BEWARE OF ANIME/MANGA SPOILERS. IT IS POSSIBLE YOU WILL ENCOUNTER SOME.

So hello, I just wanted to let you know that I've changed Namimori Middle to Namimori High. So just think of this as high school. I did this because it felt super strange to write as a middle schooler and I also wanted to leave the door open for possible romantic scenes. Also please leave a comment if you can, it really helps me want to write more. This chapter may also have more added to it after it's initial publication.

Scarlet hesitated as she drew nearer to the large concrete building. It loomed in front of her menacingly as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and then her skirt. She swallowed nervously.

Namimori High. The school had a reputation of being a bit eccentric, with its strange school policies and even stranger students. At least that's what she'd heard from her neighbors when they'd found out where she would be attending school. But she would only be here for half a year since she was transferring in late as a senior, and she took comfort in this.

Then her thoughts floated in a different direction. The circumstances that had led to this change floated to the forefront of her memory and she felt her nervousness disappear. She felt her eyes go blank. Her emotions numb. She now approached the building effortlessly. Why should she fear this when she had looked death in the face? When she had wished for it over what she thought was her eventual fate?

The other students all seemed to stream in, chattering to one another excitedly. She watched as three boys passed her, one in particular with short spiky hair and nervous eyes. Their eyes momentarily caught and she nodded her head at him before turning back to the building in front of her. The giant clock on the school told that it was nearly time for class to begin.

"Hii! Hibari what did we do!?" The sound of the man she had caught eyes with before drew her attention back. He stood with his hands in front of him as if to block a blow, and a man with silver hair stood next to him protectively. Another on his other side with short black hair simply laughed with his hands behind his head. Curious she looked at the person he spoke to.

It was another man with pitch black hair and dark onyx eyes. His gaze was sharp and clear as he pierced the other man with his gaze, the sides of his mouth turned down a bit. She instantly felt drawn to him. She always had liked dark pretty things. Turning to watch, she awaited his answer.

"You're disrupting the peace herbivore. Be quieter." His eyes narrowed on his last sentence and he seemed to be reaching into his school perfect jacket for something. The sound of his voice was deep and clear, it left her in a slight daze. Wait had he called him an herbivore? What was that about?

"Ah! Sorry Hibari! We'll be quiet! Promise!" His friend with the silver hair looked like he wanted to say something but the boy with the spiky hair sent him a panicked glance.

He seemed to mutter to himself before saying something like, "If Judamie say's so..." The other man simply laughed as they began to quickly walk away from the man called Hibari. These students really were strange. You could get in trouble for just talking? She continued to stare at the school perfect in shock, a little miffed with his treatment of the students.

Suddenly his eyes turned to her, his sharp dark gaze seemed to see right through her. In a panic she turned to walk quickly into the building. Lord knows she did not what a confrontation with someone that aggressive, she really did hate conflict. To avoid it she would have to pay really close attention to the rules, they seemed to be a bit different here than her other schools.

School today had gone over well enough, she had introduced herself to curious eyes and managed to make a few friends. A girl called Kyoko and another called Hana had talked to her and made her feel welcome, even going so far as to invite her for lunch. She thought about this and her luck as she walked out of the school building. They had invited her to hang out with them after school too, but she declined. Scarlett preferred to use her time out of school to relax and perhaps read.

A dark voice drew her out of her thoughts, "Your hair is against school regulations." She turned back towards the voice with a frown on her face, only to freeze when she recognized who it was. Hibari Kyoya. She had asked about him in class today and found out his full name, along with information that he was violent and unpredictable when enforcing school rules. He stood only a foot behind her, how had she not noticed? And as she glanced around the school yard she realized that they were alone. Her eyes darted back to his. He was taller than her by perhaps an inch, and his dark gaze didn't waver as he stared her down, effectively making her feel small and weak.

She hesitantly replied to him, "I'm sorry, this is my natural hair color though." And it was true, Scarlett's hair was a brunette color, her eyes sea glass green. She had thought it rather obvious that she was a foreigner. Would he still make her dye it then?

His expression didn't change at her statement but she could see his eyes narrow in annoyance. "Hn," was all he said in reply as he continued to stare at her. She certainly was lost and had no idea what that meant or how she was to reply. They stared at each other for a moment or two before Scarlett couldn't take it anymore and cast her eyes down. It was then that she started to stare at his uniform, taking in the fitted black pants and the way his white button down shirt stretched across lean muscles. The skin above his shirt was slightly exposed and she caught sight of his sharp collar bones.

"Herbivore, what are you doing?" She jumped, a little startled, and then felt her face turn completely red as she thought about what she had been caught doing.

"N-nothing." Reluctantly she turned her gaze back up to him. His eyes were no longer narrowed at her and he seemed to be observing her. It turns out she didn't impress him much because he suddenly turned about and walked back into the school without so much as a word to her.

What a strange man.

Scarlet now was friends with more people and had gotten the hang of her new school. The kid with the crazy brown hair was named Tsuna, and the two men who followed him everywhere were Gokudera and Yamamoto. Gokudera was always loud and violent, and he seemed to have a bad habit of reaching into his school jacket whenever he got angry. Yamamoto was the exact opposite, he was always very kind to her and loved to laugh. Tsuna seemed to be a sort of leader of Namimori High, she couldn't really explain it but everyone seemed to answer to him. Well. Everyone except one.

Hibari Kyoya. He was the only one she still couldn't figure out. Oh she knew the basics. An elusive student that had the complete school under his control. Violent. Unreasonable. And very strict. She knew to keep under his good graces one just had to blindly follow his rules and stay out of his way. But something about him made her mad. Not only over his treatment of the other students, but also just because he made her curious. What made that strange man tick?

It drove her crazy. Probably more than it really should. But it did.

Her mind drifted back to what Kyoko was talking about as they walked back to her house, "And Ryohei never takes any breaks lately, I just feel nervous you know? Hana is even more worried than I am, she doesn't say anything but I can tell. It's awful. Why can't he just listen to me?" She let out an exasperated sigh, her small shoulders sinking with exhaustion.

"I'm sure Ryohei is just unaware of how much you both are worried for him. Maybe have Hana say something to him as a friend, I think she probably would have a better chance at persuading him to take care of himself than you would." It was true, those two both liked one another, but neither made a move at the other.

Kyoko stopped for a moment, and she could see the clogs turning as she turned the idea over in her head.

"That's actually a really good idea Scarlet." Scarlet threw her head back and laughed.

Turning to her she let a confident smirk take over her face, "Yeah I know." Both began to giggle as they arrived at her house. "Thanks for walking with me Kyoko!"

Kyoko simply smiled at her and promised to meet up with her tomorrow for school. She didn't ask to come in. Kyoko had probably learned that Scarlet had an unspoken rule to never invite someone into her house. It really was to protect herself from questions really. If anyone came inside, they'd wonder where her parents were.

And that was the thing. Her parents weren't living with her. Scarlet was all by herself.

With a resigned sigh, she opened the gate to her yard and walked towards her dark blue door. She reached for the key in her uniform's pocket and then twisted the door open with it. Inside was pitch dark so as the door closed she reached for the room's switch.

"Hello Scarlet."

The sudden voice startled her and she felt a scream building up in her throat as she saw who it was. But then a cloth was placed over her face and it was too late.

Then it was hopeless.