Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Tamura-sensei! The plot is mine…

A/N: Dear readers; as I've already stated in "Rapunzel in Ishiyama style!", I can reassure you that I won't abandon any of my stories (especially this one)! The thing is that I don't have enough time to update biweekly due to my studies but I'll try to publish a new chapter each month at least. I appreciate your patience and hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Thanks for supporting me… ^_^

I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did
[…]

Chapter 7: Old scars

"I'm baaack!" Oga returned from his daily training.

"Welcome back." Hilda greeted him with a kind smile while Baby Beel was playing with his rattle in her arms.

"How was it? Has Beelze-boy caused any trouble for you?"

Hilda shook her head. "Not at all. He has slept peacefully like an angel for the whole day. Come on, take a shower and let's have dinner then. I've cooked your favorite meal, dear."

"Alright, give me only five minutes to get changed… dear?" Oga blinked in confusion. "What did she say? Did she just call me 'dear'?"

Hilda looked at him with a worried expression and bent forward. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? You look pale and sweat a lot. Can you hear me, Oga-dono? Oga-dono?" Hilda approached one step by each question until she stood directly in front of him. Tears began to form in her eyes when she lifted one hand and rested it on his cheek, asking in a whiny tone for the last time. "Oga-dono?"

An odd feeling formed in Oga's gut the second after she made contact with his body. Trying his hardest to repress it, Oga wondered whether he looked screamingly awful for the moment or why did she start crying out of the blue…

Wait, she started crying?

HILDA was crying?

OK, something was definitely wrong there!

His vision became blurry as her hair became slowly darker and darker until the blonde color faded completely and changed to pitch dark. In the twinkling of an eye, it was Alain Delon standing in front of him, or rather above him, with his face only a few inches away. Oga's face became even paler at the old man's closeness and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

"WHAAAAAAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, IDIOT?"

His voice startled the poor guardian to such an extent that he fell back and landed on his backside whereas the baby in his arms cheered and laughed at Oga's horrified expression.

"O-O-O-Oga-dono! Are you alright?"

Oga panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath and looked at his surroundings. He must have fallen asleep on the couch. So, the whole 'Hilda crying' stuff was really only a dream...

… or rather a nightmare!

"Next time, don't you dare waking me up this way, Allon! NEVER AGAIN!"

Alain Delon nodded nervously and calmed down himself. "You must have been really tired, Oga-dono. I only went next door to get Hilda-sama's bags and you were already sleeping when I came back five minutes later. You haven't even heard Beelze-sama's cry…"

He winced a little by hearing the last word and remembered Hilda's sad face from his dream earlier. "So you've already become acquainted with each other?" he asked the guardian and his son.

"Yes, I've given him the milk which you've prepared before and…"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Someone was knocking at the door and ringing the bell at the same time as if the person outside was just about to forage or run riot at any moment. Not only could Oga stand the annoying noise any longer, he also wondered who it could be at a time like this. A sort of fear smothered him for a moment now that he had more people to hide and worry about than only Beelze.

The person at the door became impatient and started shouting around. "OGA! I know that you are inside. Come out, you damn pussy! You can't run away from me anymore…!"

Hearing the familiar voice, a different kind of fear overwhelmed him now. "Crap!" he cursed lowly under his breath and panicked for a moment. "What now…?"

"Oga-dono." Alain Delon was aware of the situation and kept his voice down. "It doesn't seem that they've come for Hilda-sama. Do you know that person out there? Has he possibly come for Beel-…"

"No, Allon. That person has definitely come for her…" he explained and Alain Delon tensed up at his words. "Speak of the devil, where is that woman at all?"

"Hilda-sama is in the bathroom but…"

They heard another knock at the door. "Oga, I swear you: if you don't open the door now…"

"Damn!" Oga cursed again. He had to think. He had to think quickly and come up with a brilliant idea. But he hated thinking when he was pressed for time. Think. Think-think-thinkthinkthink!

"OK, here's the plan so listen carefully, Allon! You're gonna pretend to be a neighbor and try your best to send him away somehow as soon as possible. Just tell him… that I'm absent, buying milk or training! I'll hide with her in the bathroom in the meantime so make sure you do your job well; I'm counting on you!" With that said, Oga disappeared, heading for the bathroom without hearing the guardian's warnings.

Oga knew that Hilda wanted to keep this apartment-sharing a secret for a while. He didn't know about her reasons but agreed to it at once though since he also might get troubled if several people learnt something about him living together with a woman; especially him…

He barged in the bathroom and slammed the door on the quick, attentively pressing his ear against its cold material to eavesdrop the people outside. "Shhh! We have visitors…" he whispered to the other occupant with a thoughtful expression, eyes fixed on the door knob. "Allon will handle things so stay quiet until he gets rid of…"

"Oga." she called him calmly.

He turned his head to her direction. "Not now, Hil…" His words got stuck in his throat as he caught a glimpse of the woman behind him.

The guardian placed Beelze on the sofa and went to open the door. "What has Oga-dono said before? That person has come for Hilda-sama?" His words didn't make any sense for Alain Delon since the person at the door didn't sound like one of her pursuers, rather like a little child who was crying over a toy or a candy. Anyway, he had to be cautious. If it were Oga, trembling in fear because of the person outside, the latter would be enormously dangerous.

"I'm com-iiiiing!" Alain Delon replied with a singsong voice to cover his anxiety and opened the door. It was a boy around the same age as Oga but didn't look as strong as him but fragile and weak like a girl. He didn't understand why Oga was scared of the silver-haired person in front of him to such an extent that he hid inside, because the newcomer didn't seem to pose a serious danger to Hilda. "What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Out of my way! Where is that damn Oga?" Furuichi stomped in a flaming temper inside.

"O-Oga-dono isn't here. He's gone to buy milk…" Alain Delon closed the door and hurried after him.

"Don't you dare lying to me, old man! I can quasi sense him that he's hiding somewhere around here… Come out if you have the balls, Oga! And who are you anyway?" the teen was virtually smoldering, his face as red as a tomato.

"Sir, let me introduce myself. My name is Alain Delon and I'm Oga-dono's neighbor. I moved here yesterday and my hobbies are…"

"I don't give a shit about that! I need to find that douche and ask him how come he knows a blond bombshell like Hilda-san! After all these years, he betrayed me that he's not interested in women!" he cried, desperately disappointed.

Alain Delon watched the person in front of him in astonishment. "Betrayal?" he blinked in confusion. He interpreted the redness on Furuichi's face as a bashful blush.

"He's blushing…

… crying in desperation…

… not interested in women…"

All those facts led Alain Delon to the following conclusion. "That poor boy is lovesick! But it's unrequited love since Oga-dono is not interested in men." Suddenly, the guardian had a crazy idea and he remembered Oga's previous words.

Try your best to send him away somehow as soon as possible!

Alain Delon nodded to himself and went to the unlucky teen's side, moved to tears by his miserable state. "It's alright now, boy. Cry as much as you want."

Furuichi didn't hold back anymore and leaned against the bearded man's shoulder. "Why do the good things in life always happen to that idiot? My life is so flat and pointless!"

The guardian swung his arms around him in sympathy. "Don't mind him; men like Oga are pigs!" Furuichi nodded silently and sniffed. "Just forget about him and look around you; there are always other guys worth to love, who really deserve you." The teen in his arms suddenly stopped crying and looked up in puzzlement. There was a weird glint in Alain Delon's eyes as he finished with delight and enthusiasm. "Let me satisfy you, my silver-haired friend!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Furuichi pushed him away in disgust. "I'M NOT GAY, YOU HOMOPHILE!"

"Don't be so shy, you cute little boy. Give vent to your feelings…" the guardian started chasing him in the room.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Furuichi screamed around full-throated as if he was just about to being raped and wanted to leave the apartment as soon as possible. Alain Delon was so close to approaching his goal and almost chased away the unexpected visitor when a loud noise came from another room. Suddenly, both of them became silent and tried to find out the source of it.

It came from the direction of the bathroom.

"Aha!" Furuichi remembered again, why he even came to that place primarily and was as sure as death now that Oga was in the house. Followed by Alain Delon, he instantly walked to the bathroom and barged in. "OGA! You can't hide from me any…" As he saw that Oga wasn't alone there, he stiffened and stopped talking.

Alain Delon, who didn't understand his sudden loss for words, entered and reacted the same way. Their eyes grew larger by any second and their mouth dropped almost to the ground as they confronted the awkward scene in front of them. Oga was kneeling in front of Hilda while the latter put a foot on his back and swathed the hose of the sprinkler around his neck. She tore at the item in her hands more and more so that Oga's face changed to different shades of blue and green.

Furuichi was still watching there with dozens of emotions written on his face whereas Alain Delon came to his senses and hurried to his mistress' side. "Hilda-sama, let go of him! You're going to strangle him to death!"

"Don't meddle, Alain Delon!" she was seething with rage and spoke through gritted teeth. "Peeping Tom needs to learn his lesson!" She turned the faucet on and snatched a handful of his hair.

Oga got a hold of the hose but was too weak to free himself at the moment. "Not… Tom! It's O… ga! O-…ungh…!" She brought the water to his face as if she seriously was trying to drown him.

"S-stop it, Hilda-sama!" Alain Delon pleaded but was too horrified to move and help Oga out. "You can't kill your flat mate on the first day…"

She held the water aside. "I only agreed to mother Beelze, so why do I have to tolerate the foolishness of this vile creature?"

Furuichi, who was watching silently until now, stiffened more and more by any second until he came unglued. His legs turned to jelly as he asked with a shaky voice. "M-m-m-m-m-mate? B-B-B-Beelze's mother? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

"There… y'are! Why's he… he-re… Allon?" Oga complained in his long forgotten state.

"But Oga-dono… I did everything in my power to hold him up. I've even put my virginity on the line!"

Hilda frowned in disgust. "Well, I've always suspected that you're gay but you being virgin is news to me…" she commented dryly.

"See, it's your entire fault, Oga!" Furuichi accused his best friend. "Now, Hilda-san thinks that I'm gay as the bearded dude over there and I really should kill you for this but… but…" His enragement disappeared miraculously in a split second and he started shedding tears of joy. "… I'm deeply grateful that you granted me a view like this!"

This time, Furuichi really blushed like a high-school girl who just confessed her feelings in public. He pointed his finger to the direction of the sole female in the room, whose body was only covered by a wet towel, barely blanketing her huge breasts and the half of her thighs. Although Oga was blocking halfway the sight of her long legs and waist, it was enough to cause his perverted friend a delighted expression and nosebleed.

"Oh no, how could you do this to me, my pretty boy!" Alain Delon cried appalled and devastated. "What will happen to us now?"

"You… bastard…!" Oga stood up in one fell swoop and tore the metallic hose to pieces. Just when he wanted to launch out to attack Furuichi mercilessly, the person behind him grabbed his shoulder and made him face her.

"You…"

She scowled at him with the mere intent to kill, caught his arm and threw him over her shoulder. Furthermore, she took accurate aim and hit the other two men in the background, getting rid of the three at one stroke. "Get out of here; ALL THREE OF YOU!" she panted heavily and slammed the door shut.

Alain Delon slowly straightened up and looked down at the defeated host. "Oga-dono, did you know that Hilda-sama is well versed in the art of self-defense?"

"Like I said, Allon… You're definitely guarding the wrong woman!" That was the only thing he could reply before he passed out.

"Good morning, Oga-kun! How are you? Isn't Hilda-san with you today?"

The loud voice and the bright grin on his friend's face got him on his nerves. "Shut your trap, Furuichi! You're annoying…"

It'd been a few days now since Furuichi heard the whole story of Hilda; actually the part which Oga also knew and the circumstances why they were living together now. Even if Furuichi was only a creepy idiot and a perverted womanizer, he was also Oga's childhood friend, whom he would blindly trust. Therefore, he was sure that Hilda's secret was safe with Furuichi. But the real reason why Oga wanted to hide it from him was exactly this situation.

"You're such a killjoy!" Furuichi sulked. "You've even forbidden me to come to your apartment because you only want to keep her for yourself, you egoistical…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the last part earned him a punch in his face. "You know what happened during your last 'visit' and it took Allon two hours to repair the hand shower set! And you also know why she's living with us now, fool, so don't talk nonsense!"

Furuichi got up and rubbed his wounded cheek. "Yeah, Oga, I know why Hilda-san has decided to live in your apartment. However, do you know why you let her live with you?"

"What's with this daft question?" Oga shot him a blank look as if to say 'you already know'.

"Yeah… you're right."

"I'm always right!" Oga nodded and rolled his eyes. They had already reached the school building and he separated from his companion. "I need to see that bastard Saotome."

"Well, see you later then." Furuichi watched his retreating figure with a thoughtful expression. "It's only for Beelze's sake…"

Hilda sat down on her chair and started unpacking her books. There were only a few students in the classroom, including class representative Kunieda, the orange-haired hulk and some other jerks she didn't bother to memorize yet. Perhaps, the others were skipping classes because it was already Friday.

She leaned forward to her desk and rested her chin on her arms. Many things had happened during the last five days and she started getting used to her new life slowly but surely. The baby stuff was keeping her busy for the most of the day but she didn't complain once since she enjoyed being together with Beelze. The real troublemaker was Oga and his incompetence to behave like a decent person. Especially in the mornings, he was unbearable while stinking like a savage and walking around half-naked in his boxers.

That's why Hilda was always leaving earlier after preparing breakfast for him and eating her own meal on her way to school in order to save herself that nasty sight of him, because it didn't seem like that habit of him would ever change.

"Good morning, Hilda-saaaaan!"

"Here comes the other idiot!" she thought and tried to ignore him.

Just when Furuichi was about to approach her, he was shoved aside by another student. "Let it go, Furuichi! That bitch is choosing her guys very carefully and wouldn't come on to the likes of us!"

Hilda scowled icily to the man above as if asking for the meaning of that.

Whereas Furuichi was already trembling in fear, the other one continued. "What's with that look? You only get laid with Oga, aren't you!"

Forgetting about her prior fatigue, Hilda jumped up and grabbed the collars of the guy, clenching her other fist and ready to attack. "Say that again and I'm seriously gonna kill you! I dare you!"

The ruckus attracted the other students' attention as Kunieda came closer and tried to stop her with Furuichi's help. "Hilda-san…"

"Why are you so wrought up?" The guy didn't get the gravity of the situation and wasn't intimidated a bit. "You always run off on the roof and meet secretly Oga! Who knows what the both of you are playing at…"

Enough was enough! She darted the guy at one fell swoop to the wall, at which he hit his head against some desks and got injured, blood flowing down his temple. Kunieda noticed that Hilda wanted to attack him again and intervened. "Hilda-san, please stop it or you'll seriously be in trouble…"

"What's going on here?"

Everybody recognized the familiar voice and turned their gazes to the door, where Saotome-sensei was standing with a deep frown on his face. He briefly looked at Hilda and the injured student on the ground, who was still conscious but lying there in pain. "Kunieda, bring her to my office and tell me what happened. And someone escort that punk to the nurse before he runs out of blood. The rest of you; self-study until I'm back, got it?"

The students knew that Hilda would get a punishment although she wasn't at fault at all since the other student provoked her. But in spite of that, she didn't protest and stayed calm before making a clear declaration. "I'm not in love with Oga Tatsumi! Keep that in mind!"

With that said, Saotome went ahead as Hilda and Kunieda silently followed him. When they quitted the classroom, the two girls noticed that someone was standing outside next to Saotome the whole time.

"O-Oga-kun, what are you doing here?" It was Kunieda, who broke the silence.

Oga didn't reply. He just fixed his gaze on the other girl, who refused any eye contact with him after her announcement a few seconds ago. Without saying another word, the three headed for Saotome's office and left Oga behind.

In the late afternoon of the same day, Kunieda was leaning against the railing on the roof and inhaling the cold air. "Phew, you're lucky that Saotome-sensei let you get away with a single warning."

The girl next to her looked away, still frustrated about what had happened. "He only got what he deserved, that son of a…"

"Shhh! Those words don't suit to a lady." Kunieda smiled at her. "However,… you didn't have to go as far as to injure him, Hilda-san. Why have you been so agitated anyway?"

Hilda didn't answer.

"Has it… something to do with your final statement?"

"Are you always so kind to others, Kunieda? So kind to even come to defense of someone like Oga…"

There was a moment of silence as she mentioned the name of Oga. Kunieda replied to her first question and avoided the second part. "Well, being kind harms no one, right?" she smiled again; it was that honest smile of hers. "I know that you're new here Hilda-san and you probably don't know anybody yet. Nevertheless, if you have a problem… or just need someone to talk, fell free to come to me."

"I… " Hilda seemed to hesitate a little bit.

"Don't worry, your secret is in good hands with me." The other girl assured her.

Hilda stared into space as if she was somewhere else, preoccupied. "When I've decided to come here to Ishiyama, I've told myself to never fall in love."

Kunieda let out the breath she was unconsciously holding until now. It was quite daring for a woman to say something like this. And for a person like Hilda, who was in the same age as her… What was the reason that a young girl would shut her heart and refuse to love anybody?

As if she could read Kunieda's mind, Hilda went on. "Some time ago, there was a young man in love with me and he even promised to marry me when the time comes when we finish our schools. But then, shortly before I came here, he told me that it wouldn't be worth to wait for him anymore. He started to take an interest in other girls, distanced himself from me more and more … His love was fake…" Her voice became shaky and tears started to build up in her eyes.

Now, Kunieda could understand why she was so closed to others and why she rarely showed any emotions. She rested a hand on her shoulder. "W-what about you, Hilda-san? Would you have waited for him?"

Hilda wiped the unshed tears off and tried to smile. "Yeah, I was ready to wait for him until the end of my life. Because…" Finally, the tears slowly began to roll down her cheeks. "… because I really loved Wock."

Kunieda wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know how. Even a strong and independent woman like Hilda had a weak spot after all but despite of her bad experience in love, she was still able to stand with a straight back. Kunieda just opened her mouth to say something when they heard the door behind them shut. The sudden noise startled the two girls for a moment and they turned over but besides them, there was not a soul.

It seemed like until now, they hadn't been alone on the roof.

[…]
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible

"Impossible" – by Shontelle

A/N: When I started writing this story, I had two songs in mind, one for Hilda and one for Oga. "Impossible" (by Shontelle) was meant to be Hilda's song. Oga's song will be revealed later…

Well,… I have nothing else to say… Hope you like it? Yeah? Mind leaving a review and making me happy? Please…?