Chapter 6:Physical Education Examination Time, Second Period

"Are you nuts?" I glared at San as he told me his plan. "So what if he has some stupid crush on me! I know how to take care of myself, San!" I felt my eyes glow green as I slammed my hand into the kitchen counter… leaving a small dent in my wake. It was the night before the exam and San, because of something Akabane had said, was now considering asking Karasuma-Sensei for a match with him. "Screw Akabane! He just wants what he can't have."

"And he's not gonna stop unless someone makes him…" San looked at me with cold eyes.

"And that someone has to be you?" Tears were welling up in my eyes… "I get it! I screwed up with the Sakakibara thing. Is this how you're paying me back? But there's a difference, San!" I pulled on his arm.

"You don't trust me?" He asked harshly.

"It isn't that! Both you and Akabane have similar methods of fighting… he's just…" I trailed off.

"He's just more practiced, and more volatile… and has no problem with avoiding restraint." He patted me on the head. "I can't get better if I don't try against someone stronger…" He smiled, although it was clear to see that it was unsure and half-hearted.

I walked over to the wall and leaned my back against it… I felt my legs give out as a great feeling of dread fell over me. "He can't kill me, y'know?" He sat down next to me.

"That doesn't mean he won't do everything to bring you within an inch!" I grabbed his arm and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"He's the same age as us Ame…" I could tell his confidence was shaken as he took me in for a hug. "You… You don't believe in me?" He questioned.

"It isn't that San! We talked about this…" My grip grew tighter as I pulled on his arm. "I can fight my own battles."

"AND I CAN FIGHT MINE!" He roared as he broke my grip and stood up. He then decided to step out into the night.
"San… Wait…" I said weakly as I couldn't even manage to make it to my feet. I felt time pass by as the tears turned into a torrent. I looked up to the clock on the wall… he hadn't come back for almost ten minutes now. I unsteadily made my way to my feet using the wall as a brace. Another minute passed without his return, so I walked to the door and pulled it open.

I found him lying on the hill outside his apartment complex. Stumbling past the children's park on the path I made my way to him.

"Hey Ame…" He addressed me without looking up. "Sorry for shouting at you."

"Don't worry about it San…" I found myself sitting next to him as he was sprawled out looking at the stars.

"The sky… Some people would really take this sight for granted." San's eyes were sparkling as he looked open into the vast expanse above. "There's so much I should apologize for…"

"I said-"

"I'm sorry for taking all this into my own hands… I know you don't need me to stand up for you. I miss Sora…" It had been a bit since he had mentioned his sister by name to me. "I stand up for you, because you remind me a lot of her… Does she even remember me…?" He sat up, hugging his legs.

"If she doesn't we'll just have to find a way to fix that…" I told him.

"I know we haven't known each other that long Ame… but I truly do feel like I would do anything for you." Is he confessing?! His wording had me blush a bit. "Oh… It just came to me that my words might be misleading there… Sorry… I didn't mean it like that."

"Phew! I mean…" I nervously chuckled.

"I stopped giving money to my father when I caught him spending money I gave him for Sora on alcohol… When I cut him off he threw me out… That's the part of the story I didn't tell you. He took advantage of the situation he was given, and I wasn't going to stand for it." He paused. "My mother, Nami, died in childbirth when she had Sora… My father was depressed at her loss and we were almost on the brink of homelessness… Then I made the braking system by sheer chance and our lives were turned on their heads… I guess my father couldn't handle the gravity of the situation, so he eventually cracked and held Sora at ransom…" He looked at me. "I fight for you, yeah, but also because you can't help but remind me of Sora." He fell back on the grass again. "That… and his ever present one-sided rivalry with me, makes me want to take his ego down a few pegs… I gotta at least try right."

I laid down next to him in the grass, "You can do this San, I believe in you."

***

"Of all the hot chicks I get to be paired with…" Rio smirked as she stood opposite me.

"If it weren't Karasuma setting up the pairings I'd wonder if the Octopus was behind this match…" I chuckled.

"Don't hold yourself back on my account, Ame!" Rio assured me.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Rio!" And with that I was off to the races running straight for her, knife held steadily in my right hand. I started with a single direct slash attempt to cut from her upper right shoulder to the middle of her torso, but she deflected my wrist and delivered a shoulder check in my stomach to knock the wind out of me. Though stunned for a moment, I quickly regained my composure and used my smaller size to my advantage, hooking my extended left leg behind her left ankle; one could say it wasn't long before she was head over heels for me. "You give?" I asked her.

"As if…!" Rio quickly recovered, grabbing her knife from her sock. Now I found myself pinned under the dirty blonde trickster. As if by instinct I felt power surge through me and I quickly shut my eyes to hide my Ogre Strength kicking in. No! I have to do this under my own power! I took a deep breath and let the feelings of stress subside.

"Ame Shuri, do you yield?" Karasuma-Sensei asked, as he walked over to our spar.

"Not yet!" I smiled up at Rio and using my legs, pulled her waist into mine. The action alone had her stunned in embarrassment as her face went red. "Awww did I make the great Rio Nakamura blush?" In her stunned bewilderment I managed to turn the tables on her and was now straddling her. I reached for her knife and stuck it to her neck.

"I… yield…" She said, still in a daze. A few moments later I stood over her and offered her a hand up. She delicately took it as I pulled her to her feet. "So… Uh… Ame… They just called for San's match with Karma… Didn't you say you wanted to watch that?"

"You okay, Rio?" I asked her, confused.

"Y-yeah I'm fine! Never better! No sweat! G-Good job, you got skills Shuri!" She gave me a nervous thumbs up.

"Oh calm down, Rio… It was just a little pelvic contact…" I said, a sly smile spread over my face.

"Ame… Um… Have you ever thought about-"

"Hold that thought Rio, we gotta cheer San on!" I rushed over. "San-Nii!" He looked over to me, but I could tell he wasn't mentally together, his skin was pale.

"Man up! Show Akabane what's up!" Rio stood next to me, having regained her own composure!

Karma then broke into one of his regular superiority complex speeches… The only problem was I could tell it was working on San… "San don't let him-"

"RAAAAAAAAAARGH!" San yelled at the top of his lungs charging at Akabane.

"San!" Rio and I panickingly called out for him. We were both stunned into shared silence when we heard an audible crack as San's arm was pincered by Akabane's.I could feel a pit in my throat as Akabane put a hand around San's own neck.

"This is what you get when someone tries to step above his limits… You're nothing to me." San convulsed as Karma delivered an uppercut to the center of San's sternum. "Bow before the king!" He then delivered a stamp kick swiftly after to the same point that the punch had landed… San was now sprawled out on the ground visibly unconscious but I noticed Akabane wasn't gonna let up.

"Karasuma-Sensei! Call the match!" Rio pleaded. "Where did you go?"

"Get away from him." Without thinking I shifted into my yellow form and as quickly as I could shifted into green to attempt to catch Akabane's falling foot. "Too far Akabane!" I growled in a voice much deeper than that of my normal voice.

"Oh no! The green-eyed monster is here to scare me off… What am I to do?" I wanted to break his foot then and there for his taunting, but knowing how San would feel about that had me hold off.

"Ame… what is going on?" Rio said with concern. I glared at Akabane, as it took all of my mental willpower not to break his foot along with the rest of his body. The rest of the class had started to gather around. I prayed that San has just passed out due to shock and a worse fate hadn't fallen on him. Guilt had me in tears as I looked down at him.

"Ame what's up with your eyes?" Hinano asked me, I could tell she was holding herself back as I stood there holding Akabane's food in the air.

"D-Don't come any closer Hina! I'd never forgive myself if I got you hurt, too!"

"Hannya, stand down!" My vision went blurry as I dropped the delinquent's foot. I felt a sparking sensation course along the back of my neck.

"Ame… Ame! Owwww… probably shouldn't shout… I could puncture a lung if I'm not careful, and then she'd really be mad at me…" I awoke in the infirmary.

"Hey, you're up sleeping beauty, good to see…" I turned over on my shoulder to look at him.

"You're one to talk!" He barked back. "Owww…" It was with that second expression of pain that I really took a moment to look him over… He was bandaged all across his chest, his right arm was casted up. He really was in a rather unfortunate state. "Now before you say anything sis, I wanna remind you I did this to myself." Hearing him say that had me begin to tear up.

"How can you be so calm about all of this, San?!" I sat up in a huff.

"Why are you losing your temper… I told you I did this to myself…" He replied with left arm covering his face.

"Don't give me that!" I hobbled out of the bed and walked over to him, overlooking him.

"Sis please!"

"Don't you 'sis' me right now! I don't deserve that! I screwed up too, San!" I let the tears drop from my eyes onto his shoulder.

"Screwed up how?" He still wouldn't let me see his face.

"I blew my cover again… Rio knows, Hina too… if not more. My shouting drew basically the whole class to come check out what was happening… and then I blacked out after Karasuma-Sensei used my code name." Panic set in. "I could lose all of this tomorrow! I screwed up!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and then a snicker. "That just means we're living life Ame…"

"D-Don't hurt yourself… Please Nii-Chan!"

"I'll be fine sis! No need to worry… And as for you… when the time comes and your handler comes to claim you… I'll just have to-"

"No!"

"Sis, you can't stop me from fighting for ya! You got yourself into this mess, I'm not gonna stand by and let the consequences alone."

"San!"

"San, nothing!"

"This sucks! I can't even hug you, ya goof… Can't cry into your shoulder, can't-"

"Well how far the mighty Hannya has fallen… blubbering over some idiot 'Bot White Knight Reject'..."

"Gotta make a move on Hina before we can add 'Reject' to all that Nii-Chan…" I stuck out my tongue at him. "Or maybe Rio is right and you wanna go the harem rou- why is your face going red? You dog! Hah, you think I'd see you like that? As if? You got a big enough heart for all of us…. Grrr… I still can't bury my head in your shoulder… This is so unfair!"

"Spoiled brat…" He smiled, mussing up my hair with his good hand…

"While I'm sure Hina and I find the 'sibling banter' endearing to say the least… And San… Don't think I'm just gonna gloss over the potential harem discussion… Man up White Knight! You two have a lot to catch us up on… Hannya… Handler… And the plot thickens because you two don't seem to be actual siblings, which in turn puts both of you into my rivals and interests all in one…"

"Okay we get it Rio!" I shouted to her as she finally stepped out from behind the curtain by my bed.

"Hey Hina, it's not fair for me to be the only one giving up my hiding spot … Kiss San's ouchies for him!" Rio teased pulling the curtain to the side to reveal a nervous Hina.

"Rio!" Hina and San shouted in unison.

"I'm glad to see you're both alright…" Hinano said, looking over San's injuries.

"More or less," San replied with a shy smile on his face.

"Now… Let's get you two back on your feet… I'd rather get us home before it gets dark." She nodded towards the bamboo paneled walls as streaks of orange sunlight leaked through to show that it was already approaching dusk.

"And Ame, you're gonna tell Hina and me about all this Hannya business when we get back home. If we gotta protect our friend from something, we gotta know what that something is…"

"I agree with her." Hina said confidently.

"Owww!" In her absentminded assuredness, she dropped Sans arm as it came into contact with his body. "Well Sis? What do ya say?"

"Everyone…" It was a few days after the physical education exam. I stood in front of the class. "I'm sorry for misleading you all, my real name is Ame Sasu. The truth is I'm a plant… A real assassin, just like Professor Bitch, or the sniper on our field trip."

"Wait, is this true Shuri… Errr… I mean Sasu, I guess?" Nagisa stood up from his chair.

"Nagisa brings up a good point… If you all could… Truth is… now that my cover is blown, I probably won't be here for long… and I've really enjoyed my time here…" I looked over at San with a smile on my face… Looking him over had a tear begin to fall down my face. "Sasu, Shuri, to me it's all the same… San has been a great big brother looking out for me all this time, however short it may be, so long as you'll allow me…" I paused and took in a deep breath. "Good Afternoon everyone!" I bowed. "My name is Ame Shuri, Codename: Hannya… San-Nii is my older brother, though in name only! I hope you all will look out for me as Nii-Sama does, and in turn I'll look out for you all! Now that that's out of the way! Koro-Sensei… Hina! Rio!" I smiled as my eyes shifted to blue and a mist began to fill the room. "Let's do this girls!" The two of them leapt from their seats as I shifted my eyes to Green and pulled out my cudgel.

"Haaa!" Rio, Hina, and I screamed as we attacked our teacher in the mist. "Ahhhh!" We yelped as our plan fell apart and we were each held in the air by a yellow tentacle.

"San don't look!" I whimpered.

"None of you better look!" Rio growled.

"Please nobody look!" Hina pleaded.

All three of us were held aloft over our teacher's head… I dropped my weapon as I was forced to grab my skirt out of embarrassment.

"Sa-ha-han!" I blubbered.

"Ufufufufu. Better luck next time, oh dear Hannya and associates."
***