écriture fatale
by crisis rain
Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!/Maid-sama! belongs to Fujiwara Hiro. Fiction plot & originals belong to crisis rain. No infringement intended.
Linebreak
"DOKAAAAAA!"
His scream pierced the usual silent riverbank as he sailed through the air, flying from being punched with the force of a rocket. The delinquent twisted and twirled several spins before he landed upon the grass in a dull thud, unmoving. His comrades stared on in horror, eyes watching their precious ally as he flew through the air and was reborn – airborne, literally – and immediately regretted picking a fight with Seisen Middle.
"He flew…"
"H-He spiraled around so fast for a second back there…"
The sounds of a fight followed soon after. Youths; hot-blooded and foul-tempered strays tore themselves at each other, losing their minds while falling into this mad frenzy of a heated battle. In the epicenter of this fight, was a blonde-haired beast with a white headband, his fist true and his kicks devastating. One after one, they fell – bruised, battered, and beaten – while the beast rages on in his lust for carnage, battering unwitting heads together and annihilating his opponents without mercy.
Soon after, there was nothing but silence; and his labored breathing after a long fight. While he was strong – kingly, almost – he had taken quite a few blows from his enemies, but they were nothing – a few battle scars were regarded as medals of honour in this twisted hierarchy. But collecting pride wasn't in his interest today – no, today he was just pissed off. Everything he saw and everything that passed his way ticked him off for some reason, and his anger was much more volatile than any of his followers had ever seen.
It was almost as if he was the Devil incarnate himself – there just wasn't something right about him.
"How 'bout that yeah?" He kicked at a nearby body, the male student crumpling up in pain and let out a gasp of pain. "You shitheads done fucking around with Seisen yet?"
"Stop it, Aratake!" His right-hand Gouda pulled his arm back before he could stomp down a crushing heel upon the unconscious delinquent's head. "I've seen you go crazy, but this isn't like you." Gouki stood silently, feeling the grip on his arm before spinning around and rearing his left fist to punch Gouda.
Reeling back from the punch, Gouda fell to the floor with a sharp grunt, his cheek already turning red and swelling up from the impact. "Did Shirakawa's words teach your thick skull anything? You can't be a good banchou through sheer strength!"
Gouki bared his teeth at the mention of his former idol. He was upset – Gouda's words hit home and true, but his prideful personality wouldn't let him admit to it. "Shut up! Without me, Seisen is nothing!"
Gouda picked himself up from the ground, his tailored gakuran uniform already dirtied from his brawl with the neighbouring delinquents, now even dirtier from having fallen to the ground after his leader's punch. "That may be true, but there's something off with you since yesterday."
A few quiet murmurs of agreement softly chorused from behind. A few of Seisen delinquents looked forlornly at their leader with concerned eyes. "Banchou's been really fidgety since yesterday – he even went to school on time for the first time in weeks!"
Gouki froze.
"Yeah, yeah and he looked like he was looking forward to – what was it again?"
"'Running an errand' after school, he had said."
"So… what's going on, banchou?"
His group looked at him with expectant eyes. Shaking in anger, Gouki took a menacing step forwards and his followers quickly dispersed in fear, running behind Gouda immediately.
"Gouda! You're the right hand man! Calm the beast down!"
"Aratake, stop this nonsense already." Gouda firmly stated, staring solidly back at his best friend. "I don't know what happened… but you're running away from your problems." Gouki turned around without answering.
"It's none of your fucking business, you got that?" He snarled, before stalking off with a moody storm cloud hanging over his head. "I'm headin' back first." The delinquents shook in fear at their leader's suspicious anger – and Gouda merely watched his friend leave the battle ground, a faint look in his eyes.
Kicking an empty can furiously as he stormed his way down the deserted street, Gouki glared at the setting sun in the sky. He was pissed off, alright – last night's turnabout of events left him overwhelmed and in the dark about so many things – Miyabigaoka, Hisui, and that annoying rich-assed bastard who managed to break through her tough exterior she often hid behind. After all those years, he'd figure pretty much how Hisui operated – she seldom told him her problems, and immersed herself in the time they would spend together.
As if taking care of him was a priority of hers that she partook in to ease away the unease in her heart.
He hated that – that feeling of being used, that feeling of being a "temporary" escape from her reality, but he never complained; after all, he couldn't refuse her and her crazy antics and her selfishness; and he went along with her plans, no matter how ludicrous they were.
But none of his irritations could even compare to the feeling he had felt last night – that unforeseen intimacy between that zaibatsu heir and Hisui – and he rushed out when he couldn't stand the thought of them together without him knowing the whole story behind the implications of their relationship. He had never seen her look so mentally agonized and flustered. His excuse was a sorry one – but he wasn't about to let his guard down for something so trivial.
A hand slapped over his forehead, shielding his eyes from the painful, bright rays. When did he get so overprotective?
It wasn't like that before. Not even when she –
Ahhh, he had thought. The painful memories were coming back. Slowly… surely…
He already made a promise to himself that he'd protect that fragile part of her even if it meant he had to lie.
Pressing the cold device to her ear, Hisui watched her own breath form into a fading vapour in the cold air as she waited. The connecting tone rung lightly for a long time before an automated voice greeted her with the usual message – he wasn't picking up his phone. Shutting her cell off, Hisui held it tightly in her hand for a moment before shoving it back into her coat pocket, her other hand gripping the knot of the cloth that held a warm ceramic bento box.
A sigh escaped her lips, her warm breath tickling her cold face as she continued to walk down the street from the entrance gates of Seisen Middle. It was dark outside already, and despite the lamp lights lighting her way along in the darkness, she was worried. She hadn't heard from Gouki since yesterday, and even his own mother didn't know where her own son went – and how was she supposed to bring this leftover curry to that troublesome brat?
The last place she knew where to find him, was the abandoned building by the empty lot beside the highway bridge – a bit of a walk from there on. And so she marched on, shivering every now and then; despite wearing her season leg warmers and winter jacket, she could feel the cold slowly seep into her body – a wet coldness that was incomparable to the dry winters up north.
The scenery was getting progressively worse as she continued – shabby neighborhood fences, barking stray dogs, and graffiti drawn on the sides of houses and walls. Pulling herself together and chiding herself that it wasn't as bad as it looked, Hisui continued to walk down the inconsistent sidewalk until she reached a dead end and an abandoned parking lot – in the distance, stood a dilapidated building with more graffiti scrawled upon its walls than usual.
"Bingo." She whispered to herself. Approaching the ominous building with quiet steps, she peered around cautiously before walking up towards the front entrance, where the set of glass doors had been smashed broken, with only their metal frame remaining crookedly in place. Glancing at it warily, she was about to push the piece of bent metal and door open when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Oy, oy; who the hell are you, bitch?" A voice drawled from behind, and she slowly turned around to see a delinquent student still dressed in his uniform jacket glare down menacingly down at her. Another one flanked his side, also scoping her out with suspicious eyes. Multiple piercings and dyed hair – no doubt about it, she was at the right place.
Or perhaps she has found herself in the den of wolves.
"E-Er, I'm looking for a friend of mine." She replied hesitantly, turning around to face him quickly and shrugged his hand away. "His name's Aratake Gouki – perhaps you might know him?"
"Ehhhhh, you mean banchou?" The other delinquent exclaimed, and exchanged gruff looks with his partner. "…Never seen her around with 'im before."
"Don't lie to us, bitch." The first delinquent threatened, raising a fist beneath her nose. "Who sent you here? Hayashi Middle?"
'Oh for goodness' sake, they're as barbaric as they come.' Hisui thought shrewdly, her eyes easing exasperatedly upon the two goons. "…Just take me to your leader?"
"Eh… that works."
"Banchou'll know how to deal with her."
They each grabbed her arms, one at each side, and promptly began to drag her inside the dirty interior of the abandoned building – their secret hideout – and Hisui was careful not to pull back too much or drop Gouki's bento as she followed them inside. It was eerily quiet – broken glass lay everywhere from the shattered windows and graffiti was abundant upon the dirtied walls.
At the end of the hallway was a room with working electricity – the lights were on, spilling its glow into the corridor. Pulling her along roughly as they picked up the pace, the pair of watchdogs pushed open the door and entered inside rather proudly; dragging up their prey they had caught. She dangled from their grip like a dog held up by the scruff of its neck, staring expectantly around the untidy room. "Banchou! Look at what we've found!"
Aratake Gouki who had been busy punching out the ratty sandbag strung in the corner of the rec room turned around in annoyance, his face flushed from the momentum of his vigorous beat-down upon the bag of stuffing. Needless to say, he was a little more than shocked to see his childhood friend dangling with her arms held up by his two followers, her face blandly staring back at him.
"Yo, Goucchan." She greeted nonchalantly, and attempted to hold up his bento. "You have a delivery from your mother."
He raised the back of his hand to wipe away at the sweat that was beginning to pour out from his face. "What're you doing here?" His tone was gruff; his eyes avoidant. Various scratches and fresh bruises lined his jaw, cheeks, and arms – with every inch of skin exposed, she could see he was hurt. Her brow furrowed deeply, but she declined to comment about it, lest he would bottle himself up if she brought mention about the scuffles he's been going through.
"Didn't you hear me? Oba-san told me to give this to you." Hisui slinked her arms out of the two goons' grasp, and held out his lunch box one more time. "She said that you haven't come back home yet, and that you're probably hanging out late again." He didn't seem to answer, but briefly ignored her as he massaged his fists, checking over the raw skin over his knuckles.
Hisui clenched her jaw slightly. "She's worried about you."
"O-Oi, banchou…" One of them started uncertainly. "Do you really know this woman? She was hanging out at the front of the hideout suspiciously just a while ago…"
"We're childhood friends," Hisui snapped back at them, before turning angrily back at Gouki. "and you! Stop worrying your poor mother and come back home!"
Gouki bit back the bitter words he wanted to say, and instead gritted his teeth – his hair was in a mess, he was in a rough shape, and all he knew was that his head was swimming in a fever. "Go back home, Sui! Tell that old hag that I'm not coming back home tonight!" He managed to blurt aloud, attempting his best to look as defiant as he could. Hisui's fingers dug into the fabric of his lunch box tightly, feeling the threads stretch beneath her nails and fingertips as her anger swelled.
"And anyway, don't you think you have something to explain to me?" Gouki followed up with a shaky smile – a bitter smile, a look of satisfaction of grating her nerves and her silence only proved to solidify that feeling. "That zaibutsu asshole making a fool out of you… what the hell is going on exactly?"
At this point, the rest of the gang arrived to see what was going on, their numbers piling in from the back door upon reading the dangerous mood in the atmosphere. Hisui paid no heed to them – the situation was taxing enough as it is, and she looked like she was trying to brace herself to find the best explanation for this situation. What could she tell him? It was nothing she was proud of. And Igarashi Tora wasn't someone to be dealt as a trifle – one misstep could cost her the future.
He looked down at her warily, silence growing between them. "That slant-eyed freak was the heir to the Igarashi Group, wasn't he?"
She jerked back up in slight surprise.
"What the hell are you thinking, Sui?" He was angry now, relapsing back to his destructive torment. "Why are you hanging around with someone like him?"
When he saw her close her eyes without an answer, his hand lunged for her shoulder out of instinct, as if he would literally wring the answer out of her – and her eyes snapped open, for a split second unmoving before blocking his strike with her left wrist, deflecting him away from her side. Stumbling for a moment, Gouki quickly recovered and turned back against her, this time a fist following after his trailing image.
Her bare palm touched against the side of his fist, jabbing it away from her. And they continued on like this for the next minute and a half, each one trading blows while the other dodging or parrying the other's attacks. At last, Gouki already worn out from the day, breathed heavily as he winced back at Hisui, a bead of sweat trembling down his dirtied face. And Hisui, who hadn't exerted this much energy in so long, was out of breath as well, still clinging onto his lunch box with a wounded grip.
"B-Banchou…"
"What w-was that? All of banchou's attacks missed…?"
"M-More like… they were deflected?"
Hisui wiped her lip as Gouki glared back rebelliously – his eyes, reminiscent when he was a child, his stubbornness making him impossible to deal with. "It's Tai Chi." Gouki replied wearily, his fingers grasping around the band of fabric that held his hair up before tugging it off. "Damn you Hisui; I told you not to go easy on me!"
She couldn't talk for a moment, but instead panted heavily to regain her breath back. "I… I wasn't planning to in the first place." She retaliated hotly, before patting her forehead and fanned the hot sweat away. "You've gotten stronger, Goucchan." A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Gou… Goucchan?" His followers chorused in unison, puzzlement in their eyes.
"Y-You…! I told you not to call me by that stupid nickname!" Gouki exploded hotly, and his face flushed bright red from embarrassment.
"Idiot; why are you embarrassed? I've always called you 'Goucchan' and you never seem to mind until now!" She protested back, and made her way over to her misbehaving childhood friend. Staring at him directly in the eyes, Hisui grabbed his wrist tightly, holding it close to her. "You're going home with me tonight!"
Gouki weakly wanted to claw his face out at her ill choice of words, but it was too late; his face was already reddening into a ripe scarlet, and what enraged him the most was the fact that she had absolutely no conscience – whatsoever – about what she had done. What she had done to him – was a crime, really.
It became strangely silent afterwards, with her still defiantly clenching his wrist in fear he would run away, and with his group of lackeys still standing in the room, gaping at the scene that was unfolding before their eyes. Until one of them spoke up, breaking the tension in the atmosphere.
"B-Banchou… you never told us…" One of them whispered.
"How could you? Before all of us, even…!" A howl of despair.
"You should've said you had a girl!" One of the delinquents that had so pompously arrested Hisui came forwards with almost-tears laden heavily in his eyes, and bowed his head apologetically before an awe-struck Hisui. "I-I'm sorry, errr, Girlfriend-san, please excuse our rudeness earlier!"
"This isn't…!" Gouki started exasperatedly, but it was too late; they were beyond his control. The entire Seisen Middle gang bowed respectfully before the two in perfect harmony, their voices blending together to create one voice. "Please excuse our rudeness, Sister!"
"S-Sister…" Hisui stared back incredulously at the large group of delinquents before her. "…Your subordinates are really something, Goucchan."
"W-Wait, there's obviously something wrong about this picture!" Gouki's voice of protest was drowned out as his lackeys quickly surrounded the guest of honour.
"S-So, Sister… w-what's your name?" A voice asked shyly.
"How did you know banchou? You two seem really close!"
"Of course they're close, you fucktard! They're together!" A thumb wriggled out from the crowd as if to emphasize this fact.
He couldn't take this farce anymore. Mustering all of the air in his lungs, he inhaled deeply. "All of you get your fucking hides out of here, and scram!" Gouki bellowed loudly, a malicious rumble in his voice that was enough to send the dozen of them scattering away like cockroaches hiding from the light. Letting out a loud sigh after the last sight of them was gone, Gouki collapsed down upon the battered sofa by the corner, his hand resting against his forehead. Hisui glanced back worriedly at him, before hesitantly taking a seat beside him.
"Sui… Don't go near that guy anymore. I'm saying this for your own good." He mumbled aloud. Hisui looked away when he decided to bring up about the events of last night. I wish I could, Goucchan. I really do.
He watched her from the corner of his eye as she opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it without a word. There was something she wanted to say – but she couldn't, for some reason. It irritated him. It really pissed him off to no end.
"I…" She started uncertainly, before fiddling with the knot on top of his lunch box. "…I know I'm causing you a lot of trouble worrying you like this, but I can take care of myself. I'm already in my second year of high school." Her voice came unexpectedly uncertain, and it was unconvincing to say in the least. "As for last night, I – "
"Stop it with the fucking lies already." He seethed, a growing look of infuriating rage clouding his features. "I know harassment when I see it, Sui – and that bastard was obviously doing something shady last night. I don't know what oba-san was thinking but she shouldn't have let him in and – "
"Saturday."
Her voice was so quiet; it threw him into silence himself as he stared back at her, wondering what she had just uttered. "…What?"
"I met him last Saturday." She mumbled aloud. "It was… it was a night patient. Dad had been called in for a late night visit. I went along with him, naturally."
"…Oji-san's patient was that zaibutsu fucktard?" Gouki asked incredulously. She slapped him on the arm loudly, scowling at his ill manners. "You and your foul mouth!" Inhaling deeply, she sank back down in some sort of odd tranquil, though her heart was beginning to feel distorted and heavy as she began to remember the recollection of the events that had occurred last Saturday.
"Dad's patient was Igarashi Nobuhiro – the president of the Igarashi Group. I guess… by some sheer luck he was called in to see him." Sheer luck, indeed. As if it was spiteful intervention from the gods, Hisui nearly thought. Gouki fell back into silence, listening to her story. There had to be some sort of catch, he had wondered. Coming out of the Igarashi Group's home unscathed would be unheard of.
"And there, I met the most arrogant, selfish, and conceited guy I've ever encountered." Hisui spat her words out venomously, her nails tearing at the fabric of his lunch box again. Gouki gazed at his lunch box nervously. "He insulted me, insulted Oukashou, and most of all, made an utter and complete fool out of me. I'd like to get my revenge against him, but that would cramp my style." She sighed, leaning back for a moment. "Karma will get back at him one day. I just know it."
"Then, what's that whole fuss about Miyabigaoka?" He demanded. Hisui winced at his words.
"Ahh, that. He had the nerve to try to buy my education for me." She stood up, and dusted her uniform. "Anyway, it's getting late. I take it that you're not going home?"
"Ahhhh, dammit. It's not like I have a choice anymore." Gouki snapped back irritably, getting up after her and picked up his tattered uniform jacket and schoolbag by the side. "Fucking can't get a break with you and that old hag breathing down my neck."
"Goucchan, don't call your mother 'that old hag'."
"Ahhh, shut up."
Exiting the now-deserted hideout, the both were greeted by a sky that was slowly turning a pitch black as time faded deeper into the evening. Faintly a few small stars twinkled bleakly in the distance despite the glare from the street lamps.
He grabbed her hand that was holding the lunch box the entire time, and took it away from her. "You didn't have to bring this, you know." He muttered, and gruffly shoved his hands into his pockets while watching his breath condense into a misty vapour in the night air. Hisui cracked a knowing smile. "If I didn't, you would've eaten those convenience boxed dinners. How could I not?"
As the night wore on, Gouki couldn't help but to feel that there was something Hisui had purposefully left out.
The classroom clock ticked uneasily in the silence. Kogarashi Hisui sat upon a desk opposite of two other health committee representatives, with the pair looking rather perplexed and depressed over the current crisis at hand. Sagawa, the older-looking male student with neatly-trimmed dark hair was currently re-reading over the equipment list carefully to make sure the numbers were correct. Kitagawa, the shorter and younger female student stared down at the table reluctantly, as if she didn't want to deal with this problem.
"So you're telling me… that out of the five boxes we had ordered, one of them is missing?" Hisui began slowly. Sagawa nodded cautiously. "There's no doubt about it – Hanazono-sensei specifically ordered five boxes from the company for the school's annual flu shots. With one box missing, it's a considerable amount to have… vanished."
Hisui pursed her lips together. "What about the actual vaccine itself?"
"E-Er, well; it hasn't been purchased yet… Hanazono-sensei was going to send them to the pharmaceutical company to use the syringes the school bought, since it was much cheaper on the budget and the pharmacy offered us a discount if we d-did so…" Kitagawa replied forlornly. "W-What should we do, inchou? If Hanazono-sensei finds out…!"
"C-Calm down, Kitagawa." Sagawa was beginning to look nervous himself. "Sensei wouldn't really…"
"Sagawa's right. If we lose our composure we won't be able to solve anything." Hisui sighed, and gathered the papers together. "So with the last equipment check, we counted only four boxes in the infirmary. That means someone has been taking the syringes without us noticing."
"B-But an entire box – that's almost five hundred empty glass syringes in one!" Sagawa exclaimed. "Who on earth would need that many…?"
"Who, indeed." Hisui clasped her hands together, a look of unease settling upon her face. Five hundred syringes – all of them gone somewhere without their knowledge. "I really can't imagine an ordinary student having use for medical syringes. Without proper medical training, handling a syringe is extremely dangerous."
The three of them fell back into silence, unable to make any further progress. Kitagawa glanced around glumly, before her expression dawned as if she had remembered something. "A-Ahhh!" She exclaimed aloud, eyes wide as she tapped the table excitedly with her hands. "Ahhh, I remember now!"
"Remember what? What is it, Kitagawa?"
"There's this rumour at school, you see," She raised a finger as she lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, as if to tell them a secret. "About a few students here at Oukashou involved in… well, you know. A drug circle."
"D-Drug circle?" Hisui fell back in shock. "…Just how much of that is true, anyway?"
Kitagawa shook her head worriedly. "I'm not sure. I heard it from some guys in my class talking about how some people in our school were taking this new 'street drug' that was really popular lately. Shooting the drug via syringe was the most popular method."
"Ahh, that." Sagawa nodded thoughtfully. "It was in the news recently, wasn't it? A few minors were caught in illegal possession of the drug, and they were arrested. They made a big deal out of it for a while."
"Yeahhhh! But even though some students were arrested, they say there's actually a lot more students who are getting into it." Kitagawa whispered back. Hisui folded her arms over her chest, a tight expression on her face.
"I refuse to believe Oukashou has fallen so low." Her voice was dubious, but there was a genuine flicker of worry in her eyes. "At any rate, we need to recover those stolen syringes – well, at the very least find out who's the petty thief that has been stealing the syringes. Sagawa, I want you to write a requisition to the school custodian to have him install a new lock on the medicine cabinets in the infirmary, and Kitagawa I want you to write a report on today's meeting. Please have it ready by the end of this week."
"Yes ma'am!" They both saluted, and left the infirmary as they bid farewells and packed their bags. Hisui watched them as they left, and she was once again left alone inside the health committee meeting room. Stretching her tired limbs, she let out a long sigh, before glancing back at the equipment check reports. Between this week and last month, it was certain that a full box of the missing syringes had been taken. Though the question was; who?
The clock ticked in the growing silence as she thought to herself quietly; pondering over the current dilemma. If they don't quickly recover the missing syringes, the health committee will have to pay heavy expenses in compensation for the school. Not to mention a physical health exam was coming up for the school – and that was when Hanazono-sensei would have each student take the vaccine shot against the seasonal influenza. Without the syringes, there will be no vaccine.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the examination room's door open. Within the closed meeting room adjacent to the station, she pressed her face towards the glass, peering to see who it was at this late hour. Two male students came in, looking around almost cautiously. Hisui froze, wondering what they were up to. None of the pair looked like they were injured or ill – and at the sign of the nurse's station being empty they quickly walked further in as if to search for something. Hisui craned her neck to see past the corner, but lost sight of them.
Quietly twisting the doorknob open, she silently opened the office door and walked as soundlessly as she could, making sure her steps were cautious and her footsteps made no noise. The male students were hunched over by the cabinet corner, fumbling at the padlock. Hisui's eyes narrowed; the padlock was a temporary lock the custodian had placed over the broken old lock, after when they had found out someone had pried it loose.
Perhaps… she had caught the thieves red-handed?
"Dammit." One of them whispered fiercely, struggling against the thick piece of metal. "They changed locks."
"What should we do? The sempai told us it's due today, or…" Panic rose in the other student's voice.
"Shut up, I know that already! Arghh, dammit!" The male stood up, looked around before kicking at the glass window. It shattered immediately, pieces of the cabinet glass crumbling upon the floor.
"G-Good god, Teranishi! You broke it!"
"Just get the damn needles Higashi, and get the hell out of here!"
Hisui let out a loud sigh, startling the pair of male students as they scampered back up on their feet, turning around. "W-Who's there?" Teranishi demanded, while Higashi quickly straightened back up after hunching over a new box of syringes, now nestled in his shaking arms. Hisui stepped out from behind the filing cabinets, a look of utter disgust planted over her face.
"…I-It's the Health Rep." Higashi swallowed nervously.
"What on earth do you think you two are doing?" Hisui burst angrily, slamming a hand down upon a nearby work desk. "Stealing syringes from the school infirmary, and now you've just committed breaking and entering on top of robbery!"
A look of panic washed over Teranishi's face, but he looked stressed enough by another pressing matter to brush her accusations aside. "Shut up, Kogarashi. Don't you dare tell anybody, or we'll – "
"Or you'll what?" She interjected flatly, inhaling deeply. "Are you trying to threaten me? Well that's a shame, because I'll be reporting you two immediately. And before you can try to do anything, hand over those syringes." Hisui outstretched a hand, her brow furrowing sternly as she gazed expectantly at the pair. Higashi trembled, and was about to move forwards when Teranishi blocked his way with a barring arm, glaring back at his opponent.
They both glared at each other in a deadlock match, the silence unnerving to the point where Higashi swore he could hear his own rapid breaths and pounding heart. And then Teranishi took a quick step forwards, pulling his arm along with him as he quickly dashed forwards.
"Now, Higashi!" He yelled, ramming past the girl as he pulled his partner along, nearly toppling the girl over. Hisui regained her balance, and glanced back up lividly to see the two escaping from the nurse's office. "W-Why those…!" She cursed under her breath and ran after them, down the corridors where she spied their speeding, retreating backs.
Following them out the back doors of the school, she managed to catch up as they stopped to a halt by the baseball field corner. The three of them panted as they caught their breaths, each one carefully keeping an eye on the other at the first sight of movement. Hisui breathed heavily a few more times before straightening back up, her chest still rising and falling from the sudden run. "Please, don't make this so complicated. If you explain it properly to Hanazono-sensei, I'm sure he'll be willing to listen to your side of the story." Hisui replied with a slight plead this time around, when she saw Higashi trembling and cowering over the box of syringes he still clutched tightly in his arms.
Teranishi, hands on his knees, glared up from the falling fringe that obscured his eyes. "You wouldn't understand our situation, so get lost already!"
Hisui clenched her fist. "I've already promised that we're willing to talk this through already! Why are you being so difficult?"
"Ahhh, Teranishi you fucked up." A voice drawled from behind. Hisui quickly turned around, and found a group of half-dozen or so third-year students closing in on her from behind. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she stared at them in partial shock. The voice belonged to a particular third-year with bleached hair and goatee, and a lit cigarette hung from his lip, smoking gently in the air. She gritted her teeth. They had committed yet another offence to the school rules.
"You weren't supposed to let anyone catch you. And you got caught by the most fucking annoying person in the health committee." The third-year snapped, and Teranishi winced at the open display of rage from his upperclassmen. "I-I'm sorry, Nakata-sempai – she was in the office and we didn't – "
"You brought the needles though, right?"
Higashi shamefully produced the box of syringes for them to see. "Y-Yes."
"Ahh, fine. Whatever. But if you fuck up again next time, you're gonna regret it." Nakata spat out his cigarette, and stomped on it as it lay in the bed of crumpled grass; the butt grinded to ashes from his crushing heel. "So? Inchou, here to join us for some fun, are we?"
Hisui ignored him, and promptly turned towards Higashi and Teranishi, walking quickly towards them. "H-Hey-!" Teranishi tried to shove her away, but she deflected his hands and grabbed his wrist, twisting it behind him painfully. As Teranishi doubled over in pain, she turned towards Higashi who looked scared out of his wits, still holding the box tightly.
"Higashi-kun, please hand it over." She requested gently. "Don't worry; I'll explain everything to Hanazono-sensei." Tears welled up on the first-year's eyes, and he nodded tearfully as he handed the box towards her with trembling fingers.
And she reclaimed it back within her grasp, letting go of Teranishi while securing the box of syringes in her hands. She glanced up to see two third-years walking up towards hers, confident smirks painted over their faces. "Oy, inchou. What are you doing? We can't have fun if you're going to spoil the party."
Hands shot out for the box, but she lunged forwards at the same time, squeezing herself between the two and slipping past them before whirling back with her free hand, striking at the back of their necks. The two fell over the grass in pain, clutching their necks from the agony of having one of their nerve points being struck so forcefully.
"So, I suppose I'll have to do the disciplinarian's job today as well." Hisui replied tiredly, walking towards the rest of the upperclassmen. She placed a hand on her hip, eyes challenging them to come forwards – if they dared to. "Or how about making my life easier by surrendering yourselves?"
Nakata sighed. "Teranishi."
A pair of arms grabbed her from behind, hooking from beneath her limbs and pulling her arms up, incapacitating her quickly. Hisui struggled for a moment, turning around to see the distressed face of Teranishi, who had followed orders and pinned her back. "T-Teranishi, let me go." Another bead of sweat rolled down her temples. "Please, Teranishi! They're just going to use you again, you need to stand up for yourself and–" She was interrupted when a hand roughly grabbed her chin and jerked it back to front attention.
Cigarette breath washed over her face as Nakata leaned in closely, observing her face. "Oy, bring me a needle." He beckoned one of his lackeys over, and grabbed a syringe from a bag, brandishing it in front of her face. "It would be hilarious if our serious and hard-working health representative was found doing a street drug on school properly, wouldn't it eh?" He laughed, tilting it slowly in front of her eyes. A suspicious-looking yellow liquid was lodged inside the glass vial, and silver eyes stared at it in disbelief before the vial was taken away – and she felt the sharp stab of the needle pressing against her neck.
"I've personally never tried shooting it up by the neck. I hear it's more effective if you inject it into a major artery." Nakata grinned back at her. "Perhaps we should experiment, eh?" Hisui attempted to thrash back with her legs, but stopped when she felt the needle pressing harder against her skin.
"Ooh, watch out now, inchou. You don't want us to miss now, do you?" Nakata licked his dry lips, the needle hovering over the pale expanse of her neck. "But man, a girl's skin is really something else. Shame it'll be riddled with needle holes once you're addicted to this stuff."
Hisui squeezed her eyes shut, then opened it again in panic. "T-Teranishi… please…" She managed to whisper, but the male student did not answer her. She could tell he was scared as well – his arms were shaking as he pinned her back, and he lowered his head, his voice barely audible.
"Sorry, Kogarashi."
Nakata pressed the needle up against her vein in her neck once more, and Hisui could only silently protest as she watched in horror at what he was about to do. A cleft of brown hair fell over her eyes as he his grip squeezed tighter on her jaw, and felt the sharp tip of the needle pierce the initial epidermal layer of her skin.
And then he paused, holding the needle there before slumping over to one side, falling towards the ground. The syringe rolled down her chest and fell to the ground, cushioned by the grass and rolled away. And Hisui could only stare on ahead in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"S-Sempai – aguhhh!" Teranishi was forcibly thrown off her back from a flying kick to the side by an unknown perpetrator, landing on a rough patch of the field. Hisui turned around slowly, overtaken with that familiar sensation as silver met gold – and that familiar face that was always twisted in a conceited smile, all of it was standing before her, and she could only stare in disbelief.
"Why… why are you…" She could barely finished her sentence, for Igarashi Tora merely smirked knowingly back at her.
"Don't cha know? I hate people playing with my toy." He smirked as he ruthlessly slammed a foot down upon Nakata's head. The senior let out a sharp cry of pain as the heir cruelly grinded his heels against his skull. "What a pathetic sight." He dryly commented before letting loose a wide kick against Nakata's stomach, sending him rolling off the opposite direction. He scoffed, looking at the hem of his pants that were flecked with blood. "Tch, ruined my uniform too."
Hisui stared back in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she was relieved to have been saved, or frightened to know that Igarashi Tora was back in her life. "Stop it… Stop that!" She grabbed his sleeve, pulling his arm back before he could pummel another helpless third-year down upon the ground. He glanced back at her dully, as if his temporary fun was momentarily spoiled. "W-What… what are you doing?"
"Saving you." He replied simply.
A look of indescribable rage mixed with frustration washed over her features, and she restrained the urge from slapping him openly in public. "No, you're not. How can you say that so casually while hurting other people?" Hisui accused, before bending down to pick up the fallen box of stolen syringes. Her lip trembled a bit, before standing back up, cradling the box in her arms. Brushing past the Igarashi heir, she hurried over to Teranishi, who painfully sat up while coughing.
He stood there, hands in his pockets; that look of boredom slowly turning into sharp irritation.
"Teranishi; are you alright?" She asked cautiously, helping him up. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and a trail of blood appeared on the white shirt. "I just bit my tongue back there, s'all." He grumbled grudgingly, and looked away with a hard look in his eyes. "Why're you doing this?"
"Because I'm the inchou, that's why." She pulled him up along, helping him stabilize his weight before letting him go once he was steady on his own two feet. "Higashi-kun; help Teranishi to the nurse's office!" She called for the first-year, who nodded furiously and came darting over to his friend. "H-Hang on, Teranishi!" Higashi encouraged albeit looking thoroughly shaken, and helped his friend cross the baseball field back towards the school.
Turning back to face Igarashi Tora, she found him already standing before the cluttered bodies of the upperclassmen – all of them still conscious if barely, moaning in pain. The tyrant heir turned around to stare back at her, hands still in his pocket. Hisui clenched her fist, feeling rather nervous and uneasy at the sight of Tora defeating so many opponents in such a short time.
"A-Ambulance." It suddenly dawned on her that there were multiple injured students – never mind the fact that they committed a crime, but an injured person was still injured - and dug her coat pockets for her cell phone. "W-We need to call for the ambulance!"
He stalked over towards where she was standing, and his hand folded over hers, clasping her phone shut. "No need, I've already called the police over." Smirking down at her, Hisui couldn't help but to feel that crushing pressure she had felt before – that feeling of being overshadowed by this one person, who couldn't be this impossibly menacing. He leaned over, and she stiffened up – and felt his breath on her neck, where Nakata had tried to conduct his little ventricular experiment.
Arms encircled around her waist, and she felt something hot and wet press against her neck – a shudder ran through her body as Hisui felt him continue to crush her in his grasp, and she was gasping – shaking at the sensation as he continued to run his tongue over her skin –
She pushed him away roughly, stumbling backwards before collapsing on the grass. A hand quickly rose up to wipe away at her neck, and when she glanced down at her hand with trembling eyes, she saw a faint smudge of blood. A searing blush scorched her cheeks, and she gazed back at Tora in shock, unable to form words or thoughts at the present moment.
"What's wrong, Hisui-chan?" He playfully smiled back at the girl hunched over on the floor. "Never had a hickey before?" He stopped for a moment, staring down at her when she refused to respond, but instead clutched at her neck tightly again, breathing rapidly. "H-Hey, Hisui - !"
She snapped back to attention, her face still feeling hot and her heart throbbing painfully at a rapid pace. Blinking away the dryness from her eyes, she found herself staring blankly at the grass in front of her. "Oy… what's the matter with you?" Tora asked irritably, bending down to see her face. She looked visibly paler than before, and Hisui clutched at her neck again as if to ardently wipe away the unseen sensation that was left lingering on her skin.
Standing up shakily, she clenched her uniform collar together as if to hide her unwanted kiss mark. "Don't… don't do that anymore… please…" If a single word could be described the unraveling of her mental state at the moment, perhaps Igarashi Tora might have understood her plight. But at the moment, she was simply acting strangely, and this all worried and – dare he say, frightened? Frightened, perhaps, just a little bit, at her odd behavior and how she was acting.
"I'll have you taken home." He interrupted the silence, plastering an arrogant smile on his face – as if in hopes it would return her back to normal. "I'm sure your mother would be delighted to see me again."
"President." A voice sounded lightly from behind. Tora turned around with a scowl, and spotted his right-hand man, Maki Kanade, standing idly by with Hisui's coat and schoolbag all ready in his hands. "We should leave before the police arrive; otherwise, we'll be stuck answering unwanted questions."
Tora sighed, rubbed the back of his neck before pulling her arm along. "Alright. We're taking you home." He followed Maki back towards the limousine, with Hisui stumbling after him, and opened the door for her, ushering her in. Maki handed her back her coat and schoolbag, and she accepted them with a mumble of thanks before turning away, facing the tinted windows without so much another look at him.
He scowled deeply once more, before getting into the backseat, and slammed the door after him.
Some new terms that has appeared in this chapter:
Banchou – A term used to describe a gang leader; a gang's strongest member. Specifically used by equivalent would be 'Boss' or 'Leader'.
Sister - Called 'aneki' in Japanese. A somewhat formal term for 'older sister'. Sometimes used to refer strong female gang leaders - or a female gang member that's older than you in age.
Inchou – literally 'director'. Used for 'president' status in committees such as the health committee. English equivalent would be 'health representative' or the 'health rep'.
I'm sure we all know that 'kaichou' means president.
A/n: Sorry for the two weeks (was it two weeks? Oh god I can't even remember anymore orz) delay; work got intense and I had to worry over spring admission and their goddamn applications for a new Bachelor's program. So anyway, to make up for that, this chapter is by far the longest so far, and I'm finally introducing some school-related problems that reflect Hisui's status as her school's health representative.
Tora fans, please look forward to the next chapter, for it will be filled with mostly your favourite tyrant heir.
Thanks for reading!