I don't come to, at all. I don't know where I am, but it's not on earth. It's too quiet, too lucid, and too blissful. There's no way this can be earth. Chaos is on earth, noise, violence, strife, storms, tornadoes, disorder, and all of these things are on earth. But, where I am now...There's only silence and peace. I see purple where blue would be, there is light, but there is no sun, and there's water.

Everything shifts, and I'm on the playground of my grade school. I'm completely aware that it is indeed my grade school, just not a place that looks like it. There's kids running around, and I look at the four and five year olds that are running around the jungle gym. I'm just standing in the middle of the playground, I can't move, my legs feel like lead...And...They...Won't...Move...

I take a second to gather myself. I can hear someone screaming. It's a girl, that much I know. Boys on this playground don't scream or yell like that unless they're in pain or just got done kicking someone in the jaw. I turn at my waist, since my legs are useless. Vaguely, I can see someone. She's crouched down, hands over her head, just getting wailed on. There's people around her swinging their fists and stomping on her.

Something inside of me snaps. I can't tell the features of this girl, but jumping someone like this is just pitiful. She's not even trying to fight back. She's only covering her head, but that doesn't mean her mouth isn't getting hit. I can see blood dripping on the cement, one of the kids stomping on her screams in triumph, winds up, and swings their leg.

"HEY!"

Somehow, I'm moving. My legs are obeying my commands. They don't feel useless. They don't feel like six tons of lead. I'm running at the group of people, and I jump at them fists swinging. I can't take all of them, but I damn sure will go down swinging like a maniac. Two are nailed in the mouth by my fists, and they drop. Three more swarm me, I manage to swing off on two of them, grab the third by their shirt, and swing them to the ground.

"Get the fuck off of her! Why you jumping on her like that!?"

My arms burn, and they're starting to feel like my legs had been before. But, I'm not going to let that sensation get the better of me. I'm going to fight against it, kicking, screaming, cursing, and thrashing. I'd be damned if I watch this girl get jumped and I just sit here and do nothing about it. The fight is starting to swing out of my favor, the people I managed to level are replaced by two more-their friends.

The hits that come I can barely feel, but my body goes through the motions of whiplash. My head sways and swings like it's on a swivel, and just as I recover...

I'm swung to the ground.

"Jump on this bitch! Stick him!"

I throw my foot up on instinct alone-I smirk when I see blood fly from a nose. That doesn't stop the rest from piling up on me, and I'm halfway up on my feet, backpedaling, trying to get to a standing base. These fuckers aren't giving me a chance to recover and I don't blame them. If I am allowed to recover, I'll just decimate them like I did with their five or so friends that are lying on the ground right now.

And then, everything stands still. A Yellow Jacket is buzzing around, right by my left arm. I had gotten stung once in my life, back in grade school on the part of my arm just below the bicep where all the tendons and ligaments join up. I was older than I am now-in this dream. I have no recollection of the time or period, but I know I was older than I am now.

I try to move my arm away. I thrash and yank, bringing it to a breaking point. The wasp is as tenacious as the people I'm fighting, and it begins to hover around my arm. Panic sets in. I start swinging my fists and feet, but it's just too little too late. I knock the people back, I bust open their faces and noses, but the wasp lands on the exact spot of my arm, I see its abdomen pump, its thorax bends, and...

I open my eyes. I'm breathing heavy, covered in sweat. I'm in a room, on a bed. Somewhere. I'm not sure where I am, I'm not familiar with the surroundings. The last thing I remember was a huge piece of cement slamming into the ground right in front of me, barely being able to cut it in half with my water attacks, and several more following that chunk of cement. I remember Mikoto screaming-at first it was just a scream, but then she screamed my name, just before everything turned black for me.

I try to move, but it's stupid. Pain erupts in my side, and I can feel something give. I don't know if it is my bones or skin, but considering nothing is protruding out from my side, I assume it's only skin. I realize this, and I recline back in the bed. I feel down my torso, realize I'm nude. Well, not quite nude. I have bandages wrapped around every inch of me and then some, but I don't have any clothes on.

"Try not to move too hastily, Andrew."

I look to front of the room, zoning in on Shizuku. Worry is in her eyes, and it takes me back to before I blacked out from my pain and injuries. Shizuku had been on a mission, desperate to find me in the heap of destruction that buried me. It had taken me by surprise to see her in such a state-I didn't think I'd ever see so much worry shining in her eyes like I had.

She has a tray of food in her hands. I'm not sure what kind of food it is, but anything will do at this moment. My stomach isn't growling for nourishment, but it's about to and I'd rather not deal with that. While being a Kampfer comes with awesome perks, there's a drawback. Other than the obvious, which I'm not going to mention, it's also a voracious appetite. I don't eat more than a human, but when I'm hungry-my body lets me know, and I practically inhale food instead of chewing and swallowing it.

But, knowing I am conscious, and what I had been experiencing before was a dream, I focus on one thing. Mikoto. In the midst of my pain addled mind that wanted to drift off into nothingness, I remember asking about Mikoto. Akane, I believe, told me she was unconscious, but otherwise fine. I'm not sure how fine Mikoto is considering I'm not wearing a top and my whole torso is wrapped in bandages.

I blink, once, twice, and finally three times.

I'm thankful my eyes aren't injured.

"Where's Mikoto?" I venture.

Shizuku closes the gap between us, sets the tray down by my stomach-no doubt to keep me from darting up like an idiot when she tells me where Mikoto is, and sits on the bed by my feet. I just watch her while looking at the food on my tray. It all looks so good and tasty, and I can swallow it all in one gulp, but I have to know where Mikoto is, and if she's okay.

"Shizuku..."

"Not to worry, she's right next to you." Shizuku jabs a finger to my right.

I look, and to my surprise Mikoto is smiling while munching on food. Natsuru is there fussing over her. I notice her arm is in a sling, and I can't help but feel guilt and rage. I think I've become attached to the little energetic bundle, and seeing her in this condition that she's in just kills me. It kills me to see her arm in a sling. That means it's broken or fractured, and we won't be able to skateboard. I won't be able to show her the more advanced tricks. More importantly, it's my fault that she's in this condition.

If I had just grabbed her, and ran off none of this would have happened. Instead, I pushed her off to the side before speeding away to a stupid damn warehouse. I had no time to think or ponder my decision. If I had been a second slower, Mikoto and I would have been murals for bullets and our blood will still be draining on the cement. I should have been more apt in getting the hell out of there. I knew something was wrong with that woman-she had been approaching us with the intent to fight-nobody hung around the warehouses.

Now, Mikoto's arm is in a sling, my whole torso is bandaged, and I don't even know the extent of the rest of our injuries if we have any. Mikoto's arm is in a sling because she twisted it before, or after the warehouse came toppling down on top of her. That must have been the scream I heard-she needed my help, she was in pain, and I just...

"Hey, Andrew!" Mikoto says, somehow remaining chipper.

I want to cry, and I can feel tears brimming in my eyes. Mikoto is so chipper that it's starting to rip me apart. I guess it is better than her screaming at me and pointing a finger at me, but I still...I still just feel guilt and rage, and seeing Mikoto so cheerful with a broken arm, it just breaks me. She has such a strong will that she isn't letting it deter her, but I still blame myself.

"Mikoto, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Andrew." She gives me a smile, and I know she's sincere right now. "You were just teaching me skateboard tricks."

"I'm still sorry, if I just grabbed you and ran..."

"You would have run into the White Kampfer we were battling, and things could have ended worse. It's not your fault."

Of course, Akane can be so cold and logical when she's transformed. I welcome that right now, because I'm really beating myself up over this. Nobody has ever been injured because of me or my actions-barring fights. I never lead someone into a jumping. I never initiated a jumping. I never put things into motion where something like what happened to Mikoto and I happened.

But, still, I can't help but blame myself. Between myself and Mikoto-I'm more apt to use logic, than allow emotions to overrun me. Now, I may fly off the handle when I'm enraged, but that's different. In moments like the one that transpired, I'd feel that something is wrong, and instead of waiting for things to play out, I'd dart off and avoid the whole thing. We were in an open space, true. There were only warehouses where we could take cover, true. But...

"Andrew, eat." Shiuzku urges me, putting a spoon to my mouth.

I take the spoonful of miso soup, looking at the tray of food. "Sorry, I know you and Akane put a lot of effort into making this."

"It's fine." Shiuzku smiles at me, getting another spoonful of soup for me. "Open wide."

I pout a little, but take in the soup. I'm glad Shizuku isn't going crazy with this and doing the whole airplane thing. It'd be mortified, and since the other girls are with us in the room, that'd be all the more mortifying. I'm surprised I'm not swatting away Shizuku's hand. I would have, normally. I had a bad experience with hot noodles and broth, and I don't want to repeat that with this soup.

I finish the soup. This miso soup was actually good, and I enjoyed the broth. Tofu is white and squishy and really has no taste or texture, at least to me. Some people can't stand tofu but I think that's because they tried tofu dogs like Beast Boy always made on Teen Titans. Sushi though, I love sushi, and I eat it out of Shizuku's fingers without a single complain or pout. I know she's enjoying this moment of feeding me as much as I am enjoying her and Akane's home cooking.

I scarf down the last piece of sushi, and chew it with vigor. I still have a lot to say, but between eating and just feeling pure out of it, I'm not sure if I want to go back to sleep or stay awake.

"Did you guys give me painkillers or something?"

"Yeah, you had a screaming fit so I gave you some morphine." Akane replies

Natsuru is trying and failing to get Mikoto to eat the miso soup.

"I don't want to eat the tofu!"

Natsuru is actually scowling. "Stop acting like a child and eat! This is for your strength!"

"How much morphine did you give me?"

"Short of two hundred milligrams. You were out like a light five minutes later, thank the heavens. You were screaming bloody murder, not that I blame you."

I had been ready to say something about my screaming ruining her silence and good times, but Akane didn't get too snide about it. That means she knew the severity of my wounds, and how to treat them. She must have treated them, or Shizuku did, or both of them did. Natsuru is such a panzy ass I doubt she had been in the room when I and Mikoto were topless getting treated and cleaned.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

Akane waves her hand, ignoring what is now turning into mortal combat between Natsuru and Mikoto.

"Don't worry about it, you covered me, so we'll call it down the middle."

"Partner?" I venture.

"Partner." She smirks wildly at me.

"Natsuru, stop!"

"No!"

Even with one arm, the little bundle that is Mikoto is fending off Natsuru, just barely. I imagine she's feeling like I am-half in and half out, and really has no strength in her limbs. But, she doesn't like tofu, so she's going to fend off Natsuru the best she can who is hell bent on stuffing tofu in her mouth. Personally I think it's funny, and I'm sure Shizuku and I would have been having a similar scene, but I had been docile.

The food was also good.

"We're friends, and it's what friends do for each other. If you hadn't shoved Mikoto out of the way when you did, she would have got a bullet through her kneecap. She would have gotten three in her head right after that."

"You're kidding me?"

"Not at all. If she wasn't in her Kampfer form-the burn mark we treated on her leg would be a broken bone instead. It would have shattered her shin bone. If she had been just an inch closer, her leg would have been broken as well. You saved her life."

I try to absorb all of the information, but I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. I still have to be told what my wound are, and what Mikoto's wounds are. I'm going to have to wrestle with my guilt and rage over Mikoto's arm being broken or close to it. There's also the possibility it could be her shoulder as well. Then there's my wounds-my whole torso is bandaged so that means other than my side, I got lacerated, and I could have bruising all over the place.

We are not in good shape, and I'm not in good shape mentally or emotionally. I had looked pathetic, I had to be washed and cleansed by Shizuku and Akane, had to have my wounds treated by them, and they seen me at my lowest. I don't even remember screaming when we got to this place-I don't even remember getting here at all. She must have shoved those pill down my mouth and shovel down a gallon of water to wash them down.

Well, they did the trick.

I couldn't let Mikoto get hurt or die-I'm attached to her, and I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I don't want to see her down or sad, I want her to be happy and joyful and jumping around getting on my last nerve. She's a little bundle, and I want to keep her as that bundle. I don't want her dead or worse, I don't know what I'd do...

"Where are we?"

I need to focus on something else.

Mikoto is alive, she's here, and that's all that matters.

"At my place."

Shizuku trails her hands on the bed, just an inch away from my arm.

"And, where's those five idiots?"

I'm trying to ignore her.

"Oh, you mean the stuffed animals? They're in the living room." Akane points at the door.

"We believed it was best to come here since it was closest. Akane got our entrail animals once we made sure that your condition and Mikoto's was stable. We couldn't let Natsuru handle such a task since she'd just lead the White Kampfer to your place without even knowing it. We're going to stay here for the weekend." Shizuku explains.

I can only think about my DVDs and tapes.

"But, what about my Gojira movies?"

"Can we talk about that after we talk about your wounds?"

It's Natsuru and she sounds serious. She isn't sputtering out her words. She isn't stuttering. She isn't flustered or struggling to speak. His voice and tone are firm, resolute, and she will hear no objections. It's surprises me, to my core. I was under the impression that Natsuru is an indecisive dolt that couldn't commit to anything even if it was tucking in sheets. Evidently I had been wrong, and Natsuru has her moments where she can be strong and decisive, it's just the other ninety nine point nine-I'm not going to get in the point spectrum, percent of the time she isn't.

Maybe it's my addled mind, but I think Natsuru is mad at me. She didn't have to raise her voice like that or sound so demanding. I know Mikoto is a childhood friend, but I had tried to get her out of harm's way.

"I...I just want to watch my movies..." I look at Natsuru, feeling tears brimming. "I know it's my fault Mikoto is hurt-"

"It's not!"

I sniff. "I just want to watch my movies. I'm sorry Mikoto got hurt!"

Natsuru sighs.

"Akane, did you have to give her so many pain pills?"

"Her side was split open like someone stuck a knife in her and dragged it down, you tell me. Did you want to hear her screaming bloody murder the entire time Shizuku and I stitched it up while you were sitting out in the hallway?"

"I didn't want to see them naked!"

"We're all women right now! It wouldn't have made a difference!"

"I don't care!" Natsuru retorts.

"You stupid little panzy ass!"

"You seen me naked!?" I look at Natsuru, about to cover my breasts, but my arms are lagging.

"No! No!" Natsuru exclaims, stumbling around in shock. "I was in the hall the entire time! I didn't even peek."

"I bet you did, you're such a lecher..." I smirk for a second. "I don't mind, you're a babe Natsuru."

"Andrew!" Natsuri cries. "Not you too!"

"Back off, Natsuru is mine, don't forget your promise!" Mikoto snaps.

"First come first serve."

"What!?" Mikoto shrieks.

"Andrew, could you calm down?"

I look at Shizuku, and I dare say she is almost pleading with me. I'm not sure if I'm behaving that badly or irrationally. I'd like to think I'm mild compared to some people on pain pills. I knew someone that had been taking four methadone every day for a month straight, smoking, and drinking, and he had threw up every single day for a month straight. I knew someone else that vomited right in the middle of class because he was flying high on cloud nine hundred.

I just want my DVD collection and movies. I want to see Stubby Bear and make sure she's okay. I want to coddle Mikoto even though I'm in no condition to do just that. More than anything-I want to get my hands on the woman that shot at Mikoto and I, and grab her by the neck, and slam her into the ground, and then crush her throat in my hand. I want to make her suffer and scream like she made Mikoto and I suffer. I want to break her, just like she broke Mikoto's arm.

Fuck that bitch-whoever that had been, her ass is mine, and I will know...

I will know when I see her-my sixth sense is getting stronger and I will recognize her.

"Is Gojira on your TV?"

"Can you stop thinking about that for three seconds!?" Akane snaps at me.

"I've been watching those movies since I was three years old."

"They're on a classic movies network. I will take you to the living room to watch them or bring a TV in here, if you can be corrigible for the next few minutes." Shizuku explains.

I look at her, then at Akane, then at Natsuru, and then at Mikoto...

My poor bundle...With her arm in a sling.

Mikoto...

"Okay..."

"Gosh, you drive me up a wall." Akane remarks, but laughs. "So, who should I start with first?"

"Since Mikoto's arm is in a sling, why don't we start with her?" I venture.

"Why do I have to be first?"

"Stop complaining, Mikoto. It's not a competition!" Natsuru grouses.

"Says you. You big meanie, after I let you give me tofu."

"It was fricking mortal combat the entire time. You didn't even eat it!"

"So what!? You're not the boss of me!"

I snicker, watching the two banter back and forth. "Okay. Okay. Let's start with my decrepit ass."

I can sense everything from the atmosphere and tone get serious. I in return get as serious as I can. I can feel the Morphine kicking in, and it's like riding a wave into nothingness. I think I'll be sleeping within the next two hours, or maybe sooner. I'm fighting off the lead that's weighing down my eyes and the bliss that is creeping around me like a blanket.

There's only silence for a few seconds, and I note Mikoto is as anxious as I am. She's probably jacked up on pain meds like I am and is halfway in and halfway out, if not worse. I know are wounds are bad-Mikoto's arm is in a sling, and that says enough right there. My whole torso is bandaged, and if there was ever a moment where you wondered, you're really fucked up, well, this is that moment for me. Now, I feel bad for worrying these three so much like I had.

I know it couldn't be helped. Mikoto and I were in terrible conditions and were screaming in pain, even if we can't remember it. No doubt it affected Natsuru, Akane, and Shizuku, but treating the wounds and seeing them in gritty detail must have brought them to a breaking point. I'd like to think we're all friends, and if you see a friend in a condition like Mikoto and I had been in, you assume the worst and start crying. If you have enough mental fortitude you try to help them.

"You want to break it, or should I?" Akane looks at Shizuku.

The two seem to be having a silent conversation, and it's so not fair. I want to be a part of it, and I thought that's something Shizuku and I only do. We can have a whole exchange by just looking at each other. It's one of the things I enjoy about being around her, even if she does get out of hand at times, pun wholly intended, I like how we connect.

"I suppose it is something we can do together."

"You sure?"

I look at the two.

"You're better than I am with medical facts and caring, in that sense. I have some experience in battle wounds, though. We can trade off every few seconds."

Akane tilts her head one way and then another-my guess is that it is silent agreement.

"I'm going to start with your least severe wounds. Your knees and elbows were cut down to your third layer of skin. You have bruising all over your torso-none of your bones are broken, but I'm sure it feels like it. Your severe wound was the cut on your side-it cut all the way through, and almost went to your pelvis. This wound would have killed the average human, but your Kampfer durability and healing made sure it was just a severe wound. It would have been life threatening if you lost anymore blood. You would have needed a blood transfusion."

"You also suffered a laceration to your skull. I'm glad you haven't taken notice of the bandages wrapped around your scalp. It came close to cutting into your right eye. That's why you had a hard time opening your eyes when we found you." Shizuku adds.

In short, my ass is fucked up. I know I could be a lot worse off than I am, but the point is-I got my shit rocked. I got my shit fucked up. I got curb stomped. I can only think of revenge and payback-if I don't hit whoever did this to me back, twice as hard, or kill them, I'm going to be the chump. I'm going to be the little bitch that didn't do anything. I am not going to be that person.

I am going to hit that bitch twice as hard and I'm going to break her leg, and I'm going to twist her arm. True, I had my chance when she started unloading her gun, but I was caught off guard, and I pushed Mikoto out of the way. In the time it took me to push Mikoto out of the way I could have grabbed that bitch firing the gun, and throttle her so bad she'd regret ever being born into this world.

As it stands, I hadn't been able to do that, and well...

I'm laying up in bed, wounded and battered.

"What about Mikoto? Is she okay?"

"Tsk." Akane sighs, looking at me with a frown. "You're going to be in pain when you pee and take a shit, and you're worried about Mikoto?"

I nod without any shame.

"You're too much, Andrew..." Natsuru sighs, pressing her back against the wall and sliding down.

"Moving on. Mikoto's knees and elbows were cut down to the third layer. In addition to her arm being broke, her shoulder was also dislocated. The cut on her side was just as bad as your's, Andrew. She didn't suffer any lacerations or cuts to her skull, but she will definitely be out for the foreseeable future. She won't be able to attend school, either. Her torso has also suffered bruising, but not quite as bad as your own."

"Wooo! No school for me!"

I feel some relief that Mikoto is cheering about not having to go to school. Needless to say I won't be going to school either until I'm all healed up. It'll be a problem if I'm in there when peeing and shitting, as Akane put it, were going to cause me extreme pain. However, Mikoto's injuries are worse than I thought they were. She isn't going to be able to move her arm, at all, for anything.

Even standing up was going to cause her pain, and that just made me bitter. I wish I was so wounded, and Mikoto could be up and moving in a few weeks. Akane nor Shizuku got into the details of her shoulder-it was dislocated. But, her rotator cuff could be damaged as well, her shoulders muscles could have been ripped or torn, it just wasn't a matter of dislocation. The shoulder was one of the few parts of the body, that rotated.

"Andrew, it's not your fault."

I look at Natsuru, a little surprised.

"If I had fired an attack at one of the White Kampfer, we could have got back to you guys. I was weak. I held back. Don't blame yourself for Mikoto's injuries, like Akane said-you saved her life."

"Thanks...Natsuru..."

"Mhm."

"I'd never hold a grudge against you, Andrew!" Mikoto affirms, grinning at me. "You're my buddy!"

I don't know if it's the pain pills that compelled her to say that, if it is genuine feelings, or if it is a crazy mixture of both. I'm not sure if it's the pain pills, my own delusions, or my own feelings, or a mixture of it all, but I'm starting to laugh. Like a quiet laugh, that slowly goes to borderline hysterical, but I stop short of that obnoxious volume and display. I just laugh and simple laugh, painful as it is-I think I'm finally losing it.

"You're my little bundle, Mikoto."

She gives me the victory sign. "Now I can look at your assignments and stuff and copy off of them."

"It's a deal, if I even do them."

There's a shadow looming over the party, and I know it's Shizuku and Natsuru. Akane, as she is now, won't care if I don't do my work, and if I do, let Mikoto copy everything. Only Shizuku and Natsuru will make such a big deal out of it-like it's so terrible. After what Mikoto and I have been through, we shouldn't even be getting homework or schoolwork. We should get more pain pills, good food, and a TV in this room so we don't have to stare at the walls.

I brace for what's coming next.

A scolding.

"You will do all of your work, Andrew, and that is that." Shizuku says, tone showing that there will be no arguing at all.

"You won't copy off of her either, Mikoto." Natsuru decides to jump in. "You have to do the work on your own."

"Why?"

Mikoto and I throw the question out there at the same time.

"I want ice cream!" Mikoto grouses. "I want ice cream! I can't write-my right arm is messed up!"

"You're ambidextrous."

"Stop picking on her, Natsuru! Get us ice cream! She can't do any work, didn't you hear her?"

I throw my best accusing glare at her.

"You're no better than she is, Andrew."

"Well excuse me. I'm just hopped up on pain pills and can't think of doing work."

Shizuku clears her throat.

"Stay out of this." I grouse.

"I'm afraid I have to get involved, you see...As the Student Council President-"

Mikoto groans. "We're not at school!"

"I am the Student Council President and I have certain responsibilities. One of those is making sure you both are not going to be going to school and Natsuru, Akane, and I will bring you the work that must be done. Another one of my responsibilities is to make sure that the work gets done, Andrew, and that there is no copying of answers, Mikoto. I don't know how long you two will have to be out of school, but I will ensure nothing unsavory is going on."

"She just ignored me."

Mikoto looks at a loss.

"Welcome to the club."

I give a thumbs up.

"Natsuru, defend me!" Mikoto pleads. "You're my childhood friend, you have to defend me! Throw down your life for me! I don't want to do homework!"

"Stop being so dramatic, Mikoto."

"It's hopeless, Mikoto. We'll just have to bust out of here ourselves."

"You. Will. Not. Do. That." Natsuru says, glaring at me.

"But I don't want to do homework! I want ice cream!"

Akane clears her throat. "Before you two are out like lights or we get too far off focus, did you manage to see who attacked you?"

I sober up quickly.

"No, I couldn't. I mean I could see their outline and silhouette because the sun was in my eyes. She had big boobs and thick legs, not quite as big as Andrew's boobs, but they were still big. Her legs also weren't as long or shapely as Andrew's, I couldn't see her booty, but I don't think she'd be able to compete with Andrew in that regard either."

"Mikoto-!"

"Let her talk, Andrew." Akane snaps at me.

"Why don't you just feel me up!?" I snap at Mikoto and Akane.

"Get a grip."

"Shut up, Akane."

"Anyways, continue on Mikoto." Shizuku continues.

I am being ignored.

It's pissing me off.

"Well, she was short. I don't know if she was shorter than me, but she was pretty short. Her hair was dark. I don't know if it looked more black or purple to be honest. I guess, I'll just say her hair was dark. That's all I can remember."

"The weapon, what kind did she use?"

"Some sort of machine gun."

I suck in a breath, and sadly that brings all of the attention onto me. I mean it's not enough Shizuku and I have embraced naked, and Mikoto is clearly checking me out when I'm not paying attention. Now, everyone is focusing on me-I don't know if I have the energy to go through a recollection of the event that put Mikoto and I into this condition. I just don't know. I wish Mikoto had a little more decency to be subtle with her ogling, instead she just compared that woman to me, and how we're so different body wise.

I don't know how to feel about this...

"Well, Andrew?"

Of course Shizuku is prodding.

"What?"

"Stop being a dumbass and spit it out." Akane says, glaring at me.

"I swear, if I could move right now..."

"You wouldn't do jack squat."

"I'd punch you in the stomach again..."

"I'd elbow your lung again. Spit it out. What kind of gun was she using?"

"You don't want me to describe how she looked?" I mock.

Akane glares at me while Shizuku exhales-clearly both are anxious and impatient, but I don't care. I'm hurt, so I can be a royal pain in their ass. Shizuku wants to be the stupid wasp that is hobbling out of m beer bottle drunk and can't fly straight. Akane and I have come to blows-even if it was just an elbow and a punch, and I'm just not going to make thing east for them.

"Andrew, what weapon did the woman use?"

I don't like the tone Shizuku is taking with me, and it makes me wary. It's not the tone of someone about to strangle me. This is the tone she had used when she sauntered up to me, leaned down, and then smashed her lips against mine.

"It was MAC fucking 10. Even an Uzi doesn't spit out that many bullets at once. I counted at least ten thousand from the outset, and that doesn't include what she unloaded on me when I was running to the warehouse, and in the warehouse. I don't even think she reloaded, to be honest."

"That's the same bitch that attacked my the other day!" Akane yells, loading up her gun while glowering at the ceiling. "A MAC 10. I had no time but to evade bullets, and it sounds like you are in the same boat."

"Well, until I make ice that's so hard bullets can't go through it or a steam that'll melt off flesh, definitely." I nod

"Bitch is crafty. I didn't even get a good look at her, if at all. Mikoto and you at least seen some of her features. I don't think that was your everyday MAC 10 either."

"Like the standard issue is just something to scoff at."

I can't help but snort and shake my head. Akane is like oh, well, the MAC 10 that was used on me is different from standard issue. Like standard issue MAC 10 machine guns are paltry and can be laughed at. I know there are...I think three different types, not sure of all the details-standard MAC 10 can unload more than one thousand bullets, and frankly, I think that's more than enough. You can wipe out an entire army with that fucking gun.

Akane knows this, but she's like eh, standard issue is nothing to worry about. I know she's been a Kampfer longer than I have, definitely, but I'll never understand how or why she can be so calm while she is talking about a MAC 10, get shot at by that damn thing, and just the whole nine yards. I'm so tense right now I could shit out diamonds, and she's just lackadaisical about the whole thing.

"Are you being a smart ass?"

"Enlighten us on what kind of MAC 10 it is, oh great gun guru."

"If you must know I think it is 380 ACP variant. This one is capable of firing just short of fourteen hundred bullets per minute. If I had to guess, this is why you could nothing but run and dodge the gunfire-if you stay still for even a second you'd get blown to pieces by all of those bullets. If it isn't the 380 ACP variant that bitch was using, than it was the standard issue, which is still nothing to scoff at."

"One just fires damn near thirteen hundred bullets and the other is short of fourteen hundred."

"One thousand three hundred and eighty rounds per minute, technically, with the 380 ACP." Akane adds.

"Fantastic..."

"Well, you two just get some rest. I'll be doing some investigating while I'm at school." Shizuku says.

Mikoto and I spend all of our time together. Most of the time we're knocked out cold because of the pain pills we're getting. I think Akane and Shizuku will rather have us sound asleep than awake and bothering them. Natsuru wants to play a fool, but I know she feels the same. Mikoto and I don't make an effort to do our work. I complain about how I hurt and can't concentrate. Mikoto insists she can't write or even open up her textbooks. I insist I can't think straight because of the all the pain pills.

I think if we annoy these three enough, they'll do our work for us. It is an unspoken agreement between Mikoto and I. We don't want to do our work, so they can do it for us. This is quickly shot down about four days into our rehab when Natsuru, Akane, and Shizuku glare at us while we have a mountain of work on our laps. Mikoto and I do what we do best-we gripe, and moan, and groan, and complain, and say we can't do it This doesn't sway the mean trio, and Mikoto and I end up sound asleep thanks to the pain pills.

So, this is not working out.

It's about one week-if my concept of time is right, when Shizuku and Natsuru put our assignments on our laps. We have a little table and everything, and I wish it was a food tray full of delicious cooking and warm soup. Akane does the unthinkable. She's got two gallons of ice cream on a silver platter-close enough to us where Mikoto and I could snatch it, if we were capable of doing that.

Unfortunately, we are not.

I just glower at the ice cream and at the stupid school work. It is such an eyesore I want to use my water powers to soak them so bad that they just fall apart with a simple touch. Sadly, that'd strain me-strain my body can't take at this moment. So, I'm just left helpless in the face of this frozen goodness.

"What do you mean I have to do my work before I get ice cream!?"

Mikoto is snapping.

"That's the ultimatum. It's been one week and neither of you have even made an effort to do your work. You're going to fall behind." Natsuru snaps back.

"I don't want to do it." I cross my arms. "I want ice cream."

"Me too! Who cares about school work!?" Mikoto backs me up.

That's my bundle.

"Andrew, you're acting so immature." Akane-not transformed, is chastising me.

It's getting like mortal combat in here.

Damn right it's over ice cream.

"How can you be on their side, Akane? I thought we were ride or die to the very end."

"Don't try and make me feel guilty. We got you guys a TV, we got half of your DVD collection, we even got a DVD player and VCR combo so you can watch your movies."

"But, the ice cream..."

She huffs, frowning at me. "Just do your work and you can at it all."

"That might not be-"

"Shut up, Natsuru! You're always spoiling it!" I grouse. "I don't like Japanese Literature or history, we always have sooooo much to do!"

Despite my best complaints, neither of them are budging an inch-hell a centimeter, on this. I can appreciate the fact they care so much about my grades and Mikoto's. but at the same time it's ridiculous I have to do this when I'm going to be in battle sooner, rather than later. I really can't act like everything is everything and life has gone back to being normal. But, I start to look through my assignments and slowly, but surely finish them. That ice cream is going to be mine, and if I have to do a few stupid assignments to get it...

So be it.

Still, I don't like Japanese Literature. The class, I mean. There's way too much work to do. Too much research. Too much writing. Too much studying, and just too much of too much. My first day of class had consisted of taking ten pages of notes, and I'm lucky if I got half of that. It's just too much. Perhaps I shouldn't have been putting down my heard and dozing off in the middle of class before I was bedridden. Some of these questions should be easy-like which pot from the twelfth and thirteenth century is responsible for creating the Formal Japanese Tea Ceremony?

There's another question that I should just be answering with ease, but I can't. What poet was born in the eleventh century and has eighty six poems in the official anthology Shokukokin Wakashū? This should be easy since there weren't too many poets in Japan near the end of the 1200's. However, because I hadn't been paying attention in class, well, I'm stuck.

"This is so stupid!"

Mikoto is echoing my sentiment loud and clear. This is so stupid. How are we expected to do this work, and all of this, when we're injured? We're on so much pain pills we're not sure when day is day and when night is night. The moon is the sun and the sun is the moon. It miles well be for us. I know, myself, I was sleeping for almost eleven hours a day and waking up to see Shizuku, Akane, and Natsuru around me.

Tora, Stubby Bear, Bugs, Buddy, and Lynx were all around us as well, or in Shizuku's living room watching TV. I assume it's so they don't bother Mikoto and I too much to get reactions out of us. Stubby Bear can certainly get me going when he wants to-like he always does, but this time around he's being a little more corrigible and not driving me up a wall. I can't speak for Mikoto, because I don't know Buddy enough-but I bet he does the same thing to her.

Mikoto rips one of her assignments to shreds with one hand, and before Natsuru can fire off an angry retort, she throws it on the floor. It falls and flitters, lighter than the air, and some of the paper spins like those helicopter leaves that descend from their high perches in trees during the spring and fall.

"Mikoto!"

"I'm tired, Natsuru!"

While Natsuru and Mikoto are engaged in mortal combat, again, I just try to finish my work. There's no way I'm going to be able to finish all of it, nor do I want to finish all of it. I'm just going to finish enough where the teacher will be satisfied. Shizuku will never be satisfied if I finish just a few assignments, but I know my teacher will be, and that is all that matters to me.

"Can I see your laptop, Shizuku?"

"Why?"

I don't meet her eyes, focusing on my work. Giving off the appearance that I am so she can't read me, like I know she will. "Research."

"If you're thinking about using Wikipedia..." She pauses. "Absolutely not."

"This is so stupid!" I snap, just like Mikoto did minutes before. "I have one question left and you're going to start your folly!"

"Wikipedia isn't a credible source of information."

"It gets the job done."

"And, what folly of mine are you speaking of?"

I glare at her. "You know exactly what folly I'm talking about."

"I am sure you enjoy it as much as I do."

I flush, struggling to stay composed. "I'm not talking about that, you idiot!"

"Then I am at a loss. Hurry up and finish this assignment."

It is with cool eyes that Shizuku stares at me. A smile spreads across her face, and she crosses one leg over the other. I'd say she's sultry and trying to seduce me, if it wasn't for the fact I am annoyed at this moment, and she is the cause of it. I think she's even more inclined to annoy me at this moment than to seduce me and start frazzling me in that way.

It is just one question-and it's the one about who started the formal Japanese Tea Ceremony. For the life of me I can't remember who the hell it had been. I know it was a monk. But, that's about it. I'm tempted to just put it was monk, or even just putting it was a samurai-even though samurai were anything but poets. They were warriors and killing machines that swung around bloody swords-they weren't artists nor poets.

Why did the teacher of this class have to care about poets so much? There was more Japanese Literature other than poets and their poetry. There's no mention of Hijikata Toshizo, and his supposedly terrible Haiku poems. Maybe they're not mentioned because they are not so good, or he is better known as the Demon Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi rather than a suave and complex poet.

"Can you help me out?"

Shizuku stares at me. "What do I get in return?"

"The gratitude of knowing that you helped me."

She flips her hair. "Sorry, not good enough."

I huff and puff, knowing full well what she wants. I was her personal playground once, and while she didn't let her hands roam too much-I know that if things had been different, she would have let her hands and fingers roam. She will likely not step over that boundary we've both drawn up, but that doesn't mean I won't be her personal playground again.

"Fine."

Her grin makes me shiver. "Fine?"

I point my pencil at her. "I said fine, and that's all I'm going to say...Now can you help me?"

She simpers, and flips her hair again.

Honestly...

"Okay, I'll help you."

"What is the answer to this question?"

Shizuku looks it over before reading it out loud. "A Zen Buddhist priest that influenced Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals, and is one of the creators of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Who is this man?"

"I don't fricking know."

"Maybe if you paid more attention and didn't spend your time sleeping in class-"

"I don't need a lecture from you, I just need help answering this last question. You said you were going to help me, now help me!"

"How impatient.

I growl. "The ice cream is starting to melt."

"How unfortunate."

"Shizuku...Please..." I plead, tapping my pencil against the line. "Just give me the answer."

"Asukai was an old man, and Chugan was an old geezer."

"Efiuku was an old bat." I sing.

"Jakuhitsu played the flute."

Shizuku's singing voice is nice.

"And Ikkyu was the weirdo! The answer is Ikkyu Soujun!"

"And Jien couldn't keep his nose out of the books~"

I jot down the answer, grinning like I'm crazy. I don't care if my grin is borderline deranged-I've finished the assignment and I can finally get my gallon of ice cream! Usually Japanese sing songs that have to do with learning their language, from what I've heard and seen. They don't sing songs for poets and to memorize them, but Shizuku and I are clearly different from the rest-I'm not Japanese to start with.

"I'm done, now give me that ice cream!" I demand.

"Don't make a huge mess, Andrew." Akane warns.

I cant even be bothered to respond to Akane. Shizuku gives me the ice cream and I go to town on it. It's soooo good and sweet, and savory. The flavor is cookies and cream. The bits of cookie are like heaven and I'm on a cruise to heaven. So sweet, so crunchy, and just so good! It had been worth doing my assignments to get this, Mikoto will want this flavor no doubt, but this whole gallon is mine.

Mikoto won't be getting the ice cream anytime soon anyways. She is as stubborn as I am. But, where I want the ice cream and will finish my assignment to get it, she will refuse to do her work and just gripe for the ice cream. I'll share some of mine with her eventually, since she is my little bundle, but that's not going to be for a while. I will get my fill, and some more of this cookies and cream ice cream before Mikoto even gets a little taste of it.

"Are you listening right now?"

"Honestly, Shizuku, I'm not."

I reply with little shame. I'm just enjoying my reward for finishing my assignments. Shizuku wanted to play dirty, well that was okay. I can and will rise up to conquer the task and give someone a face full of heel if it comes down to it. They though they could break me by holding me at ransom with ice cream, but I have proved them wrong, and it feels good.

"Your wounds will be better in a few weeks, so you will have to go to school. I won't hear any of your objections, complaints, or anything else along those lines. Don't forget about out agreement."

Shizuku is serious.

I just ignore her, munching on ice cream.

"You don't have to be such a bully, Shizuku. You're always so forceful." Natsuru interjects.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"I do. Andrew is hurt. You can't expect her or Mikoto to return to school in a few weeks. They were hurt, and need all the rest they can get."

"I'm in love with you, Natsuru." I tell her, smiling.

This ice cream is super good.

The Japanese are perfectionists by nature, and that'd extend to their ice cream.

"Back off!" Akane snaps-transforming.

"I've missed you!" I grin at her, holding out my arms, making sure to put my spoon in the gallon tub.

"I think you're loopy off of the pain medication. Just eat your ice cream." Akane waves her hand at me.

"You better back off of Natsuru. You made me a promis, Andrew. I'm not going to let you break it." Mikoto snaps at me.

"Yeah, you have the wanna be boss queen, ice queen. Natsuru is my turf!" Akane yells.

"Natsuru is my turf!" Mikoto retorts.

I laugh, shoving the spoon in my mouth,

My friends, my silly friends.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Natsuru ventures.

"Shut up!"

Natsuru looks at me for assistance.

I can only remember when she coerced me into doing my work with ice cream and scolding me, but she defended me, so...

"It's okay Akane and Mikoto. Natsuru loves the both of you, equally."

"He loves me more! I'm his childhood friend!"

"Natsuru is my turf!"

"Natsuru is my personal playground!" Mikoto snaps at Akane. "Back off!"

"Like hell!"

"Guys-"

"Shut up, Natsuru!"

I meet Shizuku's gaze and smile at her. She looks impressed or disappointed with me, it's hard to say really. But, she's so close to me I'm having flashbacks of when we embraced the other night. Shizuku had shoved me down into the couch, bruised my lips, and shoved me into the couch again. By the time I could recover, she had been bruising my lips and squeezing me-I'm not going to complain...

Part of me had enjoyed it. Shizuku is so soft, and she smells so good, and she is so wholesome...I cant exactly admit the way I feel to her, or even to myself for that matter, but we both know...It is unspoken between us, and that is why when she looks into my eyes, or I look into her's...I can only feel a nervous excitement. She knows a lot more about this stuff than I do, and she shows me how much she knows.

I'm a person of my word-I know I'll have to embrace her again, but this time, I'm going to fluster her.

I will fluster Shizuku Sangou.

"You're making me feel..." Shizuku trails off, smirking at me. "Hungry."

"I'll share this with you." I offer her my spoon.

"Okay. It'll be like an indirect kiss."

I frown, tilting my head, but I don't question Shikzuku's reasonins-she's a babe right now, and she's won my heart. We can share ice cream, and she's willing to on top of that. A lot of people don't eat from the same spoon, just because. I usually don't because you never know if someone is sick, or has something-I'm not a germ fearer, but I can be close to it.

"You'll be ready in a few weeks, right?"

I wonder if Shizuku needs me. I feel like we're on the battlefield in the Bakumatsu and I'm bedridden. Shizuku has just been through battle after battle and she needs me to back her up. We're going to clear people out, or go down together cutting down everyone that we can. From how I feel-I should be ready in a few weeks to get back to school, and I'm almost looking forward to it. I'll miss my sleeping in, but when I get my hands on the woman that shot at me.

That's going to be it.

Out of everyone here, other than Akane, I'm certain Shizuku can only count on me. Mikoto is far too emotional, not that it is a bad thing. Natsuru is a little too indecisive in battle, and that is a bad thing. Indecision in tooth and nail fights can lead to death or worse. I'm more than willing to gouge out my foe's eyes, bite their throats, pinch them, bite them, and hit them between the legs.

I know it will hurt a woman if I strike her between the legs. It won't have the same effect as kicking a man between the legs, of course, but there are nerves there. A lot of nerves, and a woman will drop if she is struck hard enough between her legs. Striking her boobs will bring her down to her knees, definitely. Even though a woman's parts are inside, if struck, there is pain.

There's just no way around that.

"I should be. As long as I can watch my movies, listen to my music, and eat good food." I reply, taking a spoonful of ice cream from her.

"You're being stingy, let me have the spoon." I complain.

"Only if you stop being a boar."

"Shut up."

Shizuku eyes me carefully.

I don't turn away from her.

"I think things are going to get more hectic..." She trails off, looking to the side.

"I'm right at your side. I didn't forget about the pact we made. All of us are together until the end."

"To the very end?"

I nod, looking into eyes. "To the grave, if that is where we will go in the end. I'll go down swinging and fighting, beside you and the others."

"How dreamy." Shizuku coos. "I feel like I am your wife."

That's fine-surprisingly enough, I don't mind that. If Shizuku ever becomes my wife, if we live that long-I won't mind. She drives me up a wall, drives me crazy with her touch, but I love it. I'd never trade it for anything in the world. She is my friend and more. We are part of a group, a pact that is keeping us united, and I won't go back on that.

Natsuru...

Akane...

Mikoto...

Shizuku...

They are all my ride or dies.

"Don't talk so silly in front of others, Shizuku. They'll get the wrong idea."

She waves her hand, dismissing my statement. "I will continue to get your work for the next month, after that, you should healed enough where you can come back to school. Understand?"

"Yes, yes." I roll my eyes. "There you go using logic again."

Shizuku will come here or to my house and drag me to school. She's already done it once, though I didn't have to be at the school at that point in time for about another week or two. There had been some festival going on. It was after school hours for the most part, and when it had been in full swing, it was during school hours, but technically, none of the students had been in class.

I'm not sure what to compare it to, or if it's exactly making any sense, but that's all I got. Point is-I didn't even have to be there, and Shizuku called herself dragging me there. Now that I am expected to show up to school, she'll wrap me up in her chains and carry me there, all the way upside down. I don't know why I'd have to be hauled around upside down, but I would be.

Shizuku gets a real laugh out of that.

I on the other hand only have blood rushing to my head, so not so funny, or fun.

"I do use logic." Shizuku nods. "You know I will come and get you."

"You'd wrap me up in those chains and haul me to school upside down if I didn't show up."

"I most certainly would."

I'll never be able to best this woman, it seems.

But, that's okay.

I can learn a lot from her.

"Would you mind training me at all when I'm not like this?" I venture, observing her carefully.

"For something in return."

"Okay."

She inclines her head, and her grin is brilliant, but it also puts me on edge. "I won't go easy on you."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

We share a silent moment.

"President!"

Of course, it doesn't last.

Natsuru...

"Excuse me, I have to assist them with Mikoto."

"Power to you."

Mikoto won't oblige until she gets ice cream-she is like a mountain.

Shizuku simpers. "I'll be looking forward to our training."

I know I didn't a mistake asking her what I did. Shizuku is the perfect person for training. I just hope she doesn't crush the oxygen out of me with her chains. I'll get through it, I've got no other choice.

"I am too."

Shizuku only grins at me.

I swallow my ice cream and the lump in my throat.

I sure hope this doesn't turn into a mistake on my part.