Sorry, everyone, I was back yesterday, but I didn't get on or check my mail yesterday. T_T
At least I'm back now. I think I told myself I'd be updating two times a day until I catch up with how far I am. Didn't I tell you guys that I also clumped a ton of the story on scene 101? So now, I ask you: how long do you want the individual scenes to be? The shortest I've put on the site was somewhere in the high 400s [in words]. The most would be about 1400. The average would be around 800 words, I think, if I take out the headnotes and footnotes.
Well, review and tell me. Or you can PM me. I don't really care, as long as you tell me. :]
And as leeland88 has suggested, I've decided to add a summer festival into the story. But that will come after the Millifore Arc. You'll know why later. For now, the main reason is because I've already written out everything up to the Millifore Arc, the entire Millifore Arc, and some of what would come after. Which means I've finished the Millifore Arc. Put down the grand finale of the Arc into text. Already. Before the manga releases it. That means that what I put down might not be [nearly certainly wouldn't] be accurate or very much like the actual story. But then again, you know I get impatient sometimes. I'm pretty happy to be without writer's block anymore. Which means I have to write more. :D
Woah, all that above was typed up in under three minutes. O.o
And yes, AkaMizu-Chan, I LOVE cliffhangers.
And since meki not only reviewed, but voted, I'll have the updated scoreboard here:
Mukuro/Kaia: 8 [and 5 re-votes from Shin] [one of the votes are from Shoko-Chan, and she re-votes twice]
Mukuro/Kaia with a Hibari twist: 1 [and 3 re-votes from Shoko-Chan]
Gokudera/Kaia: 5 [and 1 1/2 re-votes from Shin] [another re-vote from Crazee4anime]
Hibari/Haruka: 2 [and another re-vote from Shin]
Yamamoto/Chrome: 2 [and 2 re-votes from Shin] [and a re-vote from Banyou]
Hibari/Kaia: 3 [a re-vote from that~one]
Belphegor/Kaia: 3 [a re-vote from The Great Pineapple MEKI]
Soto/Kaia: 1
Byakuran/Kaia: 1
Xanxus/Kaia: 1
Ah. Now, Hibari and Bel really are rivals. :]
They're now neck-to-neck in the race: three votes each, one re-vote each. Well, I'll make up for that. Since Bel won't really be in the story for now [the Varia are still being punished for the Cradle Affair and the Ring Battles], I'll put in some of him later. I hope you, the readers, are a little patient for it. It'll come. Soon. I hope, that is.
Anyway, about the scene. This update. This update is a little longer than the others. More than 1300 words. This one is really important, I think. Really, I think Kaia's fighting against herself. And everyone around her. Doesn't know who to trust. At least, right now, she is. Wonder what she'll be later on in the story. Different, no doubt. xD
And this part is where the 59OC and 18OC comes to collide into each other. I think I told you readers about this before, didn't I? When the Varia Arc was done. That Hibari will be back. :D
Anyway, just read. Read the story, don't listen to my rantings for such a long time. It's a waste of time. Seriously, just get on with your life and get this scene done. ^^;;
Happy Reading, everyone, and please review at the end!
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Who failed the quiz? Kaia, for not even learning what the quiz was about, Tsuna, for being a failure at academics again, and Yamamoto, not familiar enough with the topic – they were the ones who failed the quiz.
The bell rang; school was out.
"Raiahu, Sawada, Yamamoto! You're staying!" reminded the teacher.
"Haii," Kaia nodded, but still quite detached from the world.
"Ahh, sensei, I've got baseball practice – we're going to have a game in forty-five minutes…" said Yamamoto. "I have to go."
"Fine," growled the teacher. "But if you fail anything again, you're staying after school, double-time."
"Thanks," said Yamamoto. He turned to Tsuna. "Sorry, but I've got to go. Have fun with Kaia, okay?" And with a wave, he was off and away to the baseball field.
"Juudaime!!" a hand appeared on Tsuna's shoulder. "You don't have to do it today – I'll do it for you!"
"G-Gokudera-kun! No, I have to do it… I failed the quiz anyway," Tsuna shook his head and he looked to Gokudera.
"No, I'll do it," Gokudera shook his head. "There's a lot of homework today, and I've already finished most of it. You know, if you don't finish your homework on time, there's going to be…lock-down again… Juudaime, I'll do it." Tsuna looked at Gokudera for a few moments.
"Okay then, Gokudera-kun. But I'll have to pay you back for this, though. Thanks!!" Tsuna smiled.
"Remember, you two, I've told Hibari that you're here. So no running away," and with that, the teacher also hurriedly left. Tsuna bolted out the door after him, and Gokudera and Kaia were left alone in the classroom.
Kaia's eyes were averted, so that she couldn't see Gokudera. She slowly stood up, and she walked to the shelves of the class library. She kneeled and took out the books, one by one, taking her time. Gokudera followed her to the book shelves, and began to organize from the other end of the library.
After a while, the desks near Kaia were heavily stacked with books from the bookshelf, and the shelves stood barren against the wall. Kaia was working her way inwards; Gokudera was working the opposite way, putting the books up straight, making them neat and clean. Kaia noticed this, and she worked slower.
Gokudera saw this, and he worked faster.
Kaia was still on the far side of the class library; Gokudera was half-way through. He glanced at Kaia. She was going back, putting the books back in their places, on the shelves.
"Do you need help?" ventured Gokudera, seeing if he could get a reply. There was no such reply. Kaia merely focused on her work, her hair obscuring what Gokudera could see of her face. She put a book on the shelf, and she turned to get another book from the stack… She turned again to place the book in its correct place on the shelf, all while Gokudera stopped working and just stood there, looking at Kaia work.
He wanted her to pay attention to him. He wanted her to be his…
"Just…just stop looking at me," Kaia's voice was harsh, cold, entirely void of the familiar, shy, warm feeling that typically came when she spoke. Her work gradually slowed to a stop. "Why can't you just stop it?! You always stare, or look at me all the time! And whenever I ask of it, you just look away? Just stop looking at me as if I were an alien trapped in a cage!"
Gokudera took a tentative step towards her.
"Kaia…don't be like that…" Gokudera locked his eyes on her. "Don't be like that to me…" She looked Gokudera in the eye.
"Don't you do that to me, you-you evil person! You're just after my life, aren't you?! Like how Reborn pulled a gun on me, how that long-hair guy pulled a sword at me, and how-how all of you can handle weapons that can kill people! You- You're just going to be like one of them, aren't you?!" burst Kaia. "Aren't you?!" She was completely cold against him, but she was on the brink of shattering. She was on the edge – she wasn't likely going to last any longer with this.
Her eyes, despite her strict orders to not break, began to water. Kaia looked away, praying Gokudera didn't see them. She was supposed to be angry at him, wasn't he? But, she didn't know why, but she was crying. She bit her lip.
"I-I don't want to see you anymore, okay? I just want to live a regular life, with regular friends, without a care in the world about the things we take for granted. And you…you're probably a killer-in-training, aren't you?!" Her hand balled up into a fist.
"Kaia- Kaia, it's not like that, okay? I-I'm just asking you…asking you if you believe in love stories."
"L-Love stories?" Kaia repeated. She looked back at Gokudera now. "What do you mean…" Her eyes widened at the realization. She turned away in embarrassment. "I-I do, but…"
"But what?" Suddenly, his voice was too close, his breath breathing down her neck, sending tingles down her spine. "There's no stopping for our love story, isn't there?"
"I…love you…" whispered Gokudera. Kaia was just stunned, and her eyes hardened.
"So you are…one of…them…" she hissed, and she launched her elbow directly behind her, knowing for sure where Gokudera was.
Gokudera caught the elbow with his hand.
"Kaia-"
"No, don't! Just- go away, okay?! Don't be like Soto, and Reborn, and Jasmine, and Ma, and everyone else!" she began to struggle. "Like how none of you ever tell me the truth!!"
She kicked Gokudera in the shin, and pushed him away. He fell backwards, into the desks. They skidded on the tiled surface of the floor, screeching their discomfort. The Storm Guardian groaned, clenching his teeth, hoping that Kaia would…just stop whatever is going on in her head.
"Kaia-"
"Just-"
The door swung open. A shadow glided over the floor.
"What are you doing?" irritated eyes narrowed, looking at Gokudera and Kaia. He could easily see Kaia down the aisle, at the side of the classroom. But then, his eyes slid over to see Gokudera, just getting up from the cluster of desks. "My, my, my, Gokudera seems to have another side to his low-down swagger."
"H-Hibari-sempai!" Kaia immediately turned her head. The President acknowledged Kaia's presence with a grim smirk. Hibari was not amused.
"So the rumors were true," Gokudera turned to Hibari. "The great President of the Disciplinary Committee has a weak point."
"I'll have to bite you to death for this," Hibari pulled out his tonfas.
"N-No, don't!" objected Kaia. "He's- He's…" She fell silent, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "Hibari-sempai, just don't hurt him… Hurt me, if you have to, please…" She looked to Gokudera, then back at Hibari. "Don't hurt him like you did to Lambo-kun…"
"It's my duty to punish those who challenge the laws," spat Hibari. He glared at Gokudera. "He deserves it." Then, he thought up an idea. He smirked.
'What're you laughing at?" growled Gokudera.
"Kaia, come here. I won't hurt him – he'll pay instead of be punished," Hibari faced Kaia again. She slowly got up, and step by regretful step, she walked away from Gokudera, who moments before had confessed, and into the arms and protection of Hibari Kyouya. Gokudera had lost Kaia to the Cloud Guardian.
Hibari turned and left the classroom.
"Come, Kaia."
"Ha-Hai, Hibari-sempai," Kaia nodded. She was half-way past the doorway when she looked back at Gokudera. She gave him a small smile, and disappeared out of sight.
I'm alright; don't worry, Gokudera-san.
Once she was out of sight, Gokudera snarled to himself and slammed his fist down on the desk. He felt like killing himself, or killing Hibari. But he can't, he couldn't.
So close and yet so far…
F*ck Hibari. Just, just send him to hell, that f*cking bastard!
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Yes, I'm still censoring the cuss words. Yeah, I told you, this was important. Poor Gokudera.
He finally managed to confess, and now Kaia was snatched away from him just like that. Hibari really knows how to break a guy like him. No wonder he's the President of the Disciplinary Committee. No wonder, also, that there is hardly any chaos in Namimori. Yes, Hibari Kyouya is truly a fearsome person.
And also, since I was gone, I've decided to update more than once. Or I can put that off until tomorrow. Yeah, blame my laziness for that.
The next update wouldn't be about what happens immediately after that anyway. I'll update tomorrow. :]
Yes, I am lazy. Stupid me. I should get out of being lazy. I really should. But right now, I'm too lazy to even do that. Screw my laziness. It's messing with me. Anyway, I'll wait for a few reviews, and if I want to, and get out of my laziness, I'll update again. xD
Well then, thanks for reading, everyone, and please review!
Have an awesome summer [break] everyone!!
