Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Tamura-sensei! Only the plot is mine…
A/N: I'll nominate me as the worst author ever! I can't apologize enough for being so lazy and not providing you dear readers with any updates lately. The thing is that I wasn't satisfied with the latest chapter and the development in the end irked me: how could I make Hilda such a… sniveler?! I hated myself for what I did although it was necessary for the whole plot and I owe you guys an explanation, which will immediately follow after this chapter… I hope you'll enjoy it.
You've fallen right out of the sky
I could swear you were natural high.
Volcanoes erupting inside
When I see the sparkle in your eyes.
But you don't even realize
'Cause you've been hurt so many times.
They play with your heart, told you lies
They were wrong all along, you were right.
"Fly To Stay Alive" – by maNga
Chapter 8: Cat Fight
Class representative Kunieda was on her way to the classroom. After her conversation with Hilda, the latter went home earlier, saying she had 'things' to take care of. Kunieda didn't know that Hilda left due to the same reason as Oga always did, so she assumed that Hilda needed time to be alone right now. She was happy that the new girl bared her heart to her and actually wasn't so cold and repellent. Kunieda remembered that she was the same in the past, too, and preferred playing the tough one to show the others that girls weren't so fragile and didn't necessarily depend on men.
"Kunieda-san…"
"Hm?" The newcomer interrupted her chain of thought. "Furuichi-kun… what is it?"
"Don't tantalize me! Where is Hilda-san?" he asked in an agitated tone.
"Oh? Since when are you two so close to each other?" she asked, skeptically arching a brow.
Furuichi froze. "Crap!" He didn't expect a countering like that at the moment. If he spilled out Oga and Hilda's secret that they were living together now, he'd be dead meat! Not that he cared much about Oga, but as a man, it was his duty to protect Hilda and accept her decision, right?
Kunieda wasn't the one to let loose before she got an answer but still, Furuichi was the cleverer one. He wandered a hand through his hair and shot her a cool look, answering nonchalantly. "Come on, Kunieda-san. I'm close to each lady here! But you don't need to be jealous because of Hilda-san. Actually, I'm free this weekend so how about…hmpf!"
She shoved an apple in his mouth and prevented him from talking more nonsense. "It's alright, Furuichi! I'll have to take care of my little brother since my parents are absent for two days…" she replied with a distorted smile.
"B-but Kunieda-san…" Furuichi freed his mouth and ran after her. "I would be a great help for you and we could take care of your brother together! You know how skilled I am with babies thanks to Oga and Bee…"
He couldn't finish his sentence because firstly, the name of Baby Beel was taboo in the school grounds, which he remembered in the last minute. And secondly, Kunieda's smile changed to a serious glare and she answered quite simply with a "No, thanks!"
Furuichi dropped his head and murmured to himself. "Well, it was worth trying…" Then, he wandered his gaze to the fruit in his hand and stopped breathing for a moment. The apple in his hand was bitten off. However, he didn't remember taking a bite from it while it was shoved in his mouth earlier, so that would only mean one thing:
"Kunieda-san's sweet and timid lips have landed gently on the delicious looking, juicy red apple!" he thought dreamily.
Furuichi gulped. No, he had to hand the apple back to her. "Poor Kunieda-san didn't get a lunch break because of the meeting with Hilda and Saotome, so she must be starving right now." On the other hand, this was a once in a decade chance for him. "If I also take a bite from that spot, that will mean… that will be…" he gulped again and blushed shyly.
An indirect kiss.
For a brief moment, he had a war inside him whether to give her the apple or eat it himself. Finally, he shook his head and didn't want to miss the chance to fulfill his dream. And it was Kunieda who gave him the apple in the first place, right? "AND I'M A HUNGRY MAN, TOO, SO I'LL EAT IT NOOOOW!" he yelled as if he was trying to do it with a clear conscience.
His loud voice caught the attention of the class rep, who was already a few steps ahead. As she turned around to check why Furuichi was shouting around, he had already finished eating the fruit, even eating its pits and munched in delight. She didn't know what he was eating so eagerly at the moment, but she remembered the former, long eaten fruit in her hand. "Furuichi-kun, I'm heading for the classroom since I have to take care of the hurt student. Could you do me a favor and throw that apple to the trash can? I've found it on the roof earlier and wanted to get rid of it…"
Furuichi stopped chewing. So the apple wasn't Kunieda's at all? But whose was it then? Whose lips were it that landed on his innocent ones and stole his first (indirect) kiss? Damn, it could be anyone's! What if it was… Toujo's? Or Shiroyama's? Or the one, who was on the roof top for the most of the time: Oga's?!
"Ungh!" The mere thought of it irked Furuichi. He had to spit it out. He had to puke! With a last effort, he ran towards the nearest bathroom , crying desperately. "It was the forbidden fruiiiiiiiit!"
"Nee-san…"
After Furuichi was out of sight, Nene Oomori hurried to the class rep with an unreadable expression.
"Ah, Nene. Have you brought the student to the infirmary? His injury didn't seem to be severe though, probably only a scratch and…"
"Nee-san, he's hospitalized at the moment!"
"W-what? But he wasn't injured that badly and you didn't have to bring him to the hospital because of that!"
"Nee-san, you don't get it!" Nene started once again. "After you've left with Sensei, that guy stood up and resisted to go to the nurse. He started shouting around, insulting Hilda-san anew. H-however… nobody was aware of the presence behind the door and…"
It was just then that Kunieda started understanding the whole situation. And she had a bad feeling about it. "Don't tell me that…" She didn't even dare to finish her thought.
Nene nodded. "Oga beat the crap out of him. The guy started apologizing and begging for his life after a while but Oga… he was unstoppable. It was a miracle that Toujo wasn't away as usual today and brought him out of here."
They were silent for a moment. Kunieda tried to follow to what Nene had just told her but there was one thing she didn't understand. Why was Oga so furious? Had it something to do with Hilda's former declaration? "Where is Oga-kun now?"
Nene shook her head. "Nobody knows. Toujo hasn't returned either yet."
Hilda leaned against the cold wall of her empty apartment. She slid down to a sitting position and closed her eyes exhaustedly, thinking what a stressful morning it was. After she had arrived at their shared apartment with Oga and looked after the sleeping Baby Beel, she needed some time for herself and took refuge in her own place next door. Having paid the first monthly rent in advance, it was still her apartment for the meantime, so she could take time and occasionally enjoy the silence there.
And it was a good opportunity to avoid a certain someone, who could come back any moment.
She didn't want to face Oga now. Not that she had any reason to be self-conscious or to hide from him. After all, she didn't say anything wrong and she really hadn't that kind of a relationship with Oga. The only factor, which put her through to him, was the custody of Beelze. Of course, they had to meet secretly on the rooftop to check with each other to return home and look after the baby in turn.
Moreover, she also didn't mind about the other students and the rumors right now. What bothered her most was her previous conversation with the class representative. Why was she so frank with Kunieda back then and told her about her past? Was Kunieda considered trustworthy because she already kept Beelze's existence to herself? Hilda didn't even know how she actually found out about the baby and why she was keeping it private. But that wouldn't necessarily mean that Kunieda would keep her secret, too, right?
Furthermore, why did she tell it Kunieda in the first place?
Hilda wasn't the type to become friends with others so easily and bare her heart to them. She would rather die than to talk about her feelings to a strange person whom she only knew for a few days.
Had she needed somebody to talk to so badly after the order of events?
And why Kunieda of all people?
She let out a deep sigh and looked out of the window. How much did her life change within a week now? Primarily, she ran away from home to start a new life – independent and on her own. Without any custodian, except for Alain Delon, to decide on her life. Without any friends or other people, who would abandon and hurt her in the end. She didn't want to commit herself to anybody in order to not be adversely affected by separation or betrayal.
Yet, people were entering her life unintentionally one by one. At first, the crazy father-son duo, and then…
CLACK!
Hilda was startled by the sudden noise for a moment. It seemed that somebody entered the apartment next-door.
Did Oga return?
And what if!
It wasn't like she would go and welcome him. But if Oga was going to stay at home for the rest of the day, she could go to the café and work overtime. Actually, she agreed to work there only on Sundays because Oga would take care of Beelze for the whole day. On other days, they decided spontaneously since Oga Tatsumi would never keep with scheduling!
"Let's get over with this…" she thought and stood up from her place. It was better to face him once and leave instantly instead of enduring him for the whole day.
"You're already awake, Beelze-chan?" A voice came from the apartment next door.
That well-known, female voice made Hilda stop on her heels.
Oga got out of the elevator, leastwise worn out as Hilda. He turned back his gaze to the now empty cabin behind him and wondered when he even got in there at all. He had never used the machine once and always sprinted upstairs to train his stamina since he had moved into that apartment. But momentarily, he was so preoccupied and absentminded that he just intended to look after Baby Beel and have forty winks afterwards.
He walked lazily to the door, which wasn't closed for a wonder, and stopped right there. "So she's already back?" he wondered and took out his key. Oga hadn't time to prepare a spare key for Hilda yet and he let the door slightly open so that she could get in and out each time, like Furuichi had done in the past. At the outset, he wanted to save the few yens for Beelze's requirements. Later, he was just too slothful prepare one but he couldn't obviate his new housemate's request to produce new keys now.
Urgently, one for the bathroom!
He hesitated a little bit before he opened the door in the long run and got in. "I'm baaack." he announced in his as ever nonchalant tone.
"Did you hear that, Beelze-chan? Your dad is home." he heard a cheerful, female voice from inside. However, it wasn't the woman he expected there to be.
"Kunieda?"
The class rep hurried to the corridor with the baby in her arms and greeted him with a kind smile. "Welcome back, Oga-kun."
Somehow, the scene seemed so familiar to him and a long forgotten, weird dream came to his mind. Shaking off the thought of a déjà vu, he went directly to the bathroom. "I haven't expected you to be here." he stated monotonously to hide his astonishment and a glint of disappointment. Kunieda was behaving as her normal self so she didn't encounter Hilda in his apartment yet.
Was she still absent?
"Have you heard Saotome-sensei's announcement? We'll have extra classes tomorrow, as a preparation for midterm exams."
"Is that so?" Honestly, what was that batty teacher up to? He never got over the subject matter during classes and ended up adding extra classes on weekends. Nevertheless, Oga hadn't even the strength to get steamed up about Saotome's incompetence now.
"You look pale… A-Are you hungry? I've just arrived here but I could prepare something if you…"
"Hm? No need." he simply replied. "I just lack some sleep; that's all."
"Well,… is that so…" she looked away from him and didn't know how to start. Small talk was useless in Oga's case so she plainly asked him directly and let the cat out of the bag. "I've heard from Nene what's happened in the classroom today …"
Oga winced briefly at her words but stayed as calm as ever. After washing his hands and face, he dried them with a towel and stared in the mirror as if talking to his reflection. "So that's why you're here…?"
"N-No!" she turned towards him and declined quickly. "I've really only come to see Beelze-chan. However,…" she looked in his mirror image's eyes, which was reflecting the same fierceness, with a worried expression. "… what's wrong with you? It's not like you to beat someone out of blue in such a way that he's being hospitalized."
There was a silence before he answered. "That shitty excuse for a student went too far and insulted the new girl! And he's dragged me in the mud, too!"
"I know that you feel responsible for what's happened, but…"
"Kunieda!" he cut her off sharply and startled even the baby in her arms with his grim aura. "He asked for a punishment and I kicked his ass! End of story!"
She muttered some words of approval and nodded. She had known Oga for quite a while now and it was not the first time that she faced this terrifying side of him. Even if she didn't like the current Oga in front of her, who easily resorted to violence, she was also aware that you couldn't talk to him in this state. In times like these, it was better to leave him alone and let him cool down.
"Alright." she sighed lowly and delivered Baby Beel. "I'll be going now but I intend to come more often from now on and look after Beelze-chan. It would be good to release you and Furuichi-kun every now and then."
"You don't have to. I've already engaged an employee who takes care of Beel. Thank you anyway."
"Eh? You have?" she blinked confusedly to the news.
She couldn't express any further wondrousness when a loud sound from outside interrupted her. It sounded as if the neighbors banged the door and the noise echoed several times in Oga's apartment. Before she knew what was going on, Oga shoved the baby back to her arms and ran out at top speed.
He had a good guess who the person might be and needed to confirm his assumption. Too late, since the person next door got already in the elevator and was on his way downstairs. "Damn, you won't escape me!" he lowly cursed under his breath and made his way to the stairs. He was even faster than the machine on his way upstairs, thus it'd be a walk in the park to catch up with the elevator downwards, right? Now, his daily training paid off and…
"Oga, wait! Where are you going?"
Oga was rooted to the spot and looked back. Kunieda and Baby Beel in her arms were standing in puzzlement by the doorway. It was then that realization came upon him and his mind went black.
What the hell was he doing?
Even if he was right and it really was her, why would he chase her? What had gotten into him?
"Nothing… nothing at all." he murmured to himself and went back to his apartment.
"Hey, dude! What're we gonna do here in this quarter?"
"Shaddup for a second, will ya! There's a small, cheap café with pretty chicks somewhere around here. Another fella told me the other day; just let's check it out, man!"
It didn't take the two strange pals to find the café. Sitting on the nearest seat outside, they started gawking at the servers in a jiffy. They darted their eyes on a certain blonde waitress wearing narrow glasses; her long hair tied up to a single ponytail. "Jackpot!" one of them beamed with delight.
"Oi, Neesan!" the other one called her over with a filthy smirk.
The said waitress turned over and threw the new guests a brief, disgusted look. Although she was a real bombshell, probably the youngest and prettiest among her co-workers, she was also the coldest. Whereas other waitresses kissed up to the guests in order to pocket more tip, the blonde ice queen always kept a stoic face and dissociated herself from them.
She wished that those jerks wouldn't cause any trouble and leave as soon as possible. Slowly, she closed the distance between them and walked over. Not till then, she recognized their school uniforms.
She paused for a moment.
Then, she proceeded.
She kept her expression as emotionless as ever although volcanos were currently erupting inside her and she tried her hardest to hide her nervousness. Those khaki uniforms with black ties and leather belts, making the students look like soldiers. Only one elite academy set value on appearance so much.
No doubt about it: they belonged to Akumano Academy.
They didn't seem to be the smartest ones though, nor did they seem to have recognized her yet. And there was no way that they found her so easily in a little while. So, it had to be a coincidence. Therefore, there was no reason to panic and blow her cover now. As long as she didn't attract any attention, the chances were high that she could get away with it.
"Hilda-chaaaan, I could need your help back in the kitchen." the voice of the manager came from inside.
"Hey, did she just say Hilda…?" one of the guys repeated.
Damn!
"Oi, oi, hold on a second, Missy!" the guys slowly came to realization as their eyes grew larger. "Isn't that…"
There was no time for a second thought and Hilda did the first thing that came to her mind: she ran. She ran like there was no tomorrow. They found her. They knew who she really was. She had to shake them off somehow but she didn't know how. They were close on her heels and would catch up with her in no time. But what should she do? It was unforeseen that they would catch her flat-footed. Hence, she could only run through the side streets to remain undiscovered. She ran and ran further.
Until she bumped into someone.
Someone familiar.
In conclusion, her pursuers arrived, too, and stopped right there. Obviously, the fourth person intimidated them a little and they backed off a little as they saw him.
"Isn't that Ishiyama's…?"
"Gwuaaaah!"
"Yuck! Hold your tongue when you yawn, you barbarian!"
"Shut up, Furuichi! Or I'll show you a real barbarian!"
The two 'best' friends were sitting on their seats in the classroom and complaining about extra classes on a Saturday morning, like half of their classmates. The other half didn't even bother to come yet. Amongst the absentee; the class rep herself didn't arrive yet, who was probably talking things over with Saotome. The other three members of the Touhoushinki were missing, too. At least, they knew that Toujo wouldn't show up because of his side job. In the case of Kanzaki and Himekawa, it was down to their whim whether they would come or not.
In the end, another person was missing.
"By the way Oga, where's Hilda-san?"
Furuichi's question came right on cue as if he just read Oga's mind. The latter didn't take the trouble to answer him and rolled his eyes with a deep frown and a low grunt. His cohabitant had come home quite late last night after texting him that she'd be with Alain Delon. Oga had only nodded to his cell phone and hadn't even bothered writing back to her. Anyway, he couldn't sleep well that night and was woken up when she finally returned home. Or rather: Oga had pretended to be asleep and waited for her until past midnight. As he had woken up early this morning, she was already gone long ago.
Lately, she seemed to avoid him for whatever reason. Yesterday, if it had really been her hiding next-door during Kunieda's attendance, then why had she left and run away so suddenly?
"Oi, Oga."
He lazily lifted his head to face the newcomer. It was one of the mentioned Touhoushinki. "What is it, Himekawa?"
"I need to talk to you." Himekawa made it sound rather like a command than a request. He went ahead and gestured Oga to follow him.
After they left the classroom and were out of reach, Himekawa started speaking and made it short. "You have any dealings with the new girl?"
Oga's eye twitched. He didn't know what topic of conversation he was expecting, but it was definitely not this. "What if?" he hissed back after a moment of hesitation.
Himekawa shot him a mocking grin and poked his tongue out. "Because if she's not your girl already, then I'm gonna get her!"
Oga's eyes flashed up with anger. He didn't know why his blood abruptly boiled up, but he didn't like that idea.
Before Oga could show any further reaction to his words, Himekawa raised his hands in defense and went on in a teasing tone. "Just kidding, dude! I'm not weary of life to approach Blondie after you beat the crap out of that punk yesterday! However, you are interested in her, am I right?"
Oga didn't answer and just stood there and glared at him icily as if asking for the meaning of all this.
Noticing that Oga was at the end of his tether, Himekawa continued with a serious expression. "Yesterday, I met Blondie on the street. She was pursued by some twerps, who lost and escaped after seeing me."
Oga's eyes opened widely as the other went on. "Blondie left, too, without even saying a single word of gratitude, that bit-… ungrateful girl!"
It took Oga a moment to process what Himekawa was talking. At last, he wanted to know one thing. "Why are you telling me all this?"
"Why not? You're the boss and she'd make a perfect wife for you since you went to the length of almost killing a student for her sake." He replied half-jokingly before he became serious again. "Besides, you might wanna know that the ones, who were after her, were from that Akumano Academy."
"Thanks, Sensei."
The class rep bowed her head respectfully and left the teachers' lounge. Then, she let out a deep sigh and looked at the exercise sheets, which Saotome handed on to her. She wasn't in good shape to do the exercises herself now, so how was she supposed to motivate a bunch of deadbeats on a Saturday morning? It was so typical for Saotome, who was even lazier than his students, to charge her with it.
On her way to the classroom, Kunieda was still mulling over a way to bring her classmates to cooperate when a firm voice held her up.
"I've been waiting for you."
Kunieda was surprised to find Hilda leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "G-Good morning, Hilda-san. You have?" she asked in surprise.
"It took you long enough and I even considered going home."
"Eh? But you can't skip classes at your leisure…" Kunieda observed her carefully with a skeptical look. Hilda's look, coldness and almost rude behavior – everything was the same. However, something was odd about her. Her aura felt… different from before.
"I've only come to talk to you, so let's quickly get over with this." Hilda adjusted herself and was fully facing her counterpart now. "I'm grateful for your help the other day. Admittedly, it'll take some time to get used to new surroundings and you might have caught me off guard at a moment of weakness yesterday…"
"N-No, it's alright, Hilda-san." Kunieda responded with a smile. "Like I said, whenever you need…"
"I wasn't finished yet!" Hilda interrupted her solidly, which startled the other girl as her smile vanished. "I am grateful for your help. However, it doesn't mean that we are friends or something like that now."
Kunieda didn't believe what she just heard. Was this Hilda's way to express her gratitude? Sure, she knew from the beginning that Hilda wasn't the very sociable type. Nevertheless, her attitude right now was even too bitter for her taste. What was the reason for this sudden change of heart? Or did she just imagine things and the Hilda in front of her now was her true self?
"Hm…" Kunieda narrowed her eyes and smiled again but it was an emotionless smile this time, as if she was looking down on Hilda. She held the pack of sheets with one arm and put her free hand on her hip, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Are you showing me your true colors now, Hilda-san?"
There was a moment of silence and the atmosphere was getting more and more tense as the two girls were staring at each other. It was Hilda who broke it first and replied to the last question. "I'm only telling you stay away from me for the future. Besides…" she closed her eyes and paused for a brief second. "… there are other people around, who would need your support more than me." With that said, Hilda walked past her and wanted to leave.
Kunieda was lost for words. She didn't understand the meaning of her last words and turned over to ask for an explanation. "Wait…!"
The next second, a shadow drew nearer and passed her like the wind. Kunieda, as well as Hilda, didn't notice the presence of the third person or who he really was until he reached the blonde in front.
"O-… Oga-kun?" Kunieda whispered dumbfounded.
Hearing the loud steps and his name out of Kunieda's mouth, Hilda stiffened and turned around. In fact, it was Oga standing straight next to her. As the man, whom she was avoiding successfully since yesterday, appeared unexpectedly in front of her now, her mind went blank. Neither did she know how he had found her, nor did she know what to do now. She originally wanted to settle things with Kunieda today and return home immediately, but encountering Oga afterwards wasn't planned.
"Kunieda!" Oga called the speechless class rep behind without tearing his gaze off the woman in front of him.
His voice brought Hilda back to her senses. Oga calling Kunieda caused a tiny pinch in her body and she felt as if her stomach wrung for a split second. She made a step back and glared at him like medusa in person.
Oga interpreted her retreat as a means of escape and reached out for her. He got a hold of her wrist and started pulling her away. Not affected by his deadly serious expression, Hilda tried her hardest to free herself from his firm grip but in vain.
He turned his head to the dark-haired girl. "Tell Saotome that I'm bringing her home cos she's feelin' sick." Without waiting for an answer or an agreement from Kunieda, he continued dragging the other girl in his hand out.
"You're the only one sick here!" Hilda protested in a low but dangerous voice. "What do you think you're doing? Let me go!"
"Shut the fuck up!" he ignored her struggles and protests until they reached a peaceful space. Only then, he shoved her roughly to a wall and let go of her. While Hilda was trying to catch her breath, throwing him an even darker glare, Oga stuffed his fists in his pockets and tried to cool down, too.
"We need to talk!"
A/N: As a response to JohnTitor's review about Hilda in the last chapter: It was necessary that a certain 'someone' would hear the conversation between her and Kunieda as soon as possible. And it was necessary that those two girls come closer to each other so that… well, you'll see it later. However, the most important reason would be that I needed to change one of the main characters a little bit in order to create some romance. I don't know whether other authors succeed but for me, it's almost impossible to write such a multi-chaptered love story without changing Oga or Hilda's characteristics. In "Rapunzel in Ishiyama style!" for an example, I'm not satisfied myself with Oga as well since his behavior inside the tower is so… 'Not-Oga-like'! And unlike that story, "A Father, A Lover" is based on my personal experiences and that would be another reason for Hilda being so out of character. Anyway, I'm still angry with myself and hope that I was able to make good for the mess with this chapter…
A word to the wise: I have no idea whether people in Japan go to school on Saturday. Here in Germany, we have no lessons on Saturdays and Sundays (except for project days, etc.) so I just adopted it to my story with extra classes.
I couldn't reply to any of the numerous reviews last time but I want to thank you all for them (special thanks to my newest fan LinkLover123, who made an effort and reviewed each chapter so far)and for encouraging me to go on. Your reviews count for a lot to us authors! ;-) As an acknowledgment of my gratitude, I'd like to post the prologue of a brand-new story soon and hear your opinions about it. Until then, take care and… enjoy your summer holidays? (if you still have any left since my studies will start within two weeks again… -.-)
This time, I expect TONS of reviews, so do not disappoint me, please! ^_^ Seriously, I expect lots of criticism this time…