Sorry for the long delay. It took me two years to figure out the rest of the plot, how sad is that?! Once again, I own nothing but the plot line. Lawyers can go F*** themselves.

Ayumu was finally allowed to leave the hospital two days later. Madoka forced him to say home from school the next day, just to make sure he was really alright like he claimed (she doesn't believe him at all). He was allowed to go back to school the following day after pointing out, logically, that he felt completely fine and if he wasn't the doctors would have proscribed longer bed rest. So, with some trepidation, Madoka let him leave the house, after he made her breakfast of course.

'She worries too much' Ayumu thought as he walked onto the school campus. 'But even her worry can't stop her and amazing appetite.' He smiled ruefully when he remembered she reminded him to make her an extravagant dinner tonight. 'I need to stop telling her she can have what she wants.'

"Narumi-san! Hey, Narumi-san! NARUMI-SAN!!" Hiyono greeted him in the normal way the moment she saw him. Ayumu tilted his head away from her shouting, keeping the same bored look on face.

"I heard you the first time, Hiyono."

"Narumi-san, how are you feeling? Are you sure it's okay for you to be at school already?" Hiyono was nearly as worried as Madoka had been that morning.

"I'm fine, Hiyono." He said, not even looking at her as they continued into the building. "The doctors wouldn't have let me go if I wasn't, so stop worrying about me." 'I don't need or deserve it.' He pulled off his street shoes and put on his school shoes, grabbing his bag.

Hiyono huffed. "You're so ungrateful, Narumi-san! Here I am, worrying over your health, and you're acting like it's just an inconvenience to you."

"I swear, girls worrying over me will be the death of me. First Nee-san, now you. I wonder who's next?" Ayumu mused out-loud wistfully.

"Narumi-san?" Hiyono was left wondering what he meant as he left for his class. 'Has no one ever worried about him? Is he just not used to it, or does he not want it?' "Arrgh! Narumi-san is so confusing!" Just then, the bell rang, telling her that if she didn't hurry it up she'd be later then Ayumu. She ran for her next class, just barely making the bell. 'I find out about him later.'

Lunch time, on the roof:

Ayumu laid up on the platform next to the far fence, his cookbook over his face, trying to sleep. His body told him he was not yet at 100%, but his mind wouldn't let him just lay down and sleep. 'What is happening? Something is starting, and once again, Aniki is at the center of it all, pulling the strings just like always. I doubt that even if that hunter did betray him, he had absolutely no part in his actions, Aniki is smarter than that. What is he planning now?' The sound of the roof door opening jolted him out of his thoughts. He took the book off his face to see Kousuke standing there, behind him was Rio and Ryoko.

"Ah, Narumi-Otouto is back!" Rio rushed past Kousuke to stand in front of Ayumu. "How are you feeling, Otouto?"

"What is it with girls and worrying so much?" Ayumu queried, laying back down and putting the book back over his face.

"Otouto should be happier about having pretty girls worrying about him." Ryoko joked as she joined Rio.

"Not when all of them are crazy." Ayumu said in a bored tone.

Kousuke couldn't help snickering at that, until both girls turned around and glared at him and he had to turn it into a cough. "Speaking of crazy chicks, where's the reporter girl? She's usually always with you."

"She's in the journalism room, eating my lunch, again."

"Well, your cooking is so amazing! I'm going to see Hiyono-san!" Rio left at try and sneak some of Ayumu's amazing cooking from the reporter.

"Well, that's one crazy person gone." Ayumu chuckled as Kousuke and Ryoko settle down further away to eat their own lunches. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something." Ayumu directed towards Kousuke as he sat up for real this time. "Has the hunter told you anything? About Aniki or what he wanted?"

Ryoko munched on her bread, leaving the explanations to Kousuke. He sighed, hating being left that job.

"He knows about you and Kiyotaka so he was once trusted by him, but clearly not very much. That much is obvious. He's a hunter, so what he truly wants is to kill all of us Blade Children. However, normal hunters don't really care to learn much about anyone other than their targets. Hunters don't like to involve innocents but they won't go out of their way to keep them safe either." He rattled all this off like he'd known it for a while.

"That doesn't answer my question." Ayumu pointed out.

'Damn him and his perceptiveness.' "That's because the only thing we've gotten out of him at all are curses for us." Kousuke said unconcernedly.

"I want to talk to him."

"What?!" The statement brought a exclamation from both of the Blade Children. "Narumi-Otouto, he tried to kill you, he won't talk to you." Ryoko pointed out logically. She returned to her bread, sure he'd listen to logic.

"Even so, I want to try. If he knows anything about Aniki, I want that information." The red head saw determination in Ayumu's eyes that he hadn't seen since he had challenged Rio to a rematch. He chuckled.

"I gotta admire your stubbornness, Otouto. Not two days out of the hospital, already at school, and demanding to see your attempted murderer. You're one messed up kid, y'know that?"

"Does that mean you'll take me to see him?" Ayumu asked bluntly, in no mood for riddles or anything else.

"Yeah, sure." Kousuke smirked. "It's your own time you're wasting." The bell for the end of lunch period rang. "Meet us after school and we'll take you to him."

Hiyono and Rio:

"Hiyono-chan!" Rio called as she entered the Journalism Office. Said girl looked up from the half empty bento box, a pair of chopsticks still her mouth.

"Wheo-cwan" Hiyono greeted around a full mouth of tamagoyaki, she swallowed. "What's up?"

"Narumi-Otouto told us you were down here and so I...just... wanted to see if you'd share his lunch with me!" She exclaimed with pleading eyes.

Hiyono blinked before smiling and offering her the bento box. Rio squealed and took out her chopsticks, smiling gratefully and digging in. The two girls ate the bento with gusto, practically crying in ecstasy with every bite, exclaiming how she'd be the one to marry Ayumu and be treated to this sort of food every day.

After they had finished and cleaned up, Hiyono asked Rio the question she'd been anxious to know. "Hey, Rio-chan, you said you saw Narumi-san, right?" The gray-haired girl nodded. "How did he look? Was he okay?"

Rio thought on the question for a moment. "Well, he was sleeping when we got up there, but that's nothing new. However, he seemed a little annoyed for no reason, but really, he looked a little pale and more tired than sleepy like normal."

"I see." Hiyono said frowning. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he didn't like crazy girls worrying about him, rude boy." Rio said matter-of-factly, pouting in annoyance.

Hiyono giggled, "Yep, that sounds like Ayumu alright. Thanks for telling me, Rio-chan."

"No problem, Hiyono-chan. Thank you for sharing that heavenly lunch with me!"

Kousuke and Ryoko:

"Kousuke, why are you taking him to see that guy? You know Otouto doesn't need that." Ryoko asked Kousuke as they went back to class.

"He wanted it, Ryoko. Coddling him after all this won't do him any good, he doesn't need that either. Besides, the guy's tied hand and foot, half blind, and can't possibly do anything to hurt anyone. Even then, either me or Eyes will be in the room, just in case. Trust me Ryoko, nothing's gonna happen." Kousuke's answer was sure and confident, making even Ryoko believe him.

"I hope you're right."

TBC. I will update soon, I now know where this story is going. Thanks for your patience!