Godot's Story

"Listen here, young Ieharu."

At the mentioning of his name, Ieharu's ears perked up, but he didn't turn to look at the source. He was too busy playing his video game, torso hunched to the side, shoulders scrunched in concentration, the clicks and clacks of his controller nearly as deafening as the sound of gunfire emanating from the massive flat screen before him. This wasn't the first time he had to multitask while an adult was talking.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this–in fact I shouldn't be, but I believe honorable men like myself should show some good charity toward the families of their targets."

Ieharu's eyes narrowed slightly, but his concentration on his game didn't falter for a second. Though he was only halfway paying attention, he did recognize the voice. Male. Upbeat. Sanguine, but with a hint of danger. It was Godot, though his twin brother Ieyoshi always called the man "their new nanny".

"You might not believe me–I get it, it's a little sudden–but I am an assassin sent by an anonymous payer of mine to knock off an heir of the Vongola family."

From where he stood in the room, Godot took a few steps closer. Ieharu didn't notice, nor did he respond. On the TV, a rival's body exploded in a plume of blood and body parts. Presumably the boy's doing, because he snickered softly.

"Namely, that would be you, Ieharu Sawada." Outside, thunder boomed, ravaging the skies. It was several moments before Ieharu reacted, but then it was as if he'd been physically slapped. The clicking and clacking from the controller ceased immediately as he slowly turned his head, looking over his shoulder at the man who had just threatened his life in no uncertain terms. He was standing pretty close, too. Eyes wide, Ieharu moved his lips as if to form words, but nothing came out.

"Indeed," Godot continued, shrugging as if it were none of his business, his attitude cavalier. "Your Daddy-o's quite an important guy, and there are certain people who are quite concerned as to who takes his nice leather-padded throne."

Ieharu dropped the controller. The sound of an explosion erupted from the TV soon after, the flat screen flashing wildly before going black. There were only two words on the screen now: Game Over.

It was then that Ieharu found his voice, high pitched and wracked with incredulity. "Wait... what?!"

"I don't think you'd be all too interested in the details, seeing as you're going to die anyway." Godot took another step closer. He was within arm's reach of the boy now. "But just think of this as my diagnosis for you."

While gaming, Ieharu had been seated on the edge of a particularly comfortable reclining chair. Having closed the distance between them, Godot leaned on the chair's back, causing it to shift and Ieharu to slide backwards. Slowly. They were practically face to face now.

"I've decided that it's going to happen tomorrow." He said, matter-of-factly. "I can't delay it any further, please understand that I really wish I could."

Ieharu simply stared in horror, the weight of Godot's words imprinting themselves onto his psyche. Could it be true? Is he serious? He sounded pretty serious. Looked dead serious, in fact. But his father would never put an assassin so close, right? ... but what if he didn't, or he made a mistake? What if it was all part of the plan? What if he was going to die?!

"I've grown to like you, young Ieharu, so this is about all I can do for you."

"But—!"

"You've got one day to live, or at least until the next time I see you. I'm giving you the opportunity to clear up whatever remaining regrets you might have. It really hurts my conscience to think about good men dying with regrets..."

As Godot spoke, Ieharu brought his hands to the sides of his face, a sound like that of a dying animal escaping his lips. One day?! It wasn't fair! He had a math test tomorrow that he'd already studied for. He had so many people to meet... so many friends to make... all of it for nothing. His hands traversed his head, moving from the sides of his face to his forehead. Tears came to his eyes at his next thought.

I'm still a virgin!

"Regardless, that doesn't stop me from doing what I'm paid to, I just like to get an extra minute of sleep later on. So, I suggest spending the night to give it some thought, just make sure you sleep good, alright?" Ieharu didn't respond, his hands still plastered to his forehead. "... Oh, and make sure you don't tell anybody like your brother or something. You don't want to get your family involved, else I'll be forced to... Well, I'm sure your a smart kid–in fact, I know you are." Again, Ieharu didn't even respond. Didn't move. Didn't dare to. Never in his life was he so intimidated by the presence of another.

After a momentary silence, Godot turned, releasing the chair and nearly causing Ieharu to fly off it as it snapped forward. "Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow." Almost as an afterthought, he added: "Oh, and good luck on the quadratics test."

**

"Yoh, I'm not kidding. I'm serious." Ieharu threw his hands up, a gesture meant to implore. "Didn't you hear me?! He's going to murder us all!"

The boy was sitting atop his bed, covers wrapped around himself like a burrito. Only his face and hands were exposed. He looked like an Eskimo, wrapped in his layers. Standing across from him was literally his mirror image save for their hair color. It was his twin brother, the self-proclaimed "older brother" Ieyoshi, casually slipping on a T-shirt while laughing his head off. When it came to someone as eternally relaxed and laid back as Ieyoshi, "laughing your head off" meant a few soft, curt chuckles. If you weren't actively listening for it, you might even miss it.

"Pfft. Murder you, maybe." Ieyoshi's voice was gruff, his tone sober, his face stoic. It was as if someone had turned his "energy" dial way down and then broke it off. "He did say only one of us would be offed, right?" He turned from sizing himself up in the mirror to look at his brother, who hadn't yet responded. "Right, Haku?"

Ieharu sighed, his big brunette bushel of hair poking out from under the covers. "Right," he mumbled, dejected. He cast his eyes downward before speaking again, this time in a hushed whisper. "You'd save me, right?"

The response was immediate.

SLAP!

Almost instantly, Ieharu brought both hands to his left cheek, where Ieyoshi has unceremoniously slapped him, a look of surprise and anger fresh upon his face. "Yoh! What the fuck?!"

Ieyoshi took a stance, leaning to the side, hand gripping lightly the base of his skull, a somewhat exasperated expression overcoming his otherwise neutral countenance. Ieharu recognized it as his brother's lecturing pose. He'd seen it a million times before. "Look," his brother began, pointing at Ieharu's face. "He's obviously not going to kill you. Think about it." Ieyoshi brought his hands together, marking off his points by counting his fingers. "A, that no-good Tsuna might be stupid, but do you think he's stupid enough to bring a killer into the house? To sleep in our beds? Eat our food?"

"Hey!" Ieharu interrupted, his voice shrill. "Dad's not no-good!" He said, referring to their father, Tsunayoshi.

Ieyoshi shrugged, continuing, his voice as low and monotonous as a boring college professor's. "Whatever. B, the guy's been here for, like, two weeks already. If he wanted to kill you, why not get it over with quickly? Why play buddy buddy with us for nearly a month? C, we don't have time for this. Get up. We have that math test, remember?"

Though he nodded at a couple of his brother's well-articulated points, when Ieyoshi told him to get up, he responded by pulling the covers over his head and rolling back into bed. "I think I'm gonna be sick..." He mumbled, peeking out from under the sheets after a moment.

Ieyoshi sighed, grabbing his backpack by the strap and swinging it onto his shoulder in one smooth fluid motion. He then sauntered out of the room as if the universe owed him a favor. Sauntering seemed to be his natural form of locomotion. From his mannerisms and personality to the way he picked up his bag and walked out of a room, in Ieharu's eyes, his brother was the pinnacle of cool.

After hearing the customary slam of the downstairs door, there were several moments of blissful uninterrupted peace, with Ieharu nearly falling back asleep. Before he could drift fully into unconsciousness, however, he heard someone at the window. He could tell without looking that it was Ieyoshi. Reluctantly, Ieharu rolled out of bed, the frigid air biting into his exposed skin. Slowly but surely he made his way to the window. After a moment, he opened it.

"Ieharu." Ieyoshi was standing on the grass outside of their home, looking up at their shared bedroom window. Their bedroom was on the second floor.

"What? I said I'm not going."

"Yeah, I know. I just remembered something."

Ieharu raised an eyebrow. Ieyoshi had that look on his face again. The one he always got several dozen turns before he won at Monopoly.

Ieyoshi's lips morphed into a slight grin. In response, Ieharu gulped involuntarily. That grin was never a good sign.

"I know something you think I don't know. And it'll make you come to class, too."

Ieharu ducked down so that only his eyes shown over the windowsill, as if his brother were going to start hurling rocks. "Wh... what are you talking about?!"

There was a moment of silence before Ieyoshi responded, but when he did, his brother's eyes grew wide with fright. "I know who Ieharu likes."

Ieharu shot up, his upper body practically leaning out the window at this point. "W-What are you talking about?! I don't l-like anyone!"
"Yes you do."
"No I don't!"
"Then you should have nothing to worry about when I confess to them on your behalf... unless you can catch me, of course."

And with that, Ieyoshi turned and began walking away with that slow measured pace of his.

"Wait! Yoh! Don't! Stop!" Ieharu pleaded, but if his brother heard his protests, he didn't act like it. His fears of being assassinated evaporated instantaneously, replaced instead by the terror of complete social doom at the hands of his brother. Ieharu brought his hands to his face. Unlike his brother, he didn't think of himself as very cool, or smart, or anything. He didn't have many friends. No one respected him, but at least they left him alone. If Ieyoshi was serious about telling, and he's always serious...

Well, he'd never be able to show his face at that school again.

Like a hurricane, Ieharu threw on whatever clothes were lying around. He and his brother shared a room, and they were the same in size and height, so they shared apparel too. In roughly eight minutes time, Ieharu had gone from half naked to mostly ready for school. Brushing his teeth would have only slowed him down anyway. As he rushed towards the door, open book bag swinging off his shoulder, it began to dawn on him that, even if he were to run his very hardest, his brother had an insurmountable lead. Immediately, he began to regret not stopping his brother while he had the chance. Still, maybe there was hop—

Upon bursting through his front door, Ieharu tripped over his own feet and face-planted on the stairs outside. Slowly but surely, he raised himself up off the ground, propping himself up with one arm and holding his injured face with the other. He was trying his very hardest to resist the urge to cry, but it was yet another fight he just wasn't winning. That same bitter thought that always hobbled him reared its ugly head once more: the loser Ieharu has failed.

Little did he know, a shadow slowly crept up behind his unprotected back.

"Buongiorno, young Ieharu," his terrifying home tutor greeted him as casually as ever, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket, "I didn't think you'd be so eager to go to school today, especially on such a terrible day like this." Godot looked up toward the sky, of which was blanketed in thick clouds. The air was moist from the remains of the previous night's downpour, and water glistened on the soaked grass and wet concrete. For his part, Ieharu yelped audibly at the sound of his name being called. Godot's pleasant demeanor would have eased the boy, had their last conversation not ended so terribly. Instead, his stomach did a backflip and his chest turned to ice. Gradually, he turned his head, once again looking over his shoulder. The feeling of deja vu was practically nauseating. The man always seemed to approach from his blind spot.

"M-mi-uh-G-g-g-godot... h-hi..." He managed to stutter his tutor's name, eyes wide with fear as he suddenly remembered: he was going to die today.

"Oh, by the way, about our little agreement last night... I got word from my client that there's been a change of plans." Again, there was that peaceful smile, as if all was right in the world. "It's sort of exciting, I suppose."

Iehari inhaled sharply. Deep in the recesses of his gut sparked the faintest glimmer of hope. "A change?" The pitch of his voice inflected as he spoke, making his question come out as more of a plea.

Godot nodded. "Yes," he replied, "a pretty big change. You see, I'm not going to kill you later." At that very statement, in one swift motion, Godot brought his hand out of his pocket, a black pistol in hand. All so suddenly, Ieharu found himself staring down the barrel of Godot's Beretta. That flicker of hope in his gut disappeared just as swiftly. Too scared to move, too scared to even think, Ieharu did what came natural.

He screwed his eyes shut.

There was a delay, however. Godot hesitated, although he smirked when he did so. "Seeing as you've accepted your fate already," he said, "I guess that must mean you don't have any more regrets. There's no special person in your life? No unfinished business with somebody close, not even your family? Nothing, eh?"

After several moments of silence devoid of a bullet to the face, Ieharu gathered that the question hadn't been rhetorical. Still, he didn't dare open his eyes. Maybe this way, he still had the chance to wake up from this nightmare.

From under his breath, the boy mumbled something.

"Speak up, boy," Godot demanded, "You're only getting one chance to say it, so spit it out!"

Somewhat startled at the command, Ieharu repeated himself, this time with a bit more volume. His kept his eyes closed. "W-why do you care about what I regret, M-mr. Godot?" Ieharu could almost swear he heard Godot chuckle.

"You'll understand if you die." With that cryptic statement, Godot rotated his wrist sideways and squeezed the pistol's trigger.

And that was it. A loud pop!. A flash of pain. Pressure around his forehead. And then nothing. Ieharu Sawada, son of Tsunayoshi Sawada and Kyoko Sawada, brother to Ieyoshi, friend to few, and most of all, still a virgin, died at that moment.

However, while dying, Ieharu regretted. He regretted parting with the world. He regretted what a waste his life had been. He regretted spending the time studying for a math test he'd never take. But there was one thing he regretted more than anything else. One thing that, even as the bullet pierced his skull and robbed him of life, he wished he had accomplished with all his heart.

I should have stopped Ieharu from confessing for me... from saying something stupid... I could have stopped him...

His body was cold before it even hit the ground.

... with a dying will.

On the other side of the street, several passersby screamed in horror. One was even so bold as to yell, finger pointing in violent accusation: "That thug just shot that kid!"

Ieharu's body slumped on the ground, blood pooling under his head. One second, he was certainly dead. But then in the next...

"REBORN!!!"

Ieharu literally exploded, most of his clothes burning away to ashes, his then-dead body springing to life like round two in any good video game's boss battle. Though he was still scrawny and mostly naked, he sported a look that'd never crossed his face before. His eyes were wide and full of determination, his pupils dilated, his irises practically glowing. He was grinding his teeth in seething rage. Most noticeable was the massive orange flame located smack dab in the middle of his forehead, the blaze shifting and pulsing to some unknown rhythm.

His sudden re-emergence from death and accompanying roar of rebirth startled everyone in the area, excluding Godot. One of them—an old woman—fainted where she stood.

"I'M GOING TO STOP IEYOSHI FROM SAYING SOMETHING STUPID!" He shouted at the air. "WITH MY DYING WILL!"

And with that, Ieharu sped off, his feet carrying him as fast as an Olympic athlete as he raced with all his might towards Ieyoshi and Namimori High.

Godot watched as the half-naked boy sped off like hell on wheels, and so did the rest of the neighborhood. People looked at Godot, flabbergasted at what they had just witnessed. Godot smiled at them affably.

"Things are going to be a lot more interesting around here from now on."

"Good luck. The time is eight hours, fifty six minutes and... fourty-two seconds. Second week of October, Tuesday.

"Buongiorno, Vongola Decimo. To my understanding, it is currently two in the morning over there in Japan, so I assume you'll be hearing this report when you wake up. I've been acting as your kids tutor for a little over a week now, and up until now I've only assisted them in their studies. However, ten minutes ago from the time of this recording, I had made use of the Dying Will Bullet on Ieharu for the first time. Thankfully, my big setup was a success. I've yet to give Ieharu the necessary exposition, but I've got an extra uniform for him waiting in the office. There should be a note in his shoe locker about it. I was going to get a certain contact within the school to contact me at the nearby coffee shop to bring it, but then I decided against it. Maybe I should call that order off after this, if I remember that is. Shoot, give me a sec... Good luck.

"Good luck. I have to keep a volume at a minimum, as I am currently within the stronghold of an evil force most despicable. That's right, I've infiltrated the school of your kids. However, it is very obvious that in this center of brainwashing, there is another influential force that has made itself apparent. More on that later.

"Observations of Ieharu: From information I've gathered both from third-party sources and my own eyes, it appears that even ambitionless Ieharu, under the right conditions, can muster a strong resolve. The result appears to be a great increase in aggression while his hesitation is completely blocked out. I know this is probably unsavory for you to hear, but Ieharu did engage in aggression with his brother, Ieyoshi. I'm sure his dying will, whatever it was, was probably something stupid. Nonetheless, Ieharu didn't hesitate to restrain Ieyoshi's movements, but interestingly enough, at the end of the dying will period, Ieharu was about to directly strike Ieyoshi. Incidentally, his dying will period was about seventeen seconds shorter than expected, meaning he must have fulfilled his will alright. Another theory, however, is that upon realizing he was about to strike his own brother, Ieharu simply lost the will to fight. Indeed, after the dying will period ended, Ieharu's mannerisms returned to their original, docile state. Ieyoshi, on the other hand, was quite an interesting contrast.

"Observations of Ieyoshi: As you might expect, Ieyoshi was no slouch when it came to a tussle. Ieharu may have had an upper hand and ended up on top in the end, but Ieyoshi definitely appeared to give him a slight struggle while they were fighting. He also acted as you would expect, once Ieharu reverted from dying will mode that is. Some drama seemed to enfold in the middle of it, however. Perhaps I should attach some footage to this recorded message. Interestingly enough, as things got heated and, well, the twins got some unwanted attention, Ieyoshi didn't hesitate to stand up for his brother. He appeared to do so without shame and with much prejudice, going so far as to punch another kid's face in several times. It was clear he was trying to make an example. Ieyoshi seems to have some very strong leadership qualities of which are more or less in Ieharu and appears to be very adaptable, and quite ruthless at the same time. Very positive traits for a mafia boss, hmm? Honestly, I wonder if these boy's are actually twins.

"Now, while Ieyoshi is a pretty intimidating kid, and Ieharu is a pretty friendly one, it is obvious that these two aren't the most influential figures in the school. It appears that due to certain circumstances, the two boys had not only had a run in with the school's Queen Bee, but they wandered a little too close to the hive. This Queen Bee, Rosa Kuromaku however, seems to be a bit more dangerous than she appears at first glance.

"Observations of Rosa Kuromaku: It appears she's a bit more than an infamous name, although I wonder why Ieharu scarcely speaks of her. Kuromaku appears to be the most popular girl in the school, although popular seems to have a strange meaning in this situation. You see, she is popular among select groups, but those without a direct connection to her appear to evade her surveillance like the cops. While she appears to be an arrogant, dumb-sounding, fashion-loving airhead at first, one can tell from a grander view that she seems to be a bit more clever than she acts. After, it seems as if she's got the school at her carefully manicured fingertips, as if she's got a whole little mafia of her own running this place. It's almost adorable. Looks like I'll have to do some more homework on her.

"A couple of other students at this school have caught my interest, however, and I'd like to look into them some more as well. To list a few, Ieyoshi seems to have an interesting friend on his side, Damien Gokudera. I say friend, but he's really more like his subordinate. It looks like he has no problem showing off his flashy explosions and stuff, even at school. Interesting that he happens to be the son of your Storm Guardian, wouldn't you think? I need more information about this kid. Is it possible that I could contact his father. Seems rather coincidental that they ended up so close. I should also learn more about Ieharu's friends, see if they are at all interesting. This "Enn" kid is also somebody worth taking a look at. Also, I need to learn more about Rosa, but not just her. It appears she even has her own Guardians. There's also this one kid with blue hair that bothers me somehow... Once I snag a copy of the class roster, I should be able to do some more comprehensive research. After all, I need to find out who who is worth recruiting into the family, but I definitely have some ideas in mind as to how I can pick some people out... After all, the boys are going to need a way to defend themselves, and soon.

"Looking at the web right now, the Sawadas are currently the talk of the school, or at least until they are completely forgotten tomorrow. While they were initially being publicly humiliated, now there are rumors spreading around that the boys are in danger, physical danger. To put it simply, they are targets. Although it's difficult to find any direct information, it appears that Ms. Arrogant had her feelings hurt, or maybe she broke a nail, but whatever the reason she is upset, it looks like she's targeting the twins. Apparently this sort of event isn't anything special at this school, and the students comments on social media sites are expecting something bad is going to happen to the twins. Rumors are that they're going to get beaten, but I doubt a bunch of 'lay-dees' are going to be throwing the punches. This kiddy-sized version of the mafia appears to be more influential than one would expect. Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to test both Ieharu's and Ieyoshi's capabilities to their full potential, but I'm going to keep posted for information.

"I'm going to have to cut this short for now, as the nine-o'clock bell's gone off and I can't keep speaking anymore. Besides, I can't wait to watch the boys preform their tests. I can't wait until they use the method I taught them, I'll be so proud... or disappointed. To be perfectly honest, I sort of forgot what the point of quadratics was anyway. I just spat up whatever formulas I read online and praised them whenever I thought they got a question right... Come to think of it, I've spent so much time preparing to tutor them mafia stuff that I haven't even prepared to tutor them school stuff properly. I'm sure they'll be alright, though...

...

...

... I wonder if I'm forgetting something...

...

... Is this still recording? I wonder... Ah, right. Good luck."



"...Come to think of it, 'good luck' is a terrible passphrase, and this is a terrible hiding spot."

Ieyoshi's grimace flattened into a straight line. His eyes widened very slightly. His shoulders settled, countenance becoming stiff. It was almost doll-like in its rigidness. The only thing that betray his underlying thoughts was the intensity of his glare as it bore into Ishiki's skull.

Now, at his age, Ieyoshi was still too young, too inexperienced, to be called a pessimist. Still, he wasn't one to glaze over what he considered the facts. For one, fighting and beating Ishiki alone, without his goons to back him up, would have already been a massive challenge. It was just a fact that he wasn't going to be able to beat Ishiki, the four upperclassmen in front of Ishiki... Ieyoshi's eyes wandered over to his right. ... and the two upperclassmen who held the blonde kid. He returned his eyes forward, dismissing those two. In the event of a fight, they'd be too busy restraining the other guy, so it was highly unlikely that they'd join in any sort of skirmish initially.

Convenient.

Ieyoshi noticed it first. There was movement from behind Ishiki. He didn't have to shift his eyes to notice who it was. Ieharu, gathering himself, moving his feet under his body so that he rested in a squatting pose, back against the wall. The two twins met eyes then. Ieyoshi tilted his head slightly to the left, and some sort of meaning, a silent message, seemed to pass between them. After a second or two, Ieharu wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, accidentally smearing red across his cheeks, and shook his head slightly, offering his brother his toothiest grin.

Ieyoshi closed his eyes for a instant, sighing softly. "Tch," he uttered under his breath, looking away from his twin. "Liar."

He resumed glaring at Ishiki, who simply shrugged at the lull in action. "Well?"

Between moments, Ieyoshi had developed something resembling a plan. Better, because it seemed that Ishiki wanted him to make the first move. "Let me guess," Ieyoshi began, taking a step to his right. "This is the part where I ask you nicely to let my brother go." He took another step to his right. The four upperclassmen in front of Ishiki followed Ieyoshi with their eyes. Predictably, Ishiki too a step to his left, subconsciously mirroring the elder twin. Good. The closer he could get to Ieharu and the further Ishiki was from them both, the easier this would be. Better to keep talking, then. "And then you say no." He took another step to his right, forcing the four upperclassmen to turn their heads to keep him in their sights. Like good dogs, they wouldn't attack until Ishiki told them too. Once again, Ishiki took another step to his left. They were virtually circling each other now. "And then I beat you all up."

Ieyoshi hoped his voice didn't shake with that last line. Bluffing wasn't his strong suit. Still, with one more step, it'd be a straight shot to reach Ieharu's position. Just one more step.

However, Ishiki didn't move this time. Instead, he laughed. It was obviously forced, because none of the warmth or girth reached his eyes. They were will cold and beady, despite his face. One second, two, five, he kept laughing. The other upperclassmen looked at each other, somewhat confused. As if to prompt them, Ishiki snapped his fingers twice in quick succession. Suddenly, they began laughing too. First the two in the middle, then all four, then the other two that were holding the other kid, who looked at them like they had all turned nuts. All of them force-laughing in tandem with their boss. And then, as spontaneously as it had started, Ishiki stopped, becoming silent. Most of the others followed suit except the one closest to Ieyoshi, who kept laughing. He was promptly elbowed in the side by his compatriots.

Ishiki cleared his throat in an attempt to cover up the lack of coordination amongst his lackeys. His girlfriend was cheering him on from the side, after all. He had to look badass in front of her, despite this poor showing from his subordinates. "Stupid child!" He proclaimed, pointing at Ieyoshi. "And foolish! To dare to bare your fangs at us! My club is composed of this school's most elite fighters." He slowly raised his other hand as he spoke. His tone had become overbearingly arrogant, his stance undeniably dramatic. Akako gave him another cheer of approval, grinning while she recorded the whole thing on her BluScreen. "We're the elite! You'll never get past a single one of us." Ishiki snapped his fingers. Once. Pause. Then again. Ieyoshi recognized it as the signal to attack and raised his fists, taking a fighting stance. He wasn't close enough to his brother, and things had started too soon. This wasn't going to work out after all.

...

Several seconds after Ishiki's grandiose hand gestures, when nothing happened, Ieyoshi raised an eyebrow. The four upperclassmen seemed confused again.

Ishiki brought his palm to his forehead, resulting in a loud smack. "Attack, you idiots," he said, nearly whining. "The two snaps means to attack. We went over this."

That's when one of the upperclassmen, the one closest to Ieyoshi, mobilized. He puffed out his chest, assuming his full height, and took a step forward, fist balled, meaning to attack the elder twin... and promptly proceeded to trip over his own feet and fall on his face.

So much for the elite.

Everyone looked down at him, on the floor, mouths slightly agape. Ishiki face-palmed once more. His girlfriend tsked in annoyance. "Moron," she muttered, and the blonde kid let out a laugh that was hastily smothered by his captors. Despite his lack of belief in superstition, Ieyoshi wasn't about to look this gift horse in the mouth. Taking advantage of this distraction, he darted forward and to the right, easily leaping over the downed upperclassman. He came sliding to a halt in front of Ieharu, who'd come to his feet immediately, already prepared to move. So far, this had gone better than he had hoped. Phase one of his plan was complete. He already reached his brother without too much trouble. Now for phase two. Unfortunately, this particular spot was very well chosen by the Martial Arts Appreciation club. This part of the lot was not only mostly abandoned, but was walled off from the rest of the school proper by the auxiliary building, which was probably why the they liked to hang out here. No teachers or staff or nosy students to get in the way of their fun.

This meant that, in order to escape, Ieyoshi's only option was to leave the same way he came. Hop back over the downed upperclassman, outmaneuver Ishiki and his thugs, run along the side of the auxiliary building, and exit back into the main parking lot where Damien and the others were waiting. Ieyoshi grabbed his brother by the hand, sparing a precious moment to glance in the direction of the other kid whom had been restrained. The elder twin dismissed him in the same instant. While the guy's predicament was unfortunate, Ieyoshi was simply too pragmatic to play the hero. Further, there was no time to lose and their window of escape was closing fast.

When he tried to move forward, however, Ieharu resisted him.

"But Ryuu!" The younger twin whispered. The boy in question glared as though he couldn't believe them for halting and jerked his head sharply, wincing slightly at the movement. His expression practically screamed get out of here already, dumb asses! But it was too late. Ieyoshi could only watch, eyes wide, as his precious window of opportunity closed right in front of his face. Ishiki wasn't stupid, and moved immediately to block their path. His thugs followed suit, closing off the only means of escape left open by the downed upperclassman.

"For fucks sake, Ieharu," Ieyoshi sighed, letting go of his brother's hand. They were screwed, backs only a meter or two from the wall. Another wall to their right. The wall of the auxiliary building to their left. Ishiki and his thugs to the front, and they were slowly closing in. Help could not be expected from the only person present who would be on their side, since no matter how much Ryuu struggled and curse there wasn't much a small boy like him could do against two burly upperclassmen who were at least twenty centimeters taller than him, had him by the arms and were nearly lifting him off his feet.

At this point, any normal person would have panicked. Or at least been unsettled. It was the end, after all. However, looking at Ieyoshi, none of that was evident. One moment, he seemed driven, motivated to action as he went for his brother, but now he seemed almost bored. He took a step backwards so that he stood dead center in front of Ieharu, his back to the younger twin. Taking advantage of this interim period before what he knew for certain would be an ensuing violence, he took stock of his surroundings one more time, if only to confirm just how screwed they really were. To be honest, if he was being completely forthright with himself, none of this came as a surprise. This was the obvious result of running into a situation half-cocked and trying to improvise with off-the-cuff tactics in lieu of a well-formed strategy. It simply wasn't his style.

"Remember boys," the girl was holding her BluScreen right in front of her, with the twins in full focus, "Rosa says she needs a trophy to collect from these boys! It has been decided the only true proof that they've been disposed of is that underwear that they flaunted so flagrantly this morning. You know, the whities and the 'Batman Bitch' one! Get me that Batman underwear!" She paused a bit before adding a more innocent sounding "Pleee~ase?"

After several moments of inaction, perhaps due to the upperclassmen's bewilderment at what'd just been asked of them, Ishiki clapped his hands. "Well, you heard her!" He said, making a shooing motion. "Get 'em!" Ishiki slurred the final syllables, so that it came out as ssskit 'em!

Almost cavalierly, Ieyoshi raised his hands, fists open, his left crossed over his right. He spread his legs about shoulder width apart, lowering himself into a quasi-boxing stance. Whatever happened, he wouldn't make this easy for them. He'd make sure it took all four to... did she say take their underwear? Ieharu squealed in the background.

As the upperclassmen began closing the distance, a single thought permeated the serene silence that had settled over his conscious mind: I'll die before you lay hands on my brother again.

A loud voice bellowed, "HEY!" The boys became startled, and everyone but Ieyoshi paused to look around. The eerily familiar voice had apparently come from behind them, but nobody was there, or at least that's what was apparent. However, the sound of leaves rustling and branches creaking made it immediately obvious as to where the voice had come from: the big, dense maple tree. Suddenly, a big black figure dropped from it like like a ninja from television and landed perfectly. A person remained crouched on the ground, sitting on one knee with the other in front of him. His head was down beside his knee, obscuring his face, but unmistakably he was wearing a bright blue beanie. There was a silence, as the man—it was by no doubt, an adult man—did not give speak, neither did anybody else, waiting for him to speak. Ishiki attempted to break the silence. "Who–"

"Tell me," the man interrupted, his voice deep and intimidating. He paused and then spoke again. "Why don't you boys tell me..." he paused again. Ishiki gulped. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was going to ask exactly what was happening in this situation, and with a bunch of seniors surrounding two freshmen, one of which seemingly bruised, while another was being restrained, Ishiki couldn't possibly have thought up a reasonable excuse, not that one would have worked anyway. The man finished his sentence; "... tell me where I can find the Nurse's office." Everybody looked at the man incredulously. He grunted. "Y'see," he explained, looking up at the group of students with narrow eyes and an ironic grin, "I realize now that falling onto my ankle from ten feet up the tree isn't such a great idea."

Silence filled the area as everyone stared at him with expressions ranging from disbelief to flabbergasted, the air thick with tension and nervousness of the man who'd suddenly appeared. Then what he said sunk in and a sense of relief permeated the air around the upperclassmen as they registered that it was just some crazy dude instead of a teacher, and Ishiki straightened up with a winning smile, dark aura receding so fast that it was like he had never been spouting theatrics for the past hour or so in the first place. "Uh, yeah, the Nurse's office is over there," he said calmly, pointing with relief to the left. "Turn second right, go down the steps and walk straight until you see the nurses office. Right, dear?" He nudged his girlfriend, who was still standing there looking gobsmacked, BluScreen still held loosely in her hand as if she had forgotten that she had been using it to film.

"Y-Yeah," Akako recollected herself and smiled charmingly at the man. She looked the picture of beauty, belying her true nature. "You're right, Ishiki."

"Godot!" Ieharu exclaimed in pure jubilation, buds of hope blossoming in his eyes like miniature orange supernova. If he remembered being shot in the face just a few short hours earlier, it didn't show. Ieyoshi eyed the man but otherwise remained silent.

The hooded home-tutor pushed himself up, grunting as he did so. "Thank you kindly," he said, before casually limping away, his hands in his pockets.

Ieharu stared in unabated disbelief. "G-godot! Wait! No! Where are you going?!"

Godot paused mid-stride, however. "Come to think of it," he said, turning, "there seems to be a bit of an issue here. I couldn't help but notice while I was hanging in that tree there." He nodded toward it. "In fact, as far as I can tell, this looks like some kind of harassment, huh? Intimidation, bullying, all that ugly stuff. Yeah, I suppose you could say I'm good at reading a situation, although to be honest, it's pretty obvious that's exactly what's going on." Ishiki was about to deny it, but Godot interrupted him with a chuckle. "Relax kid, I understand, no need to convince me. Well, then allow me to rectify the situation. Yoh! Haku!" Godot pointed his finger in their direction. "You two quit picking on these young gentlemen right now!"

Ieyoshi dropped his hands and Ieharu nearly fell down on his backside at Godot's words. Both boys were rendered nonplussed, but it was Ieharu that regained his composure first. "Uh," he started, stepping out from behind his brother. "I... um. Well, Godot... we aren't— it's not..." He scrunched his face in an attempt to articulate his thoughts. Finally, he found the words. "It's not like that at all!"

"Is that so?" Godot stared off into the clouds. "Alright, so from what I'm understanding, you guys," he faced Ishiki, "are from the Martial Arts Appreciation Club, meaning you specialize in self-defense. That's why I was confused, because it appears you're not really defending yourselves at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. That dame however," Godot looked over in Akako's direction, "doesn't exactly fit into this crowd, huh? Not that girls can't 'appreciate' self-defense, I guess. Tell me, girl, are you recording all this?" Akako stuttered as her arms sunk slightly. Godot suddenly hollered, "TURN IT OFF!" Akako squeaked as she folded her BluScreen and turned it off.

"Punk!" Ishiki was hollering now, "Don't yell at my girlfriend like that, you bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?" Ishiki turned his head toward Haku and back at Godot, "You just break into school grounds and sit in a tree like some creepy stalker, and now you're lecturing us? The Elite?"

"Hey," Godot said in a low, intimidating voice, "Stuff it." Ishiki scowled at him and balled his fists. Godot took a step forward, grunting a bit as he did so. "I just thought it was a stupid idea," he explained, "to create incriminating evidence against yourself when doing 'business'. I guess that lady of yours is your middle-man between you and your employer, then?" Godot chuckled. "How cute. We've got ourselves a little intricate criminal syndicate in this school. Still, this drama that you're trying to pull is way too unnecessary. If I were you guys, I would have taken these two kids out in different locations. Don't even declare your intentions or none of that. And look," he gestured to Ryuu, "you got somebody unrelated mixed up in this."

"Godot," Ieyoshi said, frost underlining his tone. He gave the man his full attention for the first time since he'd dropped into the scene. Their new nanny was currently standing off to the side, to the right of Ishiki but a ways away from Ryuu and the two upperclassmen that surrounded him. "You're in my way." His words had a sort of uppity finality to them, as if they were entirely self-evident and he were being forced to state the obvious. His brother's declaration came much to Ieharu's horror, of course. He gave Godot a wide-eyed apologetic look, hoping to excuse his brother and welcome the older man's assistance. The difference between the expressions on their otherwise identical faces was like night and day.

"What was that?" Godot turned his head as he spoke sardonically, "I didn't catch it. I guess you didn't hear me when I said stuff it. That applies to everybody you know. When I say something, I expect people to listen to me talk. I might just teach you something." As Godot brushed himself off, Ieyoshi hunched his shoulders, a retort hot on his lips, but Ieharu pulled on his arm. Godot continued to rant. "Do you all have any idea how long I was in that tree, with the dead leaves that keep getting into your clothes? That wasn't as bad as my last three hiding spots, though. The garbage cans are particularly bad during lunch. Anyhow, I've been waiting all day to give a lecture that I was supposed to give earlier, out in this yucky weather, with nothing but the birds to talk to. So I'd like to get my point across, if you don't mind."

Ieyoshi shook off his brother's grasp almost violently, taking a step forward. "Listen, Ishiki," he said, addressing the upperclassman. "Fuck this guy. He's not a teacher here. You wanna throw down?" He resumed his fighting stance. "Come at me then." Ishiki looked at Ieyoshi like he'd sprouted another head. Ieyoshi took the moment of silence as a question with an answer he was all too eager to provide. "Or all of you can come at me," he said, seemingly exasperated. Judging from his expression alone, one wouldn't venture to guess that the elder twin were agitated, or impatient, or even angry. He looked calm. It was his words, not his tone or visage, that betray him. "I don't give a fuck. Let's just get this over with."

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot rang out through the empty lot, startling just about everybody. Both Akako and Ieharu screamed, though who screamed louder is anyone's guess. Ieyoshi stumbled rearwards past Ieharu, his back colliding with the wall. Godot was standing there with a smoking gun in his hand.

"My bad," Godot said, "but I told him to stuff it." All of the boys—or at least the sane ones—were all about to bolt, but Godot called out to them. "Hey-hey-hey! Relax! You think I'm going to shoot anybody else?" Godot brought his gun to the side of his face and pointed it upward. "You see, this is self-defense. This is the martial arts that I appreciate, the good-ol' Beretta. Godot put the weapon back in his jacket pocket, which is where it was hidden."

Ieharu stared at his brother, his hands pressed flat against the sides of his head, eyes wide with terror, mouth agape. "N-no! Not again!" he cried, tears coming to his eyes. "He didn't mean all those things he said!" He turned towards Godot, hands still on his head. "You didn't have to do that!"

"Ah, yes, young Ieharu," Godot smirked affably at the remaining sibling, "I trust you made it to school on time. Tell me, did you stop Ieyoshi from, what was it again? Saying something stupid? Alright, I imagine you're a little confused as to why I shot you earlier—and why I shot your brother just now—but I think it would be best if you just watched for a moment."

Watch? Watch what? His brother die?! Hands still cradling his head, Ieharu, in shock much like the others, turned to look at his brother's remains. Ieyoshi's body was leaning against the side of the wall, his head bowed, eyes closed. There was a thin string of blood originating from the spot on his head where he'd been shot, but there was no wound. Weird. Ieharu dropped his hands, his expression becoming quizzical—curious, even. He'd seen it. Everyone heard it. Godot just shot him. Where was the wound?

And that's when Ieharu felt it. A sort of pressure that pushed against the front of his body, the part that was facing his twin brother. It was like a giant hand was trying to crush him, compress him into nothing, like the winds of a tornado, or a hurricane. Yet he wasn't moved physically. His hair wasn't tossed back and forth, his clothes weren't pressed against him, dirt and rocks didn't fly up everywhere, so it wasn't a blast of air. It was something else. The sensation lasted but for a moment, transitioning from push to pull, like he were being sucked towards his brother, and then from pull to nothing. The sensations ceased entirely, leaving Ieharu with a feeling of vertigo.

"What the hell—" one of the upperclassmen started, but stopped short of completing his thought. At the same time, Ieharu took a hesitant step backwards, away from his brother's body.

Slowly, surely, Ieyoshi opened his eyes, stopping at about the half-way point. Suddenly, he leaned forth, lurching forward like the undead. He glided across the ground as he moved, walking silently past Ieharu, who simply started at him. He moved past Ryuu and the two upperclassmen that held him. He completely ignored Godot, wobbling on his feet a few times before coming to a decidedly unstable stop before the rightmost of Ishiki's four henchmen. They all looked at him like he was a demon fresh from the summoning circle.

"It makes sense now," he whispered. If one weren't paying attention, his voice could have been mistaken for a wisp of wind. His face was certainly that of a zombie. There was no life there. No warmth or spark. You might as well have been staring at a pile of bricks. No wonder, then, that the upperclassman before him fumbled for words. Ieyoshi didn't seem to mind, his gaze hazy and unfocused. "You guys, I mean. All of this. It makes sense, now. Perfect sense. I don't know why I didn't see it before. You all and Rosa and this morning and the underwear and the water. Perfect sense." Ieyoshi peered up at the muscle bound third year that stood before him, his eyes focusing somewhat. The elder twin looked like he was high on drugs. "Are we gonna fight now?"

"Dude," the upperclassman started, "you just got shot. Are you crazy?"

"I remember you. Your face, I mean. Not your name, that was never important. You're just a mook in a red shirt. It's your face. I've seen you around. Not just at school, I mean. Outside. I remember now." With every syllable, his tempo increased. It got to the point where he was speaking so fast that whole sentences were running together. "The Mitsuwa Marketplace. The food court. You serve the evening shift, right? It makes sense then, why someone like Ishiki was able to prey on you. To bring you into the fold. You're more than just an idiot. You're weak. Mentally, I mean." The upperclassman furrowed his brows in anger, but Ieyoshi didn't seem to mind. "You have no academic talents. You're not good at sports. You can't sing or dance. You can't do anything useful and you'll never be a main character, not even in your own life story. You're afraid that you'll be working that dead end nine-to-five job serving fries for the rest of your life, right? That's why you enjoy beating up defenseless first years, right?" The guy opened his mouth to respond, but Ieyoshi kept going. "So that you'll feel better? Let me assure you though, garbage like you will always remain garbage." The third year clenched his fists. He was clearly angry now, which was exactly what Ieyoshi wanted. "There is no hope for your kind. So instead of playing the fool so convincingly, why don't you take the initiative for once in your pathetic life and come at me?" He paused his monotonous diatribe for an instant, letting that last barb sink in. It certainly did. "Right now."

The upperclassman needed no further convincing. You could see the veins popping under his shirt. Without warning, he raised his fist and punched Ieyoshi dead in the mouth. The resulting pop! reverberated through the de facto audience as viscerally as the gunshot had earlier. Ieyoshi didn't bother bringing up his hands to defend himself or even deflect the blow. He just took it, his head snapping to the side with the force of it, blood and spittle flying into the air. The upperclassman followed it with another punch, this time to Ieyoshi's chest. Ieyoshi was forced to take a step backward with this one, but didn't otherwise move to defend himself. Again and again, the upperclassman would attack him, and Ieyoshi would just take it with a stoic expression and those dead dull eyes.

"Yoh!" Ieharu shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Fulfilling his dying will, of course," Godot answered. Ieharu hadn't noticed until then that Godot had somehow ended up beside him. He was leaning against the wall, watching Ieyoshi in combat. "I shot him with the dying will bullet after all, the same kind as the one I shot you with this morning. Anybody with a dying will, when shot with this bullet, will revive with both the drive and the strength to accomplish that will. Can't you remember what happened this morning when I shot you with the bullet?"

"You shot me!" Ieharu said aloud, though it sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. He explored his face with his hands, looking for a wound of some kind. "You shot me in the face!" The rest of Godot's words seemed to click at that moment. "Dying will?" He remembered those two words coming up several times before when his father spoke to uncle Ryohei and the others from time to time, but they never really meant anything to him. They still didn't. "You mean he's dying?!"

"The pieces just don't add up in your head right," Godot teased, "do they, young Ieharu? If that was so, you wouldn't be in this situation, would you? You'd be quite dead, in fact. No, he's not dying, but his body thinks he is. That's the genius of it. There is no stronger will to do anything than that of a goal you wish to accomplish before you die. So, Yoh's mind is currently dead set on beating these guys, just like yours was on stopping Yoh this morning. There's a nice bargain that comes with being single minded, of course. The bullet allows your body to remove all its physical limiters, allowing to achieve an inner strength not usually available to us normally, as human beings. You managed to somehow run to school on time, after all. And your brother, well, you can see for yourself."

Eventually, Ieyoshi was pushed back against the wall, and the upperclassman prepared to deliver a final blow. He brought his fist skyward and, with a shout, smashed it into the boy's stomach. Ieyoshi didn't react at all. He might as well have been a punching bag. However, before the third year could withdraw his fist, the Sawada twin gripped the guy's arm, his hold fairly loose. For several long seconds, neither moved, and then, suddenly, the third-year fell to his knees. It wasn't immediately clear why. Ieyoshi was still gripping his arm, but he had not retaliated once. Didn't even throw a single punch. What was going on here?

When Ieyoshi released the guy's arm from his grip, the third year toppled backwards onto the ground, tongue drooping slightly from his mouth, his eyes as dim and empty as Ieyoshi's.

Stepping over him like one would over a puddle in the street, Ieyoshi advanced, slowly but surely, until he stood before the next of Ishiki's three henchmen. "Are we gonna fight now?" He asked with that same monotonous drawl.

The three remaining third years glared at each other, fighting silently over who's turn it was to take on this weirdo. From their split-second deliberation, they came to the apt conclusion that it would be best if they all attacked simultaneously.

(Un)fortunately for them, Ieyoshi seemed to lose his balance like a drunkard, if he ever had any balance at all. He fell forward onto his face, like a log, and remained there, unmoving. It didn't look like he was breathing. He just looked dead.

"Of course," Godot finished, "it only lasts for five minutes."

Ishiki coughed twice, perhaps to cover up his own nervousness and confusion. "Okay," he said. "Uh, good job, guys." There was no steel behind his voice this time. "Now, uh, take down the other one." He made a shooing motion in Ieharu's general direction. "And someone pick up Ken off the floor, too. He's making us look bad."

"I should probably mention," Godot added, "if the person who is shot doesn't have any regrets, the bullet will work." Godot looked upward. "Well, come to think of it, I guess the bullet would work, just a bit more permanently." he looked toward Ieyoshi lying on the ground. "Hey, Haku, your brother," Godot mentioned with a frown, "I think you should check on him. Also, you know, don't let these guys kill you, and while you're at it, that kid over there looks like he could use a little help."

Ieharu, who was offhandedly pondering if it was part of his so-called "dying will" to remove all of his clothes this morning, was snapped back into reality by Godot's mentioning of his brother. He was not a very good multitasker. His first reaction to seeing his brother's limp body face down in the dirt was to run toward him, but the three remaining third years had already started advancing on his position, cutting that plan short. Panicking, Ieharu turned back to Godot, who was still leaning against the wall. "Help! I think he's dead! Oh my god! He looks dead!" He said, pleading, his hands shaking. "I don't know what to do!"

"Well, I suppose you gotta look at things objectively," Godot had a look of confidence as he explained, "You want to save your brother, but you also want to protect your friends, I imagine. Also, you know, you don't want, well, your underwear taken. Now what is it that you gotta do to do all that stuff? I'll give you a hint, you need to stop these guys... I guess that was the answer. Well, knowing that, what is it that you really want to do?"

"Uh..." Ieharu eyed the upperclassmen warily, taking an uncertain step back towards Godot where, for some reason, he felt safe. "I..." He knew what he was going to say next was going to sound lame. The sheer thought of it reddened his cheeks. "I want to protect everyone!" He shouted through his own consternation.

Godot once again pulled his gun out of his pocket and took aim at Ieharu's forehead.

"Then do it with your dying will!" Godot squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

Was that Yoh? Chester had just been passing by that particular area, searching for the butterfly that had eluded his eyes when he spotted the fight from the edges of his peripheral vision. He stopped for a second, observing it more closely. It was the twins, there was no question about it. Just after the scene they made this morning too, did they get themselves involved in another serious one? It wasn't as if it mattered to him. Chester tried to reason with himself as he turned away from the commotion, fixing his eyes on anything other than the group of people. He didn't know them anyway, and they could settle it on their own, right? Averting his eyes might be the coward's way out, but the coward is the one that survives in the end.

Or maybe not. Just as Chester turned to leave, movement caught his eye. He turned to see a struggle going on some ways away at the back between two second years and... "Ryuu?"

Well, this can't be helped. It's just going to weigh on his conscience until who knows when. Chester sighed quietly as his eyes scanned them, looking for any blind spots he could vanish into. Moving up discreetly behind the two upperclassmen, who were struggling with keeping the first year still, he paused for a second before pushing them as hard as he possibly could. It wasn't the most ideal scenario, but Chester found it hard to think of what to do other than assassinating them.

The two second years and Ryuu stumbled forward, hold on the first year loosening momentarily. Ryuu regained his balance first, wrenching an arm free from its vice as the one who'd been trying to grab Ryuu's legs straightened up and he turned. "What the hell?" he looked around angrily to beat the culprit down. "Oi, what-"

Wasting no time, Ryuu slammed his elbow viciously into the gut of his captor. The guy, who had been distracted by Chester, received the blow with a grunt of pain that dragged the other upperclassman's attention back to them but refused to relinquish his hold, raising his other arm up to loop around Ryuu's neck instead. Ryuu gritted his teeth and jabbed back with his elbow again as hard as he could while wrenching his arm out of the guy's grip, then raised his leg to slam it back down against his captor's knee with an audible thud. For good measure, Ryuu raised it again to bring his heel down onto a devastating stomp on his captor's foot, and the upperclassman let go of him with a hastily stifled yell of pain, alternating between clutching at his injured hand and foot like he couldn't decide which one hurt more.

"Shit!" The other club member raised a fist speedily, but Ryuu ducked low to scythe at the club members legs. The older teen fell, and Ryuu took the opportunity to kick him in the gut. He doubled up with a groan, instinctively wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Thanks for treating me so nicely, senpai." Ryuu said sarcastically, scowling angrily down at him. "Allow me to return the favour." He kicked at the fallen teens side one last time before walking towards Chester, refusing to look back at his two former captors.

"Thanks," he said, frowning slightly from the aches in his body as he rotated his arms with a crack. Dammit, he knew following Ieharu was a bad idea! He backed up towards Chester, away from the club members, Much to their credit, they had already gotten back on their feet, although they were groaning like zombies after brains. In this particular case, Ryuu had no doubt as to which brain they wanted. Not for the first time, he wished his bag was there. "So... anything else up your sleeve?" he whispered to Chester out of the side of his mouth, raising his arms in a sparring position.

"I-I can take one of them if you'd finish the other." Chester whispered back a little urgently, his voice high with panic. Ryuu nodded, eyes narrowing sharply as he focused on the one who had beaten him up earlier, but before they could do anything somebody fell out of a tree. Everyone stopped in their actions for a split second, all eyes fixating on the strange man. There was an awkward silence, then the man asked where to find the nurse's office. Chester simply stared at him, unable to process what had happened in a matter of seconds. There was an intruder in school, and he just fell from a tree and hurt his ankle. It was all rather hard to take in, but the rest seemed to be alright with it, Ishiki pointing him toward the nurse's office.

Ryuu summed it up somewhat appropriately. [color=#000080]"What the fuck?" [/color]He said, nonplussed, hands still raised in front of him like a fighting character in a video game. Good thing it wasn't a teacher though, since his scholarship would've been in danger, but why did he fall out of a tree?! He scowled as Ishiki lied to the weird man about the nurses office, relief in the air showing up so much that it would take a rocket to destroy it. He obviously wanted the man out of the way so that he could continue what he was doing before, like beating the twins down to steal their underwear. Seriously, underwear, what the hell? What did that shallow bitch want to do anyway, wear them on her head? The girl in question aided the lie, and Ryuu was just about to call out bullshit when Ieharu called out the guy's name.

A brief look of surprise crossed over Ryuu's features before turning into a puzzled frown. What the hell was going on here?! By then, the four had forgotten about scuffling with each other in favour of watching the scene between the twins and Godot like they were watching tv, although Ryuu still kept his sparring pose. Was the man insane? And it was quite obvious that the twins were in trouble, why the hell was he not helping already?

It's because people didn't really give a damn so long as it doesn't involve them, his mind said, and Ryuu chose to ignore that in favour of a confused scowl instead. Now wasn't the time.

That was when Godot turned terrifying. Chester bit back a scream as the stranger shot Yoh right in the head, ready to bolt and call the nearst adult and a hospital. That man was obviously out of his mind, what had he gotten himself into again? Beside him, Ryuu's eyes went so wide it was like they encompassed his face and his whole face turned white, but he made to move forwards like he planned on attack the gunman himself in an effort to give the others - especially Haku, who was the closest one to the guntoting man - time to escape, eyes glaring frantically around the scene for a weapon. Chester grabbed Ryuu's arm immediately, pulling him back and shaking his head frantically at him. Haku was terrified and Chester knew that there was a need to get him to safety, but this was the point of time where casualties should be kept at a minimum. Ryuu interfering wouldn't do any good to their situation apart from drawing more attention to themselves.

The jerk to his arm snapped Ryuu out of it, leaving the rage bubbling under his skin in a way that kept away and mixed with terror. He shook with it, body trembling so hard with adrenaline that it was like Ryuu was shivering from the cold, but anyone could see that he was burning with the fire of emotion. He jerked his arm away from Chester sharply, but didn't move forwards. Now that he was thinking instead of acting on blind instinct and emotions, he knew he needed a plan. God, he never expected a gunman to turn up at school! What could he do to keep them all from being killed?!

Or well, Ieharu and the others dying. Ryuu definitely didn't want to die, but the others took priority. People would miss them if they died, after all, even if they were complete bastards.

Some of the things Ieharu - oh god, Ieharu had just seen his brother die before his eyes they had just seen a person die because of some sickass bastard who appeared out of nowhere - said made no sense though. It was completely nonsense as far as Chester was concerned. "I think we should run?" He suggested quietly to Ryuu. The attention of the upperclassmen was not on them any longer, which made this the perfect opportunity to escape. Most of the attention of the supposed psycho was on Haku too, perhaps they'd even be able to get the police there on time.

"We can't just -" Ryuu was interrupted by ... Yoh standing up like a drunk man instead of lying on the ground like the dead person he should be. Holy flipping shit! Ryuu's jaw dropped as his eyes grew wider, pupils looking like small pinpricks on his face. He turned even whiter as he stared at Yoh like the others. "wh-he-bu-" Ryuu gave up finding words, voice shaking before he shook his head, visibly getting a grip on himself. "- he got shot! In the head! What the hell! Is this for real?!"

Beside him, Chester pinched himself hard to see if he was in a dream. "No way... Maybe we're in a... movie?" Chester suggested weakly, trying to find some sense in this scenario. Still, the bullet fired was most definitely not a blank. Yoh moved toward the four upperclassmen and Chester could do nothing but stare as he stated everything out with astonishing clarity.

"If this is a movie, I sure as hell hope it isn't a zombie flick." Just like Chester, Ryuu pinched himself. Ow. Nope, this was reality alright. Which meant that Yoh had somehow survived what was a very clear gunshot to the head and was now chewing out the other club members, who looked just as freaked out as he felt. Oh dear lord, Yoh wasn't a zombie was he?! They didn't have anything to chop a head off, they couldn't fight a zombie! Ryuu's weapon was in his bag, and he didn't even know where that was. "Seriously, wha- hey!" Terrified confusion shoved to the side by (not so) righteous anger and worry, Ryuu moved to dart forwards as Yoh started fighting one of the club members, but Godot said something and he wavered, torn between wanting to find out just what the hell was going on and stopping the fight before Yoh died from brain damage or something.

Fuck it. Ryuu silently came to a pause beside Chester a few feet away from Godot and Ieharu, listening to them intently. The club members could do with a little beating up themselves. And if Ieyoshi was on the loosing end, well, it would count as revenge for that kid he beat up that morning. Who was he to disregard such an act?

The explanation in it's own sounded rather ludicrous. Psychological factors of determination aside, there was no way it can be that easily brought out with the power of a bullet. It seemed as though that strange man was just trying to make up an excuse for killing a child. Yet, there was no denying that Yoh was acting oddly just now. Chester felt a pang of worry as Yoh picked a fight with the club member, but he detisted in action until he got further clarification on his doubts. Which isn't going to come soon, with that strange explanation about bullets and determination the man just gave.

Ryuu kept an eye on the fight between Yoh and Ken-Senpai, wondering whether he should intervene or not. Eh, Yoh just made Ken-Senpai passed out. No need to do anything then. And it didn't seem like the crazy tree-falling ankle-breaking wacko planned to shoot anyone else, which meant they were all safe. Yeah, right. Ryuu wasn't going to trust that guy an inch. Then Yoh passed out and Ryuu tensed, raising his hands up in a sparring position again as the upperclassmen looked to them like a pack of wolves who had just realised that the threat was gone, leaving behind nothing but yummy, delicious meat to devour.

Ryuu did not plan on getting eaten without a fight. "Heads up," He warned Chester, eyes focusing at the upperclassmen in front of him. They'd been heading Ieharu's way, but after what seemed to be a second of consideration they loked at one towards Chester and Ryuu's direction. Not liking the look in their eyes, Ryuu resisted the urge to back away and stood his ground instead, scowling as he settled himself sturdily into a sparring pose.

Ryuu took a deep breath, face turning cool and even. Let the breath out slowly, cleared his mind to focus on the battle to come and shutting out the sounds of Ieharu freaking out a distance away behind them. "Looks like we're going to get mobbed."

"Run now?" Chester questioned again, his eyes flitting from one opponent to the other. Backing away a few steps, Chester considered his choices carefully. He should've taken the chance while they were distracted, now he was at risk of being hurt again. They upperclassmen were not idiots, after all. He could already see the signs of their attention shifting to the two weakest in their surroundings like they had planned on doing it all along. Ishiki yelled and looked frustrated, but they ignored him, heading towards the first year duo with the determination of a bully who had spotted someone they knew for sure couldn't fight back.

"If we had superspeed, then sure." The route out was blocked by the upperclassmen. The only way out was through fighting, even if the odds were against them. Ryuu raised his fists as they got closer, but then -

BANG!

Ryuu flinched at the gunshot and whirled around at the sound, ready to duck to the floor the moment he saw the gun pointed at his direction. Beside him, Chester tensed up as though ready to make a run for his life at the slightest opportunity and both of them were just in time to see Ieharu falling to the ground in a scene identical to Ieyoshi being shot, Godot still pointing his gun towards Ieharu. It was pretty obvious what had just happened.

Ryuu's voice shook, and not just from terrifed anger. "What the fu-"

"REBORN!!!"

Ieharu literally exploded, most of his clothes burning away to ashes, his then-dead body springing to life in nothing but his underwear. His eyes were wide and full of determination, his pupils dilated, his irises practically glowing as he grinded his teeth in seething rage. Both Ryuu and Chester gaped at the sight of the massive orange flame located right in the middle of his forehead, the blaze shifting and pulsing to some unknown rhythm.

Chester's eyes widened yet again at the flame burning in his forehead. What was that? That had to be burning him, right? Besides, he just got shot in the head. Haku had to be damaged somehow, if not in the zombie state his brother was in. Beside him, Ryuu was gaping in shock at Ieharu like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, although it quickly morphed into a look of horror as he saw the flames and look on Ieharu's face, and it was obvious he'd came to the same conclusion Chester had came to too.

This monster post is PART 1 of the team effort made by the following: KumoriKitsune, Lloyd999, Alle9009, Moahi, Pandora's Melancholy, Xunnamius. Wow!

---

"Then do it with your dying will!" Godot squeezed the trigger, and Ieharu screwed his eyes shut in anticipation.

BANG!

That familiar flash of pain. The pressure. The silence. It was all familiar to the young Ieharu. In his final moments of lucidity, he felt like his was floating, rising, higher and higher until—

"REBORN!!!"

The word tore through his throat, reverberating throughout the empty lot as forcefully as any gunshot. His body never hit the floor. It seemed to explode right then and there, his clothes burning away, eyes opening wide, irises glazed over as if he were in a trance. He caught himself with one hand, arresting his downward momentum.

"I'M GOING TO PROTECT EVERYONE!" He shouted at the air, springing back to his feet whilst he did so. "WITH MY DYING WILL!"

"Good luck," Godot told him, before leaning back against the wall.

"WHO NEEDS PROTECTING?!" Ryuu roared back at the naked boy as if what he'd said was an insult, snapping him out of his zombie-horror shock.

Some distance away, Ishiki muttered offhandedly, eyebrows raised, "This kid loves to get naked." The words were directed in Akako's direction, however she hadn't quite recovered from the shock of the whole situation yet and didn't make a cohesive response.

The upperclassmen, Ishiki's three henchmen—five now, counting the two whose attention had shifted from Ryuu following Ieharu's outburst—look at each other, their expressions full of worry.

Suddenly, those expressions morphed.

"Haha!" One of the upperclassmen laughed, pointing at the younger twin. "Is he naked? Again!" The other four bust out laughing as well, one of them holding his side in an attempt to contain his mirth. "We're so scared!" The upperclassman continued, howling in laughter.

"Why not do us a favor, kid," one of the others began, tears of merriment in his eyes. "Just throw us the underwear and run along." That suggestion spawned a new round of giggling and snickering from the other upperclassmen. "You can run all the way back hom—"

With the sheer speed in which Ieharu moved, it seemed even the universe itself needed a moment to catch up. There was no time to prepare, no time to react. One instant, Ieharu was standing several meters behind his brother's body. In the next, he'd buried his fist in the belly of the upperclassman who'd been speaking down to him, the one standing in the middle of the three. Spittle flew from the guy's mouth, his abdomen becoming convex as his body reacted to the physics of the blow. The eyes of the various bystanders had barely begun to shift towards Ieharu's new position when reality finally took over. The upperclassman reeled, his feet losing contact with the ground as he flew backwards, nearly colliding with Akako, his limp body meeting full force with the unforgiving asphalt several meters away.

He was finished.

Ieharu didn't afford the others much time to respond. Almost immediately after disabling the first of Ishiki's thugs, he delivered a calamitous backfist to the upperclassman on the right, smashing his solar plexus. The poor guy on the left only had enough time to bring his hands up before Ieharu spun on his heel, using the momentum of the move to deliver a mean hammer fist to his lower thigh. There was an audible pop! as the guy's knee was dislocated. Both men crumpled in on themselves like wobbly Jenga towers, their pain and surprise so great that their voices caught in their throats. Their crippling defeat took place over the course of a few seconds, but for those watching, it may as well have lasted for whole minutes.

Fists balled, eyes glazed over, Ieharu snapped his head to the side, towards the only two upperclassmen left standing. His face was an unequivocal and pure manifestation of his wrath, his propensity for violence in the name of his friends made corporeal. He lowered his chin, peering out at the two from under his brow, like a bull preparing to charge.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ieharu roared with all his might. He looked positively insane.

The two third-years flinched at that, both raising their hands, their faces beaded with sweat. They began stepping backwards, their entire bodies shaking. "Woah there, man," one of them said, his voice nearly faltering. "You got it. You win. We don't want any of that."

"I didn't sign up for this shit!" The other one spat, hands still in the air. "I'm done!"

Without further ado, the two third-years took off running, cutting a wide swath around Godot and the others in an attempt to escape. They almost made it, too.

But then Ishiki was there, blocking their path. With one swift right hook, he sent both men to the ground. Ieharu turned to look at them, and then up at Ishiki, the flame atop his forehead waltzing as his neck swayed to and fro like a snake thusly charmed.

Ishiki sighed, cracking his knuckles in turn with his free hand. "Hard to find loyal friends, I guess."

"I'M GONNA PROTECT EVERYONE FROM YOU!" Ieharu blurted out, his fists balled so tightly that his wrists shook. "ISHIKI!"

"Protect everyone, he says," Ryuu grumbled aggrievedly under his breath as he looked keenly around at the abandoned lot. Nevermind that they'd been mobbed if Ieharu hadn't interrupted, Ryuu still felt that they could've dealt with it somehow. Behind him, Chester was dragging Ieyoshi away form the battle ground to where they were in an effort to get him uninvolved. The boy was still unconscious, and likely to remain so. Ieharu's words struck Ryuu at his deeply independent core, which—nope, his bag wasn't there. Ugh, and it'd contained his staff too. He groaned and glared at the lot like its entire existence offended him, a frustrated growl emitting from under his breath as he found nothing he could use. Why was it so empty?! Where on earth did his bag even go anywa—

Ah ha! Ryuu made his way to a particularly tall patch of grass, pulling out a wooden bat. It had seen better days and it was a bit too short for his taste, but it was solid and when the blonde swung it like he was hitting a home run it made a satisfying swishing sound. Ryuu gave a faintly satisfied grin that lasted only a few seconds before darkening into a scowl. "Think I can't stand up for myself does he, that pompous little..."

Ishiki glanced at Akako, and then at the so-called Godot, seeing if either were about to make a move he should be aware of. Akako appeared irate, although she was only just recovering her ability to speak. "I-SHI-KI!" Her voice definitely seemed irritated, but it sounded as if she were still restraining her temper. "You better get him already! He was just a bug earlier!" Ishiki nodded in affirmation. Akako's nasty tongue was beginning to present itself.

The one with the gun seemed content to sit back and didn't look like he was going to be shooting any more of those what he could only assume were high-tech steroid "bullets" at anyone. Maybe. Maybe not. It didn't really matter. Despite Akako's words, something had begun twisting in Ishiki's gut after witnessing the boy so effortlessly disable his compatriots. It was a feeling, of course. One that certainly wasn't unfamiliar, but completely unexpected in here of all places. Of all the members in his Martial Arts Appreciation Club, none were able to hold their own against him for more than a minute, but this kid...

Maybe he'd severely underestimated him.

For the first time, Ishiki genuinely grinned. Was it happiness he felt now? Fear, of being defeated? Excitement, to perhaps have met one who could offer him a little fun? "Ieharu Sawada, eh?" Ishiki stepped forward, rolling the sleeves of his uniform up past his elbows. When he was done, he raised his arms in an exaggerated shrug. "Come on, then. I'm right here, kid. You gonna protect 'em or what?"

Like a raging bull before a Matador, Ieharu surged forward, fist balled, screaming. He closed the distance between himself and Ishiki in an instant, throwing a punch with all his might and smashing the much taller third-year in the chest.

Or so he thought.

At the last moment, Ishiki pivoted to the side, deftly avoiding the blow. Simultaneously, he bent his knees, legs spread into a mid-low stance, his face coming to about eye-level with Ieharu, whose fist was still extended out in front of him. With all the grace of a svelte Broadway dancer, Ishiki flowed with the force of his initial pivot, grasping Ieharu's wrist with one hand as he slid his shoulder under the boy's arm. With his fist having failed to collide with Ishiki's body, Ieharu was still being carried forward by his initial momentum, and the upperclassman took full advantage of this. Pulling Ieharu's arm downward like a lever, Ishiki flipped him over his shoulder, using the boy's own velocity against him.

Ieharu went flying, windmilling through the air.

"Come on, Sawada," Ishiki purred as he reconfigured his footing. "I compete internationally. Did you think I got to be leader of this club because of my good looks?" He flexed like a bodybuilder, bringing his arms up at either side of his head, his uniform barely containing the sheer girth of his muscles. His girlfriend cheered him on, which made him grin. "Although you're certainly strong. Really strong, actually. And fast. I'll give you that." Ieharu had not only skipped across the ground a few times, but slid painfully on his back to a halt. He rebounded to his feet a moment later, though without clothes to protecting him, it was his skin that took the brunt of the damage. The broken asphalt had scratched his back and his sides, leaving noticeable lacerations. It was obvious from his expression that he didn't care, however. Ishiki assumed a boxer's stance, his fists open slightly, elbows down, arms up. "I see now how someone like you could have angered that cow Rosa." He began shifting his weight back and forth in his stance, ready to pivot again at a moment's notice. His was smiling now, unable to hide his merriment. "But just 'cause you can throw a punch doesn't mean you can hit me."

Without words, Ieharu accepted the challenge, rushing in, fists blazing. He swung once for what would have been an otherwise bone-shattering jab, but Ishiki easily predicted the move and responded by delivering his knuckles flush into the side of the twin's face. Immediately, Ieharu's mouth was bloodied, but if he noticed he sure as hell didn't show it. Again he swung, this time laterally. Unfortunately for him, Ishiki had used the previous maneuver to strategically position himself so that he was both between Ieharu's hands and a few centimeters away from his face. With such a short distance to work with, Ieharu wasn't able to muster as much force behind the attack as he could have otherwise.

Which was the plan.

With his forearm, Ishiki blocked the attack. And then, like Leonidas, he kicked Ieharu dead in his chest, sending him flying backwards a second time. The move looked positively vicious, and even in his current state it took Ieharu several seconds to get back to his feet.

"All strength and no skill, with those tiny little arms of yours." Ishiki shrugged again, huffing slightly. He hadn't even broken a sweat. "You're obviously overexerting yourself using them steroids or whatever that pedo over there did to you." He hooked a thumb in Godot's direction. "I wonder how long can you keep it up. Did he say five minutes?" Godot nodded in polite confirmation, smiling. "Though your brother over there didn't even last half that. Heh. You better hurry then, hero."

Ieharu growled in frustration yet failed to sufficiently alter his tactics. He launched himself at Ishiki once more, brandishing his fists. Like last time, he swung with all his might, the sheer force of it causing the sleeves of his uniform to crackle and snap as they resisted the air. Ishiki dodged it. Ieharu didn't give him a chance to counter and pressed forward with another equally devastating punch. And then another. And another. All in quick succession. With each punch, you could tell he was throwing his entire being into the maneuver, from the way he leaned in with his closed stance to the manner in which he cocked his arms back. He was also screaming his little heart out. Yet he still failed to make contact with Ishiki's body until the very end.

When Ishiki delivered a brutal knee to his chin.

Ieharu's neck snapped backwards with the force of the savage maneuver, his attempt at an assault utterly annihilated by his senior schoolmate. For his part, Ishiki pattered rearward, his feet gliding across the ground like those of a practiced fighter.

"Wow, you've, uh, got heart, Sawada," Ishiki began. He was being sincere. "No one's ever withstood my special move before, yet there you are, still standing." In response, Ieharu shook his head like a dog shaking the water out of its fur. "Steroids can only do so much for you, you feel? You have no upper body strength. Your fists aren't fast enough. Aren't strong enough to reach me." Ieharu spit a glob of red onto the ground and resumed growling at the upperclassman. "But if you come at me like that again..." Ishiki altered his stance, spreading his legs and leaning low, angling his body so that only his side was exposed to the raging Ieharu. His fists turned to palms, his fingers straight and parallel, his arms out in front of him. It was reminiscent of an action hero from one of those old kung fu movies. His joyful smile had long since departed from his face. "I'mma break you."

Ieharu responded with a single word—bellowed it, of course. "PROTECT!!!"

Again, he launched himself at Ishiki. This time, however, the third-year didn't move. Didn't sway. Only stared. The air about him changed from one of jubilance to something else. Something more dangerous. When Ieharu came within arm's reach, cocking his fist back for the umpteenth time, Ishiki shifted slightly, preparing to smite this poor boy. Ieharu threw an odd punch, striking downwards, towards the ground, missing Ishiki entirely and leaving himself open for desolation. "Ha!" Ishiki barked in triumph, bringing his palm forward to collide with where he knew Ieharu's chest would be.

Or should have been.

Ishiki realized it too late. Ieharu hadn't thrown a punch, and so he wasn't carried forward by the physics of it like he had expected. Instead, Ieharu had angled his upper body downwards, one arm on the ground as he transitioned into a one-handed front flip, his feet arcing through the air. Ishiki wasn't fast enough to recover, having extended himself a tad too far with that attempted attack, and Ieharu brought the full force and weight of his heel down upon the back of Ishiki's neck. Though the Sawada twin's maneuver was poorly executed and elementary in its composition, the raw force behind it was enough to break Ishiki's stance. He was nearly bowed, his hands coming up instinctively to catch himself, but the attack wasn't enough to make him touch the ground. He was a medalled athlete, an internationally recognized fighter! No way some steroid-brained novice and his tomato punches would be enough to—

Ieharu, revelling in the effectiveness of his lower body against this opponent, followed that initial kick with another, this time twisting in the air to gather sufficient angular momentum before driving the instep of his foot into the side of Ishiki's neck. Ieharu attacked with such force that the very air before him parted with a whistle.

THWACK!

Ishiki was forced to the ground, his hands slapping the rough asphalt, his face and neck bowed by the absolute physical power behind the attack. In this mode, Ieharu's punches may have been powerful, but his kicks were a whole order of magnitude more devastating.

Perhaps it was the pure shock of being forced to his knees for the first time in ages, or perhaps it was an anger so abysmal and all-consuming that it paralyzed him, but even after Ieharu stumbled backwards, Ishiki remained bowed, his hands flush with the pavement beneath them. He didn't move, his eyes wide, mouth held slightly agape.

Ieharu regained his footing, leaping backwards. "PROTECT!!!" He shouted once more, pumping his fists. And then, like before, he surged forward, this time cocking his leg back to deliver a kick that would have most likely broken Ishiki's neck. Unfortunately, Ieharu tripped, falling on his face. For those that were paying attention, the flame atop his head had gone out just moments before.

Ishiki turned his head to glare at the downed twin, a wonderful thought occurring to him. "Oh," he said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "Oh ho ho!" He pointed at Ieharu with one hand while rubbing his neck with the other. It was obvious by the way he moved that he had sustained some sort of injury. "Your time is up, hero. You lose." The joints in his neck popped as he angled his head. First left, then right. "Fuck Rosa. Fuck favors. Fuck it all." Ishiki frowned deeply, looking at his hands which had been dirtied by their time on the ground. His voice lost a few octaves with his next line. "I'm going to kill you for what you just did."

"As if, you megalomaniacal drama queen." Ryuu stepped in front of Ieharu with the bat held tight in his hands as he faced Ishiki, spreading his feet apart in a steady stance. He scowled angrily at Ishiki, waves of anger rolling off him like a heatwave. Dammit, following Ieharu really was the worst decision he'd ever made. He'd gotten beaten up, he'd seen people shot at and die and revive, and now he was getting into a fight with his national level club captain who was probably going to expel him after this. Which meant his scholarship was doomed, since one of the conditions was being in a club. Well, it wasn't like Ishiki would want people to know that he'd been beating up people, so it might not happen. Probably. He scowled, keeping his eyes on Ishiki. "I don't owe you anymore after this, got it?" he muttered behind him to Ieharu, frustration in his tone.

Why was he doing this again? Oh yeah, because he owed Ieharu and because Ishiki wanted him not to. And more importantly, because he was pissed off as all hell. Trying not to think about how screwed he probably was, Ryuu raised the bat, brandishing it at Ishiki. "You're the one who's going to die," he said surely, hiding the uncertainty he felt.

"Wow, really?" Ishiki let out a chuckle like Ryuu had just told a joke, his eyes creasing up with humor. "That was the best you could come up with? Man, and I thought no one could be worse then Jin when it comes to name calling." A cocky look came over his face, and it was obvious that he believed that Ryuu couldn't beat him. His eyes narrowed condescendingly down on the blonde. "Obviously I thought wrong." He slid into the same stance as before while Ryuu's eyes narrowed, the only sign that the words had gotten to him. "Well, even if you're going against me," and the look on his face said that he couldn't believe how dumb Ryuu was being "you're still my kouhai. I'll give you a chance to drop out so I can go back to killing that kid." It was obvious he meant Ieharu. "What do you say?"

Ryuu didn't say anything, merely raised the bat over his shoulder like he was going for a swing, setting his shoulders sturdily like he was made out of fluid rock. The answer was obvious.

Ishiki nodded like he'd expected it. "Alright then," he said, and darted forwards. He ducked low under the bat's swing and aimed a punch at Ryuu's face, which moved out of the way as he spun with the swing. The first year aimed a kick at Ishiki, who dodged out of the way, and they continued to exchange blows as Ieharu crawled over to his brother's side, his face contorting in pain as the weight of his injuries made itself known. He watched the battle worriedly. It was obvious that even though Ryuu was holding his ground, it wasn't enough. While he was more agile and had extra reach, Ishiki was able to get in under his guard and had more power to his blows. Ryuu was outclassed, and the smile on Ishiki's face and the relaxed, almost playful way he moved against Ryuu's harsh swings and the determined way Ryuu gritted his teeth said that they knew it too. It was only a matter of time before the fight was over.

Soon enough Ishiki had Ryuu cornered. He knocked the bat out of Ryuu's grip with a lazy swipe and smiled down at him, wiping blood away from the split lip on his mouth. "You're good, I admit that. But not good enough." Ryuu glared defiantly at him as Ishiki raised a bruised fist for the knockout, certain of his victory. "Any last words?"

"This ends here," muttered the words of an approaching figure. Ishiki started to turn his head towards the voice, but a sudden force sent Ishiki's body off balance. Izaya scored a clean hit across Ishiki's face. Izaya's body rolled across the ground briefly. He recovered shortly after, coming to his feet. He positioned himself directly inbetween Ishiki and Ryuu. Iz was a part of the back up they called in; however, this wasn't the kind of help they had in mind. The other members stood in shock realizing that Iz really had just attacked their captain of all people. The man who never loses or even gets hurt. He's doomed they thought. Ryuu's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected help, but wasted no time in rolling to his feet as he snatched up the bat. Raising it warily, he glanced at the other newcomers before his head turned to see who had interrupted the beatdown.

Izaya was breathing hard as if he'd ran a marathon, but stood tall with a confident demeanor. His eyes fixated on Ishiki like a hawk staring at it's target. Please stay down. Izaya was terrified at what he'd just done being that the captain was no ordinary fighter, but he couldn't stand idle while someone was getting hurt. A hero would never back down regardless of the situation. This was the right action no matter how this works out. Ishiki regained his composure almost immediately. The look in his eyes were more demonic and his rage was completely evident. Izaya's blood boiled to the point where he felt he could burst. This is the man who's leading the martial arts club. This is the one he's been looking up towards. He seemed hero like being strong, cool and speaking on positive ideals, but he's really scum like this? Before he knew it, he was yelling at him. "Attacking your own club member Ishiki?! Ganging up on students!" he continued, "I thought you taught us about self defense! Protecting the weak and helping others! What are you doing?!"

"More like what are you doing?" Ishiki frowned at Izaya, rubbing his cheek absentmindedly. The captain looked surprised, and very frustrated. "I sent you here for backup! Not to punch my face in the moment I was just about to land a finishing blow!" His frown turned into a glare. Normally he would try being nice to get Izaya back on his side, but today had been a very long day. What had promised to be an easy job was turning into a freakishly difficult one, with weird shootings and crazy kids on steroids and his own club members not being up to snuff, and what with yet another club member going against him and robbing him of the satisfaction of showing his underclassman that he was nothing, Ishiki was at the end of his tether. "And obviously I was showing this stupid new club member of ours his place! He went against me!" He looked scornfully at Izaya. "And what, you thought I actually meant that bullshit?! Are you a retard?! It was just so the teachers wouldn't get rid of the club. Those who are weak deserve to be nothing but dust under the feet of the strong!"

"Finishing blow?! Bullshitting?! This is ridiculous!" He said while prepping himself in a defensive stance. He placed his left foot bent forward while his right slightly further back. His hands stood out slightly extended to deflect any incoming attack. Although he'd gotten a nice sucker punch in, Izaya knew that Ishiki was more skilled, stronger, and tougher than he was in every way. He could literally feel the killing intent from Ishiki and the pressure to defend the guys behind him building up. His body started trembling on his own, but he couldn't back down. A hero never back downs. He would never back down. Ryuu, the underwear kid and the others need an avenue to escape at least. What are the options? What can he do? What is the next best choice? Fear slowly surged through his mind as he thought of fighting a losing battle against Ishiki, but he began to quell his negative thoughts with only one word in mind, 'hero'. The others safety is more important than his own right now. He can get through this. This will all work out. Stand up, be confident, and do what you can. At the top of his lungs he once again yelled, "Your club is nothing but a sham! I refuse to stand for this villainy!"

"Yeah, you and what army?!" Theatrically, Ishiki snapped his fingers, and on cue the remaining club members surrounded Izaya and the other first years. Like a villain in a Shakespearean stage, Ishiki laughed, low and chilling. "These might be my second choice, but they're a thousand times better then you." Recollecting himself from his sudden fit, Ishiki smoothed a hand through his hair and snapped his fingers twice. The milling club members cracked their knuckles ominously, smirks on their faces as they moved closer towards Izaya and the others like wolves about to be released into a pasture.

"You're not even worth my time." Ishiki said scornfully, looking at them like they were insects under his shoe. "What, you don't like the way I run the club?" He said sarcastically, seeing the glares Ryuu and Iz were shooting his way. "Then join another club. In fact," Ishiki said slowly, smiling meanly as he savoured the words, "You don't need to turn up for the next session. The two of you are expelled from the club, starting today. I have no need for members who refuse to follow what I say."

A smirk came on Izaya's face. "Fine then! Forget your club! I'll make my own!" He dropped his stances and begun with his own theatrics as if he's giving a motivation speech. He held his hand at his chest while the other soared through the air, "A club that'll stand on real principles! One that will help the weak and protect the people!" He then removed his hand from his chest and slowly extended it own towards Ishiki. With a closed fist facing Ishiki, his index finger gradually moved out and pointed directly at him and Izaya said, "One that will stop people like you, everytime and anytime."

"I'll join that club, but only if I get to be vice-president." Ryuu said, trying not to sound too eager. The hope which had sunken deep down into his shoes suddenly found lift at Izaya's words. The ticket to his salvation! A chance to salvage his permanent living areas! Hiding his rising hope at salvaging his situation, he glared at the enemy. "Better than staying with these bunch of dogs anyway."

"Of course, you helped inspire this idea! Be my sidekick, Ryuu!" he says while imagining his hero club full of students with masks, temporarily forgetting the situation they were in.

"Sidekick?!" Temporarily aggrieved, Ryuu shot a scowl at Izaya that looked more insulted then anything else. "I'm no sidekick." Brandishing the bat in two hands like a club, Ryuu turned around to stand back to back with Izaya, scowling furiously at the other club members. There was no despair in his face, only determination and a cold sort of fury. "If anything we're partners, got it?!"

Ryuu looked a mess, with a rapidly blackening eye and a split lip and bruises everywhere, but his eyes were focused and he still moved with fluid grace as he steadied himself like a batter up at the plate. Everything hurt, and this vision kept getting blurry whenever he didn't concentrate, but fuck that! After everything that had happened, he wasn't going to let them win. Ignoring Izaya, Ryuu glared at the others, moving in front of Ieharu and the others like a bear ready to protect her cubs. Ieharu was still crying over his brother, who didn't even look like he was breathing. The two of them were in no shape to fight, let alone move. Ryuu's grip on his bat tightened at the sight, and he looked away towards the club members scornfully. Screw these guys, he wasn't going to let them win after all this. "Better than this lot of dogs anyway."

The upperclassmen scowled at the insult, and Ryuu channeled the urge to yell at Ieharu, who'd started crying after getting a good look at his brother's body, as well as the fear over the loss of his scholarship into rage, glaring at this former club compatriots. They replied with cocky smirks. After all, the battered boy hardly looked like he could put up a fight. Then for the first time a small smile, dark and vindictive, came over his face, teeth tinged red with blood as anger rolled off him in waves, and suddenly they weren't so sure. "What about you, Chester?"

There was a flash of movement behind Ishiki as Chester punched the back of his head as hard as he possibly could, focusing his entire weight on his fist. "Sorry..." He said apologetically as he seemed to vanish once more when Ishiki whirled around, his presence disappearing just outside of Ishiki's vision. Everyone but Ryuu jolted backwards, some yelling in shock as the blue haired boy, who had been forgotten until now, reappeared into their vision like a ghost apparating out of thin air. Joining a club was something he had yet to do, and the one Izaya called a 'hero club' seemed very ludicrous. Still, it was worth a try. "At this stage, I don't think I have much of a choice, do I?" Chester sighed softly as he backed away a few steps, stopping at Izaya's side.

Izaya smiled as he realized he'd already gotten his first two members. The trembling in his body stopped and the feigned confidence he portrayed towards Ishiki slowly began to become courage. This could be done. He was fired up. He shifted his gaze to the boy next to Ryuu once again in his underwear and asked, "What about you, Ie... Ie...haku?" He thought back to the fiasco this kid caused earlier, "Will you join us? Be the protector or the protected? I've seen what you can do." This kid could be a great asset, but without him, they could still charge in. They have a chance to take down Ishiki and his goons. Standing there, with Ryuu holding a bat determinedly at his left and Chester lounging cooly at his right, they were the picture of inspiration.

Ieharu looked up at Izaya and the others, tears in his eyes. Even after he managed to roll his elder brother onto his back, Ieyoshi still wasn't moving. He didn't even look like he was breathing. And Godot wouldn't help him for some reason! Worse, he could barely feel his body. He remembered everything he did while under the influence of Godot's... "dying will" or whatever he said, but he simply couldn't believe it. It was like a dream. A dream that really... really hurt. He could swear some of his teeth were loose, and the sour metallic taste of his own blood still filled his mouth. His arm hurt every time he moved it. To be honest, it was probably broken. Plus, he was naked again! Naked and surrounded by a bunch of people. Again. And Ieyoshi wouldn't wake up, no matter how many times he called his name.

Ieharu looked away from Izaya. "I'll protect my brother," he muttered through his own sniffling, looking sideways at Godot as he continued. "Someone has to." Though there wasn't much he'd be able to do anyway. With all the damage he'd taken from that monster Ishiki, it took everything that he had just to remain conscious.

"Thanks man, you're a natural born hero already. I'm Izaya, future hero!" He waved, then remembered that they still were in a dangerous situation. Good thing Ishiki and his members were pretty patient. The support received by these three gave Izaya a surge of overwhelming hope. Maybe he wasn't crazy for standing up to Ishiki alone. This is working out he muttered to himself. With his regained confidence he said boldly as he darted headfirst towards Ishiki, "This is the first task of the Hero Club! To take down the rest of the martial arts goon! Come on guys!"

"Hero Club?!" Ryuu said incredulously. The bat swung in a blur as the club members scattered out of the way, and he swished the bat above and behind him just in time to hit the face of the club member who had tried to sneak up on him from behind. There was a crunch of bone, and the teen stumbled backwards, his hand going up to cup a broken nose. Why heroes?! Heroes only existed in books, unlike villains. Any hero in real life were just fakes who were out for rewards and fame and self gratification. There was always an ulterior motive somewhere, it was just how people were. It was an awful name for the club he needed to join, but... "Agh, whatever. Let's get this over and done with already!" he muttered, jabbing his elbow into another club member's gut.

Chester's form flashed as a club member tried to land a blow on him, instead appearing behind him once again and landing a blow on his back. When the member regained his balance and spun around, Chester was no longer there, once again at his back without fail. He might not be good combat wise, but at stealth attacks there was hardly any that can best him, his eyes scanning the opponents for gaps in their peripheral vision and slipping through. "Wait a second, before I get myself into this club any deeper... Are all the activities beating people up? When? I can't stay back for that long."

"Probably not, since we're the 'heroes club'," Ryuu said dryly, connotations practically visible around the words. He dodged to the side as one of the goons smashed to where his head was and brought the bat up to deflect another hit, wincing at the sudden movement. Despite the fact that his body ached painfully, Ryuu forced himself to move as quickly as possible, hitting everybody who wasn't a first year in sight with precise, sharp blows. Screw it, he was hurting too much to hold back. At this stage he was just fed up with the whole thing. "That is a terrible name, why not we just make it the 'Odd Jobs Club'? It's a lot better then stupid heroes anyway."

"The Odd Jobs Club doesn't sound quite as appealing, but that's beside the point. Can we argue about this later?" Chester suggested as he ducked a flying punch inches away from his head, before disappearing again.

Izaya punched another martial arts goon who was luckily less skilled than he was. He received a few punches from him, but Izaya's previous painful escapades such as falling form a tree was much more painful. "We'll work out the meeting times, maybe even have hero masks! The possibilities are endless!" He says while hitting another goon.

"No way we're going to have hero masks. Too much attention." Chester sighed quietly. His luck wasn't the best today, it appears that he had involved himself once again in something quite troublesome. Beside him, Ryuu nodded vehemently in agreement. "Hero masks look dumb anyway," he added as he shoved the upperclassmen away. Even though they were putting up a good job fighting, they had to struggle to keep the upper hand, and they were slowly getting forced back into a small circle as the club members surrounded them, herding them towards each other.

A few shadowy figures started to form in the distance. "Is back up here? I know we called for another set," one of the goons said out loud.

Ishiki sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead and massaging his brow. None of this was going as planned. All of these little first years kept crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches, and they wouldn't go away. It just kept getting worse. He glanced down briefly at his hands once more before taking another look around, assessing the situation. That steroid punk and his homicidal pedo friend had disabled his best members, and this backup B-team was getting handled. And Aka—

Ishiki swept the area with his eyes. Where was Akako? Did she leave him? When did she leave? Was it after that brat forced him to touch the ground? That's just like her, to bail at an inopportune moment. It was a wonder he even tolerated her crap. It must've been her, then, that called for the other members to come assist them as backup then, because he sure as hell didn't. That's when he noticed it. A familiar sort of pressure emanating from his right side. Slowly, he turned his head to glower at this new threat, holding back the urge to wince. It had to be slowly, because his neck, let alone his entire body, was still in a pretty serious amount of pain.

Step by step, Damien continued walking straight towards Ishiki still a slight distance away. His aura gave off an inhuman vibe while his eyes stood fixed upon the leader. In his right hand, he held the collar of one of Ishiki's martial arts members knocked out cold and dragged him across the ground with no concern of his injuries. A little way behind him, Enn was dragging another unconscious member carelessly by the foot with one hand, the older teen's face jerking whenever it hit a bump on the ground. The happy smile and cheerful bounce in his step contrasted Daimen's downturned scowl and jerky movements sharply, but his bloodthirsty aura and the battle-happy look in his eyes were on par with Damien's pitchblack vibe. Behind them, an uninjured but upset Shou carrying their bags kept up the rear guard with a worried look on his face, eyes widening with shock that rapidly turned to worry as he took in the scene before him.

"Take this!" A martial arts member ran towards Damien to hit him from his side.

Without changing his pace or gaze, Damien merely hit him once to the face sending him flying back and continued his path directly towards Ishiki. Two more men came charging in their direction. Damien stopped in his tracks for a brief second and said, "Enn, can you handle this for me? I need to have a word with the soon to be departed."

"Boo, I wanted to fight the tough one!" Enn pouted at Damien, the action more at home on a child then a fifteen year old male. The rest of them were so weak! Not fun at all. The look on Damien's face brooked no argument though, so Enn turned to face the remaining members sulkily, dropping the unconscious guy he'd been dragging onto the floor. "Only because you were the one asking, ok? And you owe me a fight tomorrow!"

Damien responded with a smirk at Enn, "Just don't get worn out today from these guys, and we'll see."

This monster post is PART 2 of the team effort made by the following: KumoriKitsune, Lloyd999, Alle9009, Moahi, Pandora's Melancholy, Xunnamius. Wow!

---

"Hahaha, good joke Damien!" Enn laughed brightly as he turned to face the other members, who looked like they weren't sure what to make of him. Looking at them, Enn felt himself brightening. More people to fight, and maybe they wouldn't be as weak as the one's him and Damien taken down earlier! The menacing aura around Enn grew larger as he raised his arms fluidly, and Shou closed his eyes in what looked like a prayer as a smile worthy of being in a slasher movie grew across Enn's face. The upperclassmen gulped nervously as one, sweat trickling down their backs.

Enn darted forwards so fast that he was almost a blur, eyes wide with maniacal glee. "Let's play~!"

Damien ignored the terrified screams, childish cackling and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh as he walked to the boss. Finally, he stood right in front of Ishiki looking him right into the eyes. He dropped the man he dragged previously.

Ishiki sighed, bringing his hand to his neck once more. Where were all of these people even coming from? They needed a new secret location after this. Suddenly, he realized his patience was at its end. Akako was gone, his best guys were on the floor, he was hurt, and stupid children kept jumping in. And who was this tough guy twerp who dared to stand up to him? "Hey kid," he muttered, rubbing his neck. Perhaps he was a bit more injured than he wanted to admit. "I've seen you around with that steroid brain over there," he said, thrusting his chin in Ieyoshi's direction. "Maybe you should go check on him, huh? My guys kicked his ass pretty goo—"

Damien grabbed him by the throat without giving him a second to finish his statement. "Next time, death," was all he muttered to him. He sent a highly precise kick at Ishiki's achilles heel. He won't be able to walk straight for at least a couple of weeks, but having crutches over losing your life seems like a fair deal. "Out of my sight," he said throwing him back. As soon as he hit the ground, Ishiki wasn't even a being in Damien sight. He became a ghost and so insignificant to not even be acknowledged. The twins were the focus of his gaze. Ieyoshi was knocked out but Ieharu was still conscious. Never again will they be let out of his sight. He went up to Ieharu, taking his own coat off and draping it around the twin's shoulders.

"Damien," Ieharu wheezed, trying his best to muster up a grin at the sight of so close a friend. He managed it for only a second. "Where ya been?" At this point, he was barely speaking at more than a whisper. Suddenly, he lost consciousness, falling backwards. Little spots of red began to seep through Damien's coat, from where Ieharu's unprotected back slid across the pavement earlier. His right arm was also beginning to turn a nasty shade of purple near the shoulder joint.

He quickly caught Ieharu with a soft grip. He was extremely light. He looked at Ieharu with a bit of grief on his face. He really did try hard. He didn't expect Ieharu to put up much of a fight, but the information he'd received from the martial arts members him and Enn took out together, he made a good amount of noise. "I'm sorry Haku. Next time, I'll be there regardless of roadblocks." Next time, he'd just have to go against Ieyoshi's wishes. He's been trained for moments like these and his first opportunity where he's needed, he'd failed. Never again. He picked up Ieharu and shifted his limp form away from Ieyoshi's.

"Hey you guys over there," he called, obviously referring to Izaya, Chester, and the mad hatter himself, Ryuu. "I just want to say thanks for helping out the twins." He went over Ieyoshi's side and bent down slightly without putting Ieharu in an uncomfortable position. He stood looking at his closest friend on the ground. Instead of shaming him, he gave him a chance to revive himself. He said in his casual manner, "Hey Batman, Gotham needs you. Get up, a Hokage can't protect this village alone."

"No problem sir, it's a heroes duty to protect others!" he said replying to Damien's gratitude. "We did it, we did it," Izaya chanted. "Hero club, Hero club!" He continued with his own theme song. He surprisingly had enough energy to continue and did his own seemingly cool hero poses. He was cut off with a yelp of pain as Ryuu punched him harshly in the shoulder, expression deadpan.

"What 'we'? We still needed help," he said tiredly, leaning on the bat the way an old man would use a cane. Scowling like he had no clue how to respond to the gratitude Damien was showing, he gave a grudging nod of thanks towards Damien. "And I still think Odd Jobs club is better then the Hero Club. Whoever heard of a club being called the Hero Club anyway?"

"Pssst, Ryuu," Izaya whispered quite loudly to him. "We'll be fine. We're the Heroooooo club," he said with an exaggerated title. "We shall recover, and fight another day!"

"Odd Jobs Club," Ryuu shot back, glowering childishly at Izaya. There wasn't much heat behind his glare, however. "And what fight another day, we'd have lost if they hadn't turned up - are you even listening to me?!"

"We?" Chester questioned wearily as he came to a stop. Enn and Damien seemed to finish it within a matter of minutes, why didn't he think of calling them earlier? It would have saved them so much time and trouble. At least someone was happy about this whole scenario however, and Chester was considerate enough not to rain on his parade.

"Yes! We! The Hero Club, hero club," he continued singing with Ryuu's rebuttal. New determination shown in Ryuu's eyes. and the duo started to chant "hero club" and "odd jobs club" like children saying "is too!" and "is not!" over something they believed to be truth until Chester tried to break into their argument with little to no success.

"Guys, guys! Can't we settle this by flipping a coin or something? This isn't particularly important, is it?"

Without warning, Ieyoshi inhaled sharply. In the next moment, he sat up, using his arm to balance himself. It didn't take him long to assess the situation. Damien was here, which meant Ieharu was safe. That's all that mattered. "Ugh," he groaned like the walking dead, running his hand through his hair. "Hero hero hero," he chimed in, doing his best Izaya impression. "So loud. Can't you just let me rest in peace?" He eyed Damien when he spoke his next line. "And did somebody call for Batman?"

Damien smiled and said, "Welcome back Bruce. All has been handled."

That's when it all came back to him, in a sudden wave of memory. "ISHIKI!" He hissed, the faintest whiff of panic underlining his voice, but it dissipated after noticing that Ishiki was nowhere in his immediate vicinity. "Guess you guys kicked his butt, huh." Something else had caught Ieyoshi's eye, however. Something annoying. Something unsatisfactory. Something that, if he weren't feeling so hung over, he'd have handled with much fire and brimstone.

"Oh, you're still here, nanny?" From his tone, it was obviously meant to be taken as an insult. "Gonna shoot me again?!"

Clap, clap, clap. A man—the one Ieyoshi had referred to as "nanny"—applauded.

"Congratulations, boys," the mysterious man said, "Today has been very productive. Haku," he smirked at Ieharu, "Looks like we were able to successfully bring out your resolve and use it for a useful purpose. We also got to see your brother's dying will, but it appears..." Godot approached Ieharu and Ieyoshi. He looked down at the twins. "... that his dying will is rather special. I'll tell you two about that later you later. Still, it appears we've accomplished a lot more than I intended for today's lesson." Godot looked around at the various students who were still around, those that had joined in the conflict against Ishiki. "Why, it appears you two have managed to start something. You've united your friends against a common enemy, good on you. You two are regular revolutionaries! What's your secret, hmm?"

"Fuck. You." Ieyoshi said flat out. "Really. Fuck you."

"Ah, nevermind that," Godot continued, "Let's head home now, I'm hungry..." Godot paused to think, looking toward his side. "Although, I suppose it would be best if we had your injuries healed and made sure your brother was alright." Godot scratched the back of his neck. "But... if you're up for it, I guess us three could go out for some ice cream, if that'll make you feel better. It'll be my treat." Godot didn't want to mention that this entire incident was practically his fault, from the first bullet he shot, and there was also the fact that he never stepped in to protect them.

Damien looked at the seemingly misplaced man, "Hey, who the hell is this guy? And don't be so casual with the twins." He didn't even notice him until he begun his spiel on the twins.

"He's our new nanny" Ieyoshi said, spitting out the words like they were venomous. "That no-good Tsuna brought him in like a week ago and ever since all this weird shit has been going on."

Izaya asked, "Ice cream does sound good, are you inviting all of us? No one who invites kids for ice cream could be that bad."

"No. No they might be very bad." Chester looked at Izaya with an air of disbelief.

As if on cue, Ryuu gave Izaya a (gentle) dope slap on the shoulder. "Have your parents never taught you not to listen to strangers? And are we just going to overlook the fact that he just SHOT someone?"

"Hmm, but strangers could be potential people that need help...and ice cream is so good," he said partly ignoring the shot part.

"Or they could be people looking to kidnap someone or worse, you dolt. And," Ryuu shrugged with one shoulder as he responded to Chester, "They're still alive. I say that counts as something. If we do go though, I want a strawberry vanilla chocolate combo." Ryuu muttered, mind drifting at the thought of ice cream, Mmmm, free icecream... maybe if it wasn't by Beretta McTrigger-happy though.

Godot shot a glare at Izaya. "You'll get ice cream from me when you beat me within an inch of my life, and then some!" Then, Godot's expression changed back to it's original friendly state as he chuckled. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not. Then he sighed in defeat. "I suppose I have no choice, heroes."

"Hmmm, I think that goes around my Hero code, might not be able to do that," he replied while putting himself in a thinking pose. "I'll have to think about how to do that. Hero club, organize."

"We're not heroes, and the club is Odd Jobs Club, not the hero club you idjit," Ryuu said defeatedly, but he stayed quiet and paid attention to Godot anyway. Finally, explanations! The only way this could've been weirder was if he'd waken up perfectly happy to his parent's cooking breakfast in his own house, and he wanted to know what the hell had been going on.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself formally," Godot put his hands in his pockets and stood awfully proudly, "I suppose I hadn't yet done that to my own little students yet." He chuckled. "I am the Hitman Tutor Godot and I am under the employment of the Sawadas. All that really means is that I'm these two little munchkins' home tutor, who carries a pretend gun around." Godot then brought his gun out of his pocket and pointed it at a wall. "As you can see, it's very well made." Godot then began to fire off several shots at the wall. They made a 'pop, pop, pop' sound, but they didn't sound anything like the shots Godot fired off earlier. Orange paint splattered onto the wall where it hit, the impacts creating 'smack' sounds that echoed off the walls. "It's an, uh... educational device."

Right, a TOY gun that nearly knocked Ieyoshi out and made him return like a zombie. Chester was beginning to wonder if he should start feeling insulted by the lack lustre explanation given. Besides, the thing that burned in Ieharu's head was definitely a flame. His eyes were keen, and there was a definite difference between paint and a flickering flame. Shou didn't look convinced either, and Ryuu raised an eyebrow skeptically, making it evident that they weren't quite believing Godot either.

"Nonetheless," Godot continued, "I guess you could call me a sort of special home tutor. I'm not the kind that just helps you shrimps with homework that'll never teach you anything. No, I teach essentials. A lot of good pythagorean theorem will do for you when you're fighting for other's lives." Godot glanced to the side. "I'm kind of expensive though."

"Home tutor," Damien said with a smile. "Oh, you're the guy!" He finally pieced it together, "I didn't know the details from my father, but he briefly mentioned someone like you coming soon." He fixed himself up to no longer hold an aggressive demeanor even though he was still carrying Ieharu. "Forgive my rudeness, I didn't know who you were. I'm Damien, Hayato's son, in case you didn't know." This was one of the few times Damien would actually be a bit respectful to authority, only when it is mafia related.

"Don't act all polite to him, Dam." Ieyoshi muttered, refusing to look Godot in the eye. "Just look at him. He doesn't deserve it." The elder twin grabbed his sibling's limp hand, stringing his fingers through his brother's and squeezing tight. After a moment, it seemed that Ieharu began to breathe a little easier.

Ah things were going just great. Damien knew him too apparently, and the stranger seemed to have something to do with his Father? Regardless, Chester was pretty eager to leave. "Well, if no one needs me now.. I'd be off thank you very much." He said, raising his hand slightly as if asking a question. Before he even got a reply however, Chester was off in a flash, nearly vanishing from view like he did in the fight, hiding in the blind spots of their vision as he made his exit. There was no point in staying when they seemed to solve their own problems, and he had his butterfly waiting for him at home.

Beside them, Enn piped up despite Shou's best efforts to keep him quiet. "That sounds awesome~!" He bounded cheerfully over to Godot, eyes shining with awe. It was pretty obvious that he didn't really care that his friends were injured - just one assessing glance at them like they were covered in water instead of blood and injuries and that was it. "Teach me too! I want to fight strong people too! Please?!" He moved around Godot like a puppy wagging its tail, directing his most pleading puppy eyes at Godot. "Please please please-"

"Enn!" Shou grabbed his brother and pulled him away from Godot, placing a hand over his mouth, "Sorry about him," he said apologetically, trying not to shake as Enn gradually stilled under his hold, still pulling off his most doggy eyes at Godot. Normal people didn't know about the Dying Will Flame, which meant that what had happened wasn't normal and was probably related to the mafia and that wasn't good; he'd had came to Japan to get away from anything related to the mafia, why was it turning up here of all places? Shou felt like crying as he felt his hope for a normal life shatter into dust, but gathered himself together enough to form a wavering smile. "Um, please don't pay any attention to what he said just now. We, uh, we can't afford it anyway."

"Just take 'em," Ieyoshi grumbled under his breath.

"Ah, that's alright," Godot replied, "just be careful. I might teach you boys something on accident. Wouldn't that be terrible?" Godot stared at something on the ground, apparently thinking about something. "Hey, heroes," he said to the group, "maybe you guys could perhaps demonstrate some good intentions by taking a look at the bad guy over there?" Godot nodded toward Ishiki, who was still on the ground and practically forgotten about.

"We're not heroes," Ryuu muttered automatically, but he went to check on Ishiki anyway, wincing as his body ached from the movement. Ugh, resting sounded like a really good idea now. Maybe he should skip school tomorrow... nah, his aunt'd murder him if he stayed in the house any longer than he did already. He made his way to Ishiki, limping a little. The guy was dangerous, he wasn't planning on letting someone else check on Ishiki just to get taken hostage or whatever. Keeping a healthy distance away, he looked over at the teen, whom had assumed a cross-legged position on the ground. "Nothing really wrong with him," he called out, bat still at the ready. Ishiki let out a low growl, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

A girl's voice called out, "Get away from him!" Ishiki's girlfriend, Akako, was approaching quickly. For some reason, she was absent for a majority of Ishiki's fight. Akako didn't seem so threatening without anybody beside her, but expression seemed like that of pure fury. Akako quickly came to crouch by her boyfriend's side. "Ishiki, look at you," she said to him, almost soothingly, "You're hurt. They beat you bad. How awful. How terrible." Then, strangely, the tone of Akako's voice began to change, as she steadily spoke louder. "How awful! How terrible!" Then, Akako bent down to whisper one word to him; "Useless."

"You hear me?" Akako stood up and began to shout, "You're useless! You and your stupid martial arts! International, my foot! Can't even beat two first years? You couldn't even punch that wimp Ieharu down! You know what's going to happen to you now? Rosa's not going to associate herself with weaklings, but you? You disgrace me! You can't do a single thing I say right! Your terrible, awful! People just call you cool because they think you're all that, but you know what? Nobody likes you! Yeah, that's right. First chance they got, all these kids came here to beat your stupid face in! Kinda says something, don't you think? And, you know what? I don't even like martial arts! Do you think I enjoyed a single moment whenever I was in that same rancid-smelling room with you disgusting, sweaty guys? Hah! I never even liked you. You're always thinking about yourself, and you'd act like such a moron whenever you talked about yourself and your stupid club. Give me a little attention, you dumbass. Think you're so tough? Remember those guys that came for backup? Guess who told them to come here? Me! Why? Because you're an idiot who can't even look beyond himself even if their life depended on it. God, you don't even deserve to live, you..." Akako stalled a bit to find a word, "You bletch." Akako crossed her arms and didn't look at him anymore.

"And you call him self centered," Ryuu said, eyebrows raised high as he looked at her. Geez, he'd always thought of her as a bitch, but not this much of one. He almost felt sorry for Ishiki now. The guy looked shocked at Akako's outburst, like he'd never expected her to feel that way. "Talk about black pot and kettles. You're more self centered than he is, the way you use him. In fact, the two of you fit perfectly together considering how alike you dingbats are." He knew he was running his mouth, but Ryuu didn't like the way Akako behaved, like she was entitled to the world and nothing was her fault. He rested the bat lightly against his shoulder. "Although skank might be a better word for you instead," he muttered thoughtfully, not realizing that he was speaking loud enough for Akako to hear him.

"Bite me," was all that she responded with. She didn't need to waste her breath on unrelated parties. She wasn't told to pick on him, after all. Only Ishiki needed to be cut off, Rosa told Akako.

Ieyoshi squinted at the trio, all their shouting and barking and banter doing nothing for his splitting migraine. He wasn't allowed to drink, but this had to be what a hangover felt like. Ugh. He got to his feet, still grasping his brother's hand. He held out his other hand, making a "gimmie" motion to Damien, his intent obvious. When Damien let Ieharu down, Ieyoshi picked him up piggy-back style, wrapping his arms under the boy's legs and allowing his brother's body to lean against his back.

"Well, uh, we're outta here or whatever." He made sure to throw Godot his meanest glare before turning his back to the man. "Fucking toy gun my ass." He uttered, again under his breath. "We're gonna go, 'cause if we get there after my mom does and she sees Haku, well... it won't turn out well for anyone." Without further ado, Ieyoshi began walking towards the lot's exit.

"R-Right, we should probably get you guys to the hospital." Shou looked worriedly at them, as if he was only now registering the boys battered states. Ryuu shrugged like he didn't care about it and walked over to reach for the bags Shou was holding, grabbing his own with a small sigh of relief. The group turned to walk away from the scene of carnage behind them, forming an odd picture - Damien and Ieyoshi leading the way with Ieyoshi carrying the still mostly naked Ieharu, Izaya and Ryuu together at the left a little bit behind them looking completely battered and arguing about the name for their club again and searching for a coin, Enn and Shou a little to the right as Enn smiled like he'd just had a nice workout and Shou with a worried crease in his forehead like he was expecting the teachers to pop up at any moment. Behind all of them was the mysterious figure Godot. Almost every aspect about him seemed to be an indication that this was not a man to be trusted, yet in truth, he wasn't really looking to be trusted. He smirked as he watched the boys, talk and debate among themselves, like any group of boys would after a group effort. It was almost like they'd forgotten that there were people still beaten up behind them.

Shou did look back, anxious about the unconscious students, but his head snapped back forwards at the sight of a purple-haired man standing next to Akako, smiling and relaxed like he had been there the whole while. A shudder ran down his spine as he gently pushed Enn and the others forwards, and soon enough the group were at the gate, going their separate ways like it had just been any other normal school day.