Warning(s) are and probably not limited to: Blood, cursing, violence, OOC (because I make a horrible Rin in my opinion, but hey, as my dad likes to tell me continuously, practice makes perfect), and an OC (who I improved to NOT be so close to Mary Sue, I hope).

Everything belongs to their respectful owners!

[xXx]

Days had passed since then. Raven was still nervous, but the emotional torment seemed to be gone, as though the thing that had resided on her shoulder had been the sole cause of it, that none of it was herself at all. However, the girl was hesitant. She didn't trust herself. It was all something that she felt was simply too good to be true. However, the urge to cut was faded, as well the rash thoughts. She felt ever so slightly more confident, eating just the tiniest bit more food a day and filling out whatever weight she had lost during the state of her depression. Already, she had gain a pound or two, and with that slight weight gain, the girl felt a little better physically. Currently, the girl was working on homework, actually being able to focus for a change. She hoped to improve her grades now that the thing was gone. No distractions, more focus, after all.

"Raven?"

The girl jumped some and turned. She relaxed at the sight of Paku once more. "Hey, Paku," she greeted softly, able to offer her the tiniest bit of a true smile.

"I was wondering... Do you want to come with me and Izumo to get some lunch? You've looked happier the past couple of days, so..." She offered a small, hopeful smile.

Raven smiled just the tiniest bit more, nodding as she stood. "Yeah, of course," she said softly, setting her pencil down and standing. She saw Izumo waiting for the two of them at the door of the room, her arms crossed under her bust, looking away from them both, and instantly felt a small flicker of warmth in her chest. Izumo wasn't one of the most friendly people she knew, always pushing people away before they could get close (with the obvious exception of Paku, of course), so knowing that the girl was at least somewhat willing to spend a bit of time with her was... well... nice! Before long, with Paku and Izumo in front of Raven, the three of them were on their way to a small little restaurant.

It wasn't fast food, but it wasn't fancy, either. It was simple, basic, even. It had a western home-like feel to it, what with the fire place in the center of the wall opposite to the front door, next to the open window kitchen. The walls were a dark polished wood, and the tables were thick, made of a hard, sturdy wood, with nature scenes painted on their surfaces. The chairs were wooden with red cushioning, and there was even a small bar for the adults. Warm, nature based pictures were lined along the walls, and there was even some staff photos among them. Upon closer inspection, there were even photos of some previous customers having a good time and eating their meals. Before Raven could admire further, she found herself being tugged away to a long, somewhat filled table.

"What was keeping you guys?" questioned one of the boys that Raven recognized from a few days prior.

"We got a little lost, that's all," Paku explained as she sat down next to the boy. He offered a cheeky, flirty smile.

"Hands off of Paku, Pink Head!" Izumo snapped, sitting down across from Paku.

"Aw, but she's just so cute, Izumo!"

"What's her name?" another boy asked, pointing at Raven. The instantly recognized him to be the one who had asked her what was wrong the other day, and upon recognizing him, she blushed ever so faintly. She honestly thought that she wouldn't see him again after their first encounter.

"It's Raven..." the girl told him shyly, offering a small smile in greeting. "And yours?"

The boy smiled. "It's Rin."

"Careful when you talk to Okumura, here. Stupid is contagious," snorted another boy on the other side of Raven.

"Hey!" Rin whined, bristling some at the insult.

"They're at it again," another boy frowned, sitting at the end of the table beside Suguro (but he wasn't exactly at the end like another boy was).

"Rin! Suguro! Knock it off! We're in public," snapped another boy at the other end of the table.

"You're not my mom, Yukio!" Rin huffed, crossing his arms. He otherwise leaned back and slid down his chair some, a childish pout on his lips.

The one named Yukio sighed at his brother, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. He then lowered his hand and offered a kind, welcoming smile to Raven. "Sorry about my brother. I'm Yukio Okumura," he said softly. "It's nice to meet you, Raven." He then introduced everyone around the table. Raven already knew Paku, the pink haired flirt was Shima, next to him was Rin, the boy at the end of the table was Konekomaru, next to Raven was Suguro, and then on the other side of her was Izumo, with whom she already knew of. There was two extra seats. When Raven asked about them out of mild curiousity and a sense of another supposed to be there, Yukio informed her that the last friend wouldn't be joining that night because she had to work.

"She's been down on her luck lately, so let's treat her nice," Izumo grumbled, blushing some. It seemed that being nice made the girl flustered some.

"O-oh! Y-you don't have to do that!" Raven exclaimed, blushing a little bit. "E-ever since I met Rin the other day... well... I-I've been feeling a bit better..." She offered a small smile to Rin. "Thanks for that, by the way..." She still had no idea how he did it, but she couldn't think of a way to thank him enough for it.

Rin grinned a bit and nodded, sitting back up and grabbing the edges of his seat. "Well... I could tell that you were down, so..." He quickly shook his head, grinning as he looked back at the girl. "I'm just glad that I managed to help you..." He then relaxed himself a little bit. "So if you ever need help with anything, just find me and I'll help."

"Except for anything academic," snorted Suguro. And just like that, Rin and Suguro were at it once more. For a lunch with mostly strangers, though, Raven was surprised to find their energy rubbing off on her, Rin able to keep her laughing most of the time. Shima was able to do it from time to time too, and a small mishap with beverages with Yukio made her laugh too. Made most everyone at the table laugh, really! And when Raven left the restaurant with Paku and Izumo that day, she found herself smiling just a bit more, despite the dark thoughts that lingered still in her mind from the thing's whisperings.

[xXx]

Read and review, please!

~Adriane