Hey guys, back with another chapter for y'all. Just a heads up, this chapter contains drama! The next chapter shall contain action and guns.

As always, please R&R and hope you enjoy.

Chapter 11 - Decisions

"Yo! Senou, welcome back man!" said Higashida. Natsuru and Natsume both walked to their seats at a steady pace as everyone started crowding towards Natsuru.

"Senou! I heard you got stabbed, is that true!?" asked a classmate.

Yeah Yeah! And that you were in the hospital for a while?"

Natsuru laughed nervously, "Well…something like that I guess," he said.

"Geez, guess we should be more careful at night. By the way, how're you feeling?" asked Higashida.

"He's feeling a lot better now thanks to me, right?!" said Natsume as she glomped him from behind, letting her assets rest atop his head.

"Senou! You bastard, I wish I could be taken care of by Natsume-sama!" shouted Higashida followed by agreement from their classmates.

"Alright everyone, take your seats!" said the teacher as he came walking in. He walked to the podium in front of the class and set down a stack of papers he was holding before clearing his throat. "I'm sure you all know that the date of the class trip is soon approaching and that you are all very excited."

"Yeah!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Very good, I will now be handing out the information for this year's trip. So read it thoroughly and carefully!" said the teacher.

"Class trip?" asked Natsume. "What's this all about?"

Natsuru took the papers from the classmate in front of him before turning around to Natsume. "It's an annual trip where the second years of the whole school participates," he said.

"A trip to a mountain-side resort huh?" said Natsume looking at the handout. "It sounds fun, but how come everyone is so excited?"

"It's an opportunity for the guys to mingle with the girls! Since this school is cruelly separating the student body, everyone takes any chance they get," said Natsuru.

"Ehh, is that so? Then I'm sure that you're super excited about being able to 'mingle' with Kaede, huh?" said Natsume crossing her arms.

"Wait what?! No, that's not what I mean! That's not the case anymo-"

"Hmph!"

Natsuru lowered his head, ceasing all attempts at a rebuttal and sighed.

"I'm just kidding!" said Natsume as she patted his head.

"Come on now…" said Natsuru with relief.

"Hey guys!" a voice said. Both of them turned to look, it was Aizawa, Yamato, the guy Natsume had met during their physical education class. Turns out he was actually in the same class as them but never really stood out much. "Are you excited for the class trip?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've never been on a trip with a lot of people before, I'm looking forward to it!" said Natsume.

"Really? Then I think you'll enjoy it!" said Aizawa. He then turned to Natsume as if he was zoning out Natsuru saying, "Oh right since it's coming up soon, a couple friends and I were going to go shopping, would you care to join us? Afterwards we'll be going to a karaoke bar too!"

"Umm," said Natsume. She glanced to Natsuru to which he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I'm really sorry, but it's my turn to cook dinner tonight, so I'll have to be home early," she said with an apologetic smile.

"Alright, another time then. Would it be okay if we exchanged cellphone numbers? Just so I can contact you," said Aizawa.

"Cellphone…? Oh, I actually don't have one," said Natsume as she chuckled.

"Ah what a shame, but we'll hang out soon okay?" he said as he touched her hand and excused himself. He looked back at Natsuru as he walked away with a smirk of spite.

Natsuru noticed this quite obviously and shot a glare back at Aizawa, being discrete enough as to not be noticed by Natsume. Ignoring what had just happened, he then turned to her and cocked his eyebrow, giving Natsume a look of playful suspicion.

"What?" she replied. "He's just a friend!"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Like I said, it's not like that!"

Natsuru patted her head and let out a hearty laugh, "That's payback," to which Natsume pouted.

The two walked through the door of their house onto the genkan where they were met with darkness and silence. Natsuru flipped a couple switches on the wall as he took off his shoes using his feet, lights now illuminating where they along with the hallway. Natsuru walked into the doorway leading to the living room and dining room followed by Natsume. Turning on the lights, he dropped his bag next to the dining table and walked over to the couch where he let himself fall over. Natsume was in the kitchen, now peering through the refrigerator for ingredients. The silence within the room was broken by the television as Natsuru turned on the t.v. and flipped through the channels with the remote.

"Man, today was so tiring for some reason…" he groaned.

"It wasn't too bad," replied Natsume from the kitchen. "By the way, where are your parents?"

"Who knows? They tend to be out of the house most of the time."

"I see. Well at least nothing bad happened today."

"Guess you're right. But I'm a little worried about what'll happen in the future. I mean, even though our powers are pretty strong, it feels like the Whites still have an advantage. Me almost getting killed was the closest call we've had so far, and who knows what can happen next time?" said Natsuru as he sat up.

Natsume made her way over to the couch, slipped onto Natsuru's lap in a provocative manner, embraced him with her arms, where she then swiftly planted a kiss on his lips. She slowly backed away and comforted him saying, "You think too much."

"To be fair, I'm the one they want dead," he said as he too wrapped his arms around her. He leaned into her lips as he led in with his tongue, which was something he had picked up a certain someone. With heavy breaths, the two's means of communication became nothing more than skin and lips. They soon lost themselves to each other as they fell to the other's embrace.

The next day had come as students slowly filled the classroom with conversation about the class trip that is soon approaching.

"Yo Senou! You ready for the class trip?" asked Higashida.

"Oh…y-yeah!" replied Natsuru.

"Umm, is something the matter?"

"No nothing is! Why do you ask?"

"Well you look a little on edge," said Higashida. Natsuru was indeed on edge, having buttoned his collar shirt all the way up along with covering his neck with his hands made him all the more suspicious.

"Oh really? I just need to use the restroom, excuse me!" said Natsuru as he ran past Higashida and out of the classroom.

Natsuru rushed towards the bathroom, bursting through the doors with haste as he made his way to the sink. He let out a heavy sigh as he looked at himself in the mirror and started to undo the top buttons of his shirt. "Damn it, these things won't go away!" he said as he touched the dark red spots on his neck. Fortunately for him, his collar covered the first spot but left the second one halfway exposed. Natsuru couldn't risk anyone seeing this or else there'd be hell to pay, especially not the other girls. For now, he'll just have to do his best to keep them hidden, but it's only the beginning of the day. He could just pop his collar up, but that would look even stranger and would draw attention. He let out another heavy sigh as he walked out of the bathroom whilst buttoning his shirt. Natsume stood waiting against the wall with a look of worry on her face, walking up to him and fixing his collar as best she could.

"Natsuru I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" she said.

"It's fine, don't worry," he reassured her. "I'm just glad that your undershirt covers all of yours."

"Y-Yeah," said Natsume as her cheeks became pink.

"There you are, I've been looking for you!" said a voice. The two jumped at the familiar voice and turned around to face Akane.

"Hey Akane, what's up?" said Natsuru calmly.

"Shizuku wants to meet in the library during break and she told me to let you two know, so make sure to be there," she said.

"Yeah, we'll be there," replied Natsuru.

"Okay then, I'll be going no-"

"Akane?"

"Hey, you piece of shit! What the hell is this!?" shouted the red haired Akane as she tugged at Natsuru's collar. "These had better be mosquito bites or something!" she said with her gun pointed at Natsuru's head.

"W-W-Wait hang on! There's a perfectly good explanation for this!" stuttered Natsuru.

"Bullshit there is!" said Akane letting go of Natsuru. She quickly turned to catch Natsume by the neck as she peeled back the fabric that covered her neck.

"Ah Akane! Stop!"

"I knew it! You bastards have been having a lot of fun together huh?!" said Akane.

"Wait Akane! Please don't tell anyone!" pleaded Natsume.

"Huhhh?! Why shouldn't I?"

"Just…please don't, I'm begging you!" said Natsuru as he bowed his head.

Akane stared at Natsuru as he was still bowing, face full of contempt. She shot a glare towards Natsume, to which she responded in surprise and also bowed.

"…Hmph!" said Akane as she aggressively trudged away leaving the two behind. They watched her walk down the hallway and disappear behind a corner. Looking at one another, they sighed and smiled in relief.

"Let's just head back to class," said Natsuru. To which Natsume nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all for coming," said Shizuku. The five were seated around a circular table on the second level of the library. At this time, there were not many students using the library, save for the handful of male and female students that were on the first floor. "I wanted to talk about Kaede."

"Has there been any new developments with her?" asked Natsume.

"I've been keeping an eye on her but as of right now, there's been nothing new," said Shizuku. "But that is not the case, the Whites attack on Natsuru as well as the Black Kampfers is an obvious hint that Kaede is still on the move."

"Why don't we attack her before she attacks us?" suggested Mikoto. "We almost had her last time, and now we have more people!"

"We can't be too hasty, we have become stronger, but Kaede is still strong herself. Not only that, she also has numbers on her side. If anything, she can get rid of us at any given moment, but I wonder why she hasn't taken action," pondered Shizuku.

"It may be because she's dealing with the other Black Kampfers," Natsuru pointed out. "I don't know how many of us there are, but I know that we're pretty strong."

"By the way Natsuru, have you heard from Shousuke at all since the incident?" asked Natsume.

"Not yet, I'll try contacting them later but I'm sure they made it out alright," said Natsuru.

"Even with the Black Kampfers, what should we do Shizuku?" asked Akane.

"We ourselves aren't in a position to be making decisions, so we must be patient and keep on our guard. So that nothing like last time happens again," said Shizuku as she playfully looked at Natsuru. He locked eyes with her for a moment before darting his eyes away. He blushed as he recalled what had occurred that night. "That's all I wanted to say about this issue, if there are no more questions, then our little meeting is adjourned." She looked around the table to see if anyone had any lingering questions, to which they all shook their heads. "Right then, I have a question for Natsuru, though this is off topic."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, would you please unbutton your collar a little?"

"Eh?...W-what kind of question is that? I like wearing my shirt like this!" retorted Natsuru.

"I see, I was just wondering what the mark on your neck was," said Shizuku as she pointed to said mark.

"Ehh?!" shouted Mikoto. "Don't tell me that's…"

"What I do is my own business! And I'd appreciate it if you all respected that," said Natsuru. The table fell silent as the five sat with their tongues tied. Shizuku did not mean to instigate a reaction like that from Natsuru, perhaps she took it a little too far.

"…I'm sorry everyone," he finally said. "I had to make a decision, if I were to remain indecisive, I would have ended up hurting everyone and wasting your time," he said with a mellow tone.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Mikoto as she stood up. "Don't say that...All the time I had spent with you up until now has been precious to me. So don't call it a waste," she said as tears welled up in her eyes. "Do whatever you want!" shouted Mikoto as she turned around and ran.

"Mikoto wait!" said Natsuru. He got up but was stopped by Akane.

"You know Natsuru-san…I was really happy when you told me that you thought of me back then. But I guess that's not the case anymore…"

"Akane I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Natsuru was interrupted by a firm punch to the stomach.

"Like hell you're sorry! Don't apologize to me, it's as if you're throwing me away or something!" said Akane. Natsuru held his stomach, but was still standing upright. Akane stood there looking at him as if she was about to say something before she walked away saying, "Forget it, I don't care anymore!"

They watched Akane as she trudged off, leaving the remaining three in silence. Natsuru felt helpless, looking at Shizuku in wait for her time of retribution. Instead, she simply looked back at him with eyes of sympathy and pity, something he does not see often from her.

Confused, he finally said "You don't have anything you want to say?"

"What do you expect me to say?" said Shizuku. "The man I love has just blatantly rejected me, in a rather distasteful way if I might add."

Natsuru cringed at that last comment, biting down on his tongue and looked away as he braced himself for Shizuku's words. Much to his surprise, he found the Student Council President locking lips with him as she playfully danced with his tongue. Natsume could only watch as Shizuku enjoyed her

"…What-"

"We'll leave it at that," said Shizuku as she took her leave. Natsuru sat back down in his chair, sighing heavily as his head hung low.

"Natsuru…" said Natsume as she grabbed his hand. Though what Shizuku just did shocked her, it was not the time for her to be upset about it. Unsure of what to say, she conjured up a warm smile and hugged him with all of her might. A simple act of comfort was all that was needed for Natsuru, whose heart was feeling a little lighter.

"Thank you," he said under his breath.

"Alright everyone, make sure you don't forget about the printouts. Have fun on the class trip tomorrow!" said the homeroom teacher.

Natsuru rested his chin on his hand and looked outside where the warm blue sky of spring and the sun's rays permeated through the glass. Everyone else was getting ready to leave as conversations about the class trip became the hot topic. Natsuru didn't bother joining in on any of them, he was content with sitting silently at his desk as he thought about how he'd face Akane, Mikoto, and Shizuku the next time they meet. 'I don't think things will remain the same anymore,' he thought. He grimaced at the thought of them no longer being friends or how that things may become awkward around them.

"You know…" said Natsume. She stood in front of his desk with her hands behind her. "When you get sad, I also get sad."

"Yeah I know, sorry about that. I guess I'm just a little down because of how things turned out."

"Hey Senou!" said Higashida. "The other guys and I are going to get something to eat with some girls, you guys wanna come?"

"No thanks I'm good, I'll just head home for today."

"Alright then, suit yourself. See you guys tomorrow!"

"Hmmm…I think I know what'll cheer you up!" said Natsume.

The two walked side to side down the sidewalk of the busy streets of the city. The sun was fairly high in the sky, lighting up the many windows in buildings and the streets. There were a plethora of people walking around; businessmen, parents with their kids, students from all different grades, and couples.

"Hey Natsume, where are you taking me?" asked Natsuru.

"It's a surprise, so just follow me!" she said as she grabbed his hand.

She led them through the city, weaving around people here and there. Natsuru was surprised that she knew her way around so well, as they've never been to this area of the city before. Hand in hand, they continued their walk down and Natsuru slowly started to feel a sense of familiarity with this area. It was the area of the city where he used to visit often when he was a child with his friends and parents.

"Tada! We're here!" said Natsume. They stood in front of arcade shop. Natsuru's eyes widened as he read its name in neon lights. It was the arcade he'd always spend his with his friends at.

"Natsume…how do you know about this place?" he asked in astonishment.

"I just did a little peeking around inside your head," she said with a chuckle.

"Wait when did you do that?!"

"I'm just kidding! I'm actually not sure, it's kind of just in my head. But anyways, you used to come here a lot back then right?"

"I did, this place brings back a lot of memories," he said as he looked into the arcade.

"Let's go!" said Natsume as she tugged his arm. "Bet you can't beat me in any of those games!"

Natsuru happily accepted that challenge, feeling a sense of nostalgia as he walked into the arcade, he decided to go all out. Afterwards, Natsume took him to his favorite place to eat in that area. It was a small ramen shop almost hidden behind the street corner, there weren't many customers, but their ramen could easily be one of the best. After they had their fun, they ended up at the park Natsuru had taken Natsume a while back. The sun was now setting, its rays that shone over the horizon filled the park with a shade of gold. They sat down on a nearby bench, enjoying the view of the nature around them.

"Thanks for today, Natsume," he said.

"You don't have to thank me, I did this out of my own selfishness!" she responded.

"Of course you did," said Natsuru as he laughed. "But I do feel a lot better now. I feel like a load has been lifted off of my shoulders, now that I know my decision was worth it."

Natsume blushed and giggled, "That was so corny!"

"Was it?" said Natsuru as he held her hand.

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting, but I'm looking for Senou Natsuru," said a voice. The two jumped from their seats at the sound of said voice, turning around to face were it had come from.

"Kaede!"

Yay for chapter 11, as always, thank you guys for reading and commenting. It makes it more worthwhile knowing that people actually enjoy the crap I write (at least somewhat). As for Aizawa Yamato, I'll be having him do some interesting things in the future.

I shall leave it here for next time!

つづく！