Mikoto is super hyper. In all of the minutes it took to get to my apartment, me change into something comfortable, and make our way to one of the few skate shops in this city...She hasn't lost a single step-there is no sign of fatigue that I can see. Her smile is as animate as always, her eyes are beaming with vitality and mischief, and her body is nothing short of a supercharger.

Really, I am amazed that Mikoto can keep at it like this, not caring that she's wearing a skirt-I think this is because she's always been a girl and has no issue, but my point is Mikoto is quite remarkable.

However, as remarkable as her endurance is-her little display is causing people to look at us. I merely shrug at the quizzical looks I'm getting, some are looks like I should get Mikoto under control as if she's my child. Normally it wouldn't bother me so much with people giving me odd looks, but Mikoto makes another complete rotation around me-jumping up and down with both of her feet. This is more than enough to warrant a couple of raised eyebrows.

"Mikoto, stop."

The shorter girl halts in her next jump, looking at me with curiosity before it quickly turns into a pout.

Honestly, I have my work cut out for me. I can't begin to imagine what sort of hell it would have been if the whole gang came with us. Heaven forbid Akane undergoes her transformation and becomes a loud mouth, snotty little girl-she'd more than likely get us kicked out of the skate shop before I can even get a word in. What did I do to deserve dealing with this little energetic bundle known as Mikoto?

"I'm so excited!"

Her scream draws even more attention to us. I can feel my entire back tense. There's about thirty eyes on us at the moment-it's pretty busy to say the least, and I can't really see any area that isn't full of people. I tug her along with me, yanking her with some force, and don't even bother to give her a warning before I do so. I ignore her indignant cry, and cut off her angry retort as I pull her across the street.

"Be excited. But stop jumping around, and stop being so noisy."

Mikoto huffs. "You don't have to be so abrasive, you know."

"Quiet. I am not abrasive."

The last thing I want to deal with are the Japanese police. I've heard and read a lot of stories about them. They'll make you stay totally silent in the kneeling position-I forgot its technical name, but I'm not going to endure that. You can't speak for eight odd hours, maybe more, maybe less, and you can't break from that position at all in the length of time. That is something I will never endure.

For the simple fact I can't stay still that long-I have long legs and they'd definitely fall asleep.

The skate shop we're going to-well more like where I'm pulling Mikoto towards at the moment is one of the few in Tokyo. It's not too far off from Tokyo itself, a little less than a hop away. Not even the skip and the jump. From my little research it reminds me of Sky High skate shop back at home-there's not a lot of variety like Phase2 or other mainstream places like that. There's decks, shoes, shirts, socks, pants, and everything else, but there's just not a lot of them. I prefer skate shops like this since they have the essentials.

Skate shops that have so much variety-so much products, tend to be a maze, and I was never able to find anything that I wanted. There's just so much to choose from, even when I knew exactly what I was looking for I found myself to be sidetracked by a multitude of things. It was mostly decks and shoes, and at times the bearings which really do make all of the difference.

Mikoto will indefinitely be distracted with the limited variety they have at this skate shop. While it may be a trying task it won't be as trying as trying to keep Mikoto under control in a skate shop like Phase2. There were at least a hundred decks on the walls in front of the desk, fifty on the wall behind the desk, and hundreds more on the floor behind the desk-that isn't including the shoes and everything else that can be bought.

Mikoto being in that sort of environment is like a monsoon and tsunami fusing together into one super disaster. I'll have to take the lead with this, because if I don't I will be sitting for hours while Mikoto makes up her mind on what to buy. I can't really blame her for taking so long, as she is new to all of this, and seeing so much variety will make a lot of wheels turn.

But, we are on a time schedule-there is school tomorrow for starters. I can't afford to sit at this skate shop for three hours before heading back to my apartment, and when I finally get in bed it's just short of midnight. That'd leave me with about six to seven hours of sleep-which will be enough, but I'd still prefer to get a full eight hours if possible.

The skate shop we're heading to goes by the name of Highsox or something along that line. It's not the worst name I've heard, but when it comes to a skate shop I don't think the name matters much. Anyone who really skates will pay a visit to buy something from the shop. Shoes. Socks. A jacket. A few decks in case one snapped or something.

It's located in a little street that I'd like to consider an alley, because that what it reminds me off. There's several stores on both sides of Mikoto and I as we round the corner into the little cut off. I spot the tell tale sign of the skate shop, an inclined walking ramp into the store. I'm pretty sure it's the only store in this place that has such a steep incline, and also a table with a plant in a pot a few inches from the entrance.

I find myself taking calming breaths as I stand at the entrance. Mikoto is at my side, giving me a look like I'm crazy-by all accounts I'm sure I look pretty crazy at this moment. I don't know how Mikoto is in public, but given her tomfoolery that has taken place-I'm inclined to think that she needs one of those backpack leashes that parents get for their four year olds.

The only problem with this would be Mikoto pulling me around, well trying to pull me, and it'd lead to us causing a scene. A scene I'd rather not play out, or let play out as I have an out of body experience when the scenario does happen. Perhaps it'd be a better idea to get her to focus on what she wants-the deck size, the grip tape, her skate shoes, and anything else that she may buy. Letting her get distracted is nothing short of a recipe for a disaster at this point in time. She'd likely ask a gazillion questions.

"Welcome." The young man behind the desk greets us both, giving a quick bow.

"I'll try not to take too much of your time." I say quickly, giving my own bow.

"If you both need anything just let me know."

"Will do."

Stepping around the store, my eyes first go to the rather large sock-chair that is situated in front of a table with a lot of trinkets on it. To my right are shelves-well actually a shelf, with basically cubicles built into it. The three cubes closest to the ground have shirts neatly folded, the next three levels of cubes have hats one is even colored orange while another is a vibrant green, and the two levels off to the side have a few shirts, but not as much as the bottom cubes.

To my left are skateboards. I can't tell which brand they are, some of the logos are completely foreign to me, but there's about thirty four of them not including two that are in this long wooden box. There are shirts folded beneath them. The next shelf has Vans lining it, a few things that look like lunch boxes, a few bags, a t shirts hanging right beneath those bags.

The front desk has cubicles as well, all lined with accessories and other trinkets. Wheels. Trucks. Shoes, Bearings. Even a DVD of some sort, if my eyes are not deceiving me at the moment. Behind the front desk is a very nice flat screen TV-the picture is so clear, and the thing is just purely bad ass. It's not as good as my big ass TV, but the resolution and quality of the picture is definitely 1080.

Overall I can't say I'm disappointed and this place is what I had been expecting it to be. A little rustic, but it is functional. There isn't too much variety that things become a bit too much, but there's enough product around that one can spend a good amount of time just browsing. This place definitely reminds me of Sky High and even the skate park back in my hometown that sold their own boards-the board selection was limited, but everything worked. The boards had crazy pop.

I search for Mikoto, not at all surprised to see gazing at everything with this empty-not in a bad way empty, but overwhelmed to the point of she isn't quite comprehending what she is seeing sort of look. Her smile is evident, as is the amazement in her eyes, but clearly this all overwhelming for her. I find a laugh escaping my lips as she picks up a shoe and examines it, comparing it to her own that she's wearing at the moment.

Seeing myself observing everything and Mikoto doing only what she can do, the young man that was behind the desk comes out from behind it. He looks at me and then he looks at Mikoto. He seems to be debate something mentally for a few seconds before making his way to me. I guess I look like I know what I want, and know what skateboarding is, while Mikoto is like a kid in a candy store. I have experience in this and she doesn't.

"Mikoto."

"Coming!"

It takes her but two seconds to arrive at my side.

"I'm here for a skateboard!" Mikoto tells the young man, giving a thumbs up.

I sigh, resisting the urge to shake my head. "She's just starting out."

"We don't have any completes, so you'll have to buy everything separate."

"That's fine."

I note Mikoto is about to open her mouth, say something asinine most likely, and throw off this entire conversation. I tap her on the shoulder and raise a finger to her lips. "I have tools at my apartment for this sort of thing. He'll put it together here, though."

"Oh, okay."

I turn my focus back onto the young man. Considering Mikoto is just starting out she doesn't need anything fancy or expensive. There's no need to get her an Uberlight deck or anything along those lines, as those were for only the more advanced skaters. She didn't need bearings that kept her high speeds consistent-she wasn't skating and doing tricks at the same time, yet. She just needs the basics and nothing more. A board over eight in width and anything fancy, Mikoto would likely be visiting the hospital for a few days.

"What is your shoe size?" I ask, turning to Mikoto.

"26."

I remember looking at conversion things on the internet for shoe sizes, and how they differed from the states, to the UK, to japan. It is something I did in my spare time whenever I got bored, but I never thought it'd actually come in handy. In Japan they go by centimeters if I'm not mistaken-the whole world follows the metric system except for the states, which goes by feet, pounds, and inches. If I can remember right-that'd make Mikoto about a size seven.

Considering her feet are rather small, she won't be needing an eight. She'll have to go with the seven point seven five or the seven five. She didn't have the foot size, nor the height to push an eight. If Mikoto wasn't new to this, I'd have no doubt in my mind she could skate an eight without any issue, and she'd more than likely skate vert with it. However, since she is new to all of this, she can't skate an eight.

"Could you get her a seven and a half or a seven and three quarters deck. Flip or Santa Cruz. Independent Trucks. Reds bearings. Jessup grip tape. Hardware doesn't matter and don't put on riser pads." I ring one thing after the next, using my fingers to count as I fix the clerk with a steady gaze.

"Sure, but do you want a board with less or more concave?"

I mull it over for a second before deciding. "In between, not too much of either."

Mikoto brings me back to reality with a tap of her fingers to my shoulder. "What's concave?"

"That's the part of the board where I put my feet."

"The nose and tail?"

I nod.

"What's it do?"

"It effects how high you can get the board, also effects how fast it flips and spins. You don't want too much now because you don't want it to fly out from under you and hit you across the eye. You also don't want too less because you'll slam your back foot down extra hard, and instead of doing an Ollie you'll skid forward because you didn't slide your front up in unison."

Mikoto tilts her head, one finger over her lips while she hums. "And, what's the seven a half and seven and three quarters mean? Can I get an eight?"

I set my hand on her back, taking her over to the shoes. It'd do Mikoto no good to tear up her slip on shoes. They couldn't withstand grip tape, and it is more than likely Shizuku would approach me about it anyways. That woman enjoys to push my buttons, not quite like Hitomi who is fond of grinding my gears, but the point still stands.

"That's board width. From side to side. An eight is eight inches, of course. Seven and a half would be that. Seven and three quarters-or seven point seven five is the width. Since your feet are so small you don't need to skate an eight, it'd just hinder your progress as I teach you. Once you're used to the movements and can do tricks easily enough, you can move up to an eight."

"I see..." Mikoto murmurs. "What shoes should I get then?"

I point to a pair of Vans. They're low tops with a checker pattern. "These will do since you're learning."

The tips of the shoes aren't too fat or bulbous, but they're not too narrow either. These aren't like DVS that are just a fat ass shoe in general, even the slimmer pairs have fat tips. The tips aren't also narrow like Dekline shoes or brands along those lines-it'd definitely help with the flicking motion the front foot does, but for someone like Mikoto that'd just make the board go vertical-she'd get a credit card.

Board up her ass or worse.

Mikoto runs up to the front desk with the shoe before I can say anything else and comes back, setting the shoe down carefully. Perhaps all hope isn't lost. Perhaps Mikoto's father drilled certain habits into her-like not running with scissors, being careful when handling glass, and being careful when she is handling things that don't belong to her. Although, considering Mikoto she'd put down a shoe carefully, but just slam down a glass vase or something along those lines without a second thought.

The sound of a filer being run across grip tape makes me head to the front desk with some haste. It's awfully nice of this young man to put the board together right here and now for Mikoto, it'd only take me a few minutes to do the same thing, but it saves me the time of having to keep her at bay. Mikoto for her part just grouses as I tug her along by the wrist, because quite frankly I don't need her getting sidetracked.

"Is this all you want?" He looks at me and then Mikoto, a box of shoes and skateboard are resting against each other on the front desk.

So...After about twenty extra minutes we leave the skate shop. I got another pair of skate shoes and some wheels. My skate shoes are still pretty durable despite the holes in them, but it doesn't hurt to have another pair, and my board has a ways to go before it snaps in half. I got an extra set of wheels because mine are getting very small. Mikoto on the other hand has five giant bags just packed with stuff, to the point I have to carry two just so she can free her hands up. She got pants, shirts, those lung bag looking things, a few actual bags, socks, and two more pairs of shoes-Vans of course.

I'm not sure what the total came to-the conversion from USD to Yen is still kind of shaky ground for me, but I can say that I wouldn't have bought half of the things that she did if I were given the option. It came to a very large sum, one which Mikoto paid easily enough. I'm pretty aware that Natsuru and Shizuku are pretty much loaded since their parents are never around, and Akane has her own income of money thanks to her job, but Mikoto having some odd thousand yen right in her pocket just completely throws me off.

"So, what are you going to teach me first?" Mikoto asks excitedly.

"How to balance, kick, and coast."


I shut the door to my apartment and take note that it is a quarter passed seven. I take a quick shower, heat up left overs, take my seat next to Stubby Bear, and put on one of my Godzilla movies.

"You're looking pretty rough there, girly!" Stubby Bear waves at me from his spot on the couch.

"You're looking pretty comfortable, you oaf."

Stubby Bear snorts, or a sound awfully close to it. "Don't take out your mental exhaustion on me, heat up some more of those left overs!"

"You don't even have to eat!"

"I still enjoy it, thank you!"

"Get your stubs out of my food, damn it! I'll give you your own!"

Damn am I beat! Stubby Bear isn't helping either!

Mikoto is energetic, but teaching her skateboarding...Where can I even begin with the spectacle that is Mikoto getting on a skateboard? First I guess would be the fact she ran at full speed the first time, jumped on the board, and nearly fell on the back of her head. Naturally she stopped herself from splitting her empty head open by grabbing onto my shirt and nearly taking me along for the ride.

She did what I told her not to do in the first place. I guess it's a matter of her learning for herself and not me being some mean adult telling her not to do this and that because I like to spoil fun. After this incident, Mikoto managed to calm down a bit and got more focused as I took her through the basics. First it was finding if she was goofy or regular, and she is goofy.

Once that was figured out it went to basic balancing. I had her space her feet apart between narrow and wide, on the nose and tail, in the center of the board, and on the bolts. This went on for about an hour before I felt comfortable with Mikoto having her basic bearings on a board. I went on to show her foot placement on pushing the board, how everything should line up, and not to push mongo foot. Of course she asked me why she shouldn't push mongo and what it means-I explained it'd bring her into fakie-which I had to explain is riding backwards.

This satsifed Mikoto a great deal because she worked on her balance and getting the feel of pushing for the rest of the three hours. She learned what manuals are and nose manuals-remarkably her balance while horrible, was damn good for nose manuals as compared to regular manuals. I guess it only makes sense Mikoto would be an ace with nose manuals but struggle with manuals, but then again it is a little too early to tell.

I'm just glad that Mikoto was more than happy enough to get the hang of pushing and overall balance. She didn't pester me to show her the Ollie, kickflip, or any other trick for that matter. I can credit to my insistence on getting the hang of the basics, or the simple fact Mikoto found skateboarding to be a lot harder than she thought while watching people who are super good, doing it.

Maybe the bundle of energy has some sense after all.

However, in place of one bundle another is within my presence at the moment. Stubby Bear. The little shit really tried to put his stub in my plate of food just now-I mean where does he get off? It's not enough he looks at me with invisible drool dripping from his mouth like he's one of my dogs begging. Really, the only thing missing was him sticking his stubs or nose in my food-honestly...

But, I'm just glad to be home, and for all of his quirks, I do enjoy Stubby Bear's company. He's a lively one, and he also has answers to all of the questions I've asked him thus far.

"Stubby Bear..."

He gives me a look before tilting his head. "What is it?"

I pause for a second, debating how I should word this question. I know Stubby Bear may lie to me, depending on what I ask, though I haven't sensed that from him as of yet. He has a script to go by, and me going off of the walls is probably not in that script.

"I've been getting some weird feelings around three people at school, but there is one in particular I feel very weird around."

"Is this about what you and Shizuku did the other day?"

"Absolutely not! How did you even know I kissed her?"

He laughs. "I heard the commotion and I took a peek. Not to mention Mikoto and Akane wouldn't stop talking about it that whole night. Shizuku also had this hungry look in her eyes for the rest of the night."

"You little half wit closet pervert..."

Stubby Bear snorts again. "That's pretty funny, actually."

"I'm not a closet pervert!"

"You would make that retort instead of saying you're not a halfwit."

"You just want to play tongue hockey with Shizuku."

"Just answer my question, please!"

"Fine, fine..."

A few moments of silence pass us as we fill ourselves up.

Stubby Bear sighs, one stub scratching at the top of his head-spreading spaghetti sauce across it. I try not to sigh at the sight, really I'm expecting smoke to come out of his ears at any moment. "Whoever this person is, chances are she's an enemy Kampfer. Since you sit in desks, your senses must be flaring erratically, do you find yourself getting a little overwhelmed?"

"I've been overwhelmed since this happened to me..."

"Girly!"

"Yes, I do! I have an irrational curiosity. I also feel...Edgy around this person."

Stubby Bear nods, and I'm not sure if I'm relieved or not. "She's an enemy Kampfer then."

Hitomi and those other two are enemies... I can't help but feel surprise and shock at this revelation. Hitomi, I would have guessed eventually, but Sayaka and the weird girl always saying sorry-I'd never guess they are Kampfer. It could be-I'm not going to shove the possibility aside, but maybe those three aren't Kampfer-or just one or two are.

The thought of being flanked from three sides by three enemy Kampfer doesn't really sit well with me. I know Shizuku is in the same homeroom, and she'd fight alongside of me, but still...I've never liked the idea of getting jumped or people jumping others, and while this wouldn't technically be a jumping...It's a three on two or one, and the numbers don't swing in my favor.

There's also nothing but girls in my homeroom and classes in general-any single one of them could be a Kampfer.

"Girly?"

I come back to reality-a haze that covered my vision is gone, and in its place is the TV and Stubby Bear. "Yeah?"

"You're not close to her, are you?"

"Well...Not really, but I don't want to fight..." I can't help but focus on his head at the moment.

There's spaghetti sauce covering most of it, even by his ears.

Good grief!

"I know you don't, but that is the destiny that awaits all Kampfer-regardless of the color of their bracelets. You can only avoid battle for so long until someone, or people confront you..." Stubby Bear states.

I can tell he's trying to be sympathetic. I've had this oaf since I was about five or four years old. I'm certain he's heard my entire life stories and everything else, there were also times I took him to school, and he definitely seen the war zone that was my grade school playground. It's the only reason he'd be so understanding with me at this moment, other than me being able to throw down on a stove.

He knows what I've been through from an early age.

"Let's get you washed up." I change the topic.

I know what I need to know now.

The chances of Hitomi and her friends being Kampfer is far too high.

"What for?"

"You have sauce all over your head and it's getting in your ears."

He wisely keeps his mouth shut as I pick him up, setting his plate aside carefully, and move towards the kitchen. I place him in the sink and run the water-not in the same area as him. I don't want to hear him gripe about how hot or cold the water is-I'm pretty sure he has no nerves and can't even feel the difference, but that doesn't mean he won't gripe anyways.

Once I get the water at a warm temperature, but still a little on the hot side, I stick my hand in it for a few seconds before flicking it on his head. I do this a few times before pouring some over him with my palm, and then just letting it pour over him completely. I use the dish soap and rub as gently as I can-the sauce is pretty persistent and since he doesn't have actual fur, the sauce is inclined to stick, but I'm not going to allow it to.

"Hey-" Stubby Bear starts before gurgling. "You're getting water in my left eye!"

"You shouldn't be so sloppy while you're eating!" I huff, clearing away the soap. "Sorry about that."

Stubby Bear huffs indignantly, climbs out of the sink, and snatches one of the towels I had hanging from the handle to the stove. The whole performance makes me huff in annoyance myself and cross my arms over my chest. Well, I had no idea he'd have this little attitude when it comes to getting a bath. He's worse than a cat or dog getting one-the only thing different is cats and dogs can't talk like humans.

"I'll dry myself off in the room!"

"Don't get my bed too wet, you little slob!"

I sigh and laugh at the same time, wiping a tear from my eyes and massage my cheeks that are starting to cramp. I did find some amusement in shoving him in the sink and cleaning him up. Seeing how indignant he got over the whole thing is also amusing, I didn't think he'd really care if I got him wet-maybe it's the fact I was cleaning him up instead of just getting him wet just to get him wet.

I come back to reality when I hear a knock on my door.

I open it, not at all surprised to see Shizuku standing on the other side.

"What are you doing here?"

She fixes me with a stern look, not exactly impressed at the moment. "That's so rude. Is that really how you greet me?"

I roll my eyes. "What do you want Shizuku?"

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"I want to come in."

I growl.

"Are you really going to treat me like this after out two encounters?"

I narrow my eyes, suspicious. "Don't you have a house to sleep in?"

"I do, but my parents aren't home. They're both overseas or handling business, so I rarely get to see them."

"Fine, come in." I sigh in defeat, stepping aside.

I can't refuse her entry if she's lonely...I'd just be cold blooded for doing that.

I watch Shizuku slip off her shoes-a clear sign she's going to be staying the night, and saunter over to my couch. She sets her bag down on the same arm she did before, takes a seat in the same seat she did before, and then fixes me with one of her most intense gazes. I find my breath leaving my lungs and my eyes roaming the room, trying to focus on anything that isn't Shizuku.

It would be wrong of me to be so cold to her after what we've done. I also consider her a friend, and...

I bite the bullet that is becoming my life and sit next to Shizuku. She watches my movements the whole time-every step, every flick of my fingers, every single time I blink...None of it is missed in her eyes, she is observing me like rain on a window-how one particular drop streaks into another, except those drops are my legs taking careful steps.

"Godzilla again?"

"It's my shit, so don't complain."

Shizuku looks at me a bit confused. "I won't ask about that figure of speech. I won't ask you to turn it off though. I'm not a fan like you or Mikoto, but I've watched the movies growing up."

"Thank you for being so amiable."

Shizuku grins sharply. "I deserve a reward, don't you think? Also How did things go with Mikoto?"

I choose not to answer her first statement-she has this hungry look in her eyes, and the way she's eyeing...Well, it's clear what she wants as her reward. "Better than I expected, actually. I hope she didn't do something stupid, though. Like trying to Ollie a seven stair or something...How did things go with Sakura and everyone else?"

"Ahh..." Shizuku reclines back into the cushions, keeping her eyes on me the entire time. "Akane and Sakura started to fight over Natsuru after a few hours, sort of...I lost interest at that point, and Sakura had to clean up as her house was a bit on the messy side. so we left early. Akane is spending the night at Natsuru's house so they can work on a class project that is due at the end of this week."

"You crazy kids."

Shizuku simpers. "You have some wit about you, Andrew."

"Oh?"

Shizuku nods, leaning closer to me. I don't make a move, only watch her with trepidation and nervousness. I really wouldn't care or mind if she kisses me. She's every centimeter of a woman, her lips are soft, she's soft, and she smell really good. It's almost intoxicating being around her so close like I am now, and wholesome to be intimate with her.

"Other than that, it was pretty uninteresting. I wish you would have come with me..."

"Shizuku..." I flinch feeling my breath stop-her face is right by mine, her nose is touching mine, and it'd take just a...

We're too close!

I move away from her, but feeling her fingers tangle into my hair and her other hand firm around my back, I freeze in place. I don't want to cause any pain with hair pulling, I was tender headed before, and I'm sure it's gotten worse now that I'm like I am...Maybe I'm that easy to read, but I don't know what else to do. My stomach is doing flips and filling with butterflies...My heart is beating so frantically I can feel it lodging itself in my throat-its pulse throbbing right in my windpipe.

"S-S-Shizuku..."

"Yes?" She smiles at me.

Her legs rub against mine.

"Can w-we separate for a little while?"

She advances on me-lips meeting mine. She climbs up onto my lap so foxy-like and she kisses me again and again. She parts from me after about ten minutes, and I long to feel her lips on mine again. Gosh, this woman is driving me crazy!

I am about to go crazy.

"Why? I want to play...Don't you want to play? We have all night to play."

"B-but..."

"You were so aggressive and dominant before, what happened to that?"

I'm not even sure if I'm breathing at the moment. "That was different. My mouth was on fire and you were being difficult."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

Instead of backing off like I am anticipating. Shizuku does the complete opposite, first she slams her lips against mine, literally, I can already see a bruise forming from how hard she crashed into me. I have no reprieve though, as next she mercilessly shoves me down on the bed, my head skims off the arm, my hair is just as quickly tangled against it.

I can only grunt and groan in pain, the discomfort of my position is really annoying me. I didn't make Shizuku so uncomfortable or shove her head against the arm, I may have been rough, but that was all contact. I didn't shove her head right against the arm of the couch and then shove it down into the couch cushion, trying to sandwich her head under the cushion.

"Shizuku!" I finally manage to speak, not stuffed by the couch cushion, Shizuku's body, or whatever else is pressing above me.

"That kiss was different for you...This is different for me."

I can only make some weird muffled sound as Shizuku slams her lips against mine again, biting until I have to part them-the pain is far too much for me to be honest and she is persistent.

She moves her tongue against mine and together we try to find a rhythm.

Clearly she is pleased, I can feel it in the way she tenses up whenever I brush my fingers against her body, in my attempt to get oxygen and be upright. The small subtle gasp that manages to escape her lips is also a sign that she's...

Shizuku is damn relentless in her need to quell whatever it is that's burning inside of her, every time I pull away by an inch, I get jerked and yanked back, and to ensure I stay locked in this awkward position that she wants me to be in, she wraps an arm around me so she's right against me.

"Shizuku-" I gasp. "Air, I need-" I manage to break contact, but it doesn't last long.

She deepens the kiss and she...

"Mmmgghhh!"

After about half an our she finally decides to break our contact, releasing me from her crushing grasp. I try to avoid her gaze, but since she's right on top of me, her nose right on mine, that task is an absolute fail.

"You just felt me up!" I say with some finality.

"So?" Shizuku smirks.

"What do you mean so? You just..." I feel like I'm on fire and so is my face, and to be honest I'm not sure if it's because of arousal, flustering, or because of the blankets smothering the both of us.

Truly Shizuku is enjoying herself.

I wish I can say that I am-her kisses are electric and leave me breathless with my heart beating furiously, but...

"I didn't know you didn't wear bras, Andrew. What are you going to do if your boobs slip out on day while you are skateboarding or fighting?"

"They won't..." I grouse.

I know exactly where this topic is going, and honestly-I've had this talk with Stubby Bear, he likes to push the point, and I like to remain stubborn.

She simpers, gently sitting herself up while fixing her hair. She tries to move her hand from one of my girls that she decided to squeeze, but with an iron grip I stop her from letting go.

I have this weird, weird, weird feeling inside of me...Like...

Without a second thought I squeeze my legs together, teeth gritting as something...Something just erupts. I barely suppress the moan that wants to escape my lips, and with the same vigor I squeeze my legs together again. Unfortunately, Shizuku had yet to get up completely, and I'm squeezing part of her between my legs-but I can't help it.

"Shizuku!" I cry out, sitting myself up against the arm of the couch.

"I'll take care of you if you take care of me." She simpers, I dare say there's a tone of teasing and allure in her tone.

"I..." Biting down on my lips, I can barely keep myself under control.

Is this how woman felt when they...? No wonder they scream at the top of their lungs, among other things.

"Fine! I'll take care of you!"

"And, we're going to have to go shopping for bras. I bet you cut your boxers up to your crotch, so we'll have to get you proper underwear as well."

"I don't want to wear a bra and panties..." I sound so pitiful, so childish, I sound like I'm mewling and Shizuku is pressing every button on me in the perfect way that just drives me over!

"I refuse to have anyone see your boobs, and heaven forbid you fall and rip your skirt skateboarding or fighting. The only person who gets to see you in such a manner is me and only me."

"Can we talk about this?"

Shizuku brings herself towards me, and I can't even fight to keep her lips away from mine. I take them and she takes mine with the same passion and hunger, with the same vigor and strength.

"Now, let's take care of each other."

I do the only thing I can do at this moment-turn off the TV.


Morning hits hard. It comes way too fast.

It's not the sun that wakes me up, nor the noise outside as the city comes alive, and it's not even Shizuku. Well, it is Shizuku-but she doesn't wake me up by being annoying, kissing me, or anything of the like.

The thing that wakes me up is the aroma of food and my growling stomach. Normally, I will remain stubborn and not eat. I don't care if it growls for twenty minutes or an hour, eventually it'll stop, and eventually I'll go back to sleep. It's the time between those two things happening that keeps me stubborn and adamant of not getting out of bed. My stomach growling.

However, I know I can't do that this time around for a few reasons. The first. Shizuku is in my apartment, and if my hunch is correct, she's the one that cooked breakfast. I sure didn't. Stubby Bear didn't, so it must be Shizuku. The second reason is because if I don't get up Shizuku will surely do something that either makes me squirm or move around so fast that I'd fall off the couch, and probably smack my head off the table in front of it. The third reason, which really isn't a reason, is because I have to go to school.

Shizuku will ensure that I am not absent or tardy.

Coming back to reality and out of my haze of slumber, I recall what happened last night. Shizuku knocked on my door, I let her in after a few moments, she sat down and made her comments about Godzilla, and then she decided to manhandle me into the couch and bruise my lips. Carefully, I look under the blankets covering my body, and feel nothing short of shock.

"I'm naked!"

Shizuku takes this as her cue to come from the kitchen. She isn't dressed. Her feet are bare. The only thing that I can see other than her piercing eyes and long hair are her...She's only wearing an apron-a very short apron that stops just at her mid-thigh.

"You're awake. I'm almost done with breakfast."

I'm not sure where to start, but I figure going with the very first thing that came to my mind will be a good place. "Why am I...Why are you...?"

Shizuku sets a hand on her hip, smirking a bit. "You don't remember?"

It's all sort of a haze for me, but I can recall grabbing Shizuku's shirt and pulling it off before she pulled of mine. I bring my blankets up to my chin, suddenly abashed and downright frazzled. I...I seen Shizuku naked, in all of her naked glory, and she seen me! We touched each other and more while we were both nude. We pressed and held our bodies together.

Struggling to get a hold of myself, I look up to meet her gaze.

"You took care of me so I took care of you." Shizuku turns her back to me, and I do all I can not to eye her. "Now come on before the food gets cold. We have to get dressed afterwards."

Carefully, I wrap the huge blanket around my body. I make sure every inch of me is covered save for my calves and feet. I even take care to cover my thighs completely, because I don't want or need Shizuku making a comment about them or touching them. Once I'm certain I am not exposed I hastily walk to my room, ignore Stubby Bear who falls off of the bed in shock once I toss the blanket aside, and put on a t shirt and shorts.

I wash up a second later-hopefully I can avoid a situation where Shizuku is trying to join me in the bathroom.

I rub...Feeling a small ache. My steps did seem a little painful, but I had been so hasty in getting inside of my room-the privacy of my room that I didn't notice. I do now, however. I don't think I'll be skateboarding today, not with this persistent ache. I doubt I'd be able to do an Ollie like I normally do without wincing or at least clenching my teeth.

With all of this at the forefront of my mind, noting that I will be punching Stubby Bear later for his rather crude, lewd, and ridiculous comment and display of falling, I make my way back to the kitchen. The aroma of food is even more intense, and with twice the vigor my stomach growls. It's almost like it just pressed itself in, causing pain to jolt through me.

Shizuku made a simple breakfast. Eggs. Some broiled fish. Rice. And some sort of soup.

I take a seat at the table across from her-she is still wearing an apron, and her arms and shoulders seem to be closer together. It accentuates her breasts more than they already are naturally, and I'm inclined to believe she is doing this on purpose. But, since she's using chop sticks-I know they can be a hassle, and maybe she has to narrow her shoulders a bit.

I realize the thought is beyond inane, and I've yet to touch any food.

So I dig in with vigor-using a fork and spoon of course. The eggs are good, perfectly cooked. The fish explodes with flavor. The rice and soup compliment each other, and I even dump a few spoonful's of rice into the soup.

"What are you doing?"

I pause in my eating, chew my food, swallow, and then turn to focus on Shizuku. "What do you mean?"

"You just put rice in the soup."

"You're wearing nothing but an apron."

"I know." Shizuku purrs, her smile growing. She leans forward a little bit, as id daring me to look at her breasts. "You like it."

Unfortunately I do look at her breasts, but I can't really help it and it isn't my fault! Her breasts are well above average, clearly. They're not an A cup or a B cup, and I'm not even sure she wears a C cup. But, instead of retorting like I wish to at this moment, I just focus on eating my food and picking apart my broiled fish, setting it on top of my rice.

No need to encourage Shizuku any further than I have. After last night things have become extremely hazy between us or extremely clear. I don't want to entertain the line of thought to be honest. My heart has never hammered so fast or violent except when she's just a breath away from me, and I also have never experienced what I did last night.

I finish my food and look at Shizuku. She is finishing off the last of her eggs, albeit slower than I did. She finishes them off and then looks at me with such an intensity that I am tempted to run into the bathroom and lock the door. She stands up, takes our dishes, sets them in the sink, saunters over to me like a foxy mama, and then takes my lips with her own for just a few seconds.

"How about we wash up and get dressed?"

I know that if the two of us go into the shower, the last thing that we're going to do is get dressed afterwards. The shower may end, and we may partly dry ourselves off, but we won't be getting dressed. "You can wash up, I already did. I'll get dressed out here."

"You don't want to have fun?"

I rub between my legs. "I think I had enough fun for now."

Remarkably enough-Shizuku didn't argue or make a retort after I declined her oh so gracious offer. She simply went in the bathroom to handle my business, and I handled mine. I slip on my skirt first, then move onto the tight fitting undershirt I wear beneath my normal white one, and then I put on the white one. Socks and shoes come last, and by the time I'm finished Shizuku is exiting the bathroom.

It doesn't take us too long to get to school. It's not as fast as when I skateboard, but it's still pretty fast. Shizuku knows a few short cuts and other little alleyways we can take. Akane, Natsuru, Mikoto, and Natsuru are all at the front gate talking among themselves. They don't care to look in mine and Shizuku's direction, even when we're a few meters away-when they should be looking, as it'd show they are aware.

"What an oblivious bunch."

"Everyone can't be perceptive like you and I, but I do agree with your sentiment."

"Sentiment?"

Shizuku sets her hand on my back. "I agree with you."

"Hey, guys!"

I am brought back to reality by Sakura's and Mikoto's rather exuberant greetings. Honestly, I'm not sure which one annoys me more between the two, but as of this moment in time they are neck and neck.

"Hi." I give a lazy wave to the four of them.

"You look tired, Andrew-san. Long night?" Sakura asks.

"I'm not a morning person, honestly..."

"No skateboard today?"

"No, I...I am too tired." It's not exactly a lie.

She nods in understanding, turning her focus onto Shizuku-at the same time Mikoto turns her focus onto me.

"Guess what, Andrew!"

"Mikoto, tone it down..."

"I can push my skateboard really good now, and I can balance better on those manuals or whatever they are called."

I smile slightly. "That's good to hear."

"Can I learn the kickflip now?"

I shake my head. "You have to learn the Ollie first."

"Can I learn that today?"

I cross my arms. "Can you push yourself and maintain a fast speed."

"Well..."

"Until you can do that you're not going to learn anything else."

"But that's not fair!"

"It's not fair on me to carry you to the hospital because you happen to break your leg."

"I will not-"

Before she can badger me further Shizuku yanks her away from me, which Mikoto awards with a rather colorful and irate speech. Natsuru and Akane take an interest in me, as both look at me between curious and just...Calm, I guess.

"Morning, Andrew." Natsuru smiles a little awkwardly, waving.

"Hi." I say, a bit chipper, waving my own hand, hoping it helps ease Natsuru out of whatever...

"You're really teaching Mikoto to skateboard?"

"Yeah."

Natsuru laughs softly, but there is nervousness there. I don't know if it's me doing this, or if it's just how Natsuru is. I did snap at Natsuru a couple of times, but it's not like I tried to strangle her.

"She can be a little crazy."

"A little?" I raise an eyebrow.

Natsuru laughs again, this time more vibrant and carefree. That's better. "You're right! She a lot crazy. Just...Try to keep an eye on her whenever you're teaching her, she tends to take things to an extreme."

"Like her curry?"

"What about my-"

Natsuru looks a bit nervous-eyes roaming to Mikoto who is being silenced by Sakura at the moment. "Just like her curry."

"Thanks for the warning, Natsuru. If she gets too extreme I'll just have you handle her."

"W-wait!"

"No can do!" I wag a finger, thoroughly enjoying this. It's not like I'd tolerate Mikoto bouncing off the walls anyways-I'd go right to Natsuru's house and drop her off there.

"Why me?"

"Your her childhood friend, so you know her best. You can also calm her down if she's too rambunctious."

Natsuru is about to respond, but that is halted when Shizuku steps right up to us with that sharp, sharp smile on her face.

"President? What do you want?"

I can't help but notice how tense and on guard Natsuru is getting around Shizuku. It had been the same for me at first, but now I get tense for a whole different reason, and I don't have to be on guard...Too much around Shizuku.

"How cold of you, Natsuru."

"What are you scheming up this time?"

Shizuku smiles, setting both of her hands onto my shoulders. "Sorry to cut this short, but Andrew and I have to go to the library."

"For what?" I question, starting to get annoyed with the prospect of having to do such a thing.

"Class project."

"I don't even know what it's about, and there's another thirty two girls to work on it."

"If you paid attention you would know."

I sigh. Here she goes using logic again.

"You shouldn't skip out on class projects, Andrew-san."

"I don't care."

"You will when you fail." Shizuku says simply.

Sakura nods in agreement.

I growl, gritting my teeth.

Shizuku and Sakura are lecturing me.

Fantastic!

Shizuku smiles. She turns to Sakura, then to Mikoto, then to Akane, then to Natsuru, and lastly to me. "Sorry guys."

Sakura shakes her head-the only notable reaction other than this is Akane's narrowed eyes and Natsuru's rather firm expression.

"It's fine, Shizuku-san! Some of the class projects can amount to thirty percent of our overall grade."

I can't ask the question that I want to ask. Why? It's simple. Shizuku just yanks me along by my wrist, moving beyond the gate and into the school. I don't know if Sakura meant that it can amount to thirty percent of my grade in homeroom-or if it's down the board. It doesn't make sense for my homeroom project to effect my grade in Japanese Literature-they're two different subjects, and they're also a good four hours apart.

Of course, I can never find out until about lunch when we're all gathered and I can talk to Sakura about it.

Just as I am about to demand Shizuku to release me and stop tugging me along we enter the huge...Huge library of this school and she releases me with a little force, making me stumble forward. My eyes trace the shelves smothering the room-some go as high as the ceiling, though these are right against the wall, and others are at least ten feet taller than me-so we're talking about sixteen feet if not more here.

There's computers of course, desks, tables, chairs, printers, and all those other necessities.

The shelves, a wide majority, looked to be double stacked with books. They are all in Japanese of course, except for any books from overseas-where overseas I wont begin to guess. It could be China, the States, Russia, maybe even Norway or somewhere way out. Most of the books here are in Japanese, but a few aren't, I think. I'm thankful that I read that Japanese for dummies book before I settled in here. While my writing of the native language here is laughable, and my speaking is extremely rough-I can read Japanese very well. I credit it to not having to talk or actually write it out-both are extremely difficult for me, even if I am grasping it.

"Shizuku."

No response.

"Shizuku." I repeat, turning to my left-where she had been.

She's gone.

Where in the blue hell did she go!? She was just here a minute ago.

"Shit!"

My body moves on instinct-something light blue, sparkling, bright, and sure to a gazillion degrees slams into the spot where I had been standing. I can only feel shock-if that had actually connected with me, I'd have been done for. However. I'm roughly two meters away from where I had been standing prior-by the now charred floor. The area of contact is pitch black, and if I didn't know any better I'd say it will need to be repaired, otherwise someone may make the mistake of stepping over it, and well...

Shaking the thought from my mind, I focus on the present. Feet pressing into the floor, legs widening a bit before I stop. My eyes trace left to right, up and down, front to back, and side to side...However, I don't see anyone in here. In fact, aside from a few kids off way on the other side-who didn't notice the sparkling ball of energy, nobody else is in here.

Considering the shape of that attack, whoever launched it at me has to be a Zauber. They can't be a Schwert, because Shizuku is one of those and her weapons are extremely visible, and would have sliced through the floor like butter. I'd hate to think that there's someone like Akame wielding a gun with some explosive like this-it easily trumps the RPG. It can only be a Zauber.

My hiding place behind a shelf is absolutely destroyed as a nice hole is blasted through it.

I slam forward, steps confident and brisk. Wind hits my face, it blows my hair back, and it makes me narrow my eyes more. I can't see the attacks coming-but I can definitely feel them, the power behind them-the heat and everything else are a close second to this sensation. I drop low, swiveling with my right wrist off to the side-one ball of light blue energy goes crashing into a desk, the next is right on top of me-and if it wasn't for my dexterity as a Kampfer I'm certain I would have been fried there.

As it stands I hand plant off of a book shelf, and launch myself across the room. I can't see who is launching these damn things! Just as I'm about to take the time to look a shit ton of those light blue balls come at me. And, I mean a shit ton-I count thirteen before my mind works overtime to devise a plan of escape. There's at least four times that amount, varying in size, and they're all training in on me.

I flip back, breath leaving me as my whole world becomes inverted. Without a second thought I complete the flip, going into another, and another, and another. The balls are right against me. They threaten to scorch my fingers, singe my hair, burn my retinas with their blinding light, and punch a hole through me that'd instantly cauterize.

I exhale numbly, hands slamming onto the floor.

"Owwww!" I seeth, trying to ignore the scorching pain consuming my hands.

I hadn't even been struck and it burns like hell...

Shit!

Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

I can't flip fast enough. My world can't get inverted and back enough!

"Agghhhh!"

I strain, focusing on my center before I expel copious amounts of water. I don't care if it's waves, spirals, orbs, or spheres-as long as they dispel those damn glowing spheres of energy.

All I can hear and see are hissing and blistering light being reduced into a fine steam.

With a strain and half a cry I use what remains of the strength in my arms to heave myself up. I'm a bit surprised for just a second at the sheer height and velocity I was able to obtain, but the surprise quickly fades. I'm back in hyper focus, my knees are tucked, my arms crossed over them, and I propel myself much like a ball, flipping and flipping to the point I feel like I'm going to vomit.

All the while I miss being struck-debris pelt my form, and part of a desk's leg just smashes into my side-winding me, but I continue on in my rotations until I see a balcony.

I thrust my legs down and out, and throw my arms out to the side and down towards the floor. Next thing I know I'm sliding across the floor on all fours, but not before my feet made contact and I skidded back for a few inches. My velocity and momentum couldn't simply be stopped, combined with my flipping, it made my landing extremely harsh. I can feel the burn on my hands. I can smell the burnt smell of my slip on shoes from catching friction.

I take the time to pant, sweat beading down my head and driving itself into my eyes-forcing me to swipe it away with vigor. Carefully, slowly, I stand up searching the library for my attacker, but other than destruction and black marks on the floor-I see nothing and nobody. Certainly if whoever had been attacking me they'd be here getting a bird's eye view...

With careful steps, I proceed forward-getting a good look at the floor level. Nothing.

Is it possible for Zauber to control their attacks from afar...No, that's impossible. Stubby Bear would have told me that from the outset with abilities each Kampfer has.

I can't ponder over the endless possibilities of who attacked me, or how such an attack could be executed-without the person being close by. Maybe they backed off as soon as I got the high ground, but still...I can't ponder the full depth of this for one simple reason.

"Andrew Ambrose. Please report to the Student Council President's room." Someone over the intercom sounds off.

"Son of a bitch."

Shizuku had me walk into a trap, that little...

The same message sounds over the intercom again.

"I'm going to kick that stupid damn door down, just wait!"