Episode 3

Ayumi's P.O.V

Walking to school was a quiet affair. Grandpa had made me wear his gift, and I was walking silently. Something about the necklace didn't make sense. I understood that it was a family thing, but the way he had demaned I wear it, didn't make sense. It almost seemed much more important.

"Are you the granddaughter of Oshiro?" asked a voice and I looked up from my thoughts. A man was standing there looking at me. He didn't look happy with me,

"Um, I am. What of it?" I asked and before he could respond I heard my name being called. I turned and saw the boys. As if he had to, the man came closer. Of course I was turned away, so I had no clue.

"Your grandfather is going to get it." he said and when I turned, he was already walking away. I looked after him in confusion. As the boys came to stand next to me, I decided to just let it go.

"So who was that?" Shin asked as she stopped next to me. The other boys just kept walking. I looked at Shin,

"No idea. But its connected to this." I said and showed him the necklace. He looked it over and shrugged. As he walked a head, I thought of what the man had looked like. He looked like a Yakuza man. I didn't know what my family did. I knew that their first business was a jewelry store. But that closed at 6pm. The whole family, besides the younger kids, had all day to be secretive. I would have to ask Grandpa about it when I got home.

"Oi! Are you coming?" asked Noda, who had stopped to look back at me. I looked up and realized that I had stopped walking. Noda looked impatient, and I rolled my eyes as I ran to catch up with them.

During class was when my day started to change. The moment Yankumi had seen my necklace, she ran right back out of the classroom. She had looked shocked and then something else that I didn't know. Shin looked at me in confusion, and I shrugged. When the bell rang for the end of the day, I was so mad. Something was happening, someone hadn't told me everything. And I wanted to run home to ask Grandpa about it. But I was afraid. He was rarely mad about things, but he hated when he was questioned about something like that. I had seen his anger once.

Flashback

Grandpa sat in his usual chair. We had just celebrated my 7th birthday. And I was on the floor playing with what I had gotten from them. I looked up as Kei came rushing into the room.

"Why did you give this to my wife?" he spat and everyone in the room froze. Even I knew that you never took that tone with Grandpa. Aya came walking into the room. Her eyes saw what her husband was holding, and she turned to look at Grandpa.

"What are you? What is this family? The Yaku..." he started and suddenly Grandpa was up from his chair. He went up to Kei and yanked the necklace out of his hand. He then threw it at Aya, who caught it and put it back on.

"What we are is not to be said in front of the children. Have you no sense young man. I took you in years ago. Have I not earned your respect and love?" he said and he was deadly calm. I looked up at him in fear. He was glaring, but he was speaking calmly. I got up and yanked on his shirt. When he looked down at me, he sighed. He picked me up and put his mouth next to my ear.

"I'm not mad at you. There is nothing to fear from me. " he said and I smiled at him, I never noticed the looks the family sent to Kei, who paled and ran right back out.

End Flashback

That day was almost forgotten to me. I had never seen him like that again, and he always stayed happy, with a smile on his face. But now that I was older, I heard what he had implied to his son in law. Our family was more than what he told me and my cousins. I looked up as a hand landed on my shoulder. It was just Shin.

"You coming with us?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No. I have to go home and figure this out. " I said and he nodded, but he didn't move.

"Come out with us anyway. You have enough time to go do that." he said and I looked at him again. He was alone.

"Just me and you?" I asked as a way of asking where the others were. He smirked,

"Uchi had to go home. Noda had a date. Minami opted to go home as well. Kuma had to help out at his dad's shop. " he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure. Where are we going?" I asked as I gathered my bag and followed after him. He turned to look at me before walking on.

"We are going to Kuma's." he said and I nodded. I liked Kuma. He reminded me of a huge teddy bear and I was starting to see him as a brother. I hadn't told my family this yet.

I ran into the shop and latched onto Kuma, who began to blush.

"Hi Kuma." I said and I saw his mom smile as she came out from behind the counter. She came over.

"Are you Arai Ayumi?" she asked and I nodded as I let go of Kuma and bowed to her. Suddenly I found myself being hugged. I wasn't used to being hugged from strangers, and I had to stop myself from hurting her. I had been taught how to fight, and I was really good. But my family had told me that a real delinquent acted with dignity. And I stuck to that.

"Thank you so much for helping my son. He would have been expelled from school had you not gotten the bag back. Sawada told me what you did. " she said and I looked at Sawada, who was looking as though nothing had happened.

"I am so glad he has friends like you. " she said and I smiled at her. She led us to a table and gave us both a bowl of noodles for free. Shin dug in, and I smiled as Kuma joined us and was in the process of eating his 5th bowl. After I finished mine, I stood up.

"I have to go home. Ill see you both at school tomorrow." I said and ignored Kuma who was begging me to stay longer. I picked up my bag and walked off.

On my way home it was eerily quiet. I looked around and felt like I was being watched. I got into my bag and took out the brass knuckles that my uncle Kei had given me. I had scoffed at him at the time. But now I understood. If the person I was going to fight was stronger, then I could do more damage with the brass knuckles. I looked around again and kept walking. As I neared the alley that I always took on my way home, heard the foot steps behind me. I stopped and looked behind me discreetly. A man was standing there. It wasn't the same man that I had seen earlier on my way to school. But this man had on a long trench coat. As I turned to face him, he lashed out and I went crashing into the dumpster that was next to me. I groaned as I felt something crack. The man wasn't that strong. But the angle of the way I fell, and falling on the corner of the metal bin is what hurt me. I knew I would be bruised as well. I felt him trying to take my bag and I jumped up and slammed my fist into his ribs.

"Don't pick on people, and don't steal peoples things. You don't know your victims. And be glad all I did was punch you." I spat as I picked my bag up and walked off. As I walked off, I heard him groaning and I felt bad for him. But that passed as pain from my ribs started up.

I groaned in pain as my uncle Kei wrapped my ribs. His daughter Rei was sitting next to me. She was 14 and had already started acting like a delinquent. Her father wasn't happy with it. But he knew that we could take care of ourselves. Our family had made sure we could. He was purposfully poking my side as he wrapped it and Rei was giggling at me.

"What happened Ayumi?" Grandpa asked and I looked up at him. The whole day came crashing back as I thought of the necklace. Instead of saying what I was thinking, I began to tell him of the man that had ambushed me and broke one of my ribs.

"Don't walk in the alleys anymore." he said and I nodded. As I looked away, he sat down and nodded.

"I'm glad I gave you the brass knuckles." uncle Kei said as he stood up and declared me finished. I noticed Grandpa motioning him to leave us alone, and I flinched. He must have noticed my look when he had asked me about what had happened. The moment we were alone, he turned to me.

"Something is wrong. What is it?" he asked and I looked down. When I didn't answer he stayed silent. Finally he stood,

"I'm very hurt that you will not confide in me. Something must be wrong. However, I will be waiting for when you decide to tell me." he said and then walked out of the room.

At school, it was noisy. The whole class was in an up roar. Shin sat next me, and was trying to fake sleeping. I was trying in vain to read the book I had borrowed from Emiko. Emiko had come back from America with her parents. She had bought me some books to read and since I was the only one in the class that read English, I jumped at it. But what made me drop my book was the conversation some boys were having. They were blaming the muggings on Uchi. I looked around as the book crashed into the floor. He was gone. Uchi wasn't here. I stood up and sent my desk flying. Everyone turned to look at me. And I looked at Shin in apology as the desk had hit his. Then I turned back to the boys, not noticing Yankumi standing there as well.

"Don't blame him. You don't know that it was him." I spat and some of the boys looked at me stunned. I had never raised my voice to them, and I was always well mannered.

"What else should we think? He isn't here, so he obviously did it." one of the boys said back, and I growled as I walked to the front of the room. I then lifted my shirt and showed them the bruise.

"I know it wasn't him. As I was the last person to be his victim. You all call yourself friends, but you don't act like it, and its really starting to piss me off. At least you have friends! I spent half my life without any friends, and let me tell you how lonely that is. " I spat and then turned to go, but froze as I saw Yankumi.

That night, we went to find the man who had done all the muggings. The other boys had joined in because they were bored, but Shin and I had joined because we were worried about Uchi. Yankumi was leading the charge. But she was trying to be the latest victim. I nearly lost it when she showed up in what old looking teenage cloths. I put my arm around Shin's shoulders and finally lost it. I never noticed the smile on his face, and I dug with my other phone, and took a picture of her.

"That is being used as blackmail. Or as an incentive to dress better." I said as I finally got my laughter under control. We got Yankumi to go walk around for a while and we went to get Ramen.

"I feel bad making her walk alone." I said suddenly and they all looked at me. Shin stood up and walked out and I shook my head as I got up to follow him. When we got outside, we heard her screaming. We all went running. We saw her holding the man down and I had the urge to start laughing. She suddenly turned and said that the man was holding her down, and snorted at her. I stayed standing as the boys all piled onto the man. When they got up, we realized that it was an old man.

"Thats the man from the arcade." Shin said and I rolled my eyes as I realized that I had probably broke an old mans ribs the other day. Frankly it served him right. I turned to Shin.

"You guys should come over to my house. We have the house to ourselves for the weekend." I said and they all nodded as they dropped the man off at the police station.

Shin's P.O.V

We spent the night with her, and stayed the night. We all slept in the living room, while she slept in her room, with her door locked. She claimed it was to keep her father happy. The next morning was a horrible morning. She had gotten up and fixed breakfast. But as we were sitting down to eat, the front door burst open. Ayumi jumped up,

"Grandma!" she said and tried to fix her a spot, but was stopped by the glare she was getting.

"Ayumi your grandfather isn't himself. And it has something to do with you. Now sit. And you boys need to leave." she said and waited. I got up first. I grabbed some rice balls and walked out. I saw the boys following me. Before the door shut I saw Ayumi looking scared.

Ayumi's P.O.V

I watched the boys leave and I sat down on my chair and stayed silent.

"He told me that you were hiding something. Now I wish to know what that is. Or you may go tell him yourself." she spat as she sat down across from me. She stared at me and I got up and rushed over to her.

"Grandma, can I please wait to say anything? This is important and I don't want to jump to the wrong thing when I do tell him." I said and she looked at me for a few minutes before nodding.

"Very well. You may have your time to come up with something. You only have a week." she said and then started getting her own food.

I hope you enjoy the newest chapter. I own nothing.