AN: I'm a jerk this chapter. I answer basically nothing! Yippee! It's a
good chapter though, I love it. Sorry, I promise, next chapter! I
promise, I promise, I promise!
It was the back of the room students that caused her so much headache and money on bottles of aspirin that went dry almost immediately. Or rather, the back of the room student was the reason.
That's where she had put Hirokazu at the beginning of the year, and hadn't moved him since, though ever four weeks she would rotate the student's seating positions. He didn't want to be up front, as did she not want him to be in the front of the room. Back there, he could make whatever little comment under his breath and write any little note he wanted into his notebook, and the class was none the wiser. He had his corner, she had her control, and every thing worked out well. That was, unless he decided he didn't like the class running so smoothly.
Hirokazu had answered on an analysis that he was only good at whatever subject he wanted to be at that particular moment. At the time of that test, it was math. Now, a week later, it was English and debate.
He was, once again, questioning the relevance of the quiz they were taking, arguing that it was pointless busy work set up to look like a check and balance. The other children sided with him, as usual. It didn't matter he was their age, it didn't matter that he brought up very valid arguments, all that did was that they usually frustrated their teacher to such an extent that she would simply cancel the quiz.
He was in such a mood today.
He had once again placed his feet upon the desk, lounging back so that his shoulder blades rested upon the cabinet behind him. The boy smirked, looking disturbingly maniacal with his new canines growing, beneath the green shade of the visor. She shouldn't be intimidated, she told her self over and over. He's just a little boy, ten years old.
But he was a ten-year-old boy with over a dozen allies. He knew when he had her in the palm of his hand, and that was dangerous for a teacher. She couldn't do anything to stop the boy.
"Ma-am?" A fuzzy voice over the intercom asked.
"Yes?" She asked, listening hopefully for just seven little words that would save her day so much agony.
"Please send Hirokazu down to the office," the voice ordered, not even bothering to ask. She smiled smugly back to the student who sat beside the window. The boy was obviously trying to figure out what it was that he was being called for this time.
"Of course. Goodbye for now. I'll see you tomorrow morning for your make up, Hirokazu," She smiled. Hirokazu let out a string of swears under his breath, careful not to let anything slip when he was already on an uphill climb to keep his dignity.
He walked out of the room, the class already groaning as they put their books away and prepared for the quiz. A few swore at him for giving in so easily, and he returned to them an icy glare.
When the door closed, she smiled. The day had returned to the peace she had before Hirokazu entered her classroom.
******
It didn't take long for Hirokazu to make it to the principle's office. Lord knows how many times he had been sent there.
As always, Mr. Akumora, the principle, was standing out side of the office, waiting for him. Just because ONE time, he decided he really needed to go to the bathroom for an hour, they didn't trust him.
Go figure.
"Good morning Mr. Shiota, it appears we meet again," The principle told him mono-tonely. Hirokazu only nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Appears so," he agreed without much enthusiasm. Mr. Akumora muttered something about Hirokazu being a brat or a nuisance, something to that extent. Hirokazu didn't care. He'd heard it all before from millions of other adults. It didn't really bother him anymore.
"You're going home," Mr. Akumora finally said, coming back to a normal volume.
"I heard," Hirokazu replied, pushing his way past the principle and into the office. A young man, maybe twenty, was waiting for him.
Hirokazu looked around the office to find anyone else, but there wasn't anyone but the man and the old secretary who typed slowly on the computer. There was no one he knew other than her.
The man was tall, letting his long, thin legs stretch out far in front of him. He lifted one lanky arm from where he had let it rest on his chest to tilt up his tan cowboy hat. It revealed a pair of green eyes, looking at him rather intently.
"Morning, Squirt," He greeted lightly, standing and towering over the boy. Hirokazu nodded nervously.
"I hope your aunt gets better. Your brother was so worried about her," The secretary smiled politely. The twenty year old shrugged and grinned sheepishly. Hirokazu instantly realized what was going on. He nodded wildly.
"Oh yeah, well, I'll tell her you said that!" Hirokazu promised her. He took the man behind him by the hand, rushing out of the building.
Only when they were safely away from the windows of the office did Hirokazu drop his 'brother's' hand and return to his normal walk.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Hirokazu criticized casually, looking back out of the corner of his eye. The man chuckled.
"Got you out, didn't I?" He asked. Hirokazu shrugged and nodded.
"Why?" The man stopped for a second, looking down at his feet. His eyes darted around to find another human, his gaze settling upon the janitor, combing the grounds.
"Not here, not now. Get in the car," He whispered fiercely. He pushed Hirokazu into the seat of an old, green car and slammed the door shut. With one last look over his shoulder at the grounds keeper, he hopped into the drivers seat and started the engine.
The man drove back to the apartment as quickly as he could, quivering and looking around to see if anyone was watching him. Even when he couldn't find anyone, he would still act like he had.
"Why'd dad send you to get me?" Hirokazu asked, spinning the visor in his hands. The man turned to him, his eyes narrow.
"Shut up," He hissed. His seemingly burnt skin was drenched in sweat as he pulled into the parking lot and dragged Hirokazu into the apartment. He locked the door behind them
"What's going on?" Hirokazu asked, backing away from the door as he watched the twenty year old close all the curtains so that there was no light coming in from the out doors.
When all was shut off, the elder calmed down a bit.
"Hirokazu, there's something that you need to know," He began slowly, taking a seat upon the couch and hitting a light switch. Hirokazu chose to stand where he was, basked half in the light of the table lamp.
"Back before you were born, your father, a few of his friends, and me went to a place called the Digital World. We fought enemies called the Dark Masters, and, long story short, we won and saved the world.
"But what we hadn't counted was that at the time, you could still be re-configured."
He paused to sigh, taking off his hat and running his hands though his hair and placing the hat on once again.
"About two years before you were born, they were at full strength again. They began to take over the Digital World, piece by piece until they controlled almost as much as they had in their first prime. We had left a long time ago, and we couldn't go back. The gates had been closed.
"Your dad and your mom were the only ones who could go back into the Digital World to protect it."
"But I thought you said the gate was closed," Hirokazu pointed out, tilting his head so it was basked deeper into the shadows.
"I'll get to that. Your mother was shot early on in the battle; she died protecting you from them. Hirokazu, you're a very special child. That's why your father decided to send you into hiding.
"You've been kept here since you've been one, and you've been safe living under the identity of Hirokazu Shiota. But, just a few hours ago, I found that there was a need to bring you out of this world and back into the one you belong in.
"You only need to be trained before I can tell you any more. But first, do you except?"
Hirokazu blinked, his jaw hanging open.
"What…what...what are you talking about?" He sputtered.
"Hirokazu, it's all very simple. You see, your…"
It was the back of the room students that caused her so much headache and money on bottles of aspirin that went dry almost immediately. Or rather, the back of the room student was the reason.
That's where she had put Hirokazu at the beginning of the year, and hadn't moved him since, though ever four weeks she would rotate the student's seating positions. He didn't want to be up front, as did she not want him to be in the front of the room. Back there, he could make whatever little comment under his breath and write any little note he wanted into his notebook, and the class was none the wiser. He had his corner, she had her control, and every thing worked out well. That was, unless he decided he didn't like the class running so smoothly.
Hirokazu had answered on an analysis that he was only good at whatever subject he wanted to be at that particular moment. At the time of that test, it was math. Now, a week later, it was English and debate.
He was, once again, questioning the relevance of the quiz they were taking, arguing that it was pointless busy work set up to look like a check and balance. The other children sided with him, as usual. It didn't matter he was their age, it didn't matter that he brought up very valid arguments, all that did was that they usually frustrated their teacher to such an extent that she would simply cancel the quiz.
He was in such a mood today.
He had once again placed his feet upon the desk, lounging back so that his shoulder blades rested upon the cabinet behind him. The boy smirked, looking disturbingly maniacal with his new canines growing, beneath the green shade of the visor. She shouldn't be intimidated, she told her self over and over. He's just a little boy, ten years old.
But he was a ten-year-old boy with over a dozen allies. He knew when he had her in the palm of his hand, and that was dangerous for a teacher. She couldn't do anything to stop the boy.
"Ma-am?" A fuzzy voice over the intercom asked.
"Yes?" She asked, listening hopefully for just seven little words that would save her day so much agony.
"Please send Hirokazu down to the office," the voice ordered, not even bothering to ask. She smiled smugly back to the student who sat beside the window. The boy was obviously trying to figure out what it was that he was being called for this time.
"Of course. Goodbye for now. I'll see you tomorrow morning for your make up, Hirokazu," She smiled. Hirokazu let out a string of swears under his breath, careful not to let anything slip when he was already on an uphill climb to keep his dignity.
He walked out of the room, the class already groaning as they put their books away and prepared for the quiz. A few swore at him for giving in so easily, and he returned to them an icy glare.
When the door closed, she smiled. The day had returned to the peace she had before Hirokazu entered her classroom.
******
It didn't take long for Hirokazu to make it to the principle's office. Lord knows how many times he had been sent there.
As always, Mr. Akumora, the principle, was standing out side of the office, waiting for him. Just because ONE time, he decided he really needed to go to the bathroom for an hour, they didn't trust him.
Go figure.
"Good morning Mr. Shiota, it appears we meet again," The principle told him mono-tonely. Hirokazu only nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Appears so," he agreed without much enthusiasm. Mr. Akumora muttered something about Hirokazu being a brat or a nuisance, something to that extent. Hirokazu didn't care. He'd heard it all before from millions of other adults. It didn't really bother him anymore.
"You're going home," Mr. Akumora finally said, coming back to a normal volume.
"I heard," Hirokazu replied, pushing his way past the principle and into the office. A young man, maybe twenty, was waiting for him.
Hirokazu looked around the office to find anyone else, but there wasn't anyone but the man and the old secretary who typed slowly on the computer. There was no one he knew other than her.
The man was tall, letting his long, thin legs stretch out far in front of him. He lifted one lanky arm from where he had let it rest on his chest to tilt up his tan cowboy hat. It revealed a pair of green eyes, looking at him rather intently.
"Morning, Squirt," He greeted lightly, standing and towering over the boy. Hirokazu nodded nervously.
"I hope your aunt gets better. Your brother was so worried about her," The secretary smiled politely. The twenty year old shrugged and grinned sheepishly. Hirokazu instantly realized what was going on. He nodded wildly.
"Oh yeah, well, I'll tell her you said that!" Hirokazu promised her. He took the man behind him by the hand, rushing out of the building.
Only when they were safely away from the windows of the office did Hirokazu drop his 'brother's' hand and return to his normal walk.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Hirokazu criticized casually, looking back out of the corner of his eye. The man chuckled.
"Got you out, didn't I?" He asked. Hirokazu shrugged and nodded.
"Why?" The man stopped for a second, looking down at his feet. His eyes darted around to find another human, his gaze settling upon the janitor, combing the grounds.
"Not here, not now. Get in the car," He whispered fiercely. He pushed Hirokazu into the seat of an old, green car and slammed the door shut. With one last look over his shoulder at the grounds keeper, he hopped into the drivers seat and started the engine.
The man drove back to the apartment as quickly as he could, quivering and looking around to see if anyone was watching him. Even when he couldn't find anyone, he would still act like he had.
"Why'd dad send you to get me?" Hirokazu asked, spinning the visor in his hands. The man turned to him, his eyes narrow.
"Shut up," He hissed. His seemingly burnt skin was drenched in sweat as he pulled into the parking lot and dragged Hirokazu into the apartment. He locked the door behind them
"What's going on?" Hirokazu asked, backing away from the door as he watched the twenty year old close all the curtains so that there was no light coming in from the out doors.
When all was shut off, the elder calmed down a bit.
"Hirokazu, there's something that you need to know," He began slowly, taking a seat upon the couch and hitting a light switch. Hirokazu chose to stand where he was, basked half in the light of the table lamp.
"Back before you were born, your father, a few of his friends, and me went to a place called the Digital World. We fought enemies called the Dark Masters, and, long story short, we won and saved the world.
"But what we hadn't counted was that at the time, you could still be re-configured."
He paused to sigh, taking off his hat and running his hands though his hair and placing the hat on once again.
"About two years before you were born, they were at full strength again. They began to take over the Digital World, piece by piece until they controlled almost as much as they had in their first prime. We had left a long time ago, and we couldn't go back. The gates had been closed.
"Your dad and your mom were the only ones who could go back into the Digital World to protect it."
"But I thought you said the gate was closed," Hirokazu pointed out, tilting his head so it was basked deeper into the shadows.
"I'll get to that. Your mother was shot early on in the battle; she died protecting you from them. Hirokazu, you're a very special child. That's why your father decided to send you into hiding.
"You've been kept here since you've been one, and you've been safe living under the identity of Hirokazu Shiota. But, just a few hours ago, I found that there was a need to bring you out of this world and back into the one you belong in.
"You only need to be trained before I can tell you any more. But first, do you except?"
Hirokazu blinked, his jaw hanging open.
"What…what...what are you talking about?" He sputtered.
"Hirokazu, it's all very simple. You see, your…"