Hey…Here's is the new chapter…Please enjoy. Sorry for the wait.

I wrote this chapter after my exams i.e. on 01-03-2011, at 3:30 pm whilst eating lemon flavoured gelatin, gotta love it. :)

Naively Clueless

crystal-mist

Chapter 3

Human Nature

For a while nothing very spectacular happened. The same routines went on day after day after day. Things were pretty boring, to say the least.

School was alright; Runo aced her classes, Dan was slowly becoming the role model of the other kids. He was smart, kind, funny and very interesting company. A lot of girls even started having crushes on him… A very few of them approached him and they all got declined extremely politely.

Dan was humble and his growing popularity was evident…

Some of the girls in Runo's class got the information that she and Dan were in the same apartment building.

And they were like.

'So Runo, what is Daniel-sama like?'

'Is he always this kind and amazing?'

'Oh I wish I could trade places.'

And Runo would just raise an eyebrow and say… "I am sorry…but I don't really like gossip much."

One evening while on the way back home Runo let out a sigh.

"What's wrong kiddo?" asked Dan, walking lazily beside her.

"Don't call me kiddo… or any variation of it…I am only two years younger than you…." She retorted whilst pouting.

"And alas…In spite of that two year difference, you give me no respect what-so-ever…" he said in a very dramatic tone.

"Drama Queen." She muttered and he smirked at her.

"Aw come on, calling me something a bit more respectful like 'Dan-sama' won't kill you."

"You never know…" replied the blue-haired girl.

He sighed… "Fine…."

"You know, your fan-girls are really getting to me." said Runo.

"Really?" a very sly smirk lit up his face. "Is some one jealous of all the attention I am getting?"

"I am NOT jealous." She half shouted.

"Hey chill Runo, people are starting to stare…"

"Uh sorry." She said blushing. "If it's alright with you. Don't let them know that we live in the same apartment complex…It's irritating. They keep asking me about what you like and what your nature is …What am I to reply anyway?"

"Are you implying that you know nothing about me?"

"No, that's not it…"

"Did you tell them that I am extremely well-mannered, gentlemanly and above all sophisticated?"

"Of course I didn't" said Runo, stifling a giggle.

"It's not that funny."

"Oh believe me…When you are in my shoes, it is…" she replied, giggling helplessly.

A year passed… Runo was twelve and Dan fourteen…

They were still in the same school and still walked to school and back home together everyday. And they still bickered when they gathered to play.

Julie's new favourite pastime was guessing what Runo and Dan would be bickering about and who would start the quarrel.

Mrs. Morton passed a new law… No Football. That is, they were not allowed to use a ball of any hard variety to play as it may 'inconvenience the residents'.

So Joe bought an air ball, like one of the beach-balls- a bit heavier than your standard beach-ball.

It was strange playing with that ball because all you had to do was kick it gently and it would fly off with no control.

"This is so frustrating…It doesn't move the way you want it to." complained Runo.

"They'll start quarrelling." whispered Julie to Alice. "NOW."

Alice only looked at Julie in a surprised expression. "How can they turn that statement into a fight?"

"Oh you'll see." Said Julie as she giggled.

"Are you sure that wasn't just because of your terrible aim Runo?" taunted Dan.

"What? Of course not…And I didn't see any of your shots on target either." She retorted.

"I think you are forgetting the goal I made about ten minutes." said Dan in a rather proud voice.

"That was such a fluke." said Runo, sticking out her tongue.

"No it wasn't…It was a genuine shot…Tell her Joe."

"Fluke."

"No way."

"Yes way."

Julie just smiled at Alice with an all-knowing look on her face. "Told you."

Alice sighed and admitted defeat at Julie's superior 'human behavior deciphering' ability.

Unfortunately, Joe hit the ball a little bit too hard and it went flying too high, it went inside the balcony of an apartment.

"That's Mrs. Morton's house." exclaimed Marucho, who was scared.

Joe sighed. "We'll have to go and ask her to give us the ball back."

"But she is scary." said Alice, who was a bit scared as well.

"I'll go." offered Dan.

"No…I think its better if I went." declared Runo with a determined expression.

Joe considered for a bit… "Perhaps I should go…"

"No, it's alright…If Dan goes, he may blow his top again." Runo smiled a bit. "The same can be said for you Joe."

"I'll come along with you, if you want." said Shun, raising his hand a bit.

Joe thought that was the best idea. "Yeah Runo, you can go along with Shun."

When they left to Mrs. Morton's house Dan pouted at Joe. "No fair….I could've gone…Alone."

Unfortunately Mrs. Morton shouted at Runo and Shun….

"I though I told you NOT to play football and then you do and NOW you have to nerve to come to MY house and ask me to give you the ball…Go now, and tell your little friends that you won't get your ball back. You snobby brats are really pushing your limits."

Runo just listened wordlessly. Shun was always cool-headed so he listened to the whole thing without back talking. In fact, his emotionless face seemed to concern Mrs. Morton a little…

They went back. Runo shook her head from side to side.

"That lady shouts a LOT." added Shun gently rubbing his ears.

"She shouted at you...I am sorry for sending you guys there." said Joe apologetically.

"No it's alright… at least we were not forcefully grounded." said Runo.

"That's true." chimed in Alice.

"What'll we do now?" asked Julie as she sat on one of the steps…

Runo was standing a bit apart from everyone. Dan sighed as he saw her standing there alone so he went towards her.

"Her shouting seems to have affected you more than it did Shun." He stated.

"It is NOT affecting me…" said Runo looking at Dan. She saw the look on his face and sighed. "Okay maybe a little…I mean, it was only a ball, she didn't have to go over board like that."

"Yeah, people are weird that way." said Dan in an all-knowing way. "Especially me." He joked.

She smiled at him… He was taken aback by her sudden smile. It had always been this way, she was always unpredictable and it was one of the things that he found intriguing about this particular girl.

The next day the kids found the ball lying on the ground. It had no air in it…Mrs. Morton had ripped it open. Now, their beautiful ball was just shreds of torn fabric.

Marucho started crying seeing its remains –he was young after all- and he was easily upset by the loss of things. Especially because he liked the colourful ball very much.

"Don't cry Marucho…It's only a ball." comforted Alice as she tried comforting the kid.

Dan held the ball in his hand… His hands were trembling.

He was angry at that lady for wrecking what was theirs…He was angry at her for denying them fun, for sometimes accusing them of things they didn't do, for shouting at Runo, for making Marucho cry.

So he started walking away from the group of friends…

Everyone was so busy comforting Marucho that they didn't notice Dan slipping away. Everyone; apart from a blue-haired girl that is.

She followed him. Horror gripped her as she realized that he was heading towards 's house.

So she ran as fast as she could and caught up with him.

"Dan where are you going?"

"I am going to give her a piece of my mind." He said, clutching the torn ball in an almost 'death-grip'.

"No…She'll…she'll…There is no telling what she will do…"

Dan showed no sign of stopping.

"Dan…Please, stop."

He still didn't listen to her and just continued towards the building. In a last desperate attempt Runo took hold of his hand and tried pulling him to a stop.

But it didn't work, he only tugged at her harder and she was slowly loosing her grip.

"Joe…" she shouted… "Stop Dan before he does something crazy." She yelled urgently.

"Let me go." Shouted Dan at her.

"Don't be stupid." She answered back, still trying to pull him to a stop.

The others apparently couldn't hear her, because they were on the other side of the grounds.

After some tugs Dan pulled with so much strength that Runo's hand slipped and he was able to run.

He ran up the steps… Mrs. Morton's house was on the second floor and he intended to run all the way there.

Runo followed him, yelling all the way. But he took no notice, he was faster than her.

When they were about to reach the second floor they heard the noise of a door opening with great force. Mrs. Morton's figure appeared before them. Runo had caught up to Dan and was right beside him now.

"What are you kids doing shouting INSIDE the building. Don't you do enough of that outside?" she yelled.

Dan was about to retort, but when he looked at Runo he saw something very unexpected that made him hesitate.

Runo had tears in her eyes… And they were almost flowing down her cheeks.

He clenched his hand into a fist …

Dan took a step or two forward and bowed to Mrs. Morton. "We are sorry." He said in a low voice.
Mrs. Morton smiled victoriously "Finally, you kids are learning some manners…Now get going." She said before shutting the door.

Dan just stood there without uttering a single word, he half hated himself for apologizing like that. His back was turned towards Runo.

"You….you apologized!" exclaimed Runo, still engulfed in disbelief.

He then turned towards her. "Yeah I guess…" he muttered and started descending the steps. As he passed her he muttered. "Although, this is the first time I've seen you crying..."

Her eyes widened. "I am not…" but she couldn't complete as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She was ashamed; she didn't know why she was crying.

She slowly followed Dan downstairs after wiping away her tears...

And then a thought occurred to her. "You stopped, because you saw me crying?" she asked timidly. (Very different from her normal nature.)

"I guess." He muttered.

"It was involuntary…I don't even know why-"

"It's alright, you don't have to explain." He spoke in a softer voice as they reached the grounds.

And that was it; end of conversation.

Don't ask me why Runo cried. It could probably be because she was really scared that Dan would get into trouble and get grounded for life or something like that…

It was involuntary, I swear. Confusion and desperation overrode her at the moment and no other reaction occurred to her. She's still a young girl after all.

Anyway, I hope you liked the story.

I don't know if this is 'romantic' enough or anything. I cannot manipulate anything because all this and MORE has already happened and I want to write this story in its authenticity.

Only the dialogues are modified a bit, cause let's face it. You can't remember something word per word and this obviously follows a time-line when we/they couldn't utter philosophical sentences.