Happy new year everyone! :)

Otaku's Melody: Lol, sorry about the forever updating thing. But I don't like dropping stories, and if I ever do, I'd definitely tell you. :) I'm a high school senior, so yeah, things have been rather hectic. Finals are also coming up, but since next semester should be more lax, I can hopefully update more. :D And, as always, thank you for reading and reviewing every time!

JadeCrispy: Ryuu and Emi are 15. They're high school 1st years (aka a sophomore if you live in the US). I hope you like this chapter, and that there aren't any parts you have to skip. :) Thanks for always reviewing!

BizzyLizy: Hehe, you get to learn the new girl's name in this chapter. :D Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Guest: Hi, do you have a name I can call you by? And I am now reconsidering the HikaRyuu but still hesitant, so we shall see as the story progresses. :) Thanks for the review!

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees: Lol, thank you! :D I hope you like this chapter and continue reading!

onigiriri: Lovely name there. ;) Lol, I am reconsidering HikaRyuu cause it's rather popular... but... not sure hehe. Thank you for reading and reviewing! ^-^

AquilonIII: Ahh, it's so good to see/hear/read from you again! :) Thank you so much! :D I hope you'll like Ryuu a bit more as the story progresses. :P

~ Onwards! ~

They ate a silent dinner, but Emi came into Ryuu's room after she'd taken a shower.

"What?" he said, staring at her from where he sat at his desk. His elbow was propped on the arm chair, and he swiveled around back and forth as she stood there. She frowned at the floor with her arms crossed.

"It-" She took a deep breath. "It makes me feel weak."

"What?" Ryuu leaned forward.

"When you overreact like that, or when you try to protect me like that," she said, looking up at him. "It makes me feel weak, like I need to be protected. Like I don't know how to take care of myself, so I hate it. Do you understand now?" He slumped back in his seat, staring at the pencil in his hand. She was watching him. "Well, Ryuu?"

He kept his gaze on the pencil.

She sighed. "Ryuu, will you please stop worrying about me?"

"But I can't help it!" He jerked to his feet, sending the chair crashing into his desk. "You-You're too soft, and too nice, and so you let the bullies hurt you."

"No I don't," she said, a frown on her face again. "It's different now."

He waved a hand at her. "How do you know?"

"Things are different, and I know better," she said, gritting her teeth at him. "So you don't have to worry about it. Do it for me, at the very least. Please?"

Ryuu gaped at her. Just how many times did they have to argue about this? He sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. Whatever." He dropped back down into his chair. "Just don't come crying to me when you get hurt."

"Fine!" she said as he turned in his seat so his back faced her. "I won't have to." Then she stormed out of his room.

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. Everytime. Every fucking time we have a conversation about this it always ends in a fight. Ugh. And it doesn't seem like this is one we can fix so easily.

Ryuu took another walk to the park the next day, if only to avoid the stuffy atmosphere in the house. There were two toddlers playing in the sandbox, while their dads chatted with each other off to side.

Well this is awkward. He had half the mind to just keep walking by when the dads stopped talking and went to pick their kids up. Ryuu watched them a second more as they started packing up and leaving, before heading for the swing.

He sat down with a sigh and stared at the sky. Autumn was approaching, and leaves danced in the wind. The kids and their dads walked away, talking and laughing.

What the hell am I doing…

"Oh, you are here!"

He glanced up as the weird girl from yesterday walked over. She waved and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," he said, nodding at her.

She pointed at the swing next to him. "Uh, may I?"

"Yeah go ahead," he said and pushed off on the swing.

"I never got your name," she said, loud enough for him to hear over the wind in his ears.

"Ryuu," he said with his gaze on the sky. "And you?"

"Michiko, but you can call me Michi," she said.

No surname? He thought. Guess I didn't give one either.

"Ryuu-kun," she said, "do you live around here?"

"Eh?" He glanced at her and saw that she was staring at the ground. "Uh, yeah."

"How come I haven't seen you around here before?" she asked, looking at him.

Okay there. This girl is getting way too personal in way too short of a time. He stared at her as he whooshed by in the swing.

"So-Sorry," she said.

He dug his heels into the dirt to stop his motion, watching her. "What?"

"I-I shouldn't have asked," she said, keeping her gaze pinned to her still feet.

Crap! Now I made her sad, or something. "No no no. It's fine," he said. "I, uh, don't really come here often."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Oh. No wonder!"

Okay. This girl is officially weird and I should stop coming to this park.

"I'm sorry if I seem a bit weird," she continued with that smile on her face. "It's just that - well I want to - I want us to get to know each other better."

"Why?" he said, tilting his head.

"You seem like a nice person," she said.

Okay… Just where in me do you see a nice person? You could say that to anyone! He must have cringed or frowned because her smile widened. "I'm weird," she said with a giggle. "I know. You can say it."

"No, no." He shook his head.

"It's written all over your face, but you're nice so you won't say it," Michiko said.

Shit, what? His jaw dropped and she chuckled some more.

"So, is there, um, anything new or something going on with you?" she asked, smiling at him. "Just, tell me something, maybe?"

He looked at her and then at the sand box in front of them. Maybe he could ask her for some advice. He wouldn't see her again unless he came to the park after all, so perhaps it could be done. She only knows my first name anyway. Yeah. And she's a weird super young researcher so she must be pretty smart right? Ah, but what if she can't give any kind of good advice on this sort of thing? She does seem kind of awkward at socializing.

"Well?" Michiko said.

He glanced at her and then said, "Let's say, well, hypothetically speaking-"

She laughed. "Oh, it's a hypothetical story."

He looked away, biting his lip. Nevermind.

"Sorry, go on," she said, leaning forward to meet his gaze. "I want to hear it."

They stared at each other for a good thirty seconds before he continued. "Let's say you were getting bullied."

She nodded. "Okay."

"And you had a brother who would love to step in and help you stop those bullies. What would you do?"

"Well, it'd depend on how bad the bullying is and how this hypothetical brother of mine would handle it. Would he beat them up? Would he talk to some adult who can change things?" Michiko looked at him. "And hypothetical stories only work to a degree. Everyone deals with situations differently, depending on their past experiences, their priorities, and the like."

Shit she's right. Well at least she's decent at giving advice. Ryuu sighed and stared at the sky.

"I'm guessing your sister doesn't want your help?"

And now she's too smart. He looked at her and she smiled. "Don't worry. I can keep a secret," she said. "Won't you tell me a non-hypothetical story?"

Ryuu went back to swinging slightly by bending and stretching his legs while keeping his feet rooted in place. "I don't know how bad it is, but apparently she handled it." He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what to do."

"You're just looking out for her," Michiko said, "but she probably wants some space. She probably thinks you think she can't take care of herself, or something like that."

He looked at her and she raised her eyebrows at him. "What? Was I right?"

"Spot on," he said. "Then I should take a step back and like not bother about it?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "But if she asks for your help, just help her and don't go saying, 'I told you so' cause then she won't want your help."

Oh damn, I was hoping I could do that.

"Because the fact that she is asking for your help, if it happens that is, means that she's already swallowing her pride. You love her, so isn't that good enough?" Michiko said, glancing at him with a smile.

"Yeah," he said to the ground. He looked at her again. She looked like she could attend Ouran with those shining eyes of hers.

"What?" she said. "I don't look the type to give semi-decent advice?"

"No, nuh-uh." He shook his head several times.

"It's fine." She turned forward. "I'm a weirdo, and since when can weirdos give good advice?"

"No. Your advice was great," he said and stood up. "Thanks." He managed to muster a smile, and she smiled back.

"If you ever want some more advice from a weirdo, just come here. I'm always either here, my apartment, or the convenience store in between."

"That doesn't sound very good," Ryuu said.

"Oh don't start talking like my parents," Michiko said with an even wider smile.

Is she joking with me or something? Damn, why is she so hard to read? He nodded and smiled back. "Okay. Thanks, and… bye."

She grinned and waved. "Bye, Ryuu-kun."

Then he headed home.

They still weren't talking when Monday rolled around again and class 1-A began discussing a class activity: an on-campus fright fest.

"That'll be us four musketeers right here!" Hikaru and Kaoru said, grabbing Haruhi and class president Kazukiyo Soga.

"Alrighty." Their vice president Momoka Kurakano smiled. "Then I'll put you guys into team B, okay?"

"Did I perhaps pick the wrong group?" Sumiko said, looking around at the silent and sullen Mazawa twins. They were near the classroom doors. Sumiko was leaning on the desks where Emi sat, while Ryuu was pacing back and forth by them.

Akiko twiddled her fingers. Her gaze swiveled between the twins and Sumiko. "Yeah, what's with you two today?"

"Nothing," the twins said in unison. Neither would look at the other.

"And you four will be in Team A, is that alright?" Momoka said to the four girls with a grin.

"Sounds good," Sumiko said.

"Let's go to a hundred yen shop and buy masks," Akiko said with wide eyes. "This is gonna be so fun."

"Of course you love these kinds of things, huh, Aki-chan?" Sumiko said. Then she glared at the twins. "So you two better not ruin it for us."

"Sorry," Emi said, standing up.

"Let's go then," Ryuu said and walked to the door.

"We still have classes." Emi grabbed the collar of his dress. "This is only homeroom, remember?"

He sighed and the four split to return to their seats.

"You guys better be prepared," the Hitachiin twins said with grins as they sat down. "We're gonna go all out on Team A."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryuu said, rolling his eyes.

Emi smiled. "Bring it on."

"You know, Emi," Ryuu said during lunch. "You're fighting with Ryuu."

She looked up at him. "Uh, and? So? I am?"

"Yeah, and I agree with what he has to say."

"Okay." She drew the word out for several seconds while staring at him. "And?"

"But you're not fighting with me," Ryuu said, pointing at his chest and the banana yellow dress.

"Oh." She blinked at him. "You're right."

He smiled. "Right? So, um, will you please eat my carrots?"

The blank look was replaced with a frown. "Wow. Ulterior motive much, sis?"

Sumiko giggled from where she sat next to Emi.

He chuckled. "Uh-"

"Here, I'll eat them for you," Sumiko said, snatching the carrots out of Ryuu's lunchbox.

"Eh?" Ryuu froze and watched as Sumiko tossed the orange vegetable into her mouth. A light flush crept up his cheeks. Then Emi kicked his shin under the table and he winced. "Emi."

"Ryo," she said, looking him in the eye.

"Whatever." He turned away.

The class activity was scheduled on Wednesday evening. Team A would go first in their small groups down a set path through the school, while Team B, hidden along the path, would do their best to scare Team A.

Emi and Ryuu were turning the corner to their classroom when a ghost head popped into view. "Boo!"

"Gyaa!" Ryuu jumped and latched onto Emi, who only twitched in her spot. She let out a sigh when the mask was lifted, and Kaoru grinned at her.

"Hey Emi-chan."

"Ready for tonight?" Hikaru said, joining his brother with a matching mask on his head.

Emi smiled. "Yup."

"Seems Ryo-chan is a scaredy-cat," Hikaru said with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Ryuu said and waved his arm at Hikaru to fend the twin off. "Go away, you stupid demon cat. Anybody but you two would be fine."

"What's the problem?" Haruhi said as the group entered the classroom.

"Ryo-chan is a scaredy-cat," Hikaru said loud enough for the entire class to hear.

"Hikaru!" Ryuu punched Hikaru in the shoulder, who just cackled. "I am not! I'm just well aware that you two are gonna play dirty."

"Who, us?" Kaoru said, smirking.

"We'd never," Hikaru said.

"We're keeping an eye on you," a few other classmates in Team A said. "You guys better not be planning any underhanded tricks."

"As if," the twins said.

"Geez," Ryuu said, "can we just get this over?"

"Okay, get in your groups everyone!" Momoka said. "Team B move to your spots and get ready to do some scaring."

The class president sighed as the Hitachiin twins dragged him and Haruhi out the door. Akiko was bouncing on her feet. "I can't wait! Hey, Momo-chan, can we go first?"

"Yeah, sure," Momoka said with a smile. "Which group wants to go second?"

As Team A got in order and Team B got in place, the Black Magic Club was setting up themselves to give these first years a night to remember.

"Gyaa!" Ryuu sprinted down the hallway.

"Wrong way, Ryo! It's this way." Emi grabbed the back of his dress and yanked him towards the stairs.

Akiko was laughing as she jogged to catch up. "That was great! Gosh, I love Chika-chan's makeup. It was beautiful."

"You call that beautiful?" Ryuu said as they started up the stairs.

Clunk, clonk, clunk. The group slowed to a stop half way up the first part of the stairs.

"What was that?" Ryuu asked in a whisper, gripping Emi's sleeve tightly.

"Ooh, sounds like music to me." Aki grinned and skipped up a few more steps.

"Oh Aki-chan," Sumiko said, shaking her head.

They continued towards the first landing when loud screams erupted from the floor above them. "Eyaaaargh!"

"What in the world?" Ryuu said. He was still clutching Emi. "Are they trying to scare us by screaming and acting scared themselves?"

"That'd be something," Emi said, taking another step up.

"But." Sumiko tilted her head. "That sounded kinda like Haruhi just then, didn't it?"

You mean that high pitched scream? Emi thought. Could have been anyone, since Ryuu's scream is just as high as a girl's and he's not even trying.

There were scrambled footsteps and many shouts. From the voices it did seem like Haruhi's group. The twins were saying, "What the heck? What the heck?" while another person just wailed the entire time.

"What is going on?" Aki said. "Let's go and find out!" She ran up the remaining steps, and the other three hurried after her. There was more screaming and shouts of names.

"President! Stop!" Kaoru was saying.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru said. "Haruhi, run!"

Do you guys really think acting scared is gonna scare us? Emi thought, but when they reached the second floor, the area was empty.

"What?" she said, glancing around.

"They disappeared," Sumiko said.

Ryuu trembled and pulled Emi closer. "They're gonna jump us any moment now. I just know it!" But when they continued along the path and nothing happened, they exchanged looks.

"Maybe it wasn't an act?" Sumiko said, eyebrows furrowing now in concern.

"I'll try calling them." Emi pulled out her phone. "You too, Ryo. You call Hikaru-kun."

"Ugh, why me?" He sighed but followed her words anyway. Neither of the two picked up. Sumiko was on the phone with Momoka, reporting what they'd heard.

"She said we could keep going or we can look for them," Sumiko said when she lowered her phone.

Aki sighed. "Man, I was looking forward to the Hitachiin twins' group the most. They'd definitely have the best scare going."

"Let's go back to the classroom for now," Sumiko said.

"This better not be a prank," Ryuu said with a sigh. "I'd kill them."

Perhaps fortunately for Ryuu, it wasn't a prank. Class 1-A spread out in search for the four missing classmates, but couldn't find them in the vast school.

"They couldn't have run far." Emi bit her lip, tapping a foot in the classroom as classmates ran in and out. "I'm going to look again." Then she turned and darted out of the classroom.

"Wait, Emi." Ryuu chased after, but after a few turns on the second floor, she'd disappeared from his vision. "Emi?!" Not to mention, now he was lost.

Meanwhile, Emi had wandered down a dark hallway and tripped over something. It tangled in her feet and she found herself crashing to the ground - and onto someone.

"Waa!"

She pushed herself up. "Sorry." She brushed her bangs aside so she could see exactly who she'd crushed. A blond boy with side bangs sat blushing below her. He was wearing a black robe, but the hood had been knocked off his head.

"Wa!" He yanked the hood back up and shot to his feet.

"So-Sorry," she said.

"It's fine," he said in a quiet voice. He bowed at her once and then ran off.

What? Then Emi looked down and saw the pile of rope that she'd caught herself in. Oh great. Why didn't I see this before I ran into it? How stupid. As she untangled her feet, she realized it was a net, and it'd been cut open at a point.

"Emi, that's where you were!" Ryuu slowed to a stop in front of her, bent over to catch some air. "Geez, don't disappear like that."

"Sorry," she said, standing up.

"What is that?" he asked with a finger pointed at the net.

She shrugged. "It was like this when I tripped over it. Anyway, I'm gonna keep going this way."

"Why that way?"

They heard voices as they went down another hallway. "What a nitwit." It sounded like Kaoru. Emi glanced at Ryuu, while a smile began growing on her face. She jogged towards the voices.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru said.

Turning the bend, she found the group of four standing and walking towards them. "There you guys are."

"What do you mean?" Hikaru said again, frowning.

"Let's just go back," Haruhi said.

"Why'd you guys disappear like that?" Emi asked.

"Seriously, what are you talking about?" Hikaru said. "You guys are the one playing the pranks on us."

"What?" Emi said.

"You really can't talk Emi," Ryuu said, "considering you disappeared on me."

"That was just you being slow," she said. "Besides, I didn't ask you to follow me. You didn't have to."

He sighed.

"They're back!" Team A members said when the six entered the classroom.

"We were so worried."

"Where the heck did you go? We had to abandon our posts."

"What are you blaming us for?" the Hitachiin twins said. "You guys are the ones at fault."

"What's going on?" Emi said.

"Wh-What is that?" A girl pointed, silencing the quarrel. "That, at the window."

Everyone turned. An enormous shadow flashed into life, and the class screamed. "Kyaaaaaaaaa!"

It was mission accomplished for the Dark Magic Club, but it was also the start of something else.

The next day, the school newspaper was published and the Host Club first years discovered that they'd been duped by the Dark Magic Club.

"Now that you mention it, that thing's obviously Beelzenef," the twins said, staring at the article.

"How embarrassing," Ryuu said, burying his face with his hands.

Emi glanced around. What is that? That cliche I-feel-like-someone's-staring-at-me feeling. I never thought I'd experience it, but it's definitely that, isn't it? She didn't find the source of the sensation, however, hidden in the shadows was a cloaked figure watching her.

No guarantees on updating times anymore... ;_; But I will do my best.

Thoughts on the new girl Michi? Or what you think may happen with this other guy (who by the way exists in the manga but Idk if he has a name)?

Thanks for reading! :)