A few days later...

Rena happily walked into the classroom, finally forgetting about the whole incident with Shion and Satoshi. She decided it may lighten up the mood if she talked to someone. Noticing Satoshi was, yet again, the only one in the room, Rena naturally moved towards the boy and smiled.

Staring at the blankness of the desk Satoshi was, at the moment, trying to remember back to a time where he should have realized that Rena actually harbored malicious intent towards his family. He, however, was having a hard time coming up with anything. And then, she appeared before him.

"Satoshi-kun!" She exclaimed, grinning. "Why are you always the first one here?" She asked next, just making something up to say. Still feeling a bit awkward talking to the boy, she just hoped Shion wouldn't walk into the room before more people flooded into the tiny classroom.

That same smile; that same air, not a hint of malice in her words or her mannerisms, why was she doing this to Satoshi? If she wanted him to be punished, why was she being so discreet about it? Was she trying to get some kind of information from him? Or was she really just that cruel? It was just so hard to tell.

Satoshi clenched his fists as she came near, squinting for a second, then he put on a fake smile to respond to her question. He didn't want to completely crush her feelings after all. "I wake up early so I have more time to get here... Um... But, I have to go, so maybe another time..."

He then rose from his desk and began to make his way out into the hall. He had no idea where he was going, but like Shion said, it was best to avoid her for the time being. He made his way to the playground so that he could sit on the swings and think some more until class started.

It was not too much longer after that that Shion came bouncing back to school with little concern of the time; while holding an unusually cheerful hint to her face. Finally, she'd have Satoshi all to herself without dealing with Rena.

Checking the classroom for her beloved blonde, she was a little alarmed by the glimpse of red before realizing it was Rena... by herself.

The redhead seemed more concerned than usual, maybe even a bit confused for that matter. Not that Shion minded, in fact, it made her a bit happy to see that. It at least meant the girl knew not to mess with her.

As her confidence grew, the green haired girl decided to take it to another level.

"Rena-chan, have you seen Satoshi-kun around anywhere?" She innocently asked in a bittersweet voice. She decided to add the suffix to Rena's name in a bit of a taunting manner. Tempting the girl to try and test her. Though she knew she shouldn't give too much thought of the girl- after all, Satoshi was hers- she still felt that she should keep a strong mark on her territory.

As for Rena, she clenched her teeth once she heard THAT voice. But, she quickly looked up and gave off a bright grin. "Yes... He said he had to do something... I think, I think.." The redhead responded, sounding as sweet and nice as possible.

If Rena acted like this didn't bother her, it really might not bother her in the near future.

She had known for quite a while now that Shion had a thing for Satoshi, as would anyone else with a bit of common sense, other than Satoshi himself of course. Why Shion was so sensitive about girls hanging out and chatting with him, was beyond her.

The Sonozaki felt a twinge of disgust as the redhead smiled so cheerfully, but once the girl spoke, Shion couldn't help but feel better. Obviously the girl's smile was fake, a good one, but fake. Little miss Rena Ryuugu still had some lessons to learn when it came to acting, and obviously it was no comparison to Shion's skill.

Nonetheless, the fact that Satoshi was there, but heeded Shion's warning and avoided the girl, couldn't help but make Shion smile so blatantly in front of even Rena.

"..You think, you think? Oh, well that's too bad.." The older girl chimed as she put an obviously fake frown on, even knowing herself how fake it was, but keeping it on even long partially for that reason. Her voice had a hint of mockery to it, though her eyes looked sympathetic.

"Well then, I guess I'm gonna go look for him. Ta ta Rena~" She added with another cheerful smile as she left the girl by herself in the room.

That outta get the message across.

Still sitting on the swing set, Shion's green hair had caught Satoshi's eyes and forced him to look over to where she was. She seemed happy from what he could tell, even more so than usual. Had something happened back there in the classroom? Or was that too presumptuous? It's possible for Shion to simply be having a good day... With no further proof or incentive to investigate, Satoshi brushed it off.

Unfortunately for Shion, before she could exit to the play ground to see Satoshi, the bell for class rang as all the little kids came rushing in her direction. It was like a stampede!

The stampede of kids was the next thing that Satoshi saw, blindly leaping forward, he would shout Shion's name and push her out of the way so as to take the full extent of the stampede himself. The kids trampling him underfoot, he was left on the ground, swirls in his eyes and a dazed expression when they were all gone.

"S..Satoshi.." Shion whispered in shock as she realized he had just sacrificed himself for her safety against a herd of school kids. It all happened so quickly that she hadn't noticed what happened until it was too late. The whole incident felt like a scene out of the Lion King or something.

Crawling over to her dazed hero, the girl tried to mask her panic as she glanced at the boy making sure there weren't any severe injuries; after all, getting ran over by a herd of kids looked like it hurt!

"Satoshi-kun! Are you okay?" she finally exclaimed as she held him up by his shoulders enough so that he could lean against her for support. He was so brave.. so kind.. so... everything.

Wincing from slight pain, Satoshi knew he wasn't seriously injured but enough so to probably be discomforted for the rest of the day. Tilting his head up to look at her he would smirk. "I'm fine..."

But he became a bit entranced in the moment, staring at her eyes. They were almost hypnotizing. To be able to lean back on Shion when he had never had the ability to depend on anyone before... it was nice. Every step of the way, Shion seemed to be there for Satoshi which only made him prefer her more and more.

Shion's cheek began to tint a light red as she and the blonde seemed to share eyes for one another, even if it was for but a moment. That idiot.. he'd always put others before himself, even when it came to his own safety. But, that's probably one of the things she loved most about him, his selflessness.

These thought trains would keep going on until Satoshi saw the principal at the other side of the hallway heading towards the classroom. At the moment they were still outside the school, but because the children had left the door open, he could see the beast of a man walking closer and closer to the classroom. Satoshi shook his head and then leapt to his feet.

"We are going to be late!"

He wanted to just bolt down the hallway with Shion in tow, but with the principle coming, there was no way to do it. Unless someone found a way to distract him.

When he brought up that up, the girl couldn't help but react with a small eek before glancing around to see the tall man. He seemed intimidating, but compared to Kasai, she was sure the man wouldn't stand a chance.

Once the blonde returned to his feet, Shion did the same as she smoothed out her short skirt.

Normally she wouldn't be so nervous, being late; skipping class. She'd done it too often back at Saint Lucia Academy, but since Satoshi seemed so pure in that sense, she didn't want him to feel bad about them getting late or anything.

Suddenly, as if luck was on her side even more, there was a small high pitched shriek that'd come from one of the other classrooms. Her guess was that it had been one of Satoko's many traps that had been set off, but whatever it was, it seemed to have been fated to help them.

As the principle paced over and entered the classroom, the green haired girl turned to her crush and waited for some kind of cue to go.

Seeing the distraction arise, Satoshi took Shion by the hand and briskly lead her into the classroom. Ducking his head low, he would let her go as they made it in and stealthily snuck into their seats so it was to be assumed they had been there the whole time. He made an effort to rush by Rena without looking at her as he and Shion had made their way in. And now that Chie-sensei had also been distracted, it looked like they made it. Everything happened so quickly, it seemed as if only the other kids had noticed.

Satoshi gave a sigh of relief and let his head fall onto the flat part of the desk, already feeling exhausted from it all. They had done it.

Slightly panting from the adrenaline rush, Shion sat side by side to her counterpart who seemed a bit annoyed by it all. She didn't really care though, counting the fact the two went in the room together like that could send even just the slightest message to the other girls.

Turning back towards the blonde, who seemed worn out by it all, Shion gave him a cute little grin and a thumbs up, as if to say they won. And as Chie returned to the classroom, the younger Sonozaki turned back to the front of the room, her gaze and another, but more blatant smile grazing past Rena as she returned her focus to the teacher.

Rena began to feel worried. The signs Shion were giving her made her stomach churn. Was Shion really trying to get rid of her? As the emerald eyed girl strutted passed her, Rena felt her smirk burn right through her whole body. This girl was evil. She was very evil.

With a warped sense of victory, the Sonozaki girl seemed to go through the rest of the day with a bit of a glow to her. In her mind she'd finally won. Now, she wasn't no fool. Shion knew that it was merely a battle in the battlefield of love, not the war quite yet; but with this victory she knew she was getting there.

To her knowledge, Satoshi had been following through in ignoring Rena. A small part of her felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl, but she wasn't planning to give her seat up to anyone, especially Rena.

The school bell finally rang and there seemed to be no club meeting today. Despite there being no meeting, it seemed like the club members still had to do some of Ms. Chie's tasks; Shion's being to clean up the school's warehouse out back. As she walked over to complete her task, she hoped that Satoshi was okay, and not nearby Rena.

With school now over, Satoshi was about ready to head home when he heard Chie-sensei call out his name. Since Mion was not feeling well, it was decided that there would be no club activities, but it also meant that the chairs needed to be stacked up in the classroom. A duty usually done by Mion and Rena. Thus it fell to Satoshi; Shion already having a task to deal with; Satoko and Rika being a bit too young to have to do such things; and Keiichi not anywhere in sight.

So he nodded and silently went to work, helping Rena fold up the desks and put them to the side of the wall. There was definitely an odd quiet between the two of them as they worked. He couldn't really hold eye contact with her for long without looking away, knowing what they truly saw in him.

After awhile of putting up chairs, Rena began to stare at Satoshi. She wondered why he wasn't talking to her.

And as for Satoshi, while he worked, he could feel Rena's eyes gazing at him with the same intensity as Oyashiro-sama himself. She knew something was amiss, Satoshi was never one to treat others in such a way. But at the same time, to speak to someone so casually when you know that they harbor such deep hatred on their own end is intimidating and a bit angering.

Rena bit the inside of her cheek as she turned away from the boy and began to think. It was all part of Shion's plan, wasn't it? But what did she tell him about Rena?

Rena was in such thought, she forgot about the chairs scattered around the room. She ran into one and began to trip. This wasn't good...

It was only when he heard the sudden shuffle of a chair that he looked over to her, seeing that she was about to trip, he acted without really thinking: diving in to at least catch her hand and pull her back up. But before he went to hoist her up, he again saw Rena's eyes and just couldn't take it anymore... He saw two Renas inside them, one that had been his friend and ally and another that wished upon him harm. Bringing her to her feet, he bowed his head and spoke to her in almost a mutter, which would escalate into a sorrowful exclamation.

"Why... Why do you still hate the Houjo family so much? All I want is to have Satoko and I left out of whatever happened during the Dam War... But it's people like you that continue to force pain onto us! I even believed your story about Oyashiro-sama... It all made so much sense back then! How long have you looked at me with that fake smile...?"

Rena stared at the Houjou boy. Her auburn locks fell upon her face, for she was still being held by Satoshi, not even fully standing. What came out of the boy's mouth is what shocked her.

"W-w-what do you mean Satoshi?" Rena choked out. "I really would never... I respect Satoko and yourself. I would never hate you... never..." She breathed out. This was such an intense moment. Rena had nothing else to say, she was just deep in thought. Why in the world would Shion go this far?

"When Shion told me... I didn't once get angry at you... I told her that no matter what you were still my friend... So please... Please don't lie to me. Don't make this more complicated. If there is something I did to you.. I'm sorry, but the Dam War was a long time ago..."

He let her go and began to back away slowly. In the back of most humans minds, there was always that fear of confrontation when it came to someone you cared about. Satoshi never hoped that something like this would happen to any of his friends, and it broke his heart to have to see either of them like this.

Rena stood in front of Satoshi, her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"WAIT!" She ordered. "What the hell did Shion tell you? I am NOT lying!" She screeched.

Rena would usually never act like this, Shion though, always sparked her angry side. "I.. I know exactly what that... that... Shion is doing!" Rena laughed. "She's lying to you Satoshi! lying!" She yelled. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She wasn't sad, it was frustration. Shion's such a selfish bitch!

..

.

Quickly finishing her chore, Shion gathered up all her cleaning supplies and headed back to the janitor's closet in the class hall. As she continued walking, the girl couldn't help but worry softly to herself, 'what if what I said backfires?' or 'what if he confronts her?'

The idea of her being in the wrong haunted the Sonozaki girl as she took a step into the hall. She really didn't like that idea, but seeing how much her beloved meant to her, she felt as if certain measures needed to be taken to ensure his loyalty.

As she continued putting away the supplies, the sound of yelling seemed to grow from within the main class room. Her emerald eyes widened in shock. "Shit!"It was obvious who's irritating voice it was. As the soprano voice continued to speak, Shion paced down the hall and slammed open the door with spite dripping from her voice as she snapped at the redhead.

"Are you still blabbering about that bull crap Rena? Leave him alone!"

Rena's cat like eyes glistened as they snapped to Shion. She gritted her teeth. "What nonsense are you feeding Satoshi!" She shrieked, fiercely pointing to the Houjou boy. "Why do you hate me!" She continued, her auburn hair bounced with her body.

Rena's expression twisted into a deeper madness. "YOU don't deserve someone like Satoshi! You BITCH!" Her words tore through the room. Shion shouldn't mess with Rena. That emerald eyed bitch didn't know what pain Rena could inflict.

Shion felt the adrenalin rush throughout her veins as the Rena began pissing her off even more. That bitch, trying to play victim. Shion would show her!

"Someone like Satoshi? What the hell is wrong with me...? What the hell is wrong with YOU? Someone like him, you disgust me, you fucking cunt!" The way she'd turn tables on Rena outta help her in keeping Satoshi on her side. After all, saying someone like him could be interpreted in many different ways and could easily be turned against her.

Rena's jaw dropped. How far was Shion going to take this! Rena couldn't stand Shion any longer. She snapped. "...Shion" She said, almost in a whisper. "...what...on earth...IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Now Satoshi was really nervous. Not only because of Rena's horrifying laugh and expression with tears welling up in her eyes, but now Shion was here and the two were getting ready to yell at one another as it appeared. Or rather, they had already started to yell.

He himself though was torn, unsure of who to believe anymore... He positioned himself in between the two of them, holding his arms to stop them from getting any closer. It was obvious he was fearful and grief-stricken.

Though his arms quaked with fear, he looked over to Shion...

Shion was about to teach that brat a lesson before her beloved stepped in. When she saw the tormented expression in his eyes, she hesitated, stopping, before trying to find the right things to say. If she told him the truth, he would probably hate her, and then Rena would have him all to herself.. It was decided, she had dug her grave too far this time. She'd have to fight through it all, if anything; for love. The only way to prove her innocence was to get rid of Rena, one way or another.

"Satoshi kun..." she whispered softly, before tears began welling up in her eyes. Though these weren't any kind of tears of anguish, these were tears of anger, at herself, at Rena, at everything that went wrong. "I'm not lying." she decided as she looked at him. Her eyes showed strength, and the will to never back down. She would win Satoshi in the end, and she wasn't about to lose to some little bitch like Rena.

Speaking of Rena, she was very angry. How dare Shion say something as Oyashiro-sama was made up. It was unforgivable.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Rena ducked under her desk and pulled her trusty cleaver out from under the floorboards. She lunged at Shion. Killing her really wasn't the best option, but with so many things running through her mind, it was her only solution.

"Satoshi! You don't have to believe me, but don't believe her! She really loves you and I assume she is willing to go very far to steal your heart! She doesn't want me talking to you, and is going to do anything to push me away from you! Oyashiro-sama IS real!" Rena screeched, speaking so fast it was barely understandable.

"You know, you're really starting to piss me off." The Sonozaki retorted against Rena's plea to Satoshi. That girls's plea of innocence was really annoying, and Shion didn't know how much longer she'd be able to handle that bitch's high pitched voice.

The angry girl still had her eyes on Shion, and attempted to strike her leg with the blunt side of her cleaver, not wanting to kill her. Rena knew by now, there was no way the trio could talk things out. Battle was the only solution.

..

Satoshi's heart was torn between his two closest friends. He found himself going to stop Rena's blade, but with such disdain in his heart, he tumbled out of the way to the side of the two and fell to the ground. He should get up and stop this. He should go be the bigger person. There was no reason for them to be fighting.

So why couldn't he move?

The idea that he had been lied to this time set off a powder keg of emotions. He was weak. Gullible. Forsaken. Forced to mature. Missed his childhood. Loved by Shion. Things just began to pile up one after another as Satoshi store with a blank expression, the effects of the Hinamizawa Syndrome kicking in...

..

"What's wrong with me?" Shion scoffed as she cocked her head to the side. Her emerald eyes wide with hysteria as she grinned at both Rena and her sibling's long lasting rival. She had now lost it as she found humor in Rena's shock.

The twisted grin quickly evaporated at the sight of that ridiculous cleaver as Shion jumped back, hardly evading the blunt weapon. Her eyes were now dead cold as she took out her trusty taser from her back pocket. That bitch wanted to play with weapons? Well now she would get that wish.

"OH? A taser? I'm scared!~" Rena teased.

"You better be scared." The Sonozaki muttered as she switched the small hand held weapon to full charge. Just one hit and Rena will be a goner, though, with the size of that cleaver it seemed as if the case would be the same for Shion.

"You want to be seen as the victim, yet you're the first one to take out a weapon, a weapon designed to kill. Who the hell brings that kind of thing to school anyways? Unless you were planning all along to use it!" She then turned to Satoshi, her eyes shared frustration but a different kind, more like the kind that was trying to fix everything-though only for her own benefits.

Giving a concerned look, Rena also turned to Satoshi, who seemed to be lifeless. I suppose this is what fights result in. Endless confusion.

Rena gritted her teeth. She looked down at her cleaver and grinned. "I keep it here for occasions~" She cackled.

Returning her gaze towards Rena, Shion made her final verdict.

"You want a fight? I'll give you a fight, you fucking ginger."