*Author's Notes: If anyone hasn't noticed already, I've been trying to
make "Dilandau" the first word of each chapter. See, the next five
chapters are about the other Ryuu and they all start off "Dilandau the…"
Oh, I wanted to say to Fitz20 that I'm glad you enjoyed the first part (and
umi and demonicangel). I hope you like this part too. Oh, and the reason
Gatty's always so nervous on the first day is because of the first day of
sixth grade where he was worried about what people would say. So, now he
permanently is nervous about every school year that starts even though his
family life has gotten better. Anyway, don't forget about the ART cards
mentioned. They're really important in this chapter. For the record once
again, I do not think that Celena is pretty; in fact, I think she's kinda
ugly. I don't know, that's just me. For my purposes in this fic, I'm
pretending she's very cute. I mean, she outta be if she the twin of
someone so gorgeous, ne? And notice how before that Dilandau didn't show
the Ryuugekitai Celena, nor did they remember what she looked like (Gatty
and Shesta anyway). Why is that important? Read on and find out! ^_^
Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two
"Hmm, wonder if Viole and Guimel got rid of all those ART cards," Miguel said. He looked at his watch. "I can be a little late for lunch. Dilandau probably will be late himself."
A girl passed Miguel and he rushed up to move in front of her. "Whoa!" he said. "Where you going?"
"To art class," the girl said. She frowned at him. "Get out of my way."
Miguel laughed and waved a finger at her. "That's not very nice; all I did was ask you a question."
"Yeah, and you're in my way too!" the girls said. She tried to get past him and failed. "Move!"
"I'll be glad to," Miguel said. He snickered as he perfectly matched her movements to get away.
"Well, then let me by!"
"Got an ART card?"
The girl took a step back. "You're…you're with those other guys?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, there's only four more of us that you need to worry about," Miguel said. He grinned at her change from irritation to caution. "Dilandau especially."
"I've heard of him," the girl admitted. She clutched the straps of her book bag. "Never met him though."
"You just might," Miguel said, "unless you were smart enough to purchase one of our cards."
The girl quickly pulled out her ART card from her pocket. "Here," she said, showing him it.
"Lucky you," Miguel said. He politely stepped out of her way. "Go ahead."
The girl gave him a look that fought between annoyance and concern for her safety. "Geez…" she said before continuing down the hall.
"Being a Ryuu is ten thousand times better than what I used to be," Miguel said. He rubbed his hands together. "Let's see who else has an ART card or rather, who doesn't."
Miguel set his grin upon a circle of girls. One of them he recognized to be in one of his classes last year. He figured she'd already made sure she was protected against the Ryuugekitai. However, he bet at least one of her friends didn't have one. Miguel hoped his hunch was right.
"I just got my ART card," Ferra said, wiping her forehead. "I'm saved for the week."
"Oh, no I didn't get mine," Liliana said, biting down on her finger. "They wouldn't get me on the first day, right?"
"I don't know," Terry said. She sighed and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Those guys are ruthless jerks."
"What's an art card?" Celena asked. She was the only one who was facing Miguel's approaching direction, but of course she didn't pay him any attention. "A pass for the art club?"
"Are you kidding??" Liliana said.
"That's right, you're new here, Celena," Terry said. "Good thing we're here to tell you what's up."
"Yeah," Ferra agreed. She put on a hand on Celena's shoulder. "It's not an 'art' card, it's an 'A-R-T' card."
Celena blinked. "An 'A-R-T' card?"
"It stands for 'Anti-Ryuu-Target,'" Ferra explained. "The Ryuugekitai issue them out every week."
"And if you don't have one, they make you one of their targets!" Liliana said, finally giving the finger she had been biting on a break. "They cost like ten bucks at the minimum."
"God, I didn't know it was so bad here…" Celena said. "How come the principal doesn't take care of these guys?"
"No way," Liliana said, tossing her blonde hair. "They have power over him."
"Power over him??" Celena repeated. *My God, what kind of school is this?* she wondered. *Was it a big mistake to come here?*
"But don't worry; the Ryuugekitai will usually leave you alone if you have an ART card--" Ferra began to add.
"That's right," Miguel said, having finally approached the girls. He relished the girls' timorous expressions. "So who here has an ART card to show me?"
Ferra and Terry showed their cards and Liliana stepped in front of Celena before Miguel was finished looking over her two friends' cards. "We don't have one, but we promise to get one by tomorrow," Liliana said.
*Yes! I knew one of them wouldn't have one!* Miguel thought. *Now I can have some fun…*
"Heh, you two are very unlucky," he said. He put a hand in his pocket. "It's kinda like drawing your name out of a lottery for being stoned to death [1]."
Miguel moved Terry and Ferra out of the way so he could step closer to Liliana. Celena, hidden by her friend, held onto Liliana's back for safety. She had a bad feeling about the boy, something akin to the feeling she experienced during her conversation with Dilandau. Ferra waved her hand to indicate they should run, while Terry made an indication she'd impede Miguel.
"We're gonna have to run for it, Cel," Liliana whispered. "If we go now, Miguel might forget our faces by tomorrow."
"What will he do to us?" Celena whispered back.
"Don't wanna find out."
"So what's the excuse?" Miguel asked. "Why no cards, ladies?"
*As if you really care,* Liliana thought. "Gomen, gomen," Liliana said, grinning nervously. "We'll buy one now."
Miguel and shook his head. "I don't have any to sell," he said. He narrowed his bright, brown eyes. "Guess I'll have to teach you two a lesson."
"Matte! Can't we just give you the money to pay for one without the card??" Ferra said, trying to distract Miguel.
"I'm done with you two," Miguel said, shooing them away with his hand.
"Demo--" Terry began.
"You want me to rip up your cards and make you all targets of the Ryuugekitai?" Miguel said.
Terry and Ferra exchanged glances with each other then looked to Liliana. Liliana nodded and the two went off after apologizing. Celena began to pull on her friend's back while she walked backwards.
"Let's just run now," Celena whispered. "Any time's as good as now."
"Okay…" Liliana said, watching Miguel carefully.
Miguel noticed their gradual retreat and grinned. "Where do you think you two are going?" he said. "I wouldn't run if I were you."
"Well, you're not us," Liliana said. "Cel, run and don't look back-- we can loose him in the crowds of people!" With that Liliana turned and pushed Celena forward to indicate she should run.
"Man, this is fun," Miguel said, taking after the two girls. *One with long strawberry blonde hair and the other with wavy light brown hair,* he thought. *Hmm…the blonde's a bit faster than the other. I might loose her. Oh, well. As long as I get one of them.*
Celena tried her best to follow Liliana, but she wasn't as used to maneuvering between students in the hall. Her old school only had about five hundred students while Zaibach High had about five times as many. Soon she was a good distance between Liliana and a bit confused where she was. It was a lunch period, so Celena figured if she went out into the courtyard, there would be enough kids around to prevent Miguel from doing anything to her. However, as she ran out, she noticed there were few students out there.
*Oh, yeah,* Celena thought, turning back to the doors she just went out of, *the bell hasn't even rang yet; it might be a while until the courtyard fills up.*
Celena jumped back from the door when she nearly bumped into Miguel. She hadn't gotten a good look at him before, but she knew he was the one she was running from. Celena wondered if anyone would help her; she had the impression that the Ryuugekitai were pretty powerful.
Miguel drew in a breath. "You're not that good at running away," he said, taking a good look at his target. *Wow, she's a really cute girl! Kinda familiar too…*
"Have I seen you before?" Miguel asked. He suppressed a laugh at her confused look. "I mean, before today, of course."
"No…I'm new here…" Celena said, wondering what the look in his eyes was for.
"Oh, a freshman?" Miguel said. His grin was like that of a shark's or at least in Celena's eyes it was.
"Iie, I'm a sophomore," Celena said, her eyes darting around for anyone who could help her or distract him. "I…I transferred…from AP."
*Gets better and better,* Miguel thought. *Maybe I'll skip lunch all together…*
"Ah, I'm so sorry," Miguel said, trying his best to sound as if he were. "I didn't know you were new here. No one must have told you about us."
Celena settled her eyes on the shark-boy. *Guess I'll have to stand my ground,* she thought. "Well, my friends were trying to tell me about the Ryuugekitai, but you scared them all off," she said.
"Hey, leave it to me," Miguel said, pointing to himself. "I'll tell you everything you need to know."
*Can't trust him,* Celena thought as the bell rang. *I know he's trouble just by looking at him.*
"Miguel!" Dallet said as he came out the door behind him. He took in several breathes as if he had been running a long time. "I've been looking for you."
"Not now, Dallet," Miguel said, trying to beckon him away. "I'm busy."
Dallet went up to him as if he hadn't heard a word he said. "You know, I'm gonna find out what you said about me eventually so why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"
"Later!" Miguel said. He glanced at Celena to make sure she hadn't moved. She hadn't, so he flashed her his charming smile.
Dallet glared at him, but eventually he took notice of whom his friend was preoccupied with. He completely forgot his original intent when he did. *Ka…kawaii (cu…cute)! he thought, closing his mouth before he started drooling. *What's Miguel doing with such a cute girl??*
"Hey, pretty girl," Dallet said, ignoring his friend now. "Whatcha doin' all by yourself?"
Celena stared at the new boy with equal caution. *Miguel said his name was Dallet,* she thought. *I doubt one of these Ryuugekitai would be so "friendly" with a non-member, so it's a good guess Dallet's one of the Ryuugekitai too… What bad luck I have!*
"Hey, back off!" Miguel said, pushing Dallet aside. "I saw this girl first; go womanize someone else, pretty boy."
"Heh," Dallet said. *No way I'm letting Miguel get this girl,* he thought. *She's the cutest thing I've seen in a while.* "Just because you only get a girl as about as often as the sky is polka-dotted doesn't mean I'm going to ignore such a cute girl."
"Kisama (You [very rude])…" Miguel said, balling up his fists.
Celena blushed. *I've got to get out of here,* she thought. *I don't need crazy guys like this trying to hit on me!*
Fortunately for Celena, Shesta had been looking for the majority of the Ryuugekitai. Dilandau had called him up on his cell phone and told him to have everyone gathered at their table by the time he arrived. Important Ryuugekitai business would be discussed. Shesta had sent Viole and Guimel to secure their table while he looked for the other three. Now Shesta had found Dallet and Miguel.
"Oi, you two!" Shesta said, poking his head out the courtyard door. "All Ryuu need to be at our table immediately! It's important!"
The two turned their attention upon Shesta. "Did he say what it was about?" Dallet asked.
"It's a new vendetta; one of his personal vendettas."
"Whoa!" Miguel said, expressing verbally what Dallet was expressing in his face. "That is important!" He waved to Celena. "Later, ojouchan (young lady)! [2]"
Dallet winked at Celena before following Miguel. "See ya, pretty girl."
Shesta glared at Miguel and Dallet as they finally came back into the school. "You guys were wasting time over some little girl?" he asked. "Typical."
"Hey, go take a quick look, Shesta," Dallet suggested. "Even someone like you would be interested."
"No time," Shesta said, giving Dallet a deadly look. "Dilandau-san wants us in the cafeteria now."
"Shit, are we the last?" Dallet asked nervously.
"Iie, Gatty's still missing."
"Ha, lucky us," Miguel said. He pointed at Dallet as he headed down the hall. "Like I said before, Dallet; I saw that girl first."
"Ha! Whatever!" Dallet said, walking after him.
Shesta rolled his eyes and went to check another hall for Gatty. Celena, still standing in the courtyard just to be safe, let out a breath. Someone above must have liked her; she had escaped two of the Ryuugekitai, even three (she guessed the boy who had "saved" her was also a Ryuu).
"If getting an ART card will keep those guys from me, I'm getting one as soon as possible," Celena said. She headed in the direction of the other entrance in the school at the other end of the courtyard.
*******
Gatty stepped out of a closet, quickly trying to buckle his belt again. He didn't mind his half-buttoned shirt, figuring he could take care of that while he walked to the cafeteria. He hadn't planned on taking a trip to the closet during the two periods he had skipped with Mimi, but somehow Dilandau's previous suggestion became more of a command than some advice. Still, Gatty felt jittery. He sighed as he pulled his belt through the loop and tapped two fingers against his lips.
"That was a good distraction," Gatty said, "but it only lasted for that moment; now I feel the same again."
Gatty had just began to button up the rest of his shirt when he heard familiar laughter. He stopped and faced Dilandau whose eyes seemed to know all that Gatty had done. He hoped his leader wasn't angry with him for missing two classes; Dilandau only allowed the Ryuugekitai to skip when he said it was all right (due to Guimel's previous problem with skipping).
"I like seeing when people take my advice," Dilandau said, walking to his side. He smirked at Gatty's tiny smile. "Dou (Well)?"
"I need a smoke--badly," Gatty said, continuing to button up his shirt. "That little tip of yours can only relax me as long as it lasted."
"Hmph, naru hodo," Dilandau said. He closed his eyes as if offended and reached into his pocket. However, he grinned and opened his eyes again as he pulled a cigarette from it.
Gatty's eyes widened. "When did you--"
"Easy to get. Knew you'd want it." Dilandau handed it to him.
"Demo, I didn't even bring my lighter…" Gatty said. Regardless of his words, he put the cigarette into his mouth.
Dilandau snorted and took out his lighter, though he wasn't big on cigarettes himself. "Yet still you put that into your mouth," he said. He flicked the lighter on and lit the end of Gatty's cigarette.
"I am trying to quit, you know," Gatty said. He took a moment to puff on the cigarette. He smiled and drew out some smoke from his mouth slowly. "Really I am."
"There's nothing that a good beating won't cure," Dilandau said. He grinned and began flicking his lighter on and off. "Ne, Gatty?"
Gatty tried not to think about Dilandau needing to beat him until he gave up his smoking habit, but of course Dilandau would only resort to that if Gatty's problem became Dilandau's problem. Dilandau was an expert at solving problems by the means of violence. It had solved many of Gatty's problems anyhow.
"Worked on my dad." Gatty shrugged. "Now I'll never have to worry about him stopping me from Ryuugekitai business."
"Aa," Dilandau said, entranced by the beautiful flame in front of him. "If he intruded in our business, you'd take him to court for what he did."
Gatty nodded, but he knew Dilandau wasn't paying attention. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. He suddenly had a flash of part of Dilandau's birthday celebration. The Ryuugekitai leader had set someone's bushes on fire (sixteen in all) to mock birthday candles. However, Dilandau hadn't tried to blow out his "candles." He stood for a long time watching the burning shrubbery with glee and chanting "moero, moero" several times.
"Ano…Dilandau-san?" Gatty said. He wiped away the sweat when Dilandau met eyes with him again. "Going to lunch now?"
"Oh? Ready to join us at school again?" Dilandau asked. He put his lighter back into his pocket.
"Uh…I was--"
"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Dilandau laughed. "I'll excuse you today. Demo, none of this edgy shit tomorrow--wakatta yo (understand)?"
"Uhn." Gatty exhaled smoke again. "My dad should be buying me a carton today."
"Sou ka." Dilandau changed his "friendly" expression into a serious one. "I have important business to discuss with everyone today."
"Nani sore?" Gatty asked. He removed his cigarette from his mouth for a while.
"Well, it's about--"
"No smoking on campus!" a rough voice said.
"Ee?" Gatty said before his cigarette was snatched from his fingers. His brows lowered at the dark-haired man before them.
"Schezar and his cronies at their old tricks again," the man said. He sneered at them as he crushed the cigarette in his hand.[3]
"Onore (Why you)…" Gatty said. He took a step forward before Dilandau's arm went in front of him. "Dilandau-san?"
"Ogenki desu ka (How are you), Aldelphos-kouchou (Principal Adelphos) [4]?" Dilandau said with his trademark false respect. "Have a good summer?"
"Cut your BS, Schezar," Adelphos said. He dusted off his hand. "I've already seen several kids with those ART cards. I'm not letting you get your way this year! Things are gonna change!"
Gatty wiped his face. "Didn't fix that spitting problem, I see," he muttered.
Dilandau laughed. "Masaka," he said. "Nothing's going to change this year. It'll be exactly like last year--only better."
"I'm going to wait for the chance to get rid of you, Schezar," Adelphos said, glaring at the both of them. "Then your little friends will drop like flies. Now get to class before I decide to give you both detention for roaming the halls and smoking on campus!"
"Whatever," Dilandau laughed. "Let's go, Gatty."
"Che (Shit)," Gatty said before the two of them passed the principal. When they were a good distance from him, he began to speak again. "Who does he think he is? Doesn't he remember how we blackmailed him all last year??"
"He's just a washed-up, bitter old man," Dilandau said. He rubbed his bottom lip, curved into a grin. "Let him try to mess with us--we'll put him in his place again."
Gatty joined him in his grin, but stopped as Dilandau suddenly stopped walking. "Dilandau-san?" he asked.
"Go ahead to the cafeteria, I'll be there soon," Dilandau said. "I need to have some important phone calls made later, and I left the numbers in my locker."
"Uh, hai," Gatty said.
Besides the little incident with a new enemy Dilandau had gained, he was having a pretty good day. He'd take care of Van Fanel in no time. It only took him a minute to get to his locker after he had sent Gatty ahead of him.
Dilandau smiled at the list. "Hmph, Shesta should be able to get something by contacting these people," he said to himself. "Yoshi--onto the cafeteria…" He closed his locker and headed down the empty hallway.
*I guess school can be fun,* Dilandau thought as he went by classrooms full of students and rows of lockers. *Any place where I can gain a position of power and make people's lives hell is my kind of fun.* He chuckled to himself.
"Konnichi wa, Dilandau-kun."
Dilandau stopped in the hall with a look of awe for two reasons. One, someone had addressed him so informally at school--even his friends weren't to call him that. Two, the voice was strangely familiar, but Dilandau wasn't sure who it belonged to. He slowly turned behind him to see a girl with golden brown hair walking in the opposite direction he had been walking. Dilandau then realized the girl had passed him in the hall without him realizing.
"When did she--" Dilandau shook his head. *No, I'm not going crazy,* he thought. *I just didn't see her when she passed. Wait a minute- -I have to see who that is!*
"Matte!" Dilandau said. The girl didn't stop or slow down and he began to run after her. "I said 'matte!'"
The girl slowly faced him just as Dilandau caught up with her. He drew a quick breath in as he saw her face. Her genial smile, the emerald, water-like eyes--so familiar to him. Dilandau's dream flashed before his eyes. The girl smiled at him in the same way the little girl in his dream had. Dilandau stared at her as if she were a ghost.
"Omae wa (You are)…" Dilandau murmured. *She…she can't be that girl from my dream,* he thought. *I just imagined her when I was younger!*
"It's good to see you again, Dilandau-kun," the girl said. She smiled again. "Well, I'll let you go on to the cafeteria. Ja ne."
Dilandau was frozen in astonishment, unable to follow her as she began to walk off again. *No…* he thought. *She can't be that girl. Shikashi…she does look like her and she knows my name!*
As Dilandau began to frown, he was able to get over his shock and move. "I can't let her disappear again," he said to himself. He went after her just as she rounded a corner and went out of his sight. "I have to know who that is!"
*******
"Hmm…Dilandau-san is taking a while…" Shesta noted at their rounded table. He looked at Gatty. "He said he was just going to his locker, right?"
"Uhn," Gatty said. He eyed Dallet and Miguel quietly discussing something that looked serious. "What's with you two?"
"Um, nothing…" Dallet said, grinning at Miguel.
"Yeah, just some stupid stuff," Miguel said, waving a hand.
"I figured that," Viole said. "Man, I'm hungry--Dilandau-san needs to hurry up."
Miguel lowered his voice. "If any one else finds out about that cute girl, they might try to snatch her up too," he said to Dallet. "It's bad enough you're trying to compete with me."
"I'm better looking than you are," Dallet boasted. "You might as well step aside."
"Whatever. You just look like a fag."
"What did you say??"
"They're freaks," Guimel said as Dallet and Miguel began to bicker. "Those two are always under someone's skin."
"Tell me about it," Gatty said. He coughed a few times.
"Been smoking, Gatty?" Shesta asked. He smiled when Gatty frowned at him. "Thought you were trying to quit."
"Urasai," Gatty said. He rose from the table. "I swear if I hear someone say that one more time…" Viole and Guimel laughed, Dallet and Miguel still concentrated on each other.
"Where are you going?" Shesta asked, noticing Gatty was walking away.
"To get a drink; I'll be back."
Gatty was feeling more like himself by now; he guessed it was his short, but sweet smoking session. That and seeing his "therapist" again. When Gatty thought of it, Dilandau kept him calm and at the same time nervous. It was a little like there were two Dilandaus: one that kept him in line and made sure he was doing the "right" things, and one that was more like a cruel all-powerful dictator.
The two halves of the cafeteria were joined by the area where food could be purchased, including snacks and sodas. The left seating area was were the Ryuugekitai always convened, as well as other people who could handle their kind of company. The "good" kids sat on the other side, either too scared to sit on the left side or too disgusted with the Ryuugekitai to set one foot over there. Of course, several people chose to eat out in the courtyard where they could sit at picnic tables.
Gatty crossed into the "peace zone" and smirked at the number of students who scattered when they recognized him. "I feel so loved," he said as he stepped up to a soda machine. A girl was ahead of him, but obviously she wasn't aware a Ryuu was behind her.
Gatty smiled and guessed the girl was a freshman. While he waited for her to be finished, he took the time to check her out. He didn't usually do things like that, but his little rendezvous with Mimi had his hormones going. She had nice beige hair that waved down to the back of her neck. Gatty's smile expanded and he took a look at the rest of her. He assumed she was one of the preps by her fuzzy pink sweater and matching flower-print skirt. It only showed part of her ankles that were laced with the pink straps of her sandals. Gatty might have been turned off by such "cute" attire, but either he was just in the mood or it was actually appealing. Since Gatty had been distracted enough to not notice the girl had been taking a long time, he supposed it wasn't just his hormones acting crazy.
"Oh, I hate when machines take my money…" the girl sighed. She began looking through her purse. "Shoot, I don't have any ones or change left…"
*Voice is kinda familiar,* Gatty thought. *Hmm, maybe I'll be nice today. Gotta let some people think we Ryuus have some good qualities.*
"Hey, don't worry about it," Gatty said. He went above the girl and slipped a dollar bill into the machine. "It's on me."
As the girl timidly thanked him he turned and took a look at her face. His surprise had nothing to do with her looks (though he found her very pleasing to look at) but was due to the déjà vu he experienced. He knew her face, had seen her marble blue eyes somewhere before. He couldn't place it, but he figured she must have been someone he had seen around last year.
Gatty watched her as she selected and drink and took her can of soda. "Did we have a class together last year or something?" he asked. "I feel like I know you."
The girl shook her head. "Masaka (It can't be)," she said. "Um, I'm new at the school…just transferred from Asturia Prep actually…"
"Oh," Gatty said, shrugging. *Guess she just looks like someone I know,* he thought. *If I could think of who I'd probably remember where I've seen her before. Shikashi, she's cute--cuter than Mimi anyway. Maybe I outta add another girl to my list…*
"Um, here's your change," the girl said. She held up two quarters to him.
"Oh, yeah, thanks," Gatty said, slipping the coins into his pocket. He smiled at the girl, causing her to blush.
"Well, um…bye, I guess," she said.
"O…oi…" Gatty said as she went away as if scared off. She glanced back at him shyly before disappearing into the mass of students on the right side.
Gatty shrugged and looked back at the soda machine. "I'll run into her again," he said. "I'll ask for her name then."
*******
Dilandau had been running around the halls for a while. He wouldn't accept the girl had disappeared into thin air again. He would find her even if it killed him. Forget dealing with the annoying Van Fanel (for the moment anyway). Dilandau wouldn't believe he was imagining the girl this time.
"Kuso! Ano onna wa doko (Where is that girl)?" Dilandau drew in a breath and shoved open the double doors that led out into the courtyard.
His red eyes went around rapidly, ignoring anyone who wasn't the person he sought. He let out a frustrated sigh as he saw no trace of her and began to head back inside. However, he caught sight of a lone bench at a relatively empty section of a the courtyard. Dilandau raised a brow and viewed the girl sitting at the bench. For a moment he thought he was going crazy because he could have sworn she nor the bench had been there a second ago. Dilandau made sure he kept his eyes on her as he approached her bench.
The girl was looking straight up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the sunlight in the same manner that water did. Dilandau couldn't help staring at her once again; she had the essence of a ghost, a spirit, or some figment of his imagination. Finally he was able to snap himself out of it and put his frown back into place. He would get to the bottom of the mystery the girl presented.
"Omae… I want to know how you know my name," Dilandau demanded.
The girl slowly brought her head down and smiled at Dilandau's grouchy face, giving him trouble keeping such a vicious countenance. "We met a long time ago, Dilandau-kun," she said. "I know you haven't forgotten the time we played together. You lent me your shovel and suggested I dig a hole."
Dilandau began breathing hard. "You're…you're real?" he asked. He began to reach out for her as if she was merely an apparition and would fade away any moment. However, he stopped himself and snatched his hand back. "Dare da (Who are you)?"
"Kanzaki Hitomi," Hitomi said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you…again." She laughed shortly in a melodious voice that placated Dilandau's temper.
"Kanzaki…Hitomi…" Dilandau repeated. He looked at her hand and gradually shook it. *She is real,* he thought. *The girl in my dream exists! Shikashi…why is she here now?*
"Why are you--" Dilandau started as he let go of her hand. He cut himself off as she suddenly turned her head with a surprised expression. "Doushita?"
"Van."
"Fanel?? Doko da (Where is he)?" Dilandau searched the courtyard for the sight of his new foe. However, he found no trace of him. He frowned and wondered if she were just rambling about something or if Van had simply ran away before Dilandau saw him.
"I don't see--" Dilandau stopped again and nearly gasped at the empty bench. "Kietta (Disappeared)…"
Dilandau stared for a long time at the void where Hitomi should have been. "What's going on?" he murmured. He curled his fingers into a fist. *Well, whatever is going on…* he thought, *Fanel is involved. He is definitely a problem for me…*
*******
"Gatty, something good happen or something?" Guimel asked. "You've been smiling ever since you got back."
Gatty set his can back down on the table. "Uh, betsu ni (not really)…" he said. "I'm just a bit grateful for the time off from Dilandau- san. You know, we're always at his beck and call, day and night. At school we get a little freedom."
"It's strange Dilandau-san's taking so long though," Shesta said.
"Yeah, I'm starving!" Viole said. He sighed. "I wish he'd let us go ahead and eat if he's gonna take his sweet time."
"Let Dilandau-san hear you," Shesta said. He and the others laughed when Viole made sure Dilandau wasn't around. "Well, I'll get you a bag of chips to tide you over until Dilandau-san shows up."
"He…he won't mind that?" Viole asked.
Shesta shrugged. "We'll just say you had to have something. I'll take the blame if he gets angry."
"Hell, then I'll have some chips too," Miguel said.
Shesta rolled his eyes. "Gee, anyone else?"
"Me," Guimel said.
"Me too," Dallet said.
"And you, Gatty?"
"I'm fine," Gatty said. He smirked and spoke lowly. "I'm not hungry for food right now."
"What was that?" Shesta said. He had heard something about "hungry," but that was it.
"Nanimo nai (Nothing)."
"Hen no yatsu (Weird guy)," Shesta muttered.
*******
"Celena, daijoubu?" Liliana asked. "You've been staring at your soda can for a while."
"Ee?" Celena glanced up and blushed. "Iie…nanimo nai."
"You're not mad because I left you to get caught by Miguel and Dallet, are you?"
"Man, what bad luck," Terry said. She pulled at the cheese on her pizza. "It's rare to bump into two Ryuugekitai, unless it's Viole and Guimel. Those two usually appear together, especially when issuing out ART cards."
"No, no, it's not that…" Celena said. She ran her finger around the top of her can. "Well, this guy brought this soda for me… I just thought that was really nice."
"Was he cute?" Liliana asked.
"He probably just wanted something from you," Terry said. She tore off a piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth. "And it ain't homework."
"Hmm…" Ferra said, "if he was cute he might be a playboy. Demo, he could have really liked Celena or maybe he was just a nice guy with extra money."
"Either way, it rocks," Liliana said. She gave Celena a thumbs up. "That's the way to go; flash a guy a pretty smile and get free stuff. Yep, that's for me."
"So you're considering a profession in prostitution, right?" Terry asked. She and Ferra laughed while Liliana turned red.
"But I didn't do anything," Celena said, hoping none of them would notice her uneasiness about Terry's joke. "I just stood there."
"Guess he checked you out and thought you were cute then," Ferra concluded. She winked at her. "Maybe you got a love interest, Celena."
Celena was bright red by the time her friends finished laughing at her. "Well, he was better than those Ryuugekitai guys leering at me," she said. "They acted like I was the roasted turkey at Thanksgiving everyone had been waiting for."
"Yes, they're all pigs," Terry said. She massaged her forehead. "Yet, several girls drool over them, especially Di--"
"Oh, man!" Ferra said. She pointed at her lunch as her friends stared at her. "I forgot my chips; Celena, would you get me some?"
"Uh, hai," Celena said as Ferra handed her the money.
Ferra waved to Celena's retreating back. "Arigatou!"
"Hey, did you purposely get rid of her?" Liliana wondered.
"Mochiron," Ferra said.
"Doushite?" Terry asked.
"Celena has no idea her brother is the most feared person at this school," Ferra said. "I don't think we should be the ones to tell her that. It'd probably be a real shock if it's been this long and she still hasn't figured that out yet."
Liliana shivered. "I can't believe she lives in the same house as him. She's so nice and he's…he's…"
"The devil," Terry finished. She let out a breath. "I guess it's better if she doesn't find out now and make some kind of scene. It'd probably be better if she handled that at home."
"Yeah…" Liliana agreed.
"Okay, so we don't bring up Dilandau unless she does and we certainly don't blab he's the leader of the Ryuugekitai."
"What if someone else says so?" Liliana asked.
Ferra waved her hand. "Well, Dilandau hardly does any of the dirty work around here," she said. "Yeah, his name comes up, but when people talk about the Ryuugekitai, it's usually just the other six…"
"Sou ne." Terry pulled some more cheese from her pizza.
"Okay, no more Ryuugekitai talk!" Ferra said, smiling. The other two agreed completely.
*******
"I can't believe this!" Celena said. She hit the machine, hoping the bag of chips would fall. "Come on!" *Why do I have such bad luck?* she wondered.
Celena sighed and rested her head against the machine. "I must be a jinx," she muttered.
"Hey, I'll help you out," a slightly familiar voice said.
A blonde boy came up to the machine and shook it easily. He had blue gentle eyes, not unlike her own, and a friendly face to go along with it. The stuck bag of chips fell down after a few shakes of the machine and the boy released the great metal box.
"I hate when that happens," he said. He smiled and bent down to retrieve her chips. "Hai (Here)."
"A…Arigatou…" Celena said, feeling heat in her cheeks.
The boy tilted his head at her. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Your face is kinda familiar."
*Do I have a twin running around?* she thought. She smiled and shook her head. *Of course, I do. I often forget Dilandau's my twin…though we look little alike now…*
"No, this is my first year here at Zaibach High," Celena said. "I went to Asturia Preparatory School last year."
"Oh, really?" the boy said. "I'm thinking about sending my brother and sister there when they start middle school. Is it a good school?"
"Yeah, it's great," Celena said. "I would have stayed through high school too, but… Well, I thought it was time to join the rest of the teenage population here."
"Sou ka," the boy said. "I wouldn't want my siblings to go here or Zaibach Middle."
"Doushite?"
The boy blinked. "Oh, yeah, you're new here," he said. He chuckled and started putting money into the machine.
Celena raised a brow, expecting him to elaborate, but he didn't. He simply continued to get four bags of chips. "Those all yours?" she asked.
"Iie," the boy said, bundling into his arm. He futilely tried to catch one as it dropped. "Shoot."
Celena bent down to get the bag and then handed it to him. "Hai," she said.
"Uh, arigatou," the boy said. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you around--ja!"
"Hey…" Celena watched him head to the left side of the cafeteria. "He seemed nice… Wish I had gotten his name…"
*******
Shesta had just distributed the chips when Dilandau entered the cafeteria. A few people shouted to him but he didn't pay any mind. The Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was upset at them, but he didn't even look at his friends. He just sat in his seat, staring off into space. The six exchanged glances, thinking it was the second time he had done that today.
"Is he sick?" Viole whispered.
"Maybe he's really, really angry," Miguel said at the same level of tone. "You know how he gets."
"Sou," Dallet agreed.
"Speak to him, Gatty," Guimel urged.
"Me? Naze?" Gatty said. He was surprised Dilandau hadn't acted like he had heard them because even their whispers were relatively loud.
"He won't hit you."
"Yeah, right."
"I'll…do it…" Shesta said. He sighed. "Dilandau-san?"
Dilandau put a hand on the table. "I saw her," he said. "I did."
"Saw who?" Gatty said.
"The…the girl in my dream," Dilandau said as if it was obvious. He frowned a little when his friends stared at him as if he was wearing a pink dress. "Nan da?"
"What in the world are you talking about?" Shesta asked.
"What…girl?" Miguel asked.
Dilandau shook his head. *Shit, what the hell am I doing?* he thought. *Everyone's gonna think I'm crazy. Damn…because of this girl I'm losing a bit of my mind.*
"Never mind," Dilandau said. He regained his composure. "We have important business to discuss."
"Which is?" Gatty said, wondering if Dilandau was really back to his senses.
"Van Fanel." He handed Shesta a list of numbers. "I want you to call these people and tell them to get me everything they can on this boy."
The Ryuugekitai began to discuss their new target, soon forgetting about Dilandau's weird mutterings a second ago. Dilandau explained the incident during his second period class and gabe a few suggestions of what he wanted done about the nuisance. However, even though Dilandau seemed to be engaged in the conversation, his mind was still on Hitomi.
*Where did she go?* Dilandau thought. *And was does Fanel have to do with it?*
*******
"There they are," Liliana said, spotting Viole and Guimel before the last period began. "Come on, Celena. They probably have some left to sell."
"U-Uhn," Celena said, closely following her friend.
"Hey, this is gonna be great," Viole was saying to Guimel before Liliana spoke.
"Yeah," Guimel agreed.
"A…Ano…" Liliana said with a fidgety smile.
"Hey, some girls," Guimel said. He took more notice of Celena than Liliana. "What can we do for you?'
"Yeah, we're here to help," Viole said also taking notice of Celena. He smirked to Guimel.
"We just wanna buy our ART cards for this week," Liliana said.
"Good idea," Guimel said. He took two cards from his shirt pocket. "You two must be very smart to come to us first."
"Yeah," Viole agreed. He took Liliana's money and then Celena's. Celena moved behind Liliana as if Viole might bite her like a poisonous snake.
Guimel handed Liliana the cards and pointed to Celena behind her. "Your friend's a little shy, ne?"
"Yeah, so we better be going," Liliana said. She began leading Celena by her shoulder.
"Hey, cutie, what's the rush?" Viole called after Celena. He snickered afterwards.
"Just keep walking," Liliana instructed, preventing Celena from turning back. "They're just messing with us."
"Do we know her?" Guimel asked. He put a hand to her chin. "I'd think I'd remember a girl like that though."
"Yeah, that's the type of girl I like," Viole said. He put the money into his pocket.
"The type that'll run away from you in terror?" Viole just laughed and Guimel grinned at him. *I like that kind of girl too,* he thought. *Her hair reminded me a bit of the wavy lines left in the sand at the beach… [5]*
*******
"Ah, time to go home," Gatty said more happily than he would had it been about four years ago. A hand went on his shoulder and he turned behind him in the parking lot. "Dilandau-san?"
"You got yourself together now?" Dilandau asked.
"Hai, Dilandau-san," Gatty said. He grinned. "There should be a carton of cigarettes waiting for me at home."
Dilandau rolled his eyes. "Ii ka (Whatever)," he said. "As long as I don't have to waste time kicking your ass tomorrow for being inept."
"No, you won't." Gatty wiped his forehead. *I know he'll make good on that promise,* he thought.
"Well, the Ryuugekitai is off tonight," Dilandau said since the others were around and able to hear his announcements. "So enjoy it."
*Not gonna question what that's about,* Gatty thought. "All right, ja, Dilandau-san," he said.
Dilandau rose his hand in a wave as he went to his car. Gatty smiled and took the few steps to his own car. He guessed he could be doing "better" things with his time than following Dilandau's orders for however long Dilandau gave them, but he really had no desire to change his current situation.
*This car, the money I have, my life--* Gatty thought as he unlocked the car, *I owe it all to Dilandau. He maybe the "the devil," but I'd rather be serving him than having a really crappy life. People just don't understand how good we Ryuugekitai really have it.*
--Some Footnotes:
[1]-Sort of a reference to "The Lottery," if anyone's familiar with that story. Don't know why, but I kinda thought about the ART cards like that since the Ryuugekitai can't possible have enough for everyone at school.
[2]-Said mostly to young women and I think it's a polite thing to say. If anyone ever seen Rurouni Kenshin, Sanosuke calls Kaoru that all the time. They usually translate it as "missie," but I'm sure it can be translated some other ways. I just like the way that word sounds. ^_^
[3]-Yeah, I know that should hurt the guy, but this man has no feelings, trust me.
[4]-Why him? One, I didn't like him because he called Dilandau a monster when he was ill (or something like that) and plus you don't see him very much in the series and you won't in this fic either. Don't worry too much if you don't like him being the principal.
[5]-He's not being creative or anything; there's a specific reason he likens her hair to sand… which will be revealed in Guimel's chapter of his past.
--Next Chapter: "Dilandau the Angel Slayer." If that doesn't give you clue to what it's gonna be about, then let me give you a more detailed preview. Learn about Shesta's problem and how Dilandau turned it around. Curious about the siblings Shesta mentioned? Get to see them at home and how Shesta interacts with them. Plus, see if Celena finally gets with the program and figures out just how terrible Dilandau is. Oh, and more involvement with Van and Hitomi! ^_^ Sorry, but I know this one will be a long while. I'm outta school now and that's where I did my writing. Maybe I'll stop writing on paper and start writing straight on the computer. Saa? Well, please tell me what you liked (or didn't like) about this chapter!
Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two
"Hmm, wonder if Viole and Guimel got rid of all those ART cards," Miguel said. He looked at his watch. "I can be a little late for lunch. Dilandau probably will be late himself."
A girl passed Miguel and he rushed up to move in front of her. "Whoa!" he said. "Where you going?"
"To art class," the girl said. She frowned at him. "Get out of my way."
Miguel laughed and waved a finger at her. "That's not very nice; all I did was ask you a question."
"Yeah, and you're in my way too!" the girls said. She tried to get past him and failed. "Move!"
"I'll be glad to," Miguel said. He snickered as he perfectly matched her movements to get away.
"Well, then let me by!"
"Got an ART card?"
The girl took a step back. "You're…you're with those other guys?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, there's only four more of us that you need to worry about," Miguel said. He grinned at her change from irritation to caution. "Dilandau especially."
"I've heard of him," the girl admitted. She clutched the straps of her book bag. "Never met him though."
"You just might," Miguel said, "unless you were smart enough to purchase one of our cards."
The girl quickly pulled out her ART card from her pocket. "Here," she said, showing him it.
"Lucky you," Miguel said. He politely stepped out of her way. "Go ahead."
The girl gave him a look that fought between annoyance and concern for her safety. "Geez…" she said before continuing down the hall.
"Being a Ryuu is ten thousand times better than what I used to be," Miguel said. He rubbed his hands together. "Let's see who else has an ART card or rather, who doesn't."
Miguel set his grin upon a circle of girls. One of them he recognized to be in one of his classes last year. He figured she'd already made sure she was protected against the Ryuugekitai. However, he bet at least one of her friends didn't have one. Miguel hoped his hunch was right.
"I just got my ART card," Ferra said, wiping her forehead. "I'm saved for the week."
"Oh, no I didn't get mine," Liliana said, biting down on her finger. "They wouldn't get me on the first day, right?"
"I don't know," Terry said. She sighed and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Those guys are ruthless jerks."
"What's an art card?" Celena asked. She was the only one who was facing Miguel's approaching direction, but of course she didn't pay him any attention. "A pass for the art club?"
"Are you kidding??" Liliana said.
"That's right, you're new here, Celena," Terry said. "Good thing we're here to tell you what's up."
"Yeah," Ferra agreed. She put on a hand on Celena's shoulder. "It's not an 'art' card, it's an 'A-R-T' card."
Celena blinked. "An 'A-R-T' card?"
"It stands for 'Anti-Ryuu-Target,'" Ferra explained. "The Ryuugekitai issue them out every week."
"And if you don't have one, they make you one of their targets!" Liliana said, finally giving the finger she had been biting on a break. "They cost like ten bucks at the minimum."
"God, I didn't know it was so bad here…" Celena said. "How come the principal doesn't take care of these guys?"
"No way," Liliana said, tossing her blonde hair. "They have power over him."
"Power over him??" Celena repeated. *My God, what kind of school is this?* she wondered. *Was it a big mistake to come here?*
"But don't worry; the Ryuugekitai will usually leave you alone if you have an ART card--" Ferra began to add.
"That's right," Miguel said, having finally approached the girls. He relished the girls' timorous expressions. "So who here has an ART card to show me?"
Ferra and Terry showed their cards and Liliana stepped in front of Celena before Miguel was finished looking over her two friends' cards. "We don't have one, but we promise to get one by tomorrow," Liliana said.
*Yes! I knew one of them wouldn't have one!* Miguel thought. *Now I can have some fun…*
"Heh, you two are very unlucky," he said. He put a hand in his pocket. "It's kinda like drawing your name out of a lottery for being stoned to death [1]."
Miguel moved Terry and Ferra out of the way so he could step closer to Liliana. Celena, hidden by her friend, held onto Liliana's back for safety. She had a bad feeling about the boy, something akin to the feeling she experienced during her conversation with Dilandau. Ferra waved her hand to indicate they should run, while Terry made an indication she'd impede Miguel.
"We're gonna have to run for it, Cel," Liliana whispered. "If we go now, Miguel might forget our faces by tomorrow."
"What will he do to us?" Celena whispered back.
"Don't wanna find out."
"So what's the excuse?" Miguel asked. "Why no cards, ladies?"
*As if you really care,* Liliana thought. "Gomen, gomen," Liliana said, grinning nervously. "We'll buy one now."
Miguel and shook his head. "I don't have any to sell," he said. He narrowed his bright, brown eyes. "Guess I'll have to teach you two a lesson."
"Matte! Can't we just give you the money to pay for one without the card??" Ferra said, trying to distract Miguel.
"I'm done with you two," Miguel said, shooing them away with his hand.
"Demo--" Terry began.
"You want me to rip up your cards and make you all targets of the Ryuugekitai?" Miguel said.
Terry and Ferra exchanged glances with each other then looked to Liliana. Liliana nodded and the two went off after apologizing. Celena began to pull on her friend's back while she walked backwards.
"Let's just run now," Celena whispered. "Any time's as good as now."
"Okay…" Liliana said, watching Miguel carefully.
Miguel noticed their gradual retreat and grinned. "Where do you think you two are going?" he said. "I wouldn't run if I were you."
"Well, you're not us," Liliana said. "Cel, run and don't look back-- we can loose him in the crowds of people!" With that Liliana turned and pushed Celena forward to indicate she should run.
"Man, this is fun," Miguel said, taking after the two girls. *One with long strawberry blonde hair and the other with wavy light brown hair,* he thought. *Hmm…the blonde's a bit faster than the other. I might loose her. Oh, well. As long as I get one of them.*
Celena tried her best to follow Liliana, but she wasn't as used to maneuvering between students in the hall. Her old school only had about five hundred students while Zaibach High had about five times as many. Soon she was a good distance between Liliana and a bit confused where she was. It was a lunch period, so Celena figured if she went out into the courtyard, there would be enough kids around to prevent Miguel from doing anything to her. However, as she ran out, she noticed there were few students out there.
*Oh, yeah,* Celena thought, turning back to the doors she just went out of, *the bell hasn't even rang yet; it might be a while until the courtyard fills up.*
Celena jumped back from the door when she nearly bumped into Miguel. She hadn't gotten a good look at him before, but she knew he was the one she was running from. Celena wondered if anyone would help her; she had the impression that the Ryuugekitai were pretty powerful.
Miguel drew in a breath. "You're not that good at running away," he said, taking a good look at his target. *Wow, she's a really cute girl! Kinda familiar too…*
"Have I seen you before?" Miguel asked. He suppressed a laugh at her confused look. "I mean, before today, of course."
"No…I'm new here…" Celena said, wondering what the look in his eyes was for.
"Oh, a freshman?" Miguel said. His grin was like that of a shark's or at least in Celena's eyes it was.
"Iie, I'm a sophomore," Celena said, her eyes darting around for anyone who could help her or distract him. "I…I transferred…from AP."
*Gets better and better,* Miguel thought. *Maybe I'll skip lunch all together…*
"Ah, I'm so sorry," Miguel said, trying his best to sound as if he were. "I didn't know you were new here. No one must have told you about us."
Celena settled her eyes on the shark-boy. *Guess I'll have to stand my ground,* she thought. "Well, my friends were trying to tell me about the Ryuugekitai, but you scared them all off," she said.
"Hey, leave it to me," Miguel said, pointing to himself. "I'll tell you everything you need to know."
*Can't trust him,* Celena thought as the bell rang. *I know he's trouble just by looking at him.*
"Miguel!" Dallet said as he came out the door behind him. He took in several breathes as if he had been running a long time. "I've been looking for you."
"Not now, Dallet," Miguel said, trying to beckon him away. "I'm busy."
Dallet went up to him as if he hadn't heard a word he said. "You know, I'm gonna find out what you said about me eventually so why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"
"Later!" Miguel said. He glanced at Celena to make sure she hadn't moved. She hadn't, so he flashed her his charming smile.
Dallet glared at him, but eventually he took notice of whom his friend was preoccupied with. He completely forgot his original intent when he did. *Ka…kawaii (cu…cute)! he thought, closing his mouth before he started drooling. *What's Miguel doing with such a cute girl??*
"Hey, pretty girl," Dallet said, ignoring his friend now. "Whatcha doin' all by yourself?"
Celena stared at the new boy with equal caution. *Miguel said his name was Dallet,* she thought. *I doubt one of these Ryuugekitai would be so "friendly" with a non-member, so it's a good guess Dallet's one of the Ryuugekitai too… What bad luck I have!*
"Hey, back off!" Miguel said, pushing Dallet aside. "I saw this girl first; go womanize someone else, pretty boy."
"Heh," Dallet said. *No way I'm letting Miguel get this girl,* he thought. *She's the cutest thing I've seen in a while.* "Just because you only get a girl as about as often as the sky is polka-dotted doesn't mean I'm going to ignore such a cute girl."
"Kisama (You [very rude])…" Miguel said, balling up his fists.
Celena blushed. *I've got to get out of here,* she thought. *I don't need crazy guys like this trying to hit on me!*
Fortunately for Celena, Shesta had been looking for the majority of the Ryuugekitai. Dilandau had called him up on his cell phone and told him to have everyone gathered at their table by the time he arrived. Important Ryuugekitai business would be discussed. Shesta had sent Viole and Guimel to secure their table while he looked for the other three. Now Shesta had found Dallet and Miguel.
"Oi, you two!" Shesta said, poking his head out the courtyard door. "All Ryuu need to be at our table immediately! It's important!"
The two turned their attention upon Shesta. "Did he say what it was about?" Dallet asked.
"It's a new vendetta; one of his personal vendettas."
"Whoa!" Miguel said, expressing verbally what Dallet was expressing in his face. "That is important!" He waved to Celena. "Later, ojouchan (young lady)! [2]"
Dallet winked at Celena before following Miguel. "See ya, pretty girl."
Shesta glared at Miguel and Dallet as they finally came back into the school. "You guys were wasting time over some little girl?" he asked. "Typical."
"Hey, go take a quick look, Shesta," Dallet suggested. "Even someone like you would be interested."
"No time," Shesta said, giving Dallet a deadly look. "Dilandau-san wants us in the cafeteria now."
"Shit, are we the last?" Dallet asked nervously.
"Iie, Gatty's still missing."
"Ha, lucky us," Miguel said. He pointed at Dallet as he headed down the hall. "Like I said before, Dallet; I saw that girl first."
"Ha! Whatever!" Dallet said, walking after him.
Shesta rolled his eyes and went to check another hall for Gatty. Celena, still standing in the courtyard just to be safe, let out a breath. Someone above must have liked her; she had escaped two of the Ryuugekitai, even three (she guessed the boy who had "saved" her was also a Ryuu).
"If getting an ART card will keep those guys from me, I'm getting one as soon as possible," Celena said. She headed in the direction of the other entrance in the school at the other end of the courtyard.
*******
Gatty stepped out of a closet, quickly trying to buckle his belt again. He didn't mind his half-buttoned shirt, figuring he could take care of that while he walked to the cafeteria. He hadn't planned on taking a trip to the closet during the two periods he had skipped with Mimi, but somehow Dilandau's previous suggestion became more of a command than some advice. Still, Gatty felt jittery. He sighed as he pulled his belt through the loop and tapped two fingers against his lips.
"That was a good distraction," Gatty said, "but it only lasted for that moment; now I feel the same again."
Gatty had just began to button up the rest of his shirt when he heard familiar laughter. He stopped and faced Dilandau whose eyes seemed to know all that Gatty had done. He hoped his leader wasn't angry with him for missing two classes; Dilandau only allowed the Ryuugekitai to skip when he said it was all right (due to Guimel's previous problem with skipping).
"I like seeing when people take my advice," Dilandau said, walking to his side. He smirked at Gatty's tiny smile. "Dou (Well)?"
"I need a smoke--badly," Gatty said, continuing to button up his shirt. "That little tip of yours can only relax me as long as it lasted."
"Hmph, naru hodo," Dilandau said. He closed his eyes as if offended and reached into his pocket. However, he grinned and opened his eyes again as he pulled a cigarette from it.
Gatty's eyes widened. "When did you--"
"Easy to get. Knew you'd want it." Dilandau handed it to him.
"Demo, I didn't even bring my lighter…" Gatty said. Regardless of his words, he put the cigarette into his mouth.
Dilandau snorted and took out his lighter, though he wasn't big on cigarettes himself. "Yet still you put that into your mouth," he said. He flicked the lighter on and lit the end of Gatty's cigarette.
"I am trying to quit, you know," Gatty said. He took a moment to puff on the cigarette. He smiled and drew out some smoke from his mouth slowly. "Really I am."
"There's nothing that a good beating won't cure," Dilandau said. He grinned and began flicking his lighter on and off. "Ne, Gatty?"
Gatty tried not to think about Dilandau needing to beat him until he gave up his smoking habit, but of course Dilandau would only resort to that if Gatty's problem became Dilandau's problem. Dilandau was an expert at solving problems by the means of violence. It had solved many of Gatty's problems anyhow.
"Worked on my dad." Gatty shrugged. "Now I'll never have to worry about him stopping me from Ryuugekitai business."
"Aa," Dilandau said, entranced by the beautiful flame in front of him. "If he intruded in our business, you'd take him to court for what he did."
Gatty nodded, but he knew Dilandau wasn't paying attention. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. He suddenly had a flash of part of Dilandau's birthday celebration. The Ryuugekitai leader had set someone's bushes on fire (sixteen in all) to mock birthday candles. However, Dilandau hadn't tried to blow out his "candles." He stood for a long time watching the burning shrubbery with glee and chanting "moero, moero" several times.
"Ano…Dilandau-san?" Gatty said. He wiped away the sweat when Dilandau met eyes with him again. "Going to lunch now?"
"Oh? Ready to join us at school again?" Dilandau asked. He put his lighter back into his pocket.
"Uh…I was--"
"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Dilandau laughed. "I'll excuse you today. Demo, none of this edgy shit tomorrow--wakatta yo (understand)?"
"Uhn." Gatty exhaled smoke again. "My dad should be buying me a carton today."
"Sou ka." Dilandau changed his "friendly" expression into a serious one. "I have important business to discuss with everyone today."
"Nani sore?" Gatty asked. He removed his cigarette from his mouth for a while.
"Well, it's about--"
"No smoking on campus!" a rough voice said.
"Ee?" Gatty said before his cigarette was snatched from his fingers. His brows lowered at the dark-haired man before them.
"Schezar and his cronies at their old tricks again," the man said. He sneered at them as he crushed the cigarette in his hand.[3]
"Onore (Why you)…" Gatty said. He took a step forward before Dilandau's arm went in front of him. "Dilandau-san?"
"Ogenki desu ka (How are you), Aldelphos-kouchou (Principal Adelphos) [4]?" Dilandau said with his trademark false respect. "Have a good summer?"
"Cut your BS, Schezar," Adelphos said. He dusted off his hand. "I've already seen several kids with those ART cards. I'm not letting you get your way this year! Things are gonna change!"
Gatty wiped his face. "Didn't fix that spitting problem, I see," he muttered.
Dilandau laughed. "Masaka," he said. "Nothing's going to change this year. It'll be exactly like last year--only better."
"I'm going to wait for the chance to get rid of you, Schezar," Adelphos said, glaring at the both of them. "Then your little friends will drop like flies. Now get to class before I decide to give you both detention for roaming the halls and smoking on campus!"
"Whatever," Dilandau laughed. "Let's go, Gatty."
"Che (Shit)," Gatty said before the two of them passed the principal. When they were a good distance from him, he began to speak again. "Who does he think he is? Doesn't he remember how we blackmailed him all last year??"
"He's just a washed-up, bitter old man," Dilandau said. He rubbed his bottom lip, curved into a grin. "Let him try to mess with us--we'll put him in his place again."
Gatty joined him in his grin, but stopped as Dilandau suddenly stopped walking. "Dilandau-san?" he asked.
"Go ahead to the cafeteria, I'll be there soon," Dilandau said. "I need to have some important phone calls made later, and I left the numbers in my locker."
"Uh, hai," Gatty said.
Besides the little incident with a new enemy Dilandau had gained, he was having a pretty good day. He'd take care of Van Fanel in no time. It only took him a minute to get to his locker after he had sent Gatty ahead of him.
Dilandau smiled at the list. "Hmph, Shesta should be able to get something by contacting these people," he said to himself. "Yoshi--onto the cafeteria…" He closed his locker and headed down the empty hallway.
*I guess school can be fun,* Dilandau thought as he went by classrooms full of students and rows of lockers. *Any place where I can gain a position of power and make people's lives hell is my kind of fun.* He chuckled to himself.
"Konnichi wa, Dilandau-kun."
Dilandau stopped in the hall with a look of awe for two reasons. One, someone had addressed him so informally at school--even his friends weren't to call him that. Two, the voice was strangely familiar, but Dilandau wasn't sure who it belonged to. He slowly turned behind him to see a girl with golden brown hair walking in the opposite direction he had been walking. Dilandau then realized the girl had passed him in the hall without him realizing.
"When did she--" Dilandau shook his head. *No, I'm not going crazy,* he thought. *I just didn't see her when she passed. Wait a minute- -I have to see who that is!*
"Matte!" Dilandau said. The girl didn't stop or slow down and he began to run after her. "I said 'matte!'"
The girl slowly faced him just as Dilandau caught up with her. He drew a quick breath in as he saw her face. Her genial smile, the emerald, water-like eyes--so familiar to him. Dilandau's dream flashed before his eyes. The girl smiled at him in the same way the little girl in his dream had. Dilandau stared at her as if she were a ghost.
"Omae wa (You are)…" Dilandau murmured. *She…she can't be that girl from my dream,* he thought. *I just imagined her when I was younger!*
"It's good to see you again, Dilandau-kun," the girl said. She smiled again. "Well, I'll let you go on to the cafeteria. Ja ne."
Dilandau was frozen in astonishment, unable to follow her as she began to walk off again. *No…* he thought. *She can't be that girl. Shikashi…she does look like her and she knows my name!*
As Dilandau began to frown, he was able to get over his shock and move. "I can't let her disappear again," he said to himself. He went after her just as she rounded a corner and went out of his sight. "I have to know who that is!"
*******
"Hmm…Dilandau-san is taking a while…" Shesta noted at their rounded table. He looked at Gatty. "He said he was just going to his locker, right?"
"Uhn," Gatty said. He eyed Dallet and Miguel quietly discussing something that looked serious. "What's with you two?"
"Um, nothing…" Dallet said, grinning at Miguel.
"Yeah, just some stupid stuff," Miguel said, waving a hand.
"I figured that," Viole said. "Man, I'm hungry--Dilandau-san needs to hurry up."
Miguel lowered his voice. "If any one else finds out about that cute girl, they might try to snatch her up too," he said to Dallet. "It's bad enough you're trying to compete with me."
"I'm better looking than you are," Dallet boasted. "You might as well step aside."
"Whatever. You just look like a fag."
"What did you say??"
"They're freaks," Guimel said as Dallet and Miguel began to bicker. "Those two are always under someone's skin."
"Tell me about it," Gatty said. He coughed a few times.
"Been smoking, Gatty?" Shesta asked. He smiled when Gatty frowned at him. "Thought you were trying to quit."
"Urasai," Gatty said. He rose from the table. "I swear if I hear someone say that one more time…" Viole and Guimel laughed, Dallet and Miguel still concentrated on each other.
"Where are you going?" Shesta asked, noticing Gatty was walking away.
"To get a drink; I'll be back."
Gatty was feeling more like himself by now; he guessed it was his short, but sweet smoking session. That and seeing his "therapist" again. When Gatty thought of it, Dilandau kept him calm and at the same time nervous. It was a little like there were two Dilandaus: one that kept him in line and made sure he was doing the "right" things, and one that was more like a cruel all-powerful dictator.
The two halves of the cafeteria were joined by the area where food could be purchased, including snacks and sodas. The left seating area was were the Ryuugekitai always convened, as well as other people who could handle their kind of company. The "good" kids sat on the other side, either too scared to sit on the left side or too disgusted with the Ryuugekitai to set one foot over there. Of course, several people chose to eat out in the courtyard where they could sit at picnic tables.
Gatty crossed into the "peace zone" and smirked at the number of students who scattered when they recognized him. "I feel so loved," he said as he stepped up to a soda machine. A girl was ahead of him, but obviously she wasn't aware a Ryuu was behind her.
Gatty smiled and guessed the girl was a freshman. While he waited for her to be finished, he took the time to check her out. He didn't usually do things like that, but his little rendezvous with Mimi had his hormones going. She had nice beige hair that waved down to the back of her neck. Gatty's smile expanded and he took a look at the rest of her. He assumed she was one of the preps by her fuzzy pink sweater and matching flower-print skirt. It only showed part of her ankles that were laced with the pink straps of her sandals. Gatty might have been turned off by such "cute" attire, but either he was just in the mood or it was actually appealing. Since Gatty had been distracted enough to not notice the girl had been taking a long time, he supposed it wasn't just his hormones acting crazy.
"Oh, I hate when machines take my money…" the girl sighed. She began looking through her purse. "Shoot, I don't have any ones or change left…"
*Voice is kinda familiar,* Gatty thought. *Hmm, maybe I'll be nice today. Gotta let some people think we Ryuus have some good qualities.*
"Hey, don't worry about it," Gatty said. He went above the girl and slipped a dollar bill into the machine. "It's on me."
As the girl timidly thanked him he turned and took a look at her face. His surprise had nothing to do with her looks (though he found her very pleasing to look at) but was due to the déjà vu he experienced. He knew her face, had seen her marble blue eyes somewhere before. He couldn't place it, but he figured she must have been someone he had seen around last year.
Gatty watched her as she selected and drink and took her can of soda. "Did we have a class together last year or something?" he asked. "I feel like I know you."
The girl shook her head. "Masaka (It can't be)," she said. "Um, I'm new at the school…just transferred from Asturia Prep actually…"
"Oh," Gatty said, shrugging. *Guess she just looks like someone I know,* he thought. *If I could think of who I'd probably remember where I've seen her before. Shikashi, she's cute--cuter than Mimi anyway. Maybe I outta add another girl to my list…*
"Um, here's your change," the girl said. She held up two quarters to him.
"Oh, yeah, thanks," Gatty said, slipping the coins into his pocket. He smiled at the girl, causing her to blush.
"Well, um…bye, I guess," she said.
"O…oi…" Gatty said as she went away as if scared off. She glanced back at him shyly before disappearing into the mass of students on the right side.
Gatty shrugged and looked back at the soda machine. "I'll run into her again," he said. "I'll ask for her name then."
*******
Dilandau had been running around the halls for a while. He wouldn't accept the girl had disappeared into thin air again. He would find her even if it killed him. Forget dealing with the annoying Van Fanel (for the moment anyway). Dilandau wouldn't believe he was imagining the girl this time.
"Kuso! Ano onna wa doko (Where is that girl)?" Dilandau drew in a breath and shoved open the double doors that led out into the courtyard.
His red eyes went around rapidly, ignoring anyone who wasn't the person he sought. He let out a frustrated sigh as he saw no trace of her and began to head back inside. However, he caught sight of a lone bench at a relatively empty section of a the courtyard. Dilandau raised a brow and viewed the girl sitting at the bench. For a moment he thought he was going crazy because he could have sworn she nor the bench had been there a second ago. Dilandau made sure he kept his eyes on her as he approached her bench.
The girl was looking straight up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the sunlight in the same manner that water did. Dilandau couldn't help staring at her once again; she had the essence of a ghost, a spirit, or some figment of his imagination. Finally he was able to snap himself out of it and put his frown back into place. He would get to the bottom of the mystery the girl presented.
"Omae… I want to know how you know my name," Dilandau demanded.
The girl slowly brought her head down and smiled at Dilandau's grouchy face, giving him trouble keeping such a vicious countenance. "We met a long time ago, Dilandau-kun," she said. "I know you haven't forgotten the time we played together. You lent me your shovel and suggested I dig a hole."
Dilandau began breathing hard. "You're…you're real?" he asked. He began to reach out for her as if she was merely an apparition and would fade away any moment. However, he stopped himself and snatched his hand back. "Dare da (Who are you)?"
"Kanzaki Hitomi," Hitomi said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you…again." She laughed shortly in a melodious voice that placated Dilandau's temper.
"Kanzaki…Hitomi…" Dilandau repeated. He looked at her hand and gradually shook it. *She is real,* he thought. *The girl in my dream exists! Shikashi…why is she here now?*
"Why are you--" Dilandau started as he let go of her hand. He cut himself off as she suddenly turned her head with a surprised expression. "Doushita?"
"Van."
"Fanel?? Doko da (Where is he)?" Dilandau searched the courtyard for the sight of his new foe. However, he found no trace of him. He frowned and wondered if she were just rambling about something or if Van had simply ran away before Dilandau saw him.
"I don't see--" Dilandau stopped again and nearly gasped at the empty bench. "Kietta (Disappeared)…"
Dilandau stared for a long time at the void where Hitomi should have been. "What's going on?" he murmured. He curled his fingers into a fist. *Well, whatever is going on…* he thought, *Fanel is involved. He is definitely a problem for me…*
*******
"Gatty, something good happen or something?" Guimel asked. "You've been smiling ever since you got back."
Gatty set his can back down on the table. "Uh, betsu ni (not really)…" he said. "I'm just a bit grateful for the time off from Dilandau- san. You know, we're always at his beck and call, day and night. At school we get a little freedom."
"It's strange Dilandau-san's taking so long though," Shesta said.
"Yeah, I'm starving!" Viole said. He sighed. "I wish he'd let us go ahead and eat if he's gonna take his sweet time."
"Let Dilandau-san hear you," Shesta said. He and the others laughed when Viole made sure Dilandau wasn't around. "Well, I'll get you a bag of chips to tide you over until Dilandau-san shows up."
"He…he won't mind that?" Viole asked.
Shesta shrugged. "We'll just say you had to have something. I'll take the blame if he gets angry."
"Hell, then I'll have some chips too," Miguel said.
Shesta rolled his eyes. "Gee, anyone else?"
"Me," Guimel said.
"Me too," Dallet said.
"And you, Gatty?"
"I'm fine," Gatty said. He smirked and spoke lowly. "I'm not hungry for food right now."
"What was that?" Shesta said. He had heard something about "hungry," but that was it.
"Nanimo nai (Nothing)."
"Hen no yatsu (Weird guy)," Shesta muttered.
*******
"Celena, daijoubu?" Liliana asked. "You've been staring at your soda can for a while."
"Ee?" Celena glanced up and blushed. "Iie…nanimo nai."
"You're not mad because I left you to get caught by Miguel and Dallet, are you?"
"Man, what bad luck," Terry said. She pulled at the cheese on her pizza. "It's rare to bump into two Ryuugekitai, unless it's Viole and Guimel. Those two usually appear together, especially when issuing out ART cards."
"No, no, it's not that…" Celena said. She ran her finger around the top of her can. "Well, this guy brought this soda for me… I just thought that was really nice."
"Was he cute?" Liliana asked.
"He probably just wanted something from you," Terry said. She tore off a piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth. "And it ain't homework."
"Hmm…" Ferra said, "if he was cute he might be a playboy. Demo, he could have really liked Celena or maybe he was just a nice guy with extra money."
"Either way, it rocks," Liliana said. She gave Celena a thumbs up. "That's the way to go; flash a guy a pretty smile and get free stuff. Yep, that's for me."
"So you're considering a profession in prostitution, right?" Terry asked. She and Ferra laughed while Liliana turned red.
"But I didn't do anything," Celena said, hoping none of them would notice her uneasiness about Terry's joke. "I just stood there."
"Guess he checked you out and thought you were cute then," Ferra concluded. She winked at her. "Maybe you got a love interest, Celena."
Celena was bright red by the time her friends finished laughing at her. "Well, he was better than those Ryuugekitai guys leering at me," she said. "They acted like I was the roasted turkey at Thanksgiving everyone had been waiting for."
"Yes, they're all pigs," Terry said. She massaged her forehead. "Yet, several girls drool over them, especially Di--"
"Oh, man!" Ferra said. She pointed at her lunch as her friends stared at her. "I forgot my chips; Celena, would you get me some?"
"Uh, hai," Celena said as Ferra handed her the money.
Ferra waved to Celena's retreating back. "Arigatou!"
"Hey, did you purposely get rid of her?" Liliana wondered.
"Mochiron," Ferra said.
"Doushite?" Terry asked.
"Celena has no idea her brother is the most feared person at this school," Ferra said. "I don't think we should be the ones to tell her that. It'd probably be a real shock if it's been this long and she still hasn't figured that out yet."
Liliana shivered. "I can't believe she lives in the same house as him. She's so nice and he's…he's…"
"The devil," Terry finished. She let out a breath. "I guess it's better if she doesn't find out now and make some kind of scene. It'd probably be better if she handled that at home."
"Yeah…" Liliana agreed.
"Okay, so we don't bring up Dilandau unless she does and we certainly don't blab he's the leader of the Ryuugekitai."
"What if someone else says so?" Liliana asked.
Ferra waved her hand. "Well, Dilandau hardly does any of the dirty work around here," she said. "Yeah, his name comes up, but when people talk about the Ryuugekitai, it's usually just the other six…"
"Sou ne." Terry pulled some more cheese from her pizza.
"Okay, no more Ryuugekitai talk!" Ferra said, smiling. The other two agreed completely.
*******
"I can't believe this!" Celena said. She hit the machine, hoping the bag of chips would fall. "Come on!" *Why do I have such bad luck?* she wondered.
Celena sighed and rested her head against the machine. "I must be a jinx," she muttered.
"Hey, I'll help you out," a slightly familiar voice said.
A blonde boy came up to the machine and shook it easily. He had blue gentle eyes, not unlike her own, and a friendly face to go along with it. The stuck bag of chips fell down after a few shakes of the machine and the boy released the great metal box.
"I hate when that happens," he said. He smiled and bent down to retrieve her chips. "Hai (Here)."
"A…Arigatou…" Celena said, feeling heat in her cheeks.
The boy tilted his head at her. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Your face is kinda familiar."
*Do I have a twin running around?* she thought. She smiled and shook her head. *Of course, I do. I often forget Dilandau's my twin…though we look little alike now…*
"No, this is my first year here at Zaibach High," Celena said. "I went to Asturia Preparatory School last year."
"Oh, really?" the boy said. "I'm thinking about sending my brother and sister there when they start middle school. Is it a good school?"
"Yeah, it's great," Celena said. "I would have stayed through high school too, but… Well, I thought it was time to join the rest of the teenage population here."
"Sou ka," the boy said. "I wouldn't want my siblings to go here or Zaibach Middle."
"Doushite?"
The boy blinked. "Oh, yeah, you're new here," he said. He chuckled and started putting money into the machine.
Celena raised a brow, expecting him to elaborate, but he didn't. He simply continued to get four bags of chips. "Those all yours?" she asked.
"Iie," the boy said, bundling into his arm. He futilely tried to catch one as it dropped. "Shoot."
Celena bent down to get the bag and then handed it to him. "Hai," she said.
"Uh, arigatou," the boy said. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you around--ja!"
"Hey…" Celena watched him head to the left side of the cafeteria. "He seemed nice… Wish I had gotten his name…"
*******
Shesta had just distributed the chips when Dilandau entered the cafeteria. A few people shouted to him but he didn't pay any mind. The Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was upset at them, but he didn't even look at his friends. He just sat in his seat, staring off into space. The six exchanged glances, thinking it was the second time he had done that today.
"Is he sick?" Viole whispered.
"Maybe he's really, really angry," Miguel said at the same level of tone. "You know how he gets."
"Sou," Dallet agreed.
"Speak to him, Gatty," Guimel urged.
"Me? Naze?" Gatty said. He was surprised Dilandau hadn't acted like he had heard them because even their whispers were relatively loud.
"He won't hit you."
"Yeah, right."
"I'll…do it…" Shesta said. He sighed. "Dilandau-san?"
Dilandau put a hand on the table. "I saw her," he said. "I did."
"Saw who?" Gatty said.
"The…the girl in my dream," Dilandau said as if it was obvious. He frowned a little when his friends stared at him as if he was wearing a pink dress. "Nan da?"
"What in the world are you talking about?" Shesta asked.
"What…girl?" Miguel asked.
Dilandau shook his head. *Shit, what the hell am I doing?* he thought. *Everyone's gonna think I'm crazy. Damn…because of this girl I'm losing a bit of my mind.*
"Never mind," Dilandau said. He regained his composure. "We have important business to discuss."
"Which is?" Gatty said, wondering if Dilandau was really back to his senses.
"Van Fanel." He handed Shesta a list of numbers. "I want you to call these people and tell them to get me everything they can on this boy."
The Ryuugekitai began to discuss their new target, soon forgetting about Dilandau's weird mutterings a second ago. Dilandau explained the incident during his second period class and gabe a few suggestions of what he wanted done about the nuisance. However, even though Dilandau seemed to be engaged in the conversation, his mind was still on Hitomi.
*Where did she go?* Dilandau thought. *And was does Fanel have to do with it?*
*******
"There they are," Liliana said, spotting Viole and Guimel before the last period began. "Come on, Celena. They probably have some left to sell."
"U-Uhn," Celena said, closely following her friend.
"Hey, this is gonna be great," Viole was saying to Guimel before Liliana spoke.
"Yeah," Guimel agreed.
"A…Ano…" Liliana said with a fidgety smile.
"Hey, some girls," Guimel said. He took more notice of Celena than Liliana. "What can we do for you?'
"Yeah, we're here to help," Viole said also taking notice of Celena. He smirked to Guimel.
"We just wanna buy our ART cards for this week," Liliana said.
"Good idea," Guimel said. He took two cards from his shirt pocket. "You two must be very smart to come to us first."
"Yeah," Viole agreed. He took Liliana's money and then Celena's. Celena moved behind Liliana as if Viole might bite her like a poisonous snake.
Guimel handed Liliana the cards and pointed to Celena behind her. "Your friend's a little shy, ne?"
"Yeah, so we better be going," Liliana said. She began leading Celena by her shoulder.
"Hey, cutie, what's the rush?" Viole called after Celena. He snickered afterwards.
"Just keep walking," Liliana instructed, preventing Celena from turning back. "They're just messing with us."
"Do we know her?" Guimel asked. He put a hand to her chin. "I'd think I'd remember a girl like that though."
"Yeah, that's the type of girl I like," Viole said. He put the money into his pocket.
"The type that'll run away from you in terror?" Viole just laughed and Guimel grinned at him. *I like that kind of girl too,* he thought. *Her hair reminded me a bit of the wavy lines left in the sand at the beach… [5]*
*******
"Ah, time to go home," Gatty said more happily than he would had it been about four years ago. A hand went on his shoulder and he turned behind him in the parking lot. "Dilandau-san?"
"You got yourself together now?" Dilandau asked.
"Hai, Dilandau-san," Gatty said. He grinned. "There should be a carton of cigarettes waiting for me at home."
Dilandau rolled his eyes. "Ii ka (Whatever)," he said. "As long as I don't have to waste time kicking your ass tomorrow for being inept."
"No, you won't." Gatty wiped his forehead. *I know he'll make good on that promise,* he thought.
"Well, the Ryuugekitai is off tonight," Dilandau said since the others were around and able to hear his announcements. "So enjoy it."
*Not gonna question what that's about,* Gatty thought. "All right, ja, Dilandau-san," he said.
Dilandau rose his hand in a wave as he went to his car. Gatty smiled and took the few steps to his own car. He guessed he could be doing "better" things with his time than following Dilandau's orders for however long Dilandau gave them, but he really had no desire to change his current situation.
*This car, the money I have, my life--* Gatty thought as he unlocked the car, *I owe it all to Dilandau. He maybe the "the devil," but I'd rather be serving him than having a really crappy life. People just don't understand how good we Ryuugekitai really have it.*
--Some Footnotes:
[1]-Sort of a reference to "The Lottery," if anyone's familiar with that story. Don't know why, but I kinda thought about the ART cards like that since the Ryuugekitai can't possible have enough for everyone at school.
[2]-Said mostly to young women and I think it's a polite thing to say. If anyone ever seen Rurouni Kenshin, Sanosuke calls Kaoru that all the time. They usually translate it as "missie," but I'm sure it can be translated some other ways. I just like the way that word sounds. ^_^
[3]-Yeah, I know that should hurt the guy, but this man has no feelings, trust me.
[4]-Why him? One, I didn't like him because he called Dilandau a monster when he was ill (or something like that) and plus you don't see him very much in the series and you won't in this fic either. Don't worry too much if you don't like him being the principal.
[5]-He's not being creative or anything; there's a specific reason he likens her hair to sand… which will be revealed in Guimel's chapter of his past.
--Next Chapter: "Dilandau the Angel Slayer." If that doesn't give you clue to what it's gonna be about, then let me give you a more detailed preview. Learn about Shesta's problem and how Dilandau turned it around. Curious about the siblings Shesta mentioned? Get to see them at home and how Shesta interacts with them. Plus, see if Celena finally gets with the program and figures out just how terrible Dilandau is. Oh, and more involvement with Van and Hitomi! ^_^ Sorry, but I know this one will be a long while. I'm outta school now and that's where I did my writing. Maybe I'll stop writing on paper and start writing straight on the computer. Saa? Well, please tell me what you liked (or didn't like) about this chapter!