"Do you honestly think you're special, little Bito?"

Rhyme sighed. It was Sakura Shoru, the richest girl iin the school and one of her...annoyances. The girl obviously thought she was better than humanity, and always made a habit of reminding the young girl that...well, she wasn't.

"Do you think, for a single, solitary moment, that he actually cares about you? As If! Yoshiya Kiryu is a business tycoon. A real somebody.. You?" she snorted

"You're nothing."

She walked away, confident that she'd successfully torn down the self esteem of the 'poor girl' yet again.

Rhyme let out a snort of her own. If she was nothing, then that foofoo Barbie doll was even less than nothing to Joshua. She found comfort in this train of thought, and went to lunch with a smile on her face.

That smile lasted all of seven minutes before the real trouble wiped it off her face.

There were several reasons why the girl was never seen in short sleeves. One of the reasons was named Victor Alumi. Victor had a different name for the young Bito.

Ashtray.

The senior was constantly putting out his cigarretes on her arms. Wether she was going to class, going to lunch, or getting ready to go home, the black haired, burly armed badboy always had a smoke to put out on the tiny girl's skin. He did it where no one else would see, on a place she usually kept covered anyway. He was from the same social class as her, and thought he was tough stuff.

He also was the son of the police chief who had a problem with Beat. So the girl could say nothing or she risked getting her brother arrested.

"Rhyme...yo beautiful! Come over here a sec."

She was grabbed, as she always was every time the guy needed her. She was dragged into an empty classroom and her sleeve shoved up. The butt was inches from her flesh, she smelled his brand and wrinkled her nose. It was new. The pain only lasted a second, then she was shoved to the ground.

:"Thanks Bito. I'll make sure pops looks the other way for a few more days."

Rhyme had herself a good cry under a desk, and was getting ready to get up, when she noticed two very familiar white shoes right beside her hiding place.

"Such a sad song you sing, Raimu. Why not come out and tell me what warrents such a mournful tenure."

She froze.

He giggled and bent down, meeting her eyes with his ageless gaze.

"You didn't honestly imagine that..." his nose wrinkled slightly "Raimu...what...?"

The girl tried and failed to stop the Composer from following his nose to her arm. Joshua gently pulled back her sleeve.

"It's nothing." She said quickly.

She knew it was pointless. He had seen. And he was not happy. He couldn't be more not happy if he tried.

However Joshua was nothing if not dignified. He calmly put some ointment on her wound, gently rolled her sleeve back down, and smiled reassuringly at her. He then turned on his heel and, head held high as if he wasn't about to explode like an erupting volcano, he stalked to a window overlooking the parkinglot and took out his phone.

"Raimu." He called lightly, "Are there very many vending machines on campus?"

"Um...yes?"

"Very good."

Seconds later there was a horrible crash, and a car alarm went off. This was followed by a very loud swearing and many "What the HELLs" from one Victor Alumi.

Joshua exited the school building with a triumphant air and satisfied smirk, leading Rhyme Bito by the arm. When they passed a thoroughly wrecked Camero, that now had a vending machine trio poking out of it, the girl couldn't help but feel a degree of satisfaction of her own.