I guess it does hurt to be away for some time ;-;. I apologize for that, I had a small writer's block for the rest of the chapter. I didn't know how to end it, so sorry if it seems a little off, okay?
Truth be told, I was at least 70% done with chapter 8 when I succumbed to writer's block. It wasn't until I got another review that motivated me to finish this and post it already! Thanks, hetaliafangirl1111, for the review. And I'm totally shocked you like SuzaXShion, too :O!
Lol, I thought I was the only one in the world~~
Enjoy ^^Chapter 8
Suzaku had woken up first. He was shocked to find that he had actually slept.
But, thanks to Shion, it was normal. Absolutely normal. That was odd.
What was even more odd that Shion had turned over in her sleep, her right arm clutching around his waist, face against his chest. Suzaku swallowed, not wanting to disturb her...she looked so peaceful.
So peaceful at the mint green soft bangs that spread like silky strands across her pale face, the rest of her hair trailed elegantly and twirled and bunched around her shoulder, falling over her breasts (she was still wearing his t-shirt) and her lips were parted just a smidgen, and she breathed smoothly.
He suddenly lifted his arm off her snoozing body quickly but carefully. What the hell was he doing, holding onto something as precious as her? It was unreal. He was a murderer, killing so many innocent people as an attempt to get to Zero, then turning around and stabbing your best friend to death, then becoming the person you had been hunting down for two years...
The girl he had been holding was a perfect untarnished angel, but with tattered wings that had been damaged from past events. If only she tried to repair herself, he thought, then she would have the will to fly again, this time better and stronger.
Then he realized what a damn hypocrite he was.
Shion stirred, startling him a little, and he sat up and got off the bed, grabbing clothes and making his way to the bathroom for a shower. For a moment he wanted Shion to wake up and find him by her side, but then she would get embarrased, and would probably not want to speak to him all day.
He didn't want that.
After taking a quick shower, he stood in front of his fogged up mirror, staring at his barely visible reflection as he dried and dressed. He stared some more, before his hand drifted out and wiped a huge part off, finally exposing himself. He looked the same as he did when he joined the Knights of Round, just a tad bit older and stupider. He had just cut his hair a few weeks before, it had grown pretty long since Lelouch's death...
That thought suddenly made him think of Gino and Anya, who always teased about his hair. Gino was such a joyful crackhead, always making jokes and throwing his arm around him and Anya, trying to make everyone feel better. Anya was always quiet, typing in that red device journal she had. She may have barely spoken, but she always followed Suzaku and Gino around and always somehow cast a calmness whenever she was around.
THEN he thought of Nunally. He hadn't known what she had been doing the past few days, there was no TV in his apartment, nor anywhere in the town, he just realized with surprise. Hinamizawa was a remote city, located deep near the mountains, they had to have something to keep them informed of the failing world around them.
He finally left the bathroom, but stopped when he saw Shion already dressed back in her school uniform, humming around as she fixed the couch that had been abandoned in the middle of the night. Her back was to him, and he watched her fold the blankets and make the pillows look nice.
She turned and noticed him, and she made a small smile, "Good morning, Suzaku."
"Morning.."
"It's not raining anymore!" She said happily, and he saw she had pulled back the curtains, and the sun was shining in, "True, it will be very wet around, but the sun will dry it all up!"
Suzaku put his hands in his pockets awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Shion went over to his kitchen and looked around.
"Granola bars?" She asked as she pulled out two boxes, "The hell? Do you not eat ANYTHING?"
"I'm usually not that hungry..." He replied, catching the bar she tossed at him.
She absentmindedly reached for her cellphone she had left on the table, picking it up and opening it, "Well, we can grab something else later on and-"
She froze as she stared at the clock on the phone, "Oh snap...It's almost 8:30..."
Suzaku paused as well. They only watched each other for a second before both bolting at the door, Suzaku stopping to let Shion out first.
Rika stood by the doorway, staring out at the trees, wincing at the sunlight and ignoring the humidity.
"Rika-chan..." Rena came up behind her, "Futawa-sensei is wondering where you are. Your class is about to start."
Rika nodded, "Okay."
That's when Suzaku and Shion burst from the trees, running as fast as they could up to the school door. Suzaku reached there before Shion did. Rika and Rena jumped back, Rena's blue eyes wide with surprise.
"Shii-chan! Suzaku-san!" Rena blinked, holding a fist to her chest, "Rena thought you guys were going to be late!"
Shion was panting like crazy, leaning against the doorway. Suzaku's chest moved, but he didn't seem fazed by all that running.
"Well, Suzaku, looks like you're an athlete, nano desu." Rika said smiling.
Suzaku nodded, "I do like to do physical stuff, yes..."
"How...the hell..." Shion slapped her green bangs from her face, "Suzaku-san...you damn jock..."
Suzaku paused and stared Shion, then at the blue-haired girl. Rika just stared back.
He shook his head, "Come on, class is starting."
Shion nodded, then Rika and Rena moved away to go to their own classes. Suzaku and Shion entered, and Chie looked up from her desk.
"Kiryuu-san. Sonozaki-san..." She smiled warmly, "You both made it in time."
Shion just shrugged, Suzaku nodded. Mion waved at them from her desk. They went over and sat.
"Hey, guys!" Mion leaned forward with a big grin, "You should've seen Kei-chan this morning! I've never seen him so excited! I think he's got something planned for lunch time!"
She saw only their school bags, "Forgot your lunches, huh? Don't worry, Rena-chan will surely hook ya'll up."
"Morning, Mion-san." Suzaku replied, going in the back, farther away from Mion and Shion. But he could still hear when the twins leaned in next to each other and started whispering.
Mion's bright smile faltered as she spoke, "Did you guys hear that storm last night? God, I've never seen anything so fierce in my life..."
"Yeah, I know." Shion whispered back, "It was raining so hard...You sure the agent from Child Welfare couldn't do anything to help Satoko?"
"Positive. We had nothing else to do except go home, y'know, when Rika-chan simply broke down..."
Suzaku blinked. Rika? Broke down? As in...
"She seemed fine today. What exactly happened?"
"She just burst into tears and begged Kei-chan to try his best. After several months ago, all that's happened... Everyone was almost gone, and so, Rika-chan had to be upset because Satoko-chan was her very best friend, after Hanyuu went on that school trip..."
Suzaku wondered who Hanyuu was, and Mion trailed off, her dark mint eyes drifting over her shoulder to Suzaku. But he was pretending he couldn't listen, tapping his desk with his fingers and watching out the window.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Mion smile.
"Soooo, Shion. It must've been boring sleeping in an apartment by yourself, huh? Did you go and visit Kiryuu-kun or anybody?"
He looked down at his schoolbooks, barely seeing Shion grow slightly red, "We...talked a little before bed. In the hallway."
"Really, Shion? You sure nothing in...particular happened between you two?"
"EH?" Shion gasped, "N-No...! Wha-Why would you-"
"Because you haven't made a snitty remark about him probably being Britannian or anything. He has told you he's Japanese, correct? There's no need to tease him further."
Shion scooted, facing forward, "We talked. None of your business, Onee."
"Alright, boys, girls!" Chie tapped chalk on the blackboard, "No more talking and gossiping! You have plenty of time to do that during lunch and after school!"
Shion then caught him watching her and blushed even more, turning away and giving all her attention to the teacher.
Suzaku had barely paid any attention to the classroom around him when they had few minute study breaks. Being his third day, he never really met any of his classmates. There were some girls that tried to flirt with him, but gave up when he barely gave a reaction. Mion would crack jokes and make the students laugh. Shion didn't really talk, she just read her book and sometimes stared out the windows.
He remembered when she had told him that nobody had ever liked her, besides the usual group, that blonde girl Kimi, and him.
"Mion-san..." Chie suddenly poked her head in, "...I need a second pair of hands on this electrical problem in the teacher's lounge. The other teachers are utterly clueless..."
Mion giggled, "Yes, Chie-sensei." She got up and followed the teacher out.
Over to the side, three girls looked at each other and smiled, then stood up and headed over to Shion's desk. The one in the middle had straight brown hair and brown eyes, the other two were both blonde.
Shion felt their presence when they approached, "Yes, ladies?" She asked, her eyes still on her book.
"Hey, Shii-chan..." One of the three girls said, "What's a pretty girl like you randomly reading? Don't you have better things to do?"
"Do not call me Shii-chan." Shion replied in a half-listening voice, "It's either Shion-san or Sonozaki-san to you three."
"Sure, Shii-chan, whatever you say!" The brunette replied, "Anyways, why isn't Houjou Satoko-chan in her classroom today?"
"You don't call her "Satoko-chan"...unless you're friends with her." Shion's voice was rather threatening, but she still didn't make eye contact.
"We've heard around town that Satoko-chan's relative returned! Her uncle, right?"
There was a pause, "Sure."
"We saw her at the store yesterday!" One of the blonde girl's said in a happy voice, "Satoko-chan looked very pretty that time!"
Suzaku widened his eyes, staring at this scene. Shion's grip tightened on her book.
"You believe a bunch of bruises adorning her face and body is pretty?" She sounded strained, as if trying to contain her anger.
The three girls simply gave tinkling laughs, and the brunette smiled, "Of course, bruises wouldn't look great on anybody! Except for Satoko-chan, though! The purple and black compliment her skin very very much!"
Shion's lips parted, too shocked to speak. Suzaku clenched his fists. He glanced around the other students. Some of the girls and boys were stifling laughs, very few watched with pity, and some didn't even look their way, guilt plainly seen in their expression.
"And also, those dull eyes of hers...She must really enjoy staying with her uncle! He has the perfect way of putting that Houjou girl into place!"
Suzaku then found himself slamming his palms onto his desk, startling everyone in the room.
"Girls..." His voice was surprisingly calm, "...It'd be best if all three of you shut up."
Their eyes widened, clearly intimidated. They figured Suzaku was a shy and antisocial young man, but now his glare was so terrifying.
The two blondes fleed to their desks. The brunette held her ground for a few more seconds, but she smiled sweetly at Shion.
"Say hi to Satoko-chan when you see her next time, okay, Shii-chan?" She then winked at Suzaku, then went back to her desk rather quickly.
Shion was slightly shaking, but she kept her eyes down when Mion and Chie returned.
"Sorry for the little delay, students." Chie said softly, "Nobody knew how to fix up the television in the teacher's lounge. Turned out it was only unplugged with tangled wires."
Everyone laughed, and Suzaku sat back down, right when Shion stood up.
"Chie-sensei, I accidently left one of my schoolbooks in the lockers by the door...Can I go get it?"
Some of the girls snickered.
Chie cocked her head, "Of course, Sonozaki-san...But don't take too long."
Shion nodded, and left the classroom quickly, ignoring her sister trying to touch her arm as she passed.
"Excuse me, Chie-sensei, I'm going to help her." Suzaku stood.
Chie had seen Shion's eyes covered, then she nodded, "Kiryuu-san, I'm sure Sonozaki-san doesn't need help to retrieve one book..."
Suzaku looked down, but then he heard, "But go ahead."
He nodded gratefully, sneaking a book with him as he left.
He went out to the hallway and headed to the doorway to find Shion wasn't there, as he expected. He searched around a bit more then found her finally.
She was sitting down in the corner of a hallway, her legs up, face buried into her knees and holding them up with her arms.
"Shion..." He said softly, causing her to look up at him with a tear-stained face.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She stood up quickly, brushing her school skirt, wiping her eyes, "I just needed to be alone, even if it was just for a minute."
He reached for her, but she pushed him away, "Don't. If you do, I'll just break down again."
"Okay..." Suzaku replied quietly, "..Is this like it everyday?"
Shion could only nod, "Yeah...Totally fine for Onee to be friends with Satoko, because all my classmates think she's like a spy trying to gather information about Satoko. They're still waiting for when Onee "strikes"."
She crossed her arms, "Just with everything. I'm so worried about Satoko, I can't stand it. She's obviously not here at school today..."
Suzaku nudged her with his elbow, "Do you want payback from those girls?"
"Hm?"
Suzaku pointed to the wall, Shion turned and looked up to see a small spider right up there. Suzaku easily reached up and took the spider in his hands.
"This will probably help."
Shion suddenly thought of last night again as she took the spider from Suzaku. It wasn't moving much, it was probably old and dying. But a strange grin creeped onto her face and she winked at Suzaku.
"Well, then, let's go!"
They re-entered the classroom, the spider in Shion's fist which was behind her back.
"Ah, welcome back." Chie smiled, "If you'll sit down now..."
"Mrs. Chie!" The brunette from before raised her hand, "Miss Shion went to get a book, did she not? Well then, where is it?"
Shion blanched for a millisecond. Crap, she forgot about that.
"I got it right here." Suzaku spoke up, holding up one of (his own) schoolbooks.
Chie made a sly smile, "Thank you, Kiryuu-san, for holding it for Sonozaki-san!"
The girls gaped, Mion grinned as they went back and sat down. But then Shion tripped next to the brunette's desk, grabbing onto it to keep from falling.
"Oops!" The brunette said, "Careful where you step, Shii-chan!"
"Don't worry, Sandra." Shion smiled, "I'm more careful than you'd expect."
Mion's jaw dropped when she saw Shion slip a spider under the next page of Sandra's school book.
"Now if you'll all turn the pages to your books to page 67, please!" Chie said cheerfully.
The screams that instantly followed when the students obeyed caused Mion and Shion to bust a gut, and even Suzaku couldn't resist smiling, but only to himself.
It was lunch time now. Mion stood up, holding her bento box.
"Do you mind if I call you Suzaku-kun now?" She suddenly asked Suzaku, "Kiryuu-kun is too formal now."
Suzaku nodded, "Sure...?"
Mion beamed, "Great!" She turned to Shion, "You two come with me to Rika-chan's classroom. We're going to eat there, Kei-chan wants to do something there. Rena-chan will also supply you with food, too."
They got up, following Shion's identical twin out of the classroom.
"Hi, guys!" Rika said happily as they entered, "I'm glad you could come and eat with me, nano desu! Nipah!" She made an adorable smile.
"Hi, Furude-san." Suzaku said, sitting down on the chair next to her, which she was holding on for him. Rika had borrowed some chairs from other desks in the classroom that the other children her age weren't using.
Mion and Shion sat down as Rena came in.
"Do the other kids mind?" Suzaku asked quietly, feeling guilty for them taking up most of the seats.
But when he looked over, most of the little girls and boys sat on the windowsills, enjoying their lunches without a problem.
Rena ended up having THREE bentos, "Shii-chan couldn't get home in time to get her own, and Rena knew Suzaku-san would forget one. So!"
She handed two to them, "Rena is excited! Keiichi-kun has a plan for today!"
"What plan is it?" Shion asked.
"Keiichi wants to gain support from my class." Rika replied with a smile, "He says me and all these kids will probably get sympathy from Child Welfare."
"Asking the older Britannian kids is out of the question." Mion added, not making eye contact with Shion, "This is a Japanese village. It's bad enough they were forced to move here. Now asking them to support a little Japanese girl?"
She shook her head, laughing slightly.
"Hey, Mion-san..." Suzaku moved his now empty bento away, "...I haven't seen any...um...how do I put this-In places...y'know, where I'm staying...I don't see any-"
"Televisions?" Mion interrupted with a grin, "A football fan, aren't ya?"
Suzaku pursed his lips. He didn't mean for it to come out like that.
But Mion didn't seem to mind. She just leaned back, "Well, if you must know, Britannia knew Hinamizawa already had powerful rulers. And so, when they took over, they got rid of most televisions, for laughs, so we wouldn't have any knowledge of what was really going on. Oryou, the leader of my family, my grandmother, would always send out spies to gather information. But it was never passed down to us kids."
"We were allowed to leave whenever we wanted." Shion added quietly, "They thought it was fun to have us go into the real world completely oblivious to how it really is."
"That's why mostly everybody doesn't recognize me..." Suzaku thought with wide eyes, "But Satoko. She almost-"
"Satoko and I had then been given a nice TV as a gift from Irie, the doctor, nano desu." Rika said, smiling, "So, we try to catch up, even if the adults tell us we're too young to understand..."
"So far our school has one in the teacher's lounge. Y'know, the one I went to fix." Mion laughed, "And a few others have some as well. But, yeah..."
"Does this mean you guys don't know about anything?" He blurted, "You don't know what anyone looks like or-"
"We're not completely out of the loop." Shion raised her hands, "We've just been living a simple life. We know about today's technology, we just don't use it much or have the funds to afford some. We also know what's been going on, who's been doing what..."
"Yes!" Rena agreed, nodding, "We know about the Black Knights! And the Knight of Rounds, and stuff."
"We just don't know what they look like." Rika shrugged, "But that's not too bad, nano desu."
Keiichi then strolled in, a determined look on his face. But when he saw the others, he grinned and winked.
He sat in their last chair and began eating quickly, "You guys ready?" He asked with a full mouth.
"Keiichi-kun, not so fast!" Rena wiped his mouth as he ate, "We have plenty of time until class starts!"
"I know." Keiichi replied, holding a hand to his mouth to avoid rice spilling out, "But I'm too excited to wait any longer!"
He was already finished, and he stood up, "Alright, let's do this!"
Then he ushered everyone of the group and Suzaku over by the chalk board, and then Keiichi stood by the desk.
"Hey, everyone!" He said, "Listen up!"
The little boys and girls stopped eating and talking, looking up with curious eyes at their older classmate.
"I would like to talk about Houjou Satoko's current situation!" The brown-haired boy declared, "As you've seen, Satoko wasn't in school yesterday and isn't in school today! Apparantly she's been calling in sick, but the doctor at the clinic says she hasn't visited there when she should! Don't you think that's weird?"
The children looked at each other, one of them murmuring, "That IS strange..." They all nodded.
"The answer is simple!" Keiichi clenched his fists, holding them up halfway, "Her uncle is trapping her in his home, and not allowing her to go to school!"
"No one knows more about Satoko-chan being abused by her aunt and uncle than us, right?" Rena spoke up.
Suzaku blinked at Rena's fast seriousness and looked at Shion when he heard her say, "Furthermore, Satoko was living happily with Rika-chama."
"Forcing her out of her real home and not letting her see anybody is just wrong!" Mion said.
Keiichi nodded at her, then said fiercely, "Satoko is our friend! Let's all go and save her!"
"But..." One of the little boys started, "How can we?"
Keiichi leaned forward, "Yesterday, we filed a petition with Child Welfare asking them to take custody of Satoko!"
Then kids gasped as he continued, "But, those idiots there don't understand how urgent this is! They're afraid to go any further, saying that they're still investigating! They think that only us 6 of the upper class are the only ones that care!"
Suzaku somehow felt touched that Keiichi included him in on the "group".
"But..." A girl spoke up, "...You guys really ARE the only upper class kids who care, aren't you?"
The children looked down sadly. Some of them are Britannian, and/or younger siblings of the older ones who hate Japanese, but they're just kids. They became friends with Satoko and they love her very much.
"But all of you are friends, too!" Keiichi pointed out, "We need more people, that's it!" He looked up at them, "Guys, lend me your strength!"
He suddenly threw his hands up, going into dramatic mode, "Let's show them the true spirit of our Hinamizawa!"
All the kids began to cheer, just as Chie opened the door.
"What's with all this noise?" She asked. Suzaku looked at her. Was she like the ONLY teacher that actually did everything here?
"We will go and rescue Satoko!" Keiichi continued, not hearing the teacher.
"Maebara-kun..." Chie started, but blinked in surprise when Rika suddenly stood there holding her arms out.
"Everyone is trying their best to save Satoko." She said sternly to the teacher.
Her voice suddenly turned deeply low, "I have always been powerless. So I cannot keep this world without the help of others. But, Chie, at least I have the power to stop you from interfering!"
Chie was positively shocked at this change of behavior, and then was when the principal came up behind her.
"You go ahead and do what you can, Rika-kun." He said kindly to Rika, "I, Kaieda, will take all responsibility in this matter!"
All the little kids cheered even more, and the commotion caused even a few students to gather by the door of the classroom.
Kimi scooched her way in, "Guys? What's everyone up to?" She titled her head.
"We're going to get Satoko back!" Keiichi replied loudly, going up to her, "You'll help too, right?"
Kimi blinked, "Really?" She then smiled, "God, I KNEW you were going to do something eventually, Keiichi-san!"
She stood up straight, saluting, "Count me in, too! I'll help you guys out with whatever you need!"
Everyone beamed at the girl in Rena's class. Even Shion was smiling brightly.
The sun was setting. The visit to Child Welfare didn't end up as great as it should've been. Sure, they were allowed an audience with two people to discuss Satoko's case, but of course, it was the same. Since Satoko said she wasn't being abused, they couldn't do anything. Although they also said that they would take custody of Satoko if deemed necessary, it wasn't 100% sure whether she truly was in danger or not.
This had obviously ticked off Keiichi and Shion both, but when Keiichi was smart enough to keep calm, Shion ended up saying a few words, which resulted in her being asked to leave the building before more trouble is caused. Shion stormed out, her expression looked like she would murder the next person who messed with her.
Suzaku followed her out for that just reason.
"Maybe you should learn to control your anger?" He asked, sitting on a bench outside as Shion paced back and forth.
"They're ALL like talking to a damn brick WALL!" She fumed, "They can easily tell Satoko's being abused! Why won't they DO anything?"
"They obviously care about their reputation more, is my guess." Kimi, the co-assistant manager of Angel Mort, stepped out from the building, flicking her tight curly strands.
Suzaku and Shion looked at her, Shion asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, think about it. Satoko-chan is being abused, but you gotta wonder, is she really being hurt or not?"
"Of course she is." Suzaku pointed out calmly.
"Just hear me out. Satoko-chan says she isn't, but if they get evidence, they'll come in and take custody of her. But...hypothetically, what if we're wrong, and Satoko-chan is perfectly fine?"
"Where the hell are you going with this, Kimi-chan?" Shion demanded, clearly impatient, "You're making no sense!"
Kimi dropped her fists from her hips, shoulders sagging as she sighed and rolled her eyes. She stood up straight and continued.
"It's not clear whether Satoko-chan is being abused. It's obvious, but not 100% accurate. If they take custody of her and charge Houjou Teppei-san with child assault, and it turns out we were wrong the whole time, think of how it would affect Child Welfare! Their reputation would go down, there'd be rumors of how they're too lazy to investigate more, yaddi yaddi yadda..."
She trailed off, waiting for them to understand.
"I get it now!" Shion clenched her fists, "They won't do anything because they care more about what people think of the company than of a young girl's health! How greedy!"
The meeting must've ended after, for everyone came out with discouraged looks on their faces.
"Stupid crackhead!" Keiichi muttered under his breath as he, Chie, the principal, and everybody else walked home, as the sun set.
"Same as last time." Mion said, "But it's not over all the way."
The younger kids were whispering excitedly to each other. One little boy said, "We can't stop here!" Another said, "We should try again!"
Rena tilted her head, "Its a first for everybody: Fighting together for a friend."
"It's like the Dam War." Shion murmured, stopping and gazing up at the orange-yellow clouds, "If one opposes you, two will fight back. If two, then four. If four, then eight. If a thousand, the entire village will fight back, right?"
"Huh?" Rena asked, "Is that some kind of proverb?"
"It's similar to a slogan used during the Dam War." Chie explained, "It means that everyone will band together and stand up for one another. It's like when one is in pain, everyone will fight as if they were in pain, too."
"That fits alot...doesn't it?" Suzaku said, staring at Shion.
"But if we try once more, they'll just send us back, won't they?" Mion shrugged.
"Then we should gather more people!" Rena exclaimed happily.
"Mion.." Keiichi looked at her, "Is it possible to find more supporters, besides the classmates?"
Mion looked down dismayed, "Well, most of the village council wants nothing to do with the Houjou family. Even now, everyone believe Satoko-chan's family is cursed. We could try me, Shion and Suzaku-kun's classmates, but I don't think any of them will consent."
Keiichi shook his head, but then a creepy smile appeared on his face, "Looks like I'll grab some people myself."
They continued on, Keiichi's smile still there as his devious mind concocted plans. Suzaku and Shion stayed behind. During the conversation, Shion still looked up at the sky.
"You alright?" He asked. He sort of was behind her, not able to see her face.
"Hey...Suzaku...this has turned out more difficult than I thought."
He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. But we'll get through it."
"Then...why do I feel so scared?"
Suzaku blinked. Before last night, he would've almost laughed at that question. Shion had an almost impenetrable wall built around her true emotions. Suzaku had somehow breached it last night, seeing the real Shion, how she was relatively frightened of the world around her...She did an amazing job of hiding her fears.
"Why are you scared?" He asked, stepping closer behind her.
"I dunno...I just am..."
He never liked it when she was sad or upset, for some reason. During the storm, he felt the need to make Shion feel better. Right now, he was feeling it again.
"I'm afraid Teppei will find out about us trying to save Satoko. He might just hurt her even more."
"That's not going to happen. I won't let it. I saved Satoko once, and I'll gladly do it again."
Shion turned to face him, and she then smiled warmly, "I feel very reassured when you say that. Thank you, Suzaku."
Before Suzaku could reply, they heard Rena's voice from way up ahead, "SHII-CHAN! SUZAKU-CHAN!"
Shion stifled a laugh, " 'Suzaku-chan'...?"
"We're going to Angel Mort! Come along with us!" Rena waved and jumped, Mion and Keiichi waved as well.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting." Suzaku said, cocking his head and widening his eyes a bit. Shion was still watching Rena and the others, but from the setting sunlight, she actually looked...stunning.
"Yeah, come on!" She said happily, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along with the rest.
Keiichi sure had his own way of getting allies. They had gone to Angel Mort and Keiichi decided to sit in a booth and chat with this boy who was on the Hinamizawa Baseball Team. While Mion, Rena and Rika sat in one booth, and Shion and Suzaku in the other, Keiichi tried to persuade this boy to get some friends and join their cause.
In the end, Keiichi did some sort of blackmailing technique to get the kid to agree, and thus, all the other pervert guys in the restaurant that had heard of Satoko's problem decided to help, too. Not only that, but Shion got her fellow waittresses, who said they'd phone their own friends, and so on.
Suzaku was amazed at all of this. Keiichi was so determined to save Satoko. With a situation like this, Suzaku started to lose hope. But Keiichi wouldn't accept that, and Suzaku found himself admiring the younger teenager.
It finally got dark, and they left Angel Mort. Keiichi said he was going to talk to Doctor Irie at the Clinic, and he left. Mion and Rena decided to walk Rika back home.
And so, Suzaku and Shion were left alone again. The storm from the previous night was long gone, so now the stars were out and the moon cast a dull silver glow on the ground.
"I'm amazed at how bent everyone is on this." Shion commented as they walked, she was only looking at her feet, arms outstretched a little, as if she was on a tight-rope, "Even my own hope was starting to dwindle after talking to Child Welfare today..."
"I guess so." Suzaku replied, hands in his pockets.
"Hey, Suzaku?" She caught up next to him, "...Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
The question startled him and he paused, staring. Shion blushed a tad but continued.
"I-I mean, are you an only child? Do you have any parents?"
Suzaku hesitated, "I only have a cousin. That's all I know of."
Shion's smile wavered, it grew a little sad. "...I see..." She murmured, before moving ahead of him a bit, breaking eye contact with him.
"...What's wrong?" He asked.
"Hm? Oh, nothing." Shion laughed slightly, looking over her shoulder, "..Heh...you're...rather elusive, Suzaku. I'm just wondering when you'll start telling me the truth."
"The truth?"
"Well...yeah!" The green-haired girl lifted her head up to the starry sky, "You just show up in this town for no reason at all...you enroll in our school, and everyone takes a liking to you. You've only been here for like 4 days..."
She suddenly bust out laughing a bit, "Wow! Has it really been that short? Feels like you've been here for a long time."
"Yeah." Suzaku agreed, hoping this would drive the subject somewhere else for good.
He cursed to himself when Shion winked, "So? Spit it out?"
"Haha. It's not something I like to talk about much."
"I consider that unfair, Kiryuu Suzaku." Shion puffed angrily, "I told you alot of stuff last night."
Suzaku found himself repeating, "Last night..." Quietly. Shion stared at him, cheeks growing a faint pink.
"Ha-Well-You don't have to bring it up like that..." She shook her head.
"You acted like you didn't mind it." Suzaku dared to say.
"Well, YOU were the one who decided to stay with me after that...horrid nightmare." She shivered, clenching her fists together. She barely remembers it now, only the echos of Satoshi's voice in the darkness..
"You seemed in alot of pain during it." Suzaku shrugged, "I'm glad I woke you up before it got any worse."
"Thanks..." Shion muttered in response.
They walked in silence for a while.
"Onee won't stop teasing me, y'know." Shion spoke again, this time hesitantly, "...About you and I. Together."
It suddenly grew very very awkward, Suzaku realized. He bit the inside of his cheek and decided to avoid Shion's mint eyes shining from the moonlight, and glanced up at the sky through the tree branches.
They reached the quiet town, and while they walked through the lamplit street, Suzaku finally said, "Do you not like her teasing?"
"Of course!"
"...So you don't want us together anymore?"
"Wha-?"
Shion was somehow so startled at this she tripped on her own feet. Suzaku caught her just in time before she fell face first on the concrete.
He had gotten his right arm around her chest, preventing her from injury. Shion was bright red again, and he couldn't help but fluster a little bit himself.
Shion stood up quickly, "Thank you. Anyway, it's not like I don't want to hang out with you! It's just...Onee thinks..."
Suzaku only nodded, letting her know she didn't have to continue. Obviously Mion was suspicious of Suzaku and Shion secretly dating or something. Mion wouldn't mind if they were, she and the others had probably been anticipating this.
"Why are they always keeping an eye on me? I can easily take care of myself!" Shion looked down, then back up at Suzaku, "...Did I seem...angry...when you first met me?"
It was a rhetorical question. It was obvious Shion was a very angry person when Suzaku met her. She tazored him, threatened his life, insulted him, ignored him, and even thought he was stupid.
"Yeah, you seemed pretty disturbed. Not anymore, now that I know you better."
Shion smiled, "...Yeah." They started walking again, "...I wish I could get rid of that anger. I'm tired of it. I don't know how to let it go."
"Same here." Suzaku agreed.
"I guess we probably both need therapy, huh?"
"Maybe."
They both stopped in front of the doors to the building containing Suzaku's apartment. They stared for a second, for some reason not wanting to part ways yet.
Instead, Suzaku turned to Shion and asked, "Do...you want to come in? I can make some tea..." He paused, "...Or water. I don't know if I have tea."
Shion grinned, "I'm sure I can concoct something great from the measly stuff in your fridge."
The corner of Suzaku's lip tugged upward a tad, but just a tad. Even though Shion had seen a pure smile from the tall brunette last night when she made him last, it was unintentional.
Secretly, her new objective was to make him smile.
And she was doing a decent job so far.
For Suzaku indeed did smile when he went ahead of her inside the building, and even though she didn't see it, it was still there.
Nee hee. Hoped you like this one! Btw, if you haven't figured it out yet, y'know that curly-haired geeky girl who works at Angel Mort? Yeah, that's the author of this story. In other words, me. I never knew why nobody does this kind of stuff, you're the author, you should add yourself somewhere xDDD
Anyway, I don't know how long chapter 9 will take. I'm working on another crossover of Higurashi and Code Geass, this time adding Umineko and featuring Lucy from Elfen Lied (LOL) lol, anyway review please~ :3