I'M NOT DEAD GUYS. I'M ACTUALLY NOT DEAD.
I'm terribly sorry for not updating for, let's see, 44 days? Honestly. I mean, people probably already forgot about this story already or something... (sigh) To the people who haven't forgotten, I love you so much! Have a cookie!
*Remember in the previous A/N I said why Ene and Konoha got their names would be said in chapter 002? I lied. I scrapped that.
This chapter is un-edited (I didn't want the readers to wait any longer), so if there's mistakes please tell me (nicely).
Please enjoy!
Hey. I'm Kido. I'm a sophomore at Kagerou High along with my adopted brothers Seto and Kano. I like hoodies and listening to my iPod. I'm often been referred to as 'a ghost' or 'mean-looking', which I don't like but am pretty much used to. And I'm the so-called leader of the gang 'Mekakushi Dan'. We live together in apartment 107. We divided the 5 bedrooms up between us. I was 'roommates' with Momo, Kano shared a room with Hibiya, Shintaro shared a room with Konoha, Marry and Seto shared a room and Ene had a room to herself that she would share with Aya-nee if she visited. But really, being the leader isn't much different from the other members.
Except that I cook everyone's breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? Letting Marry, Ene or Momo (no, wait, I take that back. ESPECIALLY Momo.) cook means a disaster in the kitchen. Seto's usually busy (with his part-time job and all), Kano the bastard would fool around too much and it would end up with us having no food at all, Shintaro's too obsessed with his computer and coke, Hibiya's only a kid and Konoha would end up eating everything. So it ended up with me, seemingly the only one who can cook out of us, busy in the kitchen every morning and evening.
Us Mekakushi Dan is one of the two strongest gangs of Kagerou Street. Not that we want to be, it's just that we happen to be. The other is AZAMI. When it comes to strength, we're pretty equal and although we do fight often (more than necessary), we don't mock each other of anything (we usually cause physical damage, not emotional damage). However, there was a time, probably long forgotten, that the Mekakushi Dan was made fun of by AZAMI.
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"3 lattes, one hot chocolate, one London fog, one cotton candy frap, one vanilla frap, one lemon cake frap please, all tall, thank you." said Kano. The worker nodded, and turned around to make our drinks.
"Arghhh, how many days until summer vacation? I can't wait~!" said Momo, letting out a huge sigh.
"You've asked that question, like, 20 times already." said Hibiya. "Obasan." he immediately added.
"Does that matter? Summer vacation is fun!" retorted Momo. I sighed.
"Don't get too excited. We still have quizzes, tests, exams, presentations and other stuff coming up." I said. Ayano, Seto, Kano, Marry, Momo, Ene and Hibiya gulped.
"Oh, and there's the mile run too." added Ene, looking slyly at Shintaro, who tensed up at her words.
"I'm sure someone will enjoy that." laughed Momo.
"Here are your drinks." said the worker, putting down the drinks on the counter. Everyone grabbed their drinks and headed out the door, only to bump into another group of people.
"Shit." Ene muttered. "AZAMI."
AZAMI was the other group that 'dominated' Kagerou Street. It consisted of 13 people, however we didn't know much about them. We only knew who one person's real name, and nothing of their boss. However we did know about one person. The code names of the members of AZAMI are Conceal, Steal, Deceive, Stare, Combine, Captivate, Open, Retain, Focus, Awaken, Clear and Favor. Clear was Kuroha Kokonose, Konoha's twin brother, and AZAMI's best fighter.
We glared at AZAMI, and vice versa.
"Didn't think we'd meet here, Mekakushi Dan." sneered Deceive. Kano shrugged.
"Same to you, AZAMI." he said. "Now, we've gotta go so don't get in our way." Open's eyes narrowed.
"That attitude of yours is not gonna do you any good, bitches." she said, staring straight into each of our eyes. Ene stepped up, anger burning in her eyes.
"Are you picking a fight here?" she said.
"Only if you guys are up to the challenge." Open retorted back.
"Alright then." I said, stepping forward. If we declined, it might affect our reputation. We walked out of the Starbucks - obviously we couldn't fight in there - and faced each other in the middle of the street. A few seconds later, punches and kicks were tossed around and people were getting hurt before you could say 'blindfold complete'. I was fighting with Conceal, who was AZAMI's fastest and most agile fighter.
Suddenly I heard a high-pitched scream from behind me. I immediately turned around and saw Marry, who had fallen on the ground and was struggling against Stare and Combine, who were tugging on her long hair. I immediately dashed over and gave Stare and Combine each a kick that sent them flying. I helped Marry up onto her feet.
"T-Thank you, Kido..." she said, near tears. I give her a smile.
"Anytime." I reply. Suddenly, Marry's eyes widen.
"Kido, be careful! Behind you!" she shouts, pointing behind me. I quickly spin around to see a huge foot flying straight at my face. I immediately hold up my hand to block the kick, which didn't end up good. The impact of Conceal's foot against my wrist caused me to jump back a few steps until my foot landed badly on its side and I fell on my side on the ground, twitching in pain. I felt as if my body was crushed like a can of coke when an AZAMI member (I couldn't see who) brought his/her foot down on the side of my ribcage. I coughed and clutched the wound, wishing the pain would go away.
"Kido!" shouted Kano, running over to me with the rest of the gang. I sat up slowly, clutching my side, panting.
"You bastards -" said Kano, rushing up to AZAMI and ready to fight.
"Kano! You idiot! Retreat, we're going back." I said. Kano sighed and stepped back. Seto helped me up and we walked (or, in my case, limped) away. Kano gave them a glare before following us back to apartment 107.
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"Danchou-san, are you okay?" asked Momo, urgently. I sat up on the couch and sighed. I quickly regretted sighing. Dammit, that did hurt.
"Yeah, I'm fine Momo. It's already 6, isn't it? I need to cook dinner -"
"Not so fast." said Kano, pushing me back onto the couch. To my surprise, I didn't fight back. Probably because that would hurt.
"You're not cooking when AZAMI just crushed your ribs. I'll call up Nee-chan." he said, already dialing Aya-nee's number.
"We can't bother her! I'm fine, Kano! Just a little wound won't affect me." I said, getting up. A sharp pain in my ribs caused me to wince and clutch my side. I sat back down and kept silent as Kano called Aya-nee. Meanwhile, Marry walked up to me, looking depressed.
"I'm sorry, Kido... I should have been more careful... If I had been more careful you wouldn't have gotten hurt -" I smile.
"No, it's fine, Marry. Trust me. It's alright." I say. Marry look up, sniffling.
"Are you sure?" she asks. I nod.
"Of course." I said. The doorbell rang, and Shintaro went to get it. It was Aya-nee.
"Hi everyone!" said Aya-nee. She took off her shoes and ran to me.
"Tsubomi! Are you okay?" she asked, looking extremely worried. I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply. Aya-nee sighed.
"I really think I should talk to AZAMI! If I talk to them, they'll understand!" she said. Sorry, Aya-nee, about you having to cook for me..." I said. Aya-nee shook her head.
"No, it's totally fine! Tsubomi, you just rest! I'll get everything done!" she said, running into the kitchen. I lie back down onto the couch and fall fast asleep.
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When I woke up, it was already morning. Sunlight seeped through the windows and curtains and shone right on my face. I groaned and sat up slowly, still feeling the pain. I must have broken a bone or something. I noticed that I was in the my bed (the bottom bunk of the bunk bed I shared with Momo) and that I was in my pajamas. One of the girls must have changed me because I fell asleep in my usual hoodie. None of the guys would have dared. I glanced at my clock. It was slightly past six o'clock. It wouldn't be another one and a half hours until we had to depart to school. A sudden voice from the bunk above startled me.
"If you listen to my joke your stomach would fly out~! Just kidding " said Momo. I sat still for a moment, considered what she had said, then burst out laughing (which, obviously, I quickly regretted). Although the things Momo says when she's asleep were usually bizarre and I was pretty much used to it, it suddenly made me feel better. I immediately got out of bed and got dressed. I slip quietly out of the room and head for the kitchen. I was extremely surprised at the sight in front of me.
The table was already set with the usual arrangements. Different types of bread were exquisitely put together in a wooden basket on top of a piece of red and white plaid cloth in the middle of the table. The types of bread included French baguettes (all cut up into small pieces), red bean bread, chocolate screwdriver bread, toast and my personal favorite, croissants. Butter and different types of jam lined the basket. Scrambled eggs, cut-up pieces of potatoes and bacon were put in several different beautiful plates that Marry brought from her house. In front of our seats, we had our usual plates and utensils. A glass of orange juice was placed beside everyone's plates. Everything seemed to 'sparkle', if you know what I mean.
I frowned in confusion. Did Aya-nee come back to prepare breakfast? My confusion was quickly answered when a familiar figure walked out of the kitchen, a zone he was never allowed to enter.
"Oh, Kido, you're awake. I made breakfast." he said, smiling. For a second, I couldn't say anything. I was too shocked.
"...I said you weren't allowed in the kitchen, didn't I?" I finally managed to choke out. I could almost see Kano shrink back.
"Umm... Yes?" he answered. I sighed and sat down.
"I'll forgive you this time." I said quietly. Kano beamed, and his face glowed. He bounded over to me and gave me hug.
"Tsubomi, you're so kind~!" he said. I felt my face heat up. I immediately punched him in the face and pulled my hoodie so that it covered my face.
"Don't call me by that!" I said. Our bickering must have been loud, because the next thing we knew everyone was awake, even Momo.
"Did you make this, Danchou-san?" asked Momo, rubbing her eyes.
"No, Kano did." I answered truthfully.
"I didn't know you could cook, Kano!" said Marry. "And I thought the kitchen was a banned area for you!" Kano sighed.
"Can't you guys all just appreciate the food?" he said. "Judging it would clearly break my heart!" Everyone sat down to eat.
"Wow, it's actually really good! I never expected that from a person like you!" said Ene.
"That's mean, Ene-chan! What do you think, Konoha?" asked Kano. Konoha glanced up from the pile of food in front of him and nodded.
"Awesome." he answered. We went on eating breakfast as usual, not knowing that this day would turn out to be one of the worst days ever.
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I slide the classroom door open and I walk to my seat with Kano, Seto and Marry. When I sat down, I saw a note left on my desk. I immediately frowned after I scanned through the contents. It read:
Tsubomi Kido:
Seriously? Even as the boss of your gang, you got hurt and had to let your gang members help you stand up? You seriously are weak. Just a small kick from Awaken hurt you so much? Don't even make us laugh. Are you even fit to be the boss?
AZAMI
I let the note flutter out of my hands and onto the desk. I collapse into my chair. I felt terrible. Why AM I the leader, anyways? My fighting skills are average, my punches and kicks are nothing when compared to Konoha or Seto. My grades are way below average, nothing compared to Shintaro or Konoha. So why?
For the first time I questioned myself about myself being leader. Ene could easily be leader. Or Shintaro. Or Konoha. Or Seto. Or even Kano the idiot. Now that I think about it again, I only became leader because when the gang was first formed, Kano thought it'd be cool if I was. I never lived up to the position of 'leader', and now I feel I never will.
"Kido?" Kano asked, bringing me back to reality. I shook my head. I was thinking too much. It's AZAMI, for god's sake. They literally exist to make people suffer.
"Nothing." I muttered, sitting down in my chair. Kano inched closer to me.
"What's that note?" he asked. He reached for the note, but I snatched it first.
"Nothing." I say, shoving it into my pocket and wait for class to start.
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"Are weird things happening to you guys today?" asked Momo. I looked up sharply. Everyone seemed to think and we eventually all came to the same answer.
"Yes." We looked at each other.
"You guys too?" asked Shintaro. I nodded. Suddenly, I heard a laugh. We all looked towards where it was coming from, and we saw AZAMI perched on the fence of our rooftop. They hopped off, and came face to face with us, smirking.
"You've just realized? How stupid. You," said Combine, pointing to me. "Are not fit to be leader." I felt as if someone stepped on my heart. The horrible feeling I felt this morning when I read the letter came back. I stared at the ground, feeling ashamed. Combine took no mercy and she continued with her rambling.
"And you, Kousuke Seto. What can I say? Oh right. You're kinda useless. Your grades are average, and you're not a strong fighter. You have a smile on your face every moment of the day, and that never changes. How boring!" Behind me, I saw Seto's hands balling into fists.
"Shuuya Kano, you're just a liar. Wearing your mask won't conceal how broken you are inside, you idiot. Yet you chose to. Isn't that stupid?" The smile immediately left Kano's face and a slightly shocked expression replaced it.
"Marry Kozakura. The weakest of the group, probably. It's kinda all your fault that your boss got hurt in the first place, isn't it? If you didn't need help, wouldn't your boss be fine? Also, you're just a bother to your group. Tripping and falling all the time." Marry's eyes immediately started tearing up and soon, big teardrops were streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh, and you, Momo Kisaragi. What are you, a magnet or something? You attract people's gazes every moment you breathe. It's gotta be annoying to your gang." Momo was probably restraining herself from running up to Combine and punching her. But she knew better. We all did. Don't mess with AZAMI. Obviously, they had more people than us, and they were all pretty much equally skilled, unlike us. Some members of the Mekakushi Dan stood out while some weren't as good.
"Ene. Just a loud, noisy brat, I guess." The short sentence hit Ene like a blow to the stomach, and everyone could practically see fire burning behind her. Not only her, but Konoha as well.
"Hah?! Well, I'm sorry I'm such a loud, noisy brat!" shouted Ene. Combine, however, ignored her.
"Shintaro Kisaragi. Hmm... Gosh, there's too many things I could say. I bet that if one of your loved ones died you'd become a hikkiNEET and never come in contact with the world anymore." she says.
"Coming such a far way from the countryside to study in a good school, and then you end up joining a gang? That's kinda pathetic, Hibiya Amamiya. Honestly, I wonder if your gang likes you joining them." Combine continues. Hibiya sends a glare in her direction.
"Konoha. You add onto how much your gang needs to spend. Money, I mean. You eat as much as 5 people, and I honestly don't think they'd like that." Konoha still held the furious expression he gained when Combine called Ene a 'loud, noisy brat'.
"You guys should be feeling bad about yourselves now. I don't understand how your gang has been able to be held together with all your flaws, especially with your boss." said Favor. Then someone pressed a button on a remote, and a contraption that was similar to a balloon floated up. They hopped on it and they departed.
The first thought I had was What the hell was that balloon-like thing. Retain was probably the one who designed it. Open might have helped. I don't know.
Then, I snapped back to reality. It was all my fault that my members got scolded. By AZAMI. It was all my fault.
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POV Switch: Shuuya Kano
Our gang headed back in silence. Except that Marry was still sniffling and crying, everyone else looked fine. Or tried to look fine. I bet none of them were really fine. Inside, they were either hurt or breaking down. The silence was getting uncomfortable for me.
"Kido~! What's wrong? Does your ribs hurt? Oh, could it be you're hurt from AZAMI's words? You know they're always like that, don't you?" I said, leaning in in front of Kido. She stopped walking and pulled her hoodie over her head, covering her eyes. Without a word, she picked up her pace, leaving us behind.
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"Everyone! Dinner is ready!" said Nee-chan from inside the kitchen. Konoha immediately sprang from his seat on the couch to the table. Everyone else walked at a normal pace to the table.
"Hm? Where's Tsubomi?" asked Nee-chan. Everyone either shook their heads or shrugged.
"I'll go see if she's alright." I said, getting up from my seat and walking down the hall. I knocked on Kido's bedroom door.
"Kido? Dinner's ready." I said. There was no response. I knocked again. Still no response. I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.
"Kido?" I asked. My eyes blinked to adjust to the sudden darkness. The lights were turned off, and I could barely make out a figure in the darkness. I walked towards Kido and sat down next to her.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She looked away. I looked at her. She was hugging her knees and her hair was not in her usual ponytail, and her eyes were near tears.
"Could it be... You're still thinking about what AZAMI said?" I asked gently. She stayed silent. I sighed. I pulled her close to me and smiled.
"I think Kido's a great leader. You're our leader. Nobody can change that." I said. Then I stood up but I paused at the doorway.
"Dinner's ready, so come out when you feel like." And with that, I left Kido. AZAMI probably wouldn't stop their 'bullying' if we didn't show them we could fight back.
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"I didn't think that the weak little Blindfold Gang would challenge us to a fight now!" sneered Open. I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I don't think I can let off the guys that bullied my - er, our - Kido easily." Oops. Almost made a mistake.
"That reminds me. Where is your weak boss, anyways? Was she too scared to come fight with us?" Open laughed.
"Of course not." I replied.
"Well, let's cut the talking. You'll regret this after we beat you up." said Deceive, cracking his knuckles.
"Wait." says Shintaro. Everyone looks at him. He smiles smugly.
"Let's make a deal. If we loose, we'll stay off of your territory and never bother you all." he said.
"But if we win, you'll stop picking fights with us and you'll praise our leader that she's as pretty as a butterfly every time you refer to her." I said, smiling. Everyone stared at me in surprise.
"Sure. We accept your challenge, Blindfold Gang." said Stare.
The fighting started. With one person missing from us, AZAMI was harder to defeat. But for Kido's sake, we had to win.
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"That's it, AZAMI." I said. We had successfully cornered AZAMI, and they were currently glaring at us defiantly.
"Tsk. Fine!" Combine shouted, and AZAMI ran off. But it doesn't matter anymore. We won.
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When Kido heard about this, she immediately punched me in the gut. "Did you know how dangerous it is?!" she had shouted. I laughed. The normal Kido was back. The Mekakushi Dan was back to normal.
To wrap up this tale, what can I say? How about something witty? Oh, right.
「目隠し、完了。」
Preview: Chapter 003 - Kagerou Daze
"Look out!" A girl's voice screamed, and I turned around just to see a truck coming full speed at me. Eyes widening, I pleaded my feet to move but they were frozen, as if they were stuck onto the ground. I closed my eyes. This is it. The city really wasn't meant for me, was it? Staying at the countryside might have been a better choice... At least we didn't get run over by trucks... Goodbye, my high school life...
A hand grabbed mine and pulled me out of the way just in time. I stumbled back and fell onto the ground. I looked up at my savior. She was a high school girl who was probably the same age as me and she was staring at me.
"Are you crazy? Do you even look at where you're going? You could have died if I didn't pull you out of the way!" she hissed.
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"Today, we have a new transfer student joining our class. Her name is Hiyori Asahina. Come in please!"
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"What are you even staring at? You're disgusting!"
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"HIYORI!"
Second chapter of Blindfold Gang is up! Again, reviews, favorites and follows are well-appreciated! Suggestions are still very welcome! I would love to see where my readers want this story to go to!
You guys are awesome, and see you next time!
~Chinnie Ai
