ROUND 5

Two more days before the school cultural festival, once again….

Everything went back to normal after that big fight recently. While most students who weren't involved with the fight resumed schooling as usual, there were notable absentees on that day: Kyo, Iori, Shermie, Chris, Yashiro, Luise, Alba, Ash and Kasumi.

Alba wasn't badly hurt, but he decided to skip school to look after Luise. So did Kasumi, who was still at the hospital keeping an eye on Iori. But the most obvious one missing was Ash, who was also missing in action.

The workers started their work to repair the clubhouse which was badly damaged during the fight. Elisabeth was observing them from a corner. Lien was standing near her.

"This is really a pain in the neck." Elisabeth rubbed her neck. "The fes is just coming up and we have to pour out money for such thing just before that." She stroked her stick in frustration.

"You can't blame them for everything." Replied Lien. "I still can't figure out why Iori would run wild during his guitar practice."

"Orochi…." mumbled Elisabeth.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, just mumbling. By the way, where's Soiree?"

"Oh, that laggy kid?" Lien scratch her shoulder. "No idea."

"And what's that suppose to mean?"

"Well, he did come this morning, but…. He skipped the next classes. No idea where he went to hide."

"Oh, gosh." Elisabeth looked up. "We really need more help to ensure the fes goes as smooth as it is. But he… ah, never mind. Lien, I'm counting on you as well. We need more help here."

"I sure won't let you down, future head student." Lien brushed her hair.

"Don't say that. It's still a long way to go, you know."

At Chae Lim's class…..

"I say, you know what? They say there will be new students coming in our class today." Hokutomaru started the gossip.

"Whoa, for real?" the girls asked.

"I heard there will be a girl and a guy." Said Chae Lim.

"I see Chae is interested already." Said Yumi. "You can't wait to see the guy, right?"

"Errr…. Not really." Her face blushed.

Just then the teacher came in. A girl and a guy followed her in.

"Class, I want to introduce to you two new students today. They will be here until the next terms to come. Go ahead."

"Hi, my name is Chun Hyang. Nice to meet you all." Said the girl. However, she was dressed in a guy's clothes. Even her hair was as short as a guy and her face looked exactly like a guy too.

""Waaahhhh! So handsome!!" some of the girls started exclaiming in joy. As expected, they didn't realize she was a girl yet. The other one smiled; the guy. He had a pony tail tied down to his waist, with the face of a girl and dressed up in Lolita-style dress.

"Hi, I'm Cho Hyun. Nice to meet ya." He stood out and introduced himself.

"Fuyoh! Kawaiii!!" The boys' turn to go mad over him. Chun Hyang just giggled to herself. Even Cho Hyun was giggling, before his eyes caught sight of Chae Lim, who wasn't responding at all. She was glaring at them with a blank face.

"So, both of you are Koreans, right?" the 'joker' popped the first question.

"That's right." Cho Hyun blinked at them.

"Waaaalliiiaooooo!!" the boys went mad again. Chae wasn't responding again, as expected. Cho Hyun looked at Chun Hyang. They gulped.

"This is not good. That girl seems to be a Korean too." Cho Hyun gave an eye signal to her.

"Just watch it there. I'll handle the rest of it later." Chun Hyang replied with her eye signal as well. The female teacher looked at everyone and said.

"Why is everyone so wild about them? What about your own teacher?"

"We've lost our taste for you, missy." One of them cried out. Everyone laughed, except Chae.

"Plus, they're Koreans!" exclaimed Yumi.

"Missy, maybe you should change your hairstyle to attract us again!" exclaimed Hokutomaru. "Like cropping that tail away. I can help you with my shuriken."

"Hey, hey. Don't go too far, Maru. I love my tail." She grabbed her tail in fear. Everyone except Chae laughed out hysterically again. The madness was so great that Even Jhun's class which was at the other end could hear them. They don't have any class at the moment, but they weren't that noisy either.

"What the fuck is going on out there?" the boys started questioning each other. The girls started gossiping to each other. Jhun looked at them from his seat, listening to his iPod loaded with Athena's songs. Then he took them off and stood up.

"Let's go have a look." He marched out to Chae's class. Most of them followed him, like their leader and they peeped at Chae's class.

"Both of you go get your seats over there." The teacher pointed at the end. "I'll need to hand a few more forms to the Head, so don't make too much noise until I'm back. Monitor, look after them." She left the class without even noticing Jhun and the gang, who were hiding at the stairs as she passed by them.

"Oh my, oh my. I can't believe there will be more Koreans in this class." Exclaimed Yumi. "Both of you are transfer students, right?"

"That's right. And we're twins." Said Chun Hyang.

"Whoa. Twins." The guys crowded around them. "When was the last time we see twins around here?"

"What about the Meira brothers?" Yukito noted them, as he pushed his glasses up.

"Hehehe, Onegai Twins…" thought Yumi.

"Oh, yeah. Didn't see both of them today." Noted another one.

"You both came in right on time." Yumi grabbed Cho Hyun's hands. He blushed.

"What's up?" Chun Hyang did most of the talking.

"Coz gakuensai is in two days time." Exclaimed Yumi again.

"Oh, really?" Cho Hyun seemed excited. "So, has this class got involved in anything?"

They stared at him. Then Yukito went to her and said.

"Nah, nothing. Originally we wanted to do a maid café, but there's too many classes doing it already, so it had to be scrapped, and there's no time to come up with new ideas."

"Aww, too bad." He replied.

"So tell us more about yourselves." Chae bumped in all of a sudden.

"Whoa, Chae. Now you're getting in." said Yumi.

"Well, soon you'll know something more about them." She rubbed her cheek. Cho Hyun glared at her back.

"Hey, wait. You're both Koreans right? But you sound so hostile here." Said Hokutomaru.

"Oh, nothing really." Chae scratched her head. "Too much Ragnarok back home right?" she looked at Chun Hyang.

"Err… yeah. You guess it right. We love playing Ragnarok."

"Oh, you mean that popular MMORPG with Valkyries?" Yumi exclaimed. "I just love it! Oh, my dearest VALKYRIE…!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too. The gameplay 's really cool." Added Hokutomaru.

"Here we go… Ragnarok." Yukito adjusted his glasses.

"I see." Chae went close to her and whispered at her. "Don't worry, I won't tell them about your secrets. But I hope for a good explanation later on." She reversed back. "I'm Chae Lim. Nice to meet you." She held her hand out. Chun Hyang looked at her for a moment, hesitated before replying.

"Chun Hyang. Nice to meet you. Doki doki." She shook her hand at last.

"Ah, so that means we are all friends now. Case closed." Said Yukito. Chae looked at Cho Hyun. He bowed his head in respect to her. Chae nodded back. At the same time, she thought.

"Maybe I can make some use out of them, with their dirty little secret." She rubbed he chin.

"So new students I see." Jhun whispered to them from outside. "Let's find a way to get near them later." He crept back to his class followed by the rest of them. Just before he stepped back into class, he looked at his friends. Two three of them already had nosebleed.

"What the fuck! Wipe it out, you fools! You want our own girls to think that you're hentais or what?" he hit the one closest to him.

Just as returned to class, Yuri ran passed by them and entered Chae's class. She looked a little panic.

"Chae!" she called out. Chae's conversation with the new kids was disrupted.

"Hey, Yuri. Nandayoh?" Hokutomaru exclaimed.

"I'm not talking to you! Chae, come for a while." She went up to Chae, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the class.

"Whoa, what's going on, Yuri?"

"You gotta help me out, Chae. I know you're the only one left." Yuri panicked.

"What's up? You mean your band?"

"Yes, it is. I need you to be the second guitarist."

"Hey, what do you mean? You want me to take over at this time? The fes is only two days left."

"There's no choice, Chae. Saki-chan and Chiyuri-chan won't be able to perform on that day. I already found a replacement for Saki-chan, but now only left is Chiyuri-chan, and so I'm hoping you can take her place. I know you're a good guitarist, Chae, so onegai." Yuri grabbed both of her hands as she pleaded.

"I understand, but… I don't know if I can master the music in just two days…"

"Don't worry about that, Chae! I'll handle that. The most important thing is a replacement. So it's ok right?"

"Errr… yeah… but…"

"Okay then, it's solved! Yokata." Yuri held her hands tight on her. "Meet me up at the old clubhouse after break. We'll be having our practice from that moment." Yuri ran off after that.

"Oh man." Chae smacked her head. "First is cross-dressing, now is a performance." She groaned to herself as she walked back into class, with her friends already staring at her the moment she returned back. She let out a sigh, and went back to them.

At the fighting dojo where Duo Lon and Xiao Lon loved hanging out most of them time, Duo Lon was standing at a corner of the building. Xiao Lon was busy carving a life-sized figure out of wood with her blades not far from him. Duo Lon watched her without saying a word. Just then, Benimaru arrived.

"So there you are, Duo-san." Said Benimaru.

"What brings you here?" replied Duo Lon without even looking at him.

"Well… you know. What Lisa's trying to do right now after what happen the other day…" Benimaru rubbed his forehead.

"The way you're telling me as if your class doesn't have anything to do during the festival." He looked at him at last.

"We're doing a maid café for that day. But you know, boys aren't mainly involved in such things, so…"

"I know, I know." Duo Lon stood straight up and went near him.

"This one here is also doing a maid café." He pointed at Xiao Lon, who was still carving. Now the figure looked like a girl which was very familiar to them.

"Oh, I see." Benimaru tried to take a closer look at it. "I think I've seen this girl before."

"Yeah. Xiao Mei's class decided to do a direct Haruhi Suzumiya cosplay café, and now Xiao Mei's in charge of preparing this figure for display on that day."

"No wonder she looked so familiar to me!" Benimaru smacked his cheek. "Haruhi, who don't know her. I can't believe it. Your sister's class gonna rock on that day." He looked at her. But then she was staring at them right now.

"Err… did I say anything wrong?"

Xiao Lon kept on staring at him. Benimaru didn't know what to do next. Duo Lon just ignored them. Finally Xiao Lon raised her blade and pointed at him.

"Tada no ningen ni wa kyomi arimasen." She said in a high tone, really depicting Haruhi Suzumiya.

"Oh, sou desu ka?" replied Benimaru. Xiao Lon turned away and continued carving the Haruhi figure which was nearly completed. Benimaru turned back to Duo Lon.

"If it isn't for this figure Xiao Mei wouldn't even be doing anything other than fighting and manga." Said Duo Lon all of a sudden. But immediately he turned towards Benimaru. "Now get straight to the point."

"Ok." Benimaru flexed his fist. "You know that Lisa's having a lot of problems now. Having to supervise the fes and also, to keep an eye on Ash."

"Ash…" Duo Lon looked up. "He's not around today."

"You're right. Ash's not around today. That damn coward dared not come to face the music today."

"So…?"

"Here's the point. Lisa's very busy, and she's worry that Ash might turn up on that day and cause havoc again. She's having a headache now thinking of that while observing the fes progress."

"So you're telling me she's trying to make us watch after Ash for her."

"She's asking for our help, as team mates. Plus, I don't have any other things to do right now, so I agreed to help out. Plus I can't wait to deal with him again for what he did to Kyo-san."

"You have a point here." Duo Lon looked at him. "Well, I am free after all. Our class is doing a haunted house."

"Whoa, then you're free? I thought you would be one of those ghosts in there? Seeing your current dress right now, actually it fits you to be a ghost."

"That's right! Ani-ki should be a ghost after all!" Xiao Lon exclaimed at them without even looking at them, closing one eye."

"They got the idea after observing my dress again that day." Duo Lon explained.

"Whoa, booyah." Benimaru closed his mouth, trying not to slip out.

"I softly declined any role in the haunted house, with the excuse that I've gave them the idea in the first place, and they accepted it."

"Mmmm, your classmates sure knew how to give and take with you. So you're free. Help us out and keep an eye during the fes."

"How can I help out? Betted not be a very heaving guarding."

"Wait. Can Xiao Lon help out too?" he whispered at him. "I just hope that she can give a hand in this too. Even if not directly a help, but maybe surveying around with you or whatsoever."

"I think that shouldn't be a problem. But I'm not sure if she's involved any further than that carving stuff."

"Never mind. I'm jus hoping to get more help here." Benimaru rubbed his cheek again. "So far only Lien's offered her help, so we still need more people to help her out with the watching. Man, the disciplinary board sure is very busy this year, after that trouble maker…"

"So our duty is to patrol the whole school?" asked Duo Lon.

"Honestly, yes. Our main role is to keep on eye for Ash and keep him out of trouble."

"That shouldn't be a problem, if there's nothing we should do on that day."

"Then it's settled." Benimaru combed his hair down to perfection. "I'll be going around looking for more recruits. Help me out if you can. Onegai." He walked away."

"Yeah, for Elisabeth." Replied Duo Lon as Benimaru left them. Xiao Lon carved on, but the fact was that she had been hearing all of their conversation from the very beginning. She smiled to herself, without Duo Lon noticing it.

"I've got a drum practicing after this." She mumbled. "Heh heh."

"We're going to have to round up this whole thing first, Xiao Mei." Duo Lon rubbed his shoulder as he turned around to her.

"There. Finish at last." Xiao Lon put the finishing carve on the Haruhi Suzumiya figure. "This should do the trick. Everyone will sure come to our café on that day."

"You really think so?" Duo Lon jeered at her. Xiao Lon stared back at him. Suddenly she realized something. At the speed of light, she threw one of her little kunai towards the top of a nearby tree. It hit something in the bushes and rattled.

"Someone's there." She exclaimed.

"Who the hell over there? Show yourself!" Duo Lon startled, and rushed towards the tree.

"Damn it, I've been spotted!" Shion mumbled to herself. She leaped out of the tree into the backyard and leaped out of their sight.

"She's getting away!" Xiao Lon rushed for her blades.

"She's been there all along. Obviously she has something to do wit yesterday. We can't let her escape." Duo Lon dashed after the intruder. Xiao Lon grabbed her blades and followed him from behind.

Shion kept on running at full speed. She turned to the other block, trying to evade them.

"They will be here any time now. I must get out of their sight as far as possible. Dang, if only Leona's here right now…"

But her thoughts were cut-short when she felt the unexpected presence of others behind her. She turned back, and saw Duo Lon & Xiao Lon dashing after her from far behind. They were still quite far; But Shion knew what the outcome would be.

"Oh my, they're sure fast. I must find a hiding place." She ran on. The two of them were catching up with her.

"Tomare!!" Xiao Lon threw her kunais at her as they dashed on. Shion dodged one of them. But Xiao Lon threw more, and Shion had to withdraw her whip and whipped the kunais away with her dart at the end of it. Xiao Lon pouted when her attack failed.

"Save your weapon, Xiao Mei. Whatever happens, we must catch up with her. Look, she heading towards the hostel. This should be our chance. We'll stop her from both directions, got it?"

"Got it, ani-ki!" Xiao Lon diverted out to another direction as Duo Lon dashed on after her.

"This is getting on my nerves." Shion mumbled to herself as she dashed into the hostel ground. She leaped across the guardhouse without even the guard noticing her presence like a wind; having his afternoon nap. Duo Lon leaped across the house and also went pass by the guard like a wind.

At one part of the ground, Lilly was hanging the clothes that she just washed.

"This should be the last one." She held up a large bed sheet and tried to fit it onto her clothesline; her fighting stick.

"Awww, it's too big, I have to fold it." She turned it over. Not far from her, Shion was running towards her, aiming to make a turn into the building via the back door. Lilly turned around.

"Ara, who's that? She thought, as she let down the sheet. Just then Xiao Lon leaped through the wall into the hostel ground and above the clothesline.

"Incoming!" she leaped past by her and took out her dagger and aimed at Shion.

"Shit! It's a trap!" Shion threw her whip, caught hold of the clothesline and swung it at her. Xiao Lon had to leaped aside and fell to the ground. Shion leaped over her.

"Ai ya! My clothes! I just washed them!" Lilly exclaimed in shock. But no one's listening to her.

"Out of my way!" Shion tried to get past her.

"Not a chance!" Xiao Lon threw another of her kunai at her. Shion had to duck to avoid it, thus missing her chance to escape.

"I took the whole day to wash them. You're unforgivable." Lilly kicked her stick up and charged at Shion. Shion leaped behind in an acrobatic style, avoiding her stick.

"Nice work, Lilly. Don't let her escape!" Xiao Lon jumped back to her feet and held her dagger up again. Finally Duo Lon arrived at the scene.

"Nice work, girls! Lilly, you're doing a fine job here!" he leaped into action.

"Damn it!" Shion thought upon seeing him. She held her hand up in the air and her spear came down out of nowhere. Lilly spanned her stick non stop at her, but had no problem countering it with her own. But in the end, she was pushed aback to the centre of them after all the spinning from the sticks. Lilly held her stick high at her. Xiao Lon quickly kept her dagger and revealed all of her blades from within her sleeves in one shot. Duo Lon stood right in front of her as he held his hand in a snake-like manner and aimed at her too.

"You have nowhere to run now, you rascal." Said Xiao Lon, letting her tongue out.

"Err…. What's going on here right now?" Lilly was a little confused.

"Now we'll have the answer." Said Duo Lon, without looking at her.

"Grrrr….. Just a little while more." Thought Shion as she bit he lips in anger….