Author's note: Wazzup, everyone? It's me, your friendly neighborhood Hawk bringing you yet another chapter of everyone's favorite fic! Yeah, I know I really have to stop blowing my own horn like that. Now, on to business.

I know you've all been waiting for this chapter for a long time and I hope you won't be disappointed because we finally find out what happened so long ago that made Chrono the person he is today. I hope I at least didn't make everything sound a bit far fetched, but you'll see what I mean once you read far enough into the fic itself. Sometimes I wonder if I'm making sense with some of the stuff I come up with, but it seems to work. After all, this is based off an anime/manga so one could be forgiven for that since crazy stuff happens in both mediums sometimes.

I was planning on posting this chapter before Christmas and giving you all a nice present but that never worked out because there was just too much I wanted to do in this chapter that time ran out on me before I could make the deadline. I mean, why is it that game developers only release their best titles around the holidays? The gamer in me just had to get his hands on some of the titles that were available and actually play them. So don't blame me, blame the game developers for withholding those games at this late stage in this year! Okay, I know that's a weak excuse. Hey, I'm only human.

Most of you will remember that I mentioned I was doing a course. Well, I have some good news: I passed all my exams that were associated with the course! Not with flying colors, but at least I passed. The highest score I got was seventy seven percent. Not bad, right?

As I was saying, there was just so much I wanted to do with this chapter that I decided to tell the rest of the story in the next chapter. So the rest of what happened will only be revealed next time. I mean, this chapter alone is close to forty pages. That's more than I've ever written before. I hope you'll be satisfied. Another reason for cutting this chapter short is because my parents decided today we should go visit some relatives we haven't seen in nearly three years. What's the problem? Those same relatives are staying for the holidays in a town about four hours by car from where I live, we leave tomorrow morning and we'll be staying until after New Year's Day, so I really had to haul ass to get this finished on time. At first I didn't feel like going but then I decided get out of the house for once. After all, blood is thicker than water. Oh well, I suppose you want to stop listening to my whining and get on with you came here for: the latest chapter of The Girl Next Door! With that said, enjoy!

The Girl Next Door

Part 11

"Who the hell do you think you are!?! You know nothing about me or my past, so don't pretend like you know everything, because you know NOTHING!"

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me?"

"Fine! You wanna hear my story? Then sit down and listen up!"

Now, normally Chrono would never agree to tell just anyone his life story, but he was so angry he wasn't thinking straight. He was especially angered that Rosette would dare to pretend she knew what he was all about if she didn't even know what he had been through in his life.

"My story begins two years ago in New York…

XXX Flashback XXX

Two years ago, in a quiet suburb just outside New York City…

Chrono was walking home from school one afternoon, beaten and bruised. His clothes were torn and his hair was a mess. This wasn't the first time this had happened, though. Ever since he had started the new school year at Magdalan High School, this had been an everyday occurrence. It was like the bullies were picking on him and only him, like he was everybody's punching bag.

"How the hell can they even be allowed to do what they're doing? I thought the school was supposed to be this "prestigious" place where students could be free to be themselves and have a "peaceful and fulfilling academic career." Then why…why are they doing this? Do they like what they're doing? Is it really that fun for them to pick on someone smaller than them who can't stand up for himself? Why? WHY?!!!!!!!!"

He nearly shouted those last words as the tears started filling his eyes. It was really becoming too much for him to bear. Unfortunately, he knew there would be drama waiting at home. Up until a few months ago, his parents were still the average hard working citizens who wanted only the best for their children. Recently, though, things started taking a turn for the worst. Chrono knew that married couples argue every now and then, it was normal. But his parents were arguing far too much lately, often for hours on end. This was more than any fourteen-year old was meant to handle.

Whereas before his parents always listened to him and he could count on their support, he now only had his older brother Aion. But Aion's hands were tied, he couldn't really do anything to better the situation. All he could do was to listen to his younger sibling and be there for him in his own limited way.

The school Chrono went to was known as Magdalan High School, located not far from Chrono's house. Even though it had started out as a high school, it had expanded years ago to include students from lower grades. In all respects it was akin to an academy of sorts, even though it remained a high school in name. The school was marketed as a place where high-quality education was available to the average student, where they could be better taught than in a normal public school.

It was on this basis that Chrono's parent's enrolled both boys in this institution; they only wanted the best for their sons. Chrono quickly found out even though the school had a shiny exterior, what with all the marketing, its interior was rotten to the core. Many students attending Magdalan were engaged in less than legal activities. Some underage students were smoking behind the gym; some even had the guts to bring drugs to school and to go to class high on those same drugs. How the teachers never noticed was a mystery. A bigger mystery was how the students even got the drugs. That's wasn't all though. Promiscuity among the older female and male students was rife, some even bragging about their latest conquest and how many people they had shared a bed with recently.

As if that wasn't enough, there were the bullies. Chrono became very well "acquainted" with them early on. They made his life a living hell every day. One time as they were picking on them, he asked them with tears in his eyes why they were doing this. The response? "Why? Because we're bigger than you are, you little twerp. We're strong, you're weak, and the weak don't deserve to survive."

Really, how could any student hope to be themselves in a place as messed up and crazy as this? If peer pressure wasn't hitting you from one side, you'd most likely be the target of a delinquent or two.

Chrono wiped the tears off his face before he entered through the front door of his house. He headed for his room down the hall, put down his bag when he got there, then headed to the kitchen for some lunch. There he found his brother at the kitchen table biting into a sandwich. Aion gave him one look and said, "Had a rough day?"

"Yeah."

"The same guys?"

"Yeah."

"You really should change your clothes. Mom's definitely gonna notice."

"Yeah."

"And clean yourself up a bit. Don't know what we're gonna do about that black eye, though."

"It doesn't matter, Aion. I'll just tell Mom and Dad what I always do: it was an accident. It's not like they care anyway."

"Hey, that's not true. Mom and Dad are just going through a rough time. It happens to every married couple some or other time. Come on, have a seat. I made you your favorite: peanut butter and jelly."

"Thanks, bro."

As soon as Chrono sat down at the table, Aion handed him the sandwich. Chrono, however, just took one small bite and seemed to have no further interest in food. The way he felt now, nothing could make him feel better.

Aion noticed his younger sibling's mood. As soon as he was done eating, he got up from the table, walked around to where Chrono was sitting, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey bro, if you wanna talk about it, I'm here for ya. Now let's go do something about your face. You can't look like this when Mom and Dad get home from work."

Chrono slowly got up, turned to face his brother, and said, "Aion, I…"

He couldn't finish that sentence because he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He fell into Aion's arms and held onto him like there was no one else he could trust. Aion, in response, wrapped his arms around his brother, placed a hand on his head, and tried his best to comfort him.

"It's okay, bro. Let it all out. I'm right here for ya."

"I'm just so… tired of being the punching bag all the time. I hate…looking like I'm twelve when I'm actually fourteen! That's why…they pick on me! That's why they treat me…like a little kid! I'm so sick of this! Why, Aion? Why are they…doing this?"

"People are strange that way, Chrono. Sometimes they have to make others feel bad so they can feel good about themselves."

"But…I didn't ask for this. I never did anything to them. I wish…I wish Mom and Dad never put us in that damned school! It's making my life a living hell! And I wish I never had this hair and these eyes! Why did I have to be born with violet hair and red eyes? I never asked for this!"

"Hey, you're not the only who's had a hard time. You think it's easy for me having white hair? You can't let them get to you, bro. You know who you are on the inside and nobody can take that away from you. We can't do anything about our family's gene pool so we just have to live with it."

"Aion…I wish…I had your strength. I wish…I could me more like you sometimes."

"That's where you're wrong. Trying to be like someone else is just gonna make you unhappy. Just be yourself and everything will be fine."

"Thank you…Aion, for listening. I feel…a bit better now."

"You know I'm there for you, bro. Now let's go get you cleaned up."

"Okay, Aion."

Chrono released his brother and they both proceeded to the bathroom where they cleaned up the blood from his face and tended to his bruises. Then Chrono threw his old clothes into the laundry and put on some fresh clothes. After that the two brothers sat down in the living room and talked about another problem: their parents.

"Aion…do you think Mom and Dad will be okay again?"

"I don't know. I'll try talking to them again, but I don't know how much good it'll do."

"Why do you think things ended up this way? We used to be one big happy family."

"I'm not sure, Chrono. These things happen, and it's up to Mom and Dad to figure out what they need to do."

"But don't they see what it's doing to us? How can they be so selfish?"

"Mom and Dad have lost their way. From what I can pick up, their fighting over stuff they should have sorted out when they got married. All we can do is hope that they get some help. By the way, don't you have guitar lessons today?"

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, see you later, bro. And…thanks for everything."

"Any time you need me, I'm here."

Chrono took guitar lessons from a certain Mr. Jackson, a music instructor who gave private lessons. Chrono's mother was the musical one in the family, and hoped Chrono would inherit her love of all things musical. She was right; Chrono had a musical talent that became apparent once Mr. Johnson took him under his wing. For this hour and a half twice a week he could forget about the outside world and just concentrate on improving his talent. If it hadn't been for music and his love of it, he might not have survived his home life and school.

Something else he looked forward to was when he visited his grandfather. Chrono's family on his mother's side was Japanese, which is where one might suppose he and his brother got their unique looks from. Their grandfather had taken it upon himself to teach the boys about their heritage. As such he had taught the boys some basic Japanese phrases, culture and history, but most important of all, he had taught them some martial arts. Unfortunately, Chrono was too afraid of the bullies at school to ever use what his grandfather had taught him. Besides, he had taught them that violence itself is not the answer, and Chrono didn't want to betray what he was taught.

XXX End Flashback XXX

It was at this point that Rosette interrupted Chrono. She simply couldn't believe that Chrono had Japanese blood in him. She found it hard to believe that this could be the case.

"You got to be friggin' kidding me! You're actually half Japanese? That's so cool!"

"Actually, I'm quarter Japanese."

"Huh?"

"Let me explain. My father is all American, but my mother is half Japanese. My grandfather's family immigrated to the United States in 1906 in search of a better life. They settled in California in one of the many Nihonmachis, or Japantowns where they opened a store, and by the 1930's they had become one of the more prominent families in their community. Things would have continued peacefully if the Japanese Imperial Navy hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. By order of the government, most of the Japanese population in the West Coast was removed and placed in "relocation centers" which is a better way of saying concentration camp. My grandfather was only a child when all this happened, when they were so brutally torn from their homes, from everything they knew. All this happened because the government was "concerned" for the safety of those citizens of Japanese ancestry, because at that time the whole country was scared of all things Japanese. The forced removals were really motivated by racial prejudice and irrational fear. When the war ended, my grandfather and his family returned to their home only to find that some ignorant people had smashed in the windows and doors and painted on the walls "Japs not welcome anymore!" and other similar messages. They didn't really have a choice other than starting all over again, which wasn't easy since they had lost everything. Years after that, during the 1950's, my grandfather met my grandmother, who by the way is all American, with whom he formed a friendship that later became something more. Eventually they got engaged and married in a time when people still hadn't forgotten about Pearl Harbor, but they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together regardless of what other people said. So now you know how my mother came into the picture. It's because of her and her ancestry that my brother and I have Japanese blood in us."

Rosette was absolutely speechless after what Chrono had told her. "Wow…I never knew that about you…"

"Yeah, well, even my dad has some mixed blood in him. He's got French, German, and Swedish ancestors. I guess the gene pool does funny things sometimes if you take a look at me and my brother."

"Well…you don't look that bad."

"Maybe. Now, where was I…

XXX Flashback XXX

Violence might not be the answer, but try telling that to the bullies who made Chrono's life miserable every chance they got. Chrono was right; you might as well have stuck a big bull's-eye on him. Due to his small size and appearance, it made him an easy target. Aion couldn't help him because he couldn't be there 24/7 to be his brother's babysitter, something which Chrono knew all too well.

Things would have continued like this indefinitely if he hadn't met Shader on that fateful afternoon. She helped him make his life a little more bearable. At least now he had a friend whose shoulder he could cry on. Unfortunately, it did nothing to stop the people who gave him such a hard time. Little did he know it would be because of Shader and those same people that he would soon leave his old self behind…

Chrono and Shader were hanging out at Shader's house one afternoon when Chrono was looking through her music collection. "Wow, Shader, you've got just about everything here. Where'd you get all this stuff?"

"Oh, you know, some of that my parents bought me, others I bought myself, and some my friends gave me. I just remembered that I never asked you what kind of music you like."

"I don't really know. I just listen to whatever I feel like. I don't really have a favorite type yet."

"That's okay. You'll find out what you like eventually. Tell you what; I'll let you borrow some of those CD's. Maybe you'll find out what you like if you listen to some of those."

"Thanks, Shader! I'll take good care of them, I promise."

"Yeah, I know you will."

The next day…

Chrono had just arrived at Shader's house to give her back her CD's and thank her for letting him borrow it. Then she asked him which CD's he liked.

"Well…I liked those Linkin Park guys. I really liked the songs In the End and Crawling. Call it weird, but it's like the words spoke to me in a way, like I could relate to them."

"Linkin Park, huh? Well, if you like them, then that's okay with me."

"I just wish I had an electric guitar at home. I would've liked to play some of those songs if I could."

"Really? You never told me you played the guitar. How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I should've told you earlier. I've been taking lessons for about a year now, Shader. My instructor thinks I'm pretty good. He even said I should enter a talent competition or something, but I don't know. I can't see myself in front of all those people, I'd freeze up right there."

"Well…"

Chrono knew that look in Shader's eye, and it worried him. She was planning something again, something he knew he wouldn't like.

"Whatever it is, I'm not gonna be involved, Shader."

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Chrono. I was just thinking that your instructor has a good idea going there. You do know the school's talent contest is coming up next week, right?"

"No ways am I gonna stand in front of all those people! You're crazy, Shader!"

"Oh, come on, what do you have to lose?"

"Uh…well…"

He tried to think of valid reasons why he couldn't enter the competition but even he knew it would be useless. For every reason he couldn't, she would find a reason he could. That's why, a week later, he found himself nervously waiting for his turn to appear in front of everyone assembled in the school's auditorium.

Right now, he was cursing his big mouth. Why did he have to mention in front of Shader of all people that he had musical talent? He should've known she wouldn't stop bugging him about it. No matter how he tried, he couldn't avoid her at school and she was even there when he signed up for the contest. He wouldn't have signed up any other way and she knew it so she made sure he did.

The person who went on stage before he did was attempting a comedy routine but he wasn't doing so well. Chrono could make out the sounds of people boo-ing and shouting for the poor performer to get off the stage. The next moment that same performer came walking past him with a look of defeat on his face. He noticed Chrono standing there and said, "Look, pal, let me warn ya: that's a tough crowd out there. Good luck, you're gonna need it."

Those words didn't help make the youth feel any better about the situation. He found himself panicking more than usual and his hands were sweaty.

"Shader, what have you gotten me into? I shouldn't even be here in this situation!"

He gripped his guitar tighter and hoped for the best. It still did little to stop his heart from beating faster. The aforementioned organ nearly jumped out of his chest when the announcer called his name. Now it was his turn and the urge to turn around and run was at it's strongest.

"Get a grip on yourself! You've got to do this for yourself, not for Shader! Besides, she'd never forgive you and you'll never know what it's like performing in front a huge crowd like this! Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three!"

Meanwhile, on the stage, the announcer had just called Chron's name for the second time. Shader, who was in the audience, wondered what was going. She had spoken to him at length about how this would be good for his self-confidence and how much better he would feel about himself after this was over.

"He'd better not be thinking of chickening out. If he doesn't show up in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna go back there and drag him out on the stage whether he likes it or not."

The announcer was about to call Chrono's name for the third time when he came walking out onto the stage, nervously holding his guitar in hand. By now the announcer was annoyed at the young man's inability to show up on time. "About time, kid. This is a tough crowd so give it your best."

"Yeah, I know."

It was only when Chrono was alone on the stage that he realized how many people there were. He promised himself he wouldn't, but he couldn't help it. Stage fright got the better of him and he froze right there.

Shader was watching this with a worried look on her face. This was not what they had rehearsed for a whole week.

"Come on kiddo, you can do it. I believe in you."

Chrono never even got the chance to lift up his guitar and start playing. The next moment, somewhere in the audience, someone shouted, "Hey look, it's Freak Boy! What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

From there everything went downhill fast. Suddenly the whole auditorium was filled with the sound of people boo-ing him and shouting at him to get off the stage.

"Freaks ain't allowed on stage!"

"Yeah, freaks belong in the circus!"

"We don't want you here!"

Whoever said "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" obviously never attended Magdalan High. Those words hurt Chrono more than any physical pain, stabbing him right through the soul and his inner being. He ran from the stage as fast as his legs could carry him, almost dropping his guitar in the process as the tears started filling his eyes. He found himself a spot to hide backstage and sat there until the contest was over and the winners had been announced. As soon as everyone had left, he stood up and made his way outside around the building and to the main gate, hoping that no one would see him. He didn't get far when Shader found him with his head hanging down, a dull expression on his face.

"Chrono…I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I didn't think-"

"That right, YOU DIDN'T THINK!!!!!"

Shader was shocked at her friends' sudden outburst. Never before had she seen him like this. He looked up at her gritting his teeth and with his angry eyes full of tears and hate for her at that moment. He wasn't done shouting at her yet, though.

"You didn't think for a moment about what I wanted! I knew this would happen but you wouldn't listen! It was all about what you wanted, never about what I wanted and I never wanted to do this! It was all about you! You're just like my parents, every one of you selfish! Now just leave me alone!"

"Chrono, I'm…sorry."

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

With that, Chrono turned around and walked to the main gate, his mood evident on his face. The sky was turning grey as the clouds started gathering overhead; rain was imminent, and so was a fight. Chrono was about to exit the main gate when an old "acquaintance" and his gang showed up and blocked Chrono's way.

"Hey freak, where do you think you're going?"

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this, Bruce. You can beat the hell out of me tomorrow if you want, but right now I just want to go home."

"I don't think so. If you ain't noticed yet, we don't like freaks like you that think they can just get up on stage and do whatever they want. Now we're gonna show you what happens to freaks who forget their place, starting with that guitar of yours."

"Leave it alone! My music teacher gave me that as a present!"

"Well, say goodbye 'cause your little toy here is about to break. Boys, you know what to do."

Before Chrono could do anything, he was surrounded. The next moment one of Bruce's goons grabbed him from behind while another took the guitar. No matter how Chrono struggled, he couldn't free himself from the hold he was in and no amount of pleading and begging made them give back his beloved instrument. Bruce held it above his head, turned to face Chrono, and with a sadistic smile on his face said, "Watch carefully, 'cause I'm only gonna do this once."

He was about to reduce the instrument to splinters but his arms only went halfway to the ground when a female voice called out to them, "Stop that!"

Chrono recognized that voice as belonging to none other than Shader. He looked up and saw her approaching Bruce fearlessly. "What is your problem, Bruce? He's smaller than you are. I know this sounds clichéd, but can't you find someone your own size to pick on? Bullying him only shows everyone what a coward you really are."

Bruce did not like what he was hearing at all. No one had the guts to speak to him like that, especially some girl who had no business being here.

"Shut up, four-eyes. You ain't got nothing to do with this."

"Of course I do. He's my friend."

Chrono's eyes shot open wide when he heard Shader say that. Even after he shouted at her and treated her so badly, she was still loyal to him. Dear sweet Shader, who only tried to help him, and how did he repay her? By behaving like a brat. She only meant well, only had good intentions, and he chased her away like a dog, yet like a dog she still came back to him even after he kicked her.

"It figures. Freaks always stick together", Bruce said in response to Shader's last words. Then Shader played her trump card.

"And so cowards and bullies. Guess that's something we have in common."

"You're really starting to piss me off, four-eyes! Take this!"

It was like an accident scene from a movie. Bruce's hand coming down on Shader's face, the hand making contact, Shader's body going limp and falling to the ground…it was as if Chrono was seeing this all happen in slow motion.

"Shader!"

He managed to free himself from the grip he was in and rushed to his friend's aid. "Shader! Can you hear me? Please, say something!"

It was no use. She was out cold and a bruise was forming on her cheek where Bruce had punched her. It would be swollen for quite a while after all of this was over. However, the future was the last thing on the young man's mind. What mattered was the now. Seeing Shader lying there unconscious after she stood up for him even after he treated her so badly was more than he could bear. Anger was quickly taking over now; revenge was the only pursuit now. The more thought about it, the angrier he became and as a result his body started shaking violently. His fists were clenched so tight his fingernails were digging into his palms and nearly drew blood. Like his fists, his teeth were clenched as well and at that moment he saw nothing but red, as if someone had just waved a red flag in front an angry bull.

One thing was certain: today Bruce would pay dearly for what he did. Chrono would see to that. Nobody knocks his friend's out cold and gets away with it.

The young man got up, turned to face Bruce and his goons, and said to them, "You didn't have to do that. She's only a girl."

"Four-eyes had it comin', just like you. You freaks don't deserve to be in this school."

"And who the hell died and put you in charge? You have no right to do decide who belongs here and who doesn't. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the guy who's gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on you, so get ready, 'cause you're gonna be sore for a month after I'm done with you."

"You mean your goons here are gonna do your dirty work for you. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you actually fighting. What's the matter, Bruce? Too scared to get your hands dirty? I mean, what else could I expect from a guy who forms a gang to terrorize people smaller than him? You can't do anything on your own so you get these guys to do your dirty work for you, is that it?"

"I've heard just about enough out of you! Here comes the pain!"

Bruce brought down his fist on Chrono's stomach and made contact. Imagine his surprise when Chrono didn't even flinch or shout in pain. Instead, Chrono looked at him with that same angry look in his eyes, not even fazed a bit.

"Huh? What the hell?"

"Surprised, Bruce? I should thank you. All those times I got beaten up by you guys, it toughened me up little by little. I don't even feel it anymore. But I promise you that you're gonna feel this!"

Bruce never saw it coming. As quick as a flash, Chrono's fist came down on his chin, resulting in Bruce hitting the ground hard. In that moment, Chrono, in his anger, put all his strength into that one punch. No way would Bruce get up from that.

His minions stood there with their mouths open wide. This couldn't be happening, but they couldn't deny that their leader was out cold no more than a few feet from where they stood. They couldn't believe that the "freak" had actually done that!

The "freak" turned to look at them, and for a moment they could have sworn those eyes were flashing red more than usual. "And now", Chrono said as he slowly approached them, "it's your turn."

Without warning, he was upon them, like a predator would be upon his prey. Today those few moments are mostly a blur in Chrono's memories. The little he does remember is agonizing screams of pain and the sight and smell of blood, and he was the one who made them bleed. Months of frustration and anger had rushed to the surface and exploded violently into a flurry of punches and kicks. Not caring what might happen to him, he threw himself into the fight and whenever he was hit, he would return it tenfold.

To put it mildly, the beast had been unleashed; his inner demon was released.

It wasn't long before the bodies of his victims were strewn around him, every last one with a broken nose or black eye. Standing over one of them like a conqueror over a vanquished enemy, he was breathing heavily and his body was sore all over. The pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain he had inflicted on Bruce and his goons, though.

With clenched fists and gritted teeth, he surveyed the battlefield as angry as ever. Leaning back a bit, he screamed, "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!?!".

Speaking of Bruce, his consciousness was returning to him slowly until he was able to lift his head. What he saw chilled him to the bone; his whole gang had been annihilated and the person who did the annihilating was "Freak Boy" himself.

"Who the hell is this guy!? This can't be the same loser we've been picking on all this time. He actually floored me. How the hell did he do that?"

Bruce decided that now was the best time to make his escape. Chrono's back was turned to him so now was as good a chance as he was going to get. Getting up slowly, he tried to move as silently as he could to the main gate which was only about six feet away.

Chrono had other plans though…

The next moment Bruce felt his legs being kicked out from under him. Too late; Chrono had noticed him making his escape and put an abrupt end to it right there. No way was he going to get away with this.

"Where the hell are you going!? This fight isn't over until I say it's over!"

In an ironic twist of fate, Bruce found himself begging for mercy like Chrono had done so many times before. Only this time, Chrono was the one towering over Bruce.

"Please! Have mercy! I promise I'll never pick on you again! Just don't hurt me!"

"Sorry, all out of mercy."

"Please, don't do this! Maybe we can work something out-"

"SHUT UP!!!!"

The last thing Chrono wanted to do was listen to Bruce groveling. He had to try his hardest not to beat the hell out of him, but it was hard, almost too hard. Now Chrono had a few things of his own to say.

"Did you show me any mercy all those times when I begged you not to hurt me? What about all the others you picked on just for fun? Did you show them any kindness? No, you sick twisted bastard, you laughed while they screamed in pain! If you had smashed my guitar, I would've let this slide but you had to go and knock out a dear friend of mine, and get this straight: NO ONE KNOCKS OUT MY FRIENDS FOR FUN! No, you've gone on with this far too long. You're tab is overdue, and its time to pay you're debt."

Chrono flashed an evil smile that made Bruce cringe. Whatever Chrono had planned, it would not be good for Bruce's health, and he was right…

It wasn't long before the once mighty Bruce was at the mercy of his former victim. Chrono didn't give him a single chance to breathe; he was on Bruce the whole time, never letting up, never letting go.

"Come on, you bastard! Laugh! It's funny, right? It's damn funny the way I'm kicking your ass, isn't it!? I swear, if you don't laugh right now, I'll friggin' KILL YOU!!!!!"

And when Bruce did let out a weak laugh, Chrono would shut him up by punching him through the mouth. By now, his whole chin and the lower regions of his face were bleeding, and still Chrono was on him. It's as if the more blood he saw, the more berserk he went.

"Shut the hell up!!!! You think this is funny?! I'll show you what's funny!!!"

And so the cycle would repeat itself. Somewhere during all this, Shader had regained consciousness. Slowly she got up, but when she did she wished she had stayed unconscious a while longer. What was left of Bruce's gang was scattered all around her, looking worse than she did. But that was nothing compared to what she witnessed next. To her horror, she saw Chrono on top of Bruce, punching and kicking away at him, going at it like a madman.


"Chrono…what happened to you? You're not…the person I've come to know. You're different…and I don't like it…please, stop this…"

By now, Bruce had no strength left at all. He couldn't defend himself now even if he wanted to; his arms and legs refused to obey him. It didn't seem like Chrono cared though. He was still continuing his relentless assault.

Shader ran over to Chrono in an attempt to put a stop to this. She approached Chrono from the side, placed her hand on his shoulder and begged him to stop. "Please, Chrono, enough! He can't defend himself anymore!"

Chrono would hear none of it, though. "Leave me alone! This son of a bitch is gonna pay for all he's done!", he said as he shoved her aside so strongly that she nearly fell over. With that, he continued bringing the pain.

Then Shader did something completely unexpected: she fell on top of Bruce in an effort to get Chrono to stop. He wasn't impressed with this at all.

"Get the hell off him! He's had this coming for a long time!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere until you stop this!"

"Why should I? He deserves every bit of this and you know it!"

"Maybe he does, but that doesn't mean you have to do this! This isn't like you at all! What happened to you? Where's the Chrono I became friends with? The shy, sweet guy who wouldn't harm a fly? Where is he?"

"He's gone, so get used it. I refuse to be the victim any longer. From now on these bastards are gonna get what's coming to them and neither you nor anyone else is gonna stop me!"

"Do you realize what you're saying? If you start getting revenge on everyone, you'll turn into what you hate the most! You'll be a bully just like them!"

Those last words seemed to do the trick, because Chrono stopped what he was doing right there. It was as if he was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't quite register what Shader had just said.

"What if…she's right? What if…I become a bully just like them? No…I'm not gonna go down that road…Shader…I'm so sorry…"

Slowly his knees started giving way under him. All the fighting had taken its toll on him; he was more exhausted than he would have liked to admit. Soon he was down on all fours, breathing heavily. He looked at all the bodies around him and realized for the first time that he was the one responsible.

"I did…this. What happened to me? I don't even remember half of what went on here."

He was about to collapse but Shader caught him in time and helped him up. With a concerned look on her face, she asked him, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I don't know. I'm so…sorry, Shader. I didn't mean to do it…I never wanted to hurt you…"

There was so much more he wanted to say to her, but it wouldn't come out. Tears started filling his eyes and his voice broke. About the same time, the rain started falling all around them. Not caring that they would both be soaking wet in a minute or two, Shader embraced her young friend and held him close while he cried into her shoulder.

There they stood for a good five minutes until Chrono had calmed down enough to talk. "Shader…I'm so sorry…for scaring you like that. I don't know what came over me. I was so angry all I could think about was making them pay for all they've done. I totally flipped when he knocked you out. You didn't deserve that."

"It's okay. All you wanted was to protect me. That's what friend's do for each other, right? So, how did it feel getting back at them for once?"

"It felt good. I think they get the message now. I'm not scared anymore."

Shader smiled at him and said, "Good. Now let's go home. We're both gonna catch a cold out here."

With that, Shader escorted Chrono back home. When he got home, Chrono told his older sibling all about what had happened. Aion found it a bit hard to believe, but said nothing to make it apparent that he was skeptical. That night, Chrono slept soundly for the first time in a long time. He didn't even notice his parents arguing again like they usually did.

The next day at school, rumors had spread that Chrono had been the one to give Bruce's gang such a sound beating. The school janitor found them still lying there unconscious long after Chrono and Shader had left the scene. Now they made themselves scarce whenever Chrono was near. But unbeknownst to Chrono, he had attracted attention, the wrong kind of attention.

It was on this fateful day that Chrono met someone else who would change his life. It was recess when Chrono was approached by an older student, one Derek Whitley. He was well known as being one of the more popular students in the school, and the object of many a teenage girls' dreams. Why would someone like him want to contact Chrono who was so much further down the social food chain than he was? We're about to find out.

Chrono was sitting down on a bench enjoying his lunch when he noticed someone casting a shadow over the bench. He looked up and saw a brown haired, green eyed male student looking back at him. "Are you Chrono?"

"Uh, yeah. Is there something you want?"

"So you're the one who took out Bruce's gang yesterday?"

"Well, it was more like an accident really-"

"I don't think you realize what you've gotten yourself into."

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm not here to pick on you if that's what you're thinking. Just know that you've attracted a lot of attention from the wrong people."

"What are you talking about? What people?"

"If you want to know more, then meet me here again after school. I promise it'll be worth your while."

With that, Derek turned around and walked away, leaving behind a very confused Chrono.

"What the hell is he talking about? What people? Whose attention did I attract? Come to think of it, I did notice some of the other students looking at me funny."

Later that day, after school…

Chrono didn't have to wait long for Derek to show up. He was only at the assigned meeting spot for a minute when Derek arrived. "Good, you showed up. I almost thought you wouldn't."

"Okay, I'm here now, so what's so important that you have to tell me?"

"Not here. They could have people watching us. Follow me."

Chrono didn't really have any choice but to follow Derek as he was instructed. They walked and walked for about ten minutes until they were near the outskirts of the town. Suddenly, Derek announced, "We're almost there."

They turned off the main road and onto a dirt road that led to a small abandoned warehouse. In they went until they came to a large central room where a four other people awaited them. One of them had short white hair and wore a cowboy hat. Next to him was a large teenage male with black hair dressed in a leather jacket and plain brown pants. The third person wore a baseball cap backwards on his head, a large T-shirt and a necklace with a cross around his neck. And last but not least, the fourth person in the group had very short brown hair and wore a black T-shirt with a pair of jeans and sneakers, very much like what Chrono was wearing at the time.

"Glad to see your all here", Derek said. "Okay, let me introduce you all. Everybody, this is Chrono. Now let's start with the guy who thinks he's the Lone Ranger."

The "Lone Ranger" snorted at this remark yet still kept that confident smile on his face. Ignoring him for the moment, Derek continued. "His name is Genai. He was one of the first to join our group along with Viede here."

Derek pointed in the direction of the tall guy next to Genai, who simply said "hi".

"And here we have G-Money."

The fellow with the strange name responded with, "Yo, whattup, dawg?"

Derek thought that a little explaining was in order, so he went about telling Chrono about the origins of G-Money's unusual nickname. "You're probably wondering where he got the name, right? Well, G-Money here is from a pretty wealthy family but they're all a bunch of snobs who expect him to act the right way and keep the family name high. But he doesn't like that kind of life so acting "gangsta" is his way of rebelling against them. Also, his real name is George but he doesn't like the name 'cause it doesn't have any "street cred" so what he did was to take the first letter of his name and add it onto the word "money" since he does have a lot of it. Therefore, G-Money. And finally, we have Adam, our resident metal head."

"Okay, now that we're all, what's so important that you had to bring me all the way out here?"

"Okay, Chrono, I think it's about time I talked. Now listen carefully. What I'm about to tell you now is known to only a few people in the school."

"You got my attention, Derek."

"Who do you think is in charge of our beloved school?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it: Who do you think is really in charge of Magdalan High?"

"Well…the staff like the teachers and the principal and-"

"Wrong! You're totally wrong, Chrono."

"Huh? That's impossible. Who else could be in charge?"

"Have you ever heard about Scott Mitchell?"

"You mean the richest and most popular student in school?"

"The one and the same, Chrono. He's really pulling the strings behind the scenes. Ever since he took over, everything about Magdalan High has been going south. It's because of him that the students are doing what they like and getting away with it."

"You're talking crazy, Derek! How could he have taken over? What about the teachers and the other staff? Don't they know what's going on?"

"Okay, I can see I'm confusing you. I'll start from the beginning. It happened about last year when the principal got sick. I'm not sure what he got, but he's been at home ever since, so the teachers temporarily took over. They had to: no one had yet been announced as the vice principal. Just shows you how rotten the school's administration is."

"So what does this have to do with me being here, Derek?"

"Very few people actually know how overworked and underpaid our teachers are, Chrono. Most of them ended up at Magdalan High because they couldn't get a job anywhere else. Here's where Scott comes in: when the principal left on sick leave, he saw his chance. He knew the situation most of the teachers found themselves in, so he approached them and offered them bribes if they would look the other way when certain "acts" were committed that didn't need any intervention from the staff. You'd think they would have turned down his offer and reported it to the other teachers, but that's not the case. Take for example Mr. Shepard, the English teacher. He's got two young sons to take care of ever since he got divorced from his wife. You think a teacher's pay is enough to support those two? Not nearly enough. The bribe he's getting from Scott is helping him to make ends meet. And then there's Mrs. Peabody, our biology teacher. Her husband is lying in hospital with cancer with no way of paying for the treatment he needs. Just being in hospital is costing them a lot everyday. The money she's getting from Scott is helping to pay for whatever medical expenses they have. I could go on and on about who's on Scott's payroll, but I think you get the idea. About eighty percent of the teachers are in his pocket."

"But….why? I know times are hard sometimes, but their teachers and adults! They should know better."

"They may be our teachers, Chrono, but their people first. That's where we make the mistake by thinking that our teachers are these holy people who can't do or say anything wrong. Take away the title of teacher and their just like everybody else and when it comes to survival, their prepared to do just about anything, things they wouldn't do normally. Have you noticed that they've been acting differently for the past few months? Their consciences are bothering them, but they can't do anything or else they can forget about the money."

"But why is Scott even doing this? What does he think he can gain from this? I mean, he's got all the money he could possibly want."

Genai finally spoke after being quiet for so long. "You think money is everything? You can't even begin to imagine how many unhappy people there are in our school and I'm talking about students and the staff. About half the students in our school come from wealthy families but their parents neglect them and think money and gifts will show them just how much they love them. They don't get that no amount of money is ever gonna make up for the basic parental support we all need. Ask G-Money, he knows what I'm talking about."

"It's all true, dawg. My homie here be tellin' the truth."

"Wait, how do you guys know all this? And I still haven't heard how any of this affects me."

"Scott and I used to be good friends", Derek continued. "We had it all: popularity, girls, invites to all the best parties, everything we wanted. Life was good. But Scott…he was never really happy. He liked to be in control, he liked to make the decisions and they weren't always the best decisions. If I wanted to do something he didn't want to, he'd try everything he could to make me see his point of view. Believe me, he has this charm about him that can make you doubt yourself; convince you that you're wrong. We often ended up fighting about it but sooner or later we'd forgive each other and go on like nothing ever happened. The motivation for all this is that his parents neglect him; he's been raised by the staff that works at their house. He's had limited contact with his parents for years now. His father is often away on business trips and his mother always has some kind of social event going on. He's never had anyone to talk to except for me and the few friends he does have. That's how I know all these things. He can't control his parents and he hates that. All he wanted was to have their support but he doesn't even get that. That's why he started taking control of the school little by little; if he can't control what happens at his house, he'll take over the school. At first I didn't know what was going on, everything seemed normal. I started noticing something was wrong when I saw one of the teachers catching some of the students red-handed while they were smoking. However, that same teacher just acted like he didn't see and walked away. I couldn't believe what happened and afterwards I asked those same students what the hell just happened. One of them told me it was all Scott's doing and that I should take it up with him. Well, I did and we ended up having one hell of a fight about it. Then he said something that really scared me: the principal had once said that this is a school for the students. If that's the case, he was going to take it to a whole new level. With the staff under his control, the students could be free to do whatever they want without fear of the consequences. The inmates would run the asylum, to put it another way. He even tried to convince me to join him, but I wouldn't let his charm bully me into it this time. When he saw he couldn't use his tricks on me, he told me everyone in our group of friends was on his side and if I didn't join him he'd make sure I'd be out of the group and that I'd never have a chance to get back in. I turned around right there and said there was no I'd let him get away with this. That's the last time we ever spoke. Since then I've been trying to get a few people on my side to fight back against Scott. You know, kinda like "rebels versus the evil empire" type stuff."

This was a bit much for Chrono to take in all at the same time. Derek's story was a bit unbelievable yet at the same time a lot of things became clear to Chrono. So this was why a lot of the students could get away with many of the things they were doing. That's why everything at Magdalan High was so screwed up, because of Scott and his ambitions.

"And now I'm gonna tell you why you've become involved in this. Bruce and his people are just one of the many gangs terrorizing the students. They all work for Scott and it's their job to keep everyone in line using fear and intimidation, and to target the weak and defenseless, like you used to be. Scott believes in survival of the fittest and that the weak don't deserve to be in Magdalan High, or as he calls it, his school."

"Scott said that? So that's where Bruce got that from. He said those same words to me one time, Derek."

"Exactly, Chrono. And now you've become involved in this because you actually stood up to them and on top of that, you managed to beat the hell out of them and send them running with their tails between their legs. Scott probably already knows what happened and will want to make sure they make an example of you. You've been targeted and their not gonna rest until they see it through. You've made a mockery of them, and they can't let it stand. They will want revenge."

"So…what do I do now, Derek?"

"It's your choice, Chrono. You can walk away from this place and go on like nothing happened. But that means being the victim again if you think about it. Don't think that you'll be able to repeat what you did to Bruce if you meet up again, or with any of the other gangs for that matter. The way I understand it, you only went berserk because your friend was hurt and the only reason you were able to get the drop on them is because you took them by surprise. You probably fought with your fists flying everywhere instead of aiming for weak spots and actually thinking about what your doing. If you tried that again, you'll be back where you started. Of course, there is the other choice."

"What's the other choice?", Chrono asked, sounding as if he didn't like where this was going.

"Join us. You'll be under our protection and you'll never have to be afraid of Bruce or Scott ever again. We'll even teach you how to fight and be good at it."

"I…don't know…", Chrono said, his voice quivering a bit. The though of being in a fight voluntarily was a bit frightening for him. After all, he was a peace loving kind of guy and Shader would never approve of this.

"Think about it this way", Adam said out of the blue. "Fifty years from now when you're looking back on your life don't you want to say you had the guts to get involved? That you had what it took to take back your life and help others? This is about much more than you, it's about every single student at our school and how this affects them too."

"Adam is right", Viede said. "Think about it. Someone has to stop Scott or else things will just keep going the way they are. Your suffering and the suffering of the other innocent students are all because of him. If we don't do something about it, who will?"

"Like I said, Chrono, you can leave and go on with your life or you can join us and fight the good fight. I just thought I'd warn you about what's coming for you. It's totally your choice. Just be sure you make the one your comfortable with."

"I'll have to think about it, guys."

"Okay. Here's my cell number if you change your mind. Let me know, okay."

The next day at Magdalan High…

The bell for recess had rung and Chrono was enjoying his lunch along with Shader. They found themselves a tree to sit under and watched the other students going about their business. Earlier that day, Shader had spoken with Chrono and noticed that he wasn't himself, as if he had a lot on his mind. Now was as good a time as any to ask him what was bothering him.

"Chrono?"

"Yeah, Shader?"

"Is something bothering you? I mean, other than the usual stuff?"

"Yeah."

"So? Out with it already. I'm your friend, you can trust me."

"Shader…look, I can't tell you everything, just that I have a choice to make. Remember the first Matrix movie when Morpheus gave Neo a choice between the red pill and the blue pill? Well, I met "Morpheus" yesterday, and now I have to choose. I'm just not sure what pill I should take."

Shader didn't like the sound of this one bit. What kind of choice was her young friend talking about here?

"Chrono, have gotten involved in something you shouldn't have?"

"I've been involved already whether I knew it or not."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sorry, Shader, but I really can't say anymore. It's better if you don't know."

"Just be careful, okay? Make the choice that you know you can live with."

But before Chrono knew it, his mind would be made up that same day. The trigger for changing his mind was pulled when he witnessed another student being tormented at the hands of another gang of bullies.

"I can't get involved, it's not my job to do something about it. I never wanted to be involved anyway. But…damn it all, I just can't let this go on! Isn't it better to have tried to do something than waiting for something to happen that will change the situation? Isn't it better to be able to say you at least tried? And if I can make a difference, then why should any more people suffer? Who am I to say no?"

When he got home, he picked up the phone and dialed Derek's number. His mind had been made up: it was now or never. Derek was pleased to hear that Chrono had made the decision to join them in the fight against Scott. The next day, he met them at their HQ, the old abandoned warehouse outside of town, where he met the rest of the group. There was Kelly, a fiery red-headed teenage girl who was more comfortable around guys than girls, which makes sense if you consider she had two older brothers. Her usual dress was a baseball cap, a black tank top, and military style camo pants with a pair of sneakers to round off the package. G-Money, being the "playa" he was, tried his luck with her on several occasions but she always made it clear that she wasn't interested. She considered G-Money more like a friend and didn't take him seriously when he tried hitting on her. No, her real interest was Adam, and even though she was a tomboy, she still had problems admitting her true feelings and rather admired from afar. Then there was Jamie, Adam's twin brother, who was the calmer of the two. He took things as they came and never made rash decisions. However, when there was fighting to be done he was just like brother, ruthless and deadly. Yes, this may have seemed like a rag tag bunch with no direction. Why was there even a girl in the group? One would think they wouldn't be interested in this kind of stuff. Kelly had her reasons, and she knew how to fight because she had two brothers and roughhousing was the one thing she and her brothers loved to do. However, one thing they had in common was that they were all in Magdalan High and that they all wanted to see Scott come to a fall. Chrono was the youngest in the group, with the others being at least a year or two older than he was. Despite this, they all accepted him like he had always been one of them.

And so Chrono became part of Derek's group, and with that his training had begun. Everyday after school, Chrono would show up for lessons at the old warehouse when he didn't have guitar lessons and Derek and the others would teach him the finer points of fighting. At one point, once the basics were over and done with, Derek encouraged Chrono to develop his own fighting style.

"Why's that, Derek? Can't I just fight the way you taught me? Isn't that good enough?"

"You don't have to fight a different way if you don't want to. I'm just saying that we like to customize our way of fighting to suit different situations. You should do the same if you want to get the drop on your opponents. But it's all up to you."

The next few weeks were some of the best times in Chrono's life. He had new friends now, people who cared about him and who had the same goals he had. From Adam he was introduced to new kinds of music, like rock and metal, which is why Derek called Adam the resident metal head. Jamie was someone who would always be available to listen to and give advice. From Genai and Viede he learned how to be confident, and Kelly became like another big sister to him. And above all, there was Derek, who Chrono admired the most. These changes in his personality were also accompanied by some physical changes. As if overnight, he hit a growth spurt and before he knew it, he was the right size and height for his age. Suddenly, he was getting attention from girls all over the place but he was never really interested.

Shader also became aware of what was happening to her young friend, and she was pleased that he had become more confident and happy for once, even though she did wonder what the reasons for the changes were. One day at school she asked him about it.

"So what's going on Chrono?"

"What are you talking about, Shader?"

"I think you know. What happened to you? You're so confident all of a sudden; you're walking around with you're head held high and smiling all the time."

"Can't you just be happy for me? I mean, isn't this what you wanted for me all this time?"

"Of course it is. All I'm saying is that someone doesn't just change overnight."

"Look, Shader, don't worry about it. Everything's fine."

"If you say so. Hey, you wanna hang out at my place after school?"

"Sorry, but I got somewhere I need to be. Maybe tomorrow."

"That's something else that's bothering me. We haven't been spending that much time together like we used to."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, my bad. I'll make it up to you sometime, I promise."

"Okay then, I'll hold you to that promise."

After school came out, Chrono headed for the old warehouse where he met up with the rest of the group. He walked in on them just as they were discussing their next move against Scott.

"Ah, Chrono, perfect timing. Come over here and take a look at what we got", Derek said as soon as he saw Chrono. "I promise you'll want to see this."

What Derek showed Chrono were photos taken of Scott showing him handing over the bribe money to the teachers on his payroll. The pictures clearly showed Scott's face and the features of the teacher in question. "We got some good evidence here, thanks to Genai and Viede. They caught Scott in the act and took the pictures."

"It was too easy. Scott is pretty sloppy when it comes to security. That's how we got the pictures. He always picks the same place to hand over the bribe, up on the roof", Genai added to the conversation, smiling confidently like he was proud of his work.

"But what do we need the evidence for, Derek?"

"We're trying to gather enough so we can hand it over to the authorities. No one's gonna believe us unless we can gather enough proof to warrant an investigation. This isn't just about who can fight the best, this is about bringing Scott to a fall and for that we need evidence."

"Okay, I get it."

"But now we have another problem."

"What's that?"

"Scott has gone a bit too far now. You thought bribes were the worst he could do? Not even close. Have you often seen a student or two walking into class looking like their drugged and still the teacher never notices? Well, that's because they are drugged. And it's because Scott has made a deal with a drug dealer to sell his goods at the school. He actually allows them to sell that poison to the students and use the stuff as much as they want."

"But…that's insane! Doesn't he realize it's gonna destroy their lives? Doesn't he care what it's gonna do to the school?"

"I don't think he has a conscience anymore. He's been heading on a collision course to self destruction for a long time and he doesn't care if he takes a few people down with him. That's why we need to stop him now more than ever, and for that we need proof."

Suddenly, G-Money came bursting into the conversation like a bat out of hell, struggling to catch his breath. When he did finally calm down, he warned them of a large group of people heading their way. "I count about twenty, maybe thirty of dem fools looking like dey runnin' with Scott's crew coming our way. You know what that means, we gotta represent."

"Are you sure what you saw?"

"Oh, fo' sho'. This homie be speakin' the truth."

"Alright then. Everyone, you just heard what's going on. They're gonna take us on on our own turf, and I say that's pretty stupid."

"Dem nuh ready fo' what's comin' dey way."

The others all agreed and gave their support. Derek knew he could count on them when he needed them. However, he had to make sure of one more thing. He turned to Chrono and said, "Look, if you feel like you're not ready, then stay out of the fight. You can hide here if you want. I'll personally make sure none of them come near here."

But Chrono was of a different mind. Here was his chance to prove his devotion to the cause, and now they want to take that away from him? Sure, they were his friends and he knew they only cared about him, but no way in hell was he going to let this opportunity pass him by.

"With all due respect, Derek, you're crazy if you think I'm gonna let this go by. If I'm gonna prove that I'm worth something to you guys, then I have to be there with you and show you that I'm ready for this."

"It could get nasty out there, and this'll be the first time you'll be in a fight like this. Are you still sure you want to go through with it?"

"Look, there's no more running away for me anymore. My back is to the wall and I'm willing to slug it out with the best of them. These are like the bad old days, the all-or-nothing days, blood for blood, when there's no more choices, when you got to do what you got to do. Scott is gonna get what's coming to him, and I'm ready for war. I say, let them bring it; we'll crush 'em all!"

The others looked at Chrono with their mouths hanging open wide. This was the last thing they expected him to say. It was also the way he said it that surprised them. He spoke with such conviction and authority that they couldn't help but applaud him.

"Homie…that's so deep. I gotta remember that."

"Thanks, G-Money. But while we're all standing here, their closing in on us."

"Chrono's right. Let's go roll out the welcome wagon for them and say hi", said Derek with an evil smile on his face. Out they went and took up positions at the front entrance of their HQ. It wasn't long before the group G-Money had warned them about was standing no more than five feet away from them. One of them emerged from the group and approached Derek. It looked like he had something to say.

"Derek…long time no see, right?"

"Joe…I thought you'd be out of my life after I kicked your ass last time. So what brings you here?"

"As you may or may not know, Scott recently took me in and made the offer of being his right hand man. Being the smart man I am, I gratefully accepted. It's come to his attention that someone has been taking pictures of him behind his back, and he doesn't like it. Since he's so well acquainted with you, he asked me to retrieve those photos you took of him. And he wants them back today."

"So what makes him think I have those photos?"

"You're a smart guy, and so is Scott. Everybody knows you're out to get him, so who else would take those pictures of him? Hand them over, or I'll have to let loose my friends here on you, and I don't think you want to be on the receiving end of what they got to give."

"Now, here's the part where I'm gonna have to tell you that I don't plan on giving you those photos and don't think I'm impressed by you trying to sound like you're educated when everyone knows you're a lowlife just like your old man. For that matter, don't think you're gonna impress me with numbers. Your sorry bunch over there doesn't scare us one bit."

It was evident to all that Joe was trying his best to keep his temper in check. Derek's insults were close to making him blow. "You leave my dad out of this! Just for the record, this ain't no sorry bunch. I picked out these guys myself. They're some of the best fighters Scott has under his command."

"You mean their some of the best bullies he has under his command. You sick bastards don't realize what you're doing to the school and its students. You only care about yourselves. Tell me, how many of you would stick it out with Scott until the end? I bet that if his money had to dry up now, you'd all leave him high and dry without thinking about it twice. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Okay, that's it! You've pissed me off enough now! Scott promised me a bonus if we took you out, so guess who I'm gonna target first!"

"We don't have to do this, Joe. You can just walk away and forget about the whole thing."

"Are you for real? Why would I walk away? I'm gettin' paid good money for this! No way am I passing this up!"

"Since you call yourself a smart guy, I think you'll be smart to listen to my proposal, Joe."

"What proposal? If it's about leaving Scott and joining you guys then forget about it, Derek"

"It's nothing like that. I was going to suggest that instead of all of us getting into one hell of a big fight, you and I should go at it one on one. If I win, you and your posse here leave this place. If you win I'll hand over the photos to you."

"Oh, you are so on! Don't think I'm gonna be a pushover like last time 'cause I've been practicing!"

So do we have a deal?"

"What do you think? Let the ass kickin' begin!"

Derek was about to step out to face Joe when Chrono blocked his way. "Please, Derek, let me take this one! I can do this!"

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that. What if something happened to you? I'd never forgive myself if you were hurt."

"That doesn't make sense and you know it! I became involved in this because I wanted to. Please, I can do this! Just give me a chance!"

For a moment Derek wondered if he would be doing the right thing by letting Chrono go up against Joe. Joe had already been in many a fight, but Chrono wasn't yet battle hardened. Wouldn't he be letting Chrono walk into something he might regret?

Finally, he gave his blessing for Chrono to take his place. "Okay, Chrono, go out there and remember what we taught you. Don't let his size intimidate you and keep your eyes open at all times. One last thing: don't let him out of your sight, stay on him."

Those were the words Chrono were waiting for. With a smile on his face, he thanked Derek for allowing him this opportunity. Meanwhile, Joe was getting ever so impatient. "Hey, is this gonna happen or what?"

"Slight change in plans. I'm not gonna be your opponent anymore."

"You gotta be kidding me! Then hand over those photos right now."

"Hold on there. I didn't say the fight was over. I just meant to say that you'll be fighting someone else in my place."

"Like who?"

"The newest member of my group. Say hello to Chrono, the guy who's gonna send you running with your tail between your legs."

With that, Chrono stepped forward, ready to go. Joe gave him one look and burst out into a near uncontrollable fit of laughter. His gang followed suit by joining him. "What the hell are you trying to pull here? Are you that scared that you have to send a kid to do a man's job? If you want to see him die today, then I'll be happy to send him to his maker!"

Chrono wasn't impressed a bit by Joe's trash talking. "Talk all you want, but words won't win this fight."

"You know what, you got a point there. Then allow me to bring the pain!"

By now a circle had formed around the two, preventing either one from escaping. Not that either had escape on their minds. For Chrono, this was do or die.

Obviously, the others were questioning Derek's decision to let Chrono go in there. There was so much at stake here that they couldn't understand why Derek would allow this.

"Yo, homie, have you gone mad up in here?", G-Money asked, pointing to his head as if to emphasize that Derek had lost it.

"I'm with G-Money on this one. Why'd you do it? He's gonna get murdered out there and you allowed it!", Adam said, letting his point of view be known.

Before anyone else could say anything else, Derek explained his motivation. "I know you all think I'm crazy, but hear me out. You all saw how much he wanted to prove himself, but we never wanted to give him the chance, myself included. How's he ever gonna learn if we're too scared for his sake? Sooner or later, he is gonna have to face the enemy head on and I don't know about you, but I'd rather let that be sooner than later. Think about it: we didn't go to all that trouble teaching him to fight for nothing."

"But do you think he can do it?"

"I know he can, Genai. I believe in him, and the best way to show our support is if you guys believe in him too. He knows what's at stake; he won't let us down."

And he was right. Chrono kept in mind everything he was taught. Even when everyone around him was screaming, he blocked that out and kept Joe in sight. No matter how he tried, Joe couldn't land a single blow on him because Chrono kept dodging out of the way. This frustrated Joe to no end, making him exert even more energy.

"Stop dodging all the time! You're nothing but a coward! Face me like a man!"

But Chrono wouldn't do as Joe wanted. Soon Joe was all tired out from hitting air the whole time and that's when Chrono saw his opening. Derek was pleased to see that Chrono had applied what he was taught: if the opponent is bigger than you are, tire him out and then make your move. Now Chrono was hitting Joe any place he could, making double over with the pain. Once he saw it was all over, he punched Joe one more time through the face, sending him to the ground as fast as gravity would allow.

All was silent. The only sound that could be heard was Chrono breathing heavily, yet he had a smile on his face that words could not describe. Smiling along with him was Derek; his faith in the young man was well placed. Everyone else just stared at the scene before them like it was too unreal to believe.

The first one to say anything was Derek. "Well, guys, Joe's been beaten thanks to Chrono here and if I remember right our deal said that you guys have to leave now. So how about it? Are you gonna leave here peacefully or are we gonna have to send you running to your mothers?"

They didn't need to be told twice. As soon as they had collected what remained of Joe, they all ran like the devil himself was chasing them. That day, Derek was like a proud parent, constantly congratulating Chrono on his success. Chrono was just glad that he had proven his worth to them at last.

From then on, Chrono would be part of every fight they found themselves in, and every time he fought, he became better and better, further developing a style of his own like Derek had suggested. Truly, those were the best days of his young life. Now he had respect and he wasn't afraid anymore, he had friends who supported him and believed in him. Under these conditions, how could anyone not be happy? Sure, his parents were still arguing but that hardly bothered him anymore.

But something would take place that would be even more important than what had already happened. One Monday, his teacher announced that a new student would be joining them. The moment she stepped through the door, Chrono's mouth hung open. She was by far the most beautiful creation he had ever seen. Blonde hair going down to her waist, blue eyes that you could get lost in, and a perfect smile that could make even the coldest heart warm. He didn't even hear her talking about herself after the teacher had asked her to introduce herself to everyone. All he could do was stare at her and admire her beauty.

"Heaven must be missing an angel, 'cause that's the only way to explain how she got here!"

Suddenly, the "angel" came walking straight at him! His heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw her coming and a cold sweat was breaking out on his face. She occupied the vacant seat next to his and when she turned to face him, his cheeks turned a bright red.

"Hi", were the first words she ever said to him. "I'm Jessica, nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Uhm…I…uh…I'm….Chrono", was all he could get out. Almost immediately he cursed himself in his mind for sounding so stupid. Now was not the time to get all weak at the knees! But he couldn't deny that she had an effect on him he couldn't explain.

"Chrono? I think it suits you. Hey, are you feeling okay? You look a little sick."

"Me? No, I'm…just fine…really."

"Are you sure? You're sweating and your cheeks are all red. Maybe you're coming down with something. Perhaps you should see the school nurse."

"No…it's nothing. Really, I'll survive."

"Okay, if you say so."

Yet he had no way of knowing that this girl would be just as instrumental in shaping his future as all the other events thus far had been…

XXX End Flashback XXX

By now, Rosette was completely amazed at what she heard so far. It was all a bit much to take in. Just by looking at him, you'd never imagine that so much had happened in Chrono's life already.

"I never knew just how much you've been through. It all sounds so unreal and at the same time I can't stop listening. By the way, who's the girl?"

"I'm not done telling the story yet. Just give me a chance to catch my breath, I've been talking non stop for almost an hour here."

"Oops, my bad, Chrono."

"Well, if I'm not gonna be interrupted any further, then let me go on…"

Rosette made sure she was sitting well, because she didn't want to miss any of this. It was just starting to get good, and somehow she knew it was just the beginning of what Chrono had to tell her…

Author's note: And so we come to the end of yet another chapter and the last one for 2007. It was a pretty good year for me, and I hope it was for all of you as well. Here's hoping 2008 will be even better.

For those that are wondering, I didn't write chapter ten in just a day's time. I wrote it bit by bit as I found the time, so it wasn't like I did it in one afternoon or anything like that. I gradually put it together and then one day I found the time to put the finishing touches on it and voila! Chapter ten was all finished and done.

To answer Dragoon-Yue: You're right, I did notice that I sometimes forget to indicate whose talking. It's something I'll have to work on so thanks for reminding me about it.

To raise another question, does anyone know what happened to the author of the fic "In The Life of A Rock Star"? I really miss that fic, how about you guys? It'd be a shame to see it disappear into obscurity.

Something else that bothers me: Why does it happen so often that when an anime is based off a manga, that the animation studio handling it sometimes deviates completely from the source material? Why can't they just stick to the original storyline instead of changing it like they want? If someone out there has an answer or any thoughts about this, let me know.

Also, if any of you have any ideas that you'd love to see make an appearance in this fic, let me know. I pretty much know where I want to go with this plot wise, but you are the people reading this so let me know if there's something you want to see happen. Let no one say that I don't cater to my readers.

In other news, it seems my anime problems have been solved. I have mentioned on my profile that I can't seem to get any new anime where I live. That problem has been solved better than I could have imagined. My parents are in a position to be able to afford satellite television and recently a new channel became available that is completely devoted to anime! Thanks to the people at Sony for making that possible. The channel is called Animax and at the time of writing, their showing Eureka Seven, Gundam Seed, Last Exile, Dot Hack Sign, Dot Hack Legend of The Twilight, Earth Girl Arjuna, Solty Rei, and recently Magister Negi Magi Negima. And this is just the daytime schedule. Late at night, they show the more mature and violent animes like Basilisk, Hellsing, Tenjo Tenge, and Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I can't remember the rest 'cause I've never been able to stay up that late before, although I know there are more shows late at night other than the ones I've just mentioned.

All the shows on the channel have been translated into English, but the opening and ending themes are still Japanese. I don't mind, 'cause let's be honest: sometimes the English themes for animes suck.

Eureka Seven, Gundam Seed, and Solty Rei are three of my favorites. But who else thinks that Flay Allster from Gundam Seed is a little bit annoying? I find her just a little too emotional sometimes. Last Exile was pretty good, even though I never got to see all the episodes in the correct order. The two Dot Hack series were also good, although I liked Dot Hack Sign more. I found Legend of the Twilight a bit dumbed down for my tastes. Lately I find myself watching Magister Negi Magi Negima on a regular basis too, mostly because I can identify with Negi's clumsiness around the members of the female species. Hell, I'd never survive if I had to teach at a girl's only academy! Still, when are those girls gonna realize he's just ten years old? What's he got that older guys don't? My sister, on the other hand, absolutely loves the show and can't wait for the next episode.

By the way, if anyone figures out who Jessica is supposed to be, then congratulations to you. You've just seen through me and my plans.

Well, I think that about wraps things up. Here's seeing you all again next time…

Oh crap, did I just mention I have a sister? You weren't supposed to hear that! Okay, now I've got no choice left. (Puts on sunglasses and takes out the memory eraser device from Men In Black.) Sorry to have to do this, but you know too much. (Presses the button on the device that produces the flash). Okay, repeat after me: Saracen RedHawk doesn't have a sister. Good, that should take care of that.

Now as I was saying, here's hoping you have a great New Year and I'll see you then with a brand new chapter. Until then, this is Saracen RedHawk signing off. (Cue sound of static)