Ok, I know it's been longer than forever, like months. And I know Hikaru was supposed to show up in this chapter, but in order to keep the story going, I had to save that for the next chapter. Thanks to whoever reads this and enjoys it!~*

***

Kaoru stood in the doorway of the rather small classroom, clenching his shoulder strap so tightly, his knuckles were white. Before he could completely psyche himself out, the school bell sounded, and Kaoru was swept inside the room on a wave of students hurrying to their desks. Students continued to pour in, trapping Kaoru against the blackboard. The smell of dust and chalk was almost overwhelming, and a thought occurred to him. He glanced over his shoulder and confirmed that there was, indeed, white powdery chalk dust all the back of his shirt. Kaoru sighed, trying to keep in mind what Matt had told him.

The morning of Kaoru's first day of school, Matt and Wendy had been colliding in the tiny kitchen.

"Matt, honey, move your tush away from the stove! What are you doing in my kitchen, anyway?!"

Matt was busy cracking egg after egg into a pan. "Hey, I got up early to make special 'first day of school' breakfast, so I claim kitchen!"

"You cook now, do you?" Wendy chuckled reaching around Matt to turn the knob for the burner under her teapot. Her elbow bumped Matt's arm, and an egg fell to the floor with a plop. "Oops, what a shame..."

"Geez! Think you could stop having seizures for like, I don't know, two seconds while I try to make these?!" He bent over to wipe the egg up with a napkin and upon rising, his head collided with the large frying pan Wendy was holding over him. "Ow! Jesus!"

"That's what you get for sassing!"

"You crazy old biddy!" Smack went the frying pan. "Ow!!"

"Impudent pup!"

Matt's response was to throw and egg on top her head, after which all out war ensued. Kaoru sat at the small dinette in the far corner, ignoring the clamor and drumming his fingers nervously. He really couldn't put his finger on why he was so uneasy.

"Ta-daaa!!" Matt slapped a plate overflowing with eggs and pancakes on the table, snapping Kaoru out of his pondering. "Dig in! Word of caution, I dropped an eggshell in there somewhere."

"Thanks!" Kaoru choked out, trying to hold back the laughter. Matt was completely covered with baking flour, eggs, and anything else Wendy was able to throw at him.

"No problem, Frankie! It's all about you, today!"

'Argh...Frankie...' That had become his new nickname ever since that night a week before. Matt had been trying to drag the story out of him over beers on the porch after Rachel had left, and he had been reluctant to give it. A little wiser now, Kaoru barely touched his beer and after one sip placed the glass bottle down on the railing with a decisive clank.

"Come on, why can't you tell me?! Never mind!" Matt looked up and away with his nose in the air. "I don't want to know anymore!"

"Good. Let's play video games, then."

"Argh!" Matt's head whipped around to see Kaoru already back inside, dangling a controller from his hand. Matt grinned as he slammed the porch door shut. "I'm gonna kick your butt, kid."

"We'll see, won't we?"

"You are one cocky little brat when you want to be," Matt growled, snatching the controller from Kaoru's hand and plopping down on the floor. "Alright! Tell me you got some shooters, none of that RPG crap!" Kaoru rolled his eyes and held up the box for (a popular shooter that shall remain nameless ;p). "Sweeet!!" Matt cooed.

Half an hour into it, and Kaoru had to admit that Matt was pretty good at this type of game. The score thus far was about twenty-five to zero, and Matt was thoroughly enjoying his victories. However, once Kaoru became familiar with the controls, and Matt had consumed two or three beers, the tide began to quickly turn.

"Oh, no, NO WAY!!" Matt yelled in frustration as Kaoru, yet again, trounced him from behind.

"You're not watching your radar, Matt-senpai," Kaoru said coolly.

"I don't need you to tell me that!" Matt barked back, but when he looked up, he had already lost again. "DAMMIT!"

Kaoru couldn't hold back a snicker. It was just too funny how worked up his roommate was getting over a video game. And the more angry he got, the worse he played. Kaoru found it all very hilarious. The next time he pounced on him yet again, Kaoru burst out laughing.

"Who's kicking whose butt now!?" he managed between chuckles.

"You little-!" Matt threw the controller and jumped on him, but Kaoru couldn't stop laughing. "I can still kick your butt in real life, and that's what counts!!"

Matt put him in a headlock, and Kaoru feebly fought back in his mirthful state. As such, Matt quickly wrestled him to the ground and pinned him face down. Kaoru wriggled back out of Matt's hold on his shoulders. He was having too good of a time to notice that his shirt was slowly creeping up during the struggle. All at once, Matt released his grip. Confused at the sudden relent, Kaoru stopped laughing and opened his eyes. Matt was staring at him, his mouth gaping in shock.

"Holy shit, Kaoru..." his voice was full of awe. "What happened to you?"

Kaoru quickly realized that his shirt was bunched up around his shoulders, almost completely exposing his torso and the scars he had hidden so well until then. Backing away, he stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Kaoru..."

"Oh, you know?" Kaoru mumbled as he backed into the door. "I just remembered that I forgot something at the store..." His hand quickly found the knob, and he fled down the stairs without another word.

"Hey, wait!" Matt ran down the steps to the front door and quickly scanned the streets, but Kaoru was nowhere in sight.

Kaoru ran until he was entirely out of breath. He stopped when he began to feel a little light-headed. Hunched over and panting, he looked across the water of the large canal that flowed through the city. With the city lights reflecting off of it, the water looked like a solid, black mass, as if one could walk on it. Kaoru carefully stepped across the marshy bank until he was at the water's edge. He gently dipped a finger into the water, half expecting to feel something denser.

'I wonder what it's like to swim in here?...'

Meaningless thoughts always arose when he was trying to distract himself. Kaoru spied a city rat slowly swimming past him. It's tiny, whiskered snout barely above the water, the rat seemed to motionlessly glide across the surface, though its legs must have been pumping furiously. He watched it go, and placed a hand over where the scar on his chest lay beneath his shirt. It was the last thing in the world he had wanted Matt to see. He wanted Matt to feel like they were on equal turf, that they were peers. Kaoru grimaced at what Matt was probably thinking now. Was his situation doomed to repeat itself?

'No...,' Kaoru closed his eyes with a smile, leaning against the thick carpet of grass. 'It's not circumstance...It's me...again. I'm the one who has to end it.'

With a new resolution, he rose to his feet and began walking quickly home. His pace slowed to a crawl, however, when he spotted three large figures approaching him from the direction he'd been heading. He could hear the rough looking men laughing and joking around, but they all fell silent once they caught sight of him. Kaoru walked left to the dark sidewalk lining a row of large houses, and stopped. He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching them as they drew nearer.

The fact that he wasn't quickly running in the other direction seemed to catch them off guard, but Kaoru didn't really think he could outrun all three of them, and he considered that if he were going to be mugged, better out in the open than in a dark alley somewhere.

'Terrific...,' was the only thought circling his mind when the three men stopped a few feet away, whispering amongst themselves. Kaoru couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but they seemed to be confused as to his appearance and reserved demeanor. A minute went by in this fashion, and Kaoru just started walking again. If they were just going to be dillydallies instead of getting on with it, so be it. He wasn't going to wait around all night, after all.

"H-hey! Boy!" the man's voice sounded almost indignant. "Stop right there."

Kaoru stopped and faced them again. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Yeah, you can help us!" one of the other men piped up. "You can help us by giving up that watch you got."

Kaoru glanced down at his watch and sighed. He quickly slipped it off his slender wrist and tossed it to them, carelessly. One of the thugs jumped up and snatched it from the air, and they all awed for a moment at the expensive item. 'Damn...I liked that watch...'

"Okay, boy, now the wallet."

"I don't have it on me. Sorry."

The largest man, who seemed to be the ringleader, took a menacing step forward. "I'm not playing with you, kid." Something was clenched tightly in his right fist, but Kaoru couldn't see what it was.

Instead of speaking, Kaoru simply turned all of his pants pockets inside out, and looked back to the leader in an almost amused way. The man ground his teeth and narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm not liking your attitude, son," his voice sank to a dangerously low tone. "You don't seem to be aware of the situation here." He took another step forward and saw the small, silver necklace reflecting from Kaoru's neck. As if he could feel exactly where the man's eyes were, Kaoru suddenly clenched the small pendent Haruhi had given him. The man grinned a crooked smile. "Give it up."

"No," Kaoru's voice was now equally as serious. "It's not worth anything. You've got the watch, just leave me alone."

"Boy, you take off that necklace, or I'll take it off for you."

Kaoru didn't reply, but he spread his legs apart and leaned forward, with his hands at the ready, in a defensive stance. After all, Honey-senpai had taught him a few tricks during their time together, maybe it would be enough. This incited rage in the leader, and hearty laughter from his two companions.

"You can't be serious!" one of the lackeys crowed. They stopped their laughter when a sharp whipping sound pierced the air. There was a bright flash of a blade, and their faces paled.

"C'mon, Davy, don't be like that...He's just some retarded kid." the smallest of the three spoke with a calmer voice.

"Shut the fuck up!" Davy snapped. "And YOU!" he redirected his attention back to Kaoru, whose face had also drained of all it's color at the sight of the knife. "I'm gonna count to three, and then either that necklace is off, or your head is! ONE..."

Kaoru gulped, but felt strangely grounded to the spot. He was so completely terrified, that he could barely think of anything at all, except of not letting go of the little clover charm. He held it so tightly in his fist that he could feel sweat begin to drip down his arm.

"TWO..."

What was that thing that Honey-senpai was trying to show Hikaru and him that day? About self-defense? Was it right leg out or left? And did that work on knives, or just guns? And-

"THREE! That's it!"

The man lunged at him, but Kaoru was quick on his feet and sidestepped the knife. As he did so, Davy tripped on Kaoru's foot and went tumbling on the pavement. The two henchmen quickly went to help him up, but Kaoru didn't wait to see what happened.

'Oh, god! Oh, shit!' Kaoru took of running in the direction of home now that nothing barred his path. 'That's the last time I ever want to see a knife, much less one heading directly for my face!'

Kaoru thought maybe if he got enough of a head start, he could lose them. Or maybe they'd just give up all together. Much to his dismay, he heard the sound of running footsteps behind him not more than a few seconds later, and they sounded like they were gaining fast. The fact that Kaoru was already worn out and slowing down wasn't helping. He was so out of breath, he couldn't even yell. Inevitably, he felt a large hand grab his shoulder and wrench him backwards. With a small yelp, Kaoru crashed to the pavement. He was in so much shock, that he didn't even notice when the back of his head hit the ground. Everything was happening so fast, he could barely make out what was going on, but he felt a heavy weight on his chest, and a tight hold on his throat.

"You've just dug your own grave, boy." Kaoru felt the cold, sharp blade press under his chin and winced. The image of Hikaru flitted through his foggy mind just as it had the last time Kaoru faced death, and he smiled, feeling oddly peaceful.

"HEEEEEEEEEYYYYY!!!"

"BARK! BARK!"

A loud raucous familiar to Kaoru suddenly filled the street. All three of the thugs' heads snapped up in surprise at the voices just in time to see an extremely ugly dog leap on Davy's back with a snarl. The man let out a scream of shock and pain when the dog's teeth sank deep into his shoulder. He immediately fell to the side, dropping the knife. The other two stared for a second in utter confusion at what was taking place, before helping their friend wrestle the dog off. But Demon Dog wasn't letting go without a hell of a fight. By then, nearly ever house on the street had turned their lights on at the commotion and noise. Some homeowners were even yelling at them from their porches. Matt quickly retrieved the knife from the ground, and helped a dazed and confused Kaoru to his feet. When he got a good look at the attacker, he quickly called Demon Dog off.

"That a boy, easy now! Good dog!" He praised, cheerily. "Hey, Davy, sorry about that, son. Dog's got a thing for this kid, you see? Doesn't like it when people try to knife him to death and all."

"I'm gonna fuckin' murder you!!" Davy practically shrieked at him, as he cradled his wounded shoulder. "Both of you!!"

"C'mon Davy! That's no way to talk to your old classmate! Where's the love?"

Davy took a step towards them, but backed off when Demon Dog started growling. Sirens sounded in the distance, and the lackeys looked to him in alarm. Matt shrugged innocently. With a grimace, Davy and his companions turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the darkness. As soon as they were gone, Matt's carefree face darkened into a scowl. He quickly threw the knife into the water before directing his attention toward his vacantly staring roommate. Kaoru had been standing there rather stupidly the entire time, and didn't snap out of his trance-like state when Matt grabbed him tightly by the shoulders.

"I ought to shake you senseless, but you're already totally brainless, aren't you!?" Matt was fairly livid. Kaoru's head was spinning, and he didn't reply. He was just hoping he didn't throw up on Matt's shoes. "What the hell were you thinking, Kaoru?!"

What the hell were you thinking, Kaoru?...

Kaoru winced and grit his teeth. He suddenly slapped Matt's hands away with a violent motion.

"Don't touch me."

The complete lack of emotion in his voice stunned Matt. He took a step back, wrinkling his eyebrows, but quickly recovered.

"How about 'thanks for saving my damn life, Matt! That was really swell of you!' While you're at it, thank the damn dog, too! After all, he did most of the work!"

Kaoru grabbed his head in apparent frustration and breathed a sigh trying to steady himself. "I'm sorry...Thank you."

Matt held up his finger. "And?"

Kaoru gave a little bow in Demon Dog's direction. "Thanks...Good dog."

"That's right. Got to mind your manners, after all!" Matt's cheery demeanor sprang to life again. "Now come on. Let's get out of here, unless you want to talk to cops all night."

Kaoru nodded and tried to take a step forward, but his legs wouldn't hold him any longer. The night had proved to be a little too much, and he went down. Matt caught him just before he hit the ground.

One of the homeowners on the street had seen the whole affair and called the police. The older woman had been watching them from her porch with the light off, and when she saw Kaoru collapse; she called to his panicked friend.

"Bring him inside!" Scared witless and not knowing what else to do, Matt put Kaoru's arm around his neck and half carried, half dragged him inside the woman's home. It was and old house, but fully restored and lavishly decorated with deep golden colors, sweeping drapes and mosaic floors. Matt felt deeply out of place, but for Kaoru's sake, entered. "Uh-uh, not you!" the lady pointed at Demon Dog. "You git! Outside, now!" Demon Dog hung his head and whined as she shut the porch door. "Here, sweetie," the woman laid a blanket over a very plush, floral couch. "Put him on the sofa. I'll be right back." Matt complied, and the woman returned with a first aid kit, a compress, and some cold water on a tray. "Let's sit him up. He got a nasty little bump on the head." They both gently lifted Kaoru upright and she began cleaning the scrape underneath his hair with an antiseptic.

"Th-thank you," Matt cleared his throat, not really knowing what else to say. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Oh, no trouble at all, sweetie. I used to be a nurse once upon a time, you know? There! All done with that! It won't need stitches."

"That's good.... but...what's wrong with him?"

The retired nurse took his pulse, and lifted his eyelids one at a time. "Oh, I think he's just worn out. He'll come around in a few minutes. You'd be worn out too! I saw the whole thing!"

The woman told Matt about how she'd seen Kaoru run past her house, as she was standing on her front porch. She had also seen Davy and his gang saunter by not too long after, and got a little worried, so she grabbed her husband's binoculars from the study to see further up the road. With them, she was able to see Kaoru was in trouble, and called the police.

"But, like most things in this state, it took a little while," she sighed. "Poor little fellow. Just wouldn't give up that necklace. Must be really important to him."

Matt looked at the little silver clover and snorted. "Looks like a piece of junk. Now, his watch is something I might have died for."

The sound of a car engine stopping out front caught their attention, and within a few seconds, there was a rap on the door screen door.

"Hey, Ms. Betty. How you doin'?" the officer haled as she opened the door.

"Fine, fine. Did you catch those hooligans?"

"Not yet, not yet. Still lookin'. Like to get a report from you, now."

As they were talking, Kaoru stirred. With a moan, he groggily rubbed his face and opened his eyes.

"Welcome back, man," Matt handed Kaoru the compress, and he gratefully accepted, pushing it against his head. "Didn't know yelling at you would make you faint like a little girl."

"Where are we?..."

"In some lady's house. She's the one who called the police. You're gonna have to talk to the cop here in a second."

"Ugh, later." Kaoru grimaced. "I want to sit here for a while."

"Ah-ha, not quite the way things work here in the states, buddy." Then it hit him. "Hey, Kaoru, you don't speak any English, okay?"

"What? OH...sure...whatever."

The officer approached them. "Hey there, son. How you feelin'? Like to ask you some questions." Kaoru stared blankly at him.

"Oh, sorry, officer. He doesn't speak the language yet."

"Well is he hurt?"

"Doesn't seem to be. Just a scrape."

"I see. Well, we know who it was, anyway. We'll have us a good, long talk with Davy and his crew soon. Could you tell me his information right quick?" Matt helped him fill out the report putting his own address down. "And how you doin', Matthew? Staying out of trouble?"

Matt smiled, but it was rather forced. "But of course."

"Good, good. Well, call if you need me, but you shouldn't have any more trouble from those guys." the policeman directed his attention back to Kaoru, who was still staring at him idiotically. "Sorry I don't know any Chinese or nothin', but welcome to the States, son. We're not all assholes, I promise."

"Arigato," Kaoru gave a little bow.

"Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto! Domo!" Matt sing-songed as the officer left.

"You're such an ass." Kaoru told Matt as soon as the officer left, unable to suppress a smile. "But I guess you can't help it, if those are the people you went to school with."

"Yeah, aren't they just the peachiest? I used to call them Huey, Dewy, and Lew- aw, never mind. You wouldn't get it. But hey! You've got some spunk if you were going to stand up to them all by yourself!"

"Oh, you're awake! How's your head, sweetheart?"

"It's fine, thanks. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, well, we all have to watch out for each other, now. Let me drive you home."

"Oh, no no!" Kaoru protested as he and Matt walked to the door. "You've done enough, thanks! I'm fine, really!"

"Such a polite, sweet, young man!" Betty sighed as they left. "And handsome too!" She didn't know why, but she had a feeling she would be seeing them again.

They walked in silence for a time, but as soon as they were out of sight from the house, Matt let out a sigh. "Look, I don't know why you got all bent out of shape just because I saw your scars. It was just surprising, is all."

"I didn't want you to think I'm a weakling, too."

"Too? Oh." Matt felt he understood a little of where Kaoru was coming from. "What happened?"

"Motorcycle accident."

"No fucking way! That is so boss!"

"Boss?! I almost died!" Kaoru frowned. "I would have died, except this dog found me."

"Ah, man, this story just keeps getting cooler and cooler!! Demon Dog saved you?!"

"You're making this all sound rather fun and less painful than the reality was, Mathew." Matt scowled, surprised that Kaoru had already figured out he hated it when people used his full name.

"Well, yeah, I mean, I'm glad you didn't die and all, but you have to admit, it's all pretty epic. And now you look like sexy Frankenstein! Chicks dig scars, man, I'm telling you!"

"Really?!"

"Ah, hell yeah, Frankie! If I were you, I wouldn't hide anything about it. You're always trying to control how other people perceive you. Just let it happen, be yourself. You're a cool guy, you don't have to worry."

Kaoru blinked at his friend, stunned. It was about the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. As for Matt, he was feeling pleased that he had discovered a little more about his mysterious companion.

Kaoru's mind was swiftly brought back to his situation, standing at the head of the classroom. He suddenly realized how quiet everything had become, and how every pair of eyes in the room was staring at him, including the teacher, a young, dark-skinned man with a pressed shirt and tie. He walked over to Kaoru, flashing him a brilliantly white smile, and slapped him on the back. "Welcome to our class, Hitachiin Kaoru! I'm Kevin Divoro." he said cheerily. Kaoru smiled back, both at the man's friendliness and the way he butchered his name.

"Thank you, sensei. Just call me Kaoru, please."

The entire class erupted in laughter and guffaws. "He said it! Did you hear it!? Japanese people are so cool!!"

"Shut up! You're such a nerd, Demi!"

"Maybe he can help you with math, Mikey!"

"Ha! No one can help Mikey with math!"

"Wow, he's really cute too! And he has red hair!"

Kevin turned his attention toward the last voice to pipe up. "I'm glad you think so, Ayla! I want you to show Kaoru around today. Kaoru, you can take the seat next to Ayla and Demi."

Ayla was a petite girl, with frizzed reddish brown hair and thick rimmed glasses. Her smile was cheery, but Kaoru couldn't help but feel a mischievous intent behind it. Demi was a slender boy, similar in build to himself, but he dressed much more stylishly than any other person in the room, in a steam punk sort of way, and wore an earring, but had piercings for many more. His hair was a rich, chocolate brown, and his skin was very tanned.

'This boy would have been picked up by Tamaki and the host club in no time!' Kaoru thought to himself.

Demi was presently chatting away to a much larger boy, with sandy blonde hair that everyone referred to as, Mikey. Kaoru had yet to hear Mikey speak. His large blue eyes just glanced Kaoru over with a quiet dignity, and Kaoru immediately knew he wasn't the talkative type. The last person that seemed to be part of the odd looking click was a dark skinned, dark haired girl wearing a short denim skirt and polo shirt. Kaoru tried hard not to stare at her long, glossy, black hair, blinked, and scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. Ayla immediately noticed this and grinned. "So, Kaoru, let me introduce you to the group real quick. This is Gisela. She's the beautiful, residential voodoo queen and she's single! wink-wink."

"AYLA!!" Gisela protested, blushing. "Watch yourself, girl!"

"Oh, yeah, better not piss her off, or a chicken will get it!" Ayla whispered fiercely in Kaoru's direction.

"Chick…chicken?" Kaoru echoed in confusion.

"Oh, me me me!"

"Shut up, Demi! I was getting to you!" Ayla rolled her eyes. "This, I'm sure you've already figured out, is Demi. Well, his real name is Dempsey, but we just call him Demi. He's our residential queerie, but oh so dearie!"

"Thank you, sweetheart! I love your way with words!" Demi crooned sarcastically.

"Whoa, Demi, we don't want Mikey to think you're into girls now. Settle down there. Oh yeah, this lovable oaf is Mikey. We call him the quiet giant, but we all know Demi knows how to get him talking."

"Honey, you know that's right!" Demi confirmed, patting Mikey on the head. Mikey just put his head down into his arms on the desk, doing his best to hide. Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's really nice to meet all of you. I'm looking forward to being your classmate this year. Thank you for your patience!"

Everyone went a little slack-jawed at the formal greeting from their peer, but quickly recovered. Demi could barely contain his excitement.

"Oh my god, I want to go to Japan soooo bad! What's it like, living over there? Why the hell did you leave?! It's heaven on earth, I'm sure!"

Kaoru laughed and shook his head. "Guess you can't appreciate it the same way if you grow up there."

"Oh, I hear that." Gisela nodded. "Is that why you came here? For a change of scenery?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, welcome to the New Orleans educational system! Prepared to be very, very bored, son." Gisela grinned. Kaoru grinned back as he quietly took his seat for his first American literature class.