Okay, guys, here's the next chapter! I've noticed recently that the chapters are shorter than they were in the beginning, and I think this is due to me having a busier schedule than I did back then, consequently reducing my writing time.

Also, unless MystryMeat contacts me to say they are still around, I am looking for a new plot beta. I had tried sending you the last chapter, MystryMeat, but for some reason your email address is dead! So please contact me if you're still around 'cause you were a great beta!

If there was one thing you were glad for when you left the campus, it was that it was Friday. Meaning no school for the next two days. Meaning no practice for you to participate in. 'Also meaning more time for me to find another frigging job,' you thought dully, dead-panning slightly.

"What's going through that rattled head of yours, Damn Cat?"

"Why do you keep following me?" you demanded, glaring at a certain blond quarterback that had taken it upon himself to "escort" you to a destination that you yourself hadn't determined yet. 'He'd probably be stalking me like a creeper if he thought he could get away with it.' "And my head's fine now, thank you very much."

"Be grateful it's so hard, then."

"...You're an ass, you know that?"

"Kekekeke!"

You stayed silent. There was no use trying to win with him, and you honestly didn't see any real reason to try since it wasn't really important.

"Where the hell are you going, anyway?"

You decided that it was time to screw with him a little. "Somewhere."

"Somewhere?"

"Somewhere."

Annoyed, he rephrased. "Where specifically are you going?"

"No-where."

"You're going no-where?"

"Pretty much."

"..." Smack!

"Ow!"

"Knock it off!"

"You're an ass-hole!"

"You're a fucking idiot!"

"Burglarizing, domineering prick!"

"Masochistic, brain-dead cat!"

~~Some time later...~~

"Where are we?" you blurted suddenly as you were about to shout some sort of insult at Hiruma. You stopped walking, looking around for anything that might give you a clue. Hiruma looked at you and dead-panned a little.

"You really suck at navigating new areas."

"Duh. I noticed," you replied, sending him a small glare. You knew he was very much amused by your lack in navigational skills; even though you tried not to pry into his and the others' feelings, closing off your empathy was easier said than done. That, and you knew Hiruma well enough to know better than to think otherwise anyway. "Are we still in the same town?"

"Yeah," he replied, taking a quick glance around. Doing the same, you noticed that the two of you had wandered into somewhat of a shopping district. There were clothing stores, knick-knack shops, and...

Grrrrrrrrrrlll...

...Restaurants.

"Huh, that's weird," Hiruma muttered, looking toward the street.

"What is?" you asked.

"I could've sworn I heard a motorcycle go by just now!"

Eyebrow twitching in annoyance, you growled, "Excuse me for not having eaten anything except a fricking granola bar today." Unconsciously you raised your hand to rest on your side, which was hurting a little more than usual due to you yelling at Hiruma. Of course, he noticed and raised an eyebrow, blowing a gum bubble. "Yeah, I know, few weeks like this." You turned away from the quarterback and proceeded to walk down the street.

"Oi! Where the hell're you going?"

"I'm going to find something to eat. Not that it's really any of your business."

Hiruma smirked. "You're going the wrong way, dumb-ass; you're headed for the business district."

You stopped and turned toward him. You knew he wasn't lying because there weren't any major vibes of mischief coming from him. "Thanks," you sighed, and turned around to start walking toward the shopping district, where food kiosks would inevitably be found. Suddenly you felt him grab your forearm, and you looked up sharply. He looked back at you and said, "Come on," before tugging you along for a couple seconds, then letting go. You followed, and shortly found yourself entering a small restaurant. You decided to stay silent about this interesting (and to you somewhat suspicious) development and sat down across from Hiruma at a booth near the back. After a couple minutes of silence, you finally asked, "Why here?"

For once, he didn't give some snarky reply to your question. Not even a smirk, actually. Not breaking eye contact with you, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lethal weapon; the Devil's Handbook. Immediately, your face darkened and you instinctively brought out your stoic mask. He removed a piece of paper from the book, one that you assumed wasn't a part of the book because it was simply tucked into it. He tossed it to you and you caught it effortlessly before unfolding and reading it. Put shortly, they were notes. Notes that included what school you were in during your kindergarten year, some names of your kindergarten classmates, and details on the incident about Chiori, one of your classmates' dog.

'No... The one thing I didn't want him to find!' You crushed the paper in your hand and threw it back at him. He dodged it, of course. "So," you started, your voice as stoic and emotionless as your face. You wouldn't let him see anything that he'd interpret as weakness. "This is the new dirt you've dug up on me."

"No," he replied. Your eyes widened slightly. "That old classmate of yours seems to think you had something to do with her dog's death."

You clenched your jaw. "I'd never kill an animal! How could you think..."

"I don't. A fucking six year-old plotting the death of her classmate's pet and actually pulling it off? Che, not likely, especially for someone like you."

You decided to play dumb. "Then what are you getting at?"

"The fact that you knew the accident would happen two days before hand is one hell of a coincidence. Also, I've been talkin' to your coach."

You struggled to maintain your composure now.

"Putting what I got him to tell me together with that dog story, several other "interesting events" in your childhood, and what I've observed, and the only fucking thing I could come up with was pretty damn far-fetched."

Your emotions were getting in the way of your empathetic ability; you couldn't tell what Hiruma's intentions were at this point. "Why are you telling me this?"

It was then that he smirked. "Wanted to get a fucking confirmation from the most reliable source. You're actually a fucking psychic?"

You scowled. "I'm not proud of it, Hiruma." At that point the waiter came by and fearfully asked for your orders. You didn't reply, and weren't paying attention to what Hiruma said until the guy left.

"So what exactly are your abilities?"

It was at this point you were truly grateful for the privacy offered at the restaurant that would've been lost at a kiosk, and you knew better than to lie to Hiruma now. "I'm extremely empathetic, and sometimes I... catch glimpses of the future."

He continued. "This explains a whole hell of a fucking lot. You knew you'd lose that last fight, didn't you?"

You knew where he was going with his question. Knew that he had already figured out what your answer would be and the explanation behind it.

"Yes."

And you weren't training your ass off in the hopes of winning."

"No." No, you hadn't expected to win; hadn't even hoped to win. That training was only to get as strong as possible so that you'd take less of a beating. Of course, Hiruma knew this. You could see the anger in his eyes and facial expression.

'Odd,' you thought, puzzled, 'For as angry as he looks, I'm not sensing a lot of it.'

"Why didn't you just quit then?"

You frowned and replied, "My pride. I knew I had been set up and had no hope of winning. I knew I'd be better of just ducking out while I could. But I'd feel like a damn coward doing it that way, so I decided that if I was going to go out one way or the other, I'd go out putting up a fight and giving them as much hell as I could."

He looked at you for another moment before blinking and turning away.

"Che."

Somehow I find myself worrying about whether or not I got Hiruma in-character. I hope I did.