(Hey, psst! This is the Fic's Inner voice, I'm here to tell ya... There's one heck of an A/N waiting ahead of you, and it's pretty damn-well important! So you should—No, scratch that... You MUST read it ALL! Otherwise things might end up getting confusing for you, well whatever... Not like I care if you might end up getting confused.)

A/N:

Hey guys! D0T here, I'd like to apologize for the late update! I feel like I've betrayed my pinky promise... Honestly, life just gets in the way sometimes, and there's sadly nothing that I can do to prevent it from interfering with my work, tsk. Well anyhow, I have important news, and yeah, I'm dropping the bold letters for this A/N because it's long and the bold letters bug could be triggered on the mobile version, so whatever. Please pay attention to those three, simple little details that I'd like to point out.

Alright, One: I think most of you saw yanderedev's latest rival video, right? Well, I figured that now that we know who the official rivals are, it pretty much means that I have some minor editing to do for just one character, and that's the nurse whom I have named 'Akiko Kurenai' (quite a good name, too bad it can't be used... Oh well) I still don't have the time to rush back to that chapter and change her name, heck... I think I mentioned it on other chapters, so for now, her name will stay that way, she's pretty much the only 'official' rival that I've added to this story, so there's not much to edit, which is good for you and for me! Now, there's the deal with Kokona, which I've sadly learned through yanderedev's video that she's no official rival, but a guinea pig... Truth to be told, I never intend to rename her after the rival she's based off of, or swap her story in the future. To me, Kokona will always be an 'official' rival, in this fic at least, because she's been putting up with too much crap (I've killed her far too many times already, she deserves credit) so yeah, she's official in 'The Hero & The Psycho'.

That's the first point about the whole 'rival deal', now there's point Two: THE UPDATES! Okay, so when I said that I'll do my best to update monthly... Gosh, I'm sorry but I was wrong, I miscalculated everything. I've been given an extremely tight schedule and I can't go back now, hell... I pretty much have NO LIFE AT ALL now! This is a huge dilemma, since I wanted to finish my story quickly, guess I can't... Not for a while at least, but trust me, everyone, I'll do my best to write as frequently as I can! I've been literally keeping my phone next to me at all times so I could spot a Fanfiction notification coming from my e-mail. Believe it or not, but I read every review that I'm given, I acknowledge every follower/favourites I get (D0T Senpai pretty much notices all of you) and I get prouder day after day, because it's the work I've put all my effort on, and I sincerely HATE IT when I disappoint or when I don't reach your expectations... So if this update turned out to be late or anything, I'm truly sorry.

Now for the interesting and Third Point: My friend (who is a faithful reader like you) came to me recently and said: "Hey, D0Tty! I just read your latest chapter and I've been wondering when you'll finally make Martial-Arts hottie and Yandere creepy have a Bow Chika Bow Wow moment! You've teased me (and your readers) too much, so please, tell me the 'RATED M' thingy isn't a joke and PUT SOME ACTION IN ALREADY! *screams and shakes D0T*"
... Alright, this is something I haven't mentioned (but should be pretty obvious after reading the first chapter) yet I'll try to be more direct. Yes, this fic is rated M, yes there'll be GORE, and yes... There'll be LEMONS and LIME in future chapters, so no more confusion on that matter, I hope.

That's it for this HUGE A/N, sorry it took your while. I apologize yet again, and I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter... Even if it's short because I have NO TIME AT ALL, UGHH!

The Hero & The Psycho.

Mina Rai stared at the waitress uniform she had been given with annoyed eyes, the frilly material and flashy yellow-ish color hadn't pleased her at all. Ever since she became a high-school student, she wanted to take part in a 'not-so-serious' job that could boost her pocket money, but damn... Life always went in the wrong direction!

It's been a month since I started this job... Since I started wearing this monstrosity, why the heck am I disgusted by it now? She thought as she started undressing, Oh yeah, it's because Shishou called me and said that he'll pay me a visit... And he'll see me wearing THIS!

Her mind cried out in disgust the moment she recalled her small discussion with Budo on the phone. He had told her in the happiest of voices that he would come during the afternoon to find a job for a 'friend', and asked for her help... She agreed without a second thought and said that it would be no problem at all! Because come on, who would refuse Budo Masuta? A crazy girl, that's for sure!

... But she forgot a rather... Well, minor detail.

"I look atrocious..." She muttered as she looked at her reflection on the mirror. Her uniform felt far too big and far too girly to suit her, and it made her cringe, hard. Mina had agreed to work there because they paid their workers handsomely. The customers were all regulars and nice people as well, who never really minded her clumsiness at first. She had foreseen the possibility of passing by a few students from her school, but never minded that thought. The cafe was already pretty secluded too, so the chances were slim, really.

It just so appeared that Budo knew that she worked there... Because that idiot of Sho Kunin blew her cover!

"Can't I fix this?!" Her eyebrows furrowed and she tried her hardest to adjust the outfit, everything made her look fat and unattractive, (or so she thought) and she wanted nothing more but to somehow sink on the ground and never surface back, because god damn it, her Shishou, the one and only martial arts master: Budo Masuta, was coming over there, in that hellish cafe and was about to see her, in the worst state of dress!

"UGH!" Mina finally sighed in exasperation and decided to give up, "So what if he sees me wearing this thing? It's just what the name implies, a uniform. Meaning it's obligatory, and that there's nothing I could do about it!"

With a nod and a huff, Mina dashed downstairs and towards the door, ready to start an earnest day of work. Her shishou wasn't the kind of person that would judge people or laugh at them, so why bother worrying? In fact, she should be happy that he asked her for a favour!

Yup, she truly should be.


Meanwhile...

Budo wiped some sweat off of his forehead with his arm, desperately trying to remain concentrated despite all the oil on his hands. He had been trying to fix the same bloody car for over a week now, and somehow its owner would still come and complain that it's leaking, much to his horror and annoyance. He hated having to come in the garage and notice that same old Volvo every time... Gosh, it felt like it wanted to be repaired by him.

"Remind me why we haven't killed the guy who drives this poor thing," Budo spoke angrily, his back bent to have better access of the car's open hood. His boss, (an old bearded man) shrugged and continued smoking on his cigarette, seemingly unfazed by the teen's endless rants and complaints.

"Cut the lad some slack, he just had his driving license." The older man shrugged and continued reading the newspaper, "Besides, he makes our business work, we should be thankful that stupid people like him who can't drive exist."

Budo bit his inner jaw and rolled his eyes, it wasn't something that surprised him. His boss, though loving cars just as much as him, pretty much preferred money over anything and everything. Having multiple tasks and work to do equalled winning plenty of cash and potential clients, despite their garage being seemingly small and unknown.

"I know, but still... His father game him this car, he should treasure it, even if it's crappy." Budo spoke slowly, trying to focus on the task at hand. It was an awful way to start the day, usually he wouldn't end up coming to work so early to change oil filters for a car he fixed more than five times. But things do turn out unexpectedly in life, so who was he to complain? He still loved his job, and it paid surprisingly well.

His boss; Ichiro, stopped looking through the newspaper to set his gaze on the teen. He had been aware of Budo's family circumstances and often pitied him, he could tell the lad yearned for some fatherly love every once in a while, but didn't comment on it. Having to witness all these other boys of his age acting like spoiled brats made it difficult to bear, for they had no idea how lucky they were.

Truly, he figured that Budo would have actually been happy to be given a car, even if it was crappy, like he pointed out.

"Well..." Ichiro shrugged, "If you think about it in a certain way, I guess he keeps throwing his car in the garage simply because it's a gift from his father."

"That's stupid and childish... I bet he wanted a Ferrari or something," Budo sighed then suddenly cursed when some oil splattered on his face. Ichiro laughed and threw him a handkerchief, to which the young teen took and cleaned himself with.

"You offended the car, I believe!" The older man laughed, Budo didn't find it funny at all.

"This doesn't work... Hand me the wrench and wire cutters, please."

Ichiro nodded and threw him the tools he needed, then noticed a few small figures peeking from outside the garage. He curiously approached them with both his eyebrows raised, wondering what a bunch of young girls would want from a car repair shop.

"Hello, may I help you?" He offered, still looking quite sceptical though. The three young girls jumped at his appearance and backed away while fidgeting.

"Um, n-no... We were just..." A particular petite girl glanced with a blush towards Budo's working figure and shook her head, "It's n-nothing."

Ichiro, not being the oblivious kind of man, figured everything out with a smirk. I thought I'd heard gigglin' these past few weeks, so the lad really is a popular one, eh?

It wasn't surprising that Budo caught some attention. Any girl would've glanced at least twice towards his direction; because come on! They couldn't possibly ignore a sweat-drenched, hard-working muscular 18 year old boy in broad daylight! That was simply crazy! Furthermore, because it somehow ended up being such a hot and heavy day, Budo had settled with a black tank-top that clung on his muscles, hence transforming him into a woman-magnet.

The attention wasn't a bad thing, but if they weren't paying... Then he had to complain.

"Sorry to burst your bubbles, ladies. But this is a garage; we fix vehicles, and only vehicles! Sure, we get hot and oily during our work but—"

The girls didn't let him finish his sentence and immediately excused themselves, leaving no room for arguments. Ichiro stared at their running figures with confused eyes, wondering what could have scared them off. He turned around and nearly jumped when he found Budo's tall figure right alongside him. Well, there was his answer.

"Jesus Christ, boy! What's up with you?! Sneaking up on me like that..."

Budo raised an eyebrow, "whatever do you mean? I don't sneak, that's cowardly! I just thought I'd seen those girls somewhere..." He remarked while wiping the oil off of his hands. Ichiro snorted and lit another cigarette.

"Well, these are the girls who frequently visit you. They seem to hold a soft spot for your... Err, physique." He gestured weakly at the teen's chest. Budo furrowed his brows and looked at his body, as if he clearly didn't understand what that old geezer was rambling on about. Surely, he looked like a normal 18 year-old boy, right? Where could all that attention come from anyway?

Deciding that it wasn't important, Budo undid his ponytail and poured some cold water on his head. He had fixed most of the car's important parts, so he basically had some more free time during the afternoon. All he had to do was dash back home and take a long, long shower to get rid of the smell. Then, by the time he'd be done, he would call Ayano and help her find a job, like promised.

Just as he was about to change clothes did a tall, orange-haired man enter the garage, his face stern and... somewhat ferocious. Ichiro looked at the intriguing man while appearing completely nonchalant; it wasn't the first time intimidating men stepped foot within his garage.

Seeing that his boss wouldn't move an inch, Budo decided to approach the man and greet him.

"Hello! How may I help you, sir?" he spoke in a friendly fashion, trying to ignore his grumpy boss. The customer(?) looked around their repair shop for a moment, and Budo swore that he saw his face somewhere before... Yet he couldn't quite remember it well.

"Yes, I was wondering if you sold used parts in here," he gave the teen a small piece of paper containing the names of various parts. Budo scratched his chin and analyzed the list for a few seconds, then turned to ask Ichiro.

"Um, sir—"

The older man angrily threw away his newspaper and snatched the list off of Budo's hands, "Fine! I'll look, just wait for a bit..." he grumbled and went on the back of the store. Budo gave their customer an apologetic look, to which said man replied with a shrug of his own.

"I'm sorry, he had a rough morning." Budo apologized.

"No, it's fine." The man waved it off as if it was nothing, then looked at Budo with interested eyes. "By the way, have I seen you before? You seem to be awfully familiar..." He remarked. Budo's eyes widened, so I wasn't just imagining things, I did see him somewhere!

The teen thought long and hard. Where could it have possibly been? His mind wandered off way back, trying to decipher a few events in the past.

Orange hair... Angry, misjudged eyes... Tsundere...?

It came to him like a hurricane, and he dropped his hands to his sides with a look that screamed nostalgia.

"Mister... Najimi?!" He shouted, completely shocked at his appearance. The orange-haired man looked at him for a few moments in thought. Budo rolled his eyes and pointed at himself. "Don't you remember me? I'm Budo Masuta, the boy who used to be your neighbour!"

Realization dawned on Najimi almost immediately, now that explained why the lad's face looked so familiar. In no time at all, he gave the younger boy a fatherly hug.

"Dear lord! I barely recognized you, Budo! Puberty really did its job, eh?" He teased while ruffling his hair. Budo laughed heartily and shrugged it off, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"It's been such a long while... Did you all come to visit?" He asked with a gentle smile. Najimi shook his head and grinned.

"Nope! Actually, we've just moved back in the neighbourhood! Only a few houses away from yours, Budo-kun."

Budo felt like his jaw was about to drop. In that very moment, on that same exact spot, memories from his childhood flooded his entire being. Extremely painful memories that he wished never to experience again. Everything involved around a certain petite figure, orange twin-tails and a very, very dishonest personality.

Gods, no...

"Um..." Budo gulped and looked at the ground as if it was moving, "Is, uh... Is Osana—"

"My daughter? Oh yes, she's doing well! In fact, she's going to enter your high-school right after your break is over."

Clearly, her father hadn't heard of the rumours and murders within the school grounds, otherwise he would've changed his mind. But Budo wasn't going to bring up that subject, the harm was done, it was already too late.

"I see, that's good, I suppose." He mumbled and turned to look for Ichiro. The martial-artist didn't hold a grudge against Osana Najimi's father, in fact, he held deep respect for him. Whenever the young trio would play (Osana, Taro and Budo) he would come out and join them or invite them for dinner. He always looked strong and intimidating, but it wasn't something that bothered the bunch. He had also been a good friend towards Budo's father, when he was alive.

Pity Najimi-san's daughter turned out to be a selfish brat. He remembered with a shudder.

Najimi suddenly patted Budo on the shoulder, startling him. "I just thought of something nice! Why don't you go and show Osana around the town? It's been a while since we came, plenty of things must have changed."

Budo looked at the man as if he had grown a second head. Him? Show Osana around the town? No way...

He forced himself to smile, "I'm sorry, sir! But I have plans for the afternoon, I'm meeting up with a friend—"

"A friend!" The orange-haired man chirped, "Is it by any chance Yamai-kun?" He inquired, and Budo raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" He asked, confused. He didn't know anyone named 'Yamai'.

"You know... That shy little boy, Yamai... Or was it Yamu? No, wait... it was something along the lines of Yamado... Or was it Yamagi?"

"Yamada?" Budo corrected and Najimi pointed at him with his index finger.

"Yes, that one!" He looked triumphant. The teen gnawed his inner-cheek.

"No, sadly I'm not meeting up with him... Actually, it's someone whom I've met only very recently and—"

He cut him off, again. "Even better! It might be a chance for my cute daughter to make some new friends! Take her with you, I'm sure she'll have lots of fun. I trust you, Budo-kun!"

And just like that, he left as quickly as he had showed up. Ichiro, who had emerged from the back of the shop, stared at his client's departing figure and shouted.

"Hey! What about those used parts you asked for?!" His voice echoed within the garage and Najimi waved it off casually.

"I'll come by later!" He spoke with a smile, "Budo-kun, be sure to pick her up at four!" He remembered the teen and finally disappeared from their sights. Ichiro cursed loudly as he threw the used parts back on the box, wondering why he had bothered taking them. Then, he noticed Budo's very grim expression and raised an eyebrow.

"What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost..." He commented, clearly amused by the teen's traits. Budo groaned loudly and covered his face with his hands.

"My plans for today are ruined..." He sighed in mild-annoyance.

"And why's that?"

Budo bit his lip and took off his shirt, "I was supposed to meet up with my girlfriend, but turns out I have to escort an old 'acquaintance' of mine instead."

Ichiro whistled, impressed. "Girlfriend, eh? Didn't hear that before..." He spoke with a grin. Considering Ichiro knew nothing about Akademi-High and its students, he figured that it didn't really count that he knew. His and Ayano's relationship still stayed a secret.

"We started dating a few days ago," he wore his clean shirt and sighed, content, "she's such a kind, well-mannered girl, really."

"And you two were about to go on a date?" Ichiro's grin became wider, but Budo ignored it.

"No... I think? I was just going to help her find a job... I can't, now that I have to escort... ugh..." He realized yet again exactly who he was going to spend the day with and felt down. Why did it have to be Osana? He could have taken it well if it weren't for her, but seriously... Why her?! Of all the long-lost childhood friends, it just had to be Osana Najimi, the girl who practically ruined a good half of his childhood!

"Mind telling me what's so bad about that 'acquaintance' of yours?" Ichiro mumbled. Budo shook his head and grimaced. He thought for a while... Then finally answered.

"I just had a crush on her when were little, but she humiliated me and made my life a living hell... Basically, she used me to get closer to my other friend, Taro Yamada." He sighed and looked away, "Hard times... But oh, I don't care about that anymore, you know?" The look he gave off was almost gentle, "Because I have someone far better now."

Ichiro nodded and resumed reading the newspaper, "Well, you could always go with your girlfriend too, it's not like that bratty ex-crush of yours would ruin the mood."

"Err..." Budo thought for a moment, "I'm not sure..."

"Think about it, it'll be like killing two birds with one stone. You escort that orange muscle-mass's daughter, and spend some time with your girlfriend too."

The martial arts master pondered on that for a while then took out of his pocket his cell phone.


Ayano Aishi hummed with a smile as she prepared Budo's heart-warming 'dinner'. Every ingredient had been put on the counter; ready to be used to her favour, for today was going to wound up being an important day... A day where her plan would finally come to light.

With a smile that hid sadism and mischief, Ayano took from her bag two sleeping pills and played around with them while using her fingers, looking with fascination at the liquid inside. A simple drop of said liquid could make anyone sleep for hours to come, surprisingly. All she had to do was to break them open and pour its contents into his meal, and then...

Oh joy... She giggled diabolically as she thought of ways to drag him home, tie him up-

But her phone suddenly ringed and broke her reverie. Ayano took it and realized with amazement that the caller was, in fact, Budo.

Well, speak of the devil... She thought as she answered, "Hello? Budo-kun?"

"Ah, Ayano! Sorry for calling you so suddenly, are you busy?" He asked ,sounding somewhat breathless. Ayano raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Were you running?" She asked in intrigue. Budo gasped on the other side of the line, and she rephrased herself, "Are you running right now?"

"Uh..." He coughed for a bit and slowed down, "Yes, Yes I am..."

"Mmm..." She nodded to herself, but didn't ask exactly why he was running. A part of her, though, knew, yet she didn't speak up her mind. "Alright, and to answer your question, I'm not exactly busy." Her thumb and index finger pinched on the pills, almost playfully.

"Ah!" Budo laughed a bit, "That's good! Because I'm actually running towards your house right now..."

I knew it, her inner-self sighed in annoyance, but she didn't sound like it. "Really now? Well, were you that eager to see me then? I assure you, though, that waiting until five wouldn't have killed you."

"I... I know, but you see, something came up, and... Ugh!" She heard someone curse on the other side of the line and assumed that Budo nearly bumped into someone. While rolling her eyes, she added more pressure to the pill, intending to pop them open and pour the liquid on the food.

"You were saying?" she sang teasingly and Budo laughed in embarrassment.

"Yes, well... Things happened, I met with a long-lost neighbour, and he suggested I show his daughter around." He stopped for a few seconds to recover his breathing, "And, *pant* he's been so persistent that I... *pant* didn't really refuse him so—"

"So she's coming along with us, eh?" Her voice sounded normal, because frantically, it didn't really bother her. Surely, it was probably just a childhood friend of his, so it mattered not.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm really sorry about that..." He apologized and she assumed that he continued running.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind, though I'm curious to know who she is..." Ayano tried to sound a little jealous to tease the martial-artist. Budo, appearing to have taken the bait, answered almost immediately.

"She's just a childhood friend of mine, and Yamada's..." He spoke reassuringly and Ayano twitched, causing the pill to suddenly pop. The liquid poured on her fingers, but she immediately washed her hand and moved away from the food.

"A friend of..." she gulped and carefully thought of the right words, "A childhood friend of yours... And Yamada-senpai's?" She asked slowly, and he clicked his tongue meaning yes.

"Yeah, she moved out a long time ago, but came back, permanently, I think." He commented and sighed loudly, "I'm not fond of her, really. She's extremely selfish and... Complicated, that's why I want to spend lots of time with you, before she'll come and... Ruin our day together."

Ayano pursed her lips and looked at the kettle on her left, "I see... So you don't really like her?"

"No..." he chuckled, "I'm not the one she likes, Yamada-kun is the guy she has feelings for, so don't you worry!"

Her hands balled into fists and she saw red again, Another rival... Another job to be done... She thought in annoyance, her eyes locking on the bag full of sleeping pills. Guess my plan has to wait.

"Ayano?" He spoke her name on the other side of the line, wondering why she had become so awfully silent. Realizing of her current state, Ayano snapped out of her daze and tried to think of various ways to murder that new, intruding little pest.

"Budo... Are you still far away?" She whispered slowly. Budo paused for a moment, seemingly in shock for a while, before answering.

"Yeah, but not by much. I think I could get there in—"

"Please hurry," her voice sounded feminine, husky and... Desperately in need of his affection, "I want... I want to see you, and spend lots and lots with you."

"...! I'm... I'm coming!" He too, sounded very eager and in need of her affection. Ayano smiled to herself as she hid the sleeping pills in a drawer.

"Come quick, senpai." She whispered one last time before hanging up, and going upstairs towards her room. The moment she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she knew that her feelings would take over.

She had to calm down, or else she'd kill that girl right in front of Budo.

"Breathe... Breathe..." She kept repeating, inhaling and exhaling all the while. "You were stupid to think that the nightmare was over, there'll be more... More rivals, more blood, and more nuisances. Senpai can't be yours, not now... Not until you've learned how to control this side of yours..." She spoke to herself and tried to calm the rising heat within her body. Ayano knew how fierce, how lifeless and cold her eyes were right now. It was no surprise, because when she had killed Kokona, she thought it to be the end... That no other girl would ever roam around her senpai.

Damn it, she had been so completely wrong.

"No matter, no matter!" She grinned evilly, "I'm the queen of murder, I can easily get rid of anyone at anytime. That pest? Well! She'll die as soon as I get my hands on her, and no one would ever know~!"

While licking her lips, Ayano quickly changed into something more presentable, because obviously, Budo would come by... That cute, worthless little puppy, whom she wanted to torture and use all the time.

Ayano sighed and noticed that she was still shaking in anger and jealousy; she needed to calm down and regain some sanity... Her hand ran down towards her skirt and she felt the wetness of her panties with a frown. It always took a moment of sheer, yandere anger to make her feel so in heat.

She bit her lip.

I need to either kill, or... Her mind wandered towards Taro Yamada's picture, her beloved Taro Yamada... Seeing his face always helped things up...

But then, someone knocked on her door, and she smiled.

Well, the boy who looks like him might also do the trick.

TBC.

Alright, didn't like this chapter much because it was uneventful. But I promise that I'll kill off Osana—I MEAN! That I'll add more action in the next chapter! It's going to get steamy and bloody! *laughs like a maniac* But yeah... I'm sorry again, I was so late with this update and I wanna' try and... Make it up to all of you. Pity, I have no idea when I'll be able to update the next chapter, but believe me, I'll do my best! Please review, tell me what you think, and I'll read it!