Sorry if I took so long :D

If anybody's reading....... o_o.......*goes and cries in corner*

Chapter 3

"Ohayoooo!" Mion exclaimed happily as Suzaku opened the door.

She blinked with impressed astonishment, "Wow, Kiryuu-san, you really do wake up early, don't you? I wanted the pleasure to wake you up."

The clock read 6:30 AM. Suzaku always woke up this early. There was barely any reason to sleep anymore.

"If you'll be staying in Hinamizawa for a while, a few weeks I might guess, you'll be needing a job to keep you from being bored." She entered, walking past him, flicking on some lights.

She was wearing the same outfit from yesterday, but that wasn't unusual. Most people wear the same outfits sometimes to distinguish themselves.

Suzaku simply wore a white t-shirt with a dark blue jacket and brown jeans and hiking boots. Nothing special. In fact, he hadn't worn regular clothes for a while.

"That's right!" Satoko jumped in, and Suzaku blinked. Why was a ten year old up so early?

"Wouldn't want to be bored, nano desu." Rika said, coming in behind her.

"What kind of--" Suzaku started to ask, but the green-haired girl simply interrupted him.

"Don't ask what kind of job. I've already got one for you!" Mion grinned evilly, "You're gonna be working at Angel Mort!"

"Really, Mion-san?" Satoko asked in surprise, "I thought only females could work there."

"Hmm, you're right." Mion nodded, "Maybe my uncle could make an exception?"

"He could work as an assistant to our school! Or he could actually enroll there!" Satoko said quickly. She then looked at Suzaku, excitement in her magenta eyes, "What do you think, Suzaku-san?"

"Yeeeaaahh, Kiryuu-san." Mion had that evil smile again, "Which would you prefer?"

"The school." He replied rather too quickly. He didn't want to think of what working at Angel Mort was like.

Rika smiled, "Suzaku doesn't want to wear a skirt, nano desu."

Mion's face began to show disappointment, but then she shrugged, "Ah, well. Chie-sensei, me and Shion's teacher, would love to have you in her class."

"We used to all be in the same classroom." Satoko informed, "But now that the town's getting bigger, the school got bigger, too!" Rika nodded to confirm.

"It was fun having everyone in one room." Mion said, "Chie-sensei did an awesome job taking care of different kids in different grades at once."

"Now we're divided up equally in the appropriate classrooms." Satoko finished, "Chie-sensei teaches Mion-san and Nee-Nee's class, but she teaches me and Rika's whenever our teacher is sick!"

Suzaku only nodded, showing he was listening.

"I guess you can be considered as an exchange student for a while. And you can be a...." Mion pondered, "..a junior, 'cause you're 17, right?"

He nodded again.

"Good!" Satoko smiled, "It'll be fun having Suzaku-san in the club!"

"Huh?" Suzaku looked down at her, "Club?"

"We have an after-school club everyday in my classroom." Mion explained brightly, "But if you wanna join, you'll have to go through a test!"

She turned, flipping her green hair, "We can discuss it later after school, 'kay? In the meantime...."

Rika went to his door, opening it again, "Shii? Are you out there?"

Suzaku turned to the door and stared in surprise as Shion walked in, that annoyed look still on her face from the last time he saw her. Would she have that emotion for the rest of his stay?

That nice and rare warm feeling he felt in his stomach when he first saw her angelic face had flown out the window faster than you could say "USO DA!"

Yeah, it was sad like that.

The green-haired girl with the yellow ribbon had two grocery bags hanging from her sides, she stood up straight, even daring to hold her chin up, looking up at him with defiant eyes.

"I...see you guys still haven't gotten used to each other yet." Mion commented in a nervous yet playful tone as Suzaku and Shion stared each other down.

The older twin then went in between them and made them sit at the table across from each other.

"Don't worry! They'll be best friends before you know it!" Satoko took the bags from her Nee-Nee and went to Suzaku's kitchen.

Suzaku glanced at Shion, and the way she looked with her legs crossed sitting sideways completely ignoring him, mix that together with what Satoko just said.......

Mion laughed out loud before he reacted, "WOW, Satoko-chan...."

He was half-relieved that Mion's sudden guffaw discouraged his almost smile. Smiling didn't sound like him anymore.

"Can you guys set the table?" Satoko asked, taking things out of the grocery bags, "I think there's some things in the cabinets we can use."

Before Suzaku could speak, Shion snapped, "She's making breakfast for you, dumba--" She paused when she saw Rika standing there, "....You dumb-bell! Be grateful!"

He closed his mouth, blinking only once at her, then looked at Satoko, who had found a stool and was humming as she got a frying pan ready on the stove.

But he had already gotten up, searching for the glasses and plates needed for five-----

"Hello? Mii-chan? Kiryuu-san?"

"Hey, guys, let us in!"

-----no, wait, seven people.

Sighing, he put the things on the table and went to the door, opening it to see a flash of orange red as Rena burst into the room, Keiichi following with a yawn.

"Good morning, Kiryuu-san!" Rena said happily, even going as far as to throw her arms around his waist so she could hug him. Shion gasped and stood up at this.

There were a lot of things Suzaku could tolerate. Having someone squeeze his abdomen was NOT one of them.

But these kids had a habit of cutting him off before he could speak or take action.

Rena let go of him in surprise, hands lingering on his stomach, her eyes widening.

"What the hell, Rena-san?!" Shion said quickly, fists clenched, "Why are you touching him like that?!"

Rena didn't reply, instead she attempted to lift his shirt.

"Hey!" Suzaku moved her hands away.

"I'm sorry!" Rena bowed, "Forgive me for messing with your stomach, but....you have a very fine set of abs there."

"ABS?!" Mion was on her feet now, "LET ME SEE."

All the kids crowded him, but Satoko was still cooking breakfast. They were all expecting it, and they wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't, he knew that for sure.

Rolling his eyes, he lifted his shirt to show his near perfect abs.

Everyone, even Keiichi, oohed and aahed, Shion went over to observe Satoko, ignoring all this with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Suzaku fixed his shirt again, "You kids sure are open, aren't you?"

"Don't call us kids, you hypocrite." Shion snapped, "You're a kid, too!"

"Not technically..." Was what Suzaku wanted to say out loud, but he didn't.

"Suzaku-san is going to probably enroll in our school during his stay! Having extra classes would be great for anybody!" Satoko looked over her shoulder, her magenta eyes sparkling.

"Really?!" Rena gathered her hands to her chest, "Wow! Rena is so happy we get an extra club member!"

"Just don't lose to Mion, and you'll survive..." Keiichi murmured near Suzaku as the younger boy began to make the plates, cups and utensils look nicer.

Suzaku only nodded in pity for Keiichi. He wondered what torture you might go through if you lost a club game.

He was going to find out soon enough.

"Ah, Kiryuu-san, you're lucky to have enrolled here in time." The blue-haired woman said cheerfully, "There was one last seat left in my classroom. Now how many days do you plan on studying?"

"The usual....weekdays..." Suzaku replied, sitting across from Chie's desk quietly, looking her in her eye.

"You'll be with the Sonozaki twins...." She said, sorting through some papers, "...And how long do you think you'll be able to afford?"

Of course, being a former Knight of Round meant you pretty much did have some extra cash on you. He had moved it to an anonymous account before he came to Hinamizawa, planning to resort to it whenever he needed to.

"As long as I'm here."

"Good!" Chie brightened up, "You can start straight on today, if you'd like! I'll have Sonozaki Shion-san help you around the school, since you two are in the same class."

She paused when she looked at him again.

"Um...is something wrong?" She asked.

Suzaku was having a strange emotion. His mouth was set in a grim line, one eye more wide than the other. It clearly stated that he didn't like what she just said.

"Is Sonozaki-san not suitable for being your guide?" Chie titled her head, the papers dormant in her hands, "I can set you up with another student. Do you have a request for someone to help?"

He shook his head, "Forgive me....it's alright. I'll let Shion-san help me out."

"Wonderful!" Chie smiled, "You can head over to classroom 3, where I'll be teaching all my lessons! I'm sure you'll like it here in Hinamizawa, Kiryuu-san!"

She walked out from her office to the hallway, with the brunette following. The school building was a tad small, several times smaller than Ashford Academy, but it seemed to be just right to the residents.

They reached a room, and Chie opened the door for him. The few kids in the classroom that were chatting suddenly stopped.

"Everyone." Chie said, coming in behind him, "We have a new student here today. I wish you all to be on your best behavior for him."

She stood by the chalkboard, "Now, will you tell us your name, if you please?"

Suzaku did as he was told, standing there and letting his schoolbag fall from his shoulder to his hand.

"It's nice to meet you all." He said quietly, "My name is Kiryuu Suzaku."

Some of the kids blinked in astonishment and whispered to each other. Suzaku cursed himself for not changing his first name. He spotted Mion and Shion near the back, the oldest twin grinning, and the youngest leaning on her hand and watching the window, completely ignoring him. He also saw a set of lockers in the back of the room.

One more thing he noticed was that everyone was wearing different uniforms. Mion had a short-sleeved white polo shirt with a green tie and a brown-nish yellow vest, and a long pink skirt. Shion had a white polo shirt, as well, but with a blue thing tied around her neck. She also had a blue skirt.

Chie narrowed her eyes at the class, and the whispering stopped and all the kids cried, "Good morning, Kiryuu-san!"

The way Shion was leaning made her hand cover her lips, so it wasn't 100% sure if she spoke or not. But Suzaku could easily tell she didn't.

"Kiryuu-san has enrolled here for some extra classes, and since it's his first time in this school..." Chie leaned forward, "Shion-san?"

Shion lifted her head, "Mm?" She sat up straight, more alert, "U-Um...Yes, Chie-sensei?"

"Would you please be Kiryuu-san's guide through the school? He can make some new friends and learn more about what's right and what's wrong here." Chie winked, "Just show him the ropes!"

Shion's face turned into a completely diluted expression. She didn't smile or glower, it was directly in between.

"It would be my pleasure to escort Kiryuu Suzaku-san around the Hinamizawa Branch School." She angled her chin lower, "...Chie-sensei."

"Great!" Chie then pointed to an empty desk all the way in the back of the classroom, "You may sit there, Kiryuu-san. Oh, and in the cabinet to your left will be some extra textbooks and notebooks you'll be needing. Be sure to grab them before you sit down."

When Suzaku walked past Shion, their eyes locked together.

And never before in Mion's life has she ever seen two extremely icy cold green glares penetrating each other.

Sage VS. Mint.

It wasn't until the teacher started talking that Suzaku realized how much he had forgotten during his junior year, when he had attended Ashford Academy for the first time.

That was when he had a pang of homesickness suddenly. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts.

"Suzaku-san?"

He looked up from his clenched hands and saw Rena standing in front of him, her head tilted, the sun making her blue eyes brighter. She was wearing a school uniform consisting of a white shirt and blue sleeves, a short yellow tie, a blue collar, and had a rather short blue skirt.

"Suzaku-san, why haven't you eaten your lunch yet?" She asked.

He was sitting on a short brick wall on the side of the school, that only reached his waist. The sun was now shining, the ground still damp from yesterday's rain.

"I'm...not hungry." He lied.

"You forgot to bring something to eat, didn't you?" Rena's smile was very warm.

It reminded him of Shirley....

"Don't worry!" She climbed onto the wall beside him, "Rena always brings some spares and shares them with everyone!"

That's when he noticed the 14 year old had 2 bento boxes in her hands. She handed one to him and put the other on her lap.

"Will you go ahead and eat, kana?" She swung her legs, "I'm sure you'll love Rena's cooking!"

When he opened it, his eyes widened when he saw all the food piled neatly inside. A pair of chopsticks were in it, as well.

"Wow..." He murmured, "...Thank you, Ryuuguu-san.."

"Just call me Rena!" She replied, "Now eat up! You'll need your strength for after school!"

Her food wasn't half bad. Actually it was delicious.

As he ate, Rena said, "Mii-chan's actually very happy that there can be another member to our club! Most of Rena's classmates are too scared or too young to join."

"I see." Suzaku swallowed, "And what about Shion-san? What does she think of me?"

"Eh?" She looked up at him, "Shii-chan, kana? Well, let's see...."

Then she said happily, "She thinks you're an arrogant self-serving jerk who only wants things to fit your needs!"

He almost choked on his food. Rena patted his back a few times and he put his bento box back beside him.

"Did Rena say something bad?" She asked in a worried voice, "I'm sorry. Rena thought you would consider it a joke. Rena never believed Shii-chan, anyway."

Suzaku kept his breathing under control. This girl was REALLY ticking him off now. Somebody ought to set her straight.

"That's nice." He finally said, ignoring Rena's confused face.

Wanting to change the subject, he blurted, "Are you a Britannian?" Why'd he ask that? She obviously looked Japanese.

Rena blinked, then smiled, "Now I am. Me and my father became honorary Britannians just a while ago. But I met Shii-chan before this, so....she still likes me."

They finished their bentos in silence. Suzaku looked at Rena for a moment.

"Rena is happy that Suzaku-san's here." She said when she saw him looking, "Rena will show Suzaku-san all around Hinamizawa, especially where I find my treasures!"

"Treasures?"

"Yep! Rena always finds the cutest things! I'll show you after school!"

She gracefully leaped off the brick wall, and as she walked away, she added, "...If you live that long."

Suzaku blinked as the red-headed girl's tinkling laugh drifted back to his ears.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!!" Mion stood up, holding her hand out to Suzaku, who was simply sitting down on the chair next to her, looking down at his hands.

"Kiryuu-san will now be attempting to join the club of the Hinamizawa Branch School, led by the fabulous Sonozaki Mion!"

She flashed her teeth, flicking her hair, "First we must see if everyone will accept him into our little family!"

"Rena doesn't object!" Rena cried, holding up her hand.

"Wow, deja vu." Keiichi blinked, but then he grinned, doing a thumbs up, "Finally, another man in the group. I'm all up for it!"

Satoko did a strange laugh that reminded Suzaku waayyy too much of his cousin.

"So nice to see such a newbie in this.." The blonde girl commented, holding a hand under her chin in an elegant fashion, "...It'll be more refreshing to pummel someone else to the ground other than Keiichi-san.."

"WHY YOU LITTLE---!" Keiichi started, but Rika's laughter interrupted him, and Suzaku stared at Satoko, wondering why she was acting in such a manner.

"Suzaku won't be easy, Satoko, if that's what you're thinking, nano desu." The blue-haired girl said, those too familiar lavender eyes watching him closely, "Suzaku is smart and very strong, nano desu!"

Mion beamed at everyone's excitement, then looked at the only other person in the world that looked exactly like her, "Well, Shion? What do you say?"

Shion looked back, and she said, "I will give Suzaku-san's presence my consent. On one condition....."

They all leaned forward, even Suzaku, waiting.

"....That if our newbie loses his first time, I get to pick a punishment game for him."

Suddenly her face changed into the most chilling smile, "So I can show him what hell's really like."

10 eyes all widened at once, Suzaku only glared back.

"I'd like to see if you can give me anything worse than the hell I've already been in, Shion-san."

Shion blinked at this with suspicious curiosity, Rena and Satoko's expressions became concerning, Keiichi tilted his head, Mion folded her arms, and Rika was now thoughtful.

Suzaku turned his head to Mion, "What test do I have to do in order to get in the club?"

Mion nodded, "Right. We're gonna play one of my personal favorites....OLD GEEZER!!" Suddenly a full pack of cards were in her hands.

"It's similar to that old game called "Go Fish"." Rena explained with a smile, "But, there is a catch---"

She stopped and winced as Shion kicked her ankles from under the desks put together.

When Mion dealt the cards between everyone, Satoko did her laugh again, "Ahh ha ha ha ha! If only Suzaku-san knew the secrets to this game!"

As Suzaku looked at the cards, he noticed that they were all scratched up and had different marks on them.

He picked up his cards, actually laying them on top of each other and covering the back of the first card with one of his hands.

"H-Hey!" Shion exclaimed, "I can't see your cards that way!"

"Does it matter?"

"N-Not really, but---"

"Do these scratch marks on the cards have anything to do with this game?"

Satoko stifled a laugh, and Shion glared at her, then she said to Suzaku, "Maybe, or maybe not. But, you can't---"

"I dunno, Shion.." Mion interrupted with a cheeky grin, "I never made up any rules about holding them that way...In fact..."

She set up her pile just like Suzaku did, "There!"

"Ooh!" Rika said happily, "This will be even more fun, nano desu!"

By the time Shion could blink twice, all the girls and Keiichi had their cards on top of each other, their hands blocking the view of them all.

She slammed her fist on the table, "Seriously, you guys!??!"

"Watch out, Shion." Keiichi said, "I can see one of your cards. You have to be careful and make sure you look through yours with caution."

Suzaku didn't show any triumph in his face. It was just the same, "Mion-san, you have any twos?"

Mion slid the pile in her hands upward a tad to look at each symbol. She shrugged when she pulled a 2 out, "Here ya are, Kiryuu-san!"

Suzaku took it and put his pair in the center of the table. Shion was gaping with angry disbelief. She just grit her teeth.

Everyone besides Suzaku wasn't used to playing fair, so whether anyone was winning or losing was just the result of pure luck.

"I'm out!" Satoko said happily, throwing her last pair into the pile, "Now all that's left is...."

Suzaku and Shion had one more card left in their hands. Suzaku kept his covered, Shion kept hers open. Suzaku couldn't tell which card it was by the marks.

Mion acted like she was an announcer to a football game, "This is it, folks! Kiryuu Suzaku and Sonozaki Shion are head-to-head with ONE last card! But this isn't good, because it means they might have the same numbers, so literally Kiryuu-san might win, since he gets to ask first!"

The brunette boy and the green-haired girl stared at each other. Suzaku's card was a 5 of spades.

He didn't know whether he should say his number or not. If he said it.....

"If I asked if you have any fives, she'll know what my card is." He narrowed his eyes, "What to do...."

"Suzaku...." Shion thought, "You think you can beat me, eh? We'll see about that."

Then Suzaku said, "Do you have any tens?"

Shion looked at hers, and then she replied, "No."

The girls and Keiichi gasped. "SHION DOESNT HAVE A TEN!!" Mion cried, "That marks one out! Could this mean that Kiryuu-san has---"

"I've won. With all the cards put in the pile, I'm positive he must have a three." Shion thought to herself, then asked, "Do you have any threes?"

There was a second of silence, then Suzaku said, "No."

Shion started in shock, 'cause now Suzaku had to grab switch his card with another from the pile. He remembered the marks on Rena's cards when she got a pair of threes, so then----

Mint eyes were wide as he grabbed the three card, putting his five card down, then asked, "Shion-san....do you have any threes?"

He took her card before she could respond, and he laid his pair down, "I'm out."

There was nothing but silence for several seconds. Then Keiichi, Rika, Rena and Satoko burst into cheers.

"AMAZING!" Mion shouted, "Kiryuu-san tricked Shion into thinking he had a 10, but she just accidently gave away her own number! How incredible!"

She grabbed Suzaku's wrist and held it up, "This means that Kiryuu Suzaku has won his first game and passed his test! Welcome to the club, man!"

Shion was trembling with anger as she leaned back in her chair.

Keiichi grinned, "Well, Kiryuu-san, this means that you can pick a punishment game for Shion here."

Suzaku looked at him, "What can I do?"

"Anything you want!" Satoko said, jumping up and down with excitement;.

"Make her dress in a cute outfit!" Rena cried happily, "I wanna take that home!!!"

Shion's face was still serious. Suzaku was tired of that, and he already had an idea.

"I have a punishment game for you." He said, pushing back his chair and standing up.

He took a deep breath, then stared directly at her, "For the rest of the day I want you to be smiling whenever you look at me, or when I look at you. I'm really getting tired of you being serious all the time."

Her face grew a deep red, she clenched her fists, "You think any of us feel the same about you?"

The others burst out laughing. "WOW, Kiryuu-kun!" Keiichi said, "You knew that would be a great thing to annoy Shion with!"

Mion wiped her eyes, "Well, Shion?"

Shion looked down, and then a forced smile spread on her face, "Congratulations, Kiryuu-san! You learned fast!" She was slightly twitching.

Suzaku felt relieved for some reason. Then he said, "Thank you, Shion-san."

"Heeeey, Kiryuu-san." Mion said sternly, "You're making Shion go through this. Shouldn't you at least smile a bit yourself?"

Suzaku looked at Mion like she had just grown two heads, "Huh?"

"Oh, don't worry, Onee!" Shion's "happy" voice sounded strained, "I'll make sure he pays next round!" Her smile changed into an angry grin, "NEXT TIME....."

Suzaku titled his head and couldn't hide the small smirk on his lips, surprising all the kids in the room.

Hope you guys liked this one! Review if you liked it :D