A/N: Wow. I came online to check my email today, and 6 new reviews greeted me with a cheery little smack in the face. Fox was surprised. But Fox is pleased. Extra thanks to strife-lover and K a w a i i - S y a o r a n! Between the two of you, you've made my day a happy one. Quite an accomplishment for people I don't know. -grin-
Only one more chapter after this one. I'll likely post it tomorrow, though I admit I'm more than half-tempted to post it now since it's the shortest in the story...

...but then again, this one is the longest, so I think this is enough of my story for one day. Hehe. Enjoy!

The King of Hell
by Lamenting Fox

Chapter Eight: The Unmasked Devil

Kazuma Koutari walked with his head held high and a spring in his step. Tatsuki was gone, Yuuto had never seen his face, and there weren't any witnesses. Life was good.

He slid open the door to the classroom and walked in. A quick scan of the room kept him in high spirits. Both Oohiras were gone--he wasn't sure why Kotarou wasn't there, but it didn't matter much--and Yuuto, trying to get girls to sign his cast, didn't seem to suspect a thing.

Koutari took his seat and waited happily for the teacher to start class.

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Yuuto narrowed his eyes as he read Koutari's bright yellow aura. Keep smiling, bastard. You won't be in such a good mood for long.

The teacher strode in and waited for everyone to sit down. "All right, everyone, let's start today with--"

The door slid open and Yuuto grinned as Kotarou and Tatsuki walked in. "About time you two got here," he called over the whispers that had started up when the class saw Tatsuki's battered form.

Koutari's head snapped up. Tatsuki ignored his wide-eyed, hatred filled gaze as he sat down. Yuuto was happy to see that only a small hint of fear was present in the mixture of emotions swirling around him. Whatever the reason, he was no longer terribly afraid of the brunette. Koutarou also had a complex aura, but Yuuto didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Sir," he addressed the teacher. "May I make an announcement to the class?"

"Make it quick, Urushiyama."

"Thank you, sir." He struggled to his feet and hobbled to the front of the classroom. "In your desks, you will all find a plain white envelope like this." He held up the single envelope he held before handing it to the teacher. "So if you would, please find and open them now." He bowed to the best of his ability and watched as everyone except Tatsuki and Kotarou shuffled through their desks. He'd spoken to Kotarou over the phone the night before and explained his plan so the boys wouldn't be shocked when he put it into motion. Tatsuki wasn't happy about the idea, but he didn't fight it either.

Yuuto smiled when the whispers started again. He watched Koutari carefully as he opened his envelope. Inside were six pictures. The first one showed Koutari initializing the attack against Tatsuki. The second showed Tatsuki falling to the ground. The third one was of Koutari strangling Tatsuki, and the fourth a closeup of his crazed, grinning face, eyes wide with a sick delight. The fifth picture showed him on the dock, dragging Tatsuki's body carelessly behind him. The final picture was taken just as Tatsuki's body hit the water.

As Koutari flipped through the pictures, his aura became darker. But after the last picture, he laughed.

The entire class looked at him in surprise.

"I'm impressed, Yuuto. How did you manage to put my face in these pictures? They look so real. Was it all done digitally?" He smiled good-naturedly, and Yuuto could tell the class found him convincing. They all looked to him for answers.

"Explain this, Urushiyama," said the teacher angrily.

But before he could respond, the sound of a fist slamming into flesh and bone reverberated throughout the room.

Yuuto's head whipped around to look at Koutari. He was sprawled on the floor, holding one side of his face as he looked up in shock. Kotarou stood above him, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The room went deathly silent.

Damn, kid, Yuuto thought with pride. I didn't know you had it in you.

"Oohira, what is the meaning of this?" the teacher demanded, but the boy just ignored him.

"You're sick, Kazuma," Kotarou growled.

"You don't honestly believe this, do you? Kotarou, I wouldn't--"

"I was there, you ass!" Kotarou shouted. His eyes blazed with fury. "Who do you think pulled Tatsuki out of the water? It sure as hell wasn't the fish."

Some of the anger faded from his features and he dropped his gaze to the floor. "You're wrong, you know," he said quietly, almost sadly.

"What?" Koutari snapped, finally dropping his innocent act.

"You said Tatsuki doesn't have any friends. But you're wrong."

Koutari sneered. "Oh? Name some."

"Yuuto, Karen...and me."

Koutari laughed shortly. "Cut the crap. He hates you, and you know it."

Kotarou shook his head. "We fight a lot, but that doesn't mean we're not still friends. He's always getting me out of trouble, even if it means risking his own life. If he really hated me, he wouldn't bother," he finished with confidence, and Yuuto could see even without his powers that the boy spoke the truth.

Yuuto glanced at Tatsuki and noticed for the first time how much clearer his aura looked, as if some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

All that time leaning on Kotarou yesterday must have done something good. I was right then--by touching Kotarou, Tatsuki is somehow being healed.

"Oh, how touching," Koutari said, his sugary sweet voice laced with contempt. He stood and glared at Kotarou. "You shouldn't be so trusting, brat."

"You're right. I was stupid enough to trust you, wasn't I?" Kotarou fired back with passion.

"Your cousin's kept a few secrets from you--"

"I already know, Kazuma, and I don't care," he snarled.

Koutari was taken aback.

"The only thing we don't know," Yuuto said quietly, "is why you hate Tatsuki anyway. But, then again, that's not really all that important anymore either. You'll pay for what you've done."

Realizing he had no chance of winning, Koutari growled in rage. "You ruined it all. Everything would have been fine if you'd just let him die!" he screamed. He stepped forward and slammed his fist into Kotarou's stomach.

The blonde doubled over and his knees buckled. He fell to the floor coughing and gasping. Blood trickled out of his mouth to splatter the floor as he struggled to breathe. Koutari moved as if to hit Kotarou again, but he never got the chance.

Before anyone realized he'd even moved, Tatsuki had Koutari against the wall, his good hand clasping the enraged boy's throat. Tatsuki's aura was the color of Kotarou's blood, and startlingly clear and free of other emotions. "I told you to leave them alone," he hissed.

Yuuto fumbled in his jacket pocket for his phone. He dialed the number quickly and hoped the rest of his plan worked.

Koutari fought his way free from Tatsuki and the two engaged in a bitter fight. Neither was holding back. The rest of the class just watched in horror and queer fascination as the violence continued. Even the teacher was strangely frozen where he stood.

Punch after punch was thrown, connected, and ignored. Finally, Tatsuki went down on his back. To put it simply, fighting with only one arm does not give a person very good odds in a fight.

Koutari laughed. "Don't you get it, Oohira? You're weak. You can't win."

"I'm not interested in winning," Tatsuki said. He bent one leg and pushed his body off the ground, and with the other delivered a vicious kick to Koutari's jaw that sent him flying.

Koutari sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth. "You bastard. I'll--"

The door to the classroom slid open, and Karen walked in trailing half a dozen cops.

"That one," she said, pointing to Koutari.

"Kazuma Koutari, you're under arrest for suspicion of assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder," one of the men said.

They quickly put him in handcuffs and went to talk to the teacher.

"I'm glad you came through," Yuuto said happily.

"Why are you so surprised? I said I would, didn't I?" she said scornfully, one hand on her hip.

"And here I thought all photographers were sleazy, underhanded, and full of fake promises," he teased.

"Look who's talking!" Karen retorted with glee.

And Yuuto had the grace to blush.