AN: Heh, all right. First off, thank you very much to everyone who is reading ID Crisis. And secondly, beware of OC's (this is the last chapter of OC's). This time they're not like the past OC's who were pretty ambiguous. I created them so that... well... so that I could make Ryohei have a life, basically. I just reasoned, he has to have a school life. Heck, around the introduction of Naito Longchamp into the manga, Ryohei participated in a graduation ceremony and even made a speech as Valedictorian even though he hadn't even finished his third-year of school! So... obviously, he does something other than boxing... (and I guess he's actually pretty smart to become Valedictorian for a class above him... it's just that he's completely stupid for boxing!) So... I'm writing about Ryohei's classroom as I think it would be like. :D
Okay, I'm done. You can go on with the story now.
The morning sun was beating down upon the students who were pouring in through the gates of school, already prepared to finish off today's classes and quickly head off to do what each individual wished to do. The team of baseball players had all finished with their practice and was now returning from their locker room, bantering loudly together and smiling broadly. A few girl students watched the team closely, pouting when they didn't spot the tallest boy of their group among them.
A boy with shortly cropped silver hair and a bandage over his nose peeked around the corner of school, staring unblinkingly at the students, lips parted open, as though he were in a daze or forever dreaming. He held a staff in his hands protectively, glancing from left to right, wondering where he should go. He had accidentally lost sight of Yamamoto and Tsuna when they arrived at the school. Then, he had ventured into the school building, investigating around for the two boys. But, he couldn't find anyone. Ryohei sighed to himself, eyebrows raised in worry. It was already strange enough being in a man's body… after all… there was an extra 'something' between his legs now… This was definitely something he wished he never had to go through again. But… for now, there was nothing he could do about it. So, he might as well… play the part. Ryohei stepped out from behind his shield of concrete and followed after a group of girls, glancing at the walls of the school uncertainly. Where was he supposed to go…?
"Onii-chan…!" The silver haired boy jumped slightly at the girl's voice. He… he had a sister…? Ryohei turned around slowly, gazing at the girl with orange hair nervously, with sweat starting to perspire on his brow. The girl blinked at him a couple of times. "Onii-chan, what are you doing here? I thought you went to school early today. You're not in class yet?"
"…" Ryohei merely stared at the girl uncertainly, wondering how he should answer. He clutched the staff tighter to his chest and glanced from left to right anxiously. Mukuro-sama…He hadn't been able to get in contact with the blue haired illusionist ever since he had switched bodies… maybe she couldn't get in touch with Mukuro-sama because of the sudden body switching? Had the switching upset the balance between her mind and body, resulting in the loss of contact with Mukuro-sama...? Ryohei's eyes fell to the floor, watching his sneakers worriedly. Mukuro-sama…what should I do…?
"Onii-chan…?" The girl blinked again, stepping closer. "Onii-chan, are you all right? Why aren't you saying anything?" She noticed the staff in his hands and tilted her head to the side. "What is this…?" She reached out a hand to touch it. Ryohei stared at his supposed 'sister' for a few seconds again before pulling back and turning tail, deciding to jog away quickly. He heard the orange haired girl gasp and yell out in concern, "Onii-chan?!"
I'm sorry…! I don't know who you are…! Ryohei thought sadly, running off down the halls, looking for any sign of the boss or anyone else he knew. Eventually, the silver haired boy became even more lost than before and he scurried down the halls cautiously, listening for any familiar voices. At every classroom he passed by, people seemed to give him strange looks. Was there something on his face…? He stared at them awkwardly and continued to trek down the halls in silence. As he passed by rooms upon rooms, he started to realize that the numbers of students in the hall were growing fewer and fewer by the second. Was… class starting soon…? He stopped in his tracks, staring down the long hallway of doors with round eyes. Which one… was he supposed to be in?
Suddenly, the voice of that orange haired girl from earlier chimed from one of the doors to his right. "Tsuna-kun… do you know what my brother might be doing…? He was acting strangely this morning…" She sounded worried. And it was his fault. He closed his eyes solemnly, holding the staff against his chest. It wasn't that he purposely wanted to ignore that girl… but… wouldn't it hurt more if her brother said something like, "Who are you?" or "Your name is…?"
Another voice joined in. A very very familiar voice. Ryohei's eyes fluttered open as the voice of Tsuna echoed from inside the room. "Oh, Sasagawa? Ehh… he's… heh... what can I say… Tsu—Yamamoto…?"
A voice that filled him with hope…!
Ryohei timidly peered into the classroom, carefully hiding himself behind the door. He watched as Yamamoto glanced shyly down at the desk before facing the orange haired girl and the brown haired boy. Boss was inside that guy right now, wasn't he…
"Uhh… how do I explain this…? Onii-san is… onii-san is… sort of going through a period of… erm…"
"A period of meditation!" Tsuna cut in cheerily, grinning from cheek to cheek. Yamamoto exchanged an anxious look with the brown haired boy and then smiled a forceful smile.
"Er… yeah… a period of meditation…"
Kyouko glanced at the two boys and blinked a few times. "Tsuna-kun? Yamamoto-kun?" Something felt… strangely off… but she couldn't quite put her finger on it…
"Anyway…!" Tsuna nodded optimistically, trying to reassure the orange haired girl. "Right now, your brother is just trying to meditate. He has to try not to talk or train too much. It's a new kind of training…!" Yamamoto nodded along as Tsuna spoke, sweat running down the back of his neck. "After he's rested his muscles, he'll be even stronger than before!"
Kyouko watched Tsuna for a moment and then smiled happily. "Mm, I think I heard him say something like that before…"
Ryohei watched the trio wordlessly. They had cleared up the reason behind his sudden personality change… but… he still had no idea which class to go to… "Ah!" He realized that the boss was sitting in a position that faced the doorway. If he caught the tall boy's attention, he would definitely be able to get some help…! The silver haired boy stuck his head out from behind the door, careful not to let anyone other than the boss notice him. Then, he waved a hand slowly, hoping the tiny motion would catch the boy's attention. "Boss… Boss…" He whispered, concentrating his eyes upon the black haired boy. Suddenly, Yamamoto's eyes met his and for a second, time seemed to freeze. Had he noticed him…?
Yamamoto stared at the doorway, spotting Ryohei's head sticking slightly into the room. Only a second later, Yamamoto's eyes bulged and grew round with dread.
Ryohei felt his heart swell with hope. It seemed like Boss had noticed him…! He watched as the black haired boy turned to Tsuna and Kyouko in order to excuse himself. Then he stood up and started heading his way. Boss was coming to help…! Thank goodness… He ducked behind the door again, waiting for Yamamoto to come. When the black haired boy slipped out from the classroom—shoulders hunched over and sighing like an old man—Ryohei stood forward, holding the staff with both hands and immediately mumbled in a voice softer than usual, "Boss, which class do I go to…?"
Yamamoto squinted at the silver haired boy standing in front of him, refusing to believe that this was Kyouko-chan's brother. This guy with the short silver hair and the bandage on the bridge of his nose, who was now slightly shorter than him, lips parted slightly open and staring back at him with round eyes that seemed to gaze into the far distance. This… was Sasagawa Ryohei?
"Haah…" The black haired teen sighed heavily, eyelids drooping from the constant concern and worry that had been plaguing him since this morning. Then, he gave Ryohei a small smile. Well, it was Chrome's first time attending school at Namimori Junior High. And, she was in onii-san's body… "Um…" He glanced down the hall, searching for any students in their 3rd year. "I think… your classroom is over here, Chrome…" The tall boy pointed down the hall and started leading Ryohei through the hallway.
"Oi, Yamamoto! What are you—?" Tsuna peered out from the classroom, accompanied by Kyouko. Yamamoto jumped at the sudden interruption. He turned slowly, body twitching slightly from anxiety. Bad timing, Yamamoto… Bad timing…!!
"Oh?" Tsuna blinked and then a bead of sweat ran down his cheek. He smiled nervously. "Sasagawa…"
"Onii-chan!" Kyouko jumped out from the classroom, eyes slightly watery. "Why aren't you in class? Just because you're training doesn't mean you can skip class, you know?"
"Eh… Kyouko-chan… I was about to take onii-san to his classroom…" Yamamoto chuckled awkwardly. "Right, onii-san?" Ryohei glanced from the orange haired girl to the black haired boy. Then, he nodded once to show his agreement. "Er… right, well… I'll just take him there now…" The taller boy grabbed Ryohei by the shoulders and started pushing him down the hall.
"But, Yamamoto-kun…" Kyouko started to say, eyebrows raised together in worry. Yamamoto glanced backwards, smiling reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Kyouko-chan. Onii-san will be fine. I'll get him to his classroom before class starts and I won't let him go wandering through the halls again." And then, he turned to face forward again, gently pushing the silver haired boy to the other side of the hallway. Kyouko watched the walking form of Yamamoto for a few seconds, suddenly feeling extremely confused.
"Tsuna-kun…?" She blinked once, staring at Yamamoto's back.
"Mm?" The brown haired boy sent a brilliant smile towards the girl.
She turned towards Tsuna and studied his face for a moment. Then, she shook her head, smiling to herself. "Mm-mm. It's nothing… we should go back to class right, Tsuna-kun?" As Tsuna responded with a quick, 'Ou!' and headed back into the classroom, Kyouko glanced back down the hall where Yamamoto had just been. Why did she feel like that person was more like Tsuna than Tsuna himself…? How odd…
The hall was nearly empty now, save for the students who were racing to their classes to be on time. Yamamoto poked his head into another classroom and knitted his eyebrows together when he could not find a room with any empty desks. He sighed and turned to Ryohei, shaking his head. "It's not this room either. I guess the only one left are those two rooms." He pointed to the two rooms opposite of each other at the very end of the hall. "You try that one. And I'll try the other."
Ryohei nodded once in understanding and then snuck a peak into the classroom, scanning the room with his eyes.
"AH! Sasagawa-kun!" Someone from the class shouted, causing Ryohei to nearly jump out of his skin. "Why are you so late?!" Ryohei inched backwards from the doorway, wondering if he could just skip class for today…
Yamamoto spun on his heels as he heard the loud voice. Sweat rolled down his head and he chuckled uncertainly. Were… onii-san's friends in class really passionate and loud as well…? Or… did that guy even have any good friends that he hung out with…? It seemed like the silver haired teen was always so focused and passionate about boxing that he didn't have time for anything else… although he did occasionally come to visit his house… But, if he remembered correctly, onii-san had once told him that some people had used Kyouko-chan to draw him out and then beat him up. Could it be… that there were many people who didn't really like the passionate older brother…? Because of his eccentric personality? Yamamoto shook his head and smiled nervously. Of course not…! Onii-san seemed like a great guy. Who wouldn't like him? He was just… sort of too 'bright' sometimes…
"Hey! Hey! Sasagawa, it's so boring without you in class!" A male student leapt up from his seat and grabbed the silver haired boy's arm, pulling him into class. Ryohei glanced around at all the strangers in the room who were supposed to be his classmates. Then, he glanced back to the doorway, sending a sad stare towards Yamamoto. The tall, black haired boy felt the sweat grow on his head. That look Ryohei was giving him… it was as if he were saying, 'save me… boss…!' He closed his eyes, hurriedly shutting out the image, and then clapped his hands together, bowing slightly. I'm sorry, Chrome…! I have class, too…! And then he hurriedly sped off down the hall. It was probably better like this anyway. Much better than having her wander around the school and draw too much attention to herself…
Ryohei stared at the doorway with a crestfallen look. Then, he felt someone slap his back heavily. "Hahaha, Sasagawa-kun! Why are you so quiet today, huh? Say something funny, like you always do! Something like, 'I'll read these pages to the extreme!' or something." The classroom erupted into giggles and laughter. The silver haired boy merely stared at them, a far-off look in his eyes. He glanced around the room and spotted an empty desk nearby. Ignoring the students, he simply went to take a seat in the empty chair and stared at the front of the classroom. Class should be starting soon, right? The teacher would be here at any moment…
"Oi, Sasagawa. Why aren't you saying anything today?" One of the students chortled and smirked at him. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what we'll do if you don't do what we ask…?"
Ryohei merely blinked at them, causing a few of the male students to scowl.
"Hey, you trying to ignore us, Sasagawa?"
The silver haired boy shook his head once and then stared at them again. "No, I'm listening."
"What the?!" The guy, who seemed to be the leader of the group of students who were teasing him, growled angrily. "You giving us some attitude or something?!"
Ryohei watched the heated boys silently. Why were they so angry at him…? Did he do something bad? Suddenly, one of the girls stood up, nearly knocking a chair backwards.
"Stop it, Mitsuki! Sasagawa-kun hasn't done anything wrong at all!" A group of girls stood up along with the one girl.
"That's right! That's right!" They shouted in unison, frowning disapprovingly at the boys. Sparks seemed to fly around the class and Ryohei sat in the middle of the dividing line, glancing from the side of girls to the side of boys. There were a few people sitting in the middle, like him, flipping through their textbooks as if this scenario occurred everyday.
"Of course, he's done something bad!" One of the boys pointed accusingly at Ryohei. "He's disrespecting Mitsuki!"
"Ha!" The girl who had first stood up scoffed. "The bastard just picks on Sasagawa-kun because he's more unique than anyone else in this room! Can't you idiots just leave him to do what he wants?"
Mitsuki stared at the girl with narrowed eyes and smiled slyly. "Ohh, what's this? Miss Kaoru is defending Sasagawa so fervently. You'd think she liked him or something…"
The girl named Kaoru flushed a bright pink and clenched her hands into fists. "T-that's not true! And besides, what about you? Confessing to me when you know that you'd definitely be rejected! You're the biggest idiot in history!"
Mitsuki blushed dark red and clenched his teeth angrily. "H-how dare you say that in public!" Then he stomped his foot on the ground angrily. "Dammit! What the hell do you see in that stupid boxing guy anyway?!"
Ryohei stared blankly at all the sudden confessions jumping up around him. This guy she had switched with sure had a hectic life… But, from the way he usually acted, it was as if he were completely oblivious to everything around him… And maybe he really was…
Sasagawa Ryohei. What a strange guy…
A boy sitting nearby him leaned over and whispered hastily.
"Oi, Sasagawa-kun… so, did you tell Kyouko-chan about what I told you to say…?" Ryohei blinked a few times, watching the boy blush bashfully. "Don't look at me like that. You know that I like your sister… I mean, she's like the idol of this school! And she's so cute…! So, did you tell her?"
"Umm…" A bead of sweat ran down the silver haired boy's head. What should he say…?
The door of the classroom suddenly slammed open and the teacher trotted in, holding a few books and papers in his hands. "Everyone, be seated. Class is starting." The man drawled and then positioned himself behind the front desk that separated him from the rest of the students. After the students had all settled down in their respective seats—faces looking completely innocent, as if the huge fight earlier had never happened—the teacher flipped open the first book of the tiny pillar of books on the desk. "Right then, take out your math textbook… page 245."
As the students shuffled around in their bags, looking for their books, the teacher turned to write a few problems on the board. Mitsuki took this chance to glare at Ryohei and then flick a piece of eraser bit at his head. The silver haired boy felt something hit the back of his head and he glanced backwards in confusion. Was there someone looking for him…? After turning in his seat, the silver haired boy spotted Mitsuki sticking his tongue out at him. Oh, was that all? The silver haired teen turned back to face the board, staring idly at it. A few girls giggled and pointed at Ryohei, whispering things to each other. Then, something was tossed onto his desk. Ryohei stared at the object on his table questionably. What was this? Candy? He looked up and glanced around the room. Then, he noticed Kaoru holding a bag of candy, blushing softly. Ryohei blinked once and then nodded his head, picking up the piece of candy appreciatively. After unwrapping it, the silver haired boy placed the candy in his mouth and then rolled the sweet ball of candy around the inside of his cheeks with his tongue. A small smile spread across his face as the sweet taste enveloped his entire mouth. It was strawberry flavored… Ken's favorite gum flavor. He saw Kaoru's face turn an even deeper shade of red and he nodded in thanks again before returning to read the problems on the blackboard.
"Now, who can tell me the answer to—" The teacher cut himself off abruptly, turning an ear to the students. Then, he rubbed his chin, frowning slightly. "Hmm… that's odd. Let's try that again… now, who can tell me the answer to—" The man cut himself off again, listening intently to the class. Then, he turned to scan the classroom over with his eyes narrowed together with concern. "Where's Sasagawa-kun today? He usually cuts in even before I get to cut myself off…"
The students pointed at Ryohei sitting in the middle of the classroom. The silver haired boy gazed at the fingers pointed at him and then turned his face towards the teacher. Ah, right. The teacher was calling for him…! He raised his hand in the air in response. A few girls giggled softly.
"What's wrong, Sasagawa-kun?" The teacher asked, squinting at the silver haired boy. "You don't know the answer today? And where's your textbook?"
"…" Ryohei didn't answer and glanced around his desk silently. Where were his textbooks… and his school bag…? Maybe… it was in the park…? He felt sweat start to perspire on his brow again. What was he going to do without his books…?
"Ah!"
Yamamoto and Tsuna turned to face the orange haired girl who had suddenly cried. They watched her uncertainly for a moment before Yamamoto asked softly. "Is something wrong, Kyouko-chan…?"
She smiled nervously at them and lifted up a black school bag. "I forgot to give onii-chan his school bag… He forgot it at home this morning…"
Yamamoto's mouth fell open. What would happen to Chrome in class then?! Tsuna stared at the bag and mirrored Kyouko's shaky smile.
"I guess… you should give it to him at lunch break…?"
The sun was already nearing the peak of the sky, shining all over the trees, the concrete buildings, the dirt paths and pavement, and across a certain someone's back.
"One-hundred… ninety… eight!" A dark haired girl, wearing a short white sleeveless top and a moss green colored skirt, panted out after finishing another push-up. Sweat dripped from her chin and arms and she took in a breath before bending her shaking arms again. "One-hundred… ninety… nine!" She let out the breath she was holding and panted heavily. This girl's body… really couldn't do many push-ups, huh? "One more! One more!!" She shouted out, encouraging herself, and dipped down again, arms shaking violently. "Two….HUNDRED!"
Chrome grinned in triumph and stretched her arms out happily. "Yes! I reached two hundre—AACHOO!" She sneezed in a loud and graceless voice and then rubbed her nose thoughtfully. "Hm? Was someone talking about me?" The girl shrugged and then grabbed the jacket lying a few inches away from her training spot. After wiping away her sweat with the jacket and draping it around her shoulders like a towel, she glanced around at the scenery, sighing cheerily. Ahh… it sure was nice to have the opportunity to train for an entire day, even if he was in a girl's body… And in such a nice place, too. She was so glad she had stumbled upon it. There were large trees all around and a steep hill of steps that she could run up and down. A large shrine full of intricately carved designs loomed over her, making her feel like some great emperor or some world boxing champion! It was a good thing she had wandered around and found it. There weren't too many people around here either. Just the occasional priest who appeared with a broom to sweep up the leaves on the ground. Maybe she could come here this weekend to train… in her true body, that is… "Anyway, let's not think about it!" She pumped her fists into the air passionately. "Ou! Training to the extreme!" Chrome grabbed the jacket resting on her shoulders with both hands and then started jumping in place, planning to work on some footwork after the nice workout. Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted her and she paused in her training to jog towards the stairs.
"It's almost lunch, you bastard! Why did we waste so much time at the hospital?! Jyuudaime could be starving right now!" Chrome squinted her eyes together, watching the top of the stairs while jogging in place. That really angry and irritated voice was Hibari's…! "Or what if Jyuudaime is worried and looking for me?! I have to go back to school and show him that I'm okay!"
"Wao, I didn't know people actually cared for you." Gokudera's voice—that sounded as though it had been soaked in a bath of sarcasm and malice—floated up from the stairs.
"Why you—!"
Chrome watched as the top of the silver haired boy first came into view. Then, the top of the black haired boy came. "Ah! It's Hibari and octopus-head!"
The two paused at the top of the stairs, staring at the girl without her usual jacket on. Then, remembering that right now Sasagawa Ryohei was the one in her body, Gokudera continued to walk forward, heading towards the large shrine. Hibari growled in anger, frowning deeply after hearing the comment about his previous hair.
"Hey! I'm not an octopus-head anymore!" The frown on his face faded away, replaced with a large smirk. He crossed his arms over his chest in a condescending way. "But look at you. You've gone from a turf-headed guy to some pineapple-haired girl!"
Chrome balled her fists together and yelled heatedly, "Hey! This hairstyle isn't that bad! Not like your weird tentacle looking hair! At least, mine is a pineapple! It's edible!!"
"Octopus are edible, too! You idiot!"
Suddenly, Gokudera's voice drawled from the middle of the shrine yard, cutting through the pair's useless argument. The silver haired boy didn't even glance backward to address the other two as he spoke. "You do understand that just a while ago, you admitted that you were an octopus-head?"
As the pair gave it a thought for a few seconds, Hibari's face turned red with embarrassment and shook his fist at Gokudera furiously. But the silver haired boy ignored the gesture and didn't stop in his relaxed pace towards the shrine. Chrome chuckled loudly, earning a glare from the black haired teen. "Don't you dare laugh at me, you girl!"
Chrome abruptly stopped laughing and frowned at Hibari. "Hey, what's wrong with being a girl? Girls are awesome! And extreme! I bet I can beat you up any day and in any body!"
"Oh yeah?" Hibari sneered, pulling out handfuls of dynamite. "You just try, you transsexual!"
Chrome fisted her hands together and concentrated her eyes upon Hibari, watching the boy coolly. Hibari had lit up his dynamite and stared back, just as coldly. And then, once again, Gokudera's voice pushed its way into their battle, interrupting them briefly with an almost gentle and coaxing voice, as if he were speaking to little children, "Little herbivore. This way. This way."
Hibari stood up straight, forgetting about the grudge between him and the girl standing before him, feeling completely offended by the silver haired boy's words. "HEY!" He tossed his dynamite towards Gokudera furiously, vision nearly blinded by rage. Gokudera merely put out the fuses with a quick flick of his tonfa and continued moving on as though nothing had happened. Hibari's rage increased to an incredible rate. "DID YOU JUST TALK TO ME AS IF I WERE A FOOL OR SOMETHING?!"
Chrome crossed her arms across her chest and mumbled irritably. "You are a fool…"
Hibari pointed a finger at her, irritation coursing through his veins. "Shut up! We don't need your input!"
Chrome stared at Hibari in confusion. "We? Are you two a pair or something?"
"NO!" The black haired boy rolled his shoulders impatiently and then sent a threatening glare to Chrome—which didn't affect her in any way—and then grunted, "Whatever. This is a waste of my time. That bastard Hibari has been separating me from Jyuudaime for too long. This is the last stop we're making before going back to school so…"
"Oh." Chrome nodded in understanding. "I see. You want to make it quick." She watched as Hibari scratched the back of his head aggressively, causing the hair on the back of his head to stick out messily, and proceeded to follow after Gokudera with a heavy reluctance. After a few moments, she suddenly remembered something and jogged to catch up with the black haired boy. "Oh yeah, did you see me at school when you went earlier?"
"Hn?" Hibari frowned, keeping his eyes trained upon the back of Gokudera's head, as though staring for long enough could burn holes into the silver haired boy's head and eventually kill him. "I dunno. I didn't see you anywhere…"
"Oh…" Chrome scratched the side of her cheek. Maybe she should go to school and check to see how everything was doing… After all… someone else would be fighting his match today… "Hmm…" She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Or perhaps… she could go to the match and offer to switch with himself…! And then, she would be able to fight the match and not have someone else fight it! Yeah, that was a great idea! She waved her hand at Hibari and grinned brightly. "See ya!"
Hibari blinked and watched as the girl waved at him and started racing towards the stairs. "Hey! Where are you going?!" He shouted, staring at the girl with annoyance and slight concern.
"To school!" Chrome yelled back quickly, starting to sprint down the shrine steps.
"WHAT?!" Hibari's expression changed immediately. He clenched his fists, scowling from the unfairness of it all, and then turned around to trudge after Gokudera. After all… his head was still pounding from the blow Gokudera had given him and his body was still aching from the beatings Gokudera had given him… there was only a shrine visit left. Why make another large bruise when he would be free from all of this in only a few minutes? He sighed and whimpered sadly at the skies. "Jyuudaime… please don't starve… wait for meee…!"
As Chrome reached the bottom of the shrine steps, she stopped to wipe away the sweat perspiring on her face and arms. The girl lifted a hand up to shade her eyes and took a moment to grin at the hot sun beating down upon her face. Ah… it sure was a nice day. Especially after a morning's workout! She started jogging down the street again and coincidentally passed by a convenient store. The automatic door opened as she ran past, blasting her entire body with an enticing blow of cool air. Chrome paused to glance over her shoulder at the store. Maybe a cold drink would feel nice before going to school… She ran backwards and then stepped into the convenient store, sighing as the cool air enveloped her hot and sweaty skin.
The convenient store was mostly empty, apart from the young man standing at the counter, who was blinking in surprise at the girl who had just come in to stand under the air conditioner. She could hear two other voices, male voices, chatting with each other about which gum was better. Ignoring the customers bantering in the next aisle, Chrome made her way to the cooler where all the cold drinks were stored.
"Hmm…" She squinted at the transparent doors of the cooler, searching for her favorite drink. Then, with a short 'aha!', the dark haired girl pulled open one of the doors and clasped her hand around a large sports drink. She smiled happily to herself and made her way to the counter, noticing that the two males who had been in the next aisle had now moved to the cashier to pay for their goods. Both of them were wearing moss green uniforms that looked really similar to her own; and one boy had a scar across his nose with wild blond hair and hair clips on one side of his head, pinning down part of his bangs, while the other boy wore a white beanie and glasses on the bridge of his nose. A strange barcode was tattooed over his cheek.
Somehow… those two looked familiar…
Where had she seen them again…?
The two boys shifted their eyes to her and seemed to pause, as though time had stopped for a few seconds.
Oh! That was right! These two were with Chrome during the battles for those Vongola rings! Then… these people were the girl's comrades, right?
She grinned brightly towards them, causing the two boys to make a double-take and stare weirdly back. "Hey, guys! What are you doing here? Buying food or something?"
The pair shared a look together and then the boy with the white hat turned away, wordlessly paying the man at the counter. The other boy with blonde hair sneered at Chrome. "Naa," The boy had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his shoulders were slouched as though he were some sort of delinquent. He leaned forward, his tongue lolling out slightly, and he eyed the girl's face, "What the hell happened to you? And why are you talking to us like we're good friends or something, fool! If it doesn't have anything to do with Mukuro-san, then there's no need for you to speak to us."
The blue haired girl blinked for a second, feeling slightly confused. Why were her comrades talking to her like this? Were they not friends? And who was this Mukuro-san? The name sounded pretty familiar… and her head had pulsed for a moment when the name, Mukuro, had been mentioned… She scratched her head and then smiled sheepishly, deciding to brush off the unanswerable thoughts and ignore that strange sensation pulsating in her mind. "Oh, okay. My bad." Chrome watched as the blonde haired boy grumbled a few words to the boy with glasses and then she shrugged her shoulders, stepping in line behind the two. "So, where are you guys going after this?"
The blonde haired boy's shoulders and back stiffened visibly and as he turned around, his body almost sounded as though it were creaking like a wooden board on the breaking point. "Did you even hear a word I just said, you moron?!"
"Ken. Stop it. There's no use in yelling at her." The boy with the barcode tattoo on his left cheek spoke as he closely watched the man at the counter scan the boxes of gum. Ken frowned but his shoulders relaxed greatly after being told off by the dark haired boy. He examined Chrome lazily for another moment and then noticed the large sports drink in her left hand.
"What's that, pyon? You're getting that?"
"Huh?" Chrome grunted stupidly, eyes glued to the boy with glasses who had made the boy named Ken calm down with only a few words. That guy… she wanted him on the boxing team! Then, after registering the fact that someone had asked her if she was getting anything, she glanced down at her hand and then grinned. "Oh! Yeah, it's my favorite sports drink. I just worked up a good sweat this morning so I wanted to get this."
Ken stared at Chrome long and hard.
Then he nudged the other boy in the arm and muttered hastily, a hand lifted up to his mouth, "Kaki-pii… What do you think happened to her…? She's weird today…"
The boy—with the strange name, Kaki-pii—took a glance at Chrome and then lifted a finger to push up his glasses from the edge of his nose. After a moment of silence, with no word from Kaki-pii, Ken shoved his hands down in his pockets again and scowled at the girl standing dumbly in place. "Well?"
Chrome blinked once, not understanding the meaning behind the one-word question that had just been thrown at her. "Huh?"
Ken growled and eyed the large sports drink in her hand. He thrust his chin in the drink's general direction and yelled irritably, "That drink. Hand it over."
"Eh…?" Chrome glanced down at her sports drink quickly and then passed it to Ken. "Why?"
"What do you mean, why? You fool!" Ken snatched the drink away angrily and then shoved it towards 'Kaki-pii', who in turn pushed the drink across the counter to the employee. Ken mumbled in agitation, "How do you think you're going to pay for it? You don't have any money on you, right?!"
Chrome gave it a thought for a moment and then bopped her fist onto her open palm. "Oh! That's right! I don't have any money right now…!"
"Isn't that obvious? Stupid woman…" The blonde haired boy grumbled. After a short ching! and a nervous 'thank you…' from the man behind the counter, 'Kaki-pii' passed the sports drink to Chrome and then proceeded to the exit of the store, only muttering a low, "Let's go, Ken."
Chrome stared at the drink in her hands and then grinned happily. "Thanks guys! I'll definitely treat the both of you to something the next time I see you!"
The two boys glanced over their shoulder at the blue haired girl again when they heard her exclamation. But when they looked back at her, they did not expect to see an extremely strange scene.
She was holding the large sports drink with one hand and she had thrown her head backward, chugging at the bottle like a vacuum. Her other hand was planted securely on her waist and her feet were spread apart like a man. A few beads of sweat ran down their cheeks as they quietly observed the girl sigh loudly in satisfaction after finishing half of the bottle and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. Then, she pumped both fists in the air, along with the bottle in her hand, nearly blinding them with an almost shining aura.
"OU! Time for some EXTREME RUNNING!!" And in merely a second and a cloud of dust, her sprinting form disappeared around the corner of a small building a few blocks away.
"Kaki-pii…" Ken spoke in a shaky voice, "There's something seriously wrong with her today…"
"…" The boy with a hat—whose name was actually Kakimoto Chikusa but was now known to Ryohei as 'Kaki-pii'—stared at the corner of the building for a second and then turned, heading in the opposite direction. He hurriedly fixed his glasses and then muttered a single word.
"Troublesome."
To be continued...
Yes, I'm very sorry...
No Mukuro...
But he'll come in later chapters, so you can look forward to that!
In Chapter 5, Reborn finally makes his appearance! Chaos, kissing, and fluff! Yep, you'll find that all in the next chapter.
Yeah, kissing. Ahem.
Oh, and damsel in distress saving...
And... oh yeah, lot's of blushing. Maybe too much blushing...
What does kissing have to do with Reborn's appearance in any way? Well, you shall see in the next chapter...
But, I wonder if you all mind if I put in a kissing scene...? o.o? Well, it's not really a lips-on-lips kissing. More of a lips-on-neck sort of kissing. :D If you don't want it, I can still take it out now. Please tell me if you don't want it. I don't want people to feel uncomfortable with it while they're reading.
Actually, Chapter 5 is a pretty messed up chapter. But I didn't call this story crack for nothing! So things don't necessarily have to make sense or be completely in character...
Anyway... thank you for reading!
"Oya?" A small smile drew across a certain blue haired boy's lips. "She's not responding...?" Mukuro leaned comfortably against a tree, wearing a loose white shirt and dark pants. He stared at the beautiful scenery around him affectionately. There was a great mountain rising in the distance, peak capped by glistening white snow, and all around him was a field of grass, all waving at him warmly after being touched by the soft hands of the sun. Unfortunately, this was all a dream. After all... no place on Earth could look so perfect like this.
Dreams... that was all he could ever survive on...
His smile faded slightly as he tried one more time to connect with Chrome's thoughts and failed. "Hmm... what could she be doing now...?" She didn't die. Because if she did, he would know. So... why couldn't he talk to her yesterday night and today? There was something strange going on out there... and for some reason, he had a feeling it had to do with Sawada Tsunayoshi. After all, almost everything seemed to involve the little brown haired boy now...
Mukuro let out a small sigh and sunk down to sit on one of the tree roots. It sure was boring... hopefully he could leave this place soon and go play with the little Vongola boss again. The blue haired boy smiled at that thought and stared up at the clouds, thinking of Tsuna and the Arcabaleno, Reborn. "Till we meet again, Vongola."