Chapter 16

Yes! This is a CONSECUTIVE POSTING! You are not dreaming! Your eyesight has not changed! And—yes—the story will continue under the break line!

Another OC is being placed in this story! This chapter is dedicated to QueensKhioneandFernis, who so kindly allowed me to use her OC Lucas!
And just to let y'all know: if you want to PM me and send in an OC for me to use, go for it! Don't be shy!

Now, I'm also going to use this space to announce that I do actually need an OC. It doesn't have to be meticulously designed, it's just the bare necessities...

...And those details will be provided at the end of the chapter!
(I know, I'm a jerk, but you need to know some details anyways!)

Quiet down, kids. It's Storytime!

Kyoya tapped on the door and poked his head inside the hospital room. "He—llo," he called out. "Anyone ho—" Just barely, he avoided being smacked in the face with a pillow. "Jerk!" Came the cranky shout. "Where's my cotton candy?"

Kyoya stepped back in the doorway and checked for any more flying projectiles aimed his way, grumbling. "Sheesh," he muttered, picking up the pillow. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

He walked inside to find his sister had taken up her usual childish stance whenever she got grumpy. She was sitting up in her, her knees bent, and her arms folded stubbornly over her chest, her lips in a downward pout. There was no greater resemblance to a child than now, Kyoya reflected.

Dusting off the pillow, Kyoya placed it at her feet, on the bed. "Feeling alright?"

Mijuki rolled her eyes. "Other than the fact that I didn't get any cotton candy?" She whined. "I'm in perfect health." She arched a thin, green eyebrow at him, scowling. Kyoya rubbed his temples. Some days they looked altogether too similar—it gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Kyoya sat on the bedside—at the very least, she didn't kick him off. That was progress. "At the very least, did you enjoy the fireworks?"

"Other than missing out on the deliciousness that was cotton candy?" She sniffed, but didn't wait for a response. "It was okay. There was another hour or so of fireworks after you ditched us." She stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry in his direction. Just as quickly, she was rolling on.

"Oh my god, though. Nile—I swear he can be such a pain in the ass! So you knew there's this guy, in the room next door. I'm like, stuck in this loooone—ly hospital, so we chat all the time! Y'know? Then Nile has the audacity to actually get mad and jealous, and be all suspicious about it, and I'm like, heeeeellll no! That kid's not even attractive, we just! Chat!" She paused to give an annoyed huff.

All Kyoya could say was, "wow. I didn't realize you even knew what "audacity" meant."

Mijuki rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Neither did I."

Kyoya sighed, leaning back on his elbows and sinking into the bed. "But sis, I need you to be honest with me."

Mijuki flinched. "What do you mean?"

Kyoya sighed. "Well...you seem pretty pissed, and I know it's not over the cotton candy—even you're not that petty." He smiled lightly as he felt her cuff him gently. "So what's actually the matter?" He turned, concerned. "I mean...that little spat with Nile wasn't that bad, was it?"

Mijuki shook her head, cheeks turning pink. "No, but...never mind. It's just stupid."

Kyoya gestured for her to continue. "I'm listening."

Mijuki hesitated until she finally looked as if she would explode from containing herself any longer. "Oh, god dammit, I was just so worried about you, dipshit! I mean, you disappeared saying you'd go get cotton candy, and then when you were taking a while, Nile and I just figured that you were having a hard time, and then we got distracted by the fireworks—and then you still hadn't come back!" She chewed her lip, blinking back tears. "I mean, honestly, Kyoya, I was worried sick! You didn't have your cell on you, so we couldn't call you. We spent the rest of the night searching for you, I mean we spent literally two hours looking for you at that stupid carnival until Nile finally convinced me to stay at the apartment and even then I couldn't sleep because I was so worried about you! Then I don't find out you're okay until you call Nile yesterday fricking morning!"

Kyoya blinked. "Nile didn't mention this to me," he said, half to himself.

"Of course not, he probably didn't want to offend you of something. But I was literally going insane not knowing! The night was fucking ruined when we couldn't find you. I thought something happened to you! I thought I lost you before—before—before I get discharged from this stupid hospital..."

As she wiped her eyes, looking ashamed, Kyoya reached over and hugged her. A sense of guilt weighed down in his chest as he ran through his head how irresponsible he'd been. "Sorry. I'll carry my cell on my at all times now, okay? And I promise I'll let you know when I'm going somewhere. Got it?"

Mijuki sniffled, shaking her head. "No, that's fine. And...sorry. I just...freaked out, and..." She didn't finish, and they stayed there, in one another's embrace.

"Kyoya..." Mijuki muttered into his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"I've been talking with the doctors...and, um..."

Kyoya withdrew, searching his sister's face concernedly. "Yeah? What?"

Mijuki hesitated for a long while before breaking into a mischievous grin. "They said my injuries should be healed within the month."

Kyoya sagged, groaning. "Don't scare me like that," he complained. "I thought something was actually wrong, for a sec!"

Mijuki cackled. "But I've gotta ask, since it's been bugging me..." She narrowed her eyes into suspicious slits, and crossed her arms over her chest again. "Where did you go the other night, anyways?"

Kyoya didn't think very hard before responding. "I was with a girl."

Mijuki's shriek had probably deafened every dog within a five-mile radius. "What? No way! No fucking way!"

"Shut up!" Kyoya growled, feeling colour fill his cheeks as he realized what he'd just implied. "It was just a girl I knew from a few years back."

"Ooh," Mijuki crooned. "Was she pretty?"

Kyoya could feel heat radiating from his entire body. "No—well, I mean yes to that question, but I did not sleep with her!"

Mijuki giggled, sounding like a child on Christmas Day. "Soooo? What did you do, then?"

He glared at her. "What did you and Nile do at the apartment, then?"

The sudden silence was startling. They both simply stared at each other, stunned, until Kyoya rubbed his temples. "I didn't actually think..."

Mijuki gave a tiny, guilty smile. "What's her name?" She squeaked.

Kyoya was grateful for the change in topic. "Hikaru," he muttered, still trying very hard not to think about the apartment right now. "I saw her at the carnival, and she invited me over for wine. I... I just had to get out of that place, all those noises...sorry."

Mijuki's eyes widened with realization. "Holy shit! Oh fuck, Kyoya, I'm so sorry...god dammit, I didn't realize it sooner! I'm such an idiot..."

"Hey," he protested as she buried her face into the pillow. "It's not your fault. Besides, it kind of worked out for us, didn't it?"

Mijuki thought for a moment, then gave a small, shy smile and nodded.

"Although..." Resting her chin on the pillow on top of her knees, she gazed at him hopefully. "Did you really just drink wine with her all night?"

Kyoya nodded, then shrugged. "Well...we talked a lot, too." As Mijuki perked up, he continued. "And... I think we really bonded, to be honest."

His sister squealed and clapped in delight.

Something in his pocket buzzed, distracting them. Kyoya withdrew his phone and flipped it open ("I still can't believe you have a flip phone," Mijuki complained), and scanned the text ("seriously, we're in the age of smartphones now!"). "It's from Nile," he told her briskly, ignoring her complaints about his poor phone choices. "He wants me to meet with some friends for lunch."

A small crawled over Mijuki's face. "Hey, do you have Hikaru's phone number?"

Kyoya was about to answer yes, and ask why, but he was hit with a sudden epiphany. "Oh. I see."

His sister arched an eyebrow at him cockily. "Well? Does she fancy you enough to go for lunch?"

Kyoya grinned and pulled out his phone again. "I'll ask her to meet us at the restaurant."

Madouka had been doing some Internet research on repair techniques for most of the morning. As she descended the stairs, she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it!" Ginga called, rushing from the kitchen to the door.

As he opened it, Nile stepped inside with a friendly grin. "Hey, Ginga." He glanced up, seeing Madouka coming down the stairs, and waved. "Hey, Madouka."

Time seemed to freeze, or even slow as her name left his lips. Trying to bring her embarrassment under control, she smiled, joining them at the front door. "Nile! It's great to see you." She rushed forward to give him a hug, and felt a small leap of victory as he accepted it. "You've been dropping by an awful lot lately. What's up?" She tried to lead him inside, but he abstained.

"Actually," he began politely, "I was wondering whether you guys wanted to join me for lunch." For a second, Madouka's imagination had run away on her, and she pictured herself and Nile on a romantic afternoon date. But she finally registered that he meant all of them when the handsome Egyptian nodded at Ginga.

"Sure!" Replied the redhead enthusiastically.

Nile glanced towards the ornate staircase. "Is Masamune here?"

"Not today," Madouka replied. "He went to visit his friend at the hospital."

Nile scratched his head. "Ah, that's a shame. There's a lot I wanted to catch up with him on."

Somehow, Madouka sensed there was something deeper to that phrase. "I guess you two have been talking?" She queried.

Nile looked startled for a second, then gave her a dazzling smile that melted all her innards. "We were very open to each other about our problems yesterday." His smile was soft, warm. "I think we found that we had a lot more in common that we thought. It was definitely...refreshing." Madouka absorbed that moment like a sponge, simply standing there comfortably, drinking in his jade-green eyes...

"Hey, is Kyoya free?" Ginga's voice cut into her fantasy.

Nile's eyes lit up. "Good idea," he noted. "I don't know if he has his phone on him right now, but I'll text him." After a minute or two of waiting for him to type on his phone, they departed, Madouka making sure she had keys and some change for the train.

"Where are we headed? Ginga asked as they exited the Konzern estate.

"There's this steakhouse in my neighbourhood that I've been wanting to try," Nile explained. "I was alone at the apartment, so I figured there wasn't much harm in calling you guys up to lunch. I wanted to take advantage of the time while you guys are still in New York." His teeth flashed in Madouka's direction, and she felt her legs turning to jelly. "It...it's...that's considerate of you," Madouka stuttered, flooding with embarrassment. Why couldn't she get these nerves under control?

Ginga was nodding, wide-eyed. "True! I never considered it fully, but... I guess we do only have..." He turned to Madouka. "Three, four more days we agreed to stay in New York?"

Madouka nodded, also feeling suddenly shocked by this revelation. "Yeah...then me, you and Masamune are gonna fly back to Japan, while Julian and his friends go back to Europe."

Sadness suddenly dimmed the fire in Ginga's soft brown eyes. "Yeah," he said softly. "Tsubasa and Hikaru are staying to work in New York. Then everything goes back to normal."

Madouka was about to ask the ordinarily cheerful redhead what was wrong, but they were descending into the subway, and the rumble of the train drowned her out.

Madouka was glad that Nile guided them with certainty, because the moment they stepped down, she was horribly lost. All these different lines and directions and numbers were mixed up in her head, and she barely understood what train they were supposed to board. At one point, Ginga somehow fell asleep and they would have missed their stop had Nile not jammed the doors with his broad shoulders and toned arms. "Sorry," he grunted. "Just slip under my arm there, Madouka." Giving a shy and grateful smile, Madouka slipped by, and was ecstatic when he returned the gesture. She wanted to squeal "my hero!" and throw herself on him, but that would hardly be appropriate in the public eye of a foreign country, would it?

As they crossed the street, Nile pointed out his apartment in the distance, which he and Kyoya, he explained, had rented several months back in order to help the discharged soldier recover.

At the restaurant, the hostess hesitated when they requested seating for four, glancing back at the jam-packed venue. "I'm not sure if we have enough space..." She murmured. "There's some people who've made reservations that are coming in."

Nile leaned forward, flashing his easy smile and some smooth words, and slipped her a twenty. It was barely two minutes later that the hostess blushed, smiled, and led them to a booth, being sure to remove the sign marked "reserved" sitting on it.

Both Madouka and Ginga glanced at Nile admiringly, impressed. "You really know you way around the city," Ginga remarked.

Nile smiled, waving his wallet in the air. "After a while," he chuckled, "you learn what moves people the most."

It wasn't money, though, Madouka thought furiously, glaring back at the smiling hostess, who was walking away with a rhythmic sway to her hips. Jealousy invaded her, but she plugged it just as quickly. What was she thinking? It wasn't as if Nile was hers of anything—not that she even stood a chance with him! Her choppy hair, plain looks, and flat figure said it all.

It was as if god had read her thoughts. As Nike squeezed into the booth after Madouka, he winked. "Nice dress, Madouka. It suits you."

Madouka felt her cheeks turn red as she replied her thanks.

Perhaps she did stand a chance, after all.

They'd ordered several appetizers already—nachos, some sweet potato fries, and a quesadilla—when Hikaru walked in unexpectedly. At first, Madouka was both surprised and pleased at what she thought was a coincidence—but then Hikaru spoke briefly with a hostess, before making an immediate beeline to their table.

"Hikaru!" Her cry caught Ginga and Nile's attention—they stopped talking and glanced around in confusion. Standing up and leaning over Nile, she reached over to give the blue-haired secretary a hug.

"Hey," Hikaru greeted. "Kyoya told me you guys were eating here."

"Really?" Nile sounded surprised. Digging through the pocket of his jeans, he fished out his phone. "He didn't tell me."

Hikaru smiled and nodded to Ginga. "Mind if I squeeze in with you.

"Oh, absolutely!" Ginga scooted further towards the wall.

Just as Hikaru set down her purse, another call came their way.

"Sorry I'm late," Kyoya huffed, jogging over to their table. "I almost missed the train on the way here."

"Not a problem. How are you?" Hikaru asked, standing on her toes to plant a kiss on the corner of his lip.

Madouka couldn't help but stare. Glancing towards Ginga, she saw that his jaw had dropped wide open. Nile exchanged a glance with her, shaking his head to indicate he had absolutely no idea.

Two couples in two days! Madouka had to wonder who would hook up next—she felt her palms burn when she caught Nile's eye again.

Kyoya had pulled out a chair for Hikaru to sit in, but the booth was slightly raised from the floor, causing an awkward height difference. "Sorry. We didn't know you were bringing in a fifth person," Nile apologized. He gave Madouka a pointed look, which she returned, giggling. "But we can make room, if you want."

Madouka almost screamed when he shuffled his hips further towards her.

"That's fine." Kyoya slid in next to Ginga, and beckoned for Hikaru to follow suit. "I don't mind being a little squished—that's not a problem for you, is it?"

Madouka inwardly sighed in disappointment as Nile slid back over, but pinched herself to keep from giggling when Hikaru slid in next to Kyoya without hesitation. Though Ginga had some space on either side, the other two were sitting so close that their thighs were touching.

"So," Nile coughed awkwardly. "Uh..."

Kyoya glanced around, noticing the other three were staring at them pointedly. "What? I thought this was America. It's a free country, isn't it?" With a smile, Kyoya slipped an arm behind Hikaru's back, resting his hand on her hip. "I thought people had a right to be all cuddly in public."

Hikaru rolled her eyes. "I'm so sorry. He thinks he's being funny!"

Kyoya raised his hands in mock defence, though everyone else was still staring. "Hey, I'm just saying. I mean, this is a free country, right? Because if not, I'd really appreciate if someone would correct me, before I do something illegal or embarrassing."

Nile coughed awkwardly. "So, Kyoya... Did something happen that night on the pier that I should know about?" At this, Madouka had to stifle another giggle. She snapped her fingers lightly and gave Hikaru a cheeky grin, making the blue-haired girl blush and glance away, feigning obtusity.

Kyoya sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not you, too," he complained.

A waiter stopped by with several glasses of ice water and placed them before Kyoya and Hikaru. "Anyone ready to order?"

"I think we'll need a few minutes," Ginga called out from the back of the booth. The waiter smiled, nodded, and carried on.

Hikaru stirred the ice in her glass with a straw. "I have to say," she commented, "when we said we should go out for drinks sometime, I didn't think it would be so soon."

"Neither did I," said Madouka pointedly, staring at the space—or rather, should she say, the lack of space between Kyoya and the secretary. Hikaru glared at her, but burst into a silent fit of laughter. Lordy, MeiMei was going to scream when she Skyped her tonight about this!

The boys were oblivious to the silent conversation which transpired between them. "Well, Ginga told me, you had, what—four days left in America?"

"That's right," the redhead replied. "Or at least that's what we arranged. I'm sure Julian wouldn't mind if we extended our stay—but he's leaving with friends back to Europe on that day, once he's done with whatever business he's sorting out in America. I'd hate to inconvenience him."

"Huh." Kyoya gave a disappointed grunt. "That's a shame. I wished we'd come into contact sooner—it would've been nice to see how you guys were doing in Japan."

Madouka could feel disappointment flitting in her heart. She would have to leave Nile, so soon after meeting the handsome young man again? "I don't suppose you guys could come to Japan?"

Ginga's eyes lit up. "Yeah. It'd be cool if you could visit!"

Nile nodded his assent. "I guess it's a matter of whenever we could scrounge up the time and money, I suppose." He didn't sound incredibly optimistic, however."

"Hey, who knows?" Hikaru set her water glass on the table, wiping the corner of her mouth with a thumb. "I could probably charter us some flights to and from Japan and New York. And my dad still keeps a house in the city—we could come and see you guys."

"Sounds like a plan," Kyoya agreed. The waiter stopped by again, probably to ask whether they were ready to order—but Kyoya waved him away. "But anyways, c'mon, food. I'm starving. Don't tell me no one else is hungry? There's no way you're not on my side for this one, Ginga." Ginga nodded and picked up the menu, glancing through it.

As the other two males scanned the dishes, however, Nile sat up straight, a gleam in his eye. "We should have a party!" He exclaimed.

"Yes!" Both Madouka and Hikaru squealed at the same time.

"That would be amazing," Madouka gushed, and this time it wasn't just because she was drooling over you-know-who. "After all, we haven't gotten to see much of Tsubasa, or Sophie and Julian and the others—it would be great to have a get-together!"

Nile nodded, an almost childish joy reflected in his eyes. "Kyoya, wouldn't that be great?"

"Hm? What?" Kyoya muttered, still distracted by the menu.

Hikaru gripped his arm pleadingly. "A party!" She urged. "It would be so much fun! Please, Kyoya...?"

Kyoya glanced at her uncomfortably, then uncertainly at Nile. "Why are you asking me? Our apartment doesn't have the space for that. If there's anyone you should be asking, it's Konzern. He's the one with a mansion—if there's anywhere you want to party, it should be there."

"That's the after-party, obviously," Nile scoffed.

"Besides," Ginga added, "do you really think Julian is gonna let anyone drink and party in that place, especially when he doesn't know much about our party habits and drunk quirks?"

Kyoya paused, then slowly blinked, looking shocked. "That was an intelligent comment. I'm impressed, Ginga—you really have changed."

"Hey!" With the redhead's indignant remark, the two males ensued in a shoving match, laughing. Hikaru didn't look nearly as amused over being shoved and jostled about, though, as she steadied herself using the table, wearing a disgruntled expression.

Nile held up his hands in a peace gesture. At the very least, he was mature, Madouka thought. "All jokes aside...what about that ex-military friend of yours? Who lives in New York?"

"Who?" Kyoya seemed too busy keeping Ginga in a headlock to notice.

Nile pursed his lips and scrunched his eyes shut, evidently trying to remember. Madouka hid a smile at how young and adorable he looked that way—with his eyes closed, she could trace the smooth contours of his face: his high cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, his long, dark, lashes, the skin lines trailing from his nose to his lip...

"He lives in New York. He used to be in your squad, remember? That was the guy you said you were on the plane with." Perhaps it was Madouka's imagination, but Kyoya seemed to tense momentarily at the reference to his war days. "You said he owned a pub in New York City. We can rent it for the night or whatever."

"Chris?" Kyoya finally released Ginga, who flopped breathlessly on the table in defeat. "Yeah, he's got a place. I don't know if he'll be okay with so many people coming down. I can ask though."

"That's great!" Madouka beamed. "We should have it the day after tomorrow."

"In two days?" Hikaru echoed with a frown. "Aren't we rushing things again?"

Nile shrugged. "I don't have a problem with that. Besides, it makes sense to have one day to organize things and let people know," he added, with a glance towards Kyoya, "the next day to party...and then the day after to let everyone sleep off their hangovers." Everyone laughed at the last sentence.

Ginga chuckled. "Yeah! This'll be fun. It makes sense, since..." His tone grew somber. "We'll be leaving so soon afterwards, too."

Hikaru clapped her hands in delight. "I can't wait!"

Kyoya grumbled. "Jesus. I haven't even talked to Chris yet—we still have to see if he'll agree. Don't get so hyper and huggy."

Nile shot a sly glance in Madouka's direction. "I'm sure if he took you along, he'll be more than glad to agree." Madouka was rendered speechless for a few minutes before fighting back with what she knew MeiMei would call a "sassy smile."

"You could probably give me a few lessons in the art of persuasion," she shot back teasingly, and felt happiness erupt in her when Nile's ears turned pink, and he laughed. "You got me."

Kyoya pounded the table with his cutlery. "Come on, guys! Has anyone besides me and Ginga bothered to even look at the menu? We came here for lunch, didn't we? That waiter is starting to give us a dirty look and if we don't eat soon, I'm gonna get banned from this place for viciously attacking someone because I mistook them for a meatloaf or something."

Hikaru raised her water glass. "Before that, I think we should hold a toast: to friendship..." A wicked smile flitted across her face as everyone hurriedly picked up their glasses as well. "...And a damn good time!"

With a call of "cheers!" from around the table, they raised their glasses.

"Sorry I'm late," Zeo panted as he settled into the chair across from the questioner.

"No need to apologize. Your punctuality has not been an issue," she replied. She was pretty, with short brown hair and dark, wide eyes. "I just need you answer a few questions, Mr. Abyss. Please answer honestly for each one." Zeo bobbed his head agreeably. He already knew the procedure.

"I'll keep it short today, since we have a lot of subjects to get through. How have you been feeling, Mr. Abyss?"

"Fine," he replied.

"Please be specific. How is your health?"

"It's perfectly normal. Doesn't seem to have changed." The questioner jotted down a couple of notes on the clipboard before her. "What is your blood type, again?"

"AB." That, too, was recorded.

She lifted her head. "Has your educational performance been affected at all?" Zeo shook his head. "What about concentration?"

Zeo hesitated before responding. "Sometimes it's easier to pay attention and focused, I think. More so than before."

"Any abnormal emotional, mental issues that have come up?"

For a moment, Zeo's turmoil over Masamune arose in his mind—but he cast it aside. His own emotional problems had nothing to do with these tests. "No. None at all." He gave a tight smile, though he knew it was himself he was trying to relieve the tension for.

"Excellent." The recorder put down her pencil, tore out the page, and placed it in a box beside her. "Pick up your new prescription from Jack at the entrance. Please deposit any remaining specimens from the previous trial in the box by the doorway."

Zeo stopped at that. "Ummm... I think I left those at home. Is it...okay if I just throw those in the trash when I get back to my house?"

The girl stopped short, her detached composure faltering. She shrugged nonchalantly before going back to the bored girl just doing her job. "Yeah, sure. I don't see why not."

Zeo's hands tightened into a comforted fist, and he sighed in relief. He still had an extra bottle and a half at home. The guilty part of his conscious told him he shouldn't do this, but the other side fought back hard, screaming that he needed this, and he would be fine. "Thanks," he called back before leaving through the door, sidestepping the next subject walking in. He picked up a slip at the doorway and headed to the pharmaceutical counter by the entrance.

Night had fallen, and the stars were blanketed by clouds of gas. Planes soared across the sky, lights blinking as their passengers slept soundly, and satellites winked, capturing pictures of the Earth's movement below them.

But only so much could be captured in photos from so high.

Far, far, below, in a street with cracked sidewalks and dim streetlights, someone screamed. No one in the depraved residential neighbourhood bothered investigating such a usual occurrence. There were two voices, in fact. The sounds of slapping skin, grunts and pants, and the smell of blood grew more and more obvious as one drew nearer to the source of all the commotion.

Two teenagers broke apart, baring their teeth dangerously and panting. One had a split lip, and a scratch in addition to the scar on his left brow. He dusted off his jeans, though they had been stained with blood, grime and dirt beyond rescue. His blue eyes sparkled maliciously at the cowering boy who shrank against the fence.

His opponent fared far worse. Sporting a bloody nose and two bruised eyes, his light blue hair had been ruffled and rearranged almost as wildly as his eyes, which shone with fear. "You're insane!" He whimpered, curling up against the fence. "You're crazy! You're a monster! Just who the hell are—"

"Give it back," the other boy hissed, beckoning to him angrily. With a poorly compressed whimper, the other boy hid the indicated package further into the folds of his private school uniform blazer.

The taller boy stepped forward, lips curled into a snarl. "You're not so tough with other goons to help you, are you?" He sneered. "You're just a big, bad prick who likes to disobey his daddy's orders." Before the other boy could retort, he lunged.

Screams pierced the air as he twisted the weaker boy's arm, and kicked his leg from underneath him—to the outside, as he was taught, to raise the probability of breaking his leg.

Crying, huddled in his jacket, the private school boy shoved the plastic bag away from him. He tried to talk, but it only came out in stammers and whimpers.

Carefully, the other boy pried his prize from the ground. He leaned over the boy on the ground and gave him a sharp kick, evicting a cry. "That's for mentioning my father." He spat the last word like venom. "If I ever see your face again, Damian," he snapped, "I'll fix you for good." He gripped the package and began the long trek home.

His brother would not be pleased when Greta found out and told him what happened.

And there's Lucas. I hope I did an okay job!

Thanks again to QueensKhioneandFernis for sending in her OC—Something, I repeat, that all YOU should not feel like you're not allowed to do! But obviously, there's no pressure to bring one in either.

Now, I feel like I'm forgetting something...Oh well. I'll just end the chapter.

I'm joking! Just JOKING! Please don't leave, sorry...

Now...ahem...I guess I shouldn't kid around, since I actually need this. Anyways, the thing is this: the party is taking place in two chapters' time (since, like Hikaru said, it's happening two days later in the story).

Thanks to BlueButterflyRose...(cue the applause) we have a special guest coming in during the party chapter! RYUGA!

There was a request or two, if I recall, to bring Ryuga into the story—well, he's coming!

Now, there is a small issue: Ryuga is a little shy when it comes to girls, I guess (just teasing, don't get cranky, dude), and he needs a date! So I need your help to score him a girlfriend—or, yes, even a boyfriend, if you really want! I'm not picky.

It doesn't have to be detailed—you can even make it up on the spot! Contest is open to everyone, including Guests! Just leave your submissions in the review box, but take note: ONE submission per person. If you submit multiple ones, I'll only take the first one you submitted.

Like I said, it doesn't have to be long! All I need is the following:

-Name (duh)
-Description (appearance is a must, but you can add personality qualities if you want.)
-What they are wearing to the party
-Favourite food or song

Now, just to clarify, since it appears my rules have caused some confusion: please submit just one OC to be Ryuga's date for the party (otherwise it'll give him too much of a hard time to decide!). But if anyone, I repeat, ANYONE wants to see an OC of theirs featured in the story, just send me a PM (or leave it in the Review box if you're a guest).

There are no limits to the number of OCs you can request to put in my story! But for my sanity's sake, if the OC is being submitted to be Ryuga's date during the party, please send just one.
I hope that clears things up!

Go wild! Have fun! Peace out!

SITSAN