A little past to give some substance and basis.


"Gather around boys," shouted Yukinojo to get the club meeting started. Around him were lads of different ages and different classes. They had a lot of new members this year, mostly freshies; Tekkadan is a famous club after all. With all his musings aside, the dark skinned teacher looked over the agenda. They usually just discuss requests from all over the school during such meetings. "Does anyone want to play basketball?"

Akihiro shook his head. He looked to his side and saw Orga interested, promptly raising his hand. Following the lanky guy's action, Mikazuki, Shino and Eugene all raised their hands; the last person was grumbling while doing so. Yukinojo acknowledged them but needed six more people. The meeting droned on with all the requests but none of them Akihiro was actually interested on doing. It ended without much ado; the students parted ways, to go home, back to their pending request or to discuss what needs to be done. But as usual, the main group of the club, namely Orga, Mikazuki, Eugene, Shino, Biscuit and Akihiro huddled together.

"We better do good, eh? So the girl's will like us!" Shino was over enthusiastic.

Eugene on the other hand had more important things to say, "I'm surprised we didn't get any requests from the student council this week. Were those bullies done with?"

But Shino didn't like the turn of the conversation, especially coming from the blond guy beside him. "Oh, come on, Eugene! Stop pretending you're not interested with girls screaming how cool you are!"

"Of course I'm interested. It's just that there were some guys who were harassing girls the other week. That's more important."

Finally, the big picture became clear. "Oh wow! You're pretty smart!"

"Damn, right, I am."

The other boys laughed at the exchange but someone amongst them was curiously thoughtful. Orga has been stifling it all along but seeing that Akihiro had zero reactions so far, he couldn't just leave the big guy alone. "Hey, what's wrong?" His words shifted everyone's attention to the bulkiest guy in the group. "You've been quiet all this time. Something the matter?"

Shino then slung his arm over Akihiro's broad shoulders. With a mischievous smile on his face, he jabbed a fist to the other guy's rib. "Don't tell me a pretty girl confessed to you and you don't know what to do afterwards?" But that wasn't the case.

"It's nothing. I feel tired lately," grumbled Akihiro. It wasn't far from the truth, more of a stretch, as his recent dejavu attacks had been piling up.

"Huh, maybe if you stopped lifting for a day or two?" asked Shino, concern true in his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe."

Orga then nodded. Nothing much can be done if somebody doesn't want to talk about it. So he returned to the request at hand, "Okay guys, tomorrow morning is the practice game that basketball club requested. Don't be late!"

"You're always quiet but there's something wrong with you today. You about to spit it out?" Orga had a smile on his lips. They had been standing on the edge of the street, waiting to cross, as he remembered Akihiro's contemplative and solemn expression earlier at school. He'd always seen the big guy in an intimidating scowl so the forlorn frown was a rare change. A concerning one, at that.

"Well," Akihiro started. He had a hand to his nape, scratching. He was lost for words as he was trying to not come off as weird. It took him a while to speak. "I've been having intense deja vu lately. And weird dreams." Yet he was met by a hearty laugh.

Orga immediately waved his hand, saying he wasn't making fun of the other boy. "I thought I was the only one!" his words soon brought light and relief to troubled Akihiro. Whether or not those words were something Orga construed to make the other more comfortable didn't matter, as Akihiro's lips loosened.

"I had this dream where I was fighting. I was dying but I crushed one of them to death. He was a really annoying guy and it felt so good that I killed him. Ain't that wrong?"

It wasn't just Orga who was surprised at the morbid dream, but Biscuit was as well. "That's one weird dream you've got there." Mikazuki didn't say anything though.

"I bet he deserved it. After all, why would somebody like you want to kill someone?" Orga then chuckled and stepped on the concrete as the green light switched on. "You may be big and scary but you're a real softy!" He quickly ran to other side. Because behind him was Akihiro's log arms that tried to grapple him.

"Idiot." A smirk graced Akihiro's lips as he caught up with the Tekkadan leader.


"You little bitch!" A loud guttural growl of a man surprised the group of teens. It was then followed by a girl's scream, challenging whoever the man from before was.

"This bitch you can't handle!"

Akihiro was the first to sprint towards the trouble. Mikazuki and Orga trailed behind. The brute had to hurry because that was a voice he knew well. There was no mistaking it. With a sharp turn at the corner, they saw the bullies that Eugene talked about earlier; they were harassing a girl from their school no less. And Akihiro quickly noticed her as somebody he knew, "Frankland!" Now with more reason to help, the muscle-bound boy barreled through the alley, swinging a hook at the offender. As the enemy was staggered, he cautiously moved to the girl's side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! But those guys wouldn't stop pestering me!"

Said guy rubbed his hurt cheek. That hook almost dislocated his jaw. "What the hell? Who do you think you are, eh? Don't tell me you're the boyfriend." His friends flanked him just as Orga and Mika did with Akihiro.

"Shut up and get lost," growled Akihiro as he guarded Lafter.

"Make me!" Then the thugs charged and the encounter became a full-blown fight. But nothing too difficult for the four of them. They won but not unscathed, with the losers running with their tails between their legs.

"You okay?" Akihiro asked for the second time, earning a grin from the blond girl in pig tails.

"Heck yeah, I am. I don't know where I'd be if you didn't come!" Lafter grinned. She then turned to Orga and Mikazuki, and to the newly arrived Biscuit who called adults. "Tekkadan really is a bunch of knights, huh? Thanks!"

Orga then stepped up as the president, "It's nothing. We're glad that we made it in time." He headed back to their path with Mikazuki and Biscuit, glad that everything was fine, leaving the two behind.

Just as Akihiro was about to follow suit, Lafter grabbed the large lad by the elbow. Her hand was shaking and her smile was gone, replaced by a troubled frown. "Thanks a lot. I was really scared. Thanks Akihiro."

He had long turned towards her and seeing the usually cheerful girl in such state pulled him out of the adrenaline rush. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a mild squeeze. "You know, you can always tell me if you need someone to escort you home." His sincere words struck home, and a light blush crept over Lafter's cheeks.

"S-sure."

"Come on. Let's get you home," said Akihiro. With Lafter's hand still on his elbow, the muscle-bound lad led the girl home, like a knight in shining armor with his princess he had just rescued.

A few minutes after, "This is my stop. My house is over there," said Lafter as she waved goodbye at the group of boys that she was with. She was quickly admonished by the silver-haired leader of Tekkadan,

"No way. It's still a far ways off," stated Orga. "Akihiro, can you make sure she gets home?" to which Akihiro answered yes without questions. Lafter couldn't say no, not when the big, muscly member of the group was a few steps ahead of her. Not that she minded it either.

They walked side by side in silence until an intersection. "Frankland. Which way is your house?" asked Akihiro.

"It's this way. And stop calling me Frankland. Didn't I tell you to call me Lafter?"

"I guess you did." The dark-haired guy followed her through the street and to an apartment complex. Once they reached the gate, Akihiro reminded the blond girl to not go home alone.

Lafter smiled. "I won't! I won't. It's because my stupid brother didn't want to go home yet..." the girl noticed the surprised look on her companion's face. "Oh, that's right. You haven't met Aston yet. He even joined Tekkadan." Her smile turned into a toothy grin. "You'll know he's my brother when you see him."

Akihiro was still surprised. It was because he couldn't believe that THAT Aston was a sibling to this girl, to this bubbly girl. They did meet before, back when his brother Masahiro brought some friends over, Aston included. Cold green eyes glared at him; the smaller boy's wound on his cheek further made him menacing. Little did he know back then, and even now, that the silent and brooding boy was a Frankland. You could say that Akihiro was ASTONished by the revelation.

"Well, see ya back at school!" waved Lafter goodbye and left.

"What a small world..." Akihiro then retraced his way back to the first intersection and made his way home. There he saw Aston, green eyes deep and his persona chilly. The younger boy was a stark difference from his blond sister. They both nodded in acknowledgement of each other's presence and went on their own ways.