-minor reedit- Chapter 10 will come out soon, please be patient. -22/8/07- Reviews?


"Why on earth are they fighting?" Yoh asked, bewildered, looking at the mess that was the classroom. He was on class duty today and due to that, they were responsible to clean back the classroom after the fight at interval before any classes commence. Lyserg, who was wiping the window, stared back at him for a moment.

"I heard that Usui kissed the new exchange student."

"He-what?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh my god… Wow!" Yoh exclaimed for a moment, holding the broomstick and pausing. "That new student was so brave!"

"Or should you say Usui was bold?" Lyserg asked questioningly without looking at him. "Come on, let's finish the job."

"Horohoro was always brave, all right?' Yoh said, focusing back on the task on hand. "It's not a wonder."

His broom began its destructive descent on the ixoras on the floor in the crooked, uneven, but distinguishable, shape of a lotus.


Ren tried in vain to pry his shirt collar off Horohoro's fingers as the other teen pulled him back to class.

"Let go of me right now, I command you!"

"What if I refuse?" Horohoro snapped back in full blast and in a surge of motion, Ren felt himself slammed to the wall.

Pain…

Horohoro hovered above him dangerously; somehow, a murderous glint appeared at that very instant. From nowhere wind blew, flaring his unusual matt of blue-black hair, parted by a bandana. Leaning on the wall and nursing his ribs; Horohoro had strategically knocked them against the hard surface; Ren looked (and felted) like a captured bird in a cage. In fact, he could have fall to the ground if not for Horohoro clenching his shoulders in a death grip.

Fear…

"Let me tell you something, whatever your name is. Don't mess with me, you arrogant new brat. For your favor; I will return it in some way; just be grateful that I am now indebted to you; rather unwillingly."

The moment the hold on him was released; Ren fell to the floor in a sitting position. Watching the other leaving, he felt himself dropping balance and falling completely onto the cement floor of the hallway, his eyesight now looking at the opposite wall horizontally instead of vertically.


Darkness…

Ren woke up, head in a slight migraine from his recurring nightmare; eyes gently opening…

… and finding himself looking into some peculiar black eyes and another pair of green eyes; both looking worried and unfamiliar.

"Gah!" Ren said, backing up from them, and touching something… soft? He looked around. Where is this place? The entire room was white; including the walls, floor tiles and even the bed he was on was draped in white bed covers. The room was simplistic; there was only a room; a cupboard colored in white and a few plastic chairs, which the two teens are sitting on. The person who lived in here is obviously a color freak. "Where am I?"

"The infirmary." The black haired teen replied; Ren suddenly recognized him as the one that had waved so stupidly at him earlier; what was his name again?

"Oh. Thanks." In the end, it was all Ren could muster.

"We found you at the hallway, unconscious. Keita says you only need some rest and you'll be fine." The green haired teen said. "By the way, I'm Lyserg. You are?"

Blinking at the offered hand, Ren looked at Lyserg again. Why do the students of this school act so strangely? First that gasping black haired guy in headphones (who had since calmed down but he was still weird anyway), then the freak that had nearly killed him (and kissed him as well, not that it was a pleasant memory, but it was something Ren had marked to forget from his brain) and now this!

"Em… I am Ren. Tao Ren." Still in uncertainty (and disbelief), managing to fumble a few words was already a great feat for him. Not wanting the two to talk further and maybe ask about how he got hurt, therefore he changed the topic of conversation. "Who's Keita anyway?"

"I see he's awake." A man dressed in weird clothes (which was not white; instead it was in an array of colors) and with some feathers slid at his tied hair came in and smiled at him. "I have treated to your bruises. You'll be fine. I'm the school's nurse, Keita, but you can also call me Silva."


"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Yoh (Ren knew his name later after hearing Lyserg and Keita (or Silva, whatever) talked to him) asked concernedly as Ren walked home from school, straight from the infirmary (Yoh helped him to pack his bag, so he haven't return to class at all). He and Lyserg were following Ren after school; concerned about his bruised rib. Ren had still not told them about how he got hurt; he had no interest to let them indulge in his affair either.

No one cares about you…

"I'm fine, really." Ren answered calmly. "I'll just go home to put some medicine. You two should get going and go home."

"We're worried." Lyserg said timidly. "At least just let us escort you home, all right?"

"No thank you!" Ren stared at him indignantly. "I do not need to be tended to like a child!" Turning to face the two, Ren stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself from his sudden outburst after realizing he had go on one of his tempers again. "Seriously, I am fine. Just give me your numbers and I'll call when I get home. Then will it be all right?"

Lyserg looked at Yoh. Yoh bit his lip in deep thought. Both of them began to engage in a deep conversation. Ren rolled his eyes and began walking again, oblivious to the cries from Lyserg that was saying 'Ren had run away!'

Seriously, they need to get a psychiatrist. They need to get their brain checked and if possible, scrutinized.

Everyone he had met today. They need to get a psychiatrist immediately. Yoh, Lyserg, Silva…

That Horohoro guy.

"Ren!" Yoh screamed all of a sudden. Ren stopped and turned. Why is he calling his name when he was just behind them? Rolling his eyes, he looked back. Upon seeing the two teens however, his eyes nearly bulged. They were running towards him. Alarmed, he looked back and walked faster.

BAM.

Ren was pinned to the hard street tiles.


"What happened to you?" Lyserg asked as he draped Horohoro over himself and Yoh. Ren refuses to touch this teen because 1) he was drenched in blood and his shirt was near torn, 2) Ren was rubbing his own sore head from the fall, and 3) Horohoro's warning this morning were still ringing in Ren's ears, and he refuses to mess with Horohoro in any way possible (including touching him; who knows what these freaks can make up of an innocuous touch? Maybe he might face an overblown and exaggerated complaint of preposterous proportions) in case he gets another near death experience.

"Street bullies." Horohoro murmured between half opened eyes and blood trickling down his face. "Nothing really. Just get me home and quickly."

"All… right." Lyserg murmured as they had locked Horohoro in place and began moving. Ren blinked at Lyserg, holding Horohoro's bag that was thrown to him.

Was he blushing?

"Those street bullies really are nasty nowadays." Yoh commented. "That day, my mother saw them. Luckily, she saw a police and the street bullies ran away. Who knows what is in their head nowadays. Ren, next time we'd better go home together, understand?"

Ren glanced back at him.

"Huh… what?"

"As precaution from street bullies. Luckily, you were back with us today. Look at Horohoro! He walked home alone and now he's seriously wounded!'

"I…"

No one wants you…

"Yeah, sure."

He can still oblige with them, can he?


Finally, they reached Horohoro's door. Ren had wanted to go home but he could not, since he was still holding that bastard's bag. Taking out the keys from Horohoro's bag, he began cramming the key to the door hole.

"My, you seem to know my house key well, eh?' Horohoro teased, despite his weak condition. Feeling the fire rising, Ren shot a death glare at said person. Lyserg and Yoh glanced at him with eyes that say 'that's not how you're supposed to treat a patient'.

"Fine, then which key was it?" Ren asked, swallowing the fumes rather unwillingly. Horohoro gave him a victorious smile, nudging on Ren's patience meter again and was precariously near its limit now.

"The fifth one." Looking at Horohoro, and then back at Yoh and Lyserg who was warning him eloquently, he bit his lip and jammed his fury at said door.

"Seriously, you shouldn't be angry at him. He's a patient after all." Yoh muttered after Horohoro was on his bed and a doctor was called. Unknown to them before the door was pushed open; Usui Horokeu lived in a dilapidated house. Some of the bricks on the walls have disappeared; large enough for water to spill in when it rains. The tiles were missing and Horohoro's 'bed' consisted of a few spoiled and thinning mattresses placed together. Since there was another bed, Ren concluded that another person was living with him. The furnishings of his house were very simple; there was only a table, two chairs, a clothes cupboard whose door was almost chewed completely by rats, an extremely small toilet (Ren wondered how someone could bath and change on top of the toilet seat or the lack of it) and a bookcase with books.

"Yeah, whatever." Ren murmured. Lyserg looked at him, smiling.

"I know you are soft inside."

"Quit it!" Ren said, blush appearing. Damn, he really should be home now!

"Look at this!" Yoh said, taking one book out from the bookcase. "Horohoro can draw!"

"Usui can… what?" Lyserg said in surprise as he joined Yoh and gasped. "Wow…"

"Hey, you two, its private property!" Ren began, but he stopped when the book was placed in front of him. His mouth dropped.

On a random page of the book, which was black covered outside, was the drawing of an angel playing a harp amidst the clouds, the sun shining at the background. The lone figure was in a flowing dress, long tresses flowing in her face. The drawing looked realistic; anyone would have mistaken it for a real photo if not for the fact that it was drawn in black and white.

The angel was also faceless.