The Letter: Part Fore
She cut classes again... If this go on for another day, she'll probably be suspended for a week. Kuwabara has been worrying about Ana ever since she didn't show up after lunch again. Not that she just became his best buddy; it is just because he was concern about her.
Sure, she isn't really the dream girl Kuwabara was hoping for and she may not know he exists. But darn! Kuwabara just can't help but think about her all the time!
"Earth to Kuwabara" His friend said exasperatedly. His hand moving up and down in front of Kuwabara's face as if trying to test if he was awake or not.
"Huh" Kuwabara suddenly returned back to reality.
"Will you stop thinking about Ms. Quit-it-or-I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass even for a minute! We got a situation here" His friend yelled.
"Situation" Kuwabara asked dumbly.
His friend threw his hands up in frustration as if giving up on trying to talk some sense out of Kuwabara and their little 'situation'.
"Oh that? I got it under control." Kuwabara finally realized what the 'situation' is and assured his friend with a nod.
"But you can't do that alone" His friend argued.
"Look, we have discussed this hundred of times. And you've got to admit I'm right." Kuwabara said.
"But it's supposed to be my fight. My battle. I'm asking for your help. I'm not asking you to fight for me"
"And what if you went with me and we get caught" Kuwabara asked, his eyebrow rose.
"We won't get caught. It's after school hours and it's two blocks away from school." His friend reasoned.
"But what if we get caught" Kuwabara asked again.
His friend looked down. He just couldn't meet Kuwabara's eyes.
"You'll get expelled. EXPELLED. Do you hear that" Kuwabara said.
"Dropped out. Kicked out. Not just flunking a subject or getting suspended for two days. We're talking about you being thrown out of this school. That's no joke." Kuwabara added when his friend didn't say anything.
"But what about you" His friend asked finally admitting that he had just lost the argument.
"They can't kick me out yet. The most they could do is a three-day suspension. -That is, if I get caught."
"I know that part. I mean, what about you"
"What? You think I can't beat that guy" Kuwabara asked, referring to his friend's foe.
"He might bring reinforcements. There will probably five of them at the most. You can't beat them."
"Trust me. I'm the mighty Kazuma Kuwabara! No one beats me" Kuwabara said light-heartedly.
"But..."
"No buts! I'll win. I'll figure out something. AND I'll win. Trust me, after this fight; those guys won't bother you again. " Kuwabara assured his friend.
His friend didn't say anything but from the look in his eyes, he doubted it. But he has no choice. Kuwabara was his only hope. And no matter how hard he insist on coming to the fight, he knows he is taking the risk of being kicked out of school.
"Then, we've agreed." Kuwabara declared after seeing his friend didn't argue anymore.
Okay, Kuwabara has got to be honest to himself. He knows he has no chance on beating those guys. He won't figure out anything, the only 'figuring' out he would do is where to find cardboards to hide inside his school uniform to somehow lessen the impact of the punches and kicks they'll bring on his tummy and back.
"I owe a lot to you, man." He heard his friend say.
"You don't owe me anything. As corny as it may sound, you are my friend. And I know you'll do the same for me." Kuwabara said with a silly grin.
"Thanks." His friend said.
"Don't worry about it." Kuwabara said cheerfully as he looked at his watch. It was nearing dismissal.
He has exactly two hours and a half before the fight. He felt butterflies fly around his stomach as he thought of it. And for the first time in three days, Kuwabara was thinking about something else besides Ana.
"Talk them out of it first..." Kuwabara was telling himself a little louder than a whisper. He was walking towards the adversaries' chosen battlefield, exactly two blocks away from school and he was dead nervous.
He wasn't able to find those cardboards after school and the only hope he got from being hit hard is to talk them out of it.
"Pretend you're the 'Mighty Kazuma Kuwabara' and tell them you'll beat them up if they didn't leave your friend alone." He added, his voice a little shaky. The butterflies in his stomach have been flying for two and a half hours straight.
"You can do this, Kuwabara. You can do this..." He silently gave himself a pep talk. Hoping it would somehow bring up his confidence. Confidence, my foot! That is not what he needs right now. What he needs is one of those magic beans from that anime blah-blah he had been watching for sometime.
"Holy cow..." Kuwabara said to himself as he made out how many opponents he have.
His friend was right, the ass did bring reinforcement. A lot of them! From where he was walking he could make out five of them. Five! Two of them were short and a little on the fat side. They both stood at the right. The other two were unusually tall and skinny and were positioned on the left. And the fifth who was standing at the middle was the only normal-looking person in the bunch.
Kuwabara felt his knees weakened. He has no choice but to drag them until he reached a safe distance from the guy who's on the middle - probably the leader of the pack.
"Who are you" Asked the middle-guy.
"I'm who you're waiting for." Kuwabara answered in a voice not indicating a single worry.
"You are" The middle-guy raised an eyebrow.
"We don't have to fight. I don't want hurting wimps like you. So I'll make you a deal." Kuwabara proposed, not answering his question.
The middle-guy just laughed, showing a set of uneven teeth. The four assholes behind him followed his actions and laughed.
"So, your friend got scared and send you, huh" The middle guy asked after laughing.
"Kazuma Kuwabara." The guy said his name as he lit up a cigarette.
"I've heard about you." He added.
Uh-oh... He felt his only chance of getting away intact was slowly slipping away.
"Rumors huh" Kuwabara asked.
"Nope, not rumors. I heard you are a loser. Big time." The guy said, flicking his cigarette. For a boy in his early teens, he was good at imitating goons seen in those action movies.
"That's a rumor." Kuwabara said desperately.
"There's one way to find out." The guy said, throwing his cigarette on the ground.
"Five against one. That sounds fair to me." He continued.
Kuwabara knew that was coming. He prepared himself for the fight - and to be beaten up. If that middle-guy was only alone, Kuwabara could win easily. But there were five of them. My foot, five!
"That's not fair." They heard someone yelled. The six of them quickly scanned the whole place to see who had just intruded their little get-together.
"I'm here." The voice said. The six of them followed the direction of the voice. They made out a figure shadowed by a tree.
"You think that's not fair" The middle guy shouted, his question addressed to their intruder.
"Yes, I think that's not fair." The voice said. The figure moved. It started to walk towards them, slowly revealing the voice's identity as it moved away from the tree's shadow.
Kuwabara's jaw dropped as he recognized their trespasser. Oh, no. It can't be. I'm dreaming!
He rubbed his eyes with his hands, trying to clear his vision. Then, he looked again at the face of their intruder.
"Ana" Kuwabara exclaimed disbelievingly.
"But I think two against five is fair." Ana continued, ignoring Kuwabara.
"Kazuma Kuwabara brought a pretty girl to defend him" The middle-guy said as he hollered with laughter.
"What's funny" Ana asked.
"The two of you" He answered between laughs. Did this Kazuma Kuwabara and this girl think they could beat the five of them? They have to be mad!
Probably annoyed with the middle-guy's overwhelming display of ego, Ana's foot sprang up and kicked him flat in the face.
The guy stopped laughing. He felt his nose bleed.
Kuwabara's jaw dropped again. He can't believe what he had just seen. Ana looked like one of those kick-ass girls on those English-dubbed Chinese movies. She knows some moves!
"Now, what's funny" Ana asked him again.
"Shit! Get that girl" The middle guy instructed his back up as he ineptly tried to nurse his probably broken nose.
Before they could even get a meter near her, Ana took care of them with her feet. She was obviously good with that. She also had their nose bleeding within seconds.
"Oh, foolish me. I should have told you we had the advantage." Ana said grinning.
"Now, the two of you." Ana continued as she pointed her fingers at the two tall and skinny boys left standing.
Before anyone could breathe again, the two unusually proportioned tall guys ran.
Kuwabara can't believe this is all happening. It was too good to be true. First, Ana had shown up miraculously from the tree. Then, she had just injured three of his enemies and scare the two. And now, she was grinning and showing off the cutest dimples Kuwabara had ever laid eyes on.
"Now, go away before I can do further damage." Kuwabara heard her say to the three broken nose.
He saw the three of them left quickly get to their feet and ran away.
"And don't ever make the mistake of coming back again" Ana yelled after them.
Silence. Ana was still grinning, she looked like she never had that much fun all her life. And Kuwabara can't quite speak yet, he was still a little shocked.
"How did you manage to do that" Kuwabara finally found his voice.
"Don't get into fights you know you'll lose. That's stupid." Ana said as she looked at him, ignoring his question.
"How did you manage to do that" Kuwabara asked again. Not because he desperately wanted to now the answers. It's because he can't think of anything else to say. Not when she's looking at her straight in the eye with those pools of green liquid of hers.
Ana just looked at him and didn't say anything, the grin on her face was gone. Then, she turned to leave.
"Ana" Kuwabara called after her.
She didn't answer back.
He started to walk after her.
"Don't follow me." He heard her say. And he obeyed right away - without even meaning to.