I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I'VE UPDATED. (why am I typing in all caps?) But anyways, I apologize for my lack of consistency in updating, but I really hope you stay with this story!

Sighing ruefully, I bubbled in the last multiple choice questions, and turned the paper over. The test had been surprisingly easy (thank you very much, Heiji's textbook), but of course, there were always a few questions that served as pitfall traps, just waiting for me to fall in them and have my day ruined.

Not that my day had been going that great in the first place.

I know what you're thinking. "Not great" is usually not the typical way to describe one's day when one has been SHOT AT by some unidentified person. The usual words that go along with that situation include but are not limited to:

Terrible

Worst-day-of-my-life

Heart-stopping

WHY IS SOMEONE TRYING TO KILL ME?

Frightening

*(*NI$#E23I&$

Disastrous

Horrible

You get the idea…

Then again, what happened this morning had been fairly normal compared to some of the life-threatening situations I had been in over the course of my lifetime. It was just last week, when Heiji and I had gotten into a particularly heated argument over my safety. Which was stupid, since I am a pretty good at akido (if I may say so myself) and

Heiji was just being annoyingly paranoid…

"Where are you going?"

"On another case with Kudo. He needs me for something."

"I'm coming with you!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT."

"Why? Heiji!"

"Because it's too dangerous…"

"Well, then why are you going?"

"Cause Kudo asked me to go! And I can take care of myself!"
"Well I can take care of myself too! Stop being an ahou!"

"You're the ahou! YOU CAN'T GO."

"I'M GOING!"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT. Kazuha, you are staying right here!"

"It's not too dangerous for me!"

"Yes, it is. You could get injured, or shot, or die! And there's people here that care too much about you for you to die."

"You're being too paranoid! And my dad is just one person!"

"I WASN'T JUST REFERRING TO YOU R DAD, AHOU!"

"WELL WHO WERE YOU REFERRING TO?"

"I- FORGET IT! Just go away. You can't come."

Why didn't he want me go with him? He knows that I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. If anything, HE was the one that is worrying. How many times has he showed up at my front door after one of his criminal-tracking days, injured and exhausted? At least fifteen times if I remember correctly, and that was at least fifteen times too many.

The bell rang and I quickly packed my folder and books away into my bag before rushing out into the hallway to join the mad crowd of students fighting to leave the dreaded place they know as school.

BANG!

I nearly fell as I jerked backward, just in time to miss the locker door. I felt my nose appreciatively. A second late, and I might have ended up noseless.

"Hey! Watch i-" I began to give the person a good piece of my mind (cuz really, I would love to explain to the hospital on my second visit there that my nose had been cut off by a locker door.)

"OH MY GOSH. KAZUHA! I didn't see you there! I'm really, really sorry!" Candy exclaimed loudly as she stood next to the deadly locker door, with her hands held to her face in shock.

"Oh… well, it's okay, I guess. I'm fine," I said, slightly taken aback by how much she had reacted. And she was being genuinely apologetic, so I didn't have the heart to unleash my fury. Besides, no harm done, right?

"I still can't over why anyone would want to shoot at you?" she said to me in a hushed tone. "But no one seemed to have reported anything, and I didn't know if I was supposed to tell someone, you know?"

"Um, it's okay, I mean it's not like me or Heiji actually got shot, so it might have just been a mistake. But thanks, anyway," I managed a smile and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"I guess you're right," she said, smiling brilliantly, and making my own awkward smile look incredibly hideous. By comparison, she was as pretty and perfect as well, a princess. And me? Try a hippo. With mud splattered on her butt (remember, Heiji tackled me onto the grass? I think I forgot to mention that it was muddy…). And hair that never seemed to be nice enough to let down. AND her arm in a cast.

And now I'm just being depressing…

Think happy thoughts, Kazuha, think happy thoughts.

"Anyways, want to come with me to get something to eat afterschool? Most of my friends are hanging out at the mall, but I'm not really in the mood," she said offhandedly. "And I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you all that much."

It took me a while to process what she had just said, and then realize that she was being entirely 100 percent genuine about the whole situation.

"I think that would great," I said, appreciatively. "But, let me ask Heiji first, cuz we usually walk home together afterschool."

"Ask me what?"

I whirled around to find myself inches away from the oh-so-familiar face of Hattori Heiji.

"Ask you if I can go with Candy to get something to eat afterschool. Since we usually walk home together, I didn't want to just leave you without a reason."

Heiji was quiet for a moment. Candy and I waited expectantly.

"No."

"I-wait, what?" I looked at Heiji again curiously, wondering if my ears had become defective in the last minute. "Did you just say 'no'?"

"Yes."

"Wait, so you're saying yes?"

"No!"

"MAKE UP YOUR MIND HEIJI." I planted my hands on my hips.

"AHOU! I'm saying that yes, I did say no to you going to eat with Candy."

"But Heiji, I-"

"Look, it's hard to explain, Kazuha," Heiji said, resignedly. He took me by the arm and led me away from Candy.

"Um, I guess I'll talk to you guys later…?" She called somewhat unsurely. (It must've been quite an awkward situation. Thanks to a certain someone, cough cough Heiji.)

I smiled and waved back, but Heiji just nodded slightly in her direction.

"That was downright rude of you!" I scolded, once we were out of earshot.

"I have my reasons, okay?" Heiji said, refusing to look at me, and continuing to pull me by the arm.

"Oh, and what are those?"

"Like I said, it's hard to explain. I'll tell you some other time. But you have to trust me, okay?"

"You know that I trust you," I said softly. Heiji didn't reply, though I knew he had heard me. "But don't you think you're being a little paranoid?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I think I'm being perfectly reasonable."

"Yes, because not letting me eat afterschool with a normal and nice fellow high school student is NOT paranoid whatsoever," I responded, rolling my eyes. (That was sarcasm in case you didn't catch that.)

"You're missing the point."

"WHAT POINT?" I exclaimed exasperated.

"Oops, class starts in ten seconds, better hurry!" Heiji said, grinning at me suddenly and taking off running towards his next class.

"RUNNING AWAY DOESN'T SOLVE ANYTHING!" I yelled after him. Several students behind me looked at me as if I had suddenly lost my mind, but I shrugged it off.

Hmm.. fortunately Heiji had left me right in front of my next class. It would've been nice to think that he had done this on purpose, but my logical side knew that it was probably just my chance. Heiji wouldn't go so far to make my life easier for me. Especially with that whole incident that just happened a few minutes ago.

But, even though I was supposed to be mad at him, I couldn't keep a smile off my face. What was wrong with me? Just arguing with him, had somehow put me in a better mood.

Why couldn't life be normal for me? Is that too much to ask?

I shook my head slightly. Deep down, I knew. I was lying to myself.

Because, I know for a fact, that with Heiji, my life would never be normal.

And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want it any other way.

Awww.. Kazuha ^.^ The argument between those two is somewhat based on an argument I had with my friend (and no I don't like him.) But anyways, review, por favor?