"Ahh! I don't wanna go to school today!" Kuraki whines as he quickens his pace to catch up to his friends. He continues, "Can't we skip and go karaoke somewhere instead?"
"Have you honestly forgotten Kura?" Ichimura asks over his shoulder. "We've already skipped twice this week!"
"Yeah. So, let's make it three times! Please! What do you say Ren?" Kura asks finally walking beside the other two.
"No, we'd better go or Yamaguchi will come find us and lecture us about how your education is what makes you strong, not your karaoke." Ren states, finishing with his best impersonation of their homeroom teacher, Yamaguchi.
"Uhhh, fine." Kura says, giving in.
"Kazama! Kuraki! Ichimura! Good morning!" An unwelcome and painfully familiar voice rings out from far behind them.
"No!" Ichi groans. "We aren't at school yet; we don't have to put up with her, right?" he asks, glancing to Ren.
"Don't look, maybe she will disappear." Ren says jokingly.
"Hey, Kazama!" The voice yells again, this time a great deal closer.
"Let's make a break for it!" Kuraki proposes, already speeding up. Ichi and Ren nod in agreement and start to run after Kura, leaving the cries of their teacher far behind.
"Umph!" Kura stops suddenly, as he runs into someone, nearly falling over. Whipping around, he grabs his offender's jacket. "Hey watch where you're going!"
Kamiya, a rival classmate, in turn grabs Kuraki's jacket. "You're the one that ran in to me, klutz!"
"What did you call me?"
"I called you a klutz. Do you have hearing problems too?"
"Why you…" Kuraki raises a fist to hit Kamiya, but Ren grabs his arm, stopping him.
"Look to your left." Ren whispers loudly in Kura's ear.
Turning his head casually, Kuraki spots the head teacher and several other teachers staring at the six of them. Nonchalantly, the two boys brush each other's jackets off, and smile falsely at one another. As the teacher's move on skeptically, the smiles disappear and the six of them are at a standoff, glaring hatefully at one another.
"Ogata, Honjo, Kamiya! Good morning!" All six of the 3-D students sigh and hastily look away from each other. "Kazama, didn't you guys hear me earlier?" Yamaguchi walks between the two groups, glancing at each person. Smiling innocently, she asks, "What are you guys up to?"
"Nothing," Ren replies looking up towards the clouds. "Nothing at all."
"Just going to school to obtain the greatest knowledge possible." Ogata adds sarcastically staring past his teacher.
"Well good!" Yankumi's smile broadens and she stares up towards the sun. "You know, a good education will help to make you stronger in life." Yamaguchi explains, nodding furiously. Snickering, Ren glances at Kura who just rolls his eyes. Yamaguchi looks at them confused. "What is it? Did I say something funny?"
"No." Ren says plainly. Turning away, he starts to walk towards the 3-D classroom. Kura and Ichi follow while Ogata and the others meander in the same direction.
xXxXx
"Yamaguchi-sensei!" The head teacher, Sawatari, runs over just as Yankumi closes the staffroom door.
"Good morning head teacher. Is something the matter?"
"Yes! A group of your students were going to fight this morning at the school gates!" Sawatari crosses his arms, while Yamaguchi calmly sets her bag down.
"Well?" Yamaguchi asks looking at her colleague.
"Well what?" He questions back, slightly confused.
"Did they actually fight?"
"Well, no. But they…" Sawatari begins.
"What were they doing head teacher?"
"They were holding onto each other's jackets. One of them raised a fist to hit the other but stopped when they saw us. They pretended to wipe off their jackets and smile to one other after that."
"Maybe you misunderstood their intentions head teacher. My students have a cute and gentle side. They are actually very nice. There was probably something on their friend's jacket and they were being gentlemen and were wiping in off." Yankumi states confidently.
"A cute and gentle side?" Sawatari scoffs. "They wouldn't know cute if it slapped them in the face."
"My students…" Yankumi starts to try and defend her students.
"Keep your kids under control Miss Yamaguchi, or else." Sawatari says, glaring at his colleague. Yankumi glowers back.
xXxXx
"Wanna play a game of cards?" Kura asks as the bell rings initiating break time. (They had gotten better at playing at appropriate times since Yankumi had taken their cards the other day.)
"Sure why not." Ichi says moving his chair closer.
"Yeah we haven't played in a while." Ren adds as Kuraki pulls his deck out. "Poker? Losers buy dinner for the next week?"
"Deal." Kura says excitedly. He shuffles and passes the cards out. Once they pick up their cards Kura laughs, and tips back in his chair, unsuccessfully trying to hide his giant smile behind his cards.
"Give me two." Ren declares, ignoring Kuraki.
"Give me three." Ichi murmurs. Kura passes the cards out and the game continues.
"Show?" Ichi asks, ready to throw his cards down.
"Scared you'll have to be buying Ichi?" Responds Kura happily.
"Yeah right! I bet you have worse cards than me!"
"Now, now Ichi. We both know that Kura will be losing." Ren laughs sitting back in his chair.
Kura, still tipping back, flips his cards over revealing an 8 through Queen all Diamonds, a straight flush.
"Guess I won't be buying dinner!"
Ren and Ichi laugh, simultaneously dropping their cards on the desk exposing an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10, all of which are Spades and Hearts.
"Hmm, Kura I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you." Ichi says laughing.
Kuraki's eyes widen and he tips back too far, consequently falling backwards, landing with a crash.
"Shit!" Kura shouts from the floor. "You guys cheated!"
"How did we cheat? You're the one that gave us the cards!" Ren yells back, laughing.
"Shut up!" Picking himself up off the floor, Kura collects his cards in a huff and shoves them back into their box.
"Pathetic." A voice from the other side of the room sounds out over the noisy crowd.
"Who said that?" Kuraki turns around quickly already facing the culprit. "Was it you?"
Kamiya, who had been sitting on top of his desk, rises slowly. "Yeah, got a problem?"
"Actually, I do." Kura and Ichi make their way to the center of the classroom where Honjo and Kamiya are already standing, the rest of the class steps back making way for their fellow, angry classmates.
"Ooh, I'm scared." Kami fakes a look of terror and smiles. "You wanna fight me, klutz?"
"Kura." Ren says calmly trying to get the others attention. "We can play again, come on, same wager." Kuraki and Ichi stand their ground, still glaring at the other two. "Kura, Ichi." Ren tries again.
Finally, Ichi backs away slowly, pulling Kuraki with him. "Come on Kura, we'll get'em later."
xXxXx
"Finally lunch!" Honjo exclaims stretching back in his seat. "It's so hot in here!" Standing up, he turns to his friends. "Hey Yamato, wanna go outside?"
"Yeah, sure." Yamato rises slowly from his seat and grabs his book bag. Glancing across the almost empty room, he spots Ren staring at him. Keeping his calm composure, he saunters over to his rival.
"What?" Yamato asks resentfully.
Kazama's eyes narrow as if trying to decide something before he straightens in his chair, answering with a bland, "Nothing."
"Why were you staring at me?"
"Who said I was staring at you?" Kazama snaps back, standing to meet eye level with Ogata.
"I did. So what do you want?" Yamato retorts, blocking the other's exit with his body.
"I already told you, nothing. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going outside." Kazama brushes past Yamato, bumping him accidently.
"Hey! Are you trying to start something?" Honjo yells, witnessing the minor contact. He stands between Ren and the door, challenging Kazama.
"No, I'm trying to leave so I can go and eat lunch." The irritated response accepted as Honjo meets Yamato's gaze, signifying the unimportance of the issue. Ren moves, sliding open the door and throws out sarcastically, "Thank you."
All the way down the hall, Kazama, Ichimura, and Kuraki stop suddenly as a loud crash comes from behind them in the 3-D classroom. Making their way back, they peer into the room and see Yamato lying face down on the ground. Honjo and Kamiya rush over to help Ogata up, whose face is beet red. Ren and Yamato's eyes meet for only a mere second. Kura chuckles and disappears from the doorway, which makes Ogata an even darker shade of red. Ren steps away from the door next, feeling guilty for witnessing Yamato's embarrassing moment.
"Oh god! Did you see him?" Kura exclaims continuing to walk down the hallway. "That was hilarious! Flat on his face! I wonder what he tripped on." Kura pauses, thinking. "Too bad no one else got to see it. That would have been the best thing ever!"
Ren, ashamed, looks at Kuraki. "Come on Kura, we aren't going to tell anybody."
"Why not? He'd deserve it!"
"That's not the point. It wasn't even that funny."
"Ren, have you gone insane?" Kura whips around to face his friend. "That was…"
"Yes I have, now let's just drop it. Alright?" Kazama glares back at Kura who nods sullenly.
"That cheeky little bastard!" Yamato yells as he kicks a defenseless chair over.
"Yamato, why don't we just go after them?" Kamiya asks staring resentfully at the door listening to the receding laughter. "Show them who the rightful head of Akadou is."
"Come on let's just go and eat for now." Honjo suggests, trying to pull Kamiya away from the door. "You know, cool down?"
"Whatever." Ogata snaps as he grabs his bag from the floor. He brushes past the others and walks angrily out of the classroom, Honjo and Kamiya follow close behind.
xXxXx
"Yamato?"
"What Kamiya?"
"When are you and Kazama gonna settle things about who leads the class?"
"I don't know."
"Do you think that those guys are gonna tell 3-D about what happened?"
"They don't even know what happened!" Honjo yells sitting up suddenly from the large oak that they were eating under.
"Calm down Honjo." Yamato moves his head towards the taller figure. "I don't care what they say."
Lying back down with an audible thump, he watches Ogata from the corner of his eye. "Are you sure you don't want to see the nurse?"
"Yeah Yamato, you really should." Kamiya adds glancing warily at his friend. "Just to sleep for a bit would be nice."
Yamato sits up and leans against the tree closing his eyes, clearly agitated. "I was trying to sleep here."
"Oh." The two mumble in simultaneously.
Sighing Ogata cracks open an eye. "Well." Pushing himself up, he looks at his two friends. "Screw this."
"What?" Honjo rises again.
"You guys are right." Shrugging he looks around the campus.
"About what?" Kamiya asks, still confused.
"About Kazama. I'm gonna finish it with him." Yamato states casually still searching the grounds. "I'm done waiting."
"Wait, right now?"
"Maybe you should wait Yamato."
"Why, because I fell earlier? 'Cause I'm hurt? Screw it." He says, waving away his own words. "I'm gonna get this over and done with right now. Where the hell is Kazama?"
"Um, I thought that he ate on the roof." Honjo mutters still not supportive of Yamato's decision.
"Oh yeah." Yamato spins, facing the 3D building. "You guys coming or not?"
Honjo and Kamiya looks at each other, communicating telepathically to try and think of a way to stop Yamato. Realizing how stubborn Ogata was being, they reconsider their objections and just nod, following Yamato towards the stairwell.
"How much longer till lunch is over?" Yamato calls from over his shoulder.
"About twenty minutes." Kami replies. As Ogata just nods back, he whispers to Honjo. "Are we really gonna let him do this? He probably won't hold out for very long considering what happened yesterday."
"His decision." Honjo whispers back shrugging his shoulders.
They climb the stairs in silence, giving subtle, concerned glances at Yamato every time he grasps the railing for support. As they reach the top their leader stops and takes a deep breath. Grabbing for the door knob he turns it slowly. The door swings open with the breeze and Ogata walks out, Kamiya and Honjo right on his heels. So close that when Yamato skids to a stop they both run into him.
"What the hell?" Yamato whispers.
Mouths agape, they stare at two of their classmates lying in a heap. One of them, Kuraki, moves slightly but flinches in undeniable pain. The other, Ichimura, flips over onto his stomach, trying to push himself up, in vain.
Honjo, the first to recover from the shock, walks shakily towards the two. Kneeling between them, he visually analyzes them. Seeing lots of cuts, bumps, and bruises all over them, not to mention the great deal of blood spread all over the roof, he almost feels like leaving.
"What happened to you guys?" Kami nearly whispers now standing beside Honjo.
Kura peers out of his swollen, glazed eyes, squinting against the blaring sun. "We were… attacked."
"By who?" Yamato asks, stepping forward. "Where's Kazama? Did he ditch you guys?"
"Dunno who." Kura manages. "Ren…" Barely audible he stops, throat hoarse.
"R-Ren is gone." Ichi finishes for his friend. "They… they took him."