Chapter Six! Sorry it took so long, I kept having to go over these scenes and rewrite little bits. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! I want to become a better writer. Thank you! :)

Haru

When class started the next day, it was with more introductions. At the front of the classroom stood five girls, including the tall girl who had jumped out at them the night before. What was her name? Otoha?

Haru was sure it was something along those lines. She'd been too scared then to pay much attention. Whatever her name was, that girl was giving her a cute, mischievous smile. Instead of looking out over her classmates like most people would, her eyes were locked on Haru.

Seeing that Haru had noticed her, the girl gave her a little wave and an apologetic face. Haru knew it was a signal that she wanted to talk later.

Mizorogi clapped his hands. "Good morning, class! Today we have five new students! Go on and introduce yourselves."

The first girl was small and looked like an elementary schooler with blue hair in ponytails. "I'm Kirigaya Hitsugi," she said politely. "Pleased to meet you!

The second one was another cute girl with brown hair in braids that stuck out a little bit. She fixed her red glasses before speaking.

"I'm Kenmochi Shiena," she said, cheerful but composed. "Nice to meet you."

The tall girl with raven hair was next. "Hi! I'm Takechi Otoya." She winked at Haru. "Let's have fun!"

From the desk beside hers, Tokaku was gritting her teeth. Haru could already tell that those two would never get along. Frankly, Tokaku didn't seem to get along with anyone except Chitaru-san.

A girl with black hair, straight bangs and oval glasses that obscured her eyes stepped forward. "I am Kaminaga Kouko," she said flatly in a low voice. "From now on, I'll be the class rep." She looked at Namatame. "I'll be the dormitory rep too."

"Okay, thank you." Namatame handed over her clipboard.

Finally, a girl with chin-length light blue hair and a black and pink uniform introduced herself. "I'm Shutou Suzu. I guess you could say I enjoy being physically active." Her pronoun choice was strange. Haru had only ever heard old men use "washi".

Pleased, Mizorogi pointed them all to their seats and threw out his arms. "Almost all of the students are here now! I hope you're all as excited as I am to spend the year together."

Few people could get as excited about anything as sensei did, but Haru played along and clapped her hands. It would be a lie to say she wasn't excited at all. More people meant more chances at making friends.

Class went on like it had yesterday, with her, Chitaru-san, Hitsugi-chan, and a few of the new girls paying attention while Inukai-san, Haruki-san, and Nio-chan slept or listened to music. She noticed Chitaru and Hitsugi looking at each other a few times.

Then she looked over to the seat where Takechi-san sat. The girl was engrossed in doing something with her tablet, but it didn't seem like schoolwork from the expression she wore.

Haru remembered she had a messaging option on her own tablet. Sensei wasn't paying much attention, so she pressed the button and messaged Takechi to ask what she was so happy about.

She got a reply within seconds. "Nothing. Sorry bout yesterday, btw. Thought it'd be funny, but now I feel bad."

Haru wasn't sure how to interpret those words from the girl who had been so mean the night before. Mulling it over for a second or two, she typed "I forgive you" and sent it. Forgiveness was the door to renewal, after all.

There was a longer wait for the next message. Haru watched Takechi's expression from across the room. She seemed incredibly confused, then excited. It looked like she was typing and backspacing for a while before she finally sent her reply.

"Really? I'm so happy! :) When's ur birthday?"

What a weird question. "1/1"

"Cool! Mines the day before. Are u in rice or bread camp?"

"Haru loves rice!"

":O Same! We have so much in common!"

A smile spread across Haru's face at the girl's antics. She was pondering what to write next when Takechi sent another message.

"Can u show me around after class? This campus is so big!"

Her hand lingered above the tablet. Unlike the other comments, this one was serious. Going somewhere alone with Takechi would be the perfect chance for her to attack, but if she refused the request, she would hurt the girl's feelings and possibly provoke her.

She exhaled. Trust first.

She gave her one word answer. Even from where she was sitting, she could feel Takechi's face light up.

"Wow, yay! See ya Harucchi!"

The exhilaration of having buddies swirled around in Haru's brain. She would invite Tokaku along, maybe Chitaru and Hitsugi as well. She wasn't sure how she felt about the nickname Takechi had given her, but it was cute enough.

When she checked her inbox again there was another message, this time from Tokaku.

"Why are you talking with Takechi?"

Tokaku-san's powers of observation were impressive. Haru answered quickly. "She apologized and wants to be friends."

"She's lying."

"Maybe. :) Wanna come explore the campus with us?"

Having Tokaku around would make her feel a lot safer. Although the blue haired girl was also an assassin, Haru didn't feel any killing intent from her. It seemed to her that Tokaku didn't really have a purpose for being there at all.

Speaking of Tokaku, the blue haired girl had that conflicted look again. Finally, she responded.

"Sure. I'll ask Namatame later if she wants to come."

She got no more messages. Closing out the chat, she sighed and looked out the window. Even in a class full of killers, she'd made friends by the second day. The chairwoman had told her she would make friends quickly, but she hadn't expected it to go quite so fast.

Having people to hang out with was nice, but bittersweet. She would have to leave them forever soon enough. Not to mention depriving them all of their dreams.

She felt like laughing at herself. Only I could feel sorry for the people trying to murder me.

That's just the kind of person she was.

Tokaku

When Ichinose had asked her to walk around campus with the girl who had jumped out and gagged them the night before, Tokaku had hoped it was a joke, or at least a case of mistaken identity. When she left the classroom, however, she found the raven-haired maniac standing next to Ichinose in the hall.

Why is she standing so close to her? Tokaku frowned and walked over to them. They stopped chatting, and Ichinose waved.

"Hi, Tokaku-san! Did you remember to get the handout?"

She had, although she didn't plan to do it. "Yeah," Tokaku replied, shrugging.

Eyeing Takechi suspiciously, she found she had to look up to meet the girl's green eyes. Being looked down on was not a pleasant experience. With Namatame it was all right, but not with Takechi.

Takechi looked just as unhappy to see her. Rather than frowning, she smiled unkindly. "Hey, Tokaku! Sorry about yesterday. I thought it'd be a good joke, but I really wasn't thinking."

Tokaku folded her arms and gave her a disparaging look. "I hope you were trying to make that apology sound fake."

"Don't fight, okay?" Ichinose stood between them, determined not to let the two of them make contact. "I think we started out on the wrong foot yesterday. I've been talking with Otoya-san, and she's nice. Plus, she already promised she won't play tricks on us again."

"I believe her promise even less than I believed that apology," Tokaku growled.

"Your loss, then," Takechi replied, winking. "Harucchi was gonna show me around the school."

Not even her first name, but a nickname! After one day! Tokaku couldn't believe how familiar these people were. She was fine with being rude- she herself didn't refer to people too kindly. It simply wasn't right for Takechi to try and simulate a real friendship when she hadn't done anything to deserve it.

After Takechi spoke, Ichinose tugged on her sleeve lightly. "I invited Tokaku-san along too," she said. "She'll be with us."

The smile on Takechi's face disappeared. Tokaku felt like smiling herself to show how satisfied she was, but she'd been taught from a young age to suppress her emotions. That was the only way humans could kill each other, after all.

…is watching from that shrine.

No, no… She put a hand to her head and applied pressure. She wouldn't let the visions show up right now. There were more important things she needed to worry about.

"She's been here since yesterday," Takechi was saying. "Hasn't she already seen the campus?"

Ichinose beamed up at her. "Tokaku-san is my friend too," she replied, glancing back at Tokaku for approval. "Right?"

That wasn't right, but Tokaku knew that unless she laid some kind of claim on Ichinose, Takechi would try hurt her again.

She also found that she didn't want to hurt Ichinose's feelings.

"Right," she said gruffly. "I don't mind coming along."

Laughing harshly, Takechi moved behind Ichinose. "How kind of you! Lead the way, then."

At that moment Namatame came into the hallway with Kirigaya by her side. Tokaku wasn't sure when those two had met, but they had been practically glued together since that morning. They looked funny together, but they also complimented each other; a very tall prince and a very short princess.

"Hello," Namatame waved. "The math assignment today was hard, don't you think?"

"Tell me about it!" Takechi groaned, glomping Ichinose for no apparent reason. "I suck at math. How 'bout you, Harucchi?"

Ichinose didn't seem to object to Takechi's clinginess. "Hmm, I'm fine if I study. I'm not that good at it, though. Tokaku-san?"

Math and science were Tokaku's easiest subjects. She had a head for numbers and a good memory for retaining theorems and facts. Her tendency to observe everything around her helped too.

"I bet Tokaku's just awesome at math," Takechi answered for her. "You probably get top marks on all the exams, right?"

"I can answer for myself, thanks," Tokaku replied angrily. "Who cares what my exam scores are, anyway?"

Namatame placed an unobtrusive hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she didn't mean to upset you, Azuma-san." She turned to Takechi. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions about people, Takechi-san."

"Right, sorry." Takechi gasped. "Wait, does that mean you're actually bad at math?"

Ignoring Takechi was the best thing Tokaku could do to calm herself down. "Are you going somewhere after class?" she asked Namatame. "We were all going to walk around campus. You and Kirigaya could join us."

"Um…" Namatame glanced down at Kirigaya, who reached up to hold her hand.

"We were going to explore campus just the two of us," the small girl said, smiling cutely up at Namatame. "But thanks for the offer."

"What's the problem with joining us?" Tokaku asked, confused. "If you're exploring campus anyway, you might as well." She would much rather have Namatame to chat with than Takechi. Ordinarily she might've talked to Ichinose, but for some reason she didn't feel like talking to her when the raven-haired girl was around.

She felt a hand slip around her arm and pull her back a little.

"Bye, guys!" Ichinose waved at Namatame and Kirigaya, who waved back and walked away in the opposite direction. Tokaku thought she caught Namatame giving them a thankful glance over her shoulder.

When they were gone, Tokaku lifted Ichinose's hand from her arm. "Why couldn't they just go with us?"

"They looked like they wanted to be alone," Ichinose said with a knowing smile. "I think Chitaru-san might like Hitsugi-chan a little."

It was true that Namatame had been flustered just then with Kirigaya, and their eyes sometimes met in the middle of class. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't hard to imagine Namatame thinking a girl was pretty and being all bashful about it.

"Are we ready to go?" Takechi grinned. She wore a triumphant "Looks like you're stuck with me!" face. Tokaku kind of wanted to punch her.

Jumping up, Ichinose set a brisk pace down the hallway. "Yeah! Nio-chan said there was a water park here, and I want to see if she was right!"

The three of them made their way down the hall and prepared to conquer the massive campus.

NIO

"What?"

"I know it's a surprise, but it can't be helped. The orientation meeting won't be held until day five of the black class."

Nio lay in bed in her dorm room, holding her tablet up over her face. This was unfortunate news. "Can you at least tell me why?"

On the screen, the chairwoman looked disappointed. "We're having some difficulties with the electricity, I'm afraid. The wires are getting old, and they aren't connected properly. You don't want the monitor to black out in the middle of your presentation, do you?"

No, she definitely didn't want that. Among other things, Nio was a bit of a perfectionist. If she had planned for things to be uncertain, no problem. But if something happened that she really wasn't prepared for, it made her uncomfortable.

Leaning back into the pillow, she let out the breath she'd been holding for the past ten seconds. "All right, I understand."

"You seem more disappointed than I thought you would be. I wasn't looking forward to giving you the news."

"It's fine, chairwoman," Nio replied, smiling a little. "I know there's nothing you can do about it. This'll give me longer to practice my speech, I guess."

The chairwoman nodded. "That's good." She paused. "I know it's not my place to intrude on your private life, Nio-san…"

Considering they were intruding on everyone else's private lives, Nio wasn't sure why it should matter. If it did matter, there was only one thing the chairwoman could be talking about.

"You're going to ask about my magic, right?"

"Yes," the chairwoman admitted. "I'm not entirely clear on how it works, but I wanted to make sure you're practicing every now and then."

Even when carrying out assassinations, Nio rarely used her magic. That was reserved for different issues, ones that required illusory skills and trickery. She was excellent at both.

Creating those illusions came at a price, however. It forced her to remember the things she was trying to forget. Things like the day her parents were murdered in front of her.

By an Azuma.

"I practice every now and then," she said. "I memorized all the procedures when I was little, and most of it is just focusing and lying."

"Then I suppose you're practicing every day," the chairwoman chuckled. "Public speaking should be good for that."

Rolling onto her side, Nio braced the tablet against her other pillow. "People's brains are funny, y'know? I give them a suggestion, and they form a belief that meets their own expectations. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm telling the truth. Add in a little of that magic, and they'll start sensing things that aren't there."

The chairwoman clasped her hands together. "The whole art is truly fascinating. I've been studying it for a while, and it still eludes me. What does it take to be able to warp people's perceptions like that?"

"Well…" Nio would've said anyone could do it, but when she had tried to teach the chairwoman, it hadn't worked. "There are definitely some things you need to get in touch with the magical side of it. There are some materials, and then your totem. If you had those, I think you'd be a great shaman with all of that charisma."

"Then the tattoos really are necessary," the chairwoman sighed. "I had hoped they were just a mark of the Kuzunoha, but you're saying I would need them to create the illusions?"

"Yes." Nio was sad about it too. If the chairwoman could become a Kuzunoha, it would be like having family again. Unfortunately, she was too old for Nio to find her totem.

In the Kuzunoha clan, children weren't named until their totem animal, plant, or thing had been discovered. When the child showed an affinity for a certain thing, that thing would become their pathway to the realm of darkness. By mastering and nurturing the bit of evil inside of herself, Nio had learned to mould that darkness to her choosing.

The child was then, of course, tattooed with that totem. Nio had only been inked once, since she had stopped growing at an early age. Others had it done several times, according to her mother.

The chairwoman reached out toward the screen. "I'm sorry for bringing up such an uncomfortable subject. But with this black class, you should be able to make some new friends, right?"

Nio laughed a little. "Are you trying to pat my shoulder though a computer?"

Looking at her own hand like it was a foreign object, the chairwoman pulled it back to her lap. "Sorry. It's a bit of a reflex."

She and the brunette looked at each other for a little while. The chairwoman had always wanted to enter Nio's world. Whether it was simple interest or a desire to help her, Nio wasn't sure.

"Do you really think everything will work out?"

"Yes," the chairwoman replied, smiling. "I do. I trust that you'll do your job to the best of your ability, and you have many abilities, Nio-san."

The compliment sent warmth through Nio's cold hands. "Thanks," she said quietly. "You don't have to ask about the magic anymore, okay? I'm doing everything I can."

"I won't." the chairwoman said. Her brow was just a little tense. "Are you sure you're all right? You can come down to the control room if you want."

Nio wanted to say she'd be fine. She also wanted to go to the control room.

"I'll be there," she said, preparing to hang up. "Bye, chairwoman."

Before the chairwoman could respond, Nio tapped the red button and flopped onto her stomach. She hated the feeling that was rising in her gut, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She had been young at the time, but she still remembered everything.

Like the thud of bodies on a hardwood floor.

As she had every other time she felt like this, she forced a murderous smile back onto her face and bit her tongue. In the past there had been far too much blood. Now, however, the pain distracted her.

If everything went well during this black class game, she would have friends. People would respect and understand her, maybe even love her (though, that one was a stretch). Most importantly, she would be able to start over.

That was Nio's wish.

Otoya

"Look at all of these beautiful flowers!"

Haru ran around the greenhouse gleefully. Her round rosy cheeks framed her cute smile and made her face glow. Otoya wondered if she would look that beautiful crying.

Tokaku stood off to the side, keeping an eye on both of them. Otoya wished she would just butt out if she wasn't going to be any fun. Who could be serious and grumpy in such a wonderful place?

She breathed in the moist air and surveyed her surroundings. The greenhouse was thick with all kinds of plants, many of them exotic. There were bright pink and purple orchids, tall, waxy palms, ficcas, and plenty of others whose names she didn't know. All were in full bloom and bursting with color.

When Tokaku had her back turned, she reached into the waistband of her skirt and pulled out a pair of scissors. She always kept at least one pair concealed. It was an odd weapon choice, but since she hadn't been raised to kill like the others, it was the weapon she'd grown up with. Since then she'd learned to use saw blades, though the scissors were closest to her heart.

She sliced into the stem of an orchid with expert precision and caught the flower in her other hand. It was a pale orange-pink with soft petals.

"Hey, Harucchi!" She ran over to where the girl had her nose buried in some red roses.

Haru looked up. "Yes? Oh!"

Otoya had slipped the flower into her hair, making sure to caress her cheek on the way. Haru reddened at the touch.

"You're so cute, Harucchi!" She giggled and pulled away. "You could be a fairy."

Haru fingered the flower gently, stroking its petals. "Thanks! But you shouldn't cut the flowers, Takechi-san. They're more beautiful if you let them live."

"Beautiful things should end while they're still beautiful, right?" Otoya folded her arms and deftly pushed the scissors back into her waistband. "Otherwise they'll rot away."

Taking the flower from her own hair, Haru poked it above Otoya's ear. "Beauty doesn't have to be physical. Life itself is beautiful, and death is a part of life that comes naturally." She smiled warmly. "In that sense, everyone is beautiful, right?"

She left Otoya to ponder that as she ran over to Tokaku. The raven-haired girl tugged the flower out and placed it in the crook of a small tree. It wasn't her color.

Leaning back against the tree, she tilted her face toward the skylight and let the sun warm her. Haru really was beautiful. Since meeting her last night, Otoya had looked forward to seeing her again. Not only that, the dusty scent she'd encountered then had been following her, pulling at her like an unseen force. It made her want to be nice. Not fake-nice like she usually was, but real-nice.

Otoya was an impulsive person, and well aware of it. She was always falling for cute girls, usually within a few hours of meeting them. True beauty was something that couldn't be wasted or ignored. The difference with Haru was that she didn't feel the urge to tie her down and run a blade across her stomach.

She watched those magenta eyes open and close from afar, their long eyelashes fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. One of Otoya's favorite hobbies as a child was to catch butterflies.

It was fun to rip their wings off.

Upon Haru's urging, Tokaku had shuffled over toward Otoya, so that the three of them now stood in a group.

"You need to be more social, Tokaku-san." Haru was pushing her forward lightly by the shoulders. "Just try talking with Takechi-san."

"About that," Otoya interjected, kicking away from the tree. "Call me Otoya, 'kay?"

Haru blinked. "You mean Otoya-chan?"

"Nope, just Otoya. I don't like formalities." Otoya scooted closer. "But I like you, Harucchi!"

Tokaku glared at her. "That's enough," she said coldly. "Why do you have to get so close to her?"

Sliding her arms around Haru's neck, Otoya laughed. "Somebody's possessive. I thought you said you weren't together."

"We aren't!" Tokaku took a heavy step toward her, her fist raised. "You can't just pretend to like someone when-"

"Tokaku-san!"

Haru looked up at her. "Please."

Tokaku stared in disbelief. Otoya waited to see what would happen. If the need arose, she was always ready to fight.

But Tokaku relented to the pink-haired girl. Sighing, she lowered her arms and straightened her legs. "I'm worried about you, Ichinose. I really am."

Smiling sadly, Haru manually loosened Otoya's grip. "That means a lot to me, Tokaku-san."

She and I aren't so different, Otoya thought, noticing how Tokaku glanced away when Haru looked right at her. You express them differently, but our feelings are the same.

She released Haru. "We'll see the greenhouse in a few days anyway," she said. "Let's go explore someplace else!"

"Sure." Haru started for the door. "Let's talk a bit, Tokaku-san. You've haven't chatted with us at all."

As they explored the rest of the campus, Tokaku gradually opened up to Haru, telling her a bit about the things she liked doing. Unsurprisingly, those things were exercising, math, and sometimes video games. Haru seemed interested in that, so Tokaku told her about fighting sims.

Otoya made frequent jokes, drawing laughs from Haru and eye rolls from Tokaku. There were many times when she wanted to tell Haru about herself as well, but it wouldn't be good if Haru knew what she liked to do in her spare time. She could imagine the horror on the girl's face as she bragged of all her exploits.

For the first time, she was ashamed of her work.

It got late soon enough. The sun dropped lower and lower behind the clouds until a faint orange glow lit up the sky. It was the same shade as the orchid she'd picked for Haru.

On the sidewalk in front of the dormitories, Haru turned to them and hugged them both. She didn't give any reason for it, but Otoya could feel how happy she was. Apparently walking around with other people was enough to bring her that kind of joy.

The joy of life?

She hugged Haru back, wishing it could last longer. Tokaku received the hug awkwardly, sort of patting Haru on the back and moving away. Haru didn't seem offended by her standoffishness.

"Bye, Otoya-chan!" Haru said loudly, waving at Otoya. "We're going to dinner now!"

It hurt to see Haru leaving with Her Royal Blandness. Groaning, Otoya decided to wander the campus a little more. She wasn't really hungry.

This felt quite different from the other times she had been drawn to a girl. All the other times, she had been driven by lust. If she wanted something, she took it, no questions asked. Hell, the greenhouse would've been a perfect place. She'd have waited until darkness fell, pinned down her prey amidst those flowers, and spent a wonderful night with her.

Right now her stomach felt like a rock tumbler. Even if she couldn't slice Haru, she wanted to see her again. The scent pervaded her senses, like it was trying to drive her crazier than she already was.

I like Haru, but I don't want to kill her.

Those thoughts would torment her for the next three days.

HITSUGI

Hitsugi wondered if Chitaru would ever let go of her. When others were around, she could pretend to be the one who wanted to hold hands. When they were alone however, it became obvious that the redhead was most comforted by their closeness.

They had spoken several times since last their meeting, and each time Hitsugi had found something new to appreciate about Namatame Chitaru. She was quiet, courteous, kind… at the very least, she seemed that way. Being part of an organization meant that Hitsugi was used to dealing with liars. If Chitaru were lying about anything, she'd have figured it out.

That was the main reason why Hitsugi wanted to talk with her alone. Last night she had believed Hitsugi was clueless and explained the black class game to her. That was all well and good. The interesting part was that Chitaru didn't plan to kill the target.

I want to know what her true purpose is, Hitsugi thought. She probably hasn't told anyone else, but she might tell me.

Despite her intentions, they had said little since leaving the classroom. They were currently sitting on a wooden bench beside one of the school's sidewalks. They were shaded by a grove of trees that allowed only a little sunlight through, making it pleasantly cool underneath.

Chitaru was gazing at their green leaves and admiring the way they swished back and forth in the breeze. She seemed so transfixed on the nature of her surroundings that Hitsugi wondered if she even noticed the people. There was a wistful look in her deep red eyes.

"Chitaru-san?" She tugged at the girl's sleeve. "I wanted to ask about some things."

Slowly returning to the world of humans, Chitaru smiled at her. "Sure. What did you want to know?"

Hitsugi was about to ask about Chitaru's intentions for the black class game, but her mouth had other ideas.

"What were you thinking about just now?"

"Just now?" Chitaru looked surprised. "Well… I was thinking about my mentor."

The way Chitaru softened when she said that indicated that her mentor was very important to her. Hitsugi smiled. "If there's something troubling you, you can tell me about it."

At first the redhead didn't say anything. Then she sighed. "My mentor was like a mother to me," she said, her eyes closing a little. "My parents died when I was pretty young. Our house got robbed, and they were killed in the struggle. I was out playing with some friends at the time, so I was spared. That's what the police told me. I don't remember much."

She swallowed. "My mentor was the one who adopted me. She's an older woman. Her daughter had already moved out, but she took me in anyway." A chuckle escaped her throat. "She said she missed having a kid around."

Her face was falling fast, so Hitsugi leaned on her arm to comfort her. The warm black fabric of Chitaru's jacket made a nice pillow, and she found herself feeling more content than she had in a while.

"Thank you," Chitaru said quietly. "I've spent most of my life with her, so when I think about how sad she is right now… especially without me…"

Now seemed like a good time to ask. "Why are you here, Chitaru-san?" Hitsugi closed her eyes. "If you aren't after the target and your mentor is sad without you, what do you need to do?"

"I don't want to get you mixed up in any of this," Chitaru replied, staring at the trees again. "It concerns me that someone like you wound up here in the first place. The same goes for Ichinose-san."

Time to play dumb. "Do you think the target is me?"

"I'm really not sure. We all thought it was Ichinose-san, but then you showed up."

Ichinose was a very nice girl, but Hitsugi was certain that she must have been the real target. In that case, she'd have to say something to draw suspicion to Ichinose.

"If she's the target, why did she go off with those assassins?" she asked innocently. "Isn't she afraid of them at all?"

"Huh." Chitaru frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. Azuma-san I can understand. She seems to soften a lot around Ichinose-san. Takechi-san, on the other hand…"

Right, Ichinose and Takechi had hit it off. Hitsugi was still stumped by that one, and she knew that Ichinose had to be the target.

Her words had their desired effect. Chitaru nodded, as though deciding on something. "That's an interesting observation. I'll bring that up to Azuma-san later."

"So…" Hitsugi let go of her hand to hold onto her arm. "You didn't tell me why you're in the class. I'm stuck in it anyway, so I may as well know, right?"

Once again, Chitaru refused to answer. Glancing up from where she was, Hitsugi could see the light wind touseling her mane of crimson hair, making it undulate like an ocean wave. She watched it for a while as she waited for Chitaru to speak.

"I'm here to get revenge for my mentor's daughter," she finally said. "She was killed, and I'm going to kill the assassin who did it. I know they're here in the academy somewhere."

Revenge was always dangerous, especially when the avenger was too kind. It was really hard to imagine Chitaru killing anyone. Then again, if she really was an assassin, she must have killed before.

"Can you tell me who it is?" She pulled away from the girl's arm, determined. "I could help you find them, at least."

Shaking her head, Chitaru smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you get involved. This is going to get very dangerous very quickly, and that's not counting the rest of the class.

"That's one thing I'll always try to avoid," she continued, meeting Hitsugi's eyes. "I will never hurt innocent people."

The irony. "Then…" Hitsugi smiled. "Do you only kill bad people, Chitaru-san?"

The reply came quicker than expected. "Yes," Chitaru said firmly. "I make sure of it."

She lowered her head. "It might surprise you that someone like me is an assassin at all. I never would have considered it, if not for my mentor." Lifting her hand away from Hitsugi's she displayed her calluses. "I'm a swordfighter. At first she taught me to fight for sport, but one day I stumbled upon an old journal of hers and found out she'd been an assassin.

"I didn't talk to her for a little while after that. When we finally did talk again, she explained why she killed other people." Chitaru laid her hand over Hitsugi's once more. "I'll never forget those words."

Chitaru stepped into the middle of the sidewalk and pulled Hitsugi with her. They stood facing each other, Hitsugi in the dappled shade of the trees and Chitaru bathed in sunlight. Hitsugi had to remind herself to breathe.

"There will always be people in the world who hurt others," Chitaru said shakily. "As long as those people exist, there has to be someone willing to shoulder the burden of killing them. Someone who's willing to make the world safe for others to live in."

A smile returned to Chitaru's face, now illuminated like that of an angel.

"I would rather put myself through that pain than anyone else."

They didn't talk very much after that. They walked toward the dormitories hand in hand, ignoring the stares they got. The trees continued to rustle around them like hushed conversation.

Hitsugi couldn't think of another time where she'd been so affected by someone's words. Most speeches were silly or preachy or annoying, often a mix of those. Chitaru spoke with such conviction and sincerity.

She's truly a good person, Hitsugi thought, gazing up at Chitaru with wonder. I didn't think they existed.

Hitsugi had grown up within an organization. The unwritten rule of Datura was "make a killing and make your name". She had done both of those things excellently, and that had earned her a nice life at the top of the food chain. It wasn't easy to become the ace of an assassin group.

When she had finally reached the top and mastered her art at such a young age, she'd been proud of herself. All of her hard work had paid off. She was the best at what she did, quite literally. It was such a great feeling that she thought maybe all of the killing had been worth it. Now that she heard Chitaru speak, she wondered if everything she had ever done was meaningless.

When they arrived at their dorm, Chitaru thanked her for listening and retreated inside. She had dredged up a lot of painful history, and needed to rest. Hitsugi also needed some time by herself, so she sauntered down the hall and toward the high school building.

Why don't I hate her for making me feel this way?

Though she tried to focus on sorting out her jumbled thoughts, all she could think of was Chitaru-san.

MAHIRU

Mahiru tiptoed through the dormitory halls, praying she wouldn't come across anyone before she got into her room. People were always hiding things. None of them could be trusted.

It was really too bad. She'd come to the academy at Shinya's request, the idea being that she'd meet people like herself and make some friends. So far that plan was not working. The girls here were really loud, scary, and unexpectedly socially savvy with one another. There weren't many opportunities for a shy, soft-spoken girl like herself to get a word in. Throw in the fact that she didn't really want to talk half the time, and it became clear that Mahiru was not in a nice situation.

Warm plastic pressed into her palm. She gazed down at the pink cellphone charm Ichinose had given her and felt a small smile on her lips. At least one good thing had come out of being at Myojou Academy. With this, she had an irreplaceable token of friendship.

All I have to do is kill Ichinose-san and make it a true relic.

As soon as she thought that, she felt Shinya's disapproval. Her other personality had been acting up lately, and it made it really hard to think. Mahiru already had some trouble keeping things straight inside her head- having another person in there was annoying sometimes.

She couldn't really be upset at Shinya, though. The girl protected her so fiercely that Mahiru sometimes forget how much she had already done for her sake.

"Are you mad at me?" A low, harsh voice spoke to her from within. She drooped her eyelids and let her eyes unfocus, allowing her to see the outline of Shinya's body in the dimly lit hallway before her.

"No," she thought back, trying to find her dorm number on one of the fancy wooden doors that lined the corridor. "I was just thinking that I couldn't get mad at you."

"Well, uh, thanks." The faint Shinya scratched her head. "Y'know I don't like arguin' with ya over this kinda thing. I just think maybe… you've gone far enough in this direction. Maybe it's time ta find somethin' else."

Typical of Shinya. "I don't like arguing either," Mahiru answered. "But I… we… have to do this."

"Why?" Shinya asked, folding her arms. "Ya got the friendship thingie, right? Let's treasure that and get outta here!"

"No!" she whispered, placing her hand on the wall. "I need it! The relic… if I don't end her life now, i-it'll be corrupted!"

Her stomach clenched up. When she lifted her head she saw not Shinya, but a man's face staring back at her out of the fancy wallpaper. He examined her with odd fascination, every line and contour of his countenance carving itself into and out of her memories. Those dark, dead eyes stared back into her own, devoid of emotion as he lifted his camera.

It took all she had not to throw up in the middle of the hallway.

"Mahiru!" she heard faintly. "What's wrong?"

The sensation of falling came as a bit of a relief, because it meant she wouldn't have to see his face anymore. Blackness flooded her senses, a sweet relief. She had descended into the realm of darkness.

A pair of arms caught her and laid her down. "Mahiru!" Shinya cried, brushing her bangs away from her forehead. "The hell was that for?"

"I saw him…" Mahiru whispered, comforted by the feeling of Shinya's cool hand on her face. "H-he was there in the hallway."

Shinya sighed and lifted her into a sitting position. "It'll be all right," she said, frowning. "Remember what I keep tellin' ya? We got 'im. He's never comin' back."

"But I saw him right there…"

Two cold arms slid around Mahiru and held her tight.

"You should know by now that ya got a pretty powerful imagination," Shinya mumbled with a grin. "Don't let him get in the way of you havin' fun here. I wanted us to make some friends, and I know we can do it."

Mahiru knew her other self was right. She tended to see things that weren't there, usually unpleasant things. Wherever there was light, there was constant fear of being stolen again.

"Okay," she said, standing free of support. "B-but you need to do your job too, or it'll be meaningless."

"Not yet." Shinya stepped back from her. "Make friends first."

Why did she have to be like this? Mahiru grabbed her shoulders as roughly as her trembling hands could manage. "Then at least promise me you'll do it!" she cried, terror creeping up her body like frost. "You have to make it a relic before it's too late!"

Kindness was ephemeral, and would always lead to betrayal and corruption. Unless she ended Ichinose's life, the love inside the charm would soon be twisted into despair.

"You can't betray me…"

There was pain in Shinya's face when Mahiru said that, but it disappeared at the sound of somebody's voice in the hallway. Opening her eyes, Mahiru found that she was still leaning against the wall. She'd have to finish that conversation later.

"Oy, Banba-san!"

New fear gripped her around the neck. She turned around slowly to find Sagae and Inukai behind her. Those two were some of the scarier looking girls in the class because they were taller and probably older.

Sagae smiled at her. "You okay? You look like you're getting sick or something."

"I-I'm all right," Mahiru stammered, wishing she wouldn't get so close. The redhead had something of a disregard for personal space.

An arm separated the two of them. "Back up a little, would you?" Inukai sighed, smiling. "You're going to make her wet herself."

Surprised, Sagae took a few steps toward the middle of the hall. "Sorry, sorry. I'm not used to having so much space." Her carefree laugh made Mahiru want to cover her ears. "Were you going back to your dorm, Banba-san? Isuke-sama and I were gonna check out the campus or something."

"Actually," Inukai interjected, taking the cuff of Sagae's sleeve, "I changed my mind. I'd rather rest in the dorm for a little while."

"Ah?" Sagae let herself be pulled a few feet. "But why?"

Inukai shrugged. "I don't want to walk in these shoes anymore. Besides, I'm sure we'll see the campus soon."

The excitement visibly drained out of Sagae's face. "Okay, I guess you're right. Exploring would've been fun, though."

"You could go see it by yourself," Inukai said. "It's not like you have to go wherever I do."

"Having someone to talk to is more fun!" Sagae insisted, following Inukai down the hall. She winked at Mahiru. "Sorry to bother you, Banba-san!"

When they were out of sight, Mahiru sighed and fidgeted to calm herself down. She was sort of thankful that Inukai had led Sagae away, and she had the odd suspicion that the pink-haired girl had done it on purpose.

She's trying to make me feel thankful toward her. Mahiru twisted the brass knob on her own door. Why would Inukai do that?

The door to her room opened, and a strange man stood in the entrance.

She realized it wasn't the man she remembered, but she jumped back nonetheless. He was adorned with brown working clothes and a brown hat that perched atop his head. He was also very big.

"Are you Hanabusa-sama's roommate?" he asked in a deep voice. "Sorry to be in your way. I was carrying some furniture in for the lady."

Mahiru peeked around him to see inside the room. Where there had been cold plastic tables and chairs, there now sat fancy mahogany desks and cushy, padded armchairs. It was as though two worlds had collided.

In the middle of it all stood a pretty girl with a pink and white school uniform, long blonde hair, and strikingly blue eyes. She was surveying her new living quarters like a queen might evaluate her royal bedroom. When she noticed Mahiru in the doorway, she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Banba-san. I am Hanabusa Sumireko, your roommate. I do hope you'll excuse Yoshida-san over there. I'm a bit frail, so I can't carry in large furniture by myself."

It would be pointless to ask why she needed such extravagant furniture in the first place. Someone who felt the need for so much stuff either wouldn't appreciate the question, or would explain it on her own within the minute.

"H-hi," Mahiru replied, staring at the floor as she shuffled by "Yoshida-san". "It's nice to meet you too."

Hanabusa lowered herself into a chair. "Come and sit down. You look tired."

Arguing with Shinya always made her tired. Mahiru obliged and took one of the normal chairs remaining in the room. She would've felt presumptuous using one of Hanabusa's nice ones.

There happened to be a table between them that was set with a teapot and some cups. She supposed that for wealthy people, making tea must be instinctive.

"You're the first member of the black class I've been able to meet," Hanabusa said. She sounded like a smooth and practiced speaker. "I hope we can be friends."

Mahiru wanted to run away from that notion, but Shinya was ever present, urging her onward. "W-why do you want to be friends?" she asked quietly, clasping her hands in her lap. "We'll all have to fight each other… and I don't like talking to people."

Picking up the teapot with both hands, Hanabusa expertly poured two cups of tea. Steam wafted from the tops of the cups as she blew on one and passed it to Mahiru.

"That's fine," she replied, smiling and lifting her own cup of tea. "I'm not very talkative when I don't need to be. People are very loud, wouldn't you agree?"

She actually did agree with that. "Yes." Mahiru lifted her head a little, her silver hair falling in front of her eyes to obscure her view of the blonde girl. Tentatively, she reached for the cup of tea in front of her. "People are too loud… and too cruel…"

The china burned her hand when she tried to pick it up. She gasped and dropped it, spraying several drops of tea on the tablecloth.

Normally there would have been a much bigger mess, but Hanabusa had leaned over the table to catch the falling cup with her bare hand before it could spill.

"H-how…" Mahiru stared at her. Hanabusa had reacted incredibly fast. Not only that, she was clutching a cup of burning hot tea in her bare hand.

Setting the tea on the table, Hanabusa yanked her hand away and shook it vigorously. "Goodness, that was a hot cup of tea! I can understand why you dropped it."

Something wasn't quite normal about Hanabusa, but Mahiru didn't dwell on it. None of the girls here were normal, and it made her feel more comfortable to know that her roommate was not as frail as she seemed.

Having recovered from the pain, Mahiru ignored the tea and focused on making eye contact with Hanabusa. "You have… very quick reflexes. And…" She blushed. "…very tough skin, Hanabusa-san."

Hanabusa's mouth hung open for a second. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed. Her laugh was much more pleasant than Sagae's. It was rounder and softer.

A minute or so passed where Mahiru fidgeted in her seat and Hanabusa took periodic sips of her tea. For the tea to be that hot, it must have been made recently. Hanabusa had probably made it while her worker Yoshida-san carried in furniture.

It's a big pot of tea, she thought, breathing in its calming aroma. Did she plan on having someone to drink it with?

"She wants to be your friend, Mahiru. This's the perfect chance!"

Shinya just didn't understand. Of course Mahiru would like friends. Chatting and sharing things would be fun.

Every time she thought of it though, fear would trickle down her back like icewater. The last time she had trusted a stranger… she had nearly been destroyed.

Her breath caught in her throat as she sat hunched over in her seat. Flashes of light exploded in front of her, and two knobby hands closed around her wrists.

She shrank back into the chair. Those memories were like a plague on her existence. She had gotten rid of him for a reason. He couldn't be allowed to torment her anymore, it wasn't fair!

"Mahiru," Shinya growled. "Calm down. She's not like him. And hey," she cackled and made a muscle. "If she does hurt you, I'll fuck her up real good."

The words sent power surging through her veins. "Y-you're right," she thought back. "I'll try."

She raised herself up again and saw Hanabusa looking at her while sipping the last of her cup of tea. The girl had respected her silence, even though her eyes were full of concern.

Mahiru swallowed. Maybe… she should drink the tea. It would've cooled down since she'd handled it last. It smelled nice, like an herbal blend. She hadn't had good tea in a long time. So she slipped her finger into the teacup handle and lifted the china to her lips.

Warmth poured into her body like a ray of light, pooling in her stomach and spilling out of her fingers and toes. Several flavors mingled in her mouth before rising into her nose. She had no clue what she was tasting, but it felt very special.

The blonde leaned over the table. "Do you like the blend? I mixed it myself."

Mahiru placed the cup directly in front of her, a small smile forming on her uncertain features. "Yes… it's very nice."

Unexpectedly… nice.

I wanted to fit a lot of metaphors into this story; sun/light vs. darkness, warm vs. cold, etc. I hope they aren't forced. Also, in case people didn't know, "The joy of life" was a reference to the meaning of the flower on Otoya's desk, the mountain lily. I wanted to incorporate the flowers somehow.