Sorry that it's a short chapter, still hope you enjoy! Feed back is very much welcome!

April 19, 2011

Forecast… Sunny in the Morning, Cloudy later in the Day

"For the last time Chie," I sighed as I walked to school, Chie trying to literally push me back to my house. "I just didn't eat anything yesterday, so I was already really freaking tired, I'm not gonna die from going to school."

"I don't care!" Chie was actually making me move backwards to my house. "You collapsed! You scared the hell out of us!"

I laughed a little, I knew I scared them, after all when I came too; I was riding on Teddie's head with the guys trying to use healing items and Dia on me. I was fine, until Yosuke dropped me on my head. We were going to question Yukiko and Yosuke dropped me on our way out of the TV, god, if I go to the hospital, Yosuke is paying! "I know, I know… Sorry."

Chie stopped pushing me now. "If you ever scare me like that again…"

"Threat received…" I turned around to look at her; she was looking at the ground. Man couldn't believe that she was beating herself up for this. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Come on, the guys must be equally as worried as you were… After all, they're my friends too."

Chie looked at me with concern in her eyes, yet she understood what had to be done. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Ha… I guess you're right, let's go."

"So anything gonna happen today?" I question as we turned around to walk to school. Chie keeping up with my pace. She gave me a confused glance, I grinned at her. "Is Yukiko feeling good enough to come to school? And anything interesting gonna happen at school today?"

"Oh!" Chie looked like she had found the meaning of life at that moment! "Yukiko will be good enough to come back to school in a few weeks, other than that… um… Oh! The sports clubs are starting to take applicants today, so you gonna join one?"

"No." I almost didn't let her finish her sentence, to be honest, I didn't really like sports. All music and art for me.

"That was fast…"

"I know, I don't play sports. End. Of. Story."

Time Change: Early Morning to Lunch

"Does the school even have a cafeteria?" It was an honest question, but the guys looked at me like I was crazy. It seemed like a legit question, what the hell was wrong with it? "What? It's an honest question!"

"Of course we do…" Yosuke sighed shaking his head; we were on the roof of the school to eat lunch, why? Fuck logic, that's why. "How hard did you hit your head yesterday?"

"I don't know," I growled at Yosuke. "You tell me… after all, you dropped me! Remember!?"

"I'm going to join one of the sports clubs." Yu interrupted us, most likely to end the hostilities that were about to happen. "Any of you going to join?"

"Nope," I continued to eat at a bowl of instant noodles that sat on the ground before me. "I don't play sports… It's music and art that matter to me, besides, jocks were the number one people you picked on me at my old schools…"

They just looked at me with sad eyes, hey the cat was out of the bag, might as well let it walk around. "Guys! Not a big deal, did we forget what happened yesterday already?"

"No, just…" Chie sighed and looked down. "Didn't think you would talk so openly about it."

"Not really…" I sighed for a moment. "Still, thanks guys, you really did help me yesterday, until Yosuke dropped me on face that is."

We all stopped for a moment, until I started to laugh loudly, it wasn't for any reason of then the irony of my life. Yet it dropped the awkward atmosphere that had enveloped us. Everyone started laugh with me; we did that for a few minutes until we continued to eat. Suddenly I thought of something important… "Hey Chie, how's Yukiko?"

"Hmm," Chie looked up from her bowl with some noodles hanging from her mouth; I had to hold in my laughter again. She quickly finished stuffing the noodles in her mouth and swallowed. "Oh! She's just got a cold from being in the TV world. Other than that, after a week or two of rest she should be fine."

"Oh, wait…" I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment for a moment. "I already asked this…"

We all looked around for a moment before laughing again. We just continued the conversation with some small talk for a while until we everyone finished their meals and everyone started to go back to class, leaving me and Yu. "Something wrong Yu?"

"No," Yu shook his head and looked me in the eye, which must have been weird for him, because my glasses were starting to fall off. I pushed them back up and he sighed. "You know, if you ever want someone to talk to…"

"Sure," I just shrugged, I liked Yu, and I knew what he meant, I trusted him with knowing my past. So why would I have any problem with letting him know anything about me, and I hardly doubt Mr. Mute would spill any beans. "I don't got a problem with it."

"Cool," Yu smiled for a moment before he gained a look of confusion for second and shook his head. "Well, anyway, we should get back to class now."

"Yeah," I started to walk away before him. I did my salute into a piece sign to Yu and shot into the building. "Good luck at the club meeting!"

I didn't really hear what he said just before the door closed, but I could have sworn he said something along the lines of: "Strength, huh?"

Time Change: Lunch to After school

"Later Yu," I waved to Yu as he walked to the gym to join the basketball club. I was gonna walk Chie home today, not a big deal, but what the hell was I gonna do, we had to go the same direction! "So Chie" She turned and smiled at me, a goofy smile that she usually wore, but still I couldn't help but think that it looked kinda cute on her. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," She pumped both her arms as she usually did when she got excited about something. Then her face quickly looked like she was nervous about something. "Actually this is gonna sound weird…"

"Go ahead…" I smiled brightly at her. "I'm listening…"

"Do- do you wanna go with me to the Flood plain?" Chie's face was red with embarrassment. "I uh… I wanna train some…"

"Train for what?" I just titled my head at her. I thought I knew where this was going… I hoped anyway. Chie's face got even brighter for a moment.

"To fight the Shadows!" Chie practically blurted it out as the words left her mouth I started to laugh a little. "Wh-what!? Yu and Yosuke are busy, and Yukiko is sick!"

"I'm not laughing at you," I quickly tried to regain my composer as I smiled down at the brunette before me. "I laughing cause I guessed right… and sure, not like I got anything better to do."

"O-oh," Chie rubbed the back of her head with a smile on her face. "Well let's get going."

Flood Plain

"This spot looks good," Chie was just exploding with excitement; I couldn't help but smile as we stopped at the flood plain by the water. I actually thought that this was, for once, a "sport" that I wanted to do. "I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle."

I laughed a little bit in jest as I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, Yosuke can vouch that you don't need to practice your kicks, and if not Yosuke, then is nads surly could!"

Chie laughed for a moment at my jest, I felt good that I could actually make her laugh "We-well, I tried practicing at home… But my mom and dad yelled at me for putting a hole in the shoji…"

My eyes widened at her, I mean, she actually thought that trying to kick anything in a house was a good idea… Wait… oh shit! Now I was the punching bag! Still I grinned evilly. "Thou hast much to learn young grasshopper."

Chie pushed my slightly in jest, she knew I was joking, but still; she laughed at me, er well with me. "I'm being serious! Soooo… Let's train together, No?"

"That's why I'm here isn't," I smiled gently as I stepped in front of her, my hands in my pockets and leaning forward. "After all, I guess I'm more here for the hanging out and helping you out part."

"Yesss!" Chie pumped her arms in her usual excited way. "Thanks Kreed-kun!" Her face suddenly got a lot more serious, I noticed this of course, after all, we were the only people there. "That thing… Y'know?"

"Nope!" I pointed a finger in her face a smile on my face. "I will not until thee lady duos tell thou! So until the madam tellis the weirdo talking weirdly, thou shalt not know, until then!"

Chie smiled slightly before explaining herself, I should have known this moment was coming. "I mean that Shadow that came out of me. I feel pathetic knowing that's another 'me.'"

"Just because you became jealous of your best friend doesn't make you a bad person," I leaned back looking at the sky. Might as well Chie and Yu, I trusted them more than anyone else at the moment. "I had a friend I was jealous of, until the jocks made me believe he betrayed me… Looking back on it now, I guess he had no idea. Still point is, it's nothing to hate yourself for, and to be honest… If someone, doesn't like you for you… then screw 'em!"

Chie giggled for a moment until smiling up at me and pumping her arms again. "Still, it makes me feel like I gotta work harder!"

I smiled and laughed, looking back to the sky, until I leaned back to far, making me start to tip over. "Shit!" Chie reached out to stop me… until she also lost her footing; we tumbled and rolled to a stopped at the bottom of the hill. Chie landed on top of me; this time… it didn't really hurt. But we both turned redder than a tomato! We scrambled to get away for a moment. "S-sorry…"

"I-its fine, you didn't mean to make us fall…" Chie smiled, yet I noticed a small projectile land on Chie's back. I noticed the grass hopper sitting on her shoulder at the moment, I smiled mischievously at her. "Wh-what!?"

"Do you like bugs?" Chie's eyes grew the size of plates as the words left my life, she started to freak out a little bit.

"N-no," Chie shook her head a little, and gulped loudly. "Wh-why!?"

"Young grasshopper," I stood up still smiling. I had no idea what was about to happen. "You have a young grasshopper on your shoulder."

Chie started to freak the hell out, she screamed and jumped to her feet and she ran over to me with her back facing me. "Get it off! Get it off me!"

"H-hold still!" I was trying so hard not to laugh, god I thought it was a little cute the way she flipped out. I gently held me hand in front of the grasshopper, the little guy was a trooper, he wasn't scared of me or Chie flipping out; he just climbed onto my hand, I tapped his back and he flew off away from us. "He's gonna Chie… I never thought you would have been scared of bugs, I mean Shadows seem way worse…"

"Sh-shut up!" Chie puffed her cheeks out at me a moment before calming down and sighing. "I'm not good with anything with thin, jointed legs! Or anything creepy or squirmy! Ack, now I can't get 'em out of my mind! I can't stand those things!"

"I get along," I smiled as I was tracking were the little guy flew off too. I guess I just got along with bugs, because they were unwanted too. "I don't know why, I just do…"

"Yukiko's fine around bugs," She looked to the ground for a moment. "Guess you guys have something's in common…"

"Not really," I smiled as I plopped back onto the ground. "Again, not really my type, besides, there is another girl who is closer that I can think of… and before you ask… No! I'm not tellin' you!"

Chie looked up at me with confusion, yeah, not a surprise to me though. "St-still, I totally lose it around bugs… Kinda funny, huh?"

"You ask me," I smiled for a moment. "I think it's kinda cute."

"Uh, hey…" Chie started to panic after my comment, I couldn't help but laugh. "Wh-what're you saying!?"

"Nothing important," I smiled again; I was actually having a lot of fun that day. "Still, you outa give yourself some more credit where credit is due."

"Huh?" Chie just tilted her head at me for a moment, scratching the top of her head, I knew I had confused her. I just smiled back at her. "Well, all I have to do is think of them as Shadows. Then I'll be able to grab a whole fistful! I-I just gave myself goosebumps…"

"Hey," I lied down looking at the sky again. "At least you're willing to face your fears…"

"Hey," Chie sat next to me with a reassuring smile on her face. "You faced the biggest thing that anyone can… Their past, and won!"

"Doesn't mean I faced all my demons…" I sat up and then rolled in the grass, jumping up to my feet. "Okay Chie-sensei, what are we doing today!"

Chie smiled as she jumped to her feet and started hoping on her feet like she did before she fought shadows; oh god, I was scared, until… "Let's start with frog leaps!"

Yeah, it was a weird day, after a while, I was sore, but still walked Chie home, just laughing about the day. After we parted ways, I went straight home, eat and fell asleep on my couch. I never did get to read that text until Kan- well still, I got a text from someone I once knew that night.

Yo! Kreed… Been awhile. Hey, I coming to Inaba, think I can crash with you?

-Will

Yep, still kinda short, well hope you enjoyed, I will try to update again tomorrow, but no promises! It sucks, I kinda just wanna work on this story, oh well, see ya!