*YOUR POV*

“No, no, no!” Yankumi was frantically flailing her arms around as we rushed through the door.

I pushed my way through the crowd and reached her, slightly out of breath. “What’s going on?”

“Ara High beat up those four last night,” she nudged her head toward the right side of the room. I winced when I caught a glimpse of the four boys covered in bandages.

“When Hayato comes back,” Tsuchiya roared, “we’re going to raid those bastards!” The class cheered, their eyes hungry for battle.

Sawatari and his devoted follower shoved their way through the door. “What’s this ruckus?” He demanded.

Ignoring him, Tsuchiya continued to hype up the class. “Ara High is going down!”

The head teacher’s eyes widened with horror. “If you fight them, you will be expelled!”

The class’ stand-in leader’s eyes flashed. “We don’t care!”

My eyes flickered over just in time to see Take start at the monkey’s words, an anxious look flashed across his face and disappeared, replaced by a blank look.

Take…?

Yankumi pushed the two men out, saying, “I’ll calm them down.”

“They’re going down!” “YEAAAH!”

Suddenly Odagiri jostled to the center of the room. “What’s going to change if we attack them? NOTHING! This is just a cycle that keeps going on!”

Tsuchiya glared at him, his eyes dark with anger. “It would’ve ended if you hadn’t gone and selfishly bowed your head to them last time. This is your fault,” he growled. He backed up and raised his arm high, the class bellowing their agreement.

I glanced at Take again. He looked as if he wanted to say something but was too timid to get the words out.

Cautiously I made my way over to Odagiri and stood beside him, worried.

“Don’t stand by me,” he said out of the corner of his mouth. “They hate me right now.”

“They don’t hate you,” I shook my head, disagreeing, “they just don’t understand. I believe in you.”

He finally turned and looked at me, his eyes heavy with emotion, thankful that I was standing with him.

“NO STOP!” Take shouted out at last. The room hushed as Tsuchiya rotated slowly around to look at him. “It’s not his fault,” he cried.

“Take!” Odagiri warned him.

Brushing the warning aside, Take continued on. “Last time… it was my fault.”

“What are you talking about?” Hyuuga asked incredulously.

“Last time… I got scared. I’m not a good fighter like Hayato or Ryu; I’m weak. And we’re almost graduating. I didn’t think I’d be able to get this far, and neither did my mom,” he admitted. “I wanted to make her proud of me, so when Sawatari threatened us with expulsion, I panicked and went to Odagiri for help. He told me that he’d take care of it… and he went and bowed down to them. He did that because of ME! But then everything after that happened so fast I couldn’t get the words out. I became a coward. But now I’m telling the truth.”

The whole room was so quiet that you could’ve heard a speck of dust falling.

So that’s the secret he’s been hiding this whole time?

“What are we going to do now?” A classmate asked quietly.

No one had an answer.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a shadow outside the door. I slid the door open and picked up the object. “This…” I held it up, “is Yabuki’s, right?”

“Don’t tell me-”

“He was listening this whole time!”

Odagiri punched the desk. “He went on his own!” Saying that, he dashed through the door and disappeared.

I started after him but Take held me back. “Ara High is powerful.”

Ara High... I can’t meet up with them! They’re the source of my current issue!

I clenched my teeth.

“Yankumi!” I looked to the teacher for help. She was biting her lip, staring at where Odagiri had been.

“Everyone stay here,” she ordered and ran through the door.

“Hell no!” I sprinted away to the dismay of my classmates.

Darting in-between cars and through the streets, my eyes were always on the lookout for Ara High.

“Where could they be?” I gasped, panting.

Someone’s calling you, someone’s calling you, my phone sang to me.

“Hello?”

“Kuma desu. I saw your friend Odagiri run toward XX and XX street. I figured you’d be looking for him.”

(A/N: I use XX whenever I’m too lazy to make up a street name.. ^^)

“THANK YOU KUMA!”

“Jaa, ne.“

“Bye,” I hung up, making a beeline toward the intersection.

Reaching my destination, I twisted around carefully, examining the buildings. They were all empty warehouses. Finally catching a sound of battle, I scurried to the window and peered in.

Odagiri and Yabuki were on the floor being pounded by a gang of Ara High students.

I turned around and sank to the ground, leaning against the window and texting Yankumi the location.

“I can’t let their leader Kazuki see me though,” I groaned. “But they’re beating the crap out of my friends!” I argued with myself, my body knowing what to do while my brain tried to convince me otherwise.

I peaked again and winced when their bats smashed down on the bodies below. “Those bastards…”

Sighing, I went to the front and burst the door off its hinges.

“What’s this?” One of their boys snickered as I strolled toward them.

“Leave them alone,” I called out.

Just as the guy nearest me prepared to swing, their leader stepped out from the mob.

“Don’t touch her,” he laughed. Kazuki eyed me up and down. “So the rumor was true- you’re going to Kurogin Gakuen, huh?”

He looked down at his two enemies. “Oh right. So that means that these two are your friends, huh.” He cracked up, rubbing his hands. “That also means you must hate it when I do this!” He slammed his fist into Odagiri’s stomach, making him double over in pain.

“Don’t touch them!” I screamed as I flew towards Kazuki, ramming my fist into his face. An all-out brawl broke out once more as they all turned to attack me. Bringing down five of their boys without getting touched, someone’s fist finally connected with my side. Another one of their guys dropped as I staggered around.

Kazuki picked himself up and held up a hand. “Stop,” he commanded quietly. He eyed me carefully. “You haven’t changed.”

I ignored him and dropped to the ground beside Yabuki, who had received more damage. I pulled out my handkerchief and looked at it sadly. Gently wiping away blood, I examined his cuts and bruises. “Not bad,” I breathed in relief.

“Don’t tell me one of them took your ity away,” Kazuki smirked while his guys held their sides in pain behind him.

Odagiri’s eyes widened with anger. I knelt beside him and began cleaning his face. “Ignore him,” I whispered.

“So they’re not bloody anymore. But we’re not letting you guys out of here,” Kazuki sang while spinning a bat around.

“Oh yeah you will,” I straightened up and stared him down.

“Only if you become my girlfriend,” he smiled.

“I’m taken. And so are you.” I rolled my eyes.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Who?”

“Someone special.” Beside me, I saw Yabuki glance between Odagiri and me with a suspicious look on his face.

“Right now I’m taken, yes. But if you agree to become my girlfriend…” Kazuki watched me carefully. “I can toss Harumi aside like trash.”

“You bastard!” Even if Harumi has made my life miserable, no guy should treat a girl like that! Hmph.

“Any guy would dump his current girlfriend to go out with you,” he answered me as if I was stupid. “You’re the Queen, after all. And Harumi is simply a princess.”

I whirled on him, swinging my fist, fury rising up in me. “It’s because of idiots like you that Harumi hates me so much!”

He caught my fist and pulled me beside him. “Go out with me, and I’ll tell you where Yuuki is,” he whispered loudly.

I froze. “Y-you know where…?”