"We go together like
rama lama lama
ke ding a de dinga a dong
remembered for ever like
shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom..."

A large group of students practically jumped around the dance floor, supposedly dancing, but looking like they were being thrown around by a large octopus. Several pairs and groups of students sat at tables, drinking and chatting amongst themselves. All looked like they were having the time of their lives- except one.

Kiku Honda, a small Japanese transfer student, was seated near the back of the large room, sipping from his drink and gazing around the hall. He hadn't planned to be alone; he had been looking forward to this day as much as everyone else had, up until the third day from it. Why?

Allison F. Jones, his girlfriend, had split up with him. Harshly. And, to make it worse, she had told everyone it had been his fault. So, Kiku had been left alone, three days before the end of term disco, with no date, almost no friends and money he couldn't get back from paying for the stupid day. It had been Allison who had persuaded him to come, he hated social gatherings. What a waste...

Kiku sighed and rested his forehead on the cool table, his eyes being drawn to his small sketchpad where he was sketching Haruhi Suzumiya in a gothic lolita maid dress. He was just finishing going over the pencil lines around her... uh... bust... when the current song ended and the half of the dancing students went to sit down.

"This next song is a request for a lucky person tonight! Hope you all enjoy..." The DJ spoke cheerfully into the microphone as he selected the next track.

"Azamuku ni wa Ososugite
Sasayaku ni wa Orokasugite
Sono omoi wo tsuki ni utsushi Yoru wo wataru..."

Kiku's ears perked up as the familiar notes reached his ears. Was that... Hallucination?

"Do you like it?" He heard a soft voice above him and looked up from his lap. Helena, his Greek best friend, was standing in front of him, smiling. "I... know you've been feeling sad recently... so I requested it for you."

Kiku smiled at her. "Thank-you, Helena chan. Are you enjoying yourself?" He frowned when Helena shook her head.

"Not as much as I could be... I can't bear to see you sad." She reached her hand out to him. "Will you dance with me?"

Kiku blushed slightly, staring at the outstretched hand, then at the dance floor. Pairs of dancers were now together, arms round each other, swaying lightly to the song.

He sighed. Helena was just like a kitten, he could never say no. He placed his hand in her palm and she smiled, leading him up and to the dance floor. They reached the edge and the Greek girl turned, still smiling at him.

"I... I don't know how to Dance..." Kiku mumbled, embarrassed. Helena just kept smiling at him.

"Don't worry... just put your arms around my waist..." Kiku uncomfortably did so. Helena then placed her arms around his neck.

They joined the growing crowd of students slowly dancing to the sad song. Kiku simply stared at the floor, although when he did glance up he saw Allison dancing with Arthur. He briefly made eye contact and saw an odd flash of mixed emotions pass in her eyes. Kiku looked down again.

" Furete sugu ni Hagasu kuchibiru
Kore wa yume Itsumo no yume
Nami no you ni Dakiyoserarete..."

Helena felt Kiku's arms stiffen around her waist and he began to shake slightly. Startled, she looked down to see Kiku's head tilted down. Was he... crying? She hadn't seen him cry for years, not since...

She shook herself out of her thoughts, wrapping her arms tighter around him and pulling him towards her. He resisted at first, but then gave up, leaning against her with his face against her shoulder. Several seconds passed until Helena decided this was enough, and she took Kiku's hand, half-dragging him out of the room.

She pulled him through the double doors and stood by the wall with Kiku, who was rubbing his eyes, trying to stop his crying. Again, Helena pulled her to him, not letting go when he pulled away, instead tightening her hold on him, trying to avoid shoving his face into her chest, but trying to comfort him all the same. The only way she could tell he was crying was the shaking, he never made any noise when he cried. It was the strangest thing, if you didn't know why.

Several minutes passed until Kiku gently tugged away from her hold and stepped backwards. "I... I apologise, Helena-chan..."

"Its not your fault, Kiku, never think that. Its only because you told me not to that I'm not dragging that stupid American out of there by her hair." Kiku chuckled slightly at this, wiping his eyes. "Do you want to go home?"

Kiku nodded. "But... I left my bag inside... and I don't really want to go back in..." He bit his lip.

Helena smiled. "No problem!" She stuck her head back into the hall and a few seconds later Daisy, a happy Italian girl, came out with a bag in her hands.

"Caio Kiku! I'm really sorry you have to leave..." She hitched the frown on her face into a smile and handed him the bag. "I'll see you later! Luddy's waiting and I wanna dance with him!" She vanished.

Helena took his hand again, inwardly smiling when he didn't pull away, and took him outside to her hired car. She and Kiku got in, instructed the driver where to go, then set off. The whole way, Kiku's head was dipping forward and his eyes kept almost closing until he shook himself awake.

The car pulled up outside a house and Helena got out, taking Kiku's hand YET AGAIN and taking him inside. They were instantly greeted by the mews of many cats.

"B-but this isn't my home..." Kiku stuttered, looking around at the Greek paintings and artifacts.

"Of course not. You're sad, the last thing you need is to be alone tonight." Helena blatantly ignored the baffled look on Kiku's face and dragged him upstairs to her room, throwing herself on the double bed and inviting Kiku down beside her. He hesitated, then lay down beside her on his back. He sighed quietly, staring at the ceiling. Half the students in his class now hated him, he had pretty much been humiliated at the end of year disco, and he could already tell he was in for a bad few weeks back at school ahead of him.

Could this get any worse?

"DAMMIT DAISY! BUY YOUR OWN FRIGGING LUNCH!" Ramona yelled at her twin sister as she chased her up the path to school. Ludwig and Antonio followed slowly, their satchels slung over their shoulders. Kiku and Helena followed even slower behind them, party because of Helena's constant sleepiness, partly because of Kiku's reluctance to go back. Something told him that even after two weeks of holiday, no-one would have forgotten him yet.

The six students made their way to their first class; history. In a bizarre twist of fate they were studying world war two, currently on Pearl Harbour and the atomic bombs. Kiku groaned silently as he sat down, dreading what they would have to discuss that lesson.

Around ten minutes passed until Kiku felt screwed up bits of paper being thrown at his head. He ignored them until a significantly larger piece of paper, supposedly a note, landed on his desk. Uneasily, he picked it up and unfolded it. Written inside was three words.

'Its your fault.'

Kiku felt his heart almost stop and his eyes widen as his mind was flooded with memories from years ago.

"ITS YOUR FAULT! EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!"

"Its that stupid brat, never leaves us..."

"Its his fault! I'm not to blame! If he wasn't here, I could..."

The desk began to tremble under his shaking arms as his pupils contracted.

"N-no... no..." His arm jerked and hit the desk behind him, sending sparks of pain through his arm and setting his mind into a frenzy. "NO!" He screamed, standing abruptly, sending his desk to the floor before running out of the door as fast as he could go.

The rest of the class was left in silence, staring at the doorway until the teacher cleared her throat. "I need someone to go after him." Chun-Yan, Kiku's sister, immediately put her hand up.

"Yes, Chun-Yan. Go look for him and bring him back." She nodded, standing and going to the door before turning and noticing the crumpled piece of paper on the floor. She picked it up and scanned the contents and her eyes narrowed hatefully.

"I'm afraid, miss, that he probably won't be coming back for a while, aru."