This one is actually longer, haha. Didn't expect that - but I wanted to include Karen's idea and stuff. I'm glad you liked the first chapter, I still have no clue how to write that guy.

I was surprised and delighted to see so many favs and follows, the first chapter was so short and the characters hadn't interacted that much yet. But that will change now.

Especially a big thanks to AmandaVonDoom, CopraMeow and TooLazyToLogIn for reviewing! I love to read your opinions and ideas.

DAY TWO

"Hey, orange-head."

Mia jumped as she put her schoolbag onto her table, her face turning to the tall basketball player who eyed her with a familiar frown on his face. His whole upper body was turned towards her, his chin propped up by his hand as he stared her down. And as the sight slowly sunk in; her dark eyes widened.

He hadn't forgotten.

The blood rushed into her face immediately because she was too stunned to say anything else. This was it. This was her end. She was going to die. Her life had been short and eventless for sure. But damn, she really thought she would get old while playing video games in a house filled to the brim with cats. She was too young. And the room was filled with witnesses. He surely couldn't murder her in front of everyone, right?

But instead of lunging for her like she expected, she was able to see how his lips slowly but surely were pulled into a grin.

"What, ya got a crush on me or something?"

"What?" She deadpanned.

That was not the question she expected. What she thought was that she would hear a death threat. How he asked her if she got any last wishes left before he'd pull a gun or knife out of his jacket. She should be already lying on the floor. In a puddle of her blood, dying an embarrassing useless death. Although that was already exaggerated - all she did was kick his chair and nothing else. It was all Nanami's fault for putting those thoughts into her head anyway.

Aomine caught her attention while pointing at his face. "You're red as hell, orange-head."

Mia felt herself scowling. He was making fun of her, going ahead and assuming things. And here she had feared for her life. Thinking it was the very end. Suddenly, she felt silly and stupid; all the more did she regret having kicked his chair in the first place. If she hadn't done it then he would have ignored her like any other day. Her life would've stayed as peaceful as it was.

"Like hell..." She mumbled to herself, turning away from the blue haired boy. She started digging through her bag for her notebook and pencil case, determined to ignore him until he'd get bored. Her inner battle was hard to win though, the blood still clinging to her cheeks and ears. It only became worse with her mood as she realized how arrogant this guy truly must be.

"What's ya name anyway?"

Her eyes flickered only once towards him. His expression not changing in the slightest. Why did he continue to talk to her? She could feel the goosebumps spread on her arms as his narrow gaze intensified when she didn't reply right away. If this was the punishment for what she did yesterday then she would never dare to pull such a stunt ever again.

"I asked you something."

Calmly Mia sat down, putting her bag down at her feet. She was certain that her face had slowly lost its rosy color, returning to the pale shade she always had. If she was lucky the teacher would arrive a little earlier and her neighbor would be forced to leave her alone.

"Oi, orange-head." Aomine tried again, this time with the edge of annoyance.

Just a few minutes more, her mind chanted. Just a little longer.

"Oi."

Something in between a terrible shriek and cry left her lips as her chair got yanked to the left. Mia could see how a few heads turned but the buzz of laughter and conversations still filled the air, easily smothering her outcry of surprise. The only real witness she had was the shy boy in front of the rude monster. Although she surely couldn't beg him for help when Aomine finally decided to kill her anyway...

What she came to face instead, was the tanned face of her tall classmate. His narrow eyes stared her down, ghosting over her expression as if he was seeing her for the first time. And he surely did that, never noticing her ever before for real. Oh, how she wished that it would still be like that.

"Your name."

Her blood returned with full force to her face while her body tried to lean away as far as she could. The space between them wasn't enough in her opinion. It felt like he was crushing her with nothing but his presence. Her chair became suddenly like a cage, his long legs hindering her from just walking away. It was ridiculous to be honest how easily he was able to freeze someone with nothing but his heavy gaze.

But it felt like a death trap and if she would spill her name it would be her end.

Her unexpected savior, however, came in form of the teacher who finally arrived just in time.

The elderly man, already bald and in his late fifties stepped into the lively room. The students finally scattered and returned to their seats. Mia saw this as her chance; her feet trying to shove her chair back towards her desk. But all what happened was that that her pair of shoes gave a deafening screech in defeat while they slid over the floor. The basketball player was still holding onto her chair with a death grip.

"Oh, I forgot your tests from last week." The older man announced slowly. "Could someone go and fetch them for me?"

If that wasn't a sign from the heaven then she didn't know what it could be. Quickly she pushed herself into the air, even forcing Aomine to lean back to prevent their heads from colliding. Her right hand flung upwards, desperate to be the first to announce she'd do it. It was her only chance to survive, she told herself. Death was already knocking on her door.

"I'll do it!"

"Oh." The teacher breathed, his gaze landing on her form in the far back. "Thanks, Nidori. Please hurry."

"Okay."

Mia quickly pushed the long leg of her classmate aside with her own. She cherished the feeling of freedom as he let her go without making a fuss, although he didn't have much of a choice anyway now where the teacher had arrived - not to mention all the students who would now definitely pay attention to the upcoming murder.

With quick steps she rushed through the rows of tables and students. Her right hand forming a fist in silent victory. Not today! She would live for another day! Or at least until break...she was doomed for sure. How could a single thing like yesterday cause so much?

"I need to move to another country..." The girl concluded breathlessly as she left the class behind her.

"You're as good as dead."

"Oh, come on!" Mia cried out. "How about some support here?"

Nanami stuffed a little meat ball into her mouth, chewing on it with a thoughtful expression. Her friend awaited her reply eagerly, the sandwich in her hands completely forgotten. For now she had survived the past lessons and the moment the bell rang - when it was time for the break - she had been quick enough to kidnap the raven haired girl to escape from the classroom.

The weather was nice enough anyway, she thought to herself. Although that sounded a lot like an excuse, which it probably was in the end...

"Mh...no, you're pretty much dead."

Mia groaned, her body hunching forward on the bench they sat on. That was not the support she had hoped for, Nanami was clever - since they had started to talk to another after they had been assigned to a project at the start of the semester they stuck together. Not knowing anyone in the class was a bit hard but they found in each other just what they had been searching for. A friend. And while they maybe not really shared many hobbies or interests, it didn't matter.

Although Mia did feel a bit down to be labeled a lost cause.

"How come you only eat bread anyway?" Nanami asked, changing the subject in a heartbeat.

"Oh, we just don't eat bentos at home. Back in Germany we always ate bread for breakfast. That stuck, I think." Her dark eyes fell to the sandwich in her hands and the other spicy bread she had bought at the cafeteria.

"Although that won't help me if I'm dead."

"I'll come and visit your grave." Nanami threw in.

Mia furrowed her brow, glancing at her dear friend. "Great...thanks Nanami."

Defeated and fed up with her fate, the girl stared at the sandwich in her hands. The white bread was soft and the salad and cheese neatly put together by no one else than her father. He was always the one who woke up first in their house, giving her mother a bit more time to sleep before she would have to head off to work as well.

Maybe it would do her good to eat something. She needed all the energy she could get.

"Nidori Mia."

Before she could have bitten off a piece of her sandwich, she felt how a huge hand landed on top of her head, squeezing her skull. The heat rushed back into her face by the sound of his voice. Deep, loud - she could literally hear the arrogant grin in it. And he had found her. Just like that. It took her a second to realize that he had even spoken her full name.

The weight on her head increased as his face appeared at her side. He was leaning into her line of vision, the natural glare he wore scanning her face which probably looked ridiculous again. She hated her tendency to blush when she got embarrassed or nervous. All the more because the blue haired guy was causing that reaction without even trying, his presence was just so heavy.

Awkwardly she tried to avoid his piercing eyes, some part of her hoping it would be enough to get rid of him. But all that did was make Aomine turn her head towards him with his hand. His face close enough to hers so that his breath ghosted over her skin. She was going to die. That thought occupied her whole mind; his lop-sided smirk would be the last thing she saw.

And as his fingers tightened their grip on her skull, burying them in her warm orange hair she braced herself for the worst. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting a wave of pain or fire or something else comparable. But all she heard was the rustling of plastic and how finally his presence from her side seemed to fade.

Everything except his hand on top of her head.

Carefully her eyes fluttered open once more, her upper body twisting around to her tall classmate - who now had the spicy bread in his hand. The very one she had bought herself. She didn't know how but he had already torn the bag open, a part of the bread was missing. A faint spark of courage filled her heart as her mouth opened to retort to the rude boy.

"Aomine-kun!"

But someone was apparently faster than she was. A girl appeared; someone she hadn't seen before, however, she seemed to know the basketball player well enough. She approached them with a frown on her face, both hands thrusted into her hips as she actually dared to glare at the scary looking fellow without a worry. A courage Mia really envied in that moment.

"Why did you leave the classroom-?" Only now she noticed the two students sitting on the bench, one girl watching blankly the situation while the other sat there frozen with a face which was comparable to a cherry.

"Who are they?"

"Oh, that's Nidori." Aomine replied instantly, chewing on the bread. "She gave me her bread because I forgot mine."

The new girl furrowed her brow curiously, her long hair shining in a rather pale shade of pink. "You always forget your lunch..."

"That's why Nidori gives me some, right?"

As if to emphasis his words he squeezed her head again, making the girl squeak against her will. It became worse. With every second her awkwardness stood in the way of a snarky comeback. Her tongue was tied as her cheeks glowed brightly. This was worse than death. It was a lot worse than murder. He was making fun of her, forcing her to play by his rules with any means necessary. He was a bully, that much was obvious.

And as Mia didn't reply he actually had the nerve to force her head to nod, the movement stiff and painful but she couldn't do anything thanks to the strength he pressed onto her whole body.

Who in the world spilled her name to the monster?

"Hm..." The girl mused thoughtfully. "Really..." The disbelief was there, a ray of hope for Mia - which got soon crushed by the bright welcoming smile of her though. "It's good to see you're getting along with someone else than Sakurai-kun. However -" Her smile vanished as she turned once more to Aomine. "- we need to discuss the next practice game. Now, so come on!"

Forcefully she tugged at the blue haired boy, taking him with her as he let her drag him away. He was still busy devouring the bread he stole from Mia, something which slipped the teen's mind as she stared flabbergasted after the tanned basketball player and the stranger.

It was hard to comprehend what exactly had happened in these few minutes. Hell, the orange-head was still debating if she was merely dreaming. But the silence was suddenly broken by a voice. A steady and calm tune in contrast to the heavy heartbeat in her chest.

"So, where do you move to?" Nanami asked quietly, her pale eyes glinting towards the figures in the distance.

"...I heard that Great Britain is really nice."

"Mh..." Her friend hummed. "...how does Morgen Nicole sounds?"

"...good." Mia breathed, her gaze falling to the sandwich which she had nearly crushed in between her fingers. "I've got to change my name anyway..."

"I just don't understand." She breathed while her fingers tugged at her bright hair. Her hair clip had nearly come loose, the orange wisps escaping their neat hold as they spilled over her shoulders. She needed a haircut, her mind hushed as she gathered them absent-minded again. Forcing them all once more into place with her clip while her friend on the other hand leaned onto her table.

They had returned shortly afterwards to their classroom, the break wasn't over yet so there was enough time to plan her escape and funeral. Nanami's calm expression stared her down, her finger scratching her chin in thought as she gathered all the information they had.

"How does he know your name anyway? It's not like we know everyone in class by theirs yet...and the teacher only called you by your surname."

"I don't know." Mia groaned, her head falling onto her folded arms. "He always disappears, or isn't even here when class starts. Does that guy even have friends?"

Her complain got washed away by the voices of their classmates, no one minded them. Busy themselves with their lunch and conversations. The only one who reacted was the shy boy not far away from her seat, his brown eyes widened as she looked at him. His whole body jerked away from them as he pushed himself closer towards the window next to his seat - if that was even possible that is.

At first she didn't pay him any heed, she barely knew him from exchanging greetings as they had to clean up the classroom together on cleaning duty. Maybe he was only startled because she had seen him eavesdropping, or maybe...hold on. Mia pushed her head into the air, staring intently at her classmate whose shoulders trembled. She had actually seen him before - interacting with the loud table neighbor. Sometimes when the tall teenager decided not to disappear in the break time and instead terrorized the brown haired boy.

With a start the girl stood up, pushing the chair away with her legs. The low screech of the chair against the floor made the boy jump once more, it was obvious that he knew she was able to make the connection.

"Sakura-san."

Nanami blinked at first a bit surprised at her friend before she turned towards the certain classmate who now received all their attention.

"Sakura-san."

Mia repeated his name; her tone a lot more demanding than before. Although that did the trick, with a lot trouble and fearful hazelnut eyes he turned around towards him. She could see the deep frown on his face, his bottom lip trembling as if he expected to be executed on the very spot.

"I-it's...S...Sakurai...Ryō...if, if you don't mind, I mean! It's alright if you want to call me Sakura - I mean, I'm sorry! I-I'm-"

"Take a breather there." Nanami commented, furrowing her brow.

"I'm sorry." He replied immediately, bowing his head forward once more. But as he saw the face of Mia who had crouched down next to his table he nearly jumped out of his seat out of surprise. His stiff limbs were failing him though. The teen struggled to not fall over the chair somehow and the orange-head stared him merely down, determined to find any clue in his tearful expression which would help her solve this riddle. Although that looked a lot harder than she thought it would be...

"...Nidori-san?" He whispered faintly.

"I knew it!" The orange haired girl cried out, pointing at the poor teen who was now definitely scared out of his mind. "It was you who told that guy my name, right? Right?"

Sakurai froze, real salty tears filling his eyes. Mia could feel her anger boil; if maybe he hadn't encouraged the scary table neighbor of them then he wouldn't have bothered seeking her out in the break. Just as she was about to give the shy boy in front of her a piece of her mind he literally started to cry.

"I'm sorry!" It bursted out of him again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for telling him but Aomine-kun can be so scary! I couldn't say no. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Well, uh..." Her anger bursted like a bubble leaving nothing but sudden guilt behind. "...come on...I didn't mean to...uh...please...stop crying...?"

"I'm sorry for crying!"

"N-no...that's not what I...uh..." At loss for words Mia turned to her friend who stared at the whimpering classmate with a look of pure confusion. As she noticed the glance of the girl however, she shrugged with her shoulders, sighing.

"Don't look at me. You made him cry."

"Eeh?" Shocked Mia turned back towards Sakurai, raising her hands into the air. "C-come on, I'm sorry as well...just...let's make up, okay?"

"R-really?"

"Yeah, sure...just...please, stop crying."

Sakurai found the strength to nod, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve to get rid of the tears. It was a great relief to see him calm again, or at least as calm as he could get with his tense shoulders. He shifted carefully on his chair, still not comfortable with all the attention he received as Mia folded her arms on top of his table.

"So." Nanami started. "Aomine forced you to spill the beans."

"Uh...well...in, in practice he actually showed up. But he was all about the girl who kicked his chair- and, and he knew I saw it, too. H-he promised to actually play i-if..."

"Practice?" Mia perked up, baffled. "Wait, you're in the basketball team as well?"

Sakurai hung his head in disappointment. "Yes...I guess I'm really invincible, aren't I...?"

Quickly the orange-head shook her head, waving with her hands to dismiss her previous statement. "I, I didn't mean to sound...I was just surprised- ...forget it." She sighed. "Did he ever maybe mention then that he...you know...wanted to kill the said girl...?"

"Kill?" Sakurai's eyes widened in panic before he shook his head hectically. "N-no! He didn't. Aomine-kun would never do something like that..." His reply sounded eager although after a short moment of hesitation he chose to add, "...I think.", which didn't really help the whole situation Mia found herself in.

"Well that sounds assuring." The black haired girl mused next to them, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "...did he mention at least something useful?"

"N-no...I'm sorry." Sakurai apologized once more. "He merely repeated Nidori-san's name and left shortly afterwards. I'm sorry for telling him. I'm sorry."

The orange-head groaned loudly, letting her head fall onto her folded arms. That was her last clue, to find who told that monster her name. But now where she knew that she didn't know what to do now, it wasn't exactly Sakurai's fault either. And to tell a teacher that she was scared of her classmate wouldn't really help. As long as her corpse wasn't lying around, they wouldn't care.

The bell suddenly rang, indicating that the break was over. The students slowly returned to their seats, Nanami was one of them who left to go back to her own desk after she gave Mia a light pat on the head out of pity. The girl couldn't muster the strength to move right away, rolling a bit longer in her self-pity which Sakurai watched with a concerned look.

"Thanks anyway, Sakurai-san..." Mia finally murmured before she pulled away from the table she was leaning on, slouching back to her own desk which was only two feet away.

"N...no problem...Nidori-san."

With a huff she fell onto her chair, her upper body seeking comfort on the table's surface as the class slowly filled up once more. Every other classmate returned from their activity to resume their schedule, except one, the girl noticed after a few moments in slight confusion and delight.

Aomine didn't return.

Maybe, just maybe if she was really lucky, he would finally ignore her once more.