An Unexpected Life

By Sulia Serafine

Chapter 4: Coming Up Short

Disclaimer: I do not own the Rival Schools characters (darn). I'm not making any money off them. I'm doing this for entertainment purposes only. Original characters and plots belong to me.

Author: Hey—thought I abandoned this fic, didn't you? Nah. Just took a year off. (laughs) Okay! I've decided! I'm going to go against the story line for the RS games! (That includes Project Justice). Yay for alternate endings! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I lost touch with the story, but now I'm back in the groove… (As corny as that sounds) I'm not sure when I'll get Chapter 5 done. But I try every spare moment I have. I wouldn't dream of leaving this unfinished. With that said, enjoy the chapter, and remember to review after! All reviews are cherished and put on a shelf of pride.

~~

"Sakura! Wait up!" Kei yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran down the street. Her friend was barely in sight; Kei could just see her white headband fluttering in the wind. Kei finally decided to stop and catch her breath, even if it would mean a larger gap to close between them. She plopped down onto a nearby green bench and looked at her watch. It was almost time to eat. Now that food was on her mind, Kei's stomach appropriately grumbled, craving attention.

"Ugh."

"Kei! Come on, you're so slow!" She could hear Sakura whine before she even saw her.

Kei set down her schoolbag on the ground beside her feet and took out a snack. "Well, I'm tired and hungry. It's not like we're late or anything. You're actually very early."

"But I want to be there long before my opponent is! You know that!"

"Some days," her friend began, "I really wish you would take a vacation from all this!"

Sakura searched her wits for a decent reply. "I didn't ask you to come."

"That's the problem with best friends. We may not like to go somewhere, but we'll want to for the other's sake." Kei smiled. "After all, someone has got to make sure you go promptly home afterwards instead of hanging out with the hooligans."

The other girl snorted. "Yeah right! You come here for me, you say?" she laughed teasingly. "I wasn't the one commenting on a boy's rippling muscles at the last fight, was I?"

Kei blushed. "It's not like that will do any good! Who would want to be girlfriend to a fighter? They're always getting in trouble, with black eyes and bruises that need to be tended to! I get sick enough as it is helping you around when you limp through the school halls after a particularly harsh defeat!"

Sakura sat down on the bench beside her. "Somehow I think you'll be singing a different tune by the time we graduate."

"If we graduate! I know I will, but the way you're going around getting yourself hurt, I don't think you'll survive until then!"

Her best friend stuck out her tongue at her. They proceeded to laugh over the argument and talk about getting some ice cream after the fight (no matter what the outcome). They failed to notice two people walking on the opposite side of the street, about to get into a run down old car with a terribly rusted bumper. It was a two door family car that looked like it had seen better days while sitting in its driveway.

"It was a mistake to do it so early. We should have waited until the ruckus died down at Taiyo. The others are making way too much fuss," a woman with long black hair and glasses said to an older man with an unshaven chin and darker skin. They looked to be in their thirties. They argued with each other in harsh tones.

"Gedo is a nuisance! Why did we bother? I mean, Taiyo--"

"Would you just shut up, Kyoko, and get into the car!"

The woman seemed shocked to hear her self being reprimanded. She hugged the manila folder she held in her arms a little closer to her body. "Don't you ever forget who you're talking to, Hideo! We'll talk about this later!"

With a large effort to be loud and annoying, the woman opened the passenger side door and got in. The man did likewise, beginning another argument, which would last for a lengthy amount of time. The car started, the usual noises accompanied by unhealthy clamor. The car sped away, leaving tire marks in the street.

"Hmm…" Sakura noticed a few papers left on the street where the car had been. "That woman must have dropped them." She walked over and picked them up.

With a groan, Kei forced herself up from her resting spot and joined her across the street. She yawned into her hand and braced the other on her hip. "What is it?"

Sakura read a few lines from the papers, recognizing names and situations that she'd heard on the nightly news. She gasped and turned to her companion. "I've got to get these to Hinata! She was telling me about this on the phone earlier… and… and…"

"What?" Kei's eyes were as wide as saucers now.

"How come I've never heard of Justice High School?"

~~

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" Roy yelled in his angriest voice. Tiffany, looking over his shoulder, noticed three strangers around the corner of the building. At the same time, she noticed the vein popping out of Roy's neck. She took a step back, colliding with Boman. The massive young man put a hand on her shoulder to steady her as they continued to observe the newcomers.

"You spying on us? You're the ones my old man was just telling me about, aren't you?" Roy accused, feeling way too mad from his recent phone call to use his common sense and logic.

Shoma got up to his feet and was about to say something, but Roberto wisely clamped a hand over the baseball player's mouth.  Natsu stepped forward instead, raising her hands to signify that she came in peace.

"Not spying, really, no. We…" she paused to think of the most innocuous words she could say. "We're from Gorin High School, and when we heard that what happened to us, happened elsewhere, we wanted to investigate other high schools who hadn't been attacked yet…"

"Yet? What do you mean yet? So you know who is behind it?" Roy went on, acting more belligerent than Tiffany or Boman had seen in a while.

Boman moved between Natsu and Roy before anything could start. With her safety secured, Natsu went on. "It's not us! We were attacked as well. We merely wish to help."

"I believe them," the large man told Roy.

"I want to see some ID!" Roy insisted.

Tiffany sighed. "You'd better do as he says. He's obviously cranky."

Natsu showed her school ID, though she thought it was a bit unnecessary. Roy examined it for a few moments. Grudgingly, he handed it back to her and grumbled an approval to his friends. Boman smiled, glad that Roy was starting to calm down. Natsu put away her ID and grinned. There wasn't going to be a fight between them after all.

Roberto stepped up, still restraining Shoma. "Perhaps we had better talk about this somewhere else. People could be listening right now."

The idea unnerved Tiffany, who began to glance around her fearfully. She pounded her fist onto her opposite palm in a surge of confidence. "Alright! Let's go to that diner we were headed to. We'll talk over a bite to eat."

~~

Edge spent most of the week alone. Gan had earlier made an attempt at apology, but was interrupted by Akira. Edge and Akira argued every time they met. When the subject of Daigo was brought up between them, they acted reasonably civil with each other. Otherwise, Edge remained defiant to Akira's attempts at leadership. Akira and Gan would keep in touch with the Taiyo students and in turn, they would keep Edge updated on their progress. Edge barely participated in the investigations.

Every afternoon, Rei would come over and sit on his couch, searching through Want Ads for jobs she could take once the baby was born. So far, all she could be was a waitress, a laundress, and a cashier at the grocery store. It was depressing to see how her life would be played out. She tried to forget about it by doing some of Edge's homework.

That Thursday, he was doing stomach crunches on his bedroom floor while Rei sat in a chair looking at his math homework. 

"Why bother?" he said to break the bothersome silence.

She put down her pencil and looked at him. "You'd rather not graduate and then be the oldest bully at Gedo?"

He froze midway through a crunch and uncurled until he was flat on the floor again. He had his arms folded behind his head. "Me and Gan used to make fun of idiots like that. Too dumb to get out of high school."

"Gan and I," she corrected.

"Well, gee, aren't smart people like you supposed to know better than to get knocked up?"

The bitter words had left his mouth before he'd even had a single sensible thought stream through his brain to tell him that it was wrong to say it. He immediately regretted it, but his pride prevented him from taking back anything he ever said to anyone. So he stopped speaking after that and concentrated on his stomach crunches. He spared a glance at his neighbor, who sat passively on his chair with his math book.

She'd heard the same thing before from her parents. They were unbearable now. She hadn't spoken to them since they kicked her out. She deserved it, of course. But still, there were some times that she wished that she could go back to them and be happy for at least a day… and forget all her mistakes. Just one day. That's all she wanted.

She put the paper in the book and closed it, setting it down on his bed beside her.  "Math is done. I think that's all you had. Look over the notes. You'll want to get a passing mark so you can move on to the next grade level."

Edge frowned. He got up from the floor and picked up his book. "You shouldn't have wasted your time."

Rei shrugged. "That's my decision to make, isn't it?" She pointed to the book. "Go look at your notes."

"No way! I don't study. I'd rather go pick a fight somewhere outside!"

She sighed. "If you really want to…" She started to leave. "Bye."

He opened the book to the page where she stuck the paper in. She'd scribbled notes for him in the margin. He started to read them, though half of the words and examples still didn't make sense. He rubbed the back of his neck tensely. He looked up to the door from which she had left. He ran out and yelled, "Wait!"

Rei turned around from the bottom of the stairs. She stepped back as Edge slid down the rail and landed beside her. The girl folded her arms across her chest and waited for him to speak.

"I, um… I can't make heads or tails of your stupid notes. They're no good to me," he said, shrugging his shoulders and handing the textbook to her. "You think you can translate for me?"

She had the right mind to refuse after his earlier insult, but she'd been insulted by him before. She knew she had no other 'friends'. Edge was as good as it got. With that half-sad, half-aggravating knowledge in her mind, she nodded her head. "I guess I have to. Go to the kitchen. I'll explain it while I cook dinner."

"My mom left food in the fridge," he mentioned.

"And you'd rather eat mold than my cooking?"

"Eww, no! I'm just saying you don't have to."

"And I've been saying that it's my choice to make," she replied. Rei walked ahead of him into the kitchen, beginning to get some ingredients for dinner. Edge sat down at the table, opening the math book up to the notes page. He scratched his head and wondered what Gan and Akira were doing right then.

~~

"Aren't you done eating yet?" Akira asked impatiently.

"Nuh-uh! I still have dessert, you know!"

The smaller person growled softly in frustration and looked at the clock on the wall. They were never going to get out to meet the Taiyo students so they could talk about their investigations. She missed her brother horribly and she was sure that Gan missed him too, even if he was too preoccupied at the moment to do so.

~~

They're probably having more fun than I am right now. Edge sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Rei asked without turning to see him.

"Nothing is wrong with me! Why do you always have to be so nosy?"

"I'm not being nosy. You're the one attracting attention to himself with your melodramatic sighs."

"I am not!" he yelled back.

She didn't respond to that claim. It would be the start to a long-winded argument that would border on childish and insane. She smiled privately to herself so he wouldn't see. "Do you like dumplings?"

Edge's mouth began to water involuntarily. He blinked. "Um… They're okay, I guess."

"You guess."

"Shut up!"

She chuckled. "Well, that's what you're getting. And mine are the best."

Edge drummed his fingers on the table. "Well, what about the math?"

"Are you sure that you want to study now?" She turned away from the stove for a moment to gaze at him. Edge was twirling a pencil in his hand, where normally a knife would be spinning. Rei definitely preferred the pencil. There was less of a chance that he could accidentally let the pencil fly and kill her. The knife, well… the knife was another story.

He put his feet up on the chair next to him and groaned. "This stuff is so boring."

"Whether it's boring or not, you have to learn it."

"You're sounding like a mother already."

"I suppose that's the closest to a compliment I'll ever get, hmm?"

If he knew that she was poking gentle fun at her own state, he didn't hint at it. He let his stomach do the talking. "Are you done cooking yet? I'm hungry."

She laughed. "You sound like a child."

When she turned to look at him, he stuck out his tongue at her and made a face.

"Not only do you sound like a child, but you look like a monkey." She went back to cooking. The water was boiling now, and she could drop the dumplings in.

"I do not!"

"Go take a look in the mirror and make that face."

There was noise behind her as he got up from the table in search of a mirror or a shiny surface to see his reflection. She heard a cry of indignation and soon after: someone dragging his feet back into the kitchen.

"What did I tell you?"

"Humph!" he huffed.

~~

Friday:

"Looking for me?"

Akira nearly jumped out of her boots. She stiffened and turned on her heel to face the student from Taiyo High School, Kyosuke Kagami. She hated to admit it, but with all her training, this guy still managed to sneak up on her when she least expected it. It was a good thing that Gan wasn't there to witness her falter. As the Big Boss's "little brother", she had to maintain a reputation.

The tall boy in front of her smirked, like he'd derived amusement from her actions. "You were the one who told me to come here."

"What's been going on?" she asked. There was no need to beat around the bush.

Kyosuke glanced around them. They were a block down from his school, under the shade of some trees. People who were passing by paid no attention to them, even if Akira's biker outfit seemed out of place with the flowers and perky neighborhood.

"Well?" she demanded.

He adjusted his glasses. "A friend of Hinata showed up yesterday with something suspicious that she found. She'd found it this past weekend, but she couldn't find the free time to visit Hinata until today."

"Oh? And who is this friend?"

"Sakura Kasugano. Different high school."

She nodded. "What was it?"

"Profiles of students from Taiyo and Gorin."

"Well, can I see them?"

Kyosuke looked down so all she saw was the sun reflecting off his glasses. He casually ran his fingers down the edge of his jacket. "The papers were lost over night. I think someone knows what we're doing."

Why does he seem nervous all of a sudden? She was glad he couldn't see her glare from under her helmet. "Okay. Anything else?"

"Just be careful. I'll call later." With that he turned his back on her and walked away. Akira left in the opposite direction. She couldn't pin anything solid onto Kyosuke, so why bother worrying about his weird behavior? It wasn't like he was one of them. She stopped in the middle of the street and hopped back onto the sidewalk. She turned and called out to Kyosuke, who was still within yelling distance.

"Hey Kagami!"

Akira shifted her weight to her other foot and stared him straight in the eye, even if he couldn't see hers.

"I miss my brother. I want him back."

Kyosuke nodded. "I understand."

She watched him walk away this time. His steps were slow as if he were in a daze and in a deep trance. She wondered if he was deeply as troubled as her. Maybe his reasons for getting involved in this investigation were just as serious as hers. Maybe.

~~

A car was suspiciously parked a few driveways down from the Yamada residence, where two people watched with piercing gazes. They'd heard of people investigating their business. An especially harsh penalty had befallen them for the lost profiles from the weekend before. Now they had even more tedious tasks to complete to appease their boss.

Rei stepped out of the door, shouldering a purse strap. She hummed a little tune as she wiggled her feet more properly into her shoes. An older woman with a slightly dumpy appearance leaned out of the doorway.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Edge? I don't want you to carry those groceries by yourself."

"That's unnecessary, Mrs. Kishida. I can carry them. It's not much."

The certain young man they were mentioning happened at that time to walk down the street. His jaw was open wide in a yawn while his arms stretched over his head. Rei felt a strange sense of foreboding and wondered if she should run while she still had the chance. Not that she could run. But maybe slide around the corner and hide…

"There you are! I have a job for you, Edge!" Mrs. Kishida called. She waved.

When Edge heard his name, he put his arms down and looked for the speaker. When he saw his annoying neighbor waving to him, he groaned. All he'd wanted to do was go home and sleep. He'd spent time with Rei every day that week! What else had to be done?

He told himself that money from his father had better be given to him that day (he hadn't gotten paid for his generosity of time or good behavior since that last weekend). Edge vaulted over the metal fence between their two residences and strolled on over to where the two ladies stood. He nodded to Rei, an indifferent and general acknowledgement; then he waited for Mrs. Kishida to speak.

"Edge, please go with Rei to the grocery store and help her carry the bags home. There's a good boy!" Before he had time to refuse, the woman went inside humming a too-cheerful tune.

The spiky haired blonde glared after her. "I hate it when she does that."

"Ditto," Rei replied. She looked at her watch. "Come on, I want to get this done early so I can cook dinner."

They began walking toward the store. Edge shoved his hands in his pockets. "They let you cook now? Last time I was over there, they were treating you like a glass figurine. Not doing anything."

"Yeah, they let me do stuff now. I'd feel weird if they didn't. They didn't have to take me in."

"Humph."

"What's the 'humph' for?"

"Nothing."

She smiled teasingly. "You're just disappointed that I'm not cooking for you tonight. I was going to try something different, too."

He snorted. He didn't need to live on her cooking. Sure, it was fantastic, but he'd never tell her. He promised himself that. Edge Yamada had a reputation! He was tough. He could eat whatever you threw at him! Okay, that was Gan, but Edge could easily fake that claim. All it took was an ego the size of Tokyo and a lot of pride on the side.

The two people in the car observed Edge and Rei until they were out of sight. The woman picked up a pen and wrote down some notes on a computer print out with the name Yamada, Eiji on it. She handed it to her partner, who nodded approvingly. He started the car and they drove off.

~~

"Aw… pair of newly-weds are ya?" a man in his sixties laughingly commented from behind the counter. Rei and Edge had just entered, the bell on the door still chiming.

A younger woman by the old man frowned. "They're kind of young, Dad."

"Nonsense! I was young when I married! I married your mother right out of school!" He smiled at Rei. "Well I'd be darned, Miss! You look like you're carrying twins!"

"Father!" the woman reprimanded his nosiness, but was unable to hold in a grin.

Rei used every ounce of self-control within her not to burst into laughter. Edge stood there. His cheeks were turning red, and he was caught between a feeling of embarrassment and anger.

"I totally approve of young marriage," the man went on. "It's better than these girls I see on the news getting babies before they're even out of high school! I mean-- I'd approve if they married. I've seen high schoolers get married! My best friend, Chisa—"

If it were at all possible, Edge and Rei winced at the same time. They slowly made their way toward the first food isle. The man behind the counter continued his conversation with his daughter while Rei picked up a plastic basket and started putting her items inside it. First was a can of fruit, and then some dried goods that Edge didn't even bother to look at.

As soon as they were out of earshot, she started to snicker.

"That was humiliating."

"It was funny," she grinned. She set another item into her basket and turned to her companion. "But we'd better pretend or else he might not let me shop here anymore. Do you have a ring?"

Edge's face twisted into an expression of disgust. "What? No way!"

"Oh come on. This is a nice grocery store and I want to be able to come back."

He rolled his eyes. "Not with me."

"You wouldn't have to next time. Do you have a ring or not?"

Edge shrugged. "I have my class ring. Too big for your finger, probably."

"Anything else?"

He thought for a moment and reached into his pocket. "I stole a smaller class ring from this guy who ticked me off first period." He tossed it at her. She caught it and set her basket down. Rei tried it on. She held up her hand triumphantly to him.

 "See? Perfect fit. That guy must have had small fingers, just like me!" She then twisted the ring around so you saw the bottom of the ring, and not the part with the school emblem. "Perfect. Turn yours over, too."

"This is so stupid!" He did as he was told and shuddered at what it represented.

"I know. But it's only temporary."

While she continued to pick up things she needed, Edge planned out in his mind a perfect way to vandalize the grocery store. He wouldn't actually do it, but it helped to pass the time. He could start off with some spray paint, and a few cracked windows… After her basket was full, Rei began to give him things to hold. When they had picked up everything she needed, they headed back to the counter where the old man and his daughter were still talking.

"Let's see, let's see…" the woman rang up the price for all the items and told Rei, who took money out of her purse and handed it to her. The woman handed Rei the change and started to place their purchases in two paper bags.

The old man chuckled. "So how's married life?" he asked Edge. "Everything you thought it would be?"

And more. This sucks so much worse than the real thing—not that it would ever happen! He shrugged. "I suppose."

"Aw, now where's that romantic spirit, huh?"

How about up your a—he was elbowed in the side by Rei as if she had read his mind. She smiled politely at the old man.

"It's been a long day," she told him convincingly. With that, she put a hand on Edge's shoulder to pull him toward her. "Just be nice," she whispered into his ear. "Just this once."

Edge rolled his eyes again. He smiled curtly to the old man before taking both grocery bags—one in each arm, and walking out the store with Rei right behind him. They began the walk home. Rei took off the ring as soon as they were outside. She put it into her purse for safekeeping. "You don't mind that I keep it, do you? So next time I go in there…"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

She smirked. "You're not as bad as you think, you know."

"Yes I am," he shot back. "I'm very dangerous. I'm one of the most dangerous guys in school and everyone knows it!"

"I wonder what everyone would say if they saw you carrying my groceries. Dangerous! Yeah, sure. Just as dangerous as a cuddly teddy bear."

His cheeks flushed at that comment. "You forget that I'm getting paid for all this. It's just another job. That's all. And you're still so damn lucky that you're… you're that way or else I'd be dragging you home by your hair!"

"Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say," she replied.

He muttered more obscenities under his breath. The last thing I need in my life is all of this! Why can't everything go back to normal? Why did it have to be the Kishidas to take her in? Why does she have to be such a smart-ass? And why the hell does she have to cook so damn well?

"I'll come over and cook tomorrow if you want." She continued to face forward, but observed him out of the corner of her eyes. She watched his eyes roll up toward the sky, as if seeking divine advice. The irises lowered again until he was staring straight ahead.

"Mmmphh."

"Is that a yes?"

"Mmphrrmmph."

"Ramen, sure. I can cook ramen."

He looked over at her with an eyebrow lifted in suspicion. They both knew he had made a muffled sound and not an attempt at words at all. Rei laughed and shook her head. "Come on. You're not complaining, are you?"

"No," he mumbled a bit reluctantly.

"Hey… That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Mmph."

~~

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this installment of An Unexpected Life! Tell me what you think, please review!