be portrayed as amusement. The girl then sighed, getting perhaps the hint that yes, indeed, Yuuto always had alcohol about his waist. Almost more than pants, actually- but Yuuto wasn't about to bring that up.

"So, what's the name?" Yuuto had perhaps managed to keep his slightly slouched, hands in pockets position the entire time.
"My name?"
"Yah."
"Oh no..." She quickly shook her head as she prepared to walk off again. "You're crazy. This place is crazy. I'm leaving."

"Aww, that's no fun!" Suddenly, with more movement than one would guess a slouching, slacker-like guy could possess, Yuuto reached out and grabbed her arm. Instinctively she pulled back, but Yuuto held fast.
"What the-?! Let go!" She growled, and now Yuuto's smirk only seemed perhaps even more inappropriate. (Yuuto, however, was a little too dense to realize such things.)
"Nah! Yah won't tell me yer name, and now yah are gonna just walk off like that? Come on, let's go."

It was then that Yuuto turned around, the girl's lower arm in his hand, and pulled her with him. His walk was fast, causing the girl perhaps to stumble a bit in protest before she realized that Yuuto was indeed, not going to let go.

"I'll scream!" She proclaimed, but Yuuto shrugged as he continued walking.
"Yah can, if yah want." Yuuto plunged his other hand back in his pocket as he continued to hold onto her. "But yah know, no one is 'round here at this time of the even'n. All of them are eat'n dinner."
It was at that moment in time, that Yuuto perhaps comprehended what the conversation and the position that they were in, was looking like. His eyes widened slightly at this miraculous epiphany, as he turned around and looked at the girl. A few blinks and an odd stare later, and Yuuto suddenly broke out chuckling.

"What are you laughing about?" The girl demanded, tugging at her arm.
"Aaaww, man. Yah think I'm gonna rape yah or some'thin?"
"What ELSE would you be dragging me off for in such a place? It makes sense why you're in this abandoned park in the first place!"

Yuuto tsked slightly, shaking his head as he released his grasp upon her. Instantly she backed up out of arms reach- and looked for a moment like she was going to run, but stopped. Yuuto raised a brow at her, giving a slight shrug.

"Aren't yah curious 'bout the guy who flew over us? He crashed near over here I think." Yuuto nodded in the direction he was originally heading. "I wanted yah to come with."
The girl remained silent.
Yuuto sighed, shoving his other hand back into his pocket for the final time. He then turned and started walking down the sidewalk again, towards the direction of the crash.
"Yah should come if yah want. I won't force yah." A few steps more. "The name is Tai Yuuto, by the way."

[Weasel Overlord]

Inoue Hotaru
arugamama de ii yo ... motto ... fukaku
arugamama de ii yo ... motto ... hayaku
Pillow fighting [at] Akio’s house, Sunday Evening

A pillow fight! Probably the best idea Taru and Akio had ever had. Pillows are soft, after all, and not at all likely to hurt his poor bruises. In fact, the only thing missing was Dai’s participation. True to his word, he had parked himself at the door to Akio’s cavernous bedroom and was doing a pretty darn good bouncer impression. The best thing about the pillow fight though was the opportunities! Oh, the glorious, shining opportunities. Akio and Taru had, huddled in a corner underneath a quilt, whispered out a magnificent plan of action. They were damn sure going to take advantage of those opportunities - and the pillow fight was the way forward, oh yes indeed.

Hotaru fought dirty, his pillow folded in two and bunched at one end of its case - perfect for swinging lethally at someone’s head you might say. Even more perfect as a flying projectile, aimed at Dai’s turned-away head.

Taru jumped up and down happily as his pillow sailed through the air and smacked Dai heartily on the back of the head, almost causing him to tumble forward into the door.

Dai turned, furious, only to receive another two pillows to the face, deftly lobbed by Akio. He high-fived Hotaru, grinning, and only let his guard down for a second before being hit square in the back by Dai, who had launched himself, pillow in hand, across the room.

Akio toppled forwards and Taru danced nimbly out of the way, laughing. Dai, now wielding two pillows, cut off his laughter with a swift one-two to the face and Taru, losing his balance, tripped over the prone Akio and fell in a heap on top of him.

“There’s no way to settle this without injuries,” Dai folded his arms and looked down at his friends in a pile. “How about a game of… poker? Whoever wins gets to pummel the other two with pillows.”

“How about whoever wins goes to get us all snacks!” Akio suggested.

“Sounds good to me! But I have a condition,” Taru grinned filthily. “Strip poker.”

Akio sniggered and Dai glowered for a second before remembering that neither Akio nor Hotaru were any good at poker. Basically, he couldn’t lose.

“Okay then, you’re on Taru,” Dai perched himself on a pillow. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Warn us about what?” Akio brandished a pack of cards gleefully. “Check these out!”

He shuffled the cards - which were a lurid shade of pink, each one with a different sickening design of happy-looking sweets on it. The ace was an onigiri with a gigantic smile, and Dai sighed.

**

Five hands and five winning suits later, Dai was still fully clothed in his yukata.

One more hand and Hotaru was completely naked.

Two more hands, and so was Akio, and the game ended.

Dai sat back smugly on his pillow, and folded his arms. “I did warn you,” he said, to twin glares from his extremely naked best friends.

Akio looked at Hotaru and, as if they were psychic, they both seemed to come to a conclusion simultaneously. Akio leapt at Dai, knocking him flat on his face, and immediately sat on his back.

“Argh!” Dai yelled. “Get off me, you great lump!”

“What do you think, Taru? Should I get off him?”

“Naah!” Hotaru grinned evilly. “Coming to get you, Daiiiii,” he grabbed the obi and pulled, loosening it enough to get his hands underneath and pull it almost free.

“What’re you doing!?” Dai kicked his legs in protest.

“You shouldn’t be wearing clothes when we’re naked, Dai-kun! It’s just not fair. Besides, I’m sure you cheated.”

“Joinnnn ussss,” Akio leered, as Hotaru untied the obi completely and flung it to one side.

“You lost fair and square!” Dai squirmed and wriggled frantically, but to no avail. Akio planted his hands firmly on either side of the yukata and pulled. The offending item slid clean off easily, leaving nothing covering Dai’s top half save a lump of Akio, perched comfortably between his shoulder blades.

“Perverts,” Dai mumbled, the tips of his ears going a slightly redder tinge than usual. Hotaru giggled in the background, and stole the rest of Dai’s dignity with the yukata, as he flung it across the room with glee.

“Since we’re such good friends, you can keep your boxers,” Hotaru said, poking Dai between his bare ribs.

“Oh thank you for your generosity,” Dai grumbled, struggling to get up. “Will you get off me, Akio! You’re all naked and disgusting.”

Akio pouted playfully, and was only half stood up when Dai suddenly reared upright and knocked him to one side with a yell. He lunged at Hotaru, who dodged out of the way and sprinted towards the door.

Before Dai could stop him, he’d opened it and streaked off down the corridor, completely shame-free. Dai stared at the open door, and then at Akio’s back as he followed Taru, laughing manically as he chased him.

Dai shook his head and jogged out of the door, determined to bring back the unruly streakers. He turned left, following the distinct sound of giggles and then nearly jumped out of his skin when Akio appeared once more, as if from nowhere, Hotaru hot on his heels and both pelting towards Dai at a dead run. He stared for a split-second, then turned tail, running for the refuge of Akio’s room.

“You’re both mad!” he laughed, picking up a pillow in self-defence. Akio charged, and Dai swung the weapon - it connected with Akio’s chest and he toppled - but Dai had reckoned without the mighty power of a charging Taru, who leapt at him, connected roughly with his chest and sent them both to the ground (which was soft, luckily).

Dai, using the momentum of the charge, rolled over and pinned Taru - his knees either side of Taru’s hips and his hands planted firmly on his wrists, holding him to the floor as surely as any handcuffs.

Hotaru stared up at Dai and smiled, blushing at their closeness. Their noses were almost touching, the only sound was the slightly laboured breathing of Dai and the sound of Akio struggling upright and -

- “HOTAR-" a gasp. “Ani-sama!? What are you doing!?”

-----

Ten points to anyone who can guess which song the title's from!!

[Bulbasaur4]

Kasai Akio
[ M | Zodiac: Ares | Currently: In his home with Dai, Hotaru, Cho, Aria and the regular house hold ]

Akio's own face had blushed severely when he had seen how close his dear Dai and Hotaru were. Immediately Hotaru's face flashed in front of his vision- the remembrance of the hospital - and Akio only grew redder. Instinct kicked in however, as Akio started laughing- which only grew louder when Aria appeared in the doorway and practically shrieked.
Then almost immediately on cue, both Cho emerged in her pajamas- her hair still wet from earlier, along with Taguri-chan who had taken to the idea of making everyone strawberry milk tea. The sight of two naked men and one almost naked man- two of which were in a very compromising position - made all of the girls falter. Perhaps a second of silence, and then-

"AEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Taguri shrieked, instantly dropping the tray of tea and causing it to clatter to the floor and spill everywhere. Aria seemed to suddenly realize that she was not only seemingly catching her brother doing inappropriate things with Hotaru, but also that they were all naked. Cho whirled around swiftly, biting her lip as she made a decision to walk down the hallway and out of sight.

"I AM SO SORRY KASAI-SAMA! I DID NOT REALIZE!!" Taguri wailed down the hallway, scurrying away and down the stairs like a frightened squirrel.

Meanwhile, Dai had promptly gotten up and was talking quite a lot for himself to his sister. Things like, "It isn't what it looks like!" seemed to keep popping up in different phrases as he did so. Hotaru however, was giggling madly as if the whole ordeal was positively hilarious. However, Dai's conversation with his sister wasn't going anywhere until finally she fumed at all three of them.

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
"Ah... ah... good idea... " Akio meeped, slowly shutting the door to block them from Aria's view for the meantime.
Dai glaring daggers ensued at Akio and Hotaru shortly thereafter.



Akio gave a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him. It had taken a while, but finally Akio managed to use his talent of diplomacy to calm down Taguri. After quite a few jokes and stories, finally he had managed to put her at ease and had ushered her off to bed. He then had gone to the kitchen and gotten a tray filled with snacks- gearing more on the sweet side, but he made a point to put in some more of a variety for Dai as well. Especially after well, the incident as Akio labeled it. Dropping off the snacks- much to Hotaru's glee - Akio then excused himself, saying how he had to make sure Cho was settled in alright.

Walking down the hallway, in the direction he last saw Cho go, Akio's shoulders slumped inward slightly. He still felt a tad bit achy, but with all the excitement, surprisingly he didn't feel too horrible. His body was still unnaturally warm, but he didn't feel very feverish and was no longer looking like a flushed strawberry.

Pausing, Akio noticed the door to his old workout room was open and quietly he slid the door forward. Several large paneled windows allowed the backyard to be fully visible and the light from the evening air illuminated the room in a soft, midnight bluish glow. There, sitting upon the bench press, was Cho. She was staring outside of the window- her body reflected in the mirror built into the wall opposite of the window.

"Ano... Cho..." Akio said quietly, announcing his presence as he stood in the doorway. Her two-colored gaze looked up at him, a little bit of surprised intermixed with an emotion he really didn't detect. She was wearing deep blue pajamas with a bit of embroidery etched into them- a scene of pagodas against cherry blossomed trees. They had been a gift from Akio's mother when she had visited Hangzhou, but that had been ages ago. Akio himself wore his usual pajamas- silkened pajamas of plain silk red, etched with a few dragons here or there. He almost wore the bunny pajamas his uncle had given him a while back, to match Hotaru- but figured for the sake of his own household, he'd hold back.

"Oh... sorry... I just..." Cho began, but Akio shook his head as he walked towards her. He didn't sit at first and glanced out the window.

"About earlier... eh... heh... sorry about having to see us... well... and that whole..."

"No, no.. it's fine!" Cho might have turned a bit pink here, but Akio couldn't tell in the slight darkness of the room. He frowned, but figured there was little he could do about the incident and so with that out of the way, he moved on to what he wanted to say. Or rather, he would have but Cho swiftly spoke up.

"I didn't know you had a room like this... is this your fathers?" She motioned to all the bench press and the various other pieces of equipment. Akio shook his head and gave a sort of distant smile.

"I used to be on the city's swimming team and I'd train here afterwards. However, I had to quit when I entered Kazan, due to the new study schedules I had and the fact that my father wanted me to concentrate on just school and things of benefit."

"That's stupid..." Cho muttered, but then caught herself. "Oh, that's not what I-"

"No, no." Akio shook his head again and took a step towards the window. "It's okay. I don't really get along with my father much. He only really thinks of himself and barely is around."

Some more silence ensued, before Akio closed his eyes briefly before gathering the nerve of what he wanted to say.

"My parents have never really been around much, and when I was younger I moved a lot. Hard to make friends when you move so much, you know? So it was... a little lonely I guess. Then I met Hotaru and Dai, and after that... a bit of that loneliness went away." Akio sat down next to Cho, his yellow eyes flickering to her. "But at the same time, they were friends before they met me and of course with that friendship, they do a lot of things together without me."

Akio smiled, "It sorta bothered me though, but at the same time it made me realize how dependant on them I really was. I wanted so badly not to be lonely, but at the same time I knew that they had to have their own lives- their family, their friends and such. But then coming to Kazan, I met you." Akio looked back at the outside world through the window. "And becoming friends with you taught me something important."

"Oh, and what is that?" Cho smirked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. Akio grinned in response, looking back at her.

"That all friendships are important and it doesn't really matter how long you know someone or how long they've known someone else. It doesn't matter if they like everything you like or if they seem to even be your opposite. The important thing is just about how you feel about them and they about you. Outside factors don't matter- they're all special, but real friendships don't get rankings like a kendo match or a swim meet."

Akio didn't wait for a reaction as finally the words that he wanted to say were at the tip of his tongue. He hadn't known how to talk about Ryuu's death or how to even approach Cho about such a thing, but now it felt as everything was in auto pilot. Akio wasn't nervous and his memories of the day weren't haunting him... right now, he was clear.

"I'm sorry about how you've lost someone very important to you. I can't possibly know what you're going through right now, but I promise I'll do my best to understand." Akio leaned in and hugged Cho tightly.

"Ano... I'm still not..." Cho began, but Akio kept his hug held fast. He didn't care this time whether she was wearing a bra or not.

"Cho, I don't know what its like to lose an eye in battle or what it's like to lose a loved one. But I do think that you're beautiful with the eyes you have now and while I can't feel your pain, I can try to understand. I'm always going to be here."

"I'm fine-" Cho began, but Akio swiftly broke the hug and placed his arms upon her shoulders tightly. His eyes earnestly looked into hers with an utmost serious expression upon his face.

"Cho, I know you're strong. I've seen what you can do and I know what you're capable of. But you don't always have to be that way around me. It's okay to not be fine. I'm not going anywhere."

We're always pretending to be okay...

[classy_cat18]

Itou Cho - Having a mental conflict

It's okay to not be fine. The thought seemed to lift a little of the weight off my shoulders. I smiled and ruffled his red hair, using my other hand to wipe away a stray tear. "Arigatou, Akio-kun. You know..." I stood and looked out the windows. "If you don't use this room anymore, why not redecorate it? Put a nice TV in the corner, a few bean bags, and it could be great to relax in if you're not studying!"

"Why, so you'll have somewhere to lounge should you invite yourself here?" he asked me slyly.

I turned and gave him a glare. "I'm not the one who spooked Taguri-chan and spilled her possibly delicious tea!" My face heated up at the vision of the three guys in his room. The worst thing is that it wasn't an unpleasant image. "That was something that will never leave this mansion!"

The heat spread throughout my body as the image wouldn't go away. I looked at the floor to erase it. No, I am not feeling this! Distraction! I need a distraction!

My prayers were answered when my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of the pajama top and answered it. "Domo," I greeted.

"Is this Itou Cho?"

"Hai." I checked the screen. It was an unfamiliar number. "Who is this?"

"You are familiar with a Mizukaze Ryuu, right?"

My breath hitched. Akio looked at me with slight worry. "What is it, Cho?" he asked me.

"Gomen, private call." I went to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. "Who is this?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with that. What's important is that I have information on his murder."

I grunted in frustration, my blood boiling. "If this is some kind of cruel joke--"

"I know who killed him."

"Who did it?"

"I can't tell you over the phone. I have to be careful with this information. I could get killed for it."

I sighed and sat on the floor. "How are you supposed to tell me?"

"There's a recently abandoned warehouse about eight blocks from Furin and Kazan. I know I'll be safe telling you there. Go there instead of school in the morning, and come alone."

I rolled my eyes. Like I was going to fall for that.

"I know that you might be skeptical about this, but it's the only way I'll be willing to tell you. No one else knows about this."

"What am I supposed to do with this information?"

"What do you think?" A chuckle. "Now do you want it or not?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying, "Hai." I grabbed a piece of tissue paper and a pen that I miraculously found on the sink, and then wrote down the address as he recited it.

Akio was standing outside the door when I left the bathroom. "Who was that?" he asked me sternly.

"He didn't say." I glanced at his serious expression and looked down at my feet. He was listening through the door. "He said...he knew who killed Ryuu-kun. He wants to meet me somewhere to talk tomorrow morning."

His eyes widened. "I'll go with you."

"No!" I bit my lip; I had said that too loudly. "He told me to come alone."

"It has to be a trap. You can't go alone!"

"You can't go with me! This is my only chance to find out who did it and bring him to justice!" My hand clenched the tissue paper tightly. "He can't get away with what he did."

"But--"

"No! You're in no condition to risk yourself! Besides, I have Fuu in case something goes wrong."

He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine."

"I'll leave here and go to the warehouse in the morning before everyone else. Oh, and I have a favor to ask." I took a deep breath and continued. "Okaa-san called me earlier. She wants me to escort someone to Furin since he doesn't know the way, but I obviously can't do that. Do you think you and the others could meet him at my house?"

"Where is your house?"

I grabbed another piece of paper and wrote down directions. "It's not far, and he'll be standing outside, wearing a Furin uniform. His name's Hideki, and he's related to a friend of the family." I decided not to tell him the truth about that.

"Alright." He still looked uneasy.

"I'm not fine. I'm very shaken about this, but it's another reason why I have to go. If I'm not back by lunch period, you have my permission to be worried. Oh, and don't tell Hideki where I'm going. He might find out something's wrong though. I swear, he acts like he's psychic or something..."

"Cho-chan?"

"Oh, I was rambling. I should get to bed." Before I could think about why I shouldn't do it, I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night."

[Crystal Tears]

Rika Satou

You know, you’re an idiot. Rika thought with a frown, watching the Tai begin to walk away. Slowly she began to follow; noting how her thoughts were becoming increasingly negative Curiosity killed the cat. She had never imagined herself as a feline, it was an interesting image, and she could see herself getting by uh… Flying thing with a screaming man on it; quite the image… A dramatic death. She smirked secretly, her mind than painting the wonderful, fantastic image of her getting up after said experience. Satisfaction brought it back.

Of course it than dawned on her she was following the drunk, creepy man to some mysterious crash. She wondered if they had both gone insane at the exact moment, but she could feel something in her. It twisted and churned, like a monster. The fact that they were heading for something unnatural seemed to excite it…

That made Rika fairly uncomfortable.

“My name’s Rika.” She spoke, not wanting to reveal her last name. Maybe he knew Yuki, if so she didn’t really want to open that can of beans, plus she really did care about formalities at the moment. Why did you say that? You’re an idiot, he probably is a criminal, a rapist, Tai Yuuto probably is just a cover-

“Whoa…” She murmured.

There was the blur of a man; he lay at the foot of a tree. Of course, the tree was now leaning on a dangerous angle and a portion of it was missing. Rika blinked, it wasn’t a small tree, and exactly how hard did you have to hit a tree to make it do that anyways? Did she want the answer? Probably not, as she and Tai neared, the man groaned, slowly moving his arm.

“Is he alright?” Rika questioned to her companion, who shrugged.

“He’s alive ain’t he?”

She looked over at Tai with a frown. “Oh how comforting.” She pushed him forward a little. “Go see if he’s okay.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re bigger, if he’s psychotic you’ll be an ample distraction so I can run off and hide.” He looked at her with a smirk. “You need another reason?”

“If you ‘ave another.”

“You like to gamble. Go for it.”

He chuckled, as if not worried at all that the man had flew by on something out of this world. Rika came up from behind making sure to stay just out of arms length from Tai, which put her at a fair distance from the strange man...

Who, as they neared Rika instantly recognized as the janitor to her school, the strange one that never seemed to leave, in fact. With that in mind she pushed past the (not) drunk man and walked right up to Sakaki.

“Hey!” Rika called, nudging the man with her foot. He seemed to mutter something about a crab before slumping again. He knelt down beside him and frowned, thinking of exactly what could get the janitor to react. “… The schools on fire…”

“WHAT!?”

Rika jumped back as Sakaki sat up, almost in the creepy monster movie way. She couldn’t help but think: It’s alive! It’s alive! As he looked around bewildered and confused. He seemed to clue in that they were no where close to the school, that it had been a lie, and that he was now facing two people who seemed rather confused on exactly why he was out here.

“Sakaki are you alright?” She question, gathering his attention. So much for the rumour he never leaves school property…

~ ~ ~

There, I posted. HA HA HA HA HA >.> I’m sorry B4 if I took Yuuto OOC. I tried, anyways. TAG DT and B4… Add in your –sans, -samas, and what not on your own people.. I don’t get it so meh xD (Is Sakaki Hideo’s last name? I got confuzzled…. This is what happens when I come back after ever long FK hiatus.)

[darktyranitar]

Hideo says: I’m surrounded by perverts. AND crazy people.
Cliff says: Hoi, shut up. As if you’re not crazy yourself. Dudeeeee…

12/9/??
Sakaki Hideo & Cliff
[Close encounter]


Get away with your guns now
We don't want it
Get away with your guns now
We don't like it
[Five Man Army | Massive Attack]

Hideo blinked. Well, well, who could this girl be? Obviously, she knew him, of course, so that would mean that there are two possible answers: #1 she was one of those supernatural being that visited him from time to time (he hasn’t seen them much lately, though, with the exception of Cliff), or #2 she was someone from Furin.

Well, that’s right, she did mention about the school on fire and all…

Oh wait… there was indeed something wrong with the school!

…but priority is priority, after all.

“Yes, yes, I… believe I’m still alive and… well, thank you… Umm, I don’t know if this is the right time to ask this, but who’re you?”

“I’m Rika,” she said after a moment of contemplation.

Rika, huh? Can’t say that I remember that name…

“So, Sakaki-san, how did you end up here in the first place? And…” Her eyes signalled the half-maimed tree behind him.

“Oh, that?” Hideo rubbed his head. “See, Cliff here dragged me off on a bike, and… it appears that you actually can’t brake in mid-air, as I painfully found out. Heheheh…”

The girl named Rika then nodded, and a man – Hideo was only now aware of his presence – then signalled Rika to come to his side, where he then whispered something to her.

After much whispering – and after Hideo had manage to retrieve the half-crushed bicycle – what Hideo feared most happened.

Cliff was there, seated on the ground for all to see. As if that was enough, he spoke up.

“Hey.” He pointed to Rika. “You there. Rika-whatever. You smell like… hm, the twins. Oh, yes, there’s no mistaking it… so where’s the other one? Huh?”

The question elicits confusion from both Rika and the unknown man. Hideo groaned, and facepalmed.

“And you. Who’re you?”

“Yah talk’n to me?”

“Yeah, I’m talk’n to yah, man.”

“Well, Tai Yuuto’s the name. And yah-”

“Right, pretty boy. So. I smell some alcohol there. You got any for me?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any to spare for yah… crab.” Yuuto seemed to be more concerned that this crab was asking him for a drink – he does not seem to remember the fact that crab does not normally talk, except in cartoons. Either that, or he is secretly unsure of his sanity.

“Crab?? Well, excuseeee me, but this crab has a name, you know? Well, let me tell you this-”

“He’s a psycho,” Hideo managed to interrupt.

“The name’s SHUT THE FUCK UP! Ahem. I’m Clifford Lee Burton… yeah, yeah, I know I’m that famous used-to-be-a-dead-guy… What am I? I’m Cancer: and to clarify, yes, a cancerous Cancer Crab, born under the zodiac of Cancer. And I’m here to… hell, what was it again…? Ah, yeah, I remember now: I’m here to kill off all other losers from my brethren. Starting with YOU!”

Hideo groaned, whereas Rika and Yuuto were pretty much clueless.

Cliff shot Hideo a dangerous look (in a crab-like manner) “Now c’mon and help me, dude. The bitch there, she’s one of us.”

Hideo was agape. “She’s a what?”

Cliff snorted. “You know, power sent from heaven and all that. Black magic woman. Stuff.”

“Excuse me, but I’m not a bitch,” Rika said darkly.

“Oh yeaaaaah? Says one of the bi-atchs.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Hell yeah, you are.”

“No, I AM NOT.”

“Hell yeah, YOU ARE.”

At this, Yuuto coughed discreetly. “I hate to be meddl’n, but… Rika, yah arguing with a crab.”

Both Cliff and Rika paused. “So what’s your point?” they said in unison.

“From where I come, we eat crabs for din’r. And our crabs dun talk back, yah know?”

“And if they can talk, they probably won’t be swearing so much too,” Hideo added.

“Dude.” Cliff pinchers clicked menacingly. “Remind me to give you an acid bath the moment we get back...”

That’s right! THE WALL! I’ve totally forgotten about the hole that Cliff had left prior…

Hideo staggered unsteadily from where he was standing. “Well. It’s certainly been nice talking to you two, but Cliff here and I need to be getting back to work. So.” In a split second, he had managed to pick Cliff up, and they were both now on what used to be called a bicycle. “Let’s postpone the fight some other day. Good evening!”

“Hold on now, stupid.” Cliff pinched Hideo’s arm, and Hideo was aware of the tingling sensation – it felt a lot like a red ant’s sting. “I know it’s none of my concern, but what do you plan to do with the two of them? They’ve found out about us and all.”

“I think you’re the one who should be concerned…”

“Yeah, but I have awesome power. And you don’t. And I could just leave you for that girl there to handle with, you know?”

“Well, but didn’t you-”

“I’m changing my mind. The hell I’m looking out for your back all the time. And if I need to get a new host, I’ll just do that. You’ll see.”

…That’s certainly a problem. I’ve never really thought about it much…

“Hey.” Hideo motioned for Rika and Yuuto to come over. “Sorry that Cliff here is being very rude and all… I’ve only met him for a day, so I can’t do much about it. Um. I know you’re probably wondering, what on earth is going on right now… well, three’s a crowd, because honestly, I have no idea either. Anyway… dinner, anyone?”

It was Cliff’s turn to facepalm (or in his case, facepincher). “Do you seriously think a free dinner’s going to make them forget about all this?”

“And, I know this one seafood restaurant just around the corner. What do you say?”

While Rika and Yuuto were looking uncertain, Cliff was very firm; he said: “I say, fuck you one.”


Cliff says: This post has kinda a lot of dialogue, yeah? Why the hell are we talking like this, anyway?
Hideo says: I dunno.

And I say: Apologize if I OOCed Yuuto and/or Rika.

Enough with the script format =x

[Weasel Overlord]

An Interlude

The shadowed figure in the corner of the office smiled; a haunting sight beneath her veil of hair. Her teeth showed, flashing white once, before they were hidden once more.

“You know what to do…” she said, her voice gravelly as if it hadn’t been used for some time now. The imposing man opposite her smiled in return - his a much grimmer, more dangerous kind. A smile like that leaves a sort of scar on innocents, but the red-haired girl simply bared her teeth once more and then was gone.

The man tapped his fingernails on the desk - once, twice thrice - and then whirled away to the telephone in the corner. One errand. One stone, two birds.

Pretty little birds, how they will cry as their wings are plucked, and their hearts are crushed.

The screams of loved ones are perfect bait. Perfect beating hurting crying bait.

He picked up the telephone, tapped out the number he had no rights to knowing and waited.

Inoue Hotaru
ghost
[at] Akio’s house [then] in mortal peril

“Gnu-h’llo?” Hotaru picked up his mobile and the little charm hanging off one corner jingled merrily. “Oh, hi oka-san! No don’t worry, I’m not murdered, I’m at Akio’s.” Akio rolled his eyes in the background. “I know, sorry I forgot to ring last night. Mmhmm, okay I’ll pick some up on my way home. Bye! Love you tooooo,” he trilled, and flipped the phone closed again.

“Oka-san was worried about me,” he said, sheepishly, turning over to face Akio. “I forgot to call her last night and she thought I’d been murdered or something.” He wrapped more quilt about himself and snuggled deeper into the bed. “Your bed is so comfy Akiooo! I never want to leave it ever.” A snort from the other side of the enormous bed told him that Dai was awake too, and he shuffled round in his cocoon to stare at him. “What?”

“You could spend all day in any bed, Taru. You’re just a bed-fiend.”

“Hm well, I suppose you might be right.”

“Hey, is that your phone again?” Akio pointed as the compact machine lit up and vibrated madly to the beat of Gackt’s voice.

“Huh, so it is. I wonder if Oka-san wants something else from the shop…” Hotaru flipped the phone again and put it to his ear, the motion once again accompanied by the tiny jingling onigiri at the corner. “Hello?”

A deep and somewhat familiar voice answered, and it sent a chill down his spine for some reason, even though he was wrapped up so tightly in quilt.

“Hello Inoue-kun,” the voice said. “Do you know who I am?”

“N-no, I don’t.”

“It’ll come to you. Meanwhile, I have some very simple instructions for you to follow. Do you think you can manage that?”

“Instructions? Huh?”

“Yes, you know, those things you can’t follow very well. There’s something that needs taking care of at school.”

“At school?”

“Yes Inoue-kun. Are you a parrot?”

“N-no.”

“Well good. Perhaps you should stop repeating whatever I say then, and start listening.”

“Alright,” Hotaru wrapped his fist in the quilt and squeezed. He did not like this conversation, and he didn’t even know why.

“Like I said, Inoue-kun, there’s something you need to do at school. Bring Sakamoto-chan too.”

“Dai?”

“No, his sister. Sakamoto Aria, yes?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Dai had sat up at the mention of his name, his chest bare and quilt bunched around his legs. He leaned forward as if to ask what was going on, but Hotaru waved his hand at him and he sat back, patient.

“If you bring anyone else along, Inoue-kun, I will know.”

“Alright,” he said, a hint of annoyance coming to his voice.

“If you do bring someone other than yourself and Sakamoto-chan, they will be hurt. Badly.” The voice was flat, now, and Hotaru gulped. It was definitely serious.

“Okay, I won’t bring anyone else.”

“Good. When you arrive at school, go straight to the Headmaster’s office and wait there.”

“Just wait?”

“Yes. I expect you within two hours. Do not be late.” The phone clicked and the line went dead.

“What was that about, Taru?” Dai looked worried, and Akio echoed his sentiment, brows furrowed.

“I think… I think it was the headmaster,” Taru looked confused. “He said there’s something I have to do at school. Me and Aria…”

“Well there’s no way you’re actually going there alone.” Dai looked firm, his mouth set in a stubborn line. “Are you, Hotaru?”

Taru squirmed and looked guilty. “He said we have to go alone.”

“You can’t!” Akio chimed in. “It’s dangerous!”

“He’s right. You’re not going anywhere.”

“I have to! He sounded really serious. Like… deadly serious. Like, if I don’t go, people-will-get-hurt sort of serious.”

“But why do you have to go?” Akio looked as if he was about to cry with worry, or something similar.

“I don’t know, Akio,” Hotaru snapped. Both Akio and Dai looked aghast at Hotaru - he’d never snapped at them once throughout their long friendship. “I’m sorry…” he looked weary. “I didn’t mean to get angry. I’m just… worried. And kinda scared,” he dropped his head. “I suppose I should get dressed then.”

“Unless you want to go to school naked,” Akio said in an effort to lighten the mood.

Hotaru smiled wearily and wondered just how he was going to get Aria to come along to Furin with him.

[EngiMatikul]

Aria
=====6:45 AM=====
In light of the previous predicament that had occurred the night before, Aria had went through a fury of various emotions and dilemmas. First she shut herself up alone in one of Akio's many rooms, refusing to see anyone. Then she realized if she had done that Dai and his friends may be causing mischief again... so she flung the door open and was about to goto the boy's room, but then felt that she really didn't want to see Dai right now, especially after what he had been doing earlier... she thought about going home but with the recent dangers that had been occuring this is probably not a viable choice.

Eventually she decided to settle down after she "cordially asked" (read: threatened) a security guard to keep track of every single movement inside the boy's room and inform her immediately if there was any suspicious activity.

How convenient how the mansion has security guards, she thought, then steadily became lost in thought as she delved into the pleasures of the kitchen.
-----
Upon the arrival of breakfast, the mood was unusually depressing for the group, despite the excitement that had occurred the night before. Both Cho and Hotaru seemed remarkably melancholic compared to their usual personalities. Akio and Dai looked equally listless. Taguri, having come out of the kitchen along with Aria, was anxiously looking at Akio, wondering what's with the atmosphere. Aria herself became slightly worried and forgot about the night before; after distributing the meals, she watched them in silence, wondering what she should say.

"Umm." Hotaru began.

"Yes? What is it?" Aria inquired.

"Today, I have to go see the headmaster." Hotaru stated, with the absence of his typical flamboyance.

"Uh... is that so?"

"He said you had to come with me." Hotaru was amazingly preoccupied with cutting his morning sausage into the smallest pieces possible.

"Eeh? Why is that...?" Aria tilted her head to the side, finding the request strange. In fact, the request WAS strange.

"Aria." Dai spoke up. "Be careful. This is suspicious." Dai stared firmly onto Aria, than onto Hotaru. "And Hotaru's still injured from yesterday..."

"W,what? Isn't this just a headmaster visit?" Aria laughed nervously, but then realized they were serious. "Well, since he's injured, I guess I should accompany him... Hurry up and finish breakfast, we'll be late for school."

=====

"...Why would the headmaster call for you? And why would I need to accompany you?" Aria grumbled with annoyance. Upon the headmaster's orders, they had skipped class to visit him. As they walked down the class halls, there was a rather eerie, ominous feeling that seemed to permeate throughout the schoolgrounds. Aria seemed to notice it for a while, and tensed up, but then dismissed it shortly after. The sun was up and everything seemed so peaceful, what could possibly happen?

"A mystery, my dear sister, a mystery indeed... but we shall find out, soon enough...!" Hotaru had, for the most part, returned to his former self, although it was evident that he was still worried about what's to come.

"Ah!" Aria brought up her index finger as if she had just figured something out. "It must be club issues! Yes, club issues, without a doubt. I'm part of the cooking club, and you're part of the tea ceremony club. Yes, that must be it..."

Hotaru was silent all the way upon arriving to the principal's door. The door loomed over them like a formidible barrier; it never occurred to Aria how large the door was, until now.

Aria gulped. "W,Well, let's go in, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" Hotaru laughed warily. "Oh but after you! Ladies first, as they say..."

Aria pushed the door open.

The room was dark and ghastly. The sun that was shining brightly outside was occluded by thick, dark curtains so that not even the slightest ray of sunlight could get in. Upon their entrance, their center of view was a large presidential desk, the chair behind it facing the direction opposite to their view. The chair twirled around and showed the headmaster, staring relentlessly with an ominous grin...

"Come in come in, make yourselves comfortable..."

"Um, uh, we're here to discuss club issues!... right?" Aria spoke nervously.

"Club issues! Yes.,, come in, let us discuss... "club" issues..."

Aria and Hotaru walked two steps further, and...

*SLAM!!!*

The door shut behind them. Aria gave a shriek and quickly turned around to see a dark shadow closing the door.

"Ah yes, I would also like to introduce a new "transfer" student, if I may say..."

Aria looked squinted and looked closer at the person, then gasped and quickly jumped onto Hotaru. This time, Hotaru let out a shriek.

"D-Don't do that!!" Hotaru stated nervously.

"That person!! That person, isn't he..."

"Dead?" The headmaster finished. "Why, yes he is."

[classy_cat18]

OOC: Damn, long post.

Itou Cho - Entering the Lion's Den
Current music: "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" by Eiko Shimamiya

I stood in front of the large sliding door of the warehouse, my hands shaking. No amount of self pep talk could prepare me for this meeting. Akio has the address, in case I'm not back soon. He knows I can take care of myself. Besides, he has other things to worry about.

"Like Hideki," I said out loud. "Hopefully Hideki won't find out why I wasn't there to meet him."

When I heard movement behind the door, I ducked and walked under it. Although it was abandoned, there seemed to be cargo lying around. Either someone was still using it or had ditched their stuff. "Hello?" I called out shakingly. No answer. I kept walking to the center of the room. "Hello!"

I should've seen it coming the second I entered.

The quick patter of footsteps.

The harsh breathing.

The swift blow to my side as I twirled to meet the "informant".

The force that I felt as I skidded to a stop a few feet away. "You," I rasped as I struggled to get up.

Akaryou smirked and stood where he stopped. "You actually came alone," he said with amusement in his voice. "I didn't know I had disguised my voice that well when I called you last night."

I groaned and rolled on my back. The shock didn't come until the pain had cleared enough for me to assess the situation. "You said...you had an alibi." I gently touched my injured side and winced. Another nasty bruise to deal with. "After all that crap...you actually did it?"

"You were convinced?" He chuckled.

"I was willing to give you the benefit of a doubt."

"Sorry, it was wasted." I panicked as his footsteps got louder. I rolled on my stomach and tried to crawl away but I was too slow. He grabbed my hair and yanked upwards. "You've gotten so weak, Cho-chan. Have you been feeling well?"

My emotions seemed to had been muffled, most likely from shock and pain. I weakly twisted and pulled my head to get it out of his grasp. Damn! I still haven't recovered from yesterday! I didn't want to do this but...

"Fuu." I felt the familiar surge of power rush around me as the fiery nekomata was summoned to my side, already at her big cat form.

To my surprise, Akaryou didn't look surprised. He let go of my head and took a few steps back. "Having your pet fight your battles?" he asked me.

Fuu narrowed her eyes at Akaryou. "Him." She already knew her target.

"Yes. Don't kill him."

Akaryou let a small chuckle that grew into a maniacal laugh. "Not killing me will be the greatest mistake you'll ever make!"

"GET 'IM!" The command came out like a roar.

Fuu roared and lit her tails in white-hot fire but didn't move. Akaryou turned and ran for the exit. When he was halfway there, Fuu ran for him. I rose to a standing position, sure that the cat would easily take him down.

But then Akaryou abruptly stopped and turned to face the charging cat.

"What is he...?"

Fuu prepared to pounce. Akaryou jumped and spun to plant a roundhouse kick in her muzzle.

The impact was so powerful, that Fuu sailed past me. My wide eyes watched her crash into the far wall and make a big dent in it. My mouth opened to say something but only a gasp came out.

"Sorry. Fuu...hurts...must..." She disappeared in a puff of flame.

I stared at where she was for a long moment. Nothing else existed during that moment. I panted and shivered in fear. She was never defeated like that. Even so, she wouldn't have gone down from a mere human!

"I'd say it was time for Plan B," Akaryou whispered in my ear. He had been able to approach me while I was in my stupor.

I gasped but stayed frozen. Then again, it would've taken quite a power to take down someone with power. Ryuu...

"He fought, you know. It made the slaughter so much more fun."

A short sword appeared in my line of sight, waving in front of my eyes before it was lightly pressed to my neck. My vocal cords allowed me to speak louder. "You're killing me?" I asked in a panic.

"No. Sinners like you shouldn't get the relief of death. Not without punishment first." He roughly grabbed my hair again and yanked, earning a scream of pain from me. "You were...my pride. Third seat? Ha! You could've been my successor! But then you had to get mixed up in that Furin trash!"

"Ryuu's not..." I started.

"YOU DEFEND HIM? YOU'RE A TRAITOR!" His sword bit into my arm, drawing blood. Another scream tore from my throat. "A naive, childish traitor. What kind of high school student..." I faintly felt the blade move off my arm. He let go of my hair, except for the antennae locks. "Has these?"

I almost screamed as he sliced through them. The locks of hair drifted in front of my eyes to the ground.

Akaryou grabbed my arm and squeezed painfully. "You side with Furin and fight alongside them. It's only proper that you carry the mark of a traitor." He pressed his blade against the skin of my upper right arm.

I couldn't get away from him. His grip was too strong. I could only writhe as he slowly carved something into my arm, the kanji for "traitor". Stop...the pain...

I looked at the blood and tears that dripped onto the floor. "Yamete..." I whispered.

"Hmm?" He continued.

My voice came out again as a louder cry. "Onegai...I can't stand it!" I sobbed.

He finished and tossed the sword on the ground in front of me. "Only one way to end it." He shoved me to the ground.

I stared at the blade in disbelief. He's insane. Is he suggesting...

"Not now. I'm sure there's a certain someone that would love to see this." He gave a dark laugh.

"No--"

"No? Do you want to be a coward too?" He grabbed my left arm. "You have another arm; we can put it there! Maybe we should add 'slut' on your back l while we're at it!"

"Iie!" I exclaimed, frantically pulling at my arm.

He backhanded me hard, almost knocking me out. "Until he gets here, and I know he will, you will continue paying for your sins!"