-(NOT SO) NORMAL DAYS-

Chapter 1 - New Kid in Town

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Kotonoha moaned in her sleep as she reached for the alarm, hitting the top as she turned it off. Feeling a pair of strong arms around her, she turned to see Ryūji sleeping peacefully with the girl in his embrace; he was purring like a kitten with a small smile on his face. While Kotonoha was happy Ryūji was enjoying his sleep, school could not wait.

"Ryūji-kun, time to wake up," Kotonoha tried to call as she stroked his cheek before pulling on it gently.

"Harder, baby..." he grinned in his sleep.

Kotonoha sighed, but smirked before whispering, "Ryūji-kun, the baby's awake..."

"Ba-Baby!-?" Ryūji cried as he snapped out of his sleep and looking down at Kotonoha.

The brunette winked and shot him a raspberry, "Just kidding~!"

"Oh, you're a bad girl, Koto-chan," Ryūji frowned before grinning, "C'mere." And he pressed himself on top of Kotonoha to share a kiss that was gladly returned. "Morning."

"Good morning, Ryūji-kun," Kotonoha returned with a blush. "Now come on, we're going to be late if you don't get up."

"Alright."


It was a normal day like any other for the citizens of Sakakino; men and women going to work, police patrolling the neighborhoods, clerks minding their stores and shops, and kids going to school. This was the kind of peace that Hasuma Ryūji always wanted and he was glad to have it. This was mostly due to having Kotonoha by his side, the only person in this world that really mattered to him. There was also her family that he'd come to enjoy, especially Kokoro whom had become like a little sister to him as well.

Of course, this world had its fair share of people that he didn't like: Makoto, Sekai, Taisuke and Otome. He hated them all for different reasons, but all having a common link. Makoto had been Kotonoha's first boyfriend and he cheated on her. He hated Sekai because she had been Kotonoha's friend but went behind her back and cheated with Makoto. Taisuke had tried to rape Kotonoha during the last school festival. And Otome had been Kotonoha's bully before Ryūji stepped in. Does anyone see the connection yet?

Makoto spotted Ryūji and Kotonoha coming into school as Ryūji glared at him. The long-haired male student did not like him. Hell, he didn't like anybody in this school except for a select few with Kotonoha being one of them. Also, Ryūji seemed to revel in the fact that he was a better boyfriend to Kotonoha and rub it in Makoto's face. Fortunately, Kotonoha was around to prevent Ryūji from harassing Makoto, not that he would. He wasn't a bully and didn't want to waste his time on the worm.

Ryūji and Kotonoha didn't have that many friends in school, which actually suited Ryūji just fine. He personally thought that most of the school's population was made up of idiots. He hated Otome and her little clique for being nothing but a source of misery for Kotonoha and they learnt their lesson and stopped their attempts at bullying Kotonoha. It just wasn't worth it with Ryūji involved.

Ryūji and Kotonoha entered class and took their seats at the front of the class and waited for the homeroom teacher to enter. To kill some time, they chatted a bit and Ryūji made a joke that made Kotonoha giggle.

"OK, so today we'll be having a transfer student joining us for class." Murmurs went around the room before the teacher spoke again. "He came into town a week ago, so he's really unfamiliar with the area, so please be nice to him and help him out if he needs it." He called towards the door, "You can come in now."

The front door slid open as the transfer student entered, everyone's attention immediately drawn toward his black, spiky hair that resembled a set of horns with red highlights in them. Some girls in the class sighed as they gazed upon him; his fair skin and dark blue eyes scanning the room and looking at the students. Unlike the rest, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a matching jacket with a black sleeveless shirt underneath. They watched as he proceeded to write his name on the chalk board before turning back to face his peers. Hanging from his right shoulder was a large duffel bag.

"OK, so…the name's Fudō Yūji," he introduced, "And, well…what do you guys wanna know?"

Ryūji was impassive as he leaned back in his seat, not paying any attention. The transfer student was of no real interest to him, so why should he care? However, Kotonoha paid attention mostly to how unique the boy's hair was.

"Where are you from?"

"What's with your hair?"

"Do you have a girlfriend, cutie?"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Well, I'm from Neo Domino," Yūji answered, "About 40 miles north of here. My hair's always like this actually, except for when I take a shower so then it's down…" He was interrupted by whistles coming from some of the girls before he continued, "Um, and I'm actually single, by the way-" and he was cut off by more whistling and cheering girls, with some of the guys not liking Yūji already. "Anyway, I play the guitar, piano and violin, I read, I shoot pool, I bowl, I bike, I draw, I shoot-"

"Wait," a student interrupted, "You mean guns?"

"Yeah, my dad takes me out to a range on weekends so we could pop off a few rounds…" He grimaced at how dirty that sounded, "Aw, shit…" This earned him some laughs from the students. "Goddammit, Shin," he muttered. "I'm just glad the others aren't here."

"Others," Otome blinked as she spoke up, "You mean you have siblings?"

"A brother and 2 sisters," he confirmed. "My brother torments me every chance he can get while my sisters love to embarrass me any way they can."

"Fudō-san, you may take the empty seat over there," the teacher instructed.

Yūji took an empty seat at the desk neighboring Kotonoha and Ryūji's. He smiled at the girl who smiled back.

"Katsura-san is the Class Representative, so if you have any questions please ask her," advised the teacher.

"I'm in your capable hands, Iincho-san," Yūji greeted as he sat across from Kotonoha.

(Iincho=class rep)

Ryūji's right eyebrow twitched as his cold blue eyes narrowed at the new kid talking to his girlfriend. It took him months to hammer into everyone's minds that Kotonoha was his girlfriend. It seemed the new kid needed a lesson as well.


LUNCH BREAK…

"Well, I was told you're the Class Rep," said Yūji.

"Ah, yes. I'm supposed to give you the guided tour," said Kotonoha, smiling. She bowed. "Nice to meet you, Fudō-san."

Yūji noticed the other boy standing behind Kotonoha with his arms crossed. He wore a black, leather bomber jacket and he looked cross. "You OK, dude?"

"Don't call me 'dude'," Ryūji warned.

"Ryūji-kun, don't be rude," Kotonoha chided. She apologized, "Sorry, Fudō-san. Ryūji-kun is...well..."

"I'm coming along on this guided tour," Ryūji interrupted. He didn't trust the new kid to be alone with his girlfriend. "I'm Hasuma Ryūji," Ryūji introduced himself, "And Kotonoha's boyfriend. That's all you need to know."

"Aw, then you both look adorable together! Perfect, more people makes all kinds of stuff fun," Yūji welcomed before palming his face, "Goddammit, I did it again...!"

Ryūji cocked an eyebrow at Yūji .

"Well, shall we go, boys?" smiled Kotonoha.

"Lead the way," Yūji allowed as the three started walking, the new student with his bag in tow.


The tour was very informative as Kotonoha was very knowledgeable of the building, showing and telling Yūji all he needed to know about the school. She kept up a shy yet friendly disposition as she answered whatever questions Yūji had for her. In the meantime, Ryūji kept his eyes trained on the transfer student speaking with his girlfriend in such a friendly way. Ryūji was just overprotective of the girl due to what had happened the year before. That was why he kept people away from her through intimidation. Sure, Kotonoha didn't get many friends but she didn't have many to begin with. However, she was content to have Ryūji by her side.

"And this is the library," said Kotonoha. "Oh, Ashikaga-kun, you're here today?"

"Ah, Katsura-san," smiled the young man standing at the counter. He was a little shorter than Ryuji, standing at Kotonoha's height, with neatly combed brown hair. He wore glasses and his face was quite feminine looking. He was part of the Library Committee and he enjoyed performing his duties as he got to meet with Kotonoha and talk about books. He had a crush on her, but sadly she was already dating Ryūji . At first he had been concerned since Ryūji was a delinquent but he'd actually seen Ryūji come to Kotonoha's defence more than once, showing that he did care for the girl. Ryūji and Ashikaga Yūki got along well enough. The bespectacled boy wasn't a perv who leered at Kotonoha and was friendly enough to her in a way that didn't raise Ryūji's alarms. "Kon'nichiwa."

"Hey, Ashikaga," Ryūji greeted with a slight wave. "I wanted to return this." He took a book out of his jacket and handed it to Yūki. "Thanks for recommending it, kid."

"You're welcome, Hasuma-san," Yūki smiled. "And who's this? A new friend?"

"Fudo-san's a new transfer student," Kotonoha answered. "We're giving him a guided tour."

"And I'm already loving this place," grinned Yūji, "Quiet, small and peaceful."

"Wait until you meet all the self-centered, self-righteous assholes who come to school here," murmured Ryūji.

"Oh, and now I'm even more excited," Yūji returned, "Taking down guys like that is also fun. They've got people like that no matter where you go. Anyway, my favorite spot is the Music Room! They've got just about everything there!"

"Do you like music, Fudō-san?" Kotonoha inquired.

"Yeah, my sister and I always messed around with all kinds of sounds," he smiled. This earned him odd looks from the three students as he realized what he just said. "...And I just did it again," Yūji sighed.

"OK, do you do that on purpose?" Ryuji asked, regarding Yuji's habit of making suggestive comments.

"It's not my fault," Yūji whined, "I hang out with my cousin so much back home and he does the same shit! And don't even get me started on my aunt! She's even worse!"

"I...can actually relate," Ryūji confessed reluctantly. His own sister was a psychotic sociopath and sometimes he felt like she'd rubbed off on him.

"What does your aunt do?" Yūki asked.

"She writes adult literature," Yūji answered nonchalantly not noticing the embarrassed looks on Kotonoha and Yūki's faces , "Good stuff too. She's real famous for it and she even helps couples with relationship issues on the side. If you two ever have a problem, she's the girl to call," Yūji offered to the couple.

"A writer and a relationship counselor?" Ryūji asked for clarification.

"Yes," Yūji nodded.

"And she writes smut like that 'Icha-Icha Paradise' trash," Ryūji continued.

"Hey, it ain't that bad," he defended, "And lots of people like it, and that's not included your occasional pervs. My sister even has the complete set."

"What's your aunt's name?" Kotonoha asked, interested.

"Banabara Shiori," he answered.

Kotonoha let out a gasp. "USO!"

"What's wrong, Koto-chan?" Ryūji asked.

"I once read one of her books when I was younger!" Kotonoha replied, shocked.

Yūki cocked an eyebrow, "But...wouldn't you be too young for that sort of thing."

Embarrassed by the implication, she clarified, "No! No! Not like that! It was one of my favorite romance novels when I was in middle school was written by her!" She turned to Yūji. "And she's your aunt!?"

"Damn right, and she is fucking awesome," he bragged, "The best aunt a guy can ask for."

"Can you...can you introduce her to me, Fudō-san?" Kotonoha requested. She then apologized, embarrassed, "I'm sorry! Gomen! We've only just met!" She wanted to meet the author herself and ask her to sign her copy of the novel.

"I can give her a call," he smiled, "She's usually busy with counseling, writing and book signings but she always makes time for family."

Now warning bells were going off in Ryūji's head. "Koto-chan, may I speak to Fudō here, outside, for the moment?" He grabbed Yūji's arm and dragged him out of the library.
Once outside, and out of earshot, Ryūji demanded, "OK, what the hell was that about?"

Yūji blinked, "What, what happened? Did I do that thing again?"

"OK, listen here, newbie. You're new so you don't know this, but everyone knows that coming too close to my girl is not a good idea," said Ryūji and he punctuated his statement by punching the wall next to Ryūji's head. "So, don't get any ideas of getting too close to her."

"Close? She wants to meet my aunt," Yūji reminded, "So I told her she can meet her. It's called being friendly; it's what I do; it's what I need to do. If I don't make friends then I get bored on my own, and when I get bored bad things happen. I kid you not, and I know people back home that can prove it. So I have to make connections quick before those bad things happen, which is why I'm hanging out with you two," he finished quickly before gasping for air.

"Just know your boundaries, Fudō. And if you do want to be friends with Koto-chan, be sure that's all you want. No bullshit," Ryūji warned. "I just don't trust you." Ryūji actually didn't trust many people. The number of people he could trust 100% he could count on one hand.

"Look, you two are an item," Yūji reminded kindly, "I already know that and I did say you two are adorable together. I even envy that shit and sometimes I wish I wasn't such a spazz. I mean, look at me; I'm grade-A spazz! Why do you think I'm still single?!"

Ryūji took in a deep breath and sighed, stepping back from Yūji. "I think you can find someone in this school." At least Yūji was smart enough to see that he and Kotonoha were together. Even after he and Kotonoha started dating a few guys tried to get too close to her with unsavory intentions.

"Ah, Hasuma-san," a voice greeted. The boys turned to the source of the welcome and Yūji's voice was lost as he saw the approaching student.

"Hello, Busujima," returned Ryūji as politely as he could. Busujima Saeko was an upperclassman and captain of the school's kendo club. Her long, indigo hair came down like a curtain and blue eyes seemed to glow as the sunlight shined from the window beside her. She wore the standard uniform like Kotonoha, with her skirt slightly longer than the standard length.
Yūji was trying extra hard to keep his gaze upward as he couldn't find his voice to speak up. He hadn't met someone as beautiful as this girl outside his family in a long time and he rarely choked when talking to girls.

"Is your friend alright?" Saeko asked.

"Friend?" Ryūji blinked. "Oh, the new guy. Busujima Saeko, meet Fudō Yūji. He just transferred in our class today."

"Um...hey," Yūji tried to greet. 'Don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid-don't say anything stupid,' he lectured himself.

Kotonoha stepped out of the library, "Is everything alright out here?" She noticed Saeko. "Ah, Busujima-sempai."

"Hello there, Katsura-san," smiled Saeko in a friendly manner. "So, this is your new classmate?"

"Yes, and we're about to head out for lunch," said Kotonoha. "But first we need to get the bento I left in the classroom."

Ryūji smiled. He loved it when Kotonoha made lunch for the both of them. Makoto may have thought her cooking tasted off but he loved every bite he took.

"Mind if I joined you?" Saeko asked. "I couldn't find a seat in the cafeteria. It's really packed today. Will you be joining us, Fudō-san?"

"Um...sure," Yūji accepted. He just hoped he didn't say anything stupid later, but given part of his upbringing it would only be a matter of time.


Kotonoha grabbed the picnic basket which contained her and Ryūji's lunches and led both Yūji and Saeko up to the roof. It was her and Ryūji's usual place to have lunch and to be alone together.

"Oh, man, that's quality air," Yūji sighed as he breathed in the clean air. "Freshness! And look at this place; 360 view of the entire town! Nothing like back home!"

"It's nice, I guess," Ryūji shrugged. "I'm not in love with the place but it's a nice place to live." He glanced at Kotonoha and Saeko who were chatting.

"So...how do you know Busujima-sempai?" Yūji asked. Ryūji cocked an eyebrow. "What? I didn't say anything this time, I'm sure of it!"

"Just wondering why you're asking me instead of talking to her yourself," Ryūji remarked.

"Oh...well, they're talking," he tried to explain as he pointed a thumb at the girls. "I can't just go in and interrupt. That's fuckin' rude."

"Good point," Ryūji accepted. He turned and leaned back against the fence. "Well...it was around the end of last year. Koto-chan had a Student Council meeting and told me to head home without her, but I decided to stay and wait in the gym. I was doing some training when Busujima came into the gym for the same reason. We sparred to past the time together." He smiled at the memory. "Koto-chan was really jealous when she saw us cross swords but I explained it to her. Busujima and Koto-chan have been friends ever since." Ryūji just considered Saeko an acquaintance like Ashikaga.

"Aw, that's so cute," Yūji mused as he watched the girls talking, "She don't look like the jealous type though."

Ryūji whistled, "You'd be surprised. Anyway, since that day Busujima has been giving Koto-chan a few pointers in self-defense like me."

"I just hope she never meets my sister," Yūji muttered.

"Why not?"

"My sister's good with swords too," Yūji explained, "Really good. And she doesn't know how to hold back in a fight or even sparring. None of us do."

"I got sisters myself; twins. Though, the older one is a psychotic sociopath," remarked Ryūji.

"I just pray you never meet Yuki or Yuri," Yūji prayed.

"Oh, they're that bad?"

"Just nuts," he simplified.

"Ryūji-kun, come on!" Kotonoha beckoned. "It's time to eat."

"Yes, dear," Ryūji smiled as she walked over to eat with his girlfriend.

"So, I was telling Katsura-san here that my team's going to be in a kendo tournament but one of my best members gotten into an accident," Busujima informed.

"Busujima...is this another ploy of yours to make me join the kendo team?" Ryūji asked suspiciously.

"Am I really that obvious?" Saeko asked.

"I dual-wield," he reminded. "I'm not a kendoka like you. I don't follow any rules when I fight except the most important one: aim to win, no matter what. I'd be no good."

"And yet you once took me on with one sword..."

"After you knocked the one in my left hand out. Had no choice. Besides, I don't play with wooden swords."

Yūji raised his hand as he spoke up, "Um...if you need an extra, maybe I could help."

"You practice kendo?" Saeko asked.

"Not really, but my uncle did beat a lot of hours of sword training into me while I was growing up," he clarified. "I don't know how good I stack up, but I have good arms and a grip."

"Well, I'll have to see how good you are then," she hoped.

"Yeah, sure then," Yūji accepted. 'Maybe this can work... Uncle Jack always said that people know each other better by fighting.'

"My kendo team meets up every afternoon after school for practice," Saeko informed Yūji. She asked Ryūji and Kotonoha, "Would you both like to watch?"

"I have a Student Council meeting, unfortunately," stated Kotonoha.

Ryūji shrugged, "I would. I'm just busy waiting for Koto-chan anyway." He took a bite out of a sandwich. Kotonoha made the best lunches.

"I just hope I don't break anything this time..." Yūji muttered.


"So, what do you think of this school so far?" asked Ryūji. Both Saeko and Kotonoha had gone to the bathroom, leaving the two boys alone.

"It's a lot quieter and less complicated than back home," Yūji smiled. "And not having my brother around is just the icing on the cake!"

"Well, I guess the school's OK. Could do without a few people...so, how bad is that brother of yours?"

"He's tried to drown me, almost dropped a piano on me, almost blew me up five times, got me chased by cats, and even thrown knives at me," Yūji counted as he showed Ryūji a scar going across the right side of his neck. "See this? He chucked a knife at me and he said there was a mosquito on me! And it turns out he was right! And he fucking did that from across the fucking room with a smile!"

Ryūji blinked. That sounded awfully like his older sister Kat. It was a good thing that she was too far away. If she and Yūji's brother ever met, they might just work together to cause chaos for the sake of fun. His sister was just a violent psychopath by nature. She'd tried to kill their brother lots of times but now they got along as family.

"Sounds like he needs professional psychiatric help," said Ryūji, "Or a girlfriend to keep him in line."

"Che, yeah, he needs something alright," Yūji remarked.

"And what about that sister of yours?"

"Oh, Yuki's fine," he continued, "She's the most quiet of us, but she does talk; she talks to me more than anyone else though. But she's scary as fuck when she fights with those swords of hers. She's also...weird sometimes."

"Most people consider their relatives odd in one way or another," Ryuji remarked.

"Well, the most normal of us, from what I can tell, would be my little sister Yumi," Yūji defended.

"Well, some shred of normalcy should be needed in life," Ryūji reasoned.

"I'll drink to that," Yūji agreed as he drank from his Snapple bottle.


"Hey, did you hear," Taisuke called on Makoto, "2-4's got a new student."

"Oh yeah?" Makoto blinked.

"Yeah, and from all the squealing I heard from the girls, the guy's probably some pretty boy," he commented.

"I wonder what he's like," Sekai mused.

"I just hope he isn't anything like...Hasuma," Makoto gulped. Ryūji had made it perfectly clear that he didn't like Makoto and the young man knew why. Makoto had reflected on how he'd treated Kotonoha and knew that Ryūji had every right to beat him up if he wanted to. It was only thanks to Kotonoha that he hadn't.

Taisuke shivered at the mention of Ryūji's name. The beating he took last year was fresh in his mind and he made sure to keep out of Ryūji's sight if he could help it. However, gym was next and both 2-3 and 2-4 had joint gym class. "Oh, god help me..." he paled.


GYMNASIUM

It was time for gym class and the students had changed out of their school uniform for their PE uniforms. The boys and girls all wore white t-shirts with black shorts.

"I hope it's dodgeball," Ryūji grinned as he glanced over to the 2-3 boys, his eyes focused on Taisuke and Makoto.

"Oh, you play too?" Yūji inquired.

"Dodgeball? Why not? It's a game that lets you hit the other guy with a ball as hard as you can," Ryūji grinned. "I love any form of contact sport."

"You know, there was this one time my brother and I had a game of dodgeball, right? We played for 5 hours, nonstop, and ended up with a draw."

"Get out," Ryūji uttered in disbelief.

"No joke, we were arguing about some stupid shit I can't remember so we decided to have it out with a game. Mom had to stop us before we both collapsed from exhaustion. So, are you on any sports teams?"

"Nope," Ryūji shook his head. "I don't play well with others."

"Well, dodgeball can be a solo game if you let it," Yūji reasoned. "Wait, Katsura's playing too right?"

"Boys and girls are normally separated," said Ryūji as he pointed over to where the girls were. "Looks like they'll be playing volleyball." He was worried since Kotonoha didn't get along well with her female classmates. Well, the girls just didn't want to deal with her and she was often ignored. However, things had changed since those days and the girls were no longer treating her like an outcast. He saw Sekai and Kotonoha talking. At least they were on speaking terms. He didn't understand how Kotonoha could forgive the girl for her betrayal, but then again he wondered how Kotonoha could still love him after finding out about...


The game was dodgeball, which Ryūji was going to enjoy. He glared at Taisuke and grinned ferally as the spiky-haired boy turned pale and looked like he wanted to feign sickness just to avoid taking a ball to the balls. He recalled when Ryūji had thrown a baseball at his face. He then looked to Yūji playing with an iPod.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Picking my tunes," Yūji answered, "Helps me focus when I do shit." He put his player into a pouch on his arm and closed it, grinning to himself as he cracked his knuckles, listening to Five Finger Death Punch's "The Way of the Fist" album as he bent his knees to be ready to move on a hair-trigger notice.

The whistle blew and the boys rushed for the balls that were lined up down the center of the court. Yūji was actually remaining in the center of his class's side, still in his waiting position.
Ryūji bounced the ball on the floor and took hold of it as he chose his targets. Without hesitation he threw and the ball hit one of the boys on the other side in the chest, and knocked him down. The ball had bounced off and hit another boy nearby in the head before bouncing off to hit another in the stomach before the ball rolled back towards Ryūji which he picked up. "Three of you, OUT!" He pointed with his thumb. He was saving Taisuke and Makoto for last and wanted to prolong their fear and anticipation. He ducked under a ball and threw his ball to knock the guy down. Picking up another ball, he rolled along the floor and blocked with his ball in hand. He threw it and then caught a ball coming at him and threw that one. He ducked and dodged, bobbing and weaving to avoid getting hit and enjoying himself the entire time.

He looked off the corner of his eye and watched Yūji catching balls that flew by him. He even caught a ball with a single hand, making him spin 360 as he returned the ball to its sender, striking him in the torso as he was now out.. Two more boys from 2-3 tried to team up against Yūji, one tossing a ball and waiting for the new kid to deflect it while his partner followed after. However, Yūji saw the first ball coming and he spun sideways, letting the ball roll along his extended right arm and across his chest as he extended his left arm for the ball to fly, aiming at the first launcher's partner as he was struck in the forehead, taking him out.

"Yeah, baby!" Yūji clapped, "That's how we do it at Duel Academy!"

In a very short time, Yūji and Ryūji both cleared the other side while their classmates only took out one opponent at a time, the two were able to take down at least three students at a time, and never got hit when the balls were thrown at them. Ryūji had incredible reflexes and agility, able to evade without hesitation.

The game soon caught the attention of some of the girls as they watched the game while sitting on the sidelines. Many didn't like Hasuma, but they were interested in the transfer student and his moves. Kotonoha was watching as well and she was happy that Ryūji was seemingly getting along with Yūji.

And soon there was only Makoto and Taisuke who were left and Ryūji eyed the two with his blue eyes which glowed briefly. "Saving the best for last." He attributed his sadistic side to his eldest sister who had been a bad influence on him.

Yūji was focused on his music while waiting for someone to make a move. He had a ball gripped in his hands, bouncing it in front of him lightly as he waited patiently. He was ready to move when someone else moved, no matter who it was.

Makoto and Taisuke had borne witness to both Ryūji and Yūji taking out their classmates without breaking a sweat. Ryūji was enjoying it and he knew why. Taisuke's knees were trembling as he held the ball in his hand, terrified.

"Who's it gonna be?" Yūji muttered to himself as his eyes darted between his remaining classmate and the last two opponents, "Who's it gonna be..."

In a fit of panic, Taisuke shouted as he lobbed his ball as hard as he could at Ryūji. Yūji saw his chance and slammed his ball down as hard as he could, with Makoto, Taisuke, the benched boys and even the watching girls following the soaring ball with gaping mouths. Ryūji saw his chance and lunged forward, spinning to gain momentum as he launched his ball at Makoto, the boy still watching Yūji's ball as it was starting to descend. The clueless boy didn't know what hit him as he felt a sudden sharp pain in his groin as he froze before falling back.

"Makoto!" Taisuke gasped.

"Pay attention, dude!" Yūji called as his ball was nearing ground level. Yūji turned around and did a backflip, swinging his foot up as it slammed into the ball perfectly. The ball went soaring as it struck Taisuke in the chest, making him fly back a few feet off the ground before crashing on his back. "YEAH!" Yūji cheered as he threw his hands up. His benched classmates cheered as their victory was made by the new kid, even the girls from both classes cheering after watching both boys' athleticism.

However, some of the girls were actually worried for the downed boys, like Sekai, Kotonoha and Otome. Makoto may not be her boyfriend anymore, but she didn't think he deserved such cruel treatment from her current boyfriend. Then again, Ryuji did view what Makoto had done to her as unforgivable.

"I hope he's OK," said Sekai as she saw her boyfriend rolling on the floor in pain.

"Hey, Katsura," Otome spoke up. "Can't you get your boyfriend to ease up?"

"I did," said Kotonoha. This was Ryūji easing up on Makoto. If he had decided to do worse, he could, and nobody around would be able to stop him.

"He's gonna need to put ice on that," Ryūji remarked.

"I hear that," Yūji agreed. He looked to his remaining classmate and raised a hand, "High-5?"

"Meh, what the hell," Ryūji accepted as he and the new kid high-fived.


"Ryūji-kun, don't you think that was a little too much?" Kotonoha asked.

"After what he did to you? Nope," Ryūji denied.

"What'd that guy do?" Yūji asked.

"Sorry, but we're not that close for you to know anything too deep," he countered.

"Shutting up then," Yūji accepted as he drank his water.

"Gotta admit though, that wasn't a bad kick," Ryūji complimented.

"Training does wonders for the body," Yūji smiled.

"Fudō-san, where did you learn to move like that?" Kotonoha inquired.

"My dad and Uncle Crow," Yūji grinned, "The the others and I practically broke our bodies and built them back up again to do the stuff I did. And I wasn't even warming up!"

"Intense training at a young age," Ryūji summarized "I can respect that." Ryūki, in spite of being sheltered and naive, had been trained in martial arts as soon as he could walk. Ryūji inherited his skills from him, building up on them with his own training.

"So...what's next?" Yūji asked. "I think I just reached the highlight of my day."

"Boring classes for the next few periods until the final bell," Ryūji muttered. "If Koto-chan wasn't with me, I think I would've been bored to death."

"Fuck, shoulda known," Yūji hissed. "Well, better get going then."


It was finally the final bell and Ryūji had managed to stay awake through his classes. Classes after Gym were the worst since he'd expired his energy playing. However, it felt good to pummel Makoto for a short period of time. He was currently waiting for Kotonoha while she had her meeting with the rest of the student council when he spotted Yūji coming up to him.

"Whatup," Yūji greeted, "Where's Katsura?"

"She's got a student council meeting, remember?" Ryūji reminded. "She mentioned it earlier."

"Oh, right," he remembered. He felt a buzzing in his pocket and pulled out his phone as he opened it and answered. "Talk to me," he prompted.

"Yūji, how's everything?" a female voice inquired.

"Everything's good, Mama," Yūji smiled, "Quiet, peaceful; almost too good!"

"Made any friends?"

"A few," he answered as he glanced at Ryūji.

"You know, I'm still worried about you living on your own..."

"Mama, I'm fine," Yūji insisted, "Everything's been paid for, remember? Uncle Jack even took care of the bill for the next 3 years so that you wouldn't have to worry about the living expenses."

"And yet Jack could never pay for a cup of coffee," Yūji's mother retorted. "Just take it easy, OK? And stay safe. Love you."

"Always," he nodded, "Bye then." And he hung up with a sigh, "Wow, didn't know how much I actually talk. It really takes a lot outta me!" He then noticed that Ryūji wasn't in the classroom anymore. "He must've left to wait for his girlfriend."


"That was an unnecessarily long meeting," remarked Ryūji as he and Kotonoha walked out of the building together. It was evening once the meeting was over.

"You didn't have to wait for me," said Kotonoha.

"I wanted to," he insisted. "Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take my girl home after school each day?" He smiled and Kotonoha was touched by his concern for her. He held her hand too as they went to the parking spot where he put his bike.

"So, Ryūji-kun, what do you think of Fudo-san?" asked Kotonoha.

"The new guy?" Ryūji asked. "He's cool, I guess. Better company than most of the idiots in this school."

Kotonoha frowned, "Ryūji-kun, that isn't fair."

"Hey, I only respect people who aren't afraid to talk to me and are nice to you," said Ryūji.

"Even if Ashikaga is intimidated by me, he's at least nice to you."

Kotonoha smiled, glad that Ryūji was willing to make friends. Though, he was setting up some pretty high standards. Ryūji was just naturally intimidating and not many were willing to get close to him. He handed her a helmet. "Come on, let's go home. I'm sure Kokoro-chan is waiting."

"I'll make dinner," she said.

"Nah, let me make dinner this time," he told her.

"Is it curry again?" she deadpanned.

"What's wrong with curry?"

"Your curry is too spicy sometimes," she stated, "Really spicy."

"I'll try to make it mild enough for you girls," said Ryūji, rolling his eyes. He couldn't help it that he liked his curry extra spicy.

To Be Continued...


KRB: OK, so this is another one. Bored, yeah, I was bored. Chrome gave me the idea and helped some, so props to him. Anyway, if you wanna see more let me know. And try and give me opinions if you can. It's been a while since I posted the prototype chapter and I forgot this was here. My fault.