Author's notes:
Kay... I know Aideen and Usa-chan don't normally do intros for this fic, but I thought that since it was my first time helping with this, I'd leave one... ^^ Since this is my first time writing this fic, I hope it comes out agreeably for you all. Be sure to tell me otherwise if it doesn't please you. Also please notice that this is Part A. Chapter 8 is very long. ^^;;; If I didn't chop it into two parts, you would
1) not see it for a very long time, and
2) most likely have problems trying to read, since your scrolling bars would be so teeny.

I can be reached at tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com, if you have any comments, questions, or complaints to make.

*****

Chapter 8 (Part A):

Usagi's eyes slowly fluttered opened, and she winced against the light and pain. Fluorescent lights threatened to blind her after her little 'nap,' and she had a horrible headache. The last time she'd felt quite this bad was when she'd slammed headfirst into a pole.

Groaning, Usagi sat up... and instantly regretted it. Waves of dizziness threatened to suck her under like a tidal wave, and she lay back down instantly. Ami had probably warned her against doing this kind of thing at one time- she could almost vaguely remember it. She really needed to learn to listen.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sit up too quickly after laying down?" Aya asked, though his question sounded almost like a statement with that cold attitude.

"Probably." Usagi muttered. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a habit of listening as well as she should. Usagi put a hand to her forehead- there was a bit of swelling... "Oh, that's going to bruise... what happened," she asked, searching her memory.

"You can't remember," the red head asked, raising a delicate eyebrow. Had he managed to get a concussion? If that were so, though, then he could have possibly slipped into a coma. Not that he necessarily cared about this boy, but it would have been too ironic for someone that reminded him of Aya-chan to slip into a coma as well.

Aya picked up the ice pack that had fallen to the floor when she'd tried to sit up. He carefully placed it back on her head. "Here," he offered. She shook her head; no, she didn't want it. She had enough experiences as a child to know that make-shift ice packs made out of zip-lock baggies filled with ice cubes and wrapped with paper towels didn't do any good. They only started leaking later on and made a mess.

"You wouldn't happen to have any Advil, would you?" Usagi asked, not trying to sound too hopeful. Aya gave a grunt in return, and Usagi wasn't sure what to think. She was surprised when he started to rummage through the file cabinet for her. Usagi studied his movements while he searched. Despite his cold exterior, Aya-san didn't seem half as cold as the persona he gave off. So then why did he act like that...?

Usagi snapped out of her reverie when a small object came flying at her. Instinctively, she held her hands out to catch it, and the object- a small bottle of aspirin- landed in her hands with a small rattle. "Doomo," she thanked him before getting up and heading to the bathroom. She noticed a few other various pains in her body- ranging from where her back had hit a lock and an area on her abdomen where a soccer ball had hit her especially hard. Hopefully the advil would be able to take care of the multiple problems.

Usagi grabbed a cone-shaped paper cup from the bathroom and filled it with tap water from the sink. Usagi popped two pills into her mouth and swallowed them with a mouthful of water. She dumped the rest down the sink and threw the cup away. Usagi paused to look at herself in the mirror. There was a bruise forming across her nose and a bit on her forehead, but it didn't look too bad. It certainly could have been worse. Usagi looked at her hair and frowned to herself- it was growing really quickly, probably because of the Ginzuisho. Should she cut it?

Usagi exited the bathroom and looked at the clock on the wall- according to the hands- and this was if the clock wasn't off- P.E. had ended some time ago, and it was time for English class. English class wasn't too bad, not with Omi there. It sounded as though Nagi would share some of the same classes with her, so that meant- almost undoubtedly- another tutor. Still, she wasn't too eager to head back, what with her head hurting like it was.

Usagi rubbed at her head absently and stooped to grab her things. Either Nagi or Omi had probably brought them for her. She'd have to be sure to thank them, seeing as she wasn't too eager to go back to gym just yet. Ken seemed nice enough, but the possibility of a repeat was too scary. Once more, Aya offered Usagi the ice pack. Usagi pressed it to her head, giving in, pretty sure that it wouldn't help her... but thought maybe her teachers might take mercy on her.

"Anno... is it possible for you to let me stay here?" Usagi begged. She didn't dare turn the puppy dog eyes on this man because he'd probably freeze her over with a glare in return. She hated the idea of being a bother to Aya-san, even though she had a good idea that he wouldn't let her stay anyhow. Still, it was worth a try, right?

"Sorry. If you're feeling better- which I would assume since you're up and walking around- then you have to head back to class." Aya waited to see what the boy would do. There was something suspicious about the way the younger boy responded to situations- it was more than girlish, it was...

Like something his sister would say or do.

"I thought as much," Usagi sighed with a small pout. Well, her battle ship was certainly sunk. Aya looked unfazed, though. In fact, Usagi felt like squirming under the gorgeous man's inspecting gaze. She felt as though any minute her skin would become as transparent as glass and that this man would be able to see all of her secrets.

She adjusted her hold on her belongings and turned to leave. Just before she did, though, he stopped and bowed to Aya. "Doomo."

Aya raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Yue's feminine gestures were really strange. If it had been any other boy, they'd have probably asked- or demanded- for a pass to get out of school. Not that Yue really has any means to get home, he realized. Because Yue is living with us.

"Because you were nice enough to find medicine for me," she explained, offering him a sweet smile.

He just shrugged and turned away in his swivel chair, playing with a pen that's tip popped out whenever he pressed the button. "That's what I'm getting paid to do," he reminded the young boy before handing her a tardy pass. He hoped that if he gave the kid the cold shoulder he'd leave.

Usagi took it silently, studying him further before smiling. "Maybe." Usagi wasn't quite certain as to why Aya insisted on being so stoically. Men apparently had a big complex concerning actually saying what they really meant or felt. She had a good feeling that Aya wasn't exactly telling her the truth.

Aya turned to look at her sharply. "Maybe?" Was it possible that the reason Schwartz was really looking after this boy because he was some kind of psychic as well? Perhaps an empath, he mused to himself suspiciously. That might explain his girlish tendencies...

Usagi held the door ajar, hand remaining on the knob. She nodded to him, giving him a radiant smile. "Hai. You try to make yourself look and act mean, but underneath that... You're a much nicer person than you make yourself out to be," she told him. She smiled at him, as though to say 'not to worry; it'll be our little secret,' before letting herself out.

The door closed behind her with a small click, but to Aya it seemed extraordinarily loud, almost echoing in his ears. Although the boy had meant no harm to him, Yue had struck a nerve buried deep under unfeeling rubble. How he'd managed to find it, and in such a short time, Aya could only chalk up to the possibility of Yue being an empath.

Aya chewed on the pen for a moment, a reflexive and habitual gesture that he had been unable to break from his childhood. He would have to talk to the others- especially Omi. Omi was attached to the other boy already, and if Aya's suspicions turned out to be correct

The Omi might be fraternizing with an enemy.

**

Kudou Yohji had decided that Omi owed him big time. The boy had a debt to pay that would remain his burden for the rest of his life, because there was no way that Omi could possibly make up for what he was enduring.

First he'd been introduced to the rest of the lunch staff. All women, all of them looking as though they'd never heard of what beauty rest was. Well, actually, that wasn't quite true- the woman that manned the cash register had a nice set of legs and some really great hair, but other than that...

He felt like he was stuck in a wasteland, exiled from legal, beautiful women. Even during lunch hour, there weren't going to be many women. Oh, sure there would be flirtatious high school students, but those were clearly labeled as 'jail bait.' His only hope had been that there'd be a decent-looking female teacher, but apparently the women were either too old or married.

He was giving up working at the flower shop for this? Minimum wage, hags, and under-aged highschool girls? Giving up sleeping in till nine or ten in the morning- ten thirty at the latest; Aya was such a tight-ass- in the morning, having a wonderful time drinking the night away and waking up in the bed of some fabulous looking woman?

It was enough to make a strong man weep.

Needless to say, Yohji'd never thought he'd end up back in school, even if it was from a different end. He'd graduated well, of course, but he'd never enjoyed being stuck in school. And he'd certainly never enjoyed cafeteria food.

And that was another thing- he'd thought the stuff was disgusting just looking at it after it'd been cooked. It was best described vile when he ate it. But he'd never seen it before it was cooked, or even during the process- it was another thing to chalk up to add to his list of experiences to never repeat. Being on the other end of the spectrum was even uglier, and just how the children could survive eating this was a miracle in itself.

Yohji could cook, though no one seemed to think so. It was because he was too lazy. But the point behind that was the fact that his culinary skills- though limited- were being wasted on slop that looked like poison and smelled like it had already been pre-digested by some other creature. He'd sell a teammate for a clothespin! He would give Aya away without any guilt. Normally he'd want to keep Omi- he was useful, and he was fun to tease- but after the recent turn of events, he was seeming more and more like good bartering material. Ken, though Ken hadn't pissed him off significantly. Yet.

And that blasted hairnet! Words could not describe how much he hated it.

What kind of god would let something like this happen to him, he wondered? No women, no fun, no getting to sleep in Someone had a sick sense of humor, in Yohji's opinion.

"Kudou, you're not getting paid for standing there and glaring at those... green beans?" Crawford guessed, hiking an eyebrow at the slop in the serving tray. Yohji himself had no idea, but that didn't make the situation any better.

By some stroke of inherently bad luck, he'd also ended up having Crawford as a boss. As though Aya alone wasn't enough, he had to suffer this one as well. Was it just Yohji, or was there a pattern going around with leaders- cold, independent, insufferable, as well as prone to having sticks stuck up their asses?

**

Usagi walked back to class holding the ice pack up to her face. Just why had those soccer balls fallen, anyhow? Sure, Ken was probably her male equivalent when it came to klutz attacks, but some things were too bizarre to be coincidences. Soccer balls didn't just appear out of no-where.

Oh, well. She'd investigate it some other time. After all, both Nagi-kun and Omi-kun had been there when it had happened. Maybe they'd seen something? She'd be sure to ask them about it during lunch, she decided.

Usagi opened the door to the classroom and walked into the room. She handed her pass to the surprised looking teacher before taking a look around the room. It was just a short glance to assess what the others were thinking, really. The majority of the girls looked concerned and sympathetic, as did Omi-kun. The boys either didn't care or gave him a vague 'what are you waiting for, sit down' look.

Nagi-kun, though he had the strangest look on his face. He looked concerned, guilty, and horrified all at once. It's probably the ice pack, Usagi decided. Or else the bruise got worse. She flashed both of her friends a brief, reassuring smile before taking her seat.

The teacher resumed her lesson, although Usagi had a hunch that her friends probably weren't listening. Sure enough, a note was casually slipped onto her desk a few moments later by a girl, that flashed him a wink on her trip back to her desk- the action had been hidden under the guise of grabbing a Kleenex, and Usagi had to admit, it was pretty clever. I guess, Usagi thought to herself, almost amused, that you can always count on your fanclub.

"Yue-

Daijobu desu ka? Omi and I went to see if you were alright, earlier, but Fujimiya-san refused to let us in. He said something about the crowd of girls trying to get in. We left your stuff for you there, though.

-Nagi"

It was short and to the point, just like Nagi- Usagi smiled a tiny bit to herself. She could almost imagine the other boy telling her this. In her mind, she saw that worried look on his face again- why had he looked like that? Surely the other boy wasn't that concerned over a bruise? Though come to think of it, from the news around school, Aya-san was pretty popular amongst the girls. Maybe they'd go after him for now on?

Carefully, Usagi began to scribble her answer on the piece of paper. Keeping her eyes on the teacher the whole time, she cringed inside. Her handwriting had always been sloppy at best, and now it would probably be lop-sided as well. Oh, well, she thought to herself. Nagi-kun wouldn't hold it against her. Probably.

When the teacher turned her back to her students, Usagi quickly passed the note backwards, trusting her fellow classmates to do their duty as rebels and pass it to the person it was intended to get to. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Omi eyeing the note curiously, although it didn't go to his row. In the end, it made it to Nagi.

Satisfied, Usagi relaxed in her seat and waited for the Advil to start to take its effect and send her into a pain-free bliss. She held the ice pack to her head, wondering if the act made her look like too much of a sissy. After all, she'd already been told plenty of times she looked girlish. It wasn't like she needed any help in making people realize her secret quicker.

Her hope to be headache free was short-lived, however. The familiar feeling of her mind suddenly becoming a bit more full signaled that she had a visitor. It was a strange sensation, unlike any she'd ever experienced before. That was why she recognized it so well. It was like her brain had managed to find out too much information despite the fact that she never listened, and it became hard to think- there was a pleasant humming in her brain, almost like an itch.

'Saa, I see. It would seem that the chibi has learned his lesson,' came the steady, rhythmic mind speech that belonged to none other than Schuldich. Actually, his voice might have been soothing under the right conditions- it was deep and oddly accented, adding a strange lilt to his voice. Of course, the right conditions would include that Schuldich wasn't a blackmailing pervert. And somehow, Usagi had the feeling that blackmailing someone was the equivalent of stealing a grape in a grocery store in Schuldich's book.

Shuldich's nasal laughter rang in her head, and Usagi stifled a groan of pain. Oh, it hurt 'You really have no idea, bunny,' he told her, apparently amused. Usagi shook her head just slightly; she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the extent of his sins.

'Probably not,' she decided judiciously. She wished he'd go away; she'd rather listen to the boring lecture than have to deal with his tormenting. Not to mention the way she felt vulnerable and exposed while he riffled through her thoughts and memories. It was uncomfortable, and she didn't like it. She'd rather get clobbered by soccer balls again, she decided.

'Oh, my little rabbit you wound me deeply,' his voice taunted. 'And all I wanted to know was how your day was!' Schuldich's voice sounded mockingly offended; a poor rendition of hurt. She could almost feel him smirking, though... so she knew quite well that he wasn't 'sympathetic.'

Lousy, she retorted, getting a bit angry now. As though she needed to add Schuldich's torments to her list of aches and pains. 'Happy now,' she asked, surprising herself with how snappish she sounded. She wasn't quite that angry.

'My poor rabbit. It hurts that much? I doubt that the occurrence will repeat itself in quite the same way.' Schuldich told her, as though that was supposed to be of reassurance. If she wasn't in so much pain as it was, she might have started to bang her head on her desk.

'Mm, I can make you feel better if you'd like, Usako,' he murmured to her, using that name. Usagi gritted her teeth in annoyance, and would have started to yell at him, but he was continuing. 'If you'd like, I could kiss it better where it hurts,' Schuldich murmured, voice all but a purring, seductive melody in her mind.

Usagi went ram-rod stiff as her mind was assaulted by images of Schuldich littering soft, butterfly kisses in a random manner about her face, paying specific attention to the bruises. His lips traveled southwards, nibbling her ear for a moment before continuing onto the graceful slope of her neck. Onwards still, to the hollow in her throat, right above her collarbone. His lips lingered in an intimate fashion, and Usagi blushed madly and fought off the visions even as he laughed at her. She hid behind her textbook, hoping that no one had noticed her sudden and strange reaction to seemingly nothing in particular.

'Don't you have a job to do,' she asked, trying to get him to stop toying with her. 'Like teaching?' She wished that she could just get him off her case. The longer he hung around, the more likely that he'd do something like that again. She couldn't really afford it in several ways- mostly because admitting that it bothered her would probably increase the harassment she went through. She was trying not to let two and two connect together, because admitting that... when she was engaged...

Nasal laughter resounded in her head, and Usagi winced. Not because the sound was horrendous, but because her head still hurt. 'Mm, my students are being entertained,' the telepath told her, sounding both secretive and amused. Usagi had no idea what 'entertained' was supposed to mean, but she had a pretty good idea that it was a bad thing. 'As for admitting... I've known for some time now. What I really want is to hear it from your mouth...' Usagi fought off the urge to snort with indignation; there was no way she'd ever say something like that.

He laughed some more, obviously finding her frank opinions to be funny. 'Don't worry, we'll get to that in time... And you're going to be entertained as well today, my rabbit. It all has to do with a certain someone becoming principal'. Schuldich explained. Usagi couldn't help but wonder just what that had to do with anything, but it was explained to her a moment later. 'Apparently, Bradley's gotten it into his head that he can stop me from playing with you.'

Usagi raised an eyebrow at this. Crawford-san was sticking up from her? There might be hope yet for her circumstances! Had Usagi been paying more attention, she might have realized that the teacher had called on her and was waiting for an answer, as well as the fact that she was clutching her ice bag a bit tightly.

'I wouldn't be too optimistic, Usako.' Schuldich told her, using that name she hated. Oddly enough, Schuldich sounded really mad. Maybe even jealous? 'You're mine, and if I can't get to you one way then I'll find another.' Usagi didn't like that possessive tone- she was her own master. She'd file that objection away for another time, though.

Usagi frowned. Another way? If Crawford was the principal and had taken a special interest in her, then wouldn't he be able to monitor the classrooms? 'Indeed he has been- he's been poking his head in all day. But don't you worry, bunny, I'll find a way to get to you. It's going to take a lot more than Bradley to keep me away from you.'

Usagi fought off a haphazard blush; that statement would have almost been considered romantic, if it weren't for the person it was coming from. Not to mention what it was that he really wanted from her. 'In the mean time, though you have my class to look forward to. And I guarantee you'll be in for a surprise,' the German told her, snickering mentally. 'Oh, and heads up- your teacher seems a bit mad.'

At that moment, the sound of a ruler slapping her desk brought her back to the present. Usagi jumped slightly, even though she was sitting down, and focused her attention on her teacher. Unfortunately, it was a wet and rather furious teacher. Usagi blinked and wondered why the woman had water all over her face until Usagi discovered that it was also covering her, her desk, and that the half-melted bag of ice had exploded due to her rather mean grip.

"G-Gomen ne?" Usagi tried to offer as apology, ultimately horrified. This teacher was known for being cranky and mean, even to good students- much less ones that were caught day dreaming. Usagi wondered what the older woman would do to her since she'd managed to soak her.

"Since Liang-san seems to enjoy trying to clean things," the woman said in her most ominous voice, obviously referring to her desk and herself, "he can help me to clean the erasers after school today." Usagi bit back a moan. Erasers? Couldn't this woman move on with the rest of the world and at least bother to buy a projector?

"Do you find that agreeable, Liang-san," the woman asked, turning her stone gray eyes on Usagi. She froze up, feeling as though she were facing down some kind of dragon.

"H-hai, sensei," she said meekly, hoping to gain mercy through a pathetic appearance. The bell rang, however, and Usagi thought she'd never been so happy to hear it. Now she could go to lunch and relax- hopefully.

Usagi might have run for the exit if it weren't for the flock of girls that instantly seemed to have managed to block it off. In fact, not only had they blocked the exit, but they were trying to assess the damage that had been done to him in a smothering sort of way. Usagi backed, but found that she didn't have anywhere to go when she found herself pressed against someone else's chest. Fortunately for her, it wasn't another member of her fan club, but rather Omi.

"Ah, Omi-kun!" Usagi exclaimed, hardly able to hold back her delight. Omi was trust worthy, and had helped her out of these kinds of situations before. She could trust him to help her. He greeted her smile with an equally warm one, though if Usagi had been paying attention, she might have noticed the small blush building on his cheeks.

"Sumimasen, minna," he told the girls who stopped their cooing and squabbling the moment Omi started talking. Yue-kun was indeed good looking, but who could forget about Omi? "We'd like to go to lunch now," he requested politely, making a subtle reminder to them that they couldn't walk through solid objects.

The girls seemed to look at one another, unsure as to whether part like the Red Sea or insist that they stay. After all, you got more bees with honey than vinegar, but you couldn't hope to get what you wanted if you were a push over. In the crowd, however, two girls were thinking about two different things that still managed to involve Yue but in different situations.

The first was in charge of the school newspaper, and like the rest of the school, had been unable to escape the gossip about Yue. The new boy had turned plenty of girls' heads, and from the rumors, perhaps a few boys' as well. Noticing the way Tsukiyono's hands were on the shorter boy's shoulders, Ruri had a feeling that there was indeed something going on. She decided that as the president, she would make it her own personal duty to get the scoop.

On the other hand, Kumiko had a feeling that she'd found the answer to her problems! With the school carnival coming up, it was traditional to find a good way to raise money for your club. It was traditional for each class to try to find a good way to raise money, and she'd been designated as the one to think of what to do. She hadn't had any insight, however, and she was due to give suggestions in two days! Finally, though, she'd had a stroke of genius. Yes, she decided, hands clasped and eyes beaming, Liang Yue would do well.

Usagi, meanwhile, was making her grand escape with the help of Omi and Nagi. She thought that the way the girls were parting for them like the Red Sea for Moses was more than a little odd, but she wasn't complaining. Usagi was relieved to be out of the room, even though the hallway wasn't much more spacious. Rather, it was filled with students headed out on their way to lunch.

"Arigato, Omi-kun," she told Omi, grinning brightly at him. She owed getting out of the classroom to him, she supposed. Usagi frowned lightly when he looked away from her, blushing a bit and concentrating on the alternating colored tiles on the floor. Usagi briefly wondered why he was reacting that way, until she remembered the incident in his room the other day. She blushed herself and looked away; this was going to be a problem if she was going to be living in the same flat as him. They were definitely going to have to have a talk about this...

Nagi frowned; the display the two were making had not been lost on him. Why did it seem that everyone around him was managing to attract her attention? In fact, they all seemed a step ahead of him. Schuldich had known from the start her real name and gender, and had been doing his best to seduce her... had even been succeeding, if the German was to be believed. She was paying more attention to Omi at the moment than him, and had been pretty much ogled at Hidaka when he'd taken off his shirt.

**

Usagi came to a halt when they reached the cafeteria, not quite believing her eyes. She considered the possibility that she was hallucinating, but then again... that was a rather elaborate hallucination. She'd also like to know where she'd gotten the idea for it, because it was a rather... creative scenario. Perhaps she was still asleep at her desk in English class with the dragon lady breathing down her neck? But no, because those hunger pains she was feeling were pretty real.

Usagi grabbed Omi's sleeve and pulled on it, almost hesitantly. She couldn't take her eyes away from that sight! "Ne, ne, Omi-kun Since when does Kudou-san work here?"

Omi wondered just how he'd answer that. He hadn't thought to try to explain anything or to lie to Yue-kun. In fact, he had no alibi at hand to explain the phenomena. He cursed himself for not planning ahead- was this what love did to people? He'd never been this careless before; he always took great pains to plan even the smallest details. It was what he'd been trained for.

Thankfully, Yue wasn't actually waiting for an answer from him. He didn't know what he would have said, anyhow. Instead, Usagi grabbed a tray and banged it down on the shelf. The big grin on his face signified that he hadn't forgotten Yohji's jibes from that morning.

Nagi watched carefully. He'd known that the last member of Weiss was out of sight, or had been- though not quite out of mind. In fact, he'd known that this confrontation was coming from the very beginning. Spotting that Omi was slow in the uptake to get in line, Nagi moved quickly and got right behind Usagi. At least he wasn't the last to know everything- Bombay hadn't discovered who 'Yue-kun' really was.

Omi began to protest after he realized just what had happened while he'd spaced out. The look on Yue-kun's face left no room for argument, however. The blonde seemed just as happy to have the member of Schwartz nearby as he was to see Omi. It left Omi with a bitter, achy feeling in his stomach.

Was it jealousy?

"Kudou-san! Just what is this mess," Yue-kun cried, throwing his voice up as loud as he could without truly creating a commotion. A few girls ahead of them in line looked back, however, in curiosity.

"Ah! Well, if it isn't Yue-kun," Yohji drawled in a tone that dripped the caustic sarcasm. Omi watched, half admiringly, as Yohji managed to spin his ladle around between his fingers quickly without dropping it. It reminded him of a cowboy and his gun, oddly enough Yohji: the ladle swinging, womanizing, sharpshooter. The thought put a smile on his face.

"Who else would I be, Kudou-san," she asked, pointing her finger at him. It took a good deal of restraint to keep Omi from laughing. If there was one thing that Yohji hated, it was being referred to with such a respectful suffix tacked on, or by his last name. He said it made him feel 'old'- and even worse than either one, Yue had used both!

Yohji gave Yue a nasty, withering look that almost made her recoil. "You really need to work harder, Yue-kun- you look like a bean pole!" Yue flushed bright red, and if her anger had a meter to measure it, then it would have been maxing out. "Be sure to eat all of your vegetables so you grow up big and strong!" To punctuate this, Yohji slopped two extra large, steaming helpings onto Yue's plate.

Yue mumbled under his breath, but went on, having lost the match with Yohji. Omi noted that even Nagi had found the display amusing, even though he probably didn't understand what was going on. His own smile was wiped off his face as Nagi and Yohji came face to face.

"Ah If it isn't Balinese," Nagi greeted, his voice mellow, bordering on cool. The tension between the two was almost palpable. Omi half expected the two of them to duke it out there and then. Thankfully, however, it never came to blows.

"Ah! Another scrawny chibi," Yohji commented, stirring the sickly green concoction in front of him before scooping up another overflowing serving. "You should eat your vegetables, or else you'll be girly and emaciated through your whole life like Yue," he added a bit loudly. Yue-kun turned around and gave Yohji a look that told him where he could shove his 'scrawny' crap.

"No, thank you," Nagi told him politely. "I don't like avocado. It makes me sick." He walked on quite calmly. Yohji, however, was agitated enough for the both of them.

"They're green beans," he cried, shaking his ladle with indignation.

"They're what," Yue cried suddenly, sounding alarmed and looking frazzled. "I thought it was jello!?" Omi couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated at Yue-kun; what on earth had made him think that it was jello when Yohji had talked to him about vegetables? Although he had to admit, it was rather suspicious looking for 'green beans.'

"Don't worry, Yue-kun," Nagi assured the distraught boy, "if it gives you food poisoning, Crawford will take your hospital bill out of his paycheck."

Omi was a little worried. If Yohji chucked his ladle at the telekinesis- like he was afraid he was- then there might be dire consequences to face up to later. Yohji could get fired, Nagi could send the ladle back, and Yue-kun might get angry. For some reason, out of all of those possibilities, the idea of Yue-kun being upset was the worst.

"Ah! Yue-kun," Omi cried, snapping back to reality. Not only had he been holding up the line, but Yue-kun had left him behind to join Nagi. In fact, they were standing a bit close at the cash register He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Yue snatched a candy bar off the shelf and showed it to Nagi with puppy dogs. Not surprisingly, Nagi gave his consent, and Yue hugged him!

Oh, yes, the green eyed monster was not through with Tsukiyono Omi yet.

"Omi," Yohji said, stopping Omi before he could run off. "Be careful," he advised. "I know you like Yue, but Schwartz is bad luck no matter how you look at it." Omi blinked up at Yohji in amazement; had his elder finally managed to give him advice that didn't concern getting laid? "And eat your vegetables, by the way," he said before giving Omi a helping of green beans as well.

Payback was a bitch.

**

The lunch period passed almost uneventfully after that. Both Omi and Nagi were quiet, and Usagi wasn't sure why. However, she'd been left feeling a bit uneasy. What if she had made one or both of them mad? She couldn't remember doing anything that would offend them, but they were the only friends she had in this relatively scary place.

As though things weren't uncomfortable enough between her and Omi as things were! They still had yet to discuss that kiss, and Usagi felt like it stood between them like a brick wall. Until they talked about it, things were going to continue to be awkward.

Whatever she'd done to displease Nagi, she wished he'd just go ahead and tell her. She didn't have a clue, herself, but she could feel it. So not only was she worried about everything else to plague her, but Nagi and Omi also rested on her mind.

'I'm going to get an ulcer one of these days,' she told herself miserably. Or perhaps that would be the doing of Yohji's 'green beans.' Honestly, the only food that she'd ever tasted and was more disgusting than his was her own! How could a man- a bachelor, no less- manage to live with no competent cooking skills? Maybe that explained why Aya was in charge of cooking.

The bell rang, and Usagi was more than happy to throw her Styrofoam tray away. That was, until she realized what class she had next. And suddenly, Usagi's head didn't feel so good anymore. She wondered if she could get away with going back to the nurse's? Somehow she doubted it; Aya would know if she tried to lie. Oh, how she missed the other nurse.

Usagi groaned; her doom was inevitable, and there was no use in struggling. Nagi noticed Usagi's pained expression and felt a burst of concern. Had Balinese's cooking really made her sick? If he was responsible for it, then Balinese might just wake up one day to find his beloved ladle shoved up a certain someplace and tied in by his precious wire. "Daijobu desu ka, U-Yue," Nagi asked.

Nagi cursed himself. How could he make a mistake like that, and here of all places? She still didn't know that he'd discovered her secret; it was unlikely that she'd take it well. Already, though, he'd become accustomed to her real name, even though he only ever said it in his mind. Yue suited her well, but Usagi was even better, in his opinion.

If she noticed, however, she said nothing. In fact, Nagi was fairly certain that she hadn't realized his slip-up, because she seemed unaffected. Bombay, however, was trained not to miss things, especially not tiny little mistakes. He could feel the Weiss member's eyes boring into the back of his head, suspicious of everything and anything Nagi might do. Nagi had a hunch that it had more to do with Omi's over protectiveness of Usagi than anything else.

"It's time for health class," she explained, looking troubled. Her blue eyes were cloudy and restless, and her face was stuck into a look of pain. Her small, pink mouth had folded downward into a grimace. Her small, pink, kiss-able mouth. Nagi flushed suddenly and looked away; it wasn't like him to think with his hormones than his head, but it didn't take much for him to get worked up over Yue. Usagi.

What should he call her, now that he knew? Would it be cruel to keep up with this charade? Surely she should know that he knew, right? Then she'd relax towards him, maybe? These were all troubling thoughts, and if he'd had clarity in his mind, then he would have realized that this was abnormal for him. Nagi never panicked, much less over the range of emotions that were tearing him to shreds currently.

"It'll be okay, Yue-kun," Omi told Yue warmly and reassuringly. Although he didn't say it, his remaining sentence was lodged into all of their minds. 'I'll protect you.' Nagi might have been enraged in other circumstances, since Omi was moving in on something he considered to be his own, but Schuldich was a common enemy to them both. If they wanted any sort of chance, then they'd have to band together differences and petty jealousies set aside.

"He won't touch you," Nagi agreed firmly.

Usagi looked at both of the boys standing on either side of her. They were just a little taller than her- not by a whole lot- but she felt as though she'd missed something. They were looking at each other like they shared some kind of secret or a pact Had she missed something? Was it possible that Nagi and Omi had known each other before hand?

Whatever uncertainties she'd had the few moments before, however, had dissipated. There was a time and a place to worry about those things; now wasn't one of them. She was truly lucky to have such good friends. Usagi beamed up at them in pleasure. It would be okay. Schuldich would no doubt try something, but she had her friends at least.

Going inside the room, however, Usagi couldn't help but feel an edge of uncertainty wedge its way back in. There was something strange going on, she thought, as she looked around. Schuldich was missing- normally he was there to greet her- or to torment her; both objectives seemed to be on the same level with him. On each of the desks there rested only rested a single object: a banana.

Usagi sat down in her desk, puzzling over the fruit. What was going on here? Had Schuldich been fired, by any chance? No, her hopes were dashed as the man walked into the room after a few of his students. Following close on his heels was none other than Crawford.

In fact, now that she thought about it, didn't Schuldich look a little irritated? No. A 'little' was an understatement, and irritated wasn't strong enough. He looked like he was ready to blow a gasket. He wouldn't possibly dare, though, since Crawford was watching his every move... would he?

"Nagi-kun What's Crawford doing here," she asked out curiosity. Her voice came out as a whisper; she dared speak no louder than that. In fact, the whole class had dulled its commotion down to a whisper upon entering the room. It was like there had been some unheard signal warning them to shut up or they'd be heading to hell in a hand basket.

Nagi wondered about that for a moment. It was a good question. What was Crawford's objective? Crawford didn't have very many emotions. He got irritated on the occasion, but he did not have a range like he or Schuldich did. He was sure that the man was capable of feelings, but he could not imagine him having a personal agenda. To Crawford, everything was about time, money, order, and power. Those were Crawford's goals.

"I don't really know," he admitted. This was something that he had not checked into earlier. How stupid of him; he should have at least asked. Even though it wasn't his job or right to question his leader's motives, Crawford would generally give him a simple answer if Nagi was on a need-to-know basis, that was.

The bell rang, and silence ruled. In fact, for a few long moments, it seemed like everyone was afraid to breathe first. Usagi almost felt sorry for Schuldich; he looked like he needed a cigarette badly. She realized a moment later, startled, that he had been muttering that to himself mentally. How had she heard that?

Schuldich raked his hand through his hair and then grinned. It was an expression you might see on a mad man's face, or on the devil. It was a snide, 'I've got you now' kind of look, and Usagi had a bad feeling. Instantly that feeling of pity was gone, wiped away like sandcastles destroyed by the ocean's waves.

"Today, class, we'll be taking a small detour from our previous plans," Schuldich told them. He shot a pointed look at Crawford who seemed to be impervious to the situation. He simply shoved his glasses higher up on his nose and watched.

"Instead, we'll be learning about safe sex." Usagi felt the blood in her face drain away. Safe sex? Safe? Sex wasn't a safe subject, what with Schuldich around! She would have been safer with kissing, she thought wildly. She would have been safer trying to eat all of Yohji's green beans!

"You'll probably have noticed that you all have bananas on your desks by now, some of you have figured it out. For those of you who haven't," he continued, as he sauntered around the front of the room, "the answer is simple. Sex is safest when a condom is being worn. Today you will all learn how to put a condom on."

There were a few shrieks of protest that came from the girls, but most of them were stuck in the gawking I-can't-believe-it stage. From the boys came a roaring noise- the majority found this to be funny. Nagi raised his eyebrows; this was what Schuldich had had in mind? This was the ace he'd had stuck up his sleeve? Omi blushed; what was Schuldich thinking? This was going a bit far!

Usagi, however was wanting to die. Very quickly, and silently. She wished she could become invisible. She squeezed her eyes shut very, very tightly, and began to imagine that she was a part of the wall. She could hear Schuldich laughing at her; the sounds echoed around in her head like small ping pong balls bouncing back and forth.

'Did you really think you could get away so easily,' he taunted her, his voice a mocking, torturous sound to witness. Why was this happening? How had she gotten herself into this mess? Was disaster some latent talent of hers that she had been previously unaware of?

"To demonstrate this to you, I'll need a volunteer." Schuldich began to look around the room, faking thoughtfulness. Usagi would have been squirming if she hadn't been frozen stiff. 'This must be what it's like to be a deer caught in headlights,' she thought miserably.

As though he came to the conclusion slowly, Schuldich's eyes slowly came to rest on Usagi. His grin, which had been hardly contained earlier, broke free. Usagi was reminded of the maddened Cheshire cat from that children's story book- it had been made into a movie, and the cat had been purple, pink, and obscene.

"Ah! Liang Yue. If you'd please come up here?"

Usagi opened her mouth to refuse but no sound came out. Usagi frowned and struggled in consternation, only to find that she was fighting herself! She became quite alarmed as her body rose of its own accord and began to make its way towards the front.

Usagi realized that this had happened before. It had almost been a month since, and she had nearly forgotten the incident. She had been dealing with his abilities, but in a different manner, and so she had forgotten how could she have been so stupid!? It was far too late for her to try to get away now, though, - already Schuldich had her by her arm and had seated her in front of the classroom.

Schuldich began to guide her hands, instructing the class in a tone that was almost friendly. He was laughing on the inside, and very much pleased with himself. Just by tormenting this one little puppet, he had all three in the palms of his hands! Both Nagi and Omi were furious, with violent little fantasies prancing around in their heads like maniachal fairies Farfarello would be pleased! His little bunny had gone into a state of shock, and was pleasantly unresisting. There was nothing better than a little torture on helpless victims.

Schuldich realized that Crawford was unfazed, but didn't waste much time puzzling over it. His 'almighty' leader had always been stoical, and that wasn't to say that Crawford was even interested in her, anyhow. Indeed, it wouldn't have surprised him if Crawford was there for the single purpose of seeing just how and why the bunny was catching so much attention.

Usagi was getting very tired of being treated like a rag doll on a chain. She knew that she was easy to torment; wearing her heart on her sleeve was the consequence. It had never been used against her like this, before. Although she had not given much struggle against Schuldich previously, it was time that she redoubled her efforts, she decided.

Usagi reached for the Ginzuisho instinctively, searching out for its familiar power. She was connected to it, and as much as it was her power source, it was like an extended part of her. Usagi had trouble, however. It must have been Schuldich's interference, but the link between them seemed to have been weakened. She just couldn't quite reach it

"So now you know why and how the condom works," Schuldich finished. He hadn't quite gotten around to the demonstration; he was simply having too much fun. Now a good portion of the class looked as though they had been mortified, or simply told too much. With great relish, Schuldich neared his grand finale.

He took Usagi's smaller hands in his own, forcing her to grip the banana tighter. "Now, to-"

Schuldich got no further. The loud, intrusive, sound of the fire alarms interrupted him. He froze, jade eyes widening a bit. He let go of Usagi and stood up; he hadn't heard anything about a fire drill. That would have been surprising for a teacher no matter what, but he had telepathy at his beck and call! What had?

Crawford stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his jacket. He pushed his glasses just a bit higher on the bridge of his nose, the effect of which cast a lurid glow off his lenses. Instantly, Schuldich knew without having to be told. His blood boiled inside, but outwardly all he could do was smile. "A fire drill," he asked, feigning politeness. Just barely, too.

Crawford cast him a stony look that gave away no hint. "It was a surprise for all of the teachers," he explained shortly. "I felt that a drill with warning is no real demonstration of how the event would go over in reality." He nodded his affirmative to the hesitant students who still lingered in the classroom to go on, and they filed out calmly till they reached the hallways. Probably then, amongst the masses, they erupted like lava from a volcano, excitement replacing common sense.

So that had explained it all. Him constantly poking his head in, so that his presence would seem natural. Relaxing him just enough to put him off guard. Crawford had been around Schuldich long enough to have memorized his behavior. Schuldich had to give it to Crawford, he had fallen for it. The American was always one step ahead.

Damn it.

"Your behavior is unacceptable as a teacher, Schuldich," Crawford warned him. Schuldich snorted in return, and took out his pack of cigarettes. He unfolded the lid and had one of the six remaining cigarettes in his mouth before he could bat an eye, and his lighter was ready just as quickly. It had been a long day.

"You are aware, Schuldich, that not only does this campus claim to be drug free- and therefor intolerant to all drugs- and that you are a health teacher? Although hypocrisy is not something I do or don't care for, I'm afraid that if you light that cigarette on this campus I will be forced to take drastic measures."

Schuldich cursed softly and shoved the cigarettes and lighter away. Why did he feel like he was a student again; he had long since paid his dues. He was lucky that Crawford hadn't fired him on the spot; apparently this was the American's warning. He was also upping the anti, Schuldich noted.

Crawford made his way to the doorway, not bothering to look back at his fellow teammate. He did, however, cast him one last warning. "I will be continuing to examine your behavior, Schuldich- please take care to control yourself."

Schuldich waited until the heavy mauve door had closed behind Crawford before he started laughing. What a joke! Crawford truly did intend to play the 'knight-in-shining-armor' for the bunny. What the little bunny didn't know was that Crawford was more like a bounty hunter, and he would sell her to the highest bidder without a moment's notice.