Hee, Thanks for the reviews! Since I understand the agony of waiting for updates, I'll make this exception by posting this up earlier than scheduled.

I've made my OC a childhood friend to one of the players of Oujou White Knights. By the way, Amefuto is the Japanese way of saying American Football. Pay attention to the char's speech in the TV series. And a little special to all Hiruma loving fans out there, I've made an assumption as to where he really get his dough other than blackmails and suspicious-looking credit cards in his wallet. The idea of his assumed wealth is a copyright by Lycanine. Pardon my grammar. Enjoy and review. Ya-Ha!

Chapter 3

It was evening when Kaoru came back from her outing. After she clear up the mess on the corridor, she went to meet her childhood friend, Shin Seijuurou, a linebacker in Oujou White Knights at his school. Everyone in Oujou knows about her after she made a surprise visit after last year practice match with Deimon Devil Bats. The usually quiet and somber looking Shin actually looked quite pleased to see her. At first, the team mistaken her as Shin's girlfriend but after a lengthy conversation with the members, Kaoru managed to convince them that they're just very good friends.

After that visit last year, she didn't meet up with Shin until now. Both are busy with their lives; him with his training in Amefuto, she with her track and field training and design projects. But she did frequently visit the White Knights and made quite a number of friends among them.

The purpose of this outing is to convince that Shogun coach of Oujou to allow the boys a night off from training to celebrate her getting an apartment and living on her own. She finally got the green light from that stick-in-the-mud coach of her friend.

Since she just moved into this apartment, licensed under her aunt's name, she wanted to have a housewarming party. It's the first time she's ever been alone on her own. Most of her junior high and her 1st year in senior high, she stayed with her older brother, who's married to nurse. He's a doctor in a private hospital. Very useful to have two medical people who can help you in whatever injuries you suffered from sports. Unfortunately, her latest injury put her out of the track field team permanently. Deciding a new environment is needed, she convinced her family to let her strike out on her own.

She'll miss her former senior high school but that can't be helped. She can't stand the kind gestures from her former track mates. It's been more than half a year since she ran full throttle on a track. So far, no one could beat her record time when she sprinted for a distance of 36 meters, her own training distance for speed. That's similar to Amefuto 40-yd dash. She was the reigning queen of the 50 and 100 meters sprint. Until that fatal day.

Shaking her head, Kaoru snapped herself out from that depressing thought. She stuck the keys to the door of her new apartment and unlocked it. Closing it behind her, she removed her scarf and outer coat. She moved to the living room and sat on her three-seater soft leather sofa. Tomorrow, she'll have to get her transfer papers done in time for the new semester of the year. Then, one week before the school starts, the housewarming party. Since she invited the White Knights, she can't asked her former track mates, mostly female, to come. They're all Sakuraba fangirls and Kaoru will not have a stampede, here in her apartment. That means two separate events or a single one.

Lying flat out on her sofa, Kaoru decided she still couldn't face them yet. Not until she knows how fast and how hard she could push herself. "Should I ask Hiruma to come to the party?" she wondered aloud as she gazed at her ceiling. "Wait a minute, Hiruma Youichi…Hiruma. Where have I heard this name before?" Kaoru sat up as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "After telling Shin and the others about my plans on transferring to Deimon High, Takami did say that to keep an eye out on one particular person…"

Picking up her phone, she called the QB of Oujou. Crossing her fingers, Kaoru hoped it's not her new neighbor. Minutes later after her conversation with Takami, Kaoru is still flabbergasted. "If I believed in fate, I'll say that the three ladies purposely set me up to meet the mysterious, bad-tempered, devil for a reputation kind of guy and have him as my next door neighbor."

"If the rumors were true, then I'll be seeing him tomorrow in Deimon."

Inside Hiruma's house

Hiruma is still up and listening to the tapes he'd accumulated for months. He listens his mother's update about the activities of the family, including his father. Only his mother has access to his residential and handphone numbers. However, he's not surprised to hear his father's stern voice being recorded among the messages. After all, they're two peas from a pod.

That's the only reason why he chooses to stay in a remote area of Tokyo. In an area called Deimon. He learned everything he needs to know to keep himself hidden from his father, until he's ready to face him, face them. His family. This apartment is under an alias, making it more difficult for his father to track him should he ever takes it into his head in finding him. The numbers Hiruma gave to his mother are untraceable, unless his family decided to use a computer tracking system similar to FBI's.

His computer is running a program that took him hours to correct. If it's successful, he could snail mail the finished product to the company and wait for his next assignment via email. All cash payments for his services are given to him personally at different locations in the town, at nightfall. His conditions of agreement in handling their projects. Creating security programs to protect data from being hacked is a good way of earning bucks. Especially since most of the businesses that used his programs are major stockholders of Japan's economy and banks all over the country. He might get an overseas assignment soon, judging by the positive responses from foreign investors.

Everyone thought that he got his money from illegal means; some said it's from the principal. Some said it's from blackmailing. Hiruma is not planning on enlightening them; they could all burn in hell for all he cared. Tomorrow is another day of training with Kurita. Without Musashi around, it doesn't seem that fun anymore.

"Fuck that. Where the hell did that thought come from. Even without him, we'll still make it to the Christmas Bowl." Silence greeted his comment. "Shit, must be all that recorded messages that got to my nerves." Hiruma checked the pile of remaining tapes. Only five more to go. Might as well get it over with.

An hour later, Hiruma shuts his computer and went to his bedroom. As he plops back on the king size bed, he wondered if he could even dare to open up to another. The image of Anezaki Mamori appeared in his mind. Hiruma cussed aloud and used a pillow to cover his head. Then the image of his new neighbor replaced Mamori's face. He removed the pillow and thought it over. Soon, his lids drifted down and sleep claim his conscious mind.

A/N: Hee, I added a hint of HiruXZaki (Mamori surname). That's the romance part of the story. I'm a supporter of their hinted relationship. No Yaoi, gome.