Chapter Four – Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm went off. It was six-forty-five. I turned to shut the annoying clock off. There was no sun today. Ominous clouds covered the entire sky. I could hear quiet thunder from within my room. Stepping out of bed, I stretched my body and headed towards the window. I love the rain, I thought. Little rain droplets sprinkled down from the clouds, making everything damp with water. As the cars would zoom by, the water trail lightly behind. Yawning, I continued downstairs to fix myself some breakfast. Cereal was the only thing in the house. I need to go shopping today. I'll go after school.

I finished the bowl of cereal slowly. Today I felt really lazy. I didn't even bother to take a shower. I just threw my hair up in a bun and brushed my teeth. The clock read seven-twenty-five. Time to go to school. Before I did anything else, I made sure to grab the money Akira had left. I then put on a raincoat and started walking to school. The fresh smell of new rain, I loved it. As I was walking, I heard someone calling my name.

"______, wait up!" Out of instinct, I turned around to see who it was. They were running to catch up to me. I squinted my eyes to get a better look.

"How are you today," the young man said as he was close enough. I didn't recognize him at all. He looked maybe fifteen, sixteen years old. He had long, red hair that passed his shoulders. A school uniform dressed his body. And his eyes, a beautiful, emerald green. They were the most noticeable feature on his face. I could just stare at them forever. Anyways… Even though this kid went to the same school (I assumed, since he was wearing the same pink uniform as all the other guys did in school), I had never seen him before in my life.

"Hi… Do I know you?" My brow creased in question. He looked at me with a quizzical expression, his eyebrows in a confused manner.

"It's me, Shuichi. Remember, I walked you home last night?" He sounded so upset, well at least it seemed. I thought back to yesterday, realizing that I had no memory of it. I hadn't a clue what I did. Did I get drunk, I questioned myself. Guilt set in as I thought about it. I was hoping I didn't sleep with this Shuichi kid. But I didn't have a hangover and I wasn't a drinker at all. Plus, I would never in my life sleep with some random dude I supposedly just met yesterday.

"Oh, yeah… How are you, Shu-chui?" I butchered his name a bit. The uncertainty in my voice was terribly noticeable. I tried to sound as convincing as possible but I don't think he was buying it. "Thanks again, by the way. I really did appreciate you walking me home." I was feeding into it. I felt guilty for not remembering anything. I was just pretending everything. Shuichi smiled.

"Can I walk you to school," he asked. I nodded my head hesitantly and grinned. That was the least I could do. We both walked in silence, that uncomfortable silence I was trying to avoid. How badly I wanted to start a conversation but couldn't. I was too shy. I thought desperately to think of yesterday. The only thing I had remembered was reading that note Akira had left and falling asleep. Other than that, the whole day/weekend was oblivious. From the corners of my eyes, I gazed up at Shuichi. He looked straight ahead, seemingly to be deep in thought. I wonder what he is thinking…

The rain that was once falling had stopped, the dark clouds still threatening the city though. We reached the school grounds in the matter of minutes, it seemingly to be hours. That painful silence still lingered between us.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. Thanks for walking me." I smiled halfheartedly, grateful to break that stillness. Shuichi only nodded his head. I didn't want to seem rude and walk off but things were getting too awkward. I wave my hand a bit before entering the building. He didn't wave back though. He just stood there staring. I just turned around and went to biology class. Yippee…

Later that day, in math class, I found myself thinking about Shuichi. He was so mysterious… And weird. I didn't know who he was and I didn't remember him walking me home last night. Something in my mind, though, was replaying over and over again. But I couldn't pinpoint it. It was blurred in my thoughts and it was bugging me. I felt as if I did meet Shuichi but my mind was telling me otherwise. I sighed quietly in frustration, leaning my head down upon the cool desk. The last bell rang. The dreadful day was finally over. I just wanted to go home and rest. For some reason I was awfully tired, even though I had gotten a goodnight's sleep.

I started to walk home. The rain had started to pick up again. I was hoping that Shuichi wouldn't see me so I took an alternative route home. No offense to him, I didn't want to walk home being uncomfortable. The route was much longer but I didn't bother me. I loved walking in the rain.

The further I began to walk, the more my head began to ache. It started off as a little headache in math class but then progressed into a major migraine. I couldn't even think straight. My vision became oddly distorted. I didn't even recognize where I was or where I was going. I stumbled down the sidewalk, probably making a total fool out of myself. There was no control in my own body. Everything blanked out…

I remembered everything. Seeing those five people after school that day. They had that fading aura around their bodies. Then that Toguro guy, how he heeled my wound instantly with the touch of his hand. Oh, and how he said I was going to be his servant. Me having no control over my body. I remembered meeting Shuichi in that forest while he meditated. He offered to walk me home and then we bumped into Yusuke and Kazuma. Everything popped back into my mind. The only thing I didn't quite understand was where I was. The rain was now falling hard. I was in an opened field. The grass was about knee-length. I could see nothing but nature. Except for one thing, Shuichi... He stood about thirty feet away. He stared at me directly. The rain dripped down his face with elegancy. They rounded them with perfection. I wanted to say something. My body was possessed. Toguro had taken control once again.

"______, what are you doing here?" Shuichi sounded a bit surprised and upset. I don't know… My feet began to near him, my mouth remained shut. He just stared at me with the most confused expression on his face. I could clearly see the troublesome in his eyes. Once I was two feet away from him, my feet stopped moving. I didn't know what Toguro was planning but I didn't like it.

All of a sudden, that horrible screeching sound pulsated through my head. My eyes widened with pain and I fell to the ground on all four. I clenched the tall grass between my fingers, hoping it would ease the pain if I gripped it tight enough. No avail… The ground began to spin and my breathing became faintly rapid. I could feel a surge of energy violently rush through my entire body.

"Is everything alright, ______?!" The worry in Shuichi's voice, it was obvious. He kneeled down to check if I was okay. I could feel this darkness sensation creep all over my body. My eyes were painted black, no emotion. My face was unresponsive. I stood up as did Shuichi. "Are you okay," he asked again, still concerned. No response.