A.N.- Sorry for the belated chapter and the delays readers! Welp, I finally got the chapter done, and it's the first to a new arc :3 Thanks for the wait, and with no further ado, here's chapter 20~
Disclaimer- I do not own KHR...
Esa's P.O.V.
"Let me out of here," Kaede moaned for the millionth time next to me. Turning my head towards Kaede, I gave him a look. Chin on his arms and ear buds in his ears, Kaede stared straight on ahead without really seeing. His reddish-orange hair stuck to his forehead as the heat of June brought forth a sheen of sweat. "It's so hot…" Kaede moaned once again as the teacher lectured. I sighed. Here I was in the last days of school, listening to a teacher in a hot stuffy room with a moaning Kaede besides me. Once again I cursed the school's illogical budget management and its terrible ventilation and temperature control system. "It's so boring here," Kaede moaned. Trying my best to ignore Kaede, I looked away, waiting for Kaede's moaning to repeat once more. This repetition of "Let me out of here", "It's so hot", and "It's so boring here" had been going on for a while now. Surprisingly though, he said something different next.
"That's it; I'm ditching." Blinking in surprise, I looked back at Kaede who now sat up straight with his hand in the air.
"Yes Kaede-kun?" said the teacher.
"May I go use the bathroom?" Kaede asked with a grin. "It's urgent."
"Go ahead," the teacher answered, "just be quick with it." Then turning back to the board, the teacher continued his lecture.
"Kekeke~" Kaede snickered. Then he turned to me and whispered, "Do you wanna ditch with me?" To this I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. Kaede shrugged. "Your loss." Then turning to Naboru he whispered, "Bring my bag to my house for me after school 'kay? Thanks." With that, Kaede gave us both a wink and walked out of the classroom.
I turned to Naboru. "Um shouldn't you stop him…?"
Naboru shrugged. "Like he'd listen?"
"True," I admitted. I sighed. Lucky…I wish I had the guts to cut class…but… Groaning, I leaned my chin on my hand and looked up ahead in boredom. Five minutes passed by in class ever so slowly without the return of Kaede. Maybe I should've taken up Kaede's offer and ditched with him… Tempted to do just that, I was contemplating the pros and cons of cutting class when a student behind me said, "Hey, isn't that Kaede-kun out there on the field?" Immediately with that comment, several students leaned to the side on their desks to peek out the windows.
"Oh yeah…it does look like Kaede-kun! I can't see that well from this angle, but it does look a lot like him," said another student in my class.
"Hmph, of course a troublemaker like him would think of cutting class," said a snobby voice behind which I identified as Yuri's.
"Well Kaede has been in the bathroom for a while now," the teacher said. "Perhaps—"
"Sensei!" said a voice interrupting the teacher. It was Hiroto. "Sorry to rudely interrupt you, but as the president of the Disciplinary Committee, I cannot look over this breach of rules. May I have permission to bring him back?" Hiroto asked, icy blue eyes piercing the teacher.
"I guess so…though just giving him detention tomorrow wouldn't be all that hard either, but if you feel that obligated to do your job then you may Hiroto-kun."
"Thank you sensei," Hiroto said with a bow. Then standing up he quickly went over to the window. "Excuse me for using this exit, but I must use it in order to reach Kaede-kun in time." With that, Hiroto quickly jumped out the window and ran for Kaede.
In front of the classroom the teacher sighed. "If this wasn't the first floor I wouldn't have allowed that…" he mumbled to himself. Then looking at the class, he clapped his hands to get the class' attention. "Class, settle down! I know some…circumstances have arisen, but we still have finals week coming up, so please pay attention. After a few minutes of grumbling and sighing, everyone settled down and the class continued.
"Kaede-kun stop right there!" Hiroto yelled as he chased Kaede around the shopping district, "You broke school rules and now you're under charge of intentionally cutting classes." Ahead Kaede kept running.
"Che," Kaede muttered under his breath. Then turning his head to glance at Hiroto he yelled, "Catch me if you can Hiroto-chan~!" He stuck out his tongue and ran faster.
"Tsk." Hiroto grimaced and ran at Kaede. For a good ten minutes, Hiroto chased after Kaede like he would chase a kid in a game of tag. Then finally, Hiroto caught up to Kaede when he turned a corner. It's now or never. Putting a burst of speed into his run, Hiroto got right behind Kaede, jumped up, and took him down with a kick.
"Yowch!" Kaede yelped as he was kicked from behind. Falling forward, Kaede felt Hiroto's weight on his back.
"Hmph, finally I caught you," Hiroto said with a huff. Holding Kaede down with his own weight, Hiroto leaned down to talk. "We can do this the nice, easy, and civilized way, or the extremely painful and hard way. Pick wisely."
"Do I get a cookie for picking the right answer?" Kaede said with a lopsided grin.
"No."
Kaede shrugged. "Well I don't feel like getting more bruises so I guess the nice, easy, and civilized way it is~" Hmph, the moment he lets me go, I'm gonna run for it again~ Kaede gave Hiroto and innocent smile.
Hiroto, not buying it, gave Kaede a suspicious look and warned, "You better not run for it, or else I'm knocking you out cold and dragging you to school."
"Hai, hai~"
Slowly getting off Kaede, Hiroto held on to Kaede's arm as he lifted him up.
Now! The moment Kaede got on his feet; he kicked the back of Hiroto's shins and brought him to his knees. "Sayonara Hiroto-chan~" he said with a mocking salute, and ran off.
"Hey!" Hiroto yelled as he got to his feet. Then the chase began again. Up and down the blocks they ran, taking alley ways and short-cuts. Soon enough though, Kaede entered a busy area, and Hiroto lost track of him. Dammit…looks like I'll have to search for him. Scanning the crowd, Hiroto looked for Kaede. Where could he be… Hiroto kept looking around when he spotted a flash of reddish-orange hair that ran off to his left. Kaede! Navigating his way through the crowd, Hiroto got out and ran towards the direction he saw Kaede go to. He should be around here somewhere… Trying to envision the path Kaede took, Hiroto entered a quieter street and heard some voices.
"Oi you know who I'm talking about," said a voice up ahead, "just tell me where she lives and I'll let you go without any injuries."
"Ahaha sorry stalker-san, I can't tell you that~ That way of picking up girls is a bit creepy and weird. I prefer being upfront to girls anyways." This was Kaede's voice.
Hiroto went after the direction he heard Kaede's voice.
"Well anyways, bye~" Hiroto heard Kaede walking towards him. Then he heard the unknown voice sigh. "Looks like I have to do it." Still heading towards Kaede's direction, Hiroto turned a corner just in time to see a hooded boy deal a heavy blow on Kaede's stomach and then kick him down to the ground. On the ground, Kaede groaned in pain.
"Kaede!" Hiroto yelled. Looking up at Hiroto, Kaede gave a grimace.
"Who's this here? Is he a friend of yours?" said the hooded boy. Up close Hiroto noticed that he looked like a high schooler. He had jet black hair with bangs that were a bit too long as well as dark eyes. With his dark gray hoodie and his black jeans, his appearance seemed even darker. Is he perhaps a student from Ichimu High?
Kneeling down next to Kaede, Hiroto helped him to his feet. Then he looked at the hooded boy. "Who are you? Are you a student of Ichimu High?" The boy didn't answer. "If you are, just know that I am the president of the Disciplinary Committee of Ichimu Middle school and that I will promptly report to your school about your acts." The hooded boy laughed.
"Reporting me to the school? Disciplinary Committee? Like that means anything to me!" The hooded boy walked towards Hiroto and Kaede, who took up a defensive stance. "I'm looking for someone…or some people I should say, and I won't be leaving till you tell me something about them." The boy took out eight pictures and spread them out like a fan. "Know any of these people, boys?"
Hiroto scanned the faces on the picture and immediately recognized several of them. He glanced at Kaede who stared back at him and shook his head. Turning back to the hooded boy, Hiroto said, "It is not under my jurisdiction to give out any names or information regarding the students of Ichimu Elementary, Middle, or High. Now excuse me." But before Hiroto could take a step he was kicked in the stomach. Having the wind knocked out of him, Hiroto stood there glaring at the hooded boy.
"Now, now, what did I say before? I said I wouldn't leave until you told me something about these people. That means no running for you two~" The hooded boy turned to Kaede. "Oi you. I know you know who some of these people are. I can't tell if your friend over there does, but since you two seem to go to the same school I guess he does too. But for now I know that you definitely know these people and/or their whereabouts. Spit it out."
Kaede grimaced. Then putting on an air of false cheerfulness, Kaede said, "Aw stalker-san, we don't know anything so let us go ok? Perhaps you'll meet them after school or something and then you can ask them ou—" Kaede was roughly shoved to the ground and punched hard in the face.
"Don't joke around with me," the hooded boy said. "Now I'll ask again. What do you know about these people?" Below him, Kaede coughed and said, "I don't think picking up girls will ever be your forte." The hooded boy looked down at Kaede darkly.
Kaede you idiot. Hiroto thought. I need to get help. A few paces away, the hooded boy roughly picked up Kaede by the shirt collar and shoved him to a wall. Concentrated on getting help, Hiroto didn't see what was happening until he heard Kaede yell out in pain. Snapping his head back to Kaede, he saw that Kaede's left arm was bent at a strange angle. Gritting his teeth, Hiroto took the chance to attack the hooded boy. Having been in the martial arts club, Hiroto had a bit of experience in hand to hand combat. Running at the hooded figure, Hiroto anticipated his opponent's movements and prepared to land a blow on the hooded figure's face. Surprisingly enough, the hooded figure reacted quickly and blocked Hiroto's punch. Then preparing for a counterattack, the hooded figure swept his legs out to unbalance Hiroto, but Hiroto saw this coming and avoided such calamity. The hooded figure narrowed his eyes on Hiroto as he assessed Hiroto's abilities. Hiroto did the same. Then the two clashed again. In the midst of combat, Hiroto held his ground pretty well, but Hiroto could see that the hooded boy was the better fighter. This hooded guy seems to have a lot of experience in fighting Hiroto thought. His form is amazing as well as his speed and strength. His physique is better too. As the fighting continued, Hiroto felt his stamina start to drop a bit and warily noted that his opponent was doing just fine. Taking a bit of a more defensive stance now, Hiroto did his best to deflect and counterattack whatever attacks the hooded boy threw at him. Noticing this change in stance as well, the hooded boy rained down blow after blow on Hiroto mercilessly. Just as Hiroto felt that he couldn't fight any longer, he saw a patrol car out the corner of his eye. This is my chance. Feinting to the left, but going right instead, Hiroto managed to get away from the hooded boy, and he ran towards the patrol car waving his arms and yelling "Police!" From inside his car, the police officer saw Hiroto calling for his attention and drove over to him.
"Tch, I need to keep a low profile," muttered the hooded boy distastefully. Stepping away from the scene, the hooded boy slowly walked towards an alley way saying, "You got lucky this time brats" and disappeared.
"Officer!" Hiroto said, "Please come this way!" The police officer followed Hiroto to the place that Kaede was. On the ground, Kaede was groaning.
"What happened here kid?" the officer asked Hiroto. Hiroto quickly went over what had happened. Against his better judgment, he left out who he saw in the eight pictures. The officer listened to Hiroto's story and quickly called for an ambulance. When the ambulance came, Kaede was quickly put into the vehicle and driven away to the hospital. "Are you sure you don't need the ambulance too kid?" the officer asked Hiroto.
"Yes sir," Hiroto replied. "But I do believe that I need a ride back to Ichimu Middle school." The police officer agreed to Hiroto's request. The two got inside and drove towards school. Still thinking back to the pictures, Hiroto grimly looked out the window. What could that hooded boy possible want with Esa-chan and the others…?
Anrya's P.O.V.
It was the last ten minutes of the last period of the day: Band. As I sat there in ready position with my flute propped upright on my right knee, I briefly heard the sound of police sirens coming outside the band room window. I momentarily wondered what was going on, but put that thought aside as the conductor lifted his hands to begin another song.
Jasmine's P.O.V.
Sirens. To be more exact, police sirens. That's what our class heard in the last ten minutes of Japanese class. Curious to see what was going on outside, I leaned to the right and took a peek out the second floor window. Outside I saw a single police car parked by the main entrance and two figures running into the building. Taking a closer look, I saw that the two figures were Hiroto and a police officer. I wondered what was going on, after all, Hiroto had been missing for several classes now, plus he had a police officer with him. I also noted that Kaede was not with him. Thankfully I didn't have to wonder too long. Within minutes of entering the building, Hiroto arrived at our classroom door and gave a quick apology to the teacher. Then briskly walking to his seat, he sat down. Immediately he was bombarded with questions like: "Where have you been?" and "Did you catch Kaede?" and "Why is there a police here?" and so on.
"Settle down class. I'm sure that there will be an announcement of some sorts about these events, but for now let's get back to the lesson," the teacher said. Grudgingly, the class conceded and settled down. It was obvious from the tension in the air though, that the moment class ended, Hiroto was going to get mauled with questions. So to avoid that from happening, Hiroto raised his hands and informed the teacher that he needed to be relieved from class at least three minutes early to report to the principal and write a report. The teacher gave his consent and the lesson went on.
Anrya's P.O.V.
Now where did they go? I stood by the first floor's staircase as the wave of students walked down the stairs and out the school doors. This place by the staircase was where I usually met or waited for Esa, Jasmine, Crystal, and Selina. Today, I happened to be the first one here.
"Hey Anrya, where are the others?" Selina approached me from behind.
"Hm I don't know," I replied.
"Aren't they usually here before us?"
"Yeah, but I guess they're a bit delayed today." Leaning on the wall, I waited with Selina for Esa and the others to come. Then an announcement on the loudspeakers came on briefly.
"Can the following students please report to the Disciplinary Committee's office: Esa, Jasmine, Crystal, Anrya, and Selina. Thank you."
I exchanged glances with Selina. "Well at least now we know where they will be."
At the Disciplinary Committee's office, I met Esa and the others. Sitting behind a desk and the only committee member in the room, Hiroto seemed to be writing out a report of some sorts. When all five of us were gathered, he put down his pen and looked up to us.
"Sooooo why are we here Hiroto-kun?" Crystal said, cocking her head to one side.
"You're all here because I'm going to tell you about the incident that occurred while I was gone and to ask you several questions," Hiroto replied.
"Ooookay then…" Crystal said with a shrug.
"Hm I'd like to know this," Jasmine said.
"Same," Esa agreed. Then asked, "So where's Kaede and what happened to him? I didn't see him come back with you…"
"I sent him to the hospital," Hiroto replied flatly.
Esa's eyes widened. "Woah, isn't that a bit harsh Hiroto? I mean I know Kaede cut class and all, but you didn't have to hurt him that badly…"
A puzzled looked crossed Hiroto's face. Then realizing that what he said must've been interpreted incorrectly he said, "It wasn't me who hurt Kaede, but rather a hooded boy that we met in the streets. Kaede got injured from a fight we had with the hooded boy and so I sent him to the hospital."
"Oh."
"Wait a moment," I cut in. "Sorry, but Selina I haven't heard anything about this so anyone care to fill us in on this business?" Beside me, Esa nodded and turned to the both of us and filled us in on what happened with Kaede. "Ah ok," I said after the explanation. Now understanding, I let Hiroto continue on.
"Now about that incident with the hooded boy and all…" Hiroto started to tell us about how he chased after Kaede, met the hooded boy, and got into a fight. "…so you see, we now have an issue."
"So that's why you were gone from school so long," Esa slowly said, "but I don't get what this has to do with us…I'm pretty sure you're not telling us this just for gossip sake."
"No I did not call you five over just to gossip with you, but yes this does have to do with you five," Hiroto's icy blue eyes stared straight into our eyes. "On those eight pictures that I mentioned about, I saw the five of you, plus three other boys."
At this we all exchanged glances. "Why does that person have pictures of us?" I asked, creeped out by this information.
"That's what I'd like to know," Hiroto said grimly. "I didn't report this to the police or the principal just in case word spreads and things happen, but if this hooded boy is threatening in any manner to you or to our student body, then I'd have to report this." Hiroto continued to gaze at us calmly. "It is the Disciplinary Committee's job to ensure the safety of the school and the student body, as well as enforce the rules. I want to make sure that nothing like this happens again, so I want to solve it as quickly as possible without an audience." I nervously looked at Hiroto with worry. "Do any of you have any idea why this hooded boy is looking for you? Don't keep any information back since that'll only be to your disadvantage. Are any of you familiar with such person? Did any of you have a dispute with this person? Is this matter related to drugs or gangs?" To all of Hiroto's questions we all answered 'no'. Hiroto sighed. "Well I guess we'll leave this to the police then…Hopefully they'll catch this hooded boy and get all the answers from him." Hiroto stood from his seat. "Well that's it guys. Sorry for calling you here. On your way to and from school, watch out for strangers and stay safe. This person may be a high schooler, but nonetheless he can still pose as a threat. I don't know if he's of Ichimu High, but from the way he looked and talked about you guys, it doesn't seem so."
Giving Hiroto a reassuring smile I said, "Yes mom." Then I turned to leave with the others, but stopped and asked, "Just want to know, but who were the other three in the picture?"
Hiroto looked at me and answered, "One of them was that high schooler Rai that Kaede spoke of, and the other two…I'm not so sure. One was definitely a high schooler like Rai, and the other…looked like an elementary schooler, but he could've been a middle schooler…"
"Can you give me a brief description of the other two?" I asked, feeling that I already knew who they were.
"Hm…the high schooler was a dark haired boy wearing goggles and a purple scarf, and the other kid was a pink haired boy..." Hiroto noticed my grim face as he told me the description. "Do you know these two?"
I nodded, my suspicions confirmed. "I know those two…and Rai. I don't think they have anything to do with that person either though…"
Hiroto looked critically at me as he pondered. "Hm, somehow this all connects, but I'm not sure how…" Shaking his head, Hiroto looked at me wearily and said, "Well stay safe and goodbye. I have a report to finish…"
I gave a brief 'goodbye' and left the office. I jogged down the hallway to catch up with the others who were talking about the news that we heard. Thinking about the situation and putting the facts together, I felt a sense of foreboding. Who is this person and what does he want with us?
Outside, we met up with Rai, Darke, and Ryo at the designated place we always met at after school.
"Hey where were you guys and what took so long?" Rai asked. "Darke-kun, Ryo-kun, and I have been waiting forever."
"Ah sorry," I said apologetically, "Something came up and…" I glanced at my phone and checked the time. "…we'll fill you guys in along the way."
"Ok," Rai said cheerily. Then turning to Esa he said, "Esa-chan~ You didn't pick up my call when I called you."
Esa glanced at Rai and said, "I keep my phone off and in my locker during school hours."
"Yeah, but this was after class." Esa shrugged.
Starting to walk away from school I said, "We'll fill you guys in now. How 'bout you start off for us Esa since you were with Kaede when he planned to cut." Esa nodded.
Rai moved close beside Esa and looped his arm through hers. "Hai Esa-chan, tell us~" Esa unlinked her arms from Rai's and began telling the story. After Esa told her part about Kaede, I took her place and explained the events that Hiroto told us about. Here and there the others added in some comments and concerns as well. At the end, I brought up my concerns too, and as we all walked towards home, we each gave out our own theories on the hooded boy and his relation to us.
Esa's P.O.V.
It was the next day. Sitting in my first period class, Math, I nervously awaited Kaede's arrival. Just like in almost every single class, Kaede sat next to me, but today that seat beside me was empty. Glancing up at the clock, I noted that class was to start in three minutes and started to tap my pen on the desk. Where is he? In the row in front of me, I saw a figure on the right-hand side of the room turn towards me. It was Jasmine. Raising an eyebrow, I saw that she gave me a look that indicated that I should calm down. So I did. Taking a breath, I rationally thought through what we talked about yesterday. That's right, Kaede was hospitalized, so he may not come to school today…nothing to worry about. Hiroto told us that Kaede wasn't in critical condition or anything, so he should be fine. The bell rang to indicate the start of class. The math teacher walked into the class and quickly took attendance. After calling out several names, the teacher got to Kaede's name.
"Kaede?" the teacher called out. Looking at the empty seat beside me, the teacher noted that Kaede was not present. The class broke out into whisper. Here and there I heard the word 'hospitalized' and 'Kaede'. By now the whole school knew about the incident that Kaede and Hiroto went through yesterday…at least the version that Hiroto told the principal. The teacher, ignoring all the whispers, continued to call out the other names when—
"Good morning sensei~" Kaede walked into the room with a cast on his left arm. Giving the class a mock bow, he said, "I know you all love me and missed me, so here I am, back~" Kaede grinned and the whole class laughed. Relieved to see that Kaede was ok, I relaxed. Geez, Kaede's his normal self. Guess there was nothing to get worked up about.
"Hey Esa-chan," Kaede said to me with a grin as he walked to the seat next to me. Sitting down he sighed and took out his math book. "Back in hell again," he joked. I rolled my eyes, but agreed with him.
"So how's your arm?" I asked Kaede. Kaede shrugged in response to signify that nothing was amiss. Satisfied with the response, I smiled and took out my books. Then I noticed something different about Kaede. Besides the cast on his left arm and several cuts and bruises here and there, Kaede had a different attire on. Unlike the usual uniform that everyone wore in school, today Kaede wore a sleeveless white shirt and school pants. Up in the row in front of me sitting to the left of Jasmine, Hiroto seemed to have noticed Kaede's attire as well and turned to give Kaede a disapproving look. Next to me, Kaede pretended not to notice Hiroto's look and hid a grin.
"Ugh it's so hot in here," said an annoyingly familiar voice stating the obvious. Turning my head slightly to the speaker, who I knew was Yuri, I said, "We know Yuri. It's going to get hotter later on in the day, so do us a favor and be quiet."
Behind me, Yuri bristled. "Hmph, I'm just saying what we're all thinking." I ignored her. Next to me though, Kaede had a mischievous grin on.
"Oh I'm sorry," said Kaede turning around to face Yuri, "the extra skin I'm exposing today seems to have elevated the heat and tension in this room. I'll try to manage it, but I don't know if I can." Then giving a pause, Kaede put on a mock-serious face on and said, "Do I turn you on?"
From behind Yuri looked slightly flustered and muttered, "Che, shut up moron. Your excess body heat is doing nothing to appeal to anyone; rather it's stinking up the room." Kaede smirked and turned around.
Up in the front of the room, the math teacher was oblivious to all this. Hiroto frowned. Turning around in his seat he said in a low voice, "Kaede-kun this is school not a gym. You should really put on some sleeves." Kaede rolled his eyes.
"It's an extremely hot day in June, and I'm in a hot classroom. There's no air conditioning or anything entertaining to take my mind off the heat, so I say it's fair enough for me to wear a sleeveless shirt." Kaede smiled innocently at Hiroto.
"Well everyone has to deal with the heat Kaede-kun, so I don't see why you should get any special treatment."
Kaede lifted his casted left arm with a flourish and said, "Hi there~ Poor, injured person with a broken arm in the room. The regular uniform won't be as comfortable as this shirt." Hiroto couldn't argue against that and let it slide. Hiroto turned his back to Kaede. But Kaede wasn't finished. A grin turned up on his face as he whispered, "Also Hiroto-chan, instead of me putting on some sleeve maybe you should take yours off." Hiroto, not turning around, waved Kaede away with his hand. "And don't stop there~" Hiroto did not acknowledge Kaede this time.
From the seat next to Kaede, I watched all this in amusement. Looks like math class isn't going to be too boring.
Anrya's P.O.V.
It was lunch time now and the halls bustled with activity as the students of Ichimu Middle school hurried outside or to the cafeteria. After scanning through the wave of students, I found who I was looking for: Kaede. Though I wasn't as close to Kaede as Esa, Jasmine, and Crystal were, I still knew him, and at this very moment, I needed to speak with him. I thought back to what Zero had told us yesterday.
*FLASHBACK*
On arriving from school, Esa, Jasmine, Crystal, Rai, Darke, Selina, Ryo, and I searched for Zero to tell him about the news we learned today. We found Zero, along with Ren and Ace, out in the back talking over something. When we approached, Zero and the others looked up at us.
"Hmhmhmh~ Looks like the whole family came to us," Zero said in slight amusement, "What is it?" Opening my mouth, I told Zero and the others in a rush, about the event that occurred today. By the end, Zero looked a little more than slightly amused.
"So that's what happened," I said finally. "Um what should we do?" The others silently waited for Zero's reply.
Zero gazed coolly at me and said, "I don't know. What should you do?"
Exasperated and gesturing helplessly, I said, "Well I'm not so sure, which is why I'm asking you, Zero."
Zero just gazed evenly at me. "Then I'll have to say that I have no answer for you." He then turned his back to me.
Annoyed, I huffed and grinded my teeth together. "I thought you were supposed to help us Zero," I said pointedly. Behind me, I heard Esa and Crystal protest the same thing.
"True~" Zero said without turning around, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to baby you. While I'm still here, yes, I will help you in some manner and train and advise you, but after that you're on your own. Hmhmhm~ It's been a year since you and your family had gathered. It's about time you took some responsibility and leadership of your own. When Ren, Ace, and I leave, are you going to let your family be a weak, dependent family with poor leadership?" Zero paused, then let out a chuckle as, I suppose, an amusing thought came to his mind. "Though a weak family would be easy for me to control and manipulate behind the scenes," said Zero a bit sadistically. Even though he hadn't turned, I could tell there was a slight grin on his face by his tone of voice.
I frowned slightly and said, "That isn't going to happen." Or at least I hoped. Nervously glancing at Zero, I noticed that he had turned around and saw my expression.
"Hmhmhm~ I'm just kidding Anrya-chan…at least for now~" I gave him a look and he just chuckled again. "Rest assured. I won't do that. A mindless family controlled in the shadows isn't as effective as a strong family with a strong will and purpose~" Zero waved his hand dismissively. "But I'm sure by now you understand my reasoning Anrya-chan?" I nodded grudgingly. "So let's take this a step at a time. Now Anrya-chan, what would you do in this kind of situation…regardless of the mafia world?"
I opened my mouth to give out a short 'I don't know' as my answer, but stopped myself as I realized that wouldn't do anything for me, and that it was just pointless. I thought for a minute. "Well first I'd tell Kaede not to tell anyone about the eight pictures of us he saw…"
Besides Zero, Ren nodded in approval. "Good move. The less people involved in this situation, the easier it is for you to maneuver."
I nodded. "Um I've been wondering, and I think I know the answer to my own question, but…do you think the person looking for us has connections with the mafia?"
"Well obviously," Ace answered casually. "Who else would have experience in fighting, and look for you guys? It's no coincidence."
"I figured," I said a bit glumly. "Well then, I guess the police won't really be able to do much…" Ace smirked and nodded. "In that case…though I have no experience in this, I think we should track down this person and deal with him personally." Glancing at the expressions of the others, I sighed. "Of course that's just theoretically. I don't know how to pull that off and what to do afterwards."
"This is where I can help you," said Zero. "What you said is correct, but like you already know, you won't be able to pull off this tracking when none of you have the information or any idea about this person looking for you. You don't know for sure whether he means harm, or if he has back-up, or his cause for searching for your family. But, since he's the one looking for you guys, it'd be easier to draw him in and retain him that way."
I looked at Zero nodded. "I guess that would work since we won't be able to track him…" The gears in my head started to turn. "Maybe somehow we can intentionally spread information about ourselves for the enemy to find, and that way we'll have less trouble drawing him in." I paused a moment and noticed several skeptical looks from Jasmine, Selina, and Crystal. "I'm not too happy to put a big target on my forehead and letting the enemy find me, but at least we have the element of surprise," I said in response to the looks. "They don't know that we know about them and that we plan to take them on…"
"Yeah, but the question is what do we do after we draw them in?" Esa said. I remained silent.
Zero chuckled and said, "Esa-chan makes a good point~ How will you deal with this person?"
I bit my lip. "I don't know honestly. If they're not foes, then we'll just question them and part ways, but if they do mean harm…" I glanced away. Indeed what then? The ideal scenario would be to trap the hooded figure and send him to prison, but regular a prison won't do of course…the Vindice would be the safest place to imprison him, but one couldn't just imprison a person without a significant felony in the mafia world… My mind raced as I thought out different plans.
"Well then," Zero said cheerfully clapping his hands together, "we'll continue to think this through later on. Let's get the things we can do first, then we'll move from there~"
We all nodded. "I guess tomorrow I'll speak to Kaede and tell him to keep the picture thing a secret," I said. "Hiroto will keep his mouth shut, so that should be fine, and Kaede's the only other person knowing this, so I just have to get him to keep that a secret." I looked into the distance, eyes unfocusing a little. "We'll start everything else after finals week and the end of school."
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Up ahead walking besides Naboru was Kaede. They were being jostled by the crowd as they made their way towards the cafeteria lunch line. Quickly darting my way through the crowd, I finally caught up to them and stood in line behind them.
"Oh hey Anrya-chan," Kaede said pleasantly after noticing me.
"Hey," I said with a smile. Then glancing at his arm, I said, "How's the arm?"
Kaede lifted up his casted left arm a shrugged. "It's fine~ Hm, I'm really liking how all the ladies are so concerned for me. Makes me think I should break my arm more often," Kaede said jokingly. I grinned. "Though it's a shame that I broke my left arm," Kaede said. "If I broke my right, then I wouldn't have to write in class~" I shook my head.
"Hey Anrya~" said four voices almost simultaneously behind me. I turned to see Esa, Jasmine, Crystal, and Selina waiting on the lunch line behind me.
"Hey guys," I answered. Then in front of me, I heard Kaede speaking.
"Hey Hiroto-chaaaaaan~" Kaede said in a sing song voice. Hiroto, passing by, snapped his head up sharply and looked at Kaede.
"What," Hiroto asked, icy blue eyes piercing into Kaede's.
Undaunted, Kaede continued on. "My left arm is feeling a bit heavy and tired from the cast, so I'm having a hard time holding my tray," Kaede gave Hiroto the puppy eyes. "Will you hold my tray for me?" Kaede batted his eyelashes.
"No," Hiroto bluntly said.
"Aw why not~? My poor arm is broken, and I can't hold my tray properly."
"Then don't eat," Hiroto said dryly. "Obviously your being a drama queen Kaede. You still have one good arm, so you're more than capable of holding that tray."
Kaede stuck out his bottom lip in a mock-pout. "Hiroto-chaaaan."
Hiroto smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and cocked his head to one side. Then seeing that Kaede wouldn't continue on, he turned and left.
I smiled amusedly for a moment.
"So what was that about Kaede?" I heard Esa asked from behind me.
"I was just having a bit of fun," Kaede said. "It's not often you can tease the head of the Disciplinary Committee and get away with it." Jasmine and Selina shook their heads, smiling.
After picking up our lunches, Kaede and Naboru headed off to their table, and the five of us, started outside. Before parting ways though, I got a hold of Kaede.
"Hey Kaede, just saying this to make sure, but don't tell anyone else about the pictures from yesterday, ok?" I looked at Kaede to see if he agreed.
"Sure," he answered. Then turning away, he and Naboru went to their tables.
Well we got that part done… I thought. Now all we have to do is survive finals week and life.
And that, concludes chapter 20. So how was it? Review to voice your opinion~!