Author's Notes: This chapter surely is a description-overload one. Too much details on the characters' looks. Bare with me.

Episode 5

Tests Again? Boo!

March 2, 10:02 AM, School Clinic

Natalie shot up from bed in cold sweat. Dazed, she shook her head to clear her mind and get rid of the nightmare that haunted her, though it just made her dizzy. Surprisingly, the room was dim. The lights had been switched off again.

Dizzy, she tried to stand up from the bed. Her foot was caught by the bed sheets.

"Ah!" She tumbled forward and closed her eyes instinctively as she fell.

Something grabbed her arms firmly yet gently and stopped her from hitting the floor. Opening her eyes, she stared blankly at the floor for a moment before following the hand on her right arm up to the face of Leon. He was staring right into her eyes, his dark onyx orbs naked with worry. She felt her body instantly heat up and her cheeks flush red. She suppressed a shudder as Leon delicately let his fingers slide down the side of her arms.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, cutting Natalie off from her staring.

"H-Huh?" she asked back, suddenly feeling ridiculously nervous.

He stared at her intently, searching her face for a reaction. She swallowed, uncomfortable with all the attention he was giving her. Something sparkled in his eyes that she couldn't place, a look that stirred both fear and excitement inside her.

"I'm not that experienced..." he started in his deep voice, putting a firm hand on her bare thigh. Natalie let out a faint gasp as she felt shivers run down her spine. "So please bear with me."

And suddenly, he moved toward her.

He slung her legs to the front of the bed. Natalie gulped. What was he doing? She was thinking too much that she didn't notice that he only checked on her ankle. The hand on her thigh was to secure her, for her not to fidget, which could lead to even more injury. If Leon wasn't the person that he was, Natalie would've slapped him and thought that she was being molested. He took her ankle carefully in one hand, ignoring the fact that her skin was as soft and smooth as silk.

"Does it still hurt?"

She quickly tore her eyes from him when he glanced back. "N-Yes, well, a bit," she stammered, having trouble with focusing as his touch filled her with dazing perplexity.

"Here?" he laid a finger on the sore spot.

Her mind screamed in protest but she remained calm. "Yes, there."

Leon massaged the area of her ankle with careful precision. His skilled fingers followed the shape of the bone, matching his touch with the softness of her skin. She moaned softly as her eyes slowly slid close.

All bliss turned into hurt when he tilted her foot to take a better look. She bit her lip to repress the pain. He tilted it again. She couldn't take it. Unintentionally, she kicked him in the gut, releasing his hold on her aching ankle.

Natalie slapped her hand on her mouth. "Mianhamnida," she apologized.

She mentally slapped herself when she remembered about Leon's wound. Despite her disability, she heaved herself from the comfort of the white sheets and helped him to the other bed. Natalie forgot that the nurse was just in the next room and thought that she was the only one who could treat him.

"H-Hey, w-what are you d-doing?"

Natalie unbuttoned Leon's coat and shirt in a panicked motion, ripping off some buttons here and there. Startled when she jumped at him on the bed, Leon gaped at her before he squirmed.

Natalie found that the wound had worsened, and the bandage around his abdomen was almost completely soaked in blood. She seized an alcohol bottle from the nearby shelf and opened it. With no hesitation whatsoever, she splashed the liquid on his wound.

"GAH!"

Outside the room, Nurse Hyun was dutifully updating her seventy-fifth document when a bloodcurdling shriek interrupted her. It came from the room where the two students were. Overwhelmed with a mixture of fear and surprise, she withdrew from her desk and headed to the room.

"Stop!"

"Be still! Just one more!"

"No! Don't!"

The screaming from inside caused her to have goosebumps. Nurse Hyun reached for the doorknob and turned it, revealing the two students as the door went ajar.

Her eyes grew as large as plates.

The two students looked at her, surprised.

Natalie was straddling Leon, sans shirt and coat, on the bed. One of Natalie's hands was on his bare chest while the other was somewhere else, hidden by the mysterious darkness of the room. The absence of light added to her concept of what was going on.

"Sorry," Nurse Hyun apologized for interrupting before closing the door and returning to her desk, leaving the two alone. She continued her work, vaguely disturbed.

Leon took the alcohol bottle from Natalie's hand while she was distracted. Nurse Hyun had proven herself efficient for the first time, Leon thought.

"Hey!" Natalie interjected, trying to take the dreaded bottle back.

There was no way Leon would let her spill alcohol on his wound again. He raised his hands diagonally from his head, pushing his arms further to prevent Natalie from reclaiming the bottle. Natalie lunged for the bottle, but she missed.

The air was forced out of Leon's lungs as Natalie crashed on top of him. Natalie flushed madly from being in their position. The temperature of her body immediately shot up. Her thighs were pressed softly against his sides and her face was only inches from his, all but scraping any remaining mental capability that she had. She stared at him as he stared back, both of their eyes glistening. She felt his warm breath on her lips, and hers on his. She nervously swallowed past the lump in her throat.

The door opened. Both of them glanced at the person who came in.

"What are you-Ah!" Nurse Hyun covered her eyes. "Please, don't do that inside the clinic."

Natalie got up as fast as she could and sat on the other bed, covering the dark blush on her cheeks with her long, dark auburn hair. Leon, possessing more composure than Natalie could ever have, similarly sat up and claimed his spot on the bed.

"Both of you are still young, alright? There's no need to hurry," the nurse commented in parental care. "You'll have more chances to do that in the future."

Natalie flushed. She was surprised when Leon chose to speak this time instead of being mute.

"And you say that from experience?"

The nurse grew red in embarrassment and anger. "Leonhart Chatelier, you-"

Natalie and Leon tried their best to hide their smirks. Leon remedially bowed. "Relax, Miss Hyun. It was a joke."

Nurse Hyun cleared her throat loudly. "Very well then," she started, opening the lights. She gasped after seeing the gash on Leon's stomach. The bed covering was stained with red. The nurse sighed and left the room for the medical kit. "Kids these days. So feisty."

Leon and Natalie looked at each other, eyebrows raised, and shrugged.

Later, the unsuspected duo found themselves strolling around the campus. Leon had his wound treated and his bandage replaced with a new one. Natalie's sprained ankle had healed enough to let her walk, though it hadn't completely recovered. Habitually, Natalie glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes had passed since eleven o'clock. She then fixed her eyes on the young man walking in front of her. She felt guilty and selfish about not being able to give Leon's condition the proper attention that it deserved. She had always been first in line since morning. Leon had ceaselessly helped her for the past hours, not even giving himself anything as to a chance of recovery. She knew she owed him more than her sympathy.

"Hey, Leon."

He glanced behind his shoulder.

"Thank you, really."

"For what?"

"For everything."

He faced front and gave her his back to look at. "Welcome."

Seconds of silence prevailed over the two. Natalie was getting used to it after experiencing it several times already. In fact, she didn't find it boring. It was...pleasant.

Leon suddenly stopped. "Aren't we forgetting something?" He turned around and made eye contact with her.

He stared.

She stared back.

He blinked.

She blinked back.

Leon's mouth opened a bit, having realized what they had forgotten. Slowly, he closed his eyes and mentally reprimanded himself for being so tactless. How could he let such an important thing pass his mind?

Natalie gasped as her eyes went as large as the sun. "We forgot about class!"

XXX

11:23 AM

Principal Matthew scratched his bald head. "Where are they?"

Miss Song bit her lip. "I told her to stay here..."

The door suddenly burst open. Two panting students came inside classroom.

"Where have you been?" shrieked Miss Song at her daughter.

Natalie cringed. "T-The clinic."

Miss Song's voice immediately softened. "Clinic?"

"She tripped while running up the stairs," Leon stated.

"Excuse me."

The three of them looked at the Principal. He scratched his head again, feeling neglected and ignored.

"Sit down, the two of you," Principal Matthew ordered before he left the classroom.

Apparently, Leon and Natalie weren't the only ones who were late. In fact, they were still the earliest among the five. Leon took his chosen spot from this morning. Natalie also did the same and sat on the chair beside Leon's, the same place that she was earlier.

Then, there came the next student.

"That's Kim Yun-Hee?" asked Natalie.

Leon nodded.

Yun-Hee was a halcyon female with long black hair that was fixed in a neat ponytail and was given distinction by thin, graduated layers in order to create smooth curving lines that framed her head. Her skin was ivory white. With perfectly shaped cheeks, eyes and lips, she was beautiful for someone so young. She walked into the room and occupied the chair beside Leon. Natalie had to admit that the girl looked attractive and friendly; combining into the typical type that boys would have crushes on.

Leon was, strictly speaking, sandwiched between two girls. He felt rather uncomfortable, and an urge to change his seat pestered him.

The girl with dark locks gave Leon a full smile. "Annyeonghaseyo."

"Annyeonghaseyo," he answered in the liveliest way he could. It still turned out dry and emotionless. Yun-Hee accepted his dull reply since she had already grown accustomed to it over the years.

Natalie was surprised to receive a similar greeting from the female. "Annyeonghaseyo," Yun-Hee said with a friendly wave. Natalie shyly returned the greeting with half a bow and half a smile. "Annyeong."

Leon was about to stand up to transfer when another female was haled into the classroom. Everyone turned their heads to see who it was. Leon's eyes narrowed so fast they practically disappeared. "Mi-Young."

The two-year-straight valedictorian strode across the room, her gait feminine yet sophisticatedly arrogant. Her midnight black locks followed the shape of her face. She wore her hair short like a bob, a little above chin level, and her front hair was grouped together into a long, heavy, pointed fringe that hung over the right half of her face down to the side of her mouth, partially revealing her red half-rimmed glasses. The glasses covered her small but sharp stormy gray eyes. Red shard earrings that dangled from her ears matched with her glasses. Black nail-polish contrasted her light complexion. She was slender and as tall as Natalie was. Her eyelashes were extensively long, boosting her feminine charm. Overall, she possessed greater physical and emotional maturity, since she was two years older than them.

Mi-Young seized one of the front seats, the seat which Leon was aiming for. The room suddenly became silent as if she carried a strong spell of authority around wherever she went.

Then, the Principal re-entered the room and stood in front of them, his aging hands tucked inside his pockets.

"Good morning, Principal," the students greeted in harmonious unison as they all stood up, bowing in respect. The Principal bowed, and the students sat down thereafter.

He analyzed the four students seated and started, "You have been selected to undergo special lessons as preparation for the national exams this school year." He waited for them to respond before he continued, "I'm sure you've heard about our school's current position."

"The demolition?" Yun-Hee clarified.

"Indeed. Our aim is to top the national exams. The fifth and final member of the exclusive class is still overseas." Principal Matthew shifted his view from Leon to Natalie and finally Yun-Hee. "Since the three of you are in the same level, one of you needs to be the first, one the second, and the last one the third. Please work hard and achieve the requirements. From today onward, this shall be your classroom. We have hired a new teacher to guide you, along with the teachers you are already familiar with. Do you have any objections regarding this matter?"

The students shook their heads. All they heard was 'bla bla bla bla bla'. Who expected students to listen on the dreaded first day of school? Their brains were still wandering around and their mindsets were still in vacation mode. The only exception to this was Mi-Young.

The Principal then asked, "All of you had lunch as advised, am I correct?"

Yun-Hee and Mi-Young nodded. Leon and Natalie glanced at each other. They weren't advised to do anything.

"Good."

A sheet of paper was distributed to each member of the exclusive class. "The time now is eleven thirty. You have until four," Principal Matthew said.

The two hungry students glanced from him to the sheet of paper. "Four?" Natalie thought. Two words ran around her mind. "Oh God."

It was a test of three-hundred items with topics ranging from all subjects. To name a few, Chemistry, Geometry, Social Science, Korean, and English were included. "Start now," the Principal ordered without fully explaining the mechanics of the test.

Four and a half hours passed after several quick glances at the clock. Principal Matthew told them to put their pencils down on the table. Everyone did as commanded, whether contented or not with their answers.

The test papers were collected by Miss Song who immediately left to check them. The four students sat in silence and waited for the results. They had no choice but to stay inside the classroom anyway. Miss Song returned exactly twenty minutes after.

"These are the results of the exam. This will tell how much you have learned, and it will serve as a basis for which lessons you will be focusing more on." Miss Song gave back each student his or her sheet. She stopped by Natalie's seat.

"Are you okay?" the teacher inquired.

Natalie nodded. "I'm fine, mom."

Mi-Young adjusted her glasses as she adored her score of five mistakes. Yun-Hee smiled at her achievement of ninety percent. Natalie scanned the questionnaire after seeing her grade of eighty percent. Leon's eyes turned serious at the sight of the red digits. One hundred and three mistakes.

"Though you are still lacking one more member, please step forward one by one and introduce yourself, as well mentioning your score and an explanation why you have made mistakes. We'll start with the highest." It was not simply an introduction of the students, but it also was a test of their attitude, personality and pride. Confidence was a positive quality to possess. Pride wasn't.

Mi-Young automatically stood up. Her short, black hair swayed as she turned around to face her new classmates. Her eyeglasses reflected the angled rays of light, covering her eyes with a foggy blur. "Mi-Young. Third grade high school. Nineteen. Two hundred ninety-five over three hundred, minor miscalculations on trigonometric identities." Her straight posture and well-projected voice boasted confidence. She sat back down as the three students and the two teachers applauded.

The other three glanced at each other, not knowing who was supposed to be next. Yun-Hee instinctively rose to her feet and went to the front.

"I'm Kim Yun-Hee. I'm a first grade student. I'm already sixteen years old. I only got two hundred seventy out of three hundred because I wasn't sure of what answer to pick in some numbers. The test was really hard and...I didn't have a calculator to solve the problems."

The four students were not provided with anything except a pencil. Their scores were not that high, but just the ability to pass the test was considered a hard task. The time was extremely limited, and the questions were intensively difficult, nearly competing against the difficulty of college universities. The problem was that the national exams were much, much harder. And they had to top it.

The students clapped altogether. Leon bowed his head down in self-disappointment, giving Natalie a sure sign. She left her seat and faced the class. She bowed politely first before she started talking.

"My name is Natalie Song, also a student of first grade high school, sixteen years old. My grade is two hundred forty. I was careless in some questions."

Leon took a deep breath and stood up, controlling himself to not be ashamed. He did a good job and still appeared to have this distinct, cool, serious aura. He didn't pass the exam, he was the lowest among the four, and the score gap was quite large. "Leonhart Chatelier. First grade. Sixteen. One hundred ninety-seven." He glanced at his paper. "I lacked time."

Mi-Young didn't give Leon even a single clap as he returned to his seat. Yun-Hee gave him an encouraging smile but he refused to take it. He didn't feel sorry for himself, and he didn't want others to.

"A teacher will be specifically assigned to each one of you starting today. The first one shall be introduced shortly." As the Principal had said, a new teacher entered the classroom in a brief matter of seconds. It was a tough-looking man in a plain black suit. The man, approximately thirty years of age, stood and moved very rigidly. His face was serious and stiff, and he had a medium-built body, thus making anyone mistake him as the leader of the Yakuza.

"I will be your overall director. You will only address me by 'Sir', 'Sir Taiga' and nothing else. Do I make myself clear?" the man in black spoke.

The students nodded.

"What did I say?" His voice was demandingly strong. The four cringed.

"Yes sir!"

"Are we in military school?" Yun-Hee mentally asked, smiling to herself at the thought.

"What are you smiling at?"

Yun-Hee dropped the smile. "N-Nothing, s-sir."

"Good. I don't want to teach crazy students who smile for no reason."

Mi-Young grimaced.

"We will be tackling all subjects for this day. A brief run-through of lessons first." The Yakuza, er, teacher nabbed a chalk and began to make writings on the board.

XXX

6:12 PM

After another two strenuous hours, the sleepy students were barely receiving the information they were being bombarded with. The door abruptly slammed open and the Principal came in, waking up the students with temporary attentiveness. It was time for the most important part of the class. It was time to reveal who the teacher was assigned to.

"Sir Taiga shall be assigned to one of you. He shall help you through the year to overcome your weakness," Principal Matthew announced.

The three girls tensed. Leon didn't give a damn.

"That boy." Sir Taiga pointed a firm finger at Leon.

Now, he gave a damn. A real whole lot of it.

"Stand up!" he barked. Leon immediately struggled to his feet as if a crocodile snapped at him. Sir Taiga approached him and forced him into a crippling handshake.

"Taiga Ryouko."

"Leonhart Chatelier."

Leon countered Taiga's fierce glare, fighting the handshake with a squeeze of his own. Sir Taiga smirked. He had chosen well.

Author's Notes: This chapter was fairly...dull, I might say?

Refresher: [Mi-Young], female, is the arrogant student who was the valedictorian in her first and second grade high school years. [Yun-Hee], female, is Leon's childhood friend. Please don't confuse the two with each other. Thanks. [Natalie], female, is Miss Song's daughter and student. [Leon], male, is Yun-Hee's childhood friend. All of them are in the special class. You're getting confused now, aren't you? No? Good.

Important Notes: In case you didn't know, Korea's education system is quite different from what your school has, unless you're Korean, of course. Their elementary consists of six years (you usually graduate at the age of thirteen), followed by a three year middle school, then a three year high school. Twelve years total. The high school duration is divided into three: first grade (sixteen years old), second grade (seventeen years old), and third grade (eighteen years old). Unique, eh? Thanks a lot for reading. Kamsahamnida!