*Author's Notes: Sorry, for the delay if any. It took long than I
expected. I'd like to send a special thanks to Fitz who has been really
encouraging me to get another chapter out (arigatou gozaimasu). Anyone who
has reviewed, thanks too. I really do appreciate it. The title is well…
uh, I don't know. Dilandau's kinda like a social worker if you use your
imagination. Well, anyway he's like a therapist which a social worker is a
type of. Hope no one is bothered by Gatty's kinda bad situation. It was
the first thing that came to me, so I went with it. Mimi pops up again, so
if any one didn't like her, zan'nen da! ^_^ For the record, she's not
Gatty's girlfiriend. He just doesn't mess around with as many girls as the
others do. Well, enough rambling--enjoy!
Chapter Three: Dilandau the Social Worker, Part One
Gatty was angry he was in the condition he was in on such a day. The first day of middle school and he had a discolored cheek. He tried to cover it up as he walked into the school and hoped no one would ask him about it. He gently touched his cheek and noticed he had a slight inflammation about it.
"Damn," Gatty muttered, staring at his reflection. He futilely raised his collar to hide it and then released the fabric between his finger. "Muda da (It's useless)…"
Gatty closed his eyes , the whole scene flashing before his eyes: the loud words, the panic he had felt, the strike to his face. He remembered it all. He couldn't go on like this; his whole summer had been hell. Gatty tugged at his short hair and tried to think clearly. If anyone asked, he had fallen on his face. It seemed logical; no one would question it.
"Yeah…" Gatty agreed with himself. He opened his eyes and nearly jumped at what he saw in the reflection. Some boy with red, demon-like eyes was staring at him in the mirror image. Gatty wasn't sure how long he'd been there or how he had entered the bathroom (as squeaky as the door was) undetected.
"Nani?" Gatty faced the boy, expressing his annoyance rather than his fear. Gatty had the distinct feeling he should be wary of the stranger.
"What happened to your face?" the boy said, his voice flat as if he didn't really care.
"I…I fell; what's it your business?" Gatty replied. He frowned not only because of the boy's tone, but his grin that followed Gatty's reply. "Whatever…"
Gatty could feel the boy's eyes upon him as he left, but he didn't care. "How can you stand that?" the boy said just as Gatty opened the door.
"What do you mean?" Gatty looked back at him, almost cringing at how evil the boy's eyes looked.
"I'd never let anyone hit me like that and get away with it."
Gatty's eyes grew wide. "How did you--"
"I've seen you in the neighborhood before--with worse bruises."
"Yeah, and so what?" Gatty's fear melted into anger. "Who do you think you are getting into my business?"
"I'm Dilandau." Dilandau smirked at him. "You'll soon be very familiar with that name."
Gatty heard Dilandau's laughter for the first time after he said that and Gatty couldn't help but shudder as it rang in the room…
******
Ringing. A ringing was interrupting Gatty's sleep. His hand emerged from under the covers and pulled his cell phone underneath the covers. He turned it on without much thought and put it to his ear without opening his eyes.
"Dare da (Who is this)?" Gatty said more like a whine.
"Not a good way to answer your phone, Gatty. What if this had been Dilandau-san?"
"Viole." Gatty turned over on his side. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know when you're leaving your house."
Gatty's hand came from under his sheet again to pull his alarm clock over to his face. He cracked open his eyes and saw the red numbers before him. The clock read "6:05." Gatty closed his eyes again and growled softly.
"Well?"
"Probably in an hour and a half."
"All right." Viole hung up.
Gatty frowned and pushed his alarm clock out of his bed after shutting off his cell. He took no heed of the electronic falling to the ground. Now unable to fall back asleep, Gatty pulled the sheet from above his head. He sighed and rotated his bare shoulders.
"God, I hate the first day of school…" Gatty muttered. Part of his dream flashed before is eyes. "I wonder if Dilandau's awake…"
******
Allen set his coffee mug back down upon the table. He already felt as though he had been through a full working day. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to AP?" he asked. He smiled thinly. "It's not too late to transfer back."
"I'm sure." Celena stared down into her yogurt cup as if contradicting her statement. "I want to try to get closer to Dilandau, and I have friends outside Austria Prep, so I'll be all right."
Allen sighed. "You might just push your brother away, you know. He's involved in a lot that you may not want to find out about, or more importantly that he doesn't want you to find out about."
"It's fine," Celena said. "I can't stand how distant we are now… If there's a chance we can be closer…just spend some more time together, I want to take the risks. We used to be like best friends… Now it's like he hates me."
"Celena, I'm sure that's not--"
Allen stopped when Dilandau stumbled into the kitchen, wearing only a pair of pants. His eyes were half open and his yawn drew the attention of his sister. Celena lifted her head and watched his motions as if he were a ghost of some sort. He might as well have been one, the way he moved as if he was the only one present and the way Allen and Celena regarded him in silence. Dilandau went to the cabinet, grabbed the first box of cereal that his hand touched, and opened the box. He poured the cereal into his mouth, several flakes landing outside his mouth, and left the box sitting open on the counter. Finally Dilandau went to the refrigerator, grabbed the jug of milk, and poured more than enough milk into his nearly full mouth. Milk trickled down the side of his mouth and began to gather at his chin. The rest of the excess milk landed on the floor in front of the refrigerator. Dilandau chewed for a while, almost mechanically, and swallowed. He wiped his mouth and chin with his palm.
*He's unbelievable,* Allen thought, watching Dilandau's slow retreat from the kitchen. "I'm surprised you're awake this early," he said, ending the silence. "Didn't you just go to sleep three hours ago?"
Dilandau turned back as if suddenly realizing his brother and sister were there. It was probably the distance he and Dilandau were apart, but Allen saw Dilandau's eyes to be a rust color rather than the usual glowing red embers. Dilandau stared at his brother a while, scratched at his chest, and continued out of the room.
"I guess he's all right," Allen said. He took an apple from the basket on the table. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't completely out of it."
"How can you tell?" Celena wondered.
"He glared at me so he was at least coherent enough to recognize my sarcasm." Allen took a bite from his apple.
"Allen, you don't think that Dilandau will…will…"
Allen shook his head. "I try not to think about that," he said, "and I pray for him every day."
"Me too." Celena smiled despite the grim conversation. *With luck Dilandau and I can make some progress*, she thought. *I won't give up easily on him.*
******
Gatty ran a comb through his bangs a few times, his real purpose to waste all the extra time he had. "Damn Viole…" he said, merely playing with his hair. He stared at his reflection, wondering if he was due for a haircut. "I outta make him walk to school."
A knock came at Gatty's door and he froze, staring firmly at his reflection. "Can I come in?" a voice said behind his door.
Gatty set down his comb on the dresser. "Aa." He turned toward the door before it opened. A man with light brown hair stood at his doorway, but made no attempts to enter. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know if you could lend me some money," the older man said. "I'll be able to pay you back next week when I get paid."
"What the hell do you need the money for?" Gatty had an expression of one that said if it was for any kind of alcoholic beverage, there would be hell to pay.
"It's…it's only for groceries, that's all. I doubt there's anything to make for dinner tomorrow night. We also need some detergent and things like that."
"Oh… Gatty pulled his wallet from his pocket. "Oyaji (Father/Dad), you outta get a better-paying job. You work enough hours that buying groceries shouldn't ever be a problem."
Gatty handed his father a hundred-dollar bill. "I know, I'm sorry," his father said. "But you know, I'm still trying to…to cover my debts…"
"Hmph, at least you're not taking money from me to do that," Gatty spat. He lifted some of the bitterness from his tone. "Just don't forget to pay me back."
"I won't," Gatty's father said. He same a smile that suggested he was unsure if one was appropriate or not. "Is there anything specific you want me to pick up?"
Gatty ran his hand along his left pocket, missing the bulge where his lighter should have been. "A carton of cigarettes."
"I thought you were going to quit."
Gatty adverted his eyes from his father's brown eyes to prevent himself from being affected by the concern in his father's voice and façade. "You sound like Mimi," he mumbled. He looked back at his father once he had a steady expression. "I am going to…eventually, but the first couple days of school make me edgy. I'm sure I don't need to explain that to you."
This time he father looked away. "Sorry for that."
Gatty held up a hand. "We're not going down that road again, okay?"
His father looked back at him. "Is that what you really want?"
"Yes!"
"All right. Whenever you get home there should be food to eat, if you want it." He turned and pulled the door shut.
Gatty let out a breath. "I'm never talking about that again…" he said. *I'm doing my best now to just forget it happened…*
******
Dilandau continuously ran his tongue along his mouth, attempting to rid himself of the taste of cereal. *Damnit,* he thought, *I never eat cereal. Allen could have woken me up a little earlier before I put that shit in my mouth… Che, I hate cereal.*
"Who does he think he is…commenting on my sleeping habits…" Dilandau muttered. He slid down in the couch and rested one of his legs on the glass table ahead of him. He rubbed is face a few times. "Sleep is for the weak."
"…terrible incident a little less than a week ago."
Dilandau glanced at the television, wondering when he had turned it on. He figured it must have been just before he was fully awake. Allen's little comment had woken him a little, but when he had sat in his den (and obviously turned on the television), Dilandau became fully conscious.
"…my house…" the old woman on the television sobbed. "I've lived here for forty years and nothing like this has ever happened."
The television cut to a familiar old man who had a murderous look on his face. "There were about ten of these punks," he spat. "They all took off after they ruined my den!"
Dilandau made a satisfied grin. "Not only are those old people careless, but they can't count either," he said.
"…be the work of the Zaibach vandals responsible for the City Hall defacing and the playground horror [1]," a reporter said. "Police say they have no concrete evidence, however."
"Mochiron (Of course)," Dilandau said as if the woman could hear him, "the Ryuugekitai will never be caught."
"…for sure, we'll get them in the end," a police officer said, concluding the report. Dilandau began nearly hysterical laughter as the television went to commercial.
Celena walked into the room, heading to the cabinet on the other side of the room. Dilandau's laughter quickly died and his eyes locked on her like a red target. Celena grabbed some paper and some pens from the cabinet and started out of the room. Dilandau smiled wickedly at her back.
Celena was almost out the family room when she heard Dilandau's soft chuckle. "You're actually leaving AP, hmm?"
Celena slowly turned, shocked he was addressing her.
"U…uhn…" Celena tried to have a casual expression. *He looks so scary just sitting there,* she thought. *Demo, this is the first time he's talked to me in a long time without him simply saying "shut up," "hurry up," or "get out."*
Dilandau slid his leg along the glass table and continued to stare at his sister like one who planned to shoot someone who was unaware he or she had a gun. "Naru hodo (I see)," he said. "Well, then I only have one thing to say to you: stay out of my way."
Celena was already nervous from his strange actions and appearance; his statement only made her more cautious. "Wha…what are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm not going to Zaibach High to cause trouble for you… I'm just gonna do my work and come back home."
"If you choose to interfere with me and friends," Dilandau added as if not listening, "you'll regret it. Soon you'll learn that I control the school."
"Hu-huh?" Celena held herself to prevent her body from shaking. Dilandau just had an ominous voice--like she was going to her death.
"Wasureru nai (Don't forget)." Dilandau grinned at her, revealing his upper row of teeth.
*Ko…kowai…* Celena thought, only staring at him a few more seconds. She decided to leave, having the feeling Dilandau would say no more to her.
Dilandau remained grinning two seconds after she left before dropping his expression into a scowl. "Che…" he muttered. "This will change things a little…"
******
Gatty wasn't sure or not if he was proceeding to school according to Dilandau's schedule or if he was behind. Usually Dilandau would call him to tell him approximately what time he should be at school, but Gatty received no call yet. He wasn't sure if Dilandau himself was running late or if maybe he had decided to skip the first day all together.
*Hmm…demo if he were going to do that he'd definitely call me,* Gatty thought. *He usually has several things to us planned during school hours. I'd call him, but he usually doesn't like phone calls unless it's really important--*
"Oi, Gatty," Viole's voice came from the back seat. "Is it true Dilandau-san taught you how to fight?"
"Yeah, I've heard that too," Guimel said next to Viole.
Gatty stopped at a red light, frowning up at the two in his mirror above. "Yeah, that's true," he said. "What of it?"
"Jaa (Well then), it must be true the reason your father acts like he's afraid of you is because you beat him up when you were in middle school," Viole said.
Gatty leaned one arm of the steering wheel and turned sideways in his seat. "That's not any of your damn business!" he snapped, pointing at Viole. His temper began to rise as Viole and Guimel laughed.
"Hey, I was just asking," Viole said, brushing him off. "By the way, the light's green."
Gatty scowled at him for a second before facing front again. "You don't need to get so upset," Guimel added as Gatty passed in intersection.
"Omae-tachi--" Gatty was urged to stop the car and kick them out.
Before Gatty could fume about the two intruding into his privacy, his cell phone went off. Viole and Guimel recognized Gatty's cell phone's distinct ring, so neither mistook the ring for their own cell phones. Gatty, usually driving with only one hand, used his free hand to pull his cell from his pocket. He was halfway grateful for the interruption and halfway angry at not chewing Viole and Guimel out completely.
"Hai?" Gatty said, trying to pay equal attention to the road and to the sound of Dilandau's voice. "On the way to school. Nani sore? Sou ka. All right. I will. Ja." Gatty clicked the phone off and set it in the passenger's seat.
"What Dilandau-san say?" Guimel asked.
"We're having an important meeting in the courtyard before school starts," Gatty reported. "Same spot as last year."
"Important? Aren't all Dilandau-san's meetings important?" Viole said, looking to Guimel. "I wonder what it's about."
"Heh, it's probably Dilandau-san reassigning jobs," Guimel said. He tapped at his puffy hair. "I didn't mind mine too much last year."
"Oh, yeah, " Viole said. "You were pretty good at that…"
*Thank God for the Ryuugekitai,* Gatty thought as his two friends discussed last year. *Iie, rather Dilandau. If he hadn't called me just now, I'm sure those two would have tried to dig into my past. Once again I have to thank Dilandau for solving my problems…*
******
Not that any of the Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was a monster (at least not openly to his face), but when Dilandau was at school among other children around his age, he seemed like a teenager; his terrifying image was slightly diminished and Dilandau almost looked like a regular person standing in the courtyard with several other students behind him. It was easy for them to forget they were a gang and spent most of their time causing trouble and causing people pain. Yes, it was easy to forgot--until Dilandau opened his mouth. Yet, he had not done so and was merely standing in front of his six friends with a frown as if thinking deeply. They all thought it was a bit strange, but they weren't going to call Dilandau on it. Shesta decided, instead, to inquire his friends about some things that were important enough that Dilandau wouldn't mind him bringing up.
"Uh, I'm going to change to a few of our schedule so we all have the same lunch…" Shesta said, eyeing Dilandau carefully, "so if anyone wants a class changed tell me now."
"Yeah, drop my science class and put me in driver's ed," Dallet said. "That class is easy."
"Put a study hall somewhere in mine," Miguel said as Shesta noted what Dallet had requested.
"That it?" Shesta asked as he recorded what Miguel wanted. "No one has any other changes?" The rest of the Ryuugekitai shook their heads.
"Changes…" Dilandau said, grabbing all of their attention. "There'll be some this year…"
"Such as?" Gatty said not hesitating to prod him as the others did.
"Celena."
Regardless if the six boys recognized the name, they all expressed confusion why the person would bring about changes for them. Dilandau took a moment while they murmured among themselves to think of his twin sister. Dilandau had made it clear that Allen would drive her to school or she'd take the bus. Under no circumstance would he drive her to school. Dilandau had a good reputation (well, a good reputation of being bad), and he didn't want that to change because of Celena's actions. He wondered if anyone would notice they were twins; Dilandau supposed he could say she was his cousin. Then again, several people were aware that he had a sister because Allen had been in newspapers and magazines before (because of his recent Olympic accomplishments) [2] and his family was often discussed. Dilandau made a mental sigh; he'd just have to ignore her as he had been doing.
"Who's Celena?" Guimel finally asked.
"Baka! She's Dilandau-san's twin sister!" Miguel said.
"Nani? There's someone out there that looks just like Dilandau?" Dallet said. He scratched his head, remembering he had known Dilandau had a sister but he had never been introduced to her much less knew she was his twin.
"You know, Shesta I guess we were the only ones that have actually seen her," Gatty mused. "Still that was a long time ago."
"Must have been sixth grade," Shesta noted. "I don't think I remember what she looks like."
"Duh, she must look like Dilandau-san," Viole said.
Dilandau snapped out of his reverie and stepped up to Viole, grabbing him by his collar. "Who said we were identical twins?" he growled.
"Uh…uh…I …I…just assumed," Viole stuttered, sweat imediately rolling down the side of his neck.
*I think they are identical twins,* Gatty thought, *but not foolish enough to say. I know at least Celena resembled him when she were younger; I don't know if that's still true.*
Dilandau made an irritated, but soft sound and pushed Viole away from him. "Listen up, everyone," he said in his defy-me-and-suffer voice. "Celena is of no concern to us. Business will go on as usual."
"I thought you just said we'd have changes--" Miguel began.
"Did I say I was finished??" Dilandau snapped. He calmed a little as Miguel backed down from his query. "Anyway, what I mean by she is none of our concern is that we won't resort to terrorizing her or even acknowledging she exists at our school. The change is that we will be more careful about what she sees us doing. That's why we won't get involved with her or she'll find out some of the secret things we do."
"So Celena is attending Zaibach now," Gatty determined from what Dilandau had said. When the others realized that, they made more murmurs of surprise.
"Yes, so it's important we take a bit more care in what we do. It's inevitable that she'll find out some of our operations just because they're common knowledge at Zaibach, but we don't want her to somehow figure out the other stuff. Does everyone understand?"
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the six said.
"Ii (Good). Other than her, the year should go smoothly again." Dilandau turned and grinned at some of the other students. "We're sophomores this year, two years from graduating from this hellhole. Shikashi, I wonder if they'll be anything left we haven't done by the time we're seniors."
The Ryuugekitai was glad to hear his laughter afterwards because somehow they sensed Dilandau was not at ease with his sister at school. If he was at unease, the rest of the Ryuugekitai was at unease. Dilandau seemed to have dropped the matter and was scheming for the new school year.
"Oi, what does Celena look like?" Viole asked while Dallet and Dilandau discussed something.
"Well, she should look a little like Dilandau if they're related," Guimel said. He leaned against a bench. "Demo, she could look a lot like Allen who doesn't look all that much like Dilandau."
"I wonder why we don't ever see her in the first place," Miguel said. He made a short wave to someone he recognized. "I mean, we've all known Dilandau for at least three years; we've seen Allen enough times."
"Whatever the reason is, we shouldn't dwell upon this too much," Shesta said. He noticed Dilandau was finished speaking with Dallet, so Shesta lowered his voice. "You know that prying into Dilandau's privacy is a guaranteed way to get slapped."
"Aa," Gatty agreed.
"What's everyone talking about, hmm?" Dilandau asked, smiling at their shrugs. "Hmph, as long as it doesn't affect me who cares. I have few doubts you all would do anything behind my back, unless you were prepared for the repercussions of stabbing me in the back."
The bell rang, marking the first period of school was going to start in some minutes. Students slowly began to leave the courtyard and head back into the school. The Ryuugekitai lingered behind, their leader not giving them the okay for them to leave. Gatty was particularly relieved, starting to feel his old trepidations from starting a new school year. He didn't know why the anxiety he had experienced in sixth grade stayed with him for four years. Each year it lessened a degree, but it was still there.
"Last year we had five teachers fired," Dilandau said, seeing some teachers he believed to be new. He guessed several would quit after last year. "Pay attention to your teachers and others; let's see if we can double that number this year."
Dilandau softly chuckled and put a hand in his pocket. He nodded after all the Ryuugekitai complied, signaling the six were free to go. Dilandau and Gatty were the only two that remained behind. Gatty sighed and kept making looks as though he wanted to enter the school, but couldn't. Dilandau turned a serious expression upon his friend.
"Why do you get like this?" Dilandau asked.
"Iie, it's not what you're thinking--"
"Bullshit. Gatty, your father has not only you to fear but the whole Ryuugekitai that hold him into place."
"I know, I know." Gatty ran a hand through his tan hair. "He doesn't scare me any more--I almost like him again. I guess that one experience has conditioned me for life. I should be okay by the time the week's over with."
"Well," Dilandau said with one of his grins that meant his thoughts were in the gutter. "I know of something that usually eases me."
"Heh, and I know exactly what you're talking about." Gatty's eyes trailed a trio of girls who quickly pretended to not watch him and Dilandau. He smiled in both flattery and the ego that came with being a Ryuu. "I never used such methods to calm myself."
"It works for me and Dallet for that matter," Dilandau said with a shrug. He put his hand on Gatty's shoulder. "Don't knock it until you've tried it." Dilandau went of to the school's entrance before Gatty could respond, if he had any thing left to say to him.
"Well, maybe first period will be enough to calm me," Gatty said. He made a sarcastic smile. *Or maybe I need a new therapist.*
******
Dallet had been doing less of a watch on his teachers as Dilandau had instructed and more of a watch on cute girls. It was just as well because Viole and Guimel usually suggested people to target while Dallet suggested girls Dilandau should date. Well, "date" wasn't the word--it was more like "fool around with." Dilandau's head was too inflated to stick with one girl. Not that Dallet was always exclusively seeing one girl; he couldn't really afford it with being a Ryuu.
"Hmm…" Dallet said as he glanced at his schedule. He shrugged and headed to his locker. *One down and six to go,* he thought.
Just as he popped open his black locker, Shesta appeared next to the adjacent locker. "Got your revised schedule," Shesta said.
Dallet put a book away and closed the locker back. "Did you even go to first period?" he wondered.
"You know how the guidance counselor 'loves' me," Shesta said, shrugging. He handed Dallet a folded piece of paper. "She gave me a pass even though they was only ten minutes of class left when I was done."
"Sou ka," Dallet said. He unfolded the paper and noticed the fifty- dollar bill within. "What's this?"
"To pay back for the shirt I ruined a few days back," Shesta said. He didn't look embarrassed, but he didn't look like he was pulling Dallet's leg either. "I would have done it sooner, but you know Dilandau-san wouldn't want us taking responsibility for doing his bidding. Yeah, he told me to drink some more and try to throw up on you, but…well, we all have a vindictive side and I don't need you plotting against me."
"Hmph," Dallet said, putting the bill into his pocket. "Kowai (Scared)?"
"Hardly." Shesta frowned at Dallet as he smiled. "I'll soon be too busy to worry about you trying to get me back."
Dallet continued to smile and looked over his new schedule. "Thanks," he said, making it unclear to what he was pertaining.
"Whatever," Shesta said. He glanced at his watch and turned to leave. "Gotta give Miguel's his next…"
Miguel… Dallet thought. "Oi, matte!" he said, walking up to Shesta.
"Nan da?" Shesta asked. He raised a brow at Dallet's grin.
"Miguel started a rumor about me, didn't he?" Dallet asked in a hushed voice. "You know, don't you?"
"Uh…" Shesta had heard from Dilandau yesterday the detail of what Miguel had said to discourage the girls from going up to level two with Dallet.
"Come on, Shesta," Dallet said, clenching a fist. "At the Z a lot of girls are avoiding me because of something Miguel said. I know it was him, but I need to know what he said so I can confront him."
"Listen, whatever he said was because Dilandau-san told him to say it," Shesta said. He held up his hands as Dallet glared at him. "Hey, if Dilandau-san told you to do the same thing, would you do it?"
"Of course, but--"
"Then let it go. Hey, if you want I'll talk to Dilandau-san and see if he can get the rumor removed. It's not as if there was any way you could do that…"
"Do what??" Dallet demanded.
"Bestu ni, bestu ni (nothing, nothing)." Shesta glanced at his watch again. "Man, I better go before I'm late to next period. Later, Dallet."
Dallet watched him go and let out a sigh. "Maybe he's right," he said. He smiled at some passing girls. "Guess I'll just wait until it comes out."
******
Viole slammed a shorter boy against a row of lockers. He smiled as he held the younger boy in place and saw the fear dancing in his eyes. That was good; there would be a problem if the boy was angry. The Ryuugekitai needed to present a certain level of fear at school. This was one of the ways they did this.
"Oi, I think my friends asked you a question," Viole said. "You weren't trying to ignore him, huh?"
"Ii…iie…" the boy stammered.
"That's good," Guimel said, giving the boy a fake smile. "You want to answer my question then?"
"Wha…what was…the question?"
"Oi!" Viole pulled the boy from the lockers and held him above the floor by his collar. "You tryin' to play around with us??"
"I-I-iie! I really didn't hear it!" they boy claimed. Viole had to keep his angry expression instead of the amused one he was tempted give. It was funny to pretend to be annoyed just to make other kids nervous.
"I asked you where you were going," Guimel said, smirking behind Viole. "I suggest you answer before my friend here tries to close your head in a locker."
"I was just going to class!" the boy said weakly.
"Oh, was that all?" Viole said, lowering the boy. He smiled to Guimel. "The freshie was just going to class."
"Aw, I guess he doesn't want to be late," Guimel said. He began to laugh after that.
"Gee, I guess we better let him go," Viole mocked. He smiled and released the boy's collar.
"Uh…ari…gatou…" the boy said. He took one step. Viole moved in his way. The boy tried the other way and Guimel blocked him. "A…ano…"
"What's the hurry?" Viole asked. He looked at his watch. "You got about five minutes left."
"Um…I just wanna…"
"What's your name, kid?" Guimel interrupted.
"Thomas," Thomas said.
"Well, Tommy," Viole said, putting hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid we can't let you go just yet."
"Aa, zan'nen da," Guimel chuckled.
"Wh…why not?" Thomas asked, looking between two taller boys.
Guimel held up a handful of cards that looked like credit cards. "You need to buy one of these before we can let you go."
"What…what are they?" Thomas stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from completely shaking.
Viole took one from Guimel's hand and put it nearly in the boy's face. "This is an 'Anti-Ryuu-Target Card,'" Viole said. "You get it renewed every week and we won't put you on our list."
"Li-Li-List?"
"Yeah, a li-li-list," Guimel said. He and Viole briefly laughed at the boy's stammering. "You don't want to be on the Ryuugekitai's list."
"Sou da." Viole waved the card in front of Thomas. "So, you gonna buy one for this week or would you like us to stop you every day?'
"How much?" Thomas asked quickly.
"Ten bucks," Guimel answered. He smiled at Thomas's wide eyes. "It goes up, of course, especially if you don't buy one often."
Thomas swallowed and took a five-dollar bill and five ones from his pocket. "This is all I got," he said.
Viole snatched it from the boy. "Lucky you," he said. He handed the boy the card. "Don't loose it, Tommy."
Thomas nodded and was relieved when Viole and Guimel let him pass. He took off with little hesitation. The two Ryuu grinned at the retreating boy, enjoying their work.
"Tell your friends to get theirs!" Guimel called after the boy.
"Another boy goes hungry," Viole said, stuffing the money into his pocket. "Almost makes you sad, ne?"
"Hmph, are you being sympathetic?" Guimel said. He counted the number of ART cards left.
Viole laughed. "I don't even know what that means," he said.
"That and ten thousand other words," Guimel muttered.
"Nan da?"
"Nani mo nai (Nothing). Let's sell the other twenty-six cards. You know Dilandau-san will give us hell if we have even one unsold."
"Ah, the life of a Ryuu," Viole said, smirking as he made a mock sigh.
******
"Ah, ah…" Gatty sighed, lying on a bench in another courtyard. "I'm still tense… It just won't go away." He idly watched students passing him, not caring if he went to his next class or not. He hadn't liked his snooty first period teacher who constantly glanced at him as if he were up to something. Perhaps the man had been given a heads-up on the Ryuugekitai. That was slightly impressive; their power was increasing greatly.
"I don't know if Dilandau was being courteous--" Gatty snorted between his sentence. "--or if he just coincidentally forgot to assign me anything to specific to do today… Maybe he knew I'd be of no use to him with my condition."
Gatty's brow rose as he caught sight of Mimi and a group of other girls. *I know of something that usually eases me…* Gatty heard Dilandau's voice clearly in his head. *He really is like some kind of counselor.*
Gatty say up in the bench and slid off it just as Mimi went inside the school. He grinned at he followed her and her friends who all gathered at Mimi's locker. Gatty, not wishing to deal with her ditzy friends, waited fro them to wander off before approaching her. He tried his best not to appear smug or amused.
"Hey," Gatty said with only the faintest smile. He was met with an annoyed look which only made his smile more visible.
"Oh, so now you have the time to talk to me?" Mimi said. She turned her back to him. "I shouldn't even waste my time with a little boy like you."
Gatty silently laughed at her back. She had been the one that had always pursued him even though he was a year younger and she knew that he was into some terrible things. When Gatty was worried about Dilandau, he had the time to find the situation with Mimi to be hilarious. He had never thought he'd have an older woman attracted to him as well as same and younger ages.
"Aw, you don't think I'm cute any more?" Gatty said, running his hand down from her shoulder to her arm.
Mimi abruptly faced him again, forcing his hand to drop. "You are such a little jerk!" she said. "You practically ignored me the whole summer and now that we've back in school you wanna give me a little of your attention??"
"So you'd prefer I continue to ignore you?" Gatty retorted. He couldn't help buy laugh at her frustrated expression. "All right, fine. It's not every day my schedule allows me to spend some time on other non- Ryuu related matter, but--"
"You know what I mean!"
Gatty merely smiled at her until she finally gave up. "Why do you take orders from him?" Mimi sighed. "It's not as if he really liked you or something; you should just quit the Ryuugekitai."
"Iie, I can't do that." Gatty stepped closer to her and grinned. "Do you really want to know why I stick around Dilandau?"
"Yes," Mimi said. Neither took heed of the bell ringing.
"You won't believe me."
"I will," Mimi grasped his arm and gave him a smile. "Come on, tell me."
"All right." Gatty shook his head, preparing to tell the truth because he didn't feel like lying just so it would sound more truthful. "I was having some family problems when I started middle school. One of them was my father became unemployed after he developed a bad drinking problem because my mother recently died. For a while we lived off the money she had left us in her passing, but that soon ran out. My bum of a father was too 'depressed' and drunk to concern himself with paying things like the mortgage. In short, I was going to be homeless with an useless father.
"It all changed when I met Dilandau, however. He took care of my first problem with my father and then he and I formed the Ryuugekitai. Once I was a member, I was allowed a share of the money we, uh…somehow came across… Anyway, I was able to pay the bills my father couldn't until I forced my father to get a job and get off the booze. I would have never been able to pay for those bills or smack enough sense into my father to make him come back to his senses if it hadn't been for Dilandau."
Gatty held back a laugh as he looked at Mimi's scrutinizing face. He knew she was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. Gatty also knew what her conclusion would be before she began to laugh. He smiled back at her, not expecting her to believe him.
"Yeah, right!" Mimi laughed. She patted him on the shoulder. "Great story, Gatty; do you tell all the girls that 'touching' story?"
"Not unless they ask," Gatty said. He shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna go; you coming with me?"
"Oi, matte yo!" Gatty had began to leave before he replied. She followed him as if he had stolen something from her. "Where are we going?"
******
In general, Dilandau hated all his classes, but he loathed history. When he thought of a slow, painful death, he imagined being stabbed to death by useless facts of a dead past. The past was the past; why was everyone required to memorize dates, recall "important" events, and know ten thousand people who had been dead for at least a hundred years? The only thing that vaguely interested him was the battles, but Dilandau liked the bloody, drawn-out, causality-filled wars that devastated countries and/or made another country powerful. Dilandau would have gladly participated in one of these wards, but he had no interest to join the military at the present. The world was too concerned with peace and several treaties had been signed to prevent Gaea and other countries from going to war. Dilandau hated the pacifism of the world.
"…was invented in the fifth century," the white-haired woman continued. "With the invention of this, it was possible…"
Dilandau, down in his chair so that his head touched the back of his chair, closed his eyes. *I wonder who I'll get to do my homework for me this year,* he thought. *Guimel should be scouting for some egg-head to do it. Hmm… I wonder what I should do tonight. Maybe I'll do something by myself. The others usually like it when I give them a little leeway every once in a while. Gotta let 'em breathe from time to time. I guess I could go on a date. Haven't done that in a while. I'll ask Dallet to--"Schezar- san, Schezar-san, Schezar-san…"*
"Hmm?" Dilandau opened an angry eye, not sure if his irritation was due to the teacher's audacity to address him (when he clearly had no interest in the class or the woman) or if it was because the old woman's voice had became part of his thoughts. "Nan da??"
His teacher put her hands on her hips. "Excuse, Schezar-san," she said. She blushed at the few chuckles from other students. "This is history class, not Sleeping 101. I suggest you get more rest at home."
"I suggest you get a well-needed face lift," Dilandau muttered. The increase in laughter aroused the teacher's suspicion.
"What did you say??"
"What do you want??" Dilandau sat straight and gave her a death- glare. "If it was simply to wake me up, you've wasted your time! I haven't been sleeping!"
"Well, then," his teacher said, "can you tell me the date of Gaea's Industrial Revolution?" The classroom grew silent as they waited for him to answer.
*I hate history,* Dilandau thought. "Yesterday?" he answered. His anger slowly began to disappear as the teacher's anger appeared.
"Schezar-san--!"
"1801, duh."
Dilandau's temper came back full circle upon hearing the smug, impertinent voice. "Dare da--" He turned his head towa5d the source of the aggravating voice.
"Correct!" the teacher said, pleased with the other student's knowledge. "What is your name, young man?"
Dilandau stared daggers at his grinning classmate who had dared to make him look stupid. "Van Fanel," the dark-haired boy said. Most of the class expressed surprise.
"Oh, my, are you related to same Fanels that founded the city Fanel?" the teacher asked.
"Yes, I just moved here," Van said. "I plan to finish high school in Zaibach."
"Excellent, Fanel-san," the teacher said. "Well, I'm glad someone is paying attention. Now let's continue…"
For the rest of the period Dilandau concentrated on the new boy who had recently made the top of his hit list. *Van Fanel…* he thought, *I'm going to make you wish I was never born…*
--Some Footnotes:
[1]-This playground horror refers to when the Ryuugekitai hid like broken glass and rusty nails at a playground and injured many children. I meant to explain that somewhere in the story, but I didn't and I didn't feel like taking it out either. Sorry about that.
[2]-Allen's career should be explained later. Don't know what chapter, but some time soon.
--Next, Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two: It's already written, so anyone who reads this the first day I post it, don't freak out. I'm planning to have part two typed up the next day. Anyway, Gatty finally relaxes himself, Celena meets the Ryuugekitai, and Dilandau "meets" someone very interesting… Onto part two (if it's there already)! ^_^
Chapter Three: Dilandau the Social Worker, Part One
Gatty was angry he was in the condition he was in on such a day. The first day of middle school and he had a discolored cheek. He tried to cover it up as he walked into the school and hoped no one would ask him about it. He gently touched his cheek and noticed he had a slight inflammation about it.
"Damn," Gatty muttered, staring at his reflection. He futilely raised his collar to hide it and then released the fabric between his finger. "Muda da (It's useless)…"
Gatty closed his eyes , the whole scene flashing before his eyes: the loud words, the panic he had felt, the strike to his face. He remembered it all. He couldn't go on like this; his whole summer had been hell. Gatty tugged at his short hair and tried to think clearly. If anyone asked, he had fallen on his face. It seemed logical; no one would question it.
"Yeah…" Gatty agreed with himself. He opened his eyes and nearly jumped at what he saw in the reflection. Some boy with red, demon-like eyes was staring at him in the mirror image. Gatty wasn't sure how long he'd been there or how he had entered the bathroom (as squeaky as the door was) undetected.
"Nani?" Gatty faced the boy, expressing his annoyance rather than his fear. Gatty had the distinct feeling he should be wary of the stranger.
"What happened to your face?" the boy said, his voice flat as if he didn't really care.
"I…I fell; what's it your business?" Gatty replied. He frowned not only because of the boy's tone, but his grin that followed Gatty's reply. "Whatever…"
Gatty could feel the boy's eyes upon him as he left, but he didn't care. "How can you stand that?" the boy said just as Gatty opened the door.
"What do you mean?" Gatty looked back at him, almost cringing at how evil the boy's eyes looked.
"I'd never let anyone hit me like that and get away with it."
Gatty's eyes grew wide. "How did you--"
"I've seen you in the neighborhood before--with worse bruises."
"Yeah, and so what?" Gatty's fear melted into anger. "Who do you think you are getting into my business?"
"I'm Dilandau." Dilandau smirked at him. "You'll soon be very familiar with that name."
Gatty heard Dilandau's laughter for the first time after he said that and Gatty couldn't help but shudder as it rang in the room…
******
Ringing. A ringing was interrupting Gatty's sleep. His hand emerged from under the covers and pulled his cell phone underneath the covers. He turned it on without much thought and put it to his ear without opening his eyes.
"Dare da (Who is this)?" Gatty said more like a whine.
"Not a good way to answer your phone, Gatty. What if this had been Dilandau-san?"
"Viole." Gatty turned over on his side. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know when you're leaving your house."
Gatty's hand came from under his sheet again to pull his alarm clock over to his face. He cracked open his eyes and saw the red numbers before him. The clock read "6:05." Gatty closed his eyes again and growled softly.
"Well?"
"Probably in an hour and a half."
"All right." Viole hung up.
Gatty frowned and pushed his alarm clock out of his bed after shutting off his cell. He took no heed of the electronic falling to the ground. Now unable to fall back asleep, Gatty pulled the sheet from above his head. He sighed and rotated his bare shoulders.
"God, I hate the first day of school…" Gatty muttered. Part of his dream flashed before is eyes. "I wonder if Dilandau's awake…"
******
Allen set his coffee mug back down upon the table. He already felt as though he had been through a full working day. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to AP?" he asked. He smiled thinly. "It's not too late to transfer back."
"I'm sure." Celena stared down into her yogurt cup as if contradicting her statement. "I want to try to get closer to Dilandau, and I have friends outside Austria Prep, so I'll be all right."
Allen sighed. "You might just push your brother away, you know. He's involved in a lot that you may not want to find out about, or more importantly that he doesn't want you to find out about."
"It's fine," Celena said. "I can't stand how distant we are now… If there's a chance we can be closer…just spend some more time together, I want to take the risks. We used to be like best friends… Now it's like he hates me."
"Celena, I'm sure that's not--"
Allen stopped when Dilandau stumbled into the kitchen, wearing only a pair of pants. His eyes were half open and his yawn drew the attention of his sister. Celena lifted her head and watched his motions as if he were a ghost of some sort. He might as well have been one, the way he moved as if he was the only one present and the way Allen and Celena regarded him in silence. Dilandau went to the cabinet, grabbed the first box of cereal that his hand touched, and opened the box. He poured the cereal into his mouth, several flakes landing outside his mouth, and left the box sitting open on the counter. Finally Dilandau went to the refrigerator, grabbed the jug of milk, and poured more than enough milk into his nearly full mouth. Milk trickled down the side of his mouth and began to gather at his chin. The rest of the excess milk landed on the floor in front of the refrigerator. Dilandau chewed for a while, almost mechanically, and swallowed. He wiped his mouth and chin with his palm.
*He's unbelievable,* Allen thought, watching Dilandau's slow retreat from the kitchen. "I'm surprised you're awake this early," he said, ending the silence. "Didn't you just go to sleep three hours ago?"
Dilandau turned back as if suddenly realizing his brother and sister were there. It was probably the distance he and Dilandau were apart, but Allen saw Dilandau's eyes to be a rust color rather than the usual glowing red embers. Dilandau stared at his brother a while, scratched at his chest, and continued out of the room.
"I guess he's all right," Allen said. He took an apple from the basket on the table. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't completely out of it."
"How can you tell?" Celena wondered.
"He glared at me so he was at least coherent enough to recognize my sarcasm." Allen took a bite from his apple.
"Allen, you don't think that Dilandau will…will…"
Allen shook his head. "I try not to think about that," he said, "and I pray for him every day."
"Me too." Celena smiled despite the grim conversation. *With luck Dilandau and I can make some progress*, she thought. *I won't give up easily on him.*
******
Gatty ran a comb through his bangs a few times, his real purpose to waste all the extra time he had. "Damn Viole…" he said, merely playing with his hair. He stared at his reflection, wondering if he was due for a haircut. "I outta make him walk to school."
A knock came at Gatty's door and he froze, staring firmly at his reflection. "Can I come in?" a voice said behind his door.
Gatty set down his comb on the dresser. "Aa." He turned toward the door before it opened. A man with light brown hair stood at his doorway, but made no attempts to enter. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know if you could lend me some money," the older man said. "I'll be able to pay you back next week when I get paid."
"What the hell do you need the money for?" Gatty had an expression of one that said if it was for any kind of alcoholic beverage, there would be hell to pay.
"It's…it's only for groceries, that's all. I doubt there's anything to make for dinner tomorrow night. We also need some detergent and things like that."
"Oh… Gatty pulled his wallet from his pocket. "Oyaji (Father/Dad), you outta get a better-paying job. You work enough hours that buying groceries shouldn't ever be a problem."
Gatty handed his father a hundred-dollar bill. "I know, I'm sorry," his father said. "But you know, I'm still trying to…to cover my debts…"
"Hmph, at least you're not taking money from me to do that," Gatty spat. He lifted some of the bitterness from his tone. "Just don't forget to pay me back."
"I won't," Gatty's father said. He same a smile that suggested he was unsure if one was appropriate or not. "Is there anything specific you want me to pick up?"
Gatty ran his hand along his left pocket, missing the bulge where his lighter should have been. "A carton of cigarettes."
"I thought you were going to quit."
Gatty adverted his eyes from his father's brown eyes to prevent himself from being affected by the concern in his father's voice and façade. "You sound like Mimi," he mumbled. He looked back at his father once he had a steady expression. "I am going to…eventually, but the first couple days of school make me edgy. I'm sure I don't need to explain that to you."
This time he father looked away. "Sorry for that."
Gatty held up a hand. "We're not going down that road again, okay?"
His father looked back at him. "Is that what you really want?"
"Yes!"
"All right. Whenever you get home there should be food to eat, if you want it." He turned and pulled the door shut.
Gatty let out a breath. "I'm never talking about that again…" he said. *I'm doing my best now to just forget it happened…*
******
Dilandau continuously ran his tongue along his mouth, attempting to rid himself of the taste of cereal. *Damnit,* he thought, *I never eat cereal. Allen could have woken me up a little earlier before I put that shit in my mouth… Che, I hate cereal.*
"Who does he think he is…commenting on my sleeping habits…" Dilandau muttered. He slid down in the couch and rested one of his legs on the glass table ahead of him. He rubbed is face a few times. "Sleep is for the weak."
"…terrible incident a little less than a week ago."
Dilandau glanced at the television, wondering when he had turned it on. He figured it must have been just before he was fully awake. Allen's little comment had woken him a little, but when he had sat in his den (and obviously turned on the television), Dilandau became fully conscious.
"…my house…" the old woman on the television sobbed. "I've lived here for forty years and nothing like this has ever happened."
The television cut to a familiar old man who had a murderous look on his face. "There were about ten of these punks," he spat. "They all took off after they ruined my den!"
Dilandau made a satisfied grin. "Not only are those old people careless, but they can't count either," he said.
"…be the work of the Zaibach vandals responsible for the City Hall defacing and the playground horror [1]," a reporter said. "Police say they have no concrete evidence, however."
"Mochiron (Of course)," Dilandau said as if the woman could hear him, "the Ryuugekitai will never be caught."
"…for sure, we'll get them in the end," a police officer said, concluding the report. Dilandau began nearly hysterical laughter as the television went to commercial.
Celena walked into the room, heading to the cabinet on the other side of the room. Dilandau's laughter quickly died and his eyes locked on her like a red target. Celena grabbed some paper and some pens from the cabinet and started out of the room. Dilandau smiled wickedly at her back.
Celena was almost out the family room when she heard Dilandau's soft chuckle. "You're actually leaving AP, hmm?"
Celena slowly turned, shocked he was addressing her.
"U…uhn…" Celena tried to have a casual expression. *He looks so scary just sitting there,* she thought. *Demo, this is the first time he's talked to me in a long time without him simply saying "shut up," "hurry up," or "get out."*
Dilandau slid his leg along the glass table and continued to stare at his sister like one who planned to shoot someone who was unaware he or she had a gun. "Naru hodo (I see)," he said. "Well, then I only have one thing to say to you: stay out of my way."
Celena was already nervous from his strange actions and appearance; his statement only made her more cautious. "Wha…what are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm not going to Zaibach High to cause trouble for you… I'm just gonna do my work and come back home."
"If you choose to interfere with me and friends," Dilandau added as if not listening, "you'll regret it. Soon you'll learn that I control the school."
"Hu-huh?" Celena held herself to prevent her body from shaking. Dilandau just had an ominous voice--like she was going to her death.
"Wasureru nai (Don't forget)." Dilandau grinned at her, revealing his upper row of teeth.
*Ko…kowai…* Celena thought, only staring at him a few more seconds. She decided to leave, having the feeling Dilandau would say no more to her.
Dilandau remained grinning two seconds after she left before dropping his expression into a scowl. "Che…" he muttered. "This will change things a little…"
******
Gatty wasn't sure or not if he was proceeding to school according to Dilandau's schedule or if he was behind. Usually Dilandau would call him to tell him approximately what time he should be at school, but Gatty received no call yet. He wasn't sure if Dilandau himself was running late or if maybe he had decided to skip the first day all together.
*Hmm…demo if he were going to do that he'd definitely call me,* Gatty thought. *He usually has several things to us planned during school hours. I'd call him, but he usually doesn't like phone calls unless it's really important--*
"Oi, Gatty," Viole's voice came from the back seat. "Is it true Dilandau-san taught you how to fight?"
"Yeah, I've heard that too," Guimel said next to Viole.
Gatty stopped at a red light, frowning up at the two in his mirror above. "Yeah, that's true," he said. "What of it?"
"Jaa (Well then), it must be true the reason your father acts like he's afraid of you is because you beat him up when you were in middle school," Viole said.
Gatty leaned one arm of the steering wheel and turned sideways in his seat. "That's not any of your damn business!" he snapped, pointing at Viole. His temper began to rise as Viole and Guimel laughed.
"Hey, I was just asking," Viole said, brushing him off. "By the way, the light's green."
Gatty scowled at him for a second before facing front again. "You don't need to get so upset," Guimel added as Gatty passed in intersection.
"Omae-tachi--" Gatty was urged to stop the car and kick them out.
Before Gatty could fume about the two intruding into his privacy, his cell phone went off. Viole and Guimel recognized Gatty's cell phone's distinct ring, so neither mistook the ring for their own cell phones. Gatty, usually driving with only one hand, used his free hand to pull his cell from his pocket. He was halfway grateful for the interruption and halfway angry at not chewing Viole and Guimel out completely.
"Hai?" Gatty said, trying to pay equal attention to the road and to the sound of Dilandau's voice. "On the way to school. Nani sore? Sou ka. All right. I will. Ja." Gatty clicked the phone off and set it in the passenger's seat.
"What Dilandau-san say?" Guimel asked.
"We're having an important meeting in the courtyard before school starts," Gatty reported. "Same spot as last year."
"Important? Aren't all Dilandau-san's meetings important?" Viole said, looking to Guimel. "I wonder what it's about."
"Heh, it's probably Dilandau-san reassigning jobs," Guimel said. He tapped at his puffy hair. "I didn't mind mine too much last year."
"Oh, yeah, " Viole said. "You were pretty good at that…"
*Thank God for the Ryuugekitai,* Gatty thought as his two friends discussed last year. *Iie, rather Dilandau. If he hadn't called me just now, I'm sure those two would have tried to dig into my past. Once again I have to thank Dilandau for solving my problems…*
******
Not that any of the Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was a monster (at least not openly to his face), but when Dilandau was at school among other children around his age, he seemed like a teenager; his terrifying image was slightly diminished and Dilandau almost looked like a regular person standing in the courtyard with several other students behind him. It was easy for them to forget they were a gang and spent most of their time causing trouble and causing people pain. Yes, it was easy to forgot--until Dilandau opened his mouth. Yet, he had not done so and was merely standing in front of his six friends with a frown as if thinking deeply. They all thought it was a bit strange, but they weren't going to call Dilandau on it. Shesta decided, instead, to inquire his friends about some things that were important enough that Dilandau wouldn't mind him bringing up.
"Uh, I'm going to change to a few of our schedule so we all have the same lunch…" Shesta said, eyeing Dilandau carefully, "so if anyone wants a class changed tell me now."
"Yeah, drop my science class and put me in driver's ed," Dallet said. "That class is easy."
"Put a study hall somewhere in mine," Miguel said as Shesta noted what Dallet had requested.
"That it?" Shesta asked as he recorded what Miguel wanted. "No one has any other changes?" The rest of the Ryuugekitai shook their heads.
"Changes…" Dilandau said, grabbing all of their attention. "There'll be some this year…"
"Such as?" Gatty said not hesitating to prod him as the others did.
"Celena."
Regardless if the six boys recognized the name, they all expressed confusion why the person would bring about changes for them. Dilandau took a moment while they murmured among themselves to think of his twin sister. Dilandau had made it clear that Allen would drive her to school or she'd take the bus. Under no circumstance would he drive her to school. Dilandau had a good reputation (well, a good reputation of being bad), and he didn't want that to change because of Celena's actions. He wondered if anyone would notice they were twins; Dilandau supposed he could say she was his cousin. Then again, several people were aware that he had a sister because Allen had been in newspapers and magazines before (because of his recent Olympic accomplishments) [2] and his family was often discussed. Dilandau made a mental sigh; he'd just have to ignore her as he had been doing.
"Who's Celena?" Guimel finally asked.
"Baka! She's Dilandau-san's twin sister!" Miguel said.
"Nani? There's someone out there that looks just like Dilandau?" Dallet said. He scratched his head, remembering he had known Dilandau had a sister but he had never been introduced to her much less knew she was his twin.
"You know, Shesta I guess we were the only ones that have actually seen her," Gatty mused. "Still that was a long time ago."
"Must have been sixth grade," Shesta noted. "I don't think I remember what she looks like."
"Duh, she must look like Dilandau-san," Viole said.
Dilandau snapped out of his reverie and stepped up to Viole, grabbing him by his collar. "Who said we were identical twins?" he growled.
"Uh…uh…I …I…just assumed," Viole stuttered, sweat imediately rolling down the side of his neck.
*I think they are identical twins,* Gatty thought, *but not foolish enough to say. I know at least Celena resembled him when she were younger; I don't know if that's still true.*
Dilandau made an irritated, but soft sound and pushed Viole away from him. "Listen up, everyone," he said in his defy-me-and-suffer voice. "Celena is of no concern to us. Business will go on as usual."
"I thought you just said we'd have changes--" Miguel began.
"Did I say I was finished??" Dilandau snapped. He calmed a little as Miguel backed down from his query. "Anyway, what I mean by she is none of our concern is that we won't resort to terrorizing her or even acknowledging she exists at our school. The change is that we will be more careful about what she sees us doing. That's why we won't get involved with her or she'll find out some of the secret things we do."
"So Celena is attending Zaibach now," Gatty determined from what Dilandau had said. When the others realized that, they made more murmurs of surprise.
"Yes, so it's important we take a bit more care in what we do. It's inevitable that she'll find out some of our operations just because they're common knowledge at Zaibach, but we don't want her to somehow figure out the other stuff. Does everyone understand?"
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the six said.
"Ii (Good). Other than her, the year should go smoothly again." Dilandau turned and grinned at some of the other students. "We're sophomores this year, two years from graduating from this hellhole. Shikashi, I wonder if they'll be anything left we haven't done by the time we're seniors."
The Ryuugekitai was glad to hear his laughter afterwards because somehow they sensed Dilandau was not at ease with his sister at school. If he was at unease, the rest of the Ryuugekitai was at unease. Dilandau seemed to have dropped the matter and was scheming for the new school year.
"Oi, what does Celena look like?" Viole asked while Dallet and Dilandau discussed something.
"Well, she should look a little like Dilandau if they're related," Guimel said. He leaned against a bench. "Demo, she could look a lot like Allen who doesn't look all that much like Dilandau."
"I wonder why we don't ever see her in the first place," Miguel said. He made a short wave to someone he recognized. "I mean, we've all known Dilandau for at least three years; we've seen Allen enough times."
"Whatever the reason is, we shouldn't dwell upon this too much," Shesta said. He noticed Dilandau was finished speaking with Dallet, so Shesta lowered his voice. "You know that prying into Dilandau's privacy is a guaranteed way to get slapped."
"Aa," Gatty agreed.
"What's everyone talking about, hmm?" Dilandau asked, smiling at their shrugs. "Hmph, as long as it doesn't affect me who cares. I have few doubts you all would do anything behind my back, unless you were prepared for the repercussions of stabbing me in the back."
The bell rang, marking the first period of school was going to start in some minutes. Students slowly began to leave the courtyard and head back into the school. The Ryuugekitai lingered behind, their leader not giving them the okay for them to leave. Gatty was particularly relieved, starting to feel his old trepidations from starting a new school year. He didn't know why the anxiety he had experienced in sixth grade stayed with him for four years. Each year it lessened a degree, but it was still there.
"Last year we had five teachers fired," Dilandau said, seeing some teachers he believed to be new. He guessed several would quit after last year. "Pay attention to your teachers and others; let's see if we can double that number this year."
Dilandau softly chuckled and put a hand in his pocket. He nodded after all the Ryuugekitai complied, signaling the six were free to go. Dilandau and Gatty were the only two that remained behind. Gatty sighed and kept making looks as though he wanted to enter the school, but couldn't. Dilandau turned a serious expression upon his friend.
"Why do you get like this?" Dilandau asked.
"Iie, it's not what you're thinking--"
"Bullshit. Gatty, your father has not only you to fear but the whole Ryuugekitai that hold him into place."
"I know, I know." Gatty ran a hand through his tan hair. "He doesn't scare me any more--I almost like him again. I guess that one experience has conditioned me for life. I should be okay by the time the week's over with."
"Well," Dilandau said with one of his grins that meant his thoughts were in the gutter. "I know of something that usually eases me."
"Heh, and I know exactly what you're talking about." Gatty's eyes trailed a trio of girls who quickly pretended to not watch him and Dilandau. He smiled in both flattery and the ego that came with being a Ryuu. "I never used such methods to calm myself."
"It works for me and Dallet for that matter," Dilandau said with a shrug. He put his hand on Gatty's shoulder. "Don't knock it until you've tried it." Dilandau went of to the school's entrance before Gatty could respond, if he had any thing left to say to him.
"Well, maybe first period will be enough to calm me," Gatty said. He made a sarcastic smile. *Or maybe I need a new therapist.*
******
Dallet had been doing less of a watch on his teachers as Dilandau had instructed and more of a watch on cute girls. It was just as well because Viole and Guimel usually suggested people to target while Dallet suggested girls Dilandau should date. Well, "date" wasn't the word--it was more like "fool around with." Dilandau's head was too inflated to stick with one girl. Not that Dallet was always exclusively seeing one girl; he couldn't really afford it with being a Ryuu.
"Hmm…" Dallet said as he glanced at his schedule. He shrugged and headed to his locker. *One down and six to go,* he thought.
Just as he popped open his black locker, Shesta appeared next to the adjacent locker. "Got your revised schedule," Shesta said.
Dallet put a book away and closed the locker back. "Did you even go to first period?" he wondered.
"You know how the guidance counselor 'loves' me," Shesta said, shrugging. He handed Dallet a folded piece of paper. "She gave me a pass even though they was only ten minutes of class left when I was done."
"Sou ka," Dallet said. He unfolded the paper and noticed the fifty- dollar bill within. "What's this?"
"To pay back for the shirt I ruined a few days back," Shesta said. He didn't look embarrassed, but he didn't look like he was pulling Dallet's leg either. "I would have done it sooner, but you know Dilandau-san wouldn't want us taking responsibility for doing his bidding. Yeah, he told me to drink some more and try to throw up on you, but…well, we all have a vindictive side and I don't need you plotting against me."
"Hmph," Dallet said, putting the bill into his pocket. "Kowai (Scared)?"
"Hardly." Shesta frowned at Dallet as he smiled. "I'll soon be too busy to worry about you trying to get me back."
Dallet continued to smile and looked over his new schedule. "Thanks," he said, making it unclear to what he was pertaining.
"Whatever," Shesta said. He glanced at his watch and turned to leave. "Gotta give Miguel's his next…"
Miguel… Dallet thought. "Oi, matte!" he said, walking up to Shesta.
"Nan da?" Shesta asked. He raised a brow at Dallet's grin.
"Miguel started a rumor about me, didn't he?" Dallet asked in a hushed voice. "You know, don't you?"
"Uh…" Shesta had heard from Dilandau yesterday the detail of what Miguel had said to discourage the girls from going up to level two with Dallet.
"Come on, Shesta," Dallet said, clenching a fist. "At the Z a lot of girls are avoiding me because of something Miguel said. I know it was him, but I need to know what he said so I can confront him."
"Listen, whatever he said was because Dilandau-san told him to say it," Shesta said. He held up his hands as Dallet glared at him. "Hey, if Dilandau-san told you to do the same thing, would you do it?"
"Of course, but--"
"Then let it go. Hey, if you want I'll talk to Dilandau-san and see if he can get the rumor removed. It's not as if there was any way you could do that…"
"Do what??" Dallet demanded.
"Bestu ni, bestu ni (nothing, nothing)." Shesta glanced at his watch again. "Man, I better go before I'm late to next period. Later, Dallet."
Dallet watched him go and let out a sigh. "Maybe he's right," he said. He smiled at some passing girls. "Guess I'll just wait until it comes out."
******
Viole slammed a shorter boy against a row of lockers. He smiled as he held the younger boy in place and saw the fear dancing in his eyes. That was good; there would be a problem if the boy was angry. The Ryuugekitai needed to present a certain level of fear at school. This was one of the ways they did this.
"Oi, I think my friends asked you a question," Viole said. "You weren't trying to ignore him, huh?"
"Ii…iie…" the boy stammered.
"That's good," Guimel said, giving the boy a fake smile. "You want to answer my question then?"
"Wha…what was…the question?"
"Oi!" Viole pulled the boy from the lockers and held him above the floor by his collar. "You tryin' to play around with us??"
"I-I-iie! I really didn't hear it!" they boy claimed. Viole had to keep his angry expression instead of the amused one he was tempted give. It was funny to pretend to be annoyed just to make other kids nervous.
"I asked you where you were going," Guimel said, smirking behind Viole. "I suggest you answer before my friend here tries to close your head in a locker."
"I was just going to class!" the boy said weakly.
"Oh, was that all?" Viole said, lowering the boy. He smiled to Guimel. "The freshie was just going to class."
"Aw, I guess he doesn't want to be late," Guimel said. He began to laugh after that.
"Gee, I guess we better let him go," Viole mocked. He smiled and released the boy's collar.
"Uh…ari…gatou…" the boy said. He took one step. Viole moved in his way. The boy tried the other way and Guimel blocked him. "A…ano…"
"What's the hurry?" Viole asked. He looked at his watch. "You got about five minutes left."
"Um…I just wanna…"
"What's your name, kid?" Guimel interrupted.
"Thomas," Thomas said.
"Well, Tommy," Viole said, putting hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid we can't let you go just yet."
"Aa, zan'nen da," Guimel chuckled.
"Wh…why not?" Thomas asked, looking between two taller boys.
Guimel held up a handful of cards that looked like credit cards. "You need to buy one of these before we can let you go."
"What…what are they?" Thomas stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from completely shaking.
Viole took one from Guimel's hand and put it nearly in the boy's face. "This is an 'Anti-Ryuu-Target Card,'" Viole said. "You get it renewed every week and we won't put you on our list."
"Li-Li-List?"
"Yeah, a li-li-list," Guimel said. He and Viole briefly laughed at the boy's stammering. "You don't want to be on the Ryuugekitai's list."
"Sou da." Viole waved the card in front of Thomas. "So, you gonna buy one for this week or would you like us to stop you every day?'
"How much?" Thomas asked quickly.
"Ten bucks," Guimel answered. He smiled at Thomas's wide eyes. "It goes up, of course, especially if you don't buy one often."
Thomas swallowed and took a five-dollar bill and five ones from his pocket. "This is all I got," he said.
Viole snatched it from the boy. "Lucky you," he said. He handed the boy the card. "Don't loose it, Tommy."
Thomas nodded and was relieved when Viole and Guimel let him pass. He took off with little hesitation. The two Ryuu grinned at the retreating boy, enjoying their work.
"Tell your friends to get theirs!" Guimel called after the boy.
"Another boy goes hungry," Viole said, stuffing the money into his pocket. "Almost makes you sad, ne?"
"Hmph, are you being sympathetic?" Guimel said. He counted the number of ART cards left.
Viole laughed. "I don't even know what that means," he said.
"That and ten thousand other words," Guimel muttered.
"Nan da?"
"Nani mo nai (Nothing). Let's sell the other twenty-six cards. You know Dilandau-san will give us hell if we have even one unsold."
"Ah, the life of a Ryuu," Viole said, smirking as he made a mock sigh.
******
"Ah, ah…" Gatty sighed, lying on a bench in another courtyard. "I'm still tense… It just won't go away." He idly watched students passing him, not caring if he went to his next class or not. He hadn't liked his snooty first period teacher who constantly glanced at him as if he were up to something. Perhaps the man had been given a heads-up on the Ryuugekitai. That was slightly impressive; their power was increasing greatly.
"I don't know if Dilandau was being courteous--" Gatty snorted between his sentence. "--or if he just coincidentally forgot to assign me anything to specific to do today… Maybe he knew I'd be of no use to him with my condition."
Gatty's brow rose as he caught sight of Mimi and a group of other girls. *I know of something that usually eases me…* Gatty heard Dilandau's voice clearly in his head. *He really is like some kind of counselor.*
Gatty say up in the bench and slid off it just as Mimi went inside the school. He grinned at he followed her and her friends who all gathered at Mimi's locker. Gatty, not wishing to deal with her ditzy friends, waited fro them to wander off before approaching her. He tried his best not to appear smug or amused.
"Hey," Gatty said with only the faintest smile. He was met with an annoyed look which only made his smile more visible.
"Oh, so now you have the time to talk to me?" Mimi said. She turned her back to him. "I shouldn't even waste my time with a little boy like you."
Gatty silently laughed at her back. She had been the one that had always pursued him even though he was a year younger and she knew that he was into some terrible things. When Gatty was worried about Dilandau, he had the time to find the situation with Mimi to be hilarious. He had never thought he'd have an older woman attracted to him as well as same and younger ages.
"Aw, you don't think I'm cute any more?" Gatty said, running his hand down from her shoulder to her arm.
Mimi abruptly faced him again, forcing his hand to drop. "You are such a little jerk!" she said. "You practically ignored me the whole summer and now that we've back in school you wanna give me a little of your attention??"
"So you'd prefer I continue to ignore you?" Gatty retorted. He couldn't help buy laugh at her frustrated expression. "All right, fine. It's not every day my schedule allows me to spend some time on other non- Ryuu related matter, but--"
"You know what I mean!"
Gatty merely smiled at her until she finally gave up. "Why do you take orders from him?" Mimi sighed. "It's not as if he really liked you or something; you should just quit the Ryuugekitai."
"Iie, I can't do that." Gatty stepped closer to her and grinned. "Do you really want to know why I stick around Dilandau?"
"Yes," Mimi said. Neither took heed of the bell ringing.
"You won't believe me."
"I will," Mimi grasped his arm and gave him a smile. "Come on, tell me."
"All right." Gatty shook his head, preparing to tell the truth because he didn't feel like lying just so it would sound more truthful. "I was having some family problems when I started middle school. One of them was my father became unemployed after he developed a bad drinking problem because my mother recently died. For a while we lived off the money she had left us in her passing, but that soon ran out. My bum of a father was too 'depressed' and drunk to concern himself with paying things like the mortgage. In short, I was going to be homeless with an useless father.
"It all changed when I met Dilandau, however. He took care of my first problem with my father and then he and I formed the Ryuugekitai. Once I was a member, I was allowed a share of the money we, uh…somehow came across… Anyway, I was able to pay the bills my father couldn't until I forced my father to get a job and get off the booze. I would have never been able to pay for those bills or smack enough sense into my father to make him come back to his senses if it hadn't been for Dilandau."
Gatty held back a laugh as he looked at Mimi's scrutinizing face. He knew she was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. Gatty also knew what her conclusion would be before she began to laugh. He smiled back at her, not expecting her to believe him.
"Yeah, right!" Mimi laughed. She patted him on the shoulder. "Great story, Gatty; do you tell all the girls that 'touching' story?"
"Not unless they ask," Gatty said. He shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna go; you coming with me?"
"Oi, matte yo!" Gatty had began to leave before he replied. She followed him as if he had stolen something from her. "Where are we going?"
******
In general, Dilandau hated all his classes, but he loathed history. When he thought of a slow, painful death, he imagined being stabbed to death by useless facts of a dead past. The past was the past; why was everyone required to memorize dates, recall "important" events, and know ten thousand people who had been dead for at least a hundred years? The only thing that vaguely interested him was the battles, but Dilandau liked the bloody, drawn-out, causality-filled wars that devastated countries and/or made another country powerful. Dilandau would have gladly participated in one of these wards, but he had no interest to join the military at the present. The world was too concerned with peace and several treaties had been signed to prevent Gaea and other countries from going to war. Dilandau hated the pacifism of the world.
"…was invented in the fifth century," the white-haired woman continued. "With the invention of this, it was possible…"
Dilandau, down in his chair so that his head touched the back of his chair, closed his eyes. *I wonder who I'll get to do my homework for me this year,* he thought. *Guimel should be scouting for some egg-head to do it. Hmm… I wonder what I should do tonight. Maybe I'll do something by myself. The others usually like it when I give them a little leeway every once in a while. Gotta let 'em breathe from time to time. I guess I could go on a date. Haven't done that in a while. I'll ask Dallet to--"Schezar- san, Schezar-san, Schezar-san…"*
"Hmm?" Dilandau opened an angry eye, not sure if his irritation was due to the teacher's audacity to address him (when he clearly had no interest in the class or the woman) or if it was because the old woman's voice had became part of his thoughts. "Nan da??"
His teacher put her hands on her hips. "Excuse, Schezar-san," she said. She blushed at the few chuckles from other students. "This is history class, not Sleeping 101. I suggest you get more rest at home."
"I suggest you get a well-needed face lift," Dilandau muttered. The increase in laughter aroused the teacher's suspicion.
"What did you say??"
"What do you want??" Dilandau sat straight and gave her a death- glare. "If it was simply to wake me up, you've wasted your time! I haven't been sleeping!"
"Well, then," his teacher said, "can you tell me the date of Gaea's Industrial Revolution?" The classroom grew silent as they waited for him to answer.
*I hate history,* Dilandau thought. "Yesterday?" he answered. His anger slowly began to disappear as the teacher's anger appeared.
"Schezar-san--!"
"1801, duh."
Dilandau's temper came back full circle upon hearing the smug, impertinent voice. "Dare da--" He turned his head towa5d the source of the aggravating voice.
"Correct!" the teacher said, pleased with the other student's knowledge. "What is your name, young man?"
Dilandau stared daggers at his grinning classmate who had dared to make him look stupid. "Van Fanel," the dark-haired boy said. Most of the class expressed surprise.
"Oh, my, are you related to same Fanels that founded the city Fanel?" the teacher asked.
"Yes, I just moved here," Van said. "I plan to finish high school in Zaibach."
"Excellent, Fanel-san," the teacher said. "Well, I'm glad someone is paying attention. Now let's continue…"
For the rest of the period Dilandau concentrated on the new boy who had recently made the top of his hit list. *Van Fanel…* he thought, *I'm going to make you wish I was never born…*
--Some Footnotes:
[1]-This playground horror refers to when the Ryuugekitai hid like broken glass and rusty nails at a playground and injured many children. I meant to explain that somewhere in the story, but I didn't and I didn't feel like taking it out either. Sorry about that.
[2]-Allen's career should be explained later. Don't know what chapter, but some time soon.
--Next, Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two: It's already written, so anyone who reads this the first day I post it, don't freak out. I'm planning to have part two typed up the next day. Anyway, Gatty finally relaxes himself, Celena meets the Ryuugekitai, and Dilandau "meets" someone very interesting… Onto part two (if it's there already)! ^_^