Act II Begins

Monday; Akito's Home; 6:00 AM

Akito Sato lies in his bed as his alarm rings. Akito opens his eyes and looks at his ceiling. He feels...happy. Genuinely happy.

He has been texting and calling Natsuki through the weekend, especially on Sunday. On Sunday, the school announced that Rei would be moved to an at-risk school due to multiple absences and problems with staff. It didn't take long for Natsuki and Rei to get into a fight...that kinda led to the end of their friendship. Akito talked to his girlfriend all day Sunday so she could rant and get everything out of her system. It was hard for her to rant because she is always walking around when she calls him. He doesn't know why, but she never calls him at home, only texting. It's probably just a coincidence...

School

Akito and Sayori get to school, where they see a crowd surrounding Natsuki and Leo: The Insult Battle has returned!

"Look Nattie, I'm not sayin' ya ugly, I'm just sayin' that a paper bag would bring ya more attention." Leo shrugs, getting cheers from the crowd.

"Leo, if you could stop attacking my appearance, I don't think you are in a position for it. I mean, you are literally what I imagine the offspring like when I hear of how European and British Royalty used to marry their siblings." Natsuki replies, getting laughs from the crowd. Leo actually has to stifle a chuckle.

"Nattie, I get that you like to feel big by insulting me, but I should probably sit down so we are at least face-to-face." Leo smirks before he sits crisscross on the ground. "There, now we are on an even playing field when it comes to height." Leo chuckles.

"You know, Cleo, they say beauty is on the inside. You better hope that's true." Natsuki raises her eyebrows as the crowd cheers and Leo stands up.

"Nattie, you're so ugly that your portraits hang themselves." Leo calmly states, getting the loudest reaction of the battle.

"...alright yeah. You win." Natsuki nods before they bump fists. The crowd disperses as the Literature Club walk over to Natsuki and Leo.

"We seriously need to do an insult tournament." Akito smirks and gets laughs from everyone, minus Natsuki, who smiles sweetly at Akito. Once Natsuki remembers where she is, she changes her expression to her usual cocky one.

"So I can beat everyone quickly? Sounds good." Natsuki confidently states, smirking as she does.

"GUYS!" Monika exclaims joyfully, getting the club's attention. "THAT'S WHAT WE CAN START PREPARING FOR! WE CAN USE OUR LITERARY ABILITY AND BEGIN SETTING UP AN INSULT TOURNAMENT!" Monika smiles brightly.

"That would be sooo fun!" Sayori squeals before her and Monika hold hands and bounce up and down.

"You won't make it too far..." Yuri sighs, getting an unexpected laugh from the group.

"Welp, Yuri has already beat Sayori." Akito chuckles. Yuri blushes as everyone laughs.

"Oh, I also have big news everyone!" Monika claps her hands. "Thanks to my parents' pull, the principal put all of us in the same lunch period!"

"Finally!" Sayori squeals as Akito shrugs.

"Well, that means Leo and I can goof off at lunch." Akito informs and Leo laughs.

"Oh, it'll be great! I can see ya and Nattie be all lovin' dovin'." Leo smirks.

"Do I look lovey dovey to you?" Natsuki asks, her eye twitching.

"So, you two are finally dating?" Sayori steps in between Leo and Natsuki and smiles brightly at Akito and Natsuki. Akito looks at Natsuki.

"You're putting me on the spot?!" Natsuki yells, her eye twitching even more.

"Good to see who is wearin' the pants in this relationship." Leo chuckles. Natsuki sighs before placing her fist against Akito's chest.

"This is mine." Natsuki informs in her cocky voice, despite her very dark red blushing giving her away.

"Am I?" Akito jokingly raises an eyebrow.

"Shut up, dummy." Natsuki smirks at him.

"Well, aren't ya adorable." Leo shakes his head, getting a glare from Natsuki. "Oh sorry, you are cute, Nattie." Leo grins cockily. "We should go before the bell rings." Leo informs before the group leaves. Akito is about to when he feels a tugging on his jacket. He turns to see Natsuki holding onto it.

"You okay?" Akito raises an eyebrow.

"Are we...together?" Natsuki mumbles.

"Do you want to be?" Akito looks her in the eyes. Natsuki opens her mouth to speak, but instead simply nods her head. "There you go." Akito smiles at her, getting a smile out of her as well. Natsuki pushes her fist against his chest again before they head into the school.

Lunch

Natsuki is sitting at her table with the rest of the Literature Club beside her. Akito comes by and hands Natsuki his tray.

"You two are so cute!" Sayori squeals.

"I see some more people who are cute." Leo states as he sees Daisuke, Hachiro, and Kentaro glaring at them from their filled table. "Take a picture! It lasts longer!" Leo yells at them.

"Fuck you, cockney asshole!" Daisuke yells back.

"Calm down, Leo." Ikki sighs.

"Absolu'ely not." Leo smirks before grabbing a biscuit from off his tray, throwing it at Daisuke. He hits Daisuke right in the forehead.

"I will mess you up!" Daisuke stands up and threatens.

"Bet!" Leo stands up and grins. "My grandmother could beat ya and she is dead! 'ell, Nattie here could beat ya!"

"I will beat you." Natsuki groans as she glares at Leo. Daisuke begins to storm over. Sayori tries to stop Leo, but Leo shrugs her off and puts a french fry in his mouth. Daisuke pushes him and, in response, Leo spits the fry in Daisuke's face.

"Go to bed, kid. Th'adults are talkin'" Leo grins cockily. Daisuke glares, but storms away. Leo smirks as Daisuke and his boys leave.

"Why do you have to antagonize people?" Akito chuckles.

"Ah, it's in my nature." Leo laughs. Akito shakes his head and single arm hugs Leo.

"We are gonna fight them at some point, aren't we?" Akito jokes.

"Bring 'em. I can take 'em. I'll take 'em all!" Leo cockily states before raising his fists dramatically.

After School

The group is sat around in a circle. Leo and Natsuki both are writing in notepads (most likely insults for the future insult tournament) while everyone else is just talking about themselves, learning even more about each other.

"So, how do your parents have so much pull?" Akito asks Monika.

"Oh, they invest in the school occasionally." Monika calmly shrugs.

"Wait, what?" Everyone but Sayori replies, even Leo and Natsuki look up from their notepads.

"My name is Monika Schmidt. Does that sound Japanese to any of you? Do I even look Asian?" Monika scoffs and leans back against a wall.

"Okay...fair point." Akito nods once. "So, your parents are rich?"

"Yeah?" Monika cocks her head to the side.

"SHOULDN'T YA BE GOIN' TO ONE OF 'EM PRIVATE SCHOOLS?" Leo yells dramatically.

"Wh- No!" Monika shakes her head and looks at everyone with confusion. "I enjoy going to public schools. I enjoy meeting people like you guys."

"I love you!" Sayori exclaims as she hugs Monika, who pats Sayori's head in response.

"Love you too, cinnamon bun." Monika smiles at her friend as Leo and Natsuki go back to their notepads. "What do your parents do, Akito?" Monika asks, causing Akito and Leo to freeze.

"We don't need to go into that." Leo states before Akito has a chance to speak up. Everyone noticed how uncomfortable both men are and drop the subject for now.

"How did you three meet?" Natsuki speaks up, getting everyone's attention.

"Ikki, Leo, and I?" Akito looks up with a smile. "Well, Ikki will go first."

"Okay, calm down. Times have changed, Kitty." Ikki chuckles. "Back in elementary, I actually bullied Akito a lot." Ikki informs, shocking the girls.

"Then this absolute hard as fuck man stepped up to defend his first friend 'ere and scared lil Izzy away." Leo cockily adds.

"I wouldn't say I was scared away..." Ikki rolls his eyes.

"I would! Ya literally ran away when this lil British kid smacked ya across the jaw." Leo says before tapping Ikki on the cheek jokingly.

"The places would probably be swapped now..." Ikki jokingly glares.

"You both are at a ten and I need both of you to bring it down to a negative twelve." Akito states as he wraps his arms around his best friends.

"By the way, what are you guys writing in your notebooks?" Tamiko speaks up, reminding everyone that her and Yuri are there. She looks at Leo and Natsuki.

"I'm writing insults to everyone." Natsuki replies.

"Seconded." Leo raises a hand calmly.

"I'm thinking," Monika places her hand on her chin, "one side is girls, the other is boys. That way it can come down to the best female insulter and the best male insulter."

"There are only three guys though..." Yuri cocks her head to the side.

"Hey Tamiko, wanna be a guy temporarily?" Leo asks as he nudges Tamiko.

"I'm down." Tamiko shrugs.

"Faaaantastic. We've got four guys now." Leo claps his hands together.

"Well, at least I don't have to destroy Akito." Natsuki mumbles as she goes to scratch something out, only for Leo to grab the notepad.

"Nattie," Leo starts out, annoying Natsuki right off the back, "I don't think drawin' lil hearts counts as an insult." Leo chuckles before Natsuki yanks the notepad back and scratches out what she wrote down for Akito. "In her defense, there was a generic insult about ya face, Kitty."

"Makes me feel much better, Cleo." Akito rolls his eyes.

"At least I'm willin' to burn my lovely." Leo shrugs.

"Prove it." Natsuki smirks cockily.

"I compared Sayori to a lil puppy tat was too dumb to figure out why she shouldn't eat the chocolate." Leo informs.

"I'm...I'm dumb..?" Sayori asks, a sad look covering her face as Leo's eyes go wide.

"No, darlin'. Y'are a bright and beautiful young lady. What I say in my insults are not to be taken seriously. I mean, unless y'are the three stooges who picked on Yuri or..." Leo shudders, "Nattie." Leo immediately gets flipped off by Natsuki. Leo replies with the same finger as both cockily smirk at each other.

After The "Meeting"

Akito and Natsuki are walking out of the school, walking down the steps. "Do you want me to walk you-" Akito starts out.

"No!" Natsuki screams suddenly. "I mean, no, I'm fine." Natsuki clears her throat and smiles at Akito.

"Oh, uh, okay." Akito narrows his eyes, confused, before smiling at his short girlfriend. "I'll text you later, okay?"

"I'm gonna hold you to that, dummy." Natsuki states as she pushes her fist into his chest before walking away.

Akito's Home

Akito grabs the mail from the mailbox and walks into the house. "Bills...Bills...Bills..." Akito mutters as he shuffles through the mail. Finally, he freezes as he looks at one envelop- A letter from his father, Kota Sato. Akito takes a deep breath before opening it.

Dear Akito

A/N: Wow, how awful is Equinox for not only not posting for a long time, but also leaving the first chapter in a long time with a cliffhanger? How awful :D

Anyways, thank you everyone for checking out "War Of Instincts" by Two Pieced Heart (A.k.a. Me; Read it on either Wattpad or FictionPress every Wednesday [Harmless promotion]), it means a lot to me. I will be trying to update this more often so you all don't think I'm ditching it or something. I love this story and yes, you probably have heard this from me before, but I MEAN IT!

Anyways, thanks as always for reading and I will see you next time.

-Eclipse...