Leo and I sat sitting back to back in front of a fan in his room. I whined whenever it faced away from me.

"Too…Hot…Must have…Cookies and cream ice cream!" I whined.

"Need… Pool…Dying." Leo added.

"I got the stuff! God you guys look like you're dying!" Shima said as Bon and Konekomaru trailed behind him.

"No wonder, it's like a sauna in here!" Bon added.

"Don't care. Gimme!" I ordered.

Shima sighed, "Fine, no thanks I guess." He handed me a pint-sized tub of cookies and cream ice cream.

"Thank you, oh god, Shima I think I might love you if I survive this summer!" I opened the container to find…

Soup.

I calmly closed the container and walked outside. I shut the door then began to scream and kick. Once I came back in they looked at me in shock before I dragged the fan over to my emo corner.

Konekomaru opened the container and sighed, "Shima I told you we should've gotten the frozen stuff last." Leo looked over his shoulder at the soup then joined me in the emo corner.

"Nee-san, I'm going out for a bit, oh hello, Suguro, Shima, Miwa." Yukio said as he passed by the door. "Don't just sit there whining, get out and do something."

I groaned and fell backwards, still holding my legs, "But it's sooo hot~"

"Nee-san, if you spent some time outside you'll find it's actually not as hot. Plus I bet you've been dying to draw something."

"Yes, mother." He sighed as he walked away.

"I heard of this arcade downtown. It's supposed to be huge, and," Shima got up to my ear and whispered, "air-conditioned."

I smiled and pulled the four boys into a hug, "What are we waiting for!" I said as I ran us down the hallway.

"Wait! Kushi-chan! We have no money!" Leo reminded me. I stopped and stared at my door.

"Leo, grab your guitar, you guys wait here." Leo did as told.

I walked into my room and smirked as I saw my old mic and headphones. I pulled them on and slipped into a black dress shirt, a loose blue tie, and a dark blue skirt. I also had on black stockings and white ballet flats. I put on blue shades and smirked.

As I walked out of my room I felt them staring. "We're going to fix the 'no money' problem. If you want to join us, you're welcome."

"So, Leo-kun here plays guitar, what do you do?" Shima asked.

"I sing, I dance, I can play guitar, clarinet, and most of the common instruments known to man, along with a few uncommon ones. I draw, paint, and write. That's pretty much it though. You?"

They just looked at me. Bon spoke first, "I learned how to play drums when I was little."

"I learned violin in middle school." Konekomaru added.

"Same here."

"Come on then, I've got a couple in another room." I ran down the stairs into the closest room. I stood in the middle of the room.

They stared in wonder at my collection. "Who there has to be at least-" Koneko-chan started.

"64 instruments. Most were hand-me downs my teachers got me some I bought on my own. Some of them were in perfect condition, others had to be fixed by hand. I did that myself." I said proudly. "Though this mic and head phone set is something the old man got me when I turned 14. After that, I practiced my singing in the monastery. So pick an instrument and lefts get going!"

We set up a 'stage' of sorts in an empty area in town square.

"So what song should we do first?" Leo asked me.

I looked in his music sheets. "American or Japanese guys. Your pick." I said as I passed them the sheets.

"Japanese." Bon replied. "How about Sakura Addiction? Splay's been pretty popular with that song around here."

"Sure." I got the appropriate music sheets and handed them to the others.

I cleared my throat and began:

"The sakura blossoms, it flutters down, on my hand where there's nothing
Fleeting and gentle, I'm afraid it might break, the flower that is just like you

That child who slips through the gates as usual
Grabs ahold of something each day with shining eyes

For me, I repeat nothingness every day
And with a frozen heart, I close my eyes looking for the moment when the flower would blossom

The sakura blossoms, it flutters down, on my hand where there's nothing
Fleeting and gentle, I'm afraid it might break, the flower that is just like you

I put away the dirtied spike deep inside my heart
You're searching for the spring's escape route, saying that this will do, aren't you?

The ball I lost and gave up on
It was you who found it for me

The spring comes, blossoms and prides, the ground sways by the wind
Stepped on firmly, burst out crying, looks like it might overflow, the flower that is just like you

I have come to retrieve the lost article that is here, on my hand
Fleeting and gentle, I'm afraid it might break, the flower that is just like you!"

As I finished the song people began gathering around us.

They clapped and threw money into Leo's guitar case.

One guy in the crowd chanted, "More!"

I looked at Leo, "I Dare You, Shinedown." He smiled at me and handed out the music sheets to Bon, Koneko-chan, and Shima.

I took a deep breath:

Hello, let me introduce you to
The characters in the show
One says yes, one says no
Decide, which voice in your head you can keep alive

Even in madness, I know you still believe
Paint me on canvas so I become
What you could never be

I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

Hello, are you still chasing
The memories in shadows
Some stay young, some grow old
Come alive, there are thoughts unclear
You can never hide

Even in madness, I know you still believe
Paint me your canvas so I become
What you could never be

I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

Hello
Hello
I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through the fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to
Hello
Hello
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

As the song ended I saw a lot of people actually in tears. I wondered why but was stopped short by Konekomaru.

"That was amazing Okumura-chan! It's almost like the song was made by you the way you sang!" he praised me.

I blushed, "N-no, I always liked this song so I can just put it to heart."

"Hey guys we got enough for lunch and about 3 hours in the arcade." Shima pointed out.

"R-really? I thought It would take a few more songs though!" I said.

"Come on lets go!" Leo said happily.

He began dragging me away.

"Wait, we gotta put the stuff back!" Bon said placing a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Fine." Leo pouted.

"So how much did we make?" I asked Shima back at the dorms.

"106,789. Isn't it awesome!" the pinkette said excitably.

"Isn't what awesome, Shima-san?" A voice from behind us said. We all whipped around to see Yukio and Rin. Rin had a black cat on his shoulder.

"Yukio! We preformed in town and made 109,789 yen! With only two songs!" I exclaimed. I looked at the cat, "Oh, who's that?"

"I'm Rin's familiar, Kuro!" the cat said with pride.

"He's my new familiar, Kuro." Rin said with equal pride.

"Isn't that one of the guardian familiars of the city?" Koneko-chan said adjusting his glasses.

"Yep, one of the guards let it slip that the old man passed away. Kuro here got sad and went on a rampage. I calmed him down with some of his catnip wine though!"

I covered my nose, "That explains the alcohol scent."

"The old man? I thought Kuro was the last Paladin's familiar. You know the one, Fujimoto Shiro?" Shima asked confusedly.

Rin just stared at Shima, "Yeah, that's him."

"Shiro was our adopted father, Shima-san." Yukio said.

Konekomaru, Shima, and Leo just stared in shock. "Your dad was the last Paladin?" Leo breathed.

"Yeah, though he never told me or Rin." I pouted.

"Bon, are you getting this?"

Bon looked at his friends, "I already knew, Kushi told me back during the first week." They just looked at him in shock.

"Come on guys the arcade is gonna close if you just sit their with your jaws wide open. Yukio, Rin do you want to join?"

"Sure-!" Rin started. He was then pulled back by Yukio. "You seem to forget, Nii-san, you have homework."

"What about them?" He cried.

"I finish it in class," Bon and I said.

"We had it done in a few seconds with Bon's help!" Shima said holding Koneko-chan.

"Don't worry, Rin-nii, we'll go again some time!" I waved them away.

We ended up spending the rest day in the arcade, only breaking for lunch. Ever so often we'd share tales from home. Most of mine involved Rin or Yukio in some way. Leo's mentioned his parents and older sister. Bon, Koneko-chan, and Shima told us about stories they did pranks on some of the other kids. We laughed and just had a good time.

The next day though we started our so called, 'missions'.

AN: I thought this was a pretty good chapter.

The reason Utsukushi has some control of her flames is because of her artistic imagination and the fact hers are weaker then Rin's. That will piss her off later, badly. She can also allow her flames to enhance muscles to where they don't take damage as easy that's why the flames reached to her knees when she glides.

Next chapter is where Amaimon comes in. I really like Amaimon, but I had to make him off to be a douche for the story, plus that's his normal self so can't really do much about that *shrugs*.

I might take a break from uploading and add to the story despite the fact most of it is already written, but I just need to make sure I finish it before my mind is pointed to something like Danny Phantom or Ben Ten. The shows have caught my interest for awhile and I'm dying to write something.

My other stories have been put off for awhile as well. It bothers me that I can't really even finish one story

Anyway R and R.

Tata for now 3