Lesson 1: Aggravation

"Be careful on the way home, Kurapika." Mom said as she lovingly stirred the pot of soup. Sighing, I slipped my feet into my shoes. "I know, I know. You worry too much." She smiled and kissed my forehead. "That's because I love you." Pretending to dislike her show of affection, as only a child would, I laughed and ran out the door. Little did I know that that was the last time I would see my mother again. But no child truly knows how to appreciate his parents, I was no exception.

"Are you listening?"

I looked up from the notebook in my lap at the irritated Leorio. Catching the hand gestures of the girl behind him, I quickly closed the notebook and stood. "You're right. One hundred percent correct. You should definitely do that."

"You weren't paying attention at all!" He growled in dismay, backing up as I moved around him.

The girl raised a hand, grinning widely. "I haven't seen you all summer, where've you been?"

"Around." I smiled back politely. "So, what country did your father buy you this time?"

"You're ignoring me!" Leorio barked, stomping up behind me.

The girl smirked slightly, pink hair bobbing about her head. "That's 'cause he likes me better." I looked away with a sigh as he unceremoniously flipped her the finger.

Well, what else would you expect from a town of snobby, rich kids?

"Neon-san, is that a new bag?" I inquired, as if it interested me in the slightest. Her green eyes perked up as she held it up proudly.

"Yup! And Daddy said we had to save some money this summer, so he couldn't buy me a country. He only got me a hot spring place up in a nearby city."

Oh, how tragic.

Inwardly, I was banging my head on a desk and tearing out my hair in exasperation. Laughing softly, I leaned against the wall. "You were complaining last year about wanting one."

"Yeah, but this one is still in construction." She whined, making a face. "I can't even see it until it's done."

"You are totally ignoring me!" Grinding his teeth together, Leorio crossed his arms. "Again, might I add!"

I sighed, remembering how today's events were a mess in itself. Everyone had stared at me as if I was some sort of walking money sign. They were all rich, mind you, but it was their parents' money to wield, not their own. And simply because I was seen with Neon, the daughter of Nostrad, and Leorio, the son of two famous lawyers, everyone assumed I had more money than both of their families combined.

Even now, I could feel eyes burning into the back of my head.

"Today was tiring." I offered. He didn't look impressed by my lack of creativity.

With a snort, Leorio swung his bag onto his back. "And tomorrow will be hectic. I can tell by the makeup spilling from Neon's back pocket. It's a sign, I say, a sign!"

"And why are you looking at my back pocket?" Neon shot back, collecting her things.

He pulled down the skin bellow his eye, sticking out his tongue, "'Cause your ass is so huge it competes with Janitor Tompa's."

She gasped, cheeks flushed as she covered her bottom with her hands. "Did you just go there? You did not just go there!"

Before they could initiate the head bobs and the 'oh no you didn't, oh yes I did's, I snatched a lollipop out of my pocket and stuck it into Leorio's mouth, wrapper and all. Candy sure did come in handy in these parts.

Neon snickered, "Suck on that, you…" She trailed off at seeing me reach into my pocket again. I lifted an eyebrow, daring her to continue with her sentence. With a nervous laugh, she raised her hands in surrender. "I get it, I get it. Open foot, insert mouth, Neon."

"I believe it's the other way around, but close enough." I nodded in satisfaction, an amused smile fighting for dominance over my face. Ripping off the wrapper, Leorio chewed on the treat in silent annoyance.

The bell rang, signaling the end of our first day of high school.

xXx

"I can't believe we actually made it through the day."

"Like you said, it was only the first day. Tomorrow will be hectic." I reminded him, acting indifferent towards the whispers around us. Nonetheless, Leorio noticed the nervous trembling in my hands and linked his arm with mine.

"Tomorrow might be bad, but at least we'll get to see the upperclassmen. The sophomores and juniors. The seniors!" His excited tone chirped. I, on the other hand, cringed with every word.

"Why are you so hung on the idea of meeting the other students? They're just a bunch of snobs." I replied with an annoyed glance. But even as I criticized him, I leaned further into the comfort of his arm. What I just said was a big lie towards myself. Just my normal, stuck up self. I loathed having to keep up such an arrogant image for the school, all it did was confirm that I truly did belong in this filthy rich school. I was just as snooty as the rest of the student body.

Even if I didn't have the money to qualify.

I peered up at Leorio, who just chuckled softly and grinned back. Sure, his parents had enough money to put most of the other students to shame, but he wasn't the money grubber he made himself out to be. I wasn't completely sure on the women-loving side of him, but compared to the others Leorio was a saint.

Though I was probably going to hell for saying that.

Unlike the other people in this town, he wasn't fake. He was true to his word and fun to be around. He wasn't hiding behind a false face of what everyone expected. Unlike me.

It had often occurred to me that the reason behind my lack of friends was creditable to my personality. Or, rather, the personality I was thought to have.

"Hey, isn't that your father?" I asked, nodding towards the man impatiently tapping his foot. Though he hadn't spotted us yet, it was a mere matter of time.

"Shit." Leorio swore, quickly prying his arm off of mine. "Sorry, Kurapika, I thought he wasn't coming today…"

"It's okay. I like walking home alone." I reassured him, gently pushing him towards the man. "I look forward to it, really."

"Thanks." He breathed, apologetically squeezing my shoulder before racing to the waiting car. I watched, like a rock in the sea of flowing students, as his father took a moment to angrily growl some curses at him before both hopped into the black Mercedes. Soon enough, the vehicle disappeared down the road.

Biting back a sigh, I turned and began the trudge back 'home'.

The sun beat down, accompanying the sound of insects in the afternoon heat. It wasn't that the heat swirled around me, attempting to suffocate any poor being lacking air conditioning, which was bothering the most; it was the beads of sweat that wasted no time in accumulating on my forehead.

In the desperate suffocation, I took a detour into the park a few blocks from my destination. I stripped off the black blazer of my school uniform, tying it around my waist as I power walked across the playground.

This was a shortcut I didn't take very often, seeing as I preferred not having to climb the fence at the other end. But it was certainly faster than the usual path, and today was so hot.

I had barely gotten past the slide when I heard the light murmur of voices. My eyes instinctively wandered to their source, skimming the swings before landing on three men. All three of them were in their late twenties, early thirties from the looks of it. Two were arguing with one another, bickering and pointing while the third watched with disinterest. It was the last one that met my gaze.

My muscles tightened and my eyes narrowed, before I turned away. Dread was building in my stomach, as irrational as it was, and my pace quickened considerably. Just my luck, I had to go past them to get to the route leading to the house.

Keeping my eyes ahead of me, I gulped as the argument was cut short. Hearing the silence, I took a hesitant peek at them. Big mistake, I know.

As I did, the third man smiled this time. Crooked teeth were revealed at the parting of his cracked lips. His brown hair was a mess, as if he had never seen a hair brush, and there was a scar running down the length of his face. As I approached, the other men didn't smile as much. It was more of a smirk that appeared on their faces as they eyed me. Fingers tightening around the strap of my bag, I tried not to meet their eyes as I finally reached them.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The first guy snickered. He just so happened to choose that moment to strip off his shirt, tossing it at my face. I sidestepped, not sparing a glance at the discarded article of clothing. The other one, one with long dyed-black hair, smirked wider. "Oh? Quick on your feet, eh? What do you think, Drew?"

Drew, the man who had first noticed me, stepped closer and ruffled my hair as I flinched. "High school girl, by the looks of it. Don't got much bust but dammit, she's practically offered herself up to us already."

"I'm not a girl." I snapped, before I could catch my tongue. Drew whistled, turning towards the shirtless man, "You believe that, Wong?" Wong smirked wider, quickly catching my wrist and pulling me against his chest. "I'm gonna need some proof, don't you think? Let's settle this back at my place." Then I was grabbed by the legs and shoulders, before being lifted off the ground. I yelped, kicked, and struggled against their grasp.

"Let me go!" I yelled, fighting against their strong hold. I was no match for three, grown men. I knew that much. A hand dug into my blazer pocket, brushing my hip, before pulling out a lollipop. "You got a sweet tooth?" The unnamed man laughed. "Such a kid."

I tried punching or kicking anything I could, but my limbs were soon locked into place and I was left to yell in outrage.

"Oh, a screamer! Haven't gotten one of these in a long while." Drew hollered as they both laughed out. "They're always fun to train." I tried yanking myself away from them as my bag fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling my books and stashes of candy.

"What's this?" Another male voice cut in through my shouts, and all movement instantly stopped.

Standing a few feet away, a young man scrutinized the three men with calculating eyes. His hair was a silky black, glowing like a raven's wing in the sun's glare. His skin was a natural pale, stretched across his refined chin. His dark eyes bore into mine for a moment before meeting the men's.

They set my feet on the ground and the shirtless Wong brought me back into his chest. My back pressed into his sweaty front and a hand played with the zipper of my pants. I squirmed in his grip, thrashing as he slowly unzipped it. Abandoning the task, he then held my arms down and nuzzled my neck.

"There ain't nothing here for you, punk. Mind your own and get back to the rich side of town." He suggested, apparently having trouble keeping his tongue in his mouth and off my ear. The boy smiled, as if he'd just cracked a joke. "I think it's time I get involved, don't you?" He replied before my eyes narrowed, widening again as Drew pulled out a knife. He'll be killed!

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for screams of pain and the sick laughing of the men to begin. Even so, I shook uncontrollably at the cracks and screams ringing in my ears. The man holding me swore loudly, carrying me off in a sprint.

It was my fault for the boy's death, he would be dead and buried before anyone was the wiser. I probably deserved to be dragged off like this.

The man, Wong, cried out in pain and his grasp vanished. With the momentum, I was sent crashing into a brick wall. Ouch.

I winced at the stinging pain now throbbing against my head and backside. Pain pulsing up my arms, I looked back to see a figure in all black thrust the knife into the man's side.

Desperately trying to look away, I pretended that that was not blood seeping from the man's many wounds, that those screams were not death screams, and that his legs were not being bent the wrong way. But nothing could keep my eyes and ears from the agony filled cries, off the merciless smirk on the boy's face. I soon couldn't bare the scene any longer.

"S-STOP!" I yelled, a hiccup rising from my throat as the boy peered back at me curiously. Staring at me with wondering eyes, he dropped the dying man and slowly approached me, bloody knife in hand. My limbs shook violently at his wide eyes, the wild way he had just killed three men. Horrified, I watched as he stalked closer, discarding the knife.

It embedded itself in the dying man's skull, ending his misery. And the boy hadn't even looked away from me.

The boy crouched in front of me as adrenaline pounded in my ears and made my hands shake. He dug through his pockets and took out a…napkin?

I stared at him in shock as he gently wiped a dot of blood from my face. At last, I managed a bewildered, "You…saved me?" I had expected him to either flee or beat me to a pulp for wasting his time.

"Men like that aggravate me." He explained, standing as I stiffly got to my feet. I thought he would add more, but instead he pocketed the napkin and began to walk away.

"T-thank you." I called after him, though I was unsure if that was the correct thing to say. Considering he had just murdered three guys without batting an eyelash. He paused, and then turned around with a smirk. "Do you know why men like them aggravate me?"

"I don't…" A chill crawled up my spine as he stepped towards me, causing me to take a step back.

"Why men like that make me mad." He continued. Before I had time to react, he reached a hand across my lower back and pulled me so that our bodies were aligned. "Men like them annoy me because they never get the job done right."

It took a moment for this to sink in, before my mouth fell open. "Y-you-!"

"By the way," He released me and ruffled up my hair, "You didn't seem all that worried until I got involved. Weird kid. Who said I was saving you anyway? I was hungry." With that, he snatched a lollipop from the ground and, tossing the bloodied wrapper to the ground, popped it into his mouth. I stared after his retreating back in disbelief.

TBC…

Yuuki: IDK if I should continue this… It appears I'm in a Surreal Reality neglect phase…First Macabre Dreams…and now this…(Though I have no idea what date it is that you, reader, are reading this, cuz who knows when it'll be posted and it's October 3rd as I write this)

Killua: And your excuse? T_T

Yuuki: for homework…we read this short story…it was about this dude with a gun during a war…who killed his brother…then we had to write something equally as ironic…and my topic was Stockholm Syndrome…so I pooped out this baby ;D (lo and behold, a semi-spoiler!)

Leorio: another Leopika? *hopeful*

Yuuki: …

Leorio: …right?

Yuuki: …

Leorio: RIGHT?

Yuuki: ...REVIEW PLEASE!

Leorio: WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

(EDIT 5-20-11: I'm posting it just because it's taking up room on my flashdrive, and reading it over…I think I make Pika-chan too much of a damsel in distress *facepalm* sorry, blondie…I'll try to fix your manly pride in future writing)