The deafening silence was beginning to annoy Himiko in a way that she wanted to puke her guts out at her newly seen classmates' smug faces. But if she did just that, her first pitiful impression would be shattered. She knew she couldn't do that. Today was the day of compensation for the childhood that was seized from her since the accident.

She cursed silently when she caught sight of an empty seat at the back of the room beside a very familiar blonde boy's, and knew well enough whom that honorable seat belonged to. Himiko ignored the teacher's initial introductions, implying that her brief preamble was coming up.

Ignoring the hushed, tinny sounds coming from huddled forms somewhere in the middle area, Himiko breathed in deeply, then closed her eyes when everyone was focusing their attention on her leg brace. She noticed that a group of boys were smirking at her and some of them were even winking at her. She threw a disgusted look at them. Consequently, that led to more boisterous approvals from friends all round and then started the trend of coquetting her, or pretending to be.

With her head slightly bent down, she tightened her hold around the armrest and tried to block out everything in front of her. She didn't even hear Mr… the teacher's reassuring voice. Damn it! She instantly forgot his name. Did it start with a letter 'd' or 't'? She couldn't tell. She couldn't remember. Oh God, help me. She took in deep breaths and felt sweat trickling down her spine.

She squeezed her eyes shut when she sensed shadows looming above her. Get a grip of yourself, you pathetic handicap. Just say your name, ignore those blundering bigots… all will be fine… if only Ban was here…

"Himiko…" Her eyes quickly popped open when she heard his voice. He was kneeling before her, his hand resting on her trembling hand. Ban stared at her apprehensive purple orbs and she could tell that he was apologetic about his mysterious disappearance awhile back.

"Ye… yeah. I've been better, gotta tell ya that," she said as she pulled her hand away from his touch. This time a multitude, even braver whispers were emerging, and she fought herself from turbo-ing out of the room.

"You want me to introduce you then?" Ban asked, his eyes searching hers.

Himiko slowly shook her head and smiled. "Just temporary jitters, that's all. I don't whimper for long." When Ban didn't move, she patted his shoulder and insincerely grinned. "Look. If you don't get back to your seat, rumors will be flying."

"They are now." He glared at two snickering boys and when they silenced, he nodded at Himiko to get this over with.

He walked to his seat, coolly ignoring every eye watching his every step. As he sat down, he glanced at Ginji and mouthed that they would talk later.

Sitting quietly in her wheelchair, Himiko shook her head and cleared her throat. "Good morning to y'all. My name's Kudo Himiko. Pleased to meet all of you."

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"Yo, Casanova, mind introducing your girlfriend to us?" Hevn was leaning on Ban's desk with her arms crossed over her F-sized cups and gave Himiko a once-over before turning back to Ban.

Ban languidly waved his arms around and said, "Himiko. Hevn. Hevn. Himiko. All done."

Hevn stomped her feet on Ban's crummy leather shoe and said, "Don't be a boob and tell us how you met her. Bashful here is obviously too shy to tell us because… oh right… you haven't told him either." She pointed at Ginji and jammed her polished nail at Ban. "I hear she's the ghost who's seemingly back from the dead."

Ban swiped her hand away and glared at Hevn. "She was never dead." When Hevn didn't respond, Ban asked, "Why the curiosity?"

"Why," Hevn turned to Himiko and flashed a cocky grin at the confused girl. "A newbie like her needs to have friends who would tell her all the school's gossips, how to dress up fabulously, how to avoid ghastly teachers like Mr. Tanimoto, and well, know who are the people she should stay away from… ain't that right, Casanova."

Hearing this, both Chloe and Natsumi smacked their foreheads with tired frustration. Himiko saw this and chuckled.

"Well, ask her then, Hippolyta." Ban held his hands up in mocking defeat and added, "Hail the once defunct sisterhood."

Annoyed, he stood up and walked out of the classroom.

When Hevn turned her attention back to Himiko, Himiko interrupted her by saying, "Gotta go… to the bathroom. See ya." Before anyone could stop her, she switched to turbo mode and zoomed out of the room, causing screams from girls along the way as skirts flew, and boys catching a glimpse of psychedelic land.

As she paused in the hallway, scanning left and right to see a sign of Ban, she nearly screamed in horror when someone else was walking toward her. Someone disgustingly familiar.

"Hello, my purple blossom." Kagami stood a few inches away from her. He was about to kneel down but Himiko instantly reared back.

"Dare and your hallway-kill." When he only smiled, she blurted out, "I'm serious!"

"And all this time I thought you were a disturbed ghost roaming around the mansion to seek for peace or some kind of vindictive shit from the unforgiving world you were purposely drifting about."

"Shut it, you disgusting troll." When Kagami was still smiling haughtily, she teasingly said, "For a pretty-boy-big shot, it'll be very humiliating when the whole school finds out that you almost pissed your pants and was actually nice to your little brother in my mansion. Shame, shame for a tough guy like you, don't you agree?"

Kagami's smile faded and his eyes instantly bulged in exasperation. "You're bluffing."

"I may have posed as a ghost, but I ain't blind."

Kagami was about to close the huge gap between them but out of the corner of his eye, he sensed that Ban was pacing toward them. He tightly smiled, made a suave bow, and walked away.

Still glaring at his retreating form, Himiko didn't notice Ban creeping up behind her. "What was that about?" Himiko jumped when she heard Ban's inquiry.

Ban arched his brow in question and waited for her reply. But instead of answering him, Himiko asked, "Where were you this morning? Before we entered the classroom, I could have sworn that you were right behind me."

"Had to take a stroll to the men's room."

"Liars go to hell."

"My life already feels like hell."

"Ban…"

"Okay, okay." He motioned Himiko to follow him to a corner and said, "I figured that you were gonna experience some flashbacks, so I had to keep a close eye on you from outside. It'd be hard if I were from my seat coming down to comfort you. It would have drawn more attention."

"No, it's all just the same. I would have felt better if I knew you were there… in the room." She bent her head to hide the blush coloring her cheeks.

Ban did the same and apologized to her. "I thought it was more convenient for you that way."

"It's all right."

By the sound of her tone, Ban knew better than to believe her. "Come on, I'll show you my favorite spot."

"Uh…"

"There's one hitch though." When he made certain that Himiko was wheeling behind him, he continued, "We have to leave the chair behind."

"What?"

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"Hello?" Aggravated that someone was disturbing his gardening spell, Teshimene answered the phone after six rings. When Paul was on the other line, he brushed his soiled hands on his tattered jeans and leaned on the kitchen table. "What's up? Aren't you in school now?"

"Taking a break, but I think I should leave for today." When Teshimene didn't say anything, Paul continued in a whisper, "Hope DK's clear for today."

Instantly shocked that Paul used those initials, Teshimene straightened up and pushed the cordless phone to his ear. "What's going on? You going to Der's?"

"You're coming with me." Paul sat up when he saw a couple of teachers passing by his desk. "This is a priority. So I suggest that your flowery babies should take a nap, and you call Der."

"You've already interrupted my gardening time. But okay, I'll call Der."

"He's not gonna like this, but we have to, especially after what happened during his special night."

Teshimene shook his head exasperatedly. "He shouldn't have said and meant it all at the same time. I pity Ban right now."

"Yeah, well, the ghost is back from the dead. In fact, she hasn't been dead at all."

Teshimene pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "No shit. I thought I recognized that face before. I'm sure that Kaiser noticed it too."

"No duh. He's been drinking a lot lately. That's what the missus told me." Paul amiably shook his head when a fellow colleague asked him if he wanted coffee from the cafeteria.

"How'd you find out about it?"

"She's in my class. In Ban's class."

"That doesn't sound good. And knowing Ban, the gig will be up sooner before Kaiser can stop this." As Paul cleared his messy table, Teshimene immediately added, "I'm on sick leave right now, Paul. I'm not doing those shitty favors for Der anymore. It's too dirty for my liking."

"We both feel the same way. But he's our friend."

"Yeah? Well, what he did was wrong and he deserves to mellow down. No cheat can stay at the top for long."

"Teshi…"

"No. I'm not destroying the old files. After my recent bloody case, I'm not indulging myself into something that has grime written all over it. Even if it concerns the past." He interrupted Paul by returning the phone to its cradle. He walked to the fridge to grab a beer and swiftly emptied it in a minute. For what seemed like hours, he stared at the phone and then slowly picked it up.

After three rings, the person on the other end answered gruffly, "I'm busy, Paul."

"It's Teshi, Der. We're wallowing in shit again."

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"It's quiet out here. I love it." Himiko smiled up at Ban and reddened when he smiled back. Her chin was resting on the rail and she had to fight against the impulse of daydreaming about Ban's well-toned body standing beside her.

It was a cool day, and the both of them were grateful that Mother Nature decided that the sun had to boil another place instead of Shinjuku High. They were scanning the school grounds from the rooftop's point of view.

After a moment of relaxed silence, Himiko asked, "Ban?"

"Mmm?"

"Why's Hevn an ass toward you?"

Ban laughed at her description of Hevn and answered, "We dated for a couple of years in Junior High."

Himiko didn't wait for him to continue. "You dumped her for another gal?"

"She couldn't forgive me ever since."

They both laughed and went quiet when they heard the school bell ringing that break time's over.

"Five minutes," Himiko muttered when Ban was starting to the door. "You can go first."

"I'll wait. It's better here than having people staring at you with their squirming eyes and chatty traps." With his hands in his pockets, he remained a few inches behind her bent form.

Himiko only chuckled and looked up. "Reminds me of the old days."

Ban was silent when she carried on. "Blue skies, birds chirping, staring up at the clouds… just the two of us in my backyard. You talked a lot before. And we were comfortable with each other's presence. I miss that."

"You don't have to miss it, 'cuz I bet the feelings' still mutual now."

Himiko turned to face him. "Guess so."

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Ban and Himiko weren't the only ones who received detention from Mr. Tanimoto for being late for his class. Ignoring Mr. Tanimoto's authoritarian rules, Makubex smiled at Ginji and sat down with a triumphant thump. Ban's brows were raised since Makubex glided through the door, and he passed a note to Makubex.

snakesapphires: Why the eerie, huge grin?

wizardx: goldenstrings and I are meeting the k's later. I'm so excited, dude!

After reading the note, Ban smiled and crumpled the paper. That was their code whenever they wanted to communicate in class. For one reason, if the teacher caught them exchanging notes with code names, it would take a max of ten minutes for any teacher to discover the true interrupters in class. It surely worked for Mr. Tanimoto countless times.

Ban gave a two-thumbs up in Makubex's direction, and Makubex in return did the same thing. Unfortunately for them, Mr. Wet Blanket caught them and another thirty minutes in detention was in store for them on Friday.

Ban made a gesture that they were going to talk during lunch break and, Makubex enthusiastically nodded.

Wet Blanket saw them again. Another thirty minutes. The old man was going down!

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"Where's Himiko?" Ginji asked as he was choosing between a tapioca pudding or green tea ice cream for dessert.

Ban glanced over his shoulder and snickered. "With Natsumi and the others. Can't deny that Hevn has a point. Get the ice cream, I'm getting the tapioca."

"Sounds like you're over her."

"It doesn't sound like I'm over Hevn. I am over her. She's the only one who isn't." Ban snatched the last pizza slice and made a fast beeline toward Shido and Makubex's table.

"Ban. Whaddya have?" Shido asked as he brought out his lunch bag.

"What does it look like I'm having? Rock-hard tapioca and greasy pizza. You?"

"Caesar salad and an apple for dessert. Want some?"

"I'll trade the tapioca for the apple."

"Deal."

When Ginji set his food tray on the table and sat down beside Ban, he asked, "You still running the anti-meat program against the cafeteria, Shido?"

"Yeah, but it isn't going well." Shido glared at Ban. "I should know because a certain somebody should be supporting my campaign. That means no meat during lunch periods."

"Oh, jeez. You're still supporting your no-meat-think-of-the-slaughtered-animals project? It's a load of bull, forget the irony there." Ban wiped his greasy lips and gulped down some water.

"Yeah? Well, we'll see who's talking nonsense after you get a heart attack after eating all those disgustingly oily chow. You look like a slobbering pig."

"Better a pig than a stifled cow." Ban took another bite of his pizza.

Shido wearily held his hands up in defeat and started wolfing down his salad. After a chewing pause, Ginji asked Ban, "How'd you know Himiko?"

Ban stopped his gnawing and looked at Ginji. Then he said monotonously, "Old friend."

When he continued to eat, Shido, Makubex, and Ginji exchanged confused looks. Before long, Kazuki and Emishi arrived.

"Uh… we weren't interrupting anything, were we?" Kazuki saw their questioning stares and was about to walk away when Ginji said, "No, course not. Sit."

He offered Kazuki a seat next to his, and smiled at her. She returned his smile and sent Ban an arched brow. "Penny for your thoughts, Ban?"

Ban suddenly looked up and smirked. "Not if it's intended for me only. What do you want?"

"You seemed to be in deep thought. I was thinking maybe you want to share… you know… especially after what happened during the other night…"

She trailed off as Ban stood up. "Have to go."

He briskly walked away, stopped momentarily when Himiko called him from her table, and then continued his trip to the door.

"He's definitely hiding something," Kazuki said as she munched down her chicken sandwich.

"Definitely." Shido frowned at her sandwich.

Kazuki rolled her eyes and said, "This is the only food that's left. What? You want me to starve?"

Shido blew out a sigh and continued to eat.

"Maybe… she can give us the answers we want." Everyone turned to where Makubex was pointing.

"Kudo. Why not?" Kazuki rubbed her chin with her free hand. She straightened up and said, "Well, boys, catch you later. Right now, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

When she left, the boys said in unison, "Hail the sisterhood."

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Kazuki was waiting in the bathroom, idly twirling a strand of her brown hair. She was chewing her bottom lip when Himiko pushed the door open. Kazuki walked over and locked the door behind Himiko. Afterwards, she spread out her arms as if flaunting a stadium packed with deafening lions and lumbering elephants, and then said theatrically, "Welcome to the girl's bathroom. Please, feel free to unwind your wheels."

"I've already unwound them while I was looking for this room." Himiko looked around, then after a minute she said, "I see nobody uses this lavatory."

"There've been reports about ghosts. And I think it's quite true as of this moment." Kazuki playfully eyed Himiko.

Himiko immediately understood the brunette's point and countered, "Flesh and bones here." She lightly pinched her arm and added, "Ain't transparent, as you can see. Unless the poor lighting here is responsible for your feeble eyesight."

"It's perfectly clear, thank you very much for your concern." When she saw that Himiko seemed rather at ease with the room's lonely ambiance, she asked, "How are Hevn and the others treating you?"

"Besides Hevn fervently pushing me to go shopping later, I can't believe that I missed so much ever since I… you know… turned 'ghost'. It's good. Natsumi and Chloe are such dolls. Hevn… she's okay, I just don't like her pushy attitude. I didn't like you either when I first saw you." Himiko's cheeks pinked when she mentioned that.

Kazuki smiled and merely nodded. "You care about him, don't you?"

Himiko turned her head and didn't say anything initially. After a moment of silence, she said, "He's a childhood friend."

"Really? No wonder he's been acting quite strange ever since he moved into the neighborhood."

"How strange?" Interested, Himiko wheeled closer toward Kazuki.

Kazuki didn't mind and continued. "Whenever he passed by the mansion, he would always be lost in a trance. It was creepy at first, but we slowly got used to it."

Perplexed, Himiko asked Kazuki, "Wait. So Ban and Hevn go way back? They've known each other before Ban transferred to Shinjuku High?"

"Pretty much. All I know is that Hevn was moody all week when Ban arrived. She was so up in arms during the whole year even. My guess is that she still loves him."

"Got that right." Himiko sighed and asked, "You wanna know about why Ban's been acting bizarre lately, huh?"

"Hope you don't mind."

Himiko gradually steered away from Kazuki's direction and stopped in front of the sink. She contemplated on what she was about to do. Was it the right thing to do? She only got acquainted with Kazuki for a few minutes ago and now she was thinking about telling this girl her past. She hardly knew her. Could she be trusted? What would Ban think if she consulted him first? Then she remembered that she was beginning to rely wholly on Ban. And she knew that she was once like that to her brother and she already vowed to herself that inclining to reliance is a huge no-no. She blew out a frustrated sigh. "How many minutes till classes start?"

"Seventeen."

"Okay then, why don't you take a seat on that rusty 'ol bowl so I don't have to strain my neck."

"Euw. Seriously?" Kazuki glanced back and glowered at the yellowish sides of the toilet bowl.

Himiko laughed and said, "Kidding."

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To be continued…

Sorry for taking so long. Two weeks to go till my last quarterly exams. Please do understand that after the tests are over, the stories will be pouring! That's a promise. Anyway, hope ya guys enjoyed it.

Review pwease!