AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello. This is the second chapter. I really appreciate the first five reviews I got from the first chappie. Thanks!

Anyways, I wanted to warn you guys that this chapter (and probably the following other ones) will have some swearing. I'm so sorry if you find it offensive but I did rate this one M. And it's just hard to connect with Amu's badass-rebel-girl attitude if she won't cuss.

Again, I'm sorry. Tell me if the swearing's too much, I'll try to minimize it.

Please don't forget to review. Thanks a lot and happy reading!

With all the love for writing,

Lace Ashdown

CHAPTER 2:

I slammed my fist on my locker and shocked over half of the students scurrying down the hall. The door happened to jam and the stupid code was stupidly no use. I gave the door another pull but it didn't budge.

"Damn it!" I cursed out loud and received several gasps and hateful comments from the girls passing by.

A low growl emerged from my chest. This day definitely wasn't mine and my temper was slowly rising because of the incessant talk about me and Rima yesterday. Was this school, perhaps, the Gossip Capital of Japan? Some hospitality they got here.

My foot connected with the base of my locker and surprisingly, it...opened. Maybe it just wanted to see who really the boss around here was. I yanked several things from my messenger bag, shoved the bag itself in my locker and walked down the hall - finally alone. Yesterday, right after last period, I spoke with Nagihiko and told him not to guide me around anymore.

Apparently, he was entirely clueless about the trouble between me and his snobby girlfriend. I was doubtful about it but since he didn't bring it up, I didn't say anything either. I didn't think I need more drama from this school, anyway.

I was passing the Girls' Comfort Room when the door flung open and slammed right in my face. My knees buckled and I stumbled backwards, inefficiently dropping my things as I fell. Two blondes peeped behind the door and gasped. Their looks particularly showed horror.

"Oh, shit. Gomen," the taller blonde said. Her hair was in high pigtails that made her look young. She took off her shades and amethyst eyes popped out.

She and the other blonde crouched down and helped me pick up my stuff. I gathered those in my arms and stood.

"You okay?" the shorter one asked. Her hair was shorter and was curled at the bottom. She held back the rest of the fringe with a purple hair clip.

I brushed invisible dust off my uniform as the short blonde's soft, blue eyes gazed on me.

"Yeah," I finally said.

My eyes travelled up and down. Both of them seemed normal. No hateful glares, no guarded eyes, no hired-killer auras. Nothing at all.

"It's Hinamori-san, right?" the one in pigtails asked. Her amethyst eyes sparkling with delight.

Though the two of them seemed okay, their lack of hostility still caught me off guard. I was used to snobbish people because most of the time, I am also one. But the girls didn't feel fake. In fact, they looked completely genuine. I gazed back at them for a minute. Usually, the only people friendly with me were either my family or assassins. Both girls looked none of those.

"I'm Yamamoto Lulu de Morselle," the shorter one extended a hand to me and I took it. If ever they were really assassins, it was a bad move for her to make.

"Hinamori Amu," I said and shook her hand, still a little suspicious of the girls.

"We know! I'm Hoshina Utau," the taller one said.

I grunted. Of course they knew me - the transferee who tried to steal their oh-so-precious and oh-so-perfect Queen's boyfriend. No wonder they were so horrified earlier. Maybe they weren't assassins after all. Maybe they're just that little witch's minions.

"Nobody ever spoke with Rimacabre that way before! And we totally love you for that. The girl just practically oozed drama all over the place!" Lulu ended her sentence with a perfect imitation of Rima's dramatic eye roll.

My left brow quirked up. The girl eerily echoed what I thought yesterday. Was that Rima kid like that to everyone? Or did these two just happen to break through her perfect act? I mentally shook my head. There was no way I'd involve myself in more fights. Because the more invisible I was, the safer I'd be.

The girls looked excitedly at me. It seemed like they wanted to talk on and on about how bitchy that Rima was. But it's no use. As much as I wanted to make that 'queen' kneel before me, my own protection was my first priority.

I was about to tell them not to drag me into whatever was going on with them and Rima when the bell signaling the end of first period.

Great. It's only my second day in school and I already skipped a class. I sighed and turned my back to the blondes.

"Uh...see you around. I guess," I muttered and walked away.

"You're kidding me! Ikuto-sama walked you to school this morning?" the girl at the other table squealed to the other girl across her.

I sighed and munched down on my cheese burger, completely bored. Ever since second period, there had been an unceasing talk about this 'Ikuto-sama' finally coming back to school. Apparently, the guy was in my first period but since I didn't make it there, I didn't meet the supposedly cool guy.

The girl across giggled. "He didn't really walk me to school. We just kind of...walked together," she said and blushed a furious shade a red.

"That's practically the same thing!" the other one said. "I wonder why he didn't use his motorcycle, though. Could it be that his-"

But she wasn't able to finish her sentence because the cafeteria door swung open and in came the Charanari High 'Royal Geeks' - I mean 'Royal Guardians'. Nagihiko and Rima came in first, holding hands. The blonde horror spotted me and shot me a look saying 'that's right, he's MINE'. Huh. As if I care.

The whole cafeteria - except me - ooh-ed. It was like a whole bunch of students suddenly got hypnotized and thought they were seeing celestial people. Their reactions would make people think the Guardians casted a spell on them or something.

After the 'royal' couple, the rest of the Guardians came in as group. I saw Nagihiko's twin sister, Nadeshiko, talking silently with the blonde boy called Tadase. According to Saaya, the one who forced me to listen to her 'briefing' about the guardians, Nadeshiko and Tadase were also an official campus couple. But most of the girls in school still swooned around him. And for that reason, his girlfriend always tended to get jealous.

I vaguely remembered Nadeshiko yelling at Tadase yesterday. Seemed like she forgave him really fast. Seriously, though, what kind of person could make a seemingly nice girl that mad? He must really be out of his mind...like Saaya.

The girl definitely loved to talk about the Guardians incessantly. I had the feeling she had stalking tendencies but didn't tell her. She even shoved a list of the Guardians' Position inside my locker. Saaya was starting to get kind of annoying, actually. But the list went like this:

King's Chair - Fujisaki Nagihiko

Queen's Chair - Mashiro Rima

Duke's Chair - Hotori Tadase

Duchess' Chair - Fujisaki Nadeshiko

Jacks' Chairs - Souma Kuukai & Hanazawa Daichi

Aces' Chairs - Yuiki Yaya & Tsukino Pepe

Knights' Chairs - Lockhart Rhythm, Shinozaki Kusukusu, Fuwa Kiseki, Lockhart Temari

Joker's Chair - (empty)

The Guardweebs seemed to still have an empty slot. And obviously, the students here - especially the girls - would kill for something like that. I didn't know what those Guardians actually do but that's because I didn't bother to ask. Anyhow, I couldn't care less what their job descriptions really were as long as they stay out of my way.

I stood up and went to the trash bin to ditch my soda can. But before I got there, Rima had already blocked my way. She raised a well-plucked blonde eyebrow at me and crossed her arms. I was actually surprised that she didn't have minions backing her up. Who knew, maybe she didn't need one? But with an aura like hers, I could only guess.

"I see we've finally understood each other," Rima held her head high but it still didn't do anything with our huge height difference.

I refrained myself from laughing at her. She looked like a child standing up to a bully but was still scared as hell. Her defiant shoulders were tensed up and her breathing was over-controlled. Unconsciously, I wondered if she was going to hurl.

"Maybe I do understand you...a little. But seeing that you actually walked here just to tell me that, totally screams that you don't get me yet," I stared at her impassively, waiting for her to step aside.

Rima huffed and puffed her cheeks. I have to admit, she looked really cute that way. Almost as cute as Mr. Sunshine, Ami's recently-deceased hamster.

"You don't know what kind of trouble you got yourself into, Hinamori," she hissed.

With that, I finally couldn't take it anymore and chuckled. And she had the guts to talk to me about trouble, huh? Her brows knitted in fury; cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment; and fists clenched so hard they looked really white.

"You should see the look on your face," I said right after that. "Anyway, step aside,"

Rima stepped aside, alright. But as soon as I got close to the gigantic trash bin, she shoved me towards it. My foot slipped and everything seemed to go slow motion. I thought I was really going to fall but then a hand in a black, studded fingerless glove reached out and pulled me so I wouldn't fall, efficiently saving me from embarrassing myself in front of the whole school.

"You've really been frequently causing mischiefs around here, dear Queen. Seriously, we're considering of dethroning you," a voice behind me said. The gloved-hand was still clutching my arm.

Rima glared meat cleavers at the boy behind me, her voice trembled with fury as she spoke, "You wouldn't dare, Tsukiyomi. You wouldn't dare!" and she stomped away as quickly as she shoved me earlier.

Then, he mumbled something like, "I really hate seeing girls fighting,"

I twisted my arm away so he would let go. "Uh...thanks," I said and looked up at him. Jeez, the guy was really tall. He had an impressive purplish-blue hair.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded and tried to casually get away from the guy. Not that I wasn't thankful or anything, but the girls in the cafeteria were staring at us like there was a movie going on.

The boy grabbed my arm gently. "Wait. I don't think we've met before,"

"We haven't," I flatly said.

"Come on," he said and dragged me towards the other door.

I tugged my arm away a few seconds after we went out the door. "Are you crazy? You don't even know me and you drag me down the hall like we're friends or something,"

He shoved his hands inside his pocket and stared curiously at me. "Look, you just had a heated conversation with the 'Queen'," he air-quoted the word and pocketed his hands again, "You wouldn't stay in there a little longer if you don't want your pretty pink hair to smell like eggs,"

"Who are you again?"

He rolled his golden eyes. "Right. Forgot 'bout that. I'm Tsukiyomi Yoru. Nice to meet 'cha,"

My phone rang before I opened my locker. I checked the caller ID. It was Dad.

"Yeah?" I answered.

[Don't come home tonight.]

"What? What happened?" Dad's lack of emotion in his voice sent alarms blaring in my head. The only time his voice sounded like that was when he had bad news and wouldn't tell me about it.

[Stay in your condo for tonight. Ami, your mom and I are out of town. I'll send guards to patrol around your place.]

I sighed in defeat. Something was definitely going on but my dad wouldn't tell me anything - just like he always did.

"Fine,"

[Amu, do you remember where I hid your gun?]

I unconsciously gulped. "Yeah, why?"

[You might have to use it,]

"O-Okay,"

[I love you, Amu,]

"I love you, too, Dad," and then he hung up.

I stared at my hands. My fingers were trembling vigorously. Dad said I'd only have to use a gun when he's gone. Like gone gone. As in dead gone.

Why would he say that? What was going on? My desire to find out was starting to overpower me. But what should I do? Go to the house and investigate? No. A direct instruction like that shouldn't be ignored. But what?

I would die if anything happened to them. But not before I killed their attackers first.

Sorry for the slow update! Blame Ikuto onii-sama for that. Hohoho! He's still a no-show, huh? Maybe if I received more reviews he'd show up in the third chappie. Okay, I'll update as soon as my writer's block is cured. Again. Please review! Thanks :))