That day, I bought Hiroyuki-sensei's newest manga, Jumbor Barutronica. I m in the middle of reading it now (while inserting Soul Eater and Bleach in between naturally), hope by next chapter I have finished the book! Anyway, a very large arigato to those who reviewed. It meant a lot to me, and because of that I've really work hard in writing this chapter. Please enjoy it, and at the same time; please review!


Chapter 3: Winter Blues

A young girl was kneeling by the crystal clear river, spinning waves with her finger. The moon had just ascended upon the sky, shining its luminescence upon the waves she had created, making it look almost magical and surreal; a little circle crowded by spectators in form of bubbles and the soft current of water flowing. The young girl pulled her torn coat nearer for warmth in the December cold. Feeling gusts of wind teasing her pale but fair skin and the water ripples touching her knees, she sighed. Wisps of air surfaced, dampened by the temperature of the night. Her gentle movement stopped abruptly when the wind blew stronger and snowflakes began appearing on the grassy ground; slowly making the land of green turn into a colourless haven. The girl tucked her fingers back into warm shade and slowly glanced up, beautiful lemon-gold eyes drinking into the object of admiration that was nature. A droplet of salted water fell on her lap, accompanied by many more on her ragged outfit.

She said her last goodbyes and allowed the otherworldly sob at her throat to finally shatter the ambience of the night.


Ren's second day did not begin on a good note.

A horde of girls were standing by the classroom entrance; scrutinizing him with eyes of such hatred enough to kill an elephant, or even an animal of larger size.

"Hey, do you know what you've done?" a girl of stocky built said roughly as she folded her arms; she was probably the leader of the pack. Ren rolled his eyes without looking back and continued to walk in front, pushing the girl aside in ease. She was definitely pissed because no sooner had Ren let go of his hand a few girls sprouted to his front automatically, holding up their hands as sign for Ren to stop. Ren looked around; he had actually wanted to come early so that he can get some morning peace, but unfortunately at six in that particular morning, the whole classroom was already filled with girls of all sizes, skin colours and hair lengths (not exactly of all ages though). Wait a minute, there was some guys too! Ren saw them as clearly as mirrors, sitting between the female students.

"All right, who are you people and why are you here in this morning?"

"We belong to the revered fan club of Usui Horokeu and we were extremely displeased with your act of seduction yesterday." A voice spoke as the girls before him parted to reveal a female with spectacles and long hair tied up in a ponytail as she stood from the teacher's table. "I'm the club president, Morika Nemu, and we demand your explanation and apology." The stocky built girl pushed him to a chair from behind as she stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from moving. Nemu nodded. "This is my trusted second in command and fighter for Horohoro's honour, Kaige Satsu. The person you had hurt so badly yesterday was Kaige Kitsu, her younger sister and newest member of our clan. We'll give you a minute to come up with the best possible answer." Nemu said, before looking at her watch and her speech stopped momentarily. "Wait a minute; you already have your one minute. Satsu, drag our guest up please..." Unable to move(can you when two or three strong girls are latching themselves to your arms like there is no tomorrow?), Ren let himself be pulled to face all the participating faces in the room. After Satsu and her gang of similar gangster-like people released him, Ren found himself face to face with Kaige Kitsu, the girl that had come to see Horohoro the day before.

"What is your explanation?" Nemu's voice rang in Ren's ear. He swallowed his saliva in anxiety. Since when did that good-for-nothing bastard have a fan club? His thought fled away and he came back to Kitsu, who was staring at him expectantly.

"What is my explanation? I am not the one breaking her heart!" Ren grumbled. Kitsu's eyes lowered a little, the younger girl's eyes diverted around in nervousness, her fists clenched rather tight on her lap.

"He… he said you're his boyfriend."

Gasps from the classroom made Ren's sweat drop. Nemu walked to Kitsu's side and glared at him.

"You hurt her bad."

"Oh my god… how can he do this to Horohoro-sempai? He belongs to us!" A girl sitting among the crowds gasped.

"I… I cannot believe Horohoro-sempai's gay…" Another murmured between gasps.

"How can this new exchange student commit such an indecent act of seduction on our beloved Horohoro-sempai?" Someone exclaimed dramatically, indirectly rising the sobs, wails and cries among the audience. Some were cursing, mocking Ren for his blasphemy. Some were even beginning to write Ren's name on some voodoo of some sort, preparing to place a curse upon him. Ren looked at them in terror. He must make things right!

"I didn't do any act of seduction whatsoever! I am only doing that bast-"

"Finish your words and you will sleep in the hospital tomorrow." Satsu hissed at his left as fists cracked.

"Why should I listen to you?" Ren snapped back, his temper rising, conveniently forgetting that he was to make things right instead of worse, as he changed his seeing view to her. "I am calling him whatever I want because it's my freedom and you have no right to-"

For the second time in two days, Ren had engaged in another fight; though this time he was not the one initiating it.


"Tao Ren, what am I to do with you?!" Mr. Ryu whined as he looked at the teen that looked messy from the fight he had with one of the strongest girls in Daidouji High School. "Two days, two fights! What happened with Kaige Satsu this time?"

"Nothing." Ren replied. "Just a little misunderstanding about Usui Horokeu."

"What does that boy have to do with the fight?" Mr. Ryu asked, eyebrows wrinkling. "You two just cause nothing but trouble! Why must I always deal with you and him…!"

"I don't care about him whatsoever, Mr. Ryu. I promise I'll commit fully to my duties as an obedient student." Ren murmured when Mr. Ryu had stopped talking, his head looking down.

"Well, I hope you will remember your promise." At that moment, Ren felted something electrifying boring through his skull, and he looked up to see Mr. Ryu in a serious expression; face focused. Then a knock came to the door and Mr. Ryu's face changed. Ren shrugged.

I must be seeing things.

"Mr. Ryu." Satsu walked into the room with a mended cheek; Ren rubbed his own bruised chin and trembled as said girl sat beside him. "I have talked to Nemu, we have cleared everyone from classroom 3-A back to their respective classes just in time for first period, and we have mended the mess from our childish racket."

"Good. Besides that?"

"Besides that, we also have decided to give Ren-chan a chance." Ren shuddered again as his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Ren-chan?

"You know very well that your club cannot make decisions on his behalf."

"Well, then just punish me for everything." Satsu offered as she stood up; determined glint in her eyes. "I started it after all. Ren-chan here is not deserving of the punishments placed upon him." Mr. Ryu stared hard at her and Ren, as if thinking about something that is too much for his own intellectual stability. Finally, he nodded.

"All right. Tao Ren, you can go now. Please try to evade from any more fights, thank you."

Ren nodded briefly, although his brain was still in a confused state.


It was interval and the students are streaming out for their afternoon breaks. Horohoro was stashing his books into his bag when a punch on his table made him stop abruptly and look up. A teen with pure black hair was looking at him.

"Horohoro, if anything happen to him, I swear I'll kill you."

"You know that if you kill me, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, Asakura Yoh." Horohoro replied icily as he stood up to meet Yoh straight in the eye. "She will be so saddened if you do that to me."

"I was nice enough to help you when you are bloodied injured yesterday." Yoh spat back, his ears (or more exact, his headphones) practically smoking as his hand grabbed Horohoro's collar hard to show his wrath; the latter not even flinching as Yoh dragged him nearer and a sharp sound was heard. "How many more favours am I to give you before you rot in hell and just dissipate from my eyes? You're the damn reason for EVERYTHING!"

"That's why I always say you are the most sentimental and emotional among us." Horohoro replied lazily, rolling his eyes in the process although it was very definite that he was not holding the upper hand. "Anyway, where's Lyserg Diethel? I prefer befriending you better when you're around with him."

"Don't change the topic. If I haven't promised her to be nice with you in front of others, I would have kicked you hard a long time ago." Yoh muttered. Horohoro raised his eyebrow in mock curiosity and his lip curled when he noticed someone entering the classroom, Yoh's eyes too emblazoned in hatred to notice.

"Yoh? Usui?" Lyserg murmured as he walked to Yoh's side, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Lyserg. We're just having a little conversation." Yoh said cheerily as he let go of Horohoro's collar and instead placed it behind his head. "Can you wait a minute longer? I still have to talk with him. Can you wait?"

"Er, yeah, sure." Lyserg replied uncertainly. "I'll be waiting outside."

"You still want to berate me when your best friend's waiting?" Horohoro mocked when Lyserg was out of earshot. "That's very inconsiderate of you." Yoh took a deep breather and looked outside, his eyes gently softening to the visage in front of his eyes.

"I'm only telling you this. I noticed his expressions and actions. Ren is very similar with ……"

The bell rang.

"If you even try as to harm him in any possible way, you will face my wrath. I will not let you cause the same thing to happen twice." Yoh mumbled; his tone clearly lowering although the warning was still apparent. His eyes remained transfixed to the view, his last words in a whisper; inaudible to Horohoro's ears. "It's the time of the year again…"

"Yoh, the bell rang! Can you please stop?" Lyserg said desperately as he came back in. "Students are not allowed to stay in class!"

"Come on, let's go and see Ren now, all right? He hadn't come back from the headmaster's office." Yoh began ushering Lyserg out from the classroom to prevent them from staying in the confined space longer without looking back at the face of the blue faced teen. Horohoro watched back at them in an expression void of emotion, and then slumped back on his chair after their visages are gone, touching the bandaged patch under his shirt that was bleeding insinuatingly from his contact with the table corner as his black obsidian eyes wandered randomly outside to the surroundings, looking at what Yoh was seeing just now. He smiled slightly, a smile that was rare and chaste, as if having found a treasure of sort; although the pain on his stomach was not pleasant at all; instead it was excruciating.

Both of them had waited for this.

The first flakes of winter had begun falling.


Ryu's thoughts were not in his cubicle when the first snow fell. Fleeting memories flew by his head as he peered outside; sighing as a white flake landed by the windowpane. Stroking the flake unintelligently, he noticed a particular boy outside standing among the raining wonder. Looking back at the transfer documents of Tao Ren on his table, he shook his head. The students really are getting more troublesome nowadays. And that Chinese boy came from China from a clean slate.

Perhaps he really should quit the job and leave Tokyo for a moment of relaxation…

"Ryu, you are really stressing yourself." A voice came, pulling Ryu back to reality. Keita sat opposite him, crossing his arms. "Perhaps you should come to the infirmary one day and get some relaxing messages."

"I thought the infirmary is for students." Ryu smiled at his friend. "How could they occupy places for the headmaster when there are more students in need of medication and care?"

"You are worrying me. You know, you have changed a lot since your wife died. I am afraid you will go in depression if you continue to dwell in the past like this."

"Don't talk about it, all right?" Ryu murmured in defeat. "It's been a year now. I'm going on with life now, I have a job, I have a house, and I have a life. I am all right."

"You are not all right!" Keita said, body beginning to tremble from his utmost efforts to control his feelings. "We grew up together; I know you too well. You will never ever look at someone with a serious expression unless they had done something wrong! You shot that look to the new student today! What had he done?"

"He engaged himself in a fight…"

"He was engaged into a fight. You know that very well, he wouldn't go against Kaige Satsu for nothing…"

"He fought with Horokeu yesterday…"

"That is a different case altogether, considering the circumstances." Keita implored gently. "I know what I can do to help you. My niece has just graduated from university; I will get her to help you in your administration. After all, she haven't have a job yet and I believe with her skills you will be able to deal with school well."

"Silva! You know very well what kind of person she is! I'll be under her foot all the time with her dictatorial and terrifying laws!" Ryu cried. "Not only me, the school will also suffer!" Keita looked back at him with an 'I cannot do anything to help you' look.

"You need it desperately. Furthermore, I believe Anna will love to see how her alma mater has become under you. I also believe she would have the school's best interest at heart. Don't worry. I'll inform her tonight that there is vacancy in the school and her services is needed." Before Ryu could mutter any more words of objection; Keita had walked out. Ryu slapped his head hard and whimpered; a strong feeling of dread blooming in his mind.

All of a sudden, the snow fell heavier than usual.


Arigato again for finishing the story... I swear I would tie up the loose ends; Anna is coming in the next chapter!!!!! Please review...