Hmm, I think I'd run naked so I wouldn't have to do my thesis! Aside from suffering from Mary-Sue-itis and OOC-galore, this chapter is undeniably predictable (as most of you have commented in reviews about what would happen if Mitsukuni and Otogi came back). You're also probably wondering where this fic is actually heading. It –does- have a plot but it won't manifest now.

Enjoy anyway!

Chapter 7

A Bad Case of the Crazies

During the lunch break, I realised where life's inevitable path would be taking me and decided to go to the computer suite to look up Life Insurance and potential lawyers who handle the very sensitive ordeal called Writing-Up-Your-Will. I even wrote a checklist of what I would do with my belongings (and what needed to be shredded), and even pondered the following options – should I be cremated or buried? I also made a speech, apologising to dad for faking his signature on every homework slip I got from school, for falling asleep in class, for being late so much, for getting so much detention, and so far, dad is the only one who would inherit everything I had, aside from Takeshi, who would inherit my baseball bat and mitt. And Kazuya, would inherit my room (if he ever decided to come and stay).

Furthermore, I decided to donate my organs to the hospital, and the rest of my body (if it shall ever be recovered) to Tokyo University for scientists and anatomists to poke at, and for students to laugh at. I know, I know, I am only 16 years old yet so depressed. It's no wonder I have worry lines all over my forehead. But it can't be helped, you see; I had planned to hide in bed for the rest of my life – but then I thought that wasn't very productive and… let's face it, it wasn't a plan for the long term…

Once the bell rang for home, I quickly strode past Hibari's seat to get to the door; he was packing his belongings and I threw him a cautious glance from the corner of my eyes as I passed. At the same time, Hibari swerved his eyes up to me. Immediately, I turned away, then hurried quickly out of the classroom.

I left the school precinct, and back onto my usual path home desolately. Further down the road, I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I stopped in my tracks, checked my wristwatch. I'd been walking for at least ten minutes. Curiously, I threw a glance around the neighbourhood block.

Hmm… I couldn't shake off this strange feeling… Have you ever had the feeling that you were being followed?

I quickly turned my head back round only to see no-one behind me. The streets were surprisingly stark empty, save for a couple walking their dog opposite me, an old man hobbling on his walking stick down the road, and a man sitting in his car flossing his teeth in the rear-view mirror.

Strange… I was so sure someone had been trailing after me. I looked around once more inquisitively but no-one was close enough to be following me. I pursed my lips in thought, then shrugged and continued down my path; I'm probably thinking too much. I'm too stressed these days. And I'm just getting plain paranoid.

As I strolled down, it dawned to me that I could hear a pair of footsteps coincide with my own. Hm? I slowed my pace down and the footsteps did the same. From the corner of my eyes, I suddenly spied a shadow close by behind me, before the shadow briefly merged with mine on the sidewalk. For a moment, I began to panic. What if it was some crazy madman? But it was broad daylight, there were people here. He wouldn't jump at me at this precise moment, would he? Sweating slightly, I continued forward, unsure what to do. Confront my stalker? Or act as if I was oblivious and walk to the nearest police station?

What if it was Mitsukuni and Otogi?

I continued my stroll nervously, still glancing from the corner of my eyes at the shadow. Hmm, the more I looked at it, the shadow seemed vaguely familiar…. The person following me did not seem intent on stopping in his pursuit. I tried to think of a solution, quick, as I neared the entrance to a shady-looking alleyway, but suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder and I screamed.

"Herbivore." Said a familiar voice.

I turned round shakily to see Hibari, who let go of my shoulder. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief, before throwing my gaze down to my feet forlornly.

For a moment, he scrutinised me thoroughly, at my sullen, sunken expression. "What's the matter with you?"

Hibari's asking, what was the matter with me? What do you think was the matter with me? How could I possibly still have the courage to face you, you jerk?

After everything that has happened – that awful time he came to my home, the baseball game, and the fishing trip – the mental images were burned in my mind. I knew they had become deep scars embedded all over me. I closed my eyes and turned away from him, clutching my bag tightly to myself. I just wanted to somehow disappear on the spot.

"Answer me, herbivore."

"…Why are you here?"

Hibari seemed rather surprised by my woeful, sympathetic response. He raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know?"

"What?" I muttered out, refusing to look at him. At the precise moment, I was feeling very, very depressed and just wanted to hide. "…That Mitsukuni and Otogi are finally out of hospital? So what?"

There was a slight hesitation from the Prefect. He continued to ogle me suspiciously. "This isn't like you."

"What do you mean?" came my response, then I added, after realising I didn't really care what he meant by that, "Why are you followingme anyway? …Are you worried?"

There was yet again, another unexpected brief hesitation from Hibari. "That's none of your business." He finally barked back, before turning away from me and taking off back down the way he came.

I watched his retreating back. I assumed Hibari hadn't been expecting those responses from me at all. Usually (he must have supposed), I would be cowering under him and sobbing and wailing and going 'Why are you picking on me, Hibari-san?'. Not today. Life was too short to be afraid of him. I had worse matters to attend to. Hibari no longer made seventy-five percent of it. I watched his retreating back with a slight triumphant edge.

…I don't feel afraid of him as I usually do anymore.

I supposed I also wasn't surprised when I was yanked from behind by a force. Maybe I was even expecting it. A hand covered my mouth as I was dragged further into the alleyway and my bag was pulled off - it was then rummaged through – my cellphone was wrenched out and thrown against the wall. But then my bag was dumped to the side and I was suddenly brought to a halt and shoved forwards. I toppled over, stumbling over my own two feet when my assailants had finally stepped into the light.

"You remember us, don't cha?"

I squinted my eyes and attempted to get a better look. The faces of the two boys who had kidnapped me off the street were hardly recognisable, with their swollen noses and those reddish, purple bruises all over. But inwardly, I already knew who they were. It was Mitsukuni and Otogi.

"Hm. You don't look surprised to see us."

"I saw this coming." I replied, as calmly as I could, but deep inside, I was terrified.

"What that little bastard Hibari Kyouya did to us is nothing compared to what we're going to do to you." Otogi hissed out, and he grabbed my collar and lifted me off the ground entirely.

Mitsukuni then stepped forward and delved a hand into his pocket, before protruding out the handle of a small swiss army knife, and flipped the blade out. I watched the gleaming blade in horror as he let it near my jawline, the cold, sharp tip pressed over my skin and I trembled ferociously. "Scared?" He leered at me as Otogi held me up, "…You should be. We're going to cut your face off that your father won't even be able to recognise you."

I closed my eyes and my jaw went taut, my teeth clenching. I waited for something to happen. I had hoped Hibari might come back, since he hadn't gone that far the moment I was taken here. But then again, why would Hibari want to help me? I'm a headache to him. Maybe my knight in the black suit and purple shirt would come and save me again. Maybe he'd come and beat these two to a soggy pulp and rearrange their faces. Inwardly, I hoped he would. I wanted him to come.

But…

No-one came.

The harsh reality settled in when the knife came mere millimetres near my face. This wasn't TV. This wasn't an anime. This was real-life. This was the six o'clock news. There would be no handsome stranger to come and sweep me off my feet. It just wouldn't work that way. Not for me, anyway. Who was I to have special treatment? I was a loser. I was nobody. I would come out of this with my face cut off. I began to feel weak and my vision began to get dark; I could feel the air leaving my lungs. My hand on their arm loosened and my grip hung slack and I was ready to give up and close my eyes and just get it over with when...

Otogi suddenly went flying to the far wall.

SLAM.

Mitsukuni jerked back in fright as the unconscious body of his friend slid to the ground. A few bricks plopped out from an indistinct human-shaped hole in the wall, clattering over Otogi in a cloud of dust and debris. "What the - ?" And he stepped back away from me, his hand trembling with the knife.

Nothing happened.

But then -

"….I'm in a bad mood at the moment…and I really want to bite someone to death," growled a voice hidden in the darkness, "Looks like you two will have to do for now."

I took this opportunity to quickly crawl away to a safer spot. Meanwhile, Mitsukuni gazed around the dark alleyway a little frantically, frozen on his spot, "Who are you? W-Where are you? Come out and face me like a man – Oof!" He was briefly cut off when something cuffed the side of his head.

And then, a tall man in a black suit and purple shirt emerged from another entrance to the alleyway and stepped directly in front of me.

Mitsukuni was reeling with shock. "Y-You bastard! I'll get you!" He let out a roar of anger as soon as he had collected himself and rushed at him, while Black Suit Purple Shirt-san kept still and I was going to scream and yell at him to run or duck - just as Mitsukuni came at him with his swiss army pocket knife, he bent down and came back up behind him in a smooth motion, narrowly avoiding an attack, and then there was the briefest flash of quick silver when Mitsukuni was suddenly sent spiralling to the ground by another devastating and unseen blow which had completely swiped him off his feet. Just then, Otogi, who was also sprawled on the floor, finally rose back up after regaining his senses, and I knew what was going to happen next - with a mighty bellow of rage, he threw himself at the man in the black suit and purple shirt…

Without even flinching or batting an eyelid, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san rammed his weapon upwards and under his chin without even a sideways glance. And Otogi went reeling in a three hundred and sixty degree angle, eventually landing at the feet of his fallen comrade, defeated once again.

"Lay a hand on her again…" Black Suit Purple Shirt-san murmured, as the purple flames dissimilated into thin air. He adjusted the lapels of his suit again and dusted at his sleeves, before throwing an uncaring glance at the unconscious boy who was sprawled at his feet in a puddle of blood. "…I'll kill you."

I watched silently as Mitsukuni and Otogi wobbled on the ground, swaying, before their knees completely collapsed underneath them.

Before long, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san turned to me. His expression softened as I gawped at him.

I had a lot of questions; why was he here, and what were those things he was using to fight? And why were they on fire anyway? Why didn't he catch on fire, too? But before any of that could spew forth from my mouth, he reached an arm out towards me and I stepped back.

It was instinct, but I believed I saw a hint of despondency in his eyes at my reaction.

"…Are you afraid of me?"

His voice was quiet, stoic. I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat, then, after a long pause, I shook my head meekly.

He seemed pleased with my response then, and knelt down in front of me. I blinked back at him blankly, as he took hold of my arm and lifted me back up onto my feet. Then, Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy turned my palms round and up to him. I winced slightly; when I was shoved to the ground, the skin got scratched. My once intact (and beeeeeautiful) palms were throbbing and covered in small, itching red slits where the flesh split open.

"Your survival is vital." He muttered, before he delved a hand into his pocket and returning with a handkerchief. He folded the handkerchief up neatly before pressing it hard against my scabby hands. I yelped out as a dull pain coursed through me and wanted to pull my hands back. "Don't move."

I winced and bit down on my lip and tried to inch away.

"I said don't move." He said. I swallowed as he smothered and dabbed away at the blood over my chipped hands. Surprisingly enough, I felt like a child who had fallen off her bike… "Remember this one thing: I won't be there for you all the time. For your own sake, stay out of the trouble."

His grip on my hands seemed to have tightened and I flinched again. I took this as a cue to speak, "… I thought Hibari would – I, uh – you know what? Never mind." I glanced to the side with a scowl, "….Stupid Hibari… can't depend on him for anything…I could've died." Then I turned back to Black Suit Purple Shirt-san with a tender smile. "But thank you for saving me. Thank you for going all Blazblue on their asses."

He watched me for a few seconds or so, before pulling me into a tight embrace. I went 'oof' when my face slammed into his chest. I struggled but to no avail. "….Mmffphh…" I muffled out, before finally pulling away slightly for air. "I can't breathe – "

"…I'm sorry."

I looked up at him; our faces merely millimetres apart. Immediately, I blushed and quickly looked away. "T-That's okay." I blabbered, but somehow... I got the feeling he wasn't apologising for almost crushing the air out of my lungs. He let go of me, and stood back up straight. I stared up at him, blinking numbly, waiting. He chose not to add anything to that; instead, he cast me another vacant look with before turning away without another word. I took a step forwards after him. "Wait! Did…Did you know this was going to happen?"

He stopped, but he never turned around. "What gives you that impression?"

"I don't know. Everything just seems… odd." I blurted out nervously, "Why are you here anyway?"

"…I came to warn you." He replied, "Don't go to school tomorrow."

"Uwha - ?" I spluttered out. "Why? Because of Mitsukuni and – "

His response was instantaneous. "No. They are the least of your problems. There is a larger threat that lies in store for you."

"H-How do you - ? I mean…what is going on here? What are you talking about?" I babbled out in confusion. What was happening? I didn't get a word he was saying. Was Black Suit Purple Shirt-san just nothing but a rambling, raving lunatic? What if he wasn't some kind of superhero as I thought? What if he was this patient – but l totally hot - mental patient who had escaped from an asylum for those with the crazies and had marked me as his target? I whipped my head back up to him when I heard him turning round. "You're leaving now?"

"…Don't look for me."

And he stepped out of the alleyway, turning a sharp right. I could hear his quiet footsteps echoing off the pavement, and then suddenly…

They… vanished.

For a few minutes, I was too stunned to register what had just happened, but then I finally managed to snap out of my dazed stupor to gather up my belongings and my broken cellphone (I sniffed and mourned), before breaking off into a sprint out of the alleyway. I had so many questions, no answers.

Alas, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san, are you perhaps a rambling, raving lunatic who had escaped from a mental institution and had now marked me down as a target?

I didn't know, and it annoyed me to no end. Idiot! I thought, I had even forgotten to ask for a name! How retarded could I possibly get? "W-Wait!" I ran out just in time to bump into someone. Before I could fall over, a hand gripped my arm and I looked up. "...Hibari-san - ?"

He glared at me thoroughly. "Herbivore…"

"What? Where did you - ? Why? When did you…? How did - Huh?" I choked out in shock, unable to complete full sentences. "I thought you went home…? Why are you here? Did you come back for me?"

Hibari didn't reply and glanced over my shoulder, where the two unconscious forms of Otogi and Mitsukuni were lying spread-eagled on the alleyway. "….Did you do that?"

"Huh? N-No – " I babbled out, but then – "Actually, if I said 'yes', will that make you have a much higher opinion of me?"

Hibari said nothing yet narrowed his eyes at me.

"Okay, fine, I guess that's a 'no' then. And no, I didn't beat them up." I swallowed down slightly, "You really… were going to come back for me just to see if I was okay?"

Immediately, Hibari replied, "No."

I didn't believe him one bit. I had wanted to believe that Hibari still had a tiny spot of compassion somewhere within a fibre of his being, maybe tucked away neatly under a capillary of some sort? "Well… Black Suit Purple Shirt-san saved me." I said, "And he patched up my hands." When I saw Hibari's blank expression, I sighed once more and decided to explain, "…Um…You… didn't see him on your way here at all?"

He merely responded me with another blank stare, his eyes fixated into empty space.

"You know – a man – tall, with dark hair, wearing a suit? Oh, come on. You must've seen someone like that hanging around in town by now."

"No."

"Aigoo…I may as well been asking a brick wall. So… he really did vanish, huh? Into thin air?" I questioned under my breath, "… I'm sure I heard him disappear. He was walking…then… his footsteps just… faded away somewhere. I was going to follow him, but a part of me was a bit scared. Sorry, I'm not making much sense here, am I?"

Hibari looked at me with half-lidded eyes one again. "No." He turned away and began to storm out.

"Hey, wait for me, Hibari-san." I picked up pace and hurriedly followed him out of the alleyway, back towards the direction of home.

….

I'm starting to re-evaluate my opinion of Black Suit Purple Shirt-san. This whole secret, provocative superhero/mental patient thing was really starting to worry me. The first thing when dad came back, I would tell him – I would tell him about a strange man in his mid-twenties who had saved me more than once, but somehow… the action seemed to have some other conspiracy behind it. Or so it seemed.

It was about seven in the evening and Dad wasn't home from work (working overtime today. Boohoo, there goes my telling-dad-about-BS-PS-G. I'm sure when he comes back he'll be too tired to listen and just head to bed). I ripped up my will and cancelled registration with the funeral care services. I also had to make dinner by myself and it really did make me feel grateful that I had dad at home to cook dinner whenever I came back from school, so I would find homemade curry rice and sekihan cooking in the kitchen. Instead I sighed as I stuffed my face with microwave macaroni and downed a can of cream soda, watching the late night premier movie, recalling the terrifying ordeal from this afternoon. Black Suit Purple Shirt had successfully defeated the gangsters… should I actually be more afraid of him instead?

After dumping the dishes in the sink, I was too lazy to wash them and returned to my bedroom and sat at my desk, staring at Hibari's window opposite mine. Then I swerved my eyes up to the sky where I could see the full moon and the stars. I sighed a little and then looked around my room. The house feels really empty… Dad's rarely worked late at night. I'm always used to him being at home…

Then again, Hibari's been alone half his entire life.

Again, I swerved my eyes to Hibari's window opposite mine when I saw Hibari's light flick on, and before long, he stormed inside. He paused for a second, after spotting me gawking at him from halfway across the yard, and I quickly sat up in my chair and went to the window, then opened it. "Hibari." I said, leaning over my windowsill. I gestured at him energetically, while he stared back at me. "Hibari-san, open your window. I need to talk to you."

I wondered if he could even hear me. A few seconds later, with me still gesturing like crazy and almost falling out of my window and breaking my neck if I hadn't grasped my curtains in time to pull myself back up, Hibari finally lifted up his window, and moved to sit on his windowsill. His mouth moved but I didn't quite hear him properly.

"Huh?" I put a hand to my ear, indicating that I couldn't hear him as well as I thought I could from our distance. Huh, our houses didn't seem that far apart from ground level.

Hibari repeated his words again but I still couldn't hear.

Hm. This may be a problem. "One moment, please."

Again, I wasn't sure if he had heard me but I ducked back into my room and rummaged around my closet, before emerging out with two cans conjoined together by the bases with a piece of string. With one can in hand, I tossed the other in the air as far as I could over to Hibari, then put the remaining can in my grasp to my mouth. Hibari didn't bother to pick his can up.

I frowned and pointed to the can furiously so he could follow my example. A few moments later, he smashed it against the outer brick wall just underneath his windowsill.

I screamed, my mouth dropping open in shock. "HOW DARE YOU?"

"What do you want?"

I blinked back at him, then – "Urh. You are UNBELIEVABLE. I was going to thank you earlier on for coming back for me but then you just went ahead and trashed my Telecan so THIS MEANS WAR!"

"Is that all?" Hibari demanded tiredly. He moved away from the windowsill to slam the window back shut but I waved my arms around frantically.

"W-Wait, Hibari-san!"

"What now?" He turned away from me and fixated his stare upwards at the moon.

I scoffed and quickly reeled in my Telecan from Hibari's side (which I had not the opportunity to use at all, sniff) and replaced them into my closet to be fixed later on. " …What happened to Mitsukuni and Otogi anyway?"

"They won't come back."

"You killed them?"

"…No." He replied, "I called the authorities."

"Oh." There was a slight silence following my response. I recoiled in shock and did a double take: was I… was I actually having a conversation… with Hibari?

"Where's your father." He then said.

I looked back up, and sighed. "He's not back from work yet." I mumbled despondently, hugging my knees to my chest, "…The house feels bigger and it's too quiet. If… If only Kazuya was here…"

Hibari flicked his gaze over to me. "Kazuya?"

"My brother."

"Brother?"

I remembered that Hibari hadn't had the opportunity to come across him yet, nor had I really revealed much information regarding the other side of my family. I wasn't quite sure why I felt like sharing information with him, too. "Yeah. He lives with my mom."

Hibari's mouth moved, but I wasn't listening to him anymore.

I was thinking.

I was thinking of something that happened to me a long, long time ago…

Sorry, I'm going to have to stop it there. Rin's flashbacking, just to let you know, so the next chapter will have a bit of her past since there's been nothing much about her background.

Last but not least...

FISH AND CHIPS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Ahem, I would like you to take part in an experiment, my faithful readers!

Um... and I'm actually not sure if I'm allowed to do this... but I have a link that goes to a survey I would like you to spare a couple of your time in completing. I need to do surveys for a class of mine, but I would like you guys to test one for me as I need to find out prior to see if this software works or not! Thanks a bunch!

http:/www (dot) surveymonkey (dot) com/s/S83ZKQ3