A/N Hey guys! Yep! I'm finally updating! I've been kinda... busy... - - ::grumbles:: Younger sister... phone... boyfriend... ugh... ::snaps out of it:: Oh! Uh, anyway, to answer Hikari's question, yep! You're right! Tamahome shows up in this chappie. I don't know when Mitsukake is going to show up though... Also, for those of you who are not sure how to correctly pronounce Ayka's last name, the j has a soft sound to it like the J in Jean Luc. Don't ask me how I came up with it, it just popped into my head while I was writing this... - - At any rate. Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot and Ayka, so no sue! I work retail! Retail=no money

Sunday Morning's Child

Chapter 6

LUNCHTIME!!!

"Hey Tasuki?"

Genrou turns his head to look the young man across the table from him, he had been casually watching Chichiri while he ate as Chichiri entered the cafeteria with Ayka. "Hmm? What is it, Tama-boy?"

Sou Kishuku arches a single brow at Tasuki. He should have never let him know how much that particular nick-name that Tasuki came up with bothered him, most people just called him Tamahome or Taka. "Who's that Chichiri's got with him?"

"Who's who?" Chiriko sets his tray on the table, taking a seat next to Tamahome, looking back and forth between him and Tasuki.

"Ayka Bujou. Chichiri and I just saved the ungrateful brat's hide from a group of good for nothin's out in the hallway. The fight didn't even last fifteen seconds. Talk about dull." Genrou brushes a stray lock of red-orange hair annoyedly out of his eyes before taking another bite of his lunch.

Tamahome and Chiriko exchange looks that clearly say, He'll never change, before looking back at Genrou. "What does Ayka have to do with Chichiri, Tasuki?"

"Your brother's in line with her, Chiriko. That's what. What the hell is he doing now?! He couldn't just leave her out in the hall!" Genrou glares at the approaching couple, Chichiri balancing a tray in each hand as he waits for Ayka to sit before sitting himself between Tasuki and her.

Chiriko arches a brow in question at his older brother, but says nothing as he silently eats his lunch, knowing his brother will speak when he's ready to.

Ayka looks around nervously for a moment before dropping her gaze to her tray that Chichiri had set before her.

He nudges her shoulder playfully. "Hey, no need to be nervous, ya know. It's not like anyone here will bite, ya know."

Genrou snorts softly, glaring at Chichiri. "Speak for yourself... Ouch!" He reaches down, rubbing a sore spot on his shin as he shoots a glare at Tamahome even as he merely arches a brow back at him.

"Why don't you try speaking for yourself sometime, Tasuki." Tamahome calmly moves his violet eyed gaze to look at the young girl, correction, young woman, sitting nervously next to Chichiri. She looked old enough to be a third year, like Chiriko was, with reddish-brown hair and hazel-green eyes. "Name's Sou Kishuku, you can call me Tamahome or Taka like my friends do if you like."

"I'm Oh Do-Kun, just call me Chiriko." He flashes her an honest smile, attempting to do his own part to helping her feel more at ease.

Ayka looks at them for a moment before glancing at Chichiri, Chichiri flashing her an encouraging smile. "Ayka Bujou. Ayka, if you don't mind."

"Tasuki was saying that he and Chichiri helped rescue you from some thugs in the hallway. If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

Ayka looks up at Tamahome, her eyes slightly startled for a moment before she quickly regains what little bit of composure she can before answering his question. "Genma Suki happened. I accidentally ran into him once trying to get to class. I apologized and grabbed my pack off the floor, but he grabbed me by my arm and found out.... about something... I'd rather he hadn't." She bites her bottom lip, staring down at her tray for a moment before she feels Chichiri place his right hand over her left in a reassuring manner.

"It's all right, Ayka. It's your choice."

Tamahome looks at Tasuki, the question in his eyes, Found out what?

Tasuki shrugs, his eyes just as puzzled before looking at Ayka again.

Ayka nods for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing. "He... he found out about this." She carefully reaches up with her right hand, pulling back first her jacket sleeve followed by her shirt sleeve after unbuttoning the cuff.

Tamahome carefully keeps the shocked expression from his face and eyes, this was one thing he certainly wasn't expecting.

Genrou starts choking on his lunch, having to take several deep breaths of air before being able to speak. "How the hell did that happen!" Genrou takes one look at the expressions on his companions faces before leaning back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not like I care or anything."

Chiriko shakes his head as Tamahome rolls his eyes. Genrou may try to act all macho, like things didn't really affect him any, but they affected him just as much as anyone else. "Ayka, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it looks like you were mauled while trying to protect yourself, am I correct?"

Ayka blinks, staring at Chiriko with her jaw on the table as she pulls her sleeves back down. "That's, that's right." He seemed awfully perceptive for one that looked as young as he was. "Chiriko?"

"Yes?"

"What year are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

Chiriko smiles at her. "A third year."

Ayka places a hand to her forehead, her world felt like it was beginning to spin uncontrollably! "A third!" She manages to choke out.

"Yes."

Ayka looks at Chichiri dazedly. "You didn't tell me your brother was a third year."

"True, but what little bit I told you was what I felt you needed to know at the time, ya know." Chichiri reaches back over, gripping her left hand reassuringly as he gives her a teasing smile.

Ayka nods slightly, squeezing Chichiri's hand with what little bit of strength she has in her own hand. Her gaze flicks over her tray for a moment as she tries to pull her thoughts back together. "Yes, a wolf attacked me when I was younger. I was in the woods with my parents on vacation and had wandered off. The doctors had said I was lucky to be alive because of the amount of blood I had lost."

She flexes her fingers slightly, blinking when she realizes they're still entwined with Chichiri's on the table. She carefully pulls her hand from his, moving it to pick at some of her food on her tray as a flush of red stains her cheeks.

Genrou rolls his eyes slightly before turning his attention to Tamahome. "Any luck yet, Tama-boy?"

Tamahome turns his gaze from Ayka to Genrou. "What? Oh, no. Not yet. I'm just hoping this is the right place."

"Patience Tamahome. We've only been here for a few hours, ya know. It's probably going to be a while yet. It could be as long as a month, ya know."

"Yeah, but still...Dammit!" Tamahome slams his fist down onto the table, causing Ayka to jump while the other three merely look at him with raised eyebrows, they've obviously seen this before. Violet eyes lift to look at Ayka, an apologetic look to them when he sees her pale face. "Sorry about that, Ayka. I didn't mean to startle you."

She nods shakily for a moment before dabbing at a spot on her shirt sleeve with a napkin. "It's, it's all right. I've never really experienced interactions like these between friends before first-hand."

Genrou leans forward in his seat in the act of taking another bite when it's to actually look at her face around Chichiri. "So...you basically mean to say, that up until now, you've been a loner totally and completely?"

Ayka flushed, playing with a few pieces of food on her tray with her chopsticks, unaware of the glare Tamahome was shooting him. "Well, yes. The few friends I had as a child shunned me when they found out I was no longer, normal. People still shun me, all because they think I can't do anything, like I have a contagious disease or something. There were even times where I grew so depressed," she lifts her head to look at Genrou, tears sparkling in her eyes as a couple roll down her cheeks, a tremulous smile on her lips, "that I wished I hadn't made it through the attack. I even tried to take my life a couple times, deciding I was probably better off that way. There are times even now that I wish I hadn't made it through." She looks back down at her food, refusing to let them see the flood of tears that wanted to roll down her cheeks in despair, valiantly fighting to hold them back.

Chichiri wraps an arm around her shoulders, sensing her distress. "Ayka, it's all right, you're not a loner anymore. You have friends now." He gestures a hand at the rest of the group at the table. "We were all loners at one time until we met each other. Don't worry, it'll be all right, ya know." He gives her a small squeeze.

"Chichiri's right, Ayka. We all generally kept to ourselves until we ran into each other."

"Yeah, except in your case you were running from the cops and knocked me down!" Laughs Tasuki.

Tamahome stares at him. "I thought it was the other way around, old buddy."

"Don't you 'old buddy' me 'Tama-boy'!"

"Knock it off you guys! You trying to make things worse?"

"Who do you think you're talking to ya brat?"

Chichiri sighs. "Tasuki, don't call my brother a brat and would you and Taka please knock it off? You're being rude."