KS: Bloodline (Act 2: Chapter Three 2/11)

[atw_ah]

Hi everybody!
Ok, something very important before you read this chapter!
Normally, my chapters are about 1000 words long and don't include musical suggestions. Chapter Five is different because it's three times longer so I have the liberty to use music. I usually don't because the shorter chapters only have one or two songs in it and it wouldn't be worth it. But since this one was longer I have multiple songs in it that help the story along. You don't have to use it but if you want to go ahead. Enjoy!

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Chapter Five: One Step at a Time

Who the hell does he think he is? He's just a pompous, inconsiderate, over-glorified lackey for a manipulative, underhanded, shady president. He has no idea who I am, what I lost after my stroke. Who is he to cast judgment on me?

Since Hanamaru was standing outside of my room, I didn't have a chance to change out of my pajamas and into my gym clothes. A quick trip to the nearest restroom and I was ready to head out to the track to hopefully calm my nerves.

To hell with Hanamaru! I'd be happy if I never have to see him again.

Normally I wouldn't get this way when confronting people that look down on me, but the combination of that nightmare, being woken up early, Hanamaru's attitude, and being called worthless really got to me. Had I stayed there any longer I would have punched him in that smug face of his but I'm pretty sure Yamaku has extremely strict rules against that kind of behavior. I don't want to be known as that guy who got kicked out of school on his second day.

Maybe getting out of this school wouldn't be so bad. I not physically limited as other students here are. I could probably go to a normal school without so much of an incident as long as I don't lose my head. But my parents have already paid the tuition for the year and I wouldn't be allowed to leave without permission from the administration and the nursing staff.

I'm stuck here. What can I do?

Before I realize it, I find myself on the edge of the field. The track here is roughly the same size as the one back at my old school. The area around it however, is more open and free. It looks like someone could just walk into the woods and nobody would notice. It's strangely isolated, I expected that there would be someone from the nursing staff here keeping guard in case someone wanted to go running.

In fact, there's no one here. Except for someone already stretching by the side of the track.

Another student? No, wait this person looks too old. A teacher, a coach? It looks like he's getting ready for a morning run.

As I approach the track, the man stands up and notices my presence. He turns around and looks in my direction.

"Oh, it's you! Good morning, Yaso." The man, who I now recognize to be one of my teachers, looks surprised that I'm out here.

"Good morning, Mr. Nakai," I reply back, "I didn't expect to find anyone here already."

What a shame, I just wanted to be alone.

Nakai chuckles at my bewildered response. "With you being a new student, I guess it's understandable why you're surprised. I actually come here every day for a morning run."

I can understand the logic behind a morning run. It helps get your body moving and your blood flowing. For me, running has always been sort of a relaxation technique that I use whenever I'm bothered by the things in my life.

"I see." I would respond more but I figure the less we talk the sooner I can get to running.

I join Nakai in a couple of quick stretches and without another word said we start on the track.

Without noticing it, I find myself running next to Nakai. His pace is a little slow for my liking so I begin to speed up.

With every step I take, I remember the argument I had with Hanamaru and the "discussions" I had with Hakamichi as they tried to rope me into the Student Council, I remember my strange nightmare, and I remember my first day at Yamaku.

This isn't helping. I need to go faster!

I push myself even faster, hoping that in some way I'll be able to run past my problems and forget them. But I can't.

Come on, move faster!

Again I push myself, I try harder and harder to get past all of my troubles to just ignore them and hopefully move on.

I step with my right foot.

I'm running so hard that I'm starting to remember the track meet.

I step with my left foot.

I was running near this same speed when I started to have my stroke.

I step with my right foot.

I'm beginning to round the curve of the track, near where I fell that night.

I stop with my left foot.

Stop! No more! I can't risk it again! I don't want to go back to the hospital! I don't want to-

"Yaso!" I hear Nakai run up from behind me, catching me before I fall to the ground.

My legs are shaking so much that they can't hold my weight. My breathing becomes labored and my head is spinning. It feels so much like that night.

Oh God! Please not again, please not again!

Nakai brings me to the bleachers where he sits me down and hands me some water.

"Yaso! Are you all right!? Listen to me just calm down and drink some water!"

I can still hear him, that's a good sign right? I'm still conscious, it's not a stroke, it's not a stroke, it's not a stroke...

I begin to calm down and everything around me is becoming clearer. Nakai is standing in front of me making sure that I don't pass out.

"Yaso, you're better now right? Wait here while I go get a nurse!"

"N-no!" I yell out to him before he runs off to get help.

"P-please don't. T-this isn't something that c-concerns him. Just give me soon t-time."

Now that I've relaxed, I can begin checking to see if everything is as it should be.

Part of my therapy included a lesson on how to check my body for anything that may cause a problem. The doctors had made sure that I learned how my body was supposed to act after my stroke. I learned what I can and can't do and the limits of my strength and movement. With that knowledge in mind, I can feel if something isn't right whenever I need to check.

Legs, sore but otherwise all right.

Arms, no harm done.

Head, spinning but returning to normal.

Vision, slowly becoming clearer.

...

After a few moments in silence, I've made sure that I'm still in control of my body and nothing has shut down. It wasn't a stroke, I'm okay.

"Yaso," Nakai says in soft, concerned tone, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. That was nothing, it was just-" I stop for a moment to consider how to continue. "It was something I've experienced before, nothing serious."

"You've experienced it before?" Nakai doesn't seem to believe me.

"Yes," I stand up to help prove my point. "After I got out of the hospital and before coming to Yamaku, this happened to me when I was at my house. It was a sort of panic attack, nothing too serious."

"Panic attack?" Nakai still doesn't seem convinced of my well being. For some reason, the moment I said that his expression turned sour.

"A small one of sorts. It happened because I was suddenly bombarded with many painful memories. My accident and other things that happened."

I'd rather not go into detail about those things to Nakai.

He doesn't say anything but it's obvious that he's still concerned. I guess I have to explain a little bit more.

"Last year I had a stroke when I was running anchor for the mile relay. When I was given the baton I wanted to run but my body stopped listening to me. I fell to ground and I couldn't get up until I eventually blacked out. I guess with everything that's happened to me, running on the track just reminded me of that night and well, you saw what happened."

"What do you mean 'everything that's happened to you'?"

Damn it! Why are you so nosy!

I quickly run away from the bleachers and back onto the track. "Come on, Mr. Nakai! We don't have much time to finish our run!" I try to sound as positive and happy as I can be and hopefully he doesn't ask any more questions.

He remains quiet for a moment and doesn't move from the bleachers. Eventually, he slowly makes his way back on the track.

"Yaso, tell me one thing. Do you want to be here?" He keeps his eyes locked on me, watching every move I make. "Do you want to be at Yamaku?"

I answer instinctively, truthfully. "No, I don't. I don't think I need to be here. As long as I keep from reminding myself of the past, I can live my life without incident. I'm not like the other students."

Nakai doesn't seem to be surprised by my answer, in fact it seems like he expected it. He smiles a bit. It's not a smile of happiness but of one that seems to be hiding something else.

"You can continuing running without another incident right?'

I nod.

I guess that means he finally believes that I'm okay. But why is he still smiling?

"Ok Yaso, since you so firmly believe that you don't belong at Yamaku, I'll make you a deal." His expression is serious, almost scary but that strange smile still remains.

"What sort of deal?"

"We're both tired from our earlier run and incident, we're almost on even ground now. So here's the deal, one lap. If you can beat me in a one lap race then I will convince administration to let you transfer. However, if you can't beat me, you have to finish the year at Yamaku."

What!? How can he say something so calmly? He can't be serious?

"W-what are you talking about? You c-can't do something like that."

"I have connections with the administration and nursing staff, if I can prove to them that you can survive just as well at another as you can here, they'll let you go. The teachers here have a lot of influence on the lives of the students because we see you guys most out of everyone." The whole time Nakai speaks, that smile of his doesn't falter. What is he hiding? "So are we in agreement?"

Without a word, we shake on it.

What's going on here? I just had a panic attack and Nakai is challenging me to a race? And I accepted?

As we stand on the line that Nakai has drawn in the dirt, we both get into our starting positions.

Nakai is in charge of when we start.

"Ready!"

We both put our hands on the line.

"Set!"

We lift our knees off the ground and begin pushing our weight forward.

Here we go! My one chance to escape Yamaku!

"Go!"

We both take off and quickly round the first curve.

As long as I focus on the task at hand, I shouldn't start panicking again. Nakai isn't that fast so I won't need to push that hard. He's too old and too slow to be able to beat me.

As we finish the first curve, I begin to pull ahead. Nakai responds to my acceleration and begins to speed up to match me.

As we start the second curve, I cut into the innermost lane forcing Nakai to either stay behind me or use up more energy to try to pass me in the outer lane. He decides to stay behind me, slowly catching up.

As I finish the curve, I sprint into the straightaway trying my hardest to leave Nakai behind me.

70m left.

I lose my focus on Nakai. I can't tell where he is but as long as he's not in front I'm fine.

60m left.

I notice something in the corner of my eye. He's starting to catch up.

50m left.

He's alongside me. I can't push any more without risking another shock.

40m left.

I put all of my weight forward, running faster and pushing my limits. Memories of that night are starting to appear in my head but I push them out as I see the finish line come closer.

30m left.

Time seems to slow down. Nakai and I are neck and neck. Neither one of us willing to concede.

20m left.

Impossible! No! Nakai took the lead! I can't move faster! How is he doing it?

10m left.

I can see his back and I can't do anything about it. I lost.

0m left.

Nakai beat me. I'm stuck here in Yamaku.

Damn it! My one chance and I blew it!

With his hands on his head and panting heavily, Nakai turns around and looks at me. His smile is still there. "You know our agreement Yaso. You have to stay at Yamaku without any-"

"Bullshit!" I cut him off before he finishes talking. "How fair was that? You challenge a stroke victim after he had a panic attack to a race. Yeah, you must feel like a big man!"

He's just another one! I thought he above this being a teacher at Yamaku, but he's just the same. Picking on the poor cripple and taking advantage of his disabilities.

"You must make every teacher here proud by the way that you mock the students! I bet they're all like that, every teacher ready to tear down the hopes and dreams of us that can no longer return to regular lives. You'll never understand what it's like to have your life change completely because of an accident!" My words are filled with venom but I don't try to hide it, I sick of holding anything back. I'm sick of this place.

As begin making my way towards the woods. I hear Nakai calmly say one thing, "Arrhythmia."

"What?"

"Arrhythmia, it's a condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly and increases the chances of a heart attack. It also severely reduces the life expectancy of the person who has it."

"What the hell does that have to do with-"

"When I was seventeen, I had a heart attack when a girl confessed to me. I was in the hospital for months and when I got out I was forced to go to another school, Yamaku."

Heart condition? Yamaku?

I remain silent. I don't know what to say nor what to think at this moment. Nakai accepts my silence and continues.

"I was like you when I came here. I hated this place and I wanted to leave. Everyone around me seemed to accept being here but I didn't. I thought they had given up on trying to move forward with their lives and I didn't want to be like that."

"H-how did you-"

"They showed me something different," Nakai seemed to already know my question. "The people I met here taught me to move on with my life. I learned to come to peace with my past, not ignore but accept it and move on from there."

"What were they l-like?"

"I met an amazing artist who drew with her feet because she had no arms. I met the fastest thing on no legs, she was the one who got me into running. I met a girl who couldn't speak or hear but was willing to take on the world if she had to."

Nakai lets out a soft sigh as he remembers his teenage years. "There was a girl who had scars on over half of her body and she was afraid of the rest of the world, but she was gentlest and kindest person you'll ever find. There was even a girl who didn't have any disabilities but was able to smile and laugh even when everything seemed to fall apart. I also met a blind girl who never once let her lack of sight hinder how she lived."

"You certainly knew a lot of girls, what were you some kind of-"

Nakai's glare stops me from finishing my joke.

"So you can crack jokes, good. But I didn't just meet girls. There was a nearly blind boy who was convinced that whole world was against him but was willingly to become friends with the new kid."

"Mr. Nakai, why are you telling me all of this." I've calm down considerably since he started talking. His words are soothing and sincere, I can't help but listen attentively as he speaks.

"Do you remember what I said to you yesterday?"

I think back to yesterday, just after my introduction when he was standing in front of the class and welcoming me. He said "I'm sure you'll be able to find your place here soon."


I remember those words. They were sincere that time too.

"I was serious when I said that. I was lost when I came to Yamaku, but with the help of the people around me I found a new purpose in life, I found a dream and I found love. I'm sure the same can happen to you." At this point his strange smile became clear to me. It was filled with hope, something I've long forgotten about.

Everyone here has their own disability and they've all learned to live with it, even Nakai. This whole time, I've been trying to just get through each day. Maybe if I take the time to enjoy my time here, I can find what Nakai found too.

My realization hits me harder than I imagined as my vision becomes blurry again. I quickly bow in a gesture of appreciation towards Nakai, which also hides the single tear that falls from my eye.

"Thank you, Mr. Nakai. I'm sorry that I said all of those things earlier."

"Don't worry about it. We should hurry and go see Nurse before we're both late to class."

"But I'm okay."

"Hey, you've decided to stay at Yamaku so you'll have to start listening to your teacher. So come on now."

I reluctantly agree to go see Nurse. I guess I really should start listening to those around me.

Nakai isn't so bad after all.

"Hey Mr. Nakai, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"You said you found love here right? So which one of the girls you met here was it? Was it the runner?"

Nakai laughs and puts his hand on my head. "You shouldn't be so interested in the life of your teacher, that's abnormal."

Nakai laughs again and this time I join him.

I wonder what I'll find in my time here in Yamaku.

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*Next Chapter*

At this point I'm wondering about something.
Do you guys want me to include music in every chapter or just the longer ones?
As always, criticism is welcome.

[Mirage_GSM]

I don't mind either way about the music, but for me it's wasted effort. I never listen to music when I read. It tends to distract me.
Oh, and very nice chapter by the way.

[Ascended Flutist]

Very nice. I like how you chose not to pick a girl for Hisao. That's good.

There are strong, if unavoidable, similarities with the Act 1 of KS, but you're doing a very good job of having your own, distinct style and your own, disctinct characters. Familiar yet different. That's also good. Definitely happy I gave your fic a try.

As for the music, it appropriately conveys the changes of mood, even though the narration does a pretty nice job of doing it on its own. It's up to you, really. It's a nice plus, but not everyone will indulge in it, as Mirage_GSM pointed out.

[atw_ah]

Hi everybody! It's been a while since I've updated, you can blame that in the multiple distractions that I've had this week. Anyways, with this chapter for some reason I felt like one of those guys in the front of the old-timey trains just shoveling coal into the furnace. It might just be me who thinks that, I don't know. Enjoy!

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Chapter Six: Group Speak

After what happened on the track this morning, I was expecting to go to class today with a new outlook on life and try to enjoy my time here. Unfortunately, Nakai convinced me to see Nurse and those expectations were quickly demolished.

Nurse wasn't in good mood this morning, mainly because I had forgotten to visit him after class yesterday and the fact that I raced a guy with a weak heart after I had a small panic attack. He made sure to give both Nakai and I an earful about how reckless we were and how irresponsible that race was.

Nakai was lucky enough to have the excuse that he had a class to teach to escape a large portion of Nurse's lecture. I, on the other hand, had to stay to be examined, or be yelled at some more, both seem plausible.

After a quick check-up, Nurse directed me to a nearby bed to rest until I was ready to go back to class. While I was physically exhausted from this morning, my mind was still repeating the words that Nakai had told me on the track. This made me a little curious about my teacher and how the system works around here.

"Hey Nurse, can I ask you a few questions?"

"That's what I'm here for," he replies from the other side of the curtains that separate this bed from the rest of the office. "What's on your mind?"

I sit up from the bed and pull the curtains away to directly address him. "I was wondering how long you have worked here."

"You know it's rude to ask someone about their age." The wide smile on his face betrays any negative feelings that may be in his words. "I've worked for about twenty-seven years now."

"Twenty-seven?" I work out the numbers in my head to see if it was possible for Nurse to be here when Nakai was a third year student.

It seems just about right.

"Were you working here when Mr. Nakai was a student?"

My question causes a chuckle and a sly grin to come from the Nurse. "Well now, it appears you've taken an interest in Nakai. I can't say that it wasn't unexpected. He was always so popular with his students." The wink that he delivers after his statement makes me think that he misinterpreted my question.

"I was j-just curious. He mentioned that he was at Yamaku while we were running today but he didn't tell me much about his time here."

"So you thought that I would fill you in, did you? It was my third year here when I met Nakai, so I have known him for quite a long time."

"What was he like during high school?"

"Sorry, but he doesn't like telling his students about his high school life."

That's interesting, he seemed like he was willing to talk about it this morning.

"Did something bad happen to him?"

Nurse shakes his head. "He used to be open with his classes about his life here at Yamaku. It was only up until a few years ago that he stopped sharing his stories." He stops for a moment to consider how he'll continue.

"His situation changed a few years ago. Since then he's been less open to prevent any unnecessary problems," his voice trails off as he sips his coffee.

It seems that this line of conversation is over so I move on to my next question. "You know about the deal that Mr. Nakai made with me, right? If I had won that race, could he have actually gone through with his end?"

Nurse's brow furrows at the mention of our ridiculous deal. "He'd have to get my approval to allow you to leave. But even if I said no, he could have gone straight to the principal and pulled some strings to get you transferred."

"Wait, so he was serious about his deal!?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, Nakai has some leverage around the school. He's close to the principal and many of the higher ups. It's mainly due to him being an alumni."

"Is it common for alumni's to teach here?"

"I wouldn't say that it's common but it's not extremely rare. In fact, there are two other alumni's that are teaching here. Some students just get so inspired to share their experiences that they come back here to teach a new generation." He smiles slightly at this fact. It seems to bring him some joy seeing those he helped grow up and help others.

I glance at the clock and see that it's starting to get late. "Hey, is it all right if I head out? I don't want to miss too much of my second day."

"You seem to be doing fine, so I'll let you go," Nurse quickly scribbles something on a small piece of paper and hands it to me. "Here, give this to Nakai when you go back."

I take a look at the note. It's not an excuse for my tardiness but rather a summons for Nakai to come to the Nurse's after class.

"Nakai should still be teaching when you make it back to class, so could you make sure that he gets this note." He smiles again, but this time it has a bit of a sinister edge to it.

I take the note and promise that I'll deliver it. I quickly grab all of my things and head back to my dorm for a quick shower.

The classroom was unexpectedly quiet as I opened the door. Nakai is sitting at his desk working on his own paper work while everyone else seems to have formed small groups to work on the long list of assignments on the board. I quietly approach the front desk and hand Nakai the note.

"What's this? You don't need to give me a note, I already knew you were at the Nurse's office," he chuckles as he reaches over his desk to take the note.

"Oh no. This isn't for me, Nurse wanted me to give this to you," a small smirk makes its way on my face.

Nakai looks confused and curious about what Nurse wrote to him. When he takes a look at the note, his mood suddenly drops. Nurse's note had a severe lack of pleasantries.

"If I knew that teaching you a lesson this morning would cause so much trouble, I wouldn't have done it," he sighs.

"Isn't that what being a teacher means?"

Nakai looks at me as if I wasn't suppose to hear that. "Yeah, well, it's a bit of an inconvenience at certain times. I still enjoy it teaching class though." He coughs into his hand and points to the board behind him. "Speaking of class, you should get started on that, it's due before you head to lunch."

As I walk over to my desk I can't help but think about how I don't really know anyone here. Everyone forms groups with their friends, so who does that leave me?

When I reach the spot where my desk should be, I find that it's missing.

"Hey Yaso! Come over here, join our group!" Hakamichi seems to have taken the liberty of moving my desk to be part of her group while I wasn't here.

I don't really want to deal with a member of the Student Council after what happened this morning. However, it doesn't seem like anyone else is willing to have the new guy work with them. But who's the other girl?

"Yeah come on, Yaso! Join us!" said the cheery blonde girl who's working with Hakamichi.

Since it seems that this is my only option, I decide to join the two girls.

As I take a seat, the blonde girl speaks up, "No, don't sit there. Move your desk a little more to your left."

"Why?" I ask as I move according to her directions.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I want to be able to see you when we're working together."

The blonde girl is easy on the eyes with her hair cut short into a pixie-like fashion. Her emerald eyes and her small but cute smile indicate that she is one of those happy-go-lucky kind of girls. The only thing that may put off some people is the fact that she has an eye patch over her left eye. Which explains why I couldn't sit where my desk was originally placed.

"Is this all right?"

"It's perfect. Now we can work together just fine."

If I moved in order to be in her line of sight, why is Hakamichi still to her left? Does she not care that she can't see her?

"As your Student Council President, it's my duty to introduce you to the other students. So Yaso, I'd like to meet-"

"Amaya Mori!" The blonde girl almost jumps out of her seat in order to interrupt Hakamichi, "Kamiko! You know I don't like being introduced by other people."

"Well you weren't going to say anything so I did it for you."

Mori sticks out her tongue and then turns to face me.

"So has Kamiko convinced you to join the Student Council yet?"

Great! Just what I need right now. I already got into one argument about this in the morning, I don't need another one.

"No, so far I don't think I'll be joining. It's just not my thing."

"That's good," Mori giggles quietly. "She tried to get me to join last year but I decided not to. Kamiko's too much of an overbearing bitch when it comes to the Student Council."

Hakamichi shoots her an evil glare when she hears this. It has little effect since the glare occurred outside of Mori's sight.

"Hey, it's rude to bad mouth people when you aren't looking at them!" Hakamichi yells in a hushed voice.

"But I am looking at you."

"Your bad eye doesn't count!"

Mori giggles at Hakamichi's antics. She seems to enjoy pushing her buttons.

"See what I mean? She's all rules and regulations. You should totally join my club, the Archery Club."

"This school has an Archery Club?" Somehow the image of a bunch of disabled students with bows and arrows doesn't seem like a very safe idea. "Isn't that really expensive to maintain in a high school."

"Nah, Yamaku is one of those fancy private schools that has a tons of people that give money to the school. Uh, what are they called?"

"Benefactors," Hakamichi answers her question in a deadpan, bitter voice.

"Yeah, benefactors. You would know since your parents are very involved with the school. I mean your father is-"

"Don't say it!" Hakamichi covers Mori's mouth with her hand before anymore is said. "I don't need more people to know about that."

"Know about what?" I ask.

"Wahahaha~! I'll tell you if you join the Student Council!" Her laugh is hushed this time but still loud enough to make me jump back.

"I'm not joining just for that. It's not worth it."

It's interesting, but not THAT interesting.

"Good, you don't need to know about that. Amaya has a big mouth and sometimes forgets that some things should be kept secret. So don't trust her with anything important." She returns back to her regular, calmer tone.

"Life's no fun if you just keep secrets," Mori pouts as she rests her head on her hands. "Anyways, you could join the Archery Club, it's fun. Anyone can join so long as their disability doesn't get in the way and you seem healthy enough."

"I appreciate the offer but I don't think that I'll be able to shoot anything accurately."

"Why not?"

Because my lame left arm wouldn't be able to pull back the string and hold an arrow at the same time.

"I'd r-rather not say."

"That's a shame," she sighs as she lifts her head. "You should be more open with us, we're your friends."

We've just met, I don't think we're anywhere near a level where I could tell you something so personal.

"Amaya, Kamiko, Yaso, I don't remember any of the questions asking you three to speak so loudly," from the front of the class, Nakai looks over to our group.

I guess we have gotten pretty loud. We all apologize and return to the task at hand.

We manage to finish all of the assignments on the board with a few minutes to spare. My late arrival put us back a little bit but we somehow managed to be one of the first to finish.

"You know Yaso, you were really talkative when you got here. When I tried talking to you at lunch yesterday, you just ignored me. What's changed?" Hakamichi leans in closer to get me to explain myself.

For some reason or another, Mori leans in as well.

"It's nothing b-big. I figured I'd try to make the most of my time while I'm here. So I'll try to be more o-outgoing."

"Really?" Hakamichi leans back and a quick, devilish grin appears. "I think it has to do with the change in company. Amaya is quite a sight, wouldn't you agree?"

At this, Mori becomes a deep shade of crimson and jumps back in her seat.

"W-what are you talking about? That h-has nothing to do with a-anything." I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I try to explain myself.

Surprisingly, Mori giggles quite loudly. "Aw, that's very sweet of you, Yaso." She winks at me, "but we've only just met, you can't make a move on me yet. Well, maybe we can hang out after school Saturday, but not today."

My cheeks feel like they're going to explode. I put my forehead on the table and bring both of my hands to the back of my head. The girls can't restrain their laughter.

When the bells ring Mori jumps out of her desk. "I have to go meet with my club president. It's been nice to meet you, Yaso. I can't wait for Saturday."

"Y-yeah, bye," I wave at her without taking my head off of the desk.

I can hear Mori walk up to the front of the class and stop. "Mr. Nakai! I hope you have a very nice lunch and I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" I hear her skip out of the classroom afterwards.

"What was that about?" I ask a still laughing Hakamichi.

"What was what about?"

"That, what she just said to Mr. Nakai."

"Oh, that. Well you see," she looks around the room and points at several girls. "Nakai is actually quite popular with many of the girls here. They all have some sort of weird teacher-student fantasy."

Is that what Nurse meant? Oh God, does he actually think that I'm...

"Really? A lot of the girls?"

"Yeah, some guys too or so I've heard."

"So do you, uh, also-"

"No, of course not!" she exclaims before I have a chance to say it.

"But you said-"

"Yeah, I know what I said. I'm not of those girls. That's just wrong. I mean he's..." she hesitates before she continues. "Wahahaha~! So about lunch, join me today. We have a lot to talk about. Like the Student Council for starters. And also, about an incident that occurred this morning." She grabs me by the arm and starts pulling me towards the door.

If she knows about what happened between Hanamaru and I, why is she trying to force me back into the same situation that caused that?

"Yaso, may I have a word with you?" Nakai stands from his desk and makes his way to the back where we are.

Hakamichi lets go of me and takes a step back as Nakai approaches.

"What is it?"

Nakai bends down and whispers in my ear. "I know what it's like to have someone trying to force you into something, so I'll help you out just for today. Take this opportunity to make your escape."

Before I have a chance to ask a question, Nakai turns his attentions to Hakamichi and begins talking to her about a seemingly unimportant topic.

I take this moment to collect my belongings and head out the door.

I'm not really hungry, but what else am I going to do for lunch today?

--------

*Next Chapter*

This chapter was a pain to write because I couldn't decide how I wanted the events to play out. This is the fourth version of this chapter because I couldn't decide how I would have ended it. I wanted to extend this chapter a little more but then that would have weakened the next chapter I have planned. Also, I couldn't figure how I wanted Amaya to speak either. Ugh, I'm glad I finally got this out of the way.

By the way, I decided to not use music in my chapters because if I were to do that, I would start relying on the music to set the mood and not my words. I'll probably include music when I reach the end of the act, just because I want to make that something special.

[atw_ah]

I hate being sick, it hampers my ability to write because of the headaches. Thankfully, I'm better now and with a new chapter.
Enjoy

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Chapter Seven: Lost or Found

Ok, I just have to keep walking. Just keep walking, don't look back and don't look suspicious. I'm just a regular student, not the one that almost punched you in the face this morning.

So basically, after getting out of my classroom, I just went with the flow of things and wound up in the cafeteria. I wasn't in the mood for any of the sub-par food that they serve here so I ended up just sitting a table and looking out the window. Unfortunately, while looking out the window, the reflection of a certain person caught my eye.

It was another boy, dressed in his full uniform even though everyone else had thought to remove their green blazers because it was too warm indoors. His slicked-back silver hair and piercing grey eyes were pointed in my general direction.

It was none other than my neighbor from across the hall, Ryo Hanamaru.

At that moment, I nonchalantly got up and walked down a random hall, the one I'm in now.

I turn at the first corner and take the opportunity to look behind me.

Oh damn, he's heading this way.

Swell, I figured that I'd have to see him eventually but not today. Maybe tomorrow morning but not right now.

Hakamichi seemed to know about what happened between Hanamaru and I. I won't put it past her that she made him go talk to me. Now that I think about, she wasn't bothering me about joining the Student Council much today, she only brought it up a few times. Plus she wanted to talk about today's incident when Nakai interrupted us.

Maybe it's not a bad idea to talk it over with Hanamaru. Clear the air, have a fresh start...

Forget that! I'll have to do it eventually, but not today. I still might punch him in the face for calling me worthless.

With my mind made up, I run down the hall and take cover around the next corner. I slowly peak my head out to see if Hanamaru is still following me. Sure enough, he is. He turns in the same direction I turned and begins looking arou-

Ah shit! He saw me!

Hanamaru quickly picks up the pace when he spots me. I dart from my position and dash down the hall.

Stairs to my left.

I go up the stairs, not caring if my hurried pace would make my footsteps louder. I head down the hallway to the right of the stairs. As I turn the corner, I notice a silver head pop out from the stairwell looking at every direction.

As I continue down the hallway, I notice that there's a fork at the end. There's not enough time to check which way is better so I'll have to choose one at random and hope for the best.

Left or right?

Right!

As I go down my chosen hall, I notice two things. One, I can hear Hanamaru's footsteps as he enters the hallway I just left. Two, the path I chose is a dead end.

Damn it, the other way has a few more turns to it! What kind of building has a dead end here!?

There's only one option left. Pray that one of these rooms isn't locked.

The first one is locked and I move to the next.

The second door is locked and forcing it is out of the question.

The third is locked as well, the handle actually has dust on it.

The fourth is the same as the others and I'm starting to get a little worried.

Yes! This one's open.

I quickly make my way into the room and close the door. I let out a deep breath as I hear Hanamaru's footsteps come to a stop.

He's trying to decide which way to go. As long as I keep quiet he won't no-

"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" said a soft, feminine voice from behind me.

Oh for the love of... Did I just step into some random club?

I let go of the door handle as I turn around to face the source the voice.

To my surprise, there is no one here besides the one girl who just talked.

She takes a second to look at me before asking her question again.

The girl is alone in this room drinking tea. She appears to have been in the middle of a sip because she is still holding her tea cup in mid-air. She has long brown hair that falls past her shoulder. Her bangs cover up a side of her face, while the other side exposes her light skin and dark brown eye.

”I-I'm just, uh, I'm l-lost." I manage to say with a distinct lack of certainty, it almost sounded like I asked a question.

"Lost? Where were you trying to go?"

"I was t-trying to go t-to... a club m-meeting."

Why am I stuttering so much? This isn't good, if I say something weird she'll kick me out and then I'll have to face Hanamaru.

I try to pay attention to any sound that may be outside of this room but it proves to be a futile effort. My heart is beating so fast that I can't hear anything from the other side of the door. It was bad enough that I was running to get here but add in this awkward situation, my heart won't slow down.

"I'm unaware of any club that holds their meetings in this area. Are you sure that you're supposed to be here?"

"Yeah, it's an i-impromptu meeting for... the a-archery club," I stumble with my words as I say it. The archery club was the only thing I could think of at the moment.

"Archery Club?" She puts down her teacup and brings her hand to rest under her chin as she digests this information.

Suddenly, I can hear footsteps coming from the other side of the door. They're getting closer and closer until they stop right outside the door.

Please don't say anything about me being here. Hanamaru is right outside. I don't want to face him right now.

"Well, you're welcome to join me for lunch if you want to," she points to the sit in front of her and tells me to take it.

"W-what do you-"

She interrupts me by putting her index finger to her lips and points to her ear and then the door.

Does she know that I hiding from someone?

As I take my seat, I notice that the footsteps from the hall are slowly growing quieter.

"So you were being followed?" She questions, once again taking the teacup in her hand.

There's no point in not telling the truth now.

"Yeah, I'm s-sorry for barging in and l-lying about it. But how did you know?"

"You were breathing rather deeply when you came in and there were footsteps that were coming in the same direction after you entered," she answers with a smile. "But it became obvious when you said you were looking for the Archery Club. They usually hold their meetings outdoors or in the gym."

Note to self: do a little bit of research before you lie about club meetings again.

"Oh, sorry a-about that."

"Don't worry about it," she says with a chuckle. As she laughs, her bangs move and cover more of her face. She sighs quietly and uses her hand to tuck in the loose hairs behind her ear. That's when I notice something peculiar about this girl. The left eye that was covered by her hair is light blue.

The girl moves her gaze back to her tea as a hint of pink appears on her cheeks.

"Heterochromia. It's nothing special so you don't have to stare."

"O-oh. I didn't mean to s-stare. Is that why y-your here?"

Huh. Apparently I've caught foot-in-mouth disease. I wonder how many social rules I've broken today.

The girl stares at me wide-eyed and confused. The hint of pink that was once on her cheeks quickly vanishes as she starts laughing.

"Don't be silly. Heterochromia just means that I have two different eye colors from my parents. No, I'm here because of my sight."

"Sight? But you've b-been looking at me the whole time."

"Inherited Blindness. It means that my eyesight will deteriorate as I get older. I'll be completely blind when I'm older. I can only see now because of the special contacts I wear."

She fidgets in her seat a bit as she sips her tea. Neither she nor I can think of anything else to say, so we remain in silence for a good bit.

"I'm here because I h-had a stroke last year and... yeah. I guess it's only fair that I tell you that much since you told me why you're here."

I don't know why I just said that. The girl looks at me with a surprised look on her face. If I had a mirror, I'm pretty sure I'd look the same way.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I've been rude! Do you want some tea?" She holds up both of her hands up to her mouth and she blushes slightly.

"Uh, yeah sure, if it's not too m-much of an inconvenience." She had already gotten out of her seat and started making the tea by the time I answered. It would be rude to try to stop her now.

She suddenly stops and slowly starts turning around, giggling nervously. "I should have done this earlier but I'm Midori Kagami, nice to meet you."

"Nice to m-meet you too, I'm Yaso Atoza."

Kagami quickly finishes making the tea and places it in front of me. I've never really been too much of a tea person so I don't know what to expect from the taste. Regardless, I thank her for it and wait to take a sip once it cools down.

"I've never seen you around here before. Are you new here?" she asks as she takes her seat once more.

It might be the tea, or the fact that she accepted me so easily after disrupting her peace, but it feels nice being here. It's calming.

"Yeah, this is only my second day here. I'm still getting use to things here but, as you saw, I still haven't exactly adjusted."

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. She seems torn between wanting to ask who I was running from or letting the subject drop. I should probably help her with that.

"I was trying to avoid the vice-president because we got off on the wrong foot this morning. I know I'll have face him eventually but just not today."

"You were running from Ryo?" She puts down her teacup to give me a inquisitive gaze. "I take it you've already been introduced to the Student Council then?"

I scoff at the notion, "Yeah, introductions were exchanged, more or less. I sit next to the class president, so I met the Student Council rather quickly."

"I see, Kamiko can be very brutish when it comes to the Student Council," she takes a quick sip of her tea before continuing. "If you sit next to her that means you're in class 3-3 with Nakai, right?"

"Yes, that's right. What class are you in, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm in class 3-2. It's taught by Miss Tora, it's a class specifically for both blind and partially blind students." She gives a very small, warm smile, "You're very lucky to be in Nakai's class. He's actually quite popular around the school."

"So, I've heard." I remember what Hakamichi told me about Nakai's popularity and how some girls swoon for him. I grimace at the thought that Kagami could be one of those girls.

"Is something the matter?" she asks. She must have seen the way my face changed when I thought about that.

"No, it's nothing. I just rememb-"

Suddenly, footsteps can be heard outside in the hallway. They grow louder and don't have any hint of deviation, no doubt as if whoever it is knows where to go. The footsteps stop short of the door.

Both Kagami and I stare at the door. Neither of us wanting to say a word. I can feel my heart rate rise again and beads of sweat collecting on my forehead. If this is Hanamaru, then that means we'll have a confrontation in front of Kagami.

Please don't open the door! Just walk away, please!

The footsteps can be heard going in the opposite direction, slowly growing softer with each passing second. I let out a deep breath and notice that Kagami does the same.

"Kagami, why were you so nervous?"

She slightly crimsons in response to my question. She clears her throat before speaking. "Well, that could have been Ryo and you didn't want to see him and I saw how nervous you got, so it made me get nervous too."

I chuckle at her hasty response which only cause her to get even redder.

"Well, that's not the only reason. I eat lunch here with someone else every day, so that might have been him and..." She trails off and looks down to her tea.

Oh, I get it. She's already with someone and if that person saw me here then there would be some unnecessary drama. I think I'd better leave.

Not a second after I finish that thought, the bells ring. This seems to take Kagami for surprised because she begins to panic slightly. I help her put everything away and we walk back to our respective classes.

Admittedly, I'm a little disappointed but it's no surprise that she's taken.

--------

*Next Chapter*

By the way, I've noticed a large increase in the amount of new stories being written lately. That's so cool! Now, I'm more motivated to write.

[Mirage_GSM]

Seems like sight-inhibited students at Yamaku inavriably develop a preference for drinking tea in unused classrooms

[Ascended Flutist]

Finally getting around to commenting this.

Seems like sight-inhibited students at Yamaku inavriably develop a preference for drinking tea in unused classrooms

Heh, true. Though it could be explained by the fact that people who do not rely on sight would feel more at ease in quiet places, as their surroundings are more noticable when there's no 'white noise', dare I say.

headaches

Headaches are the bane of our existence. I feel your pain.

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

Locked.

You would have added a single "It won't budge" and my heart would have been conquered.

Otherwise, an excellent chapter. The story is really growing on me.

Now it's time for me to admit something : At first, given the title and the fact that I'm blind as a bat and dumb as a bag of hammers (Bloodline, notice the lack of 's' ), I thought this was some sort of World of Darkness/KS crossover. So here I came and began to read. And I didn't get what I thought I'd get. But in the end, I'm sure glad I didn't.

Always glad to read more of what you write!

[atw_ah]

Wow, it's actually been a while since I've written, at least for Bloodline. This chapter took me a little longer to write because I wasn't too sure how I wanted to present this new information. It was an issue this chapter because from this point on I'm moving away from using VN based scenes. Enjoy!

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Chapter Eight: Agree to Disagree

It's cold. Darkness surrounds me. I can't see, I can't move.

God damn it! Not again! Let me go!

It feels just like before, but it's somehow different. No voices, no sounds, just me alone in the dark. I know this isn't real, it can't be real.

This is just a dream! Let me out!

Suddenly, my left arm feels as if it is no longer hindered by whatever ails the rest of my body. As I lift it in the air to try to lever myself up, I feel a great weight fall on it. It's being painfully held down, stopping any and all movements. The weight then shifts to my right arm and then both my legs.

When the weight finally disappears, I find that I can move my body freely save for my arms and legs.

What's going on here!?

A lone voice pierces through the silence. "It's for his own good."

Who's there?

No response.

I wait for another sound but nothing ever comes. Fed up with the silence, I move my body once more to get free. Miraculously, I can move my body. I'm able to stand up but everything is still black, I can't see where I am.

I move blindly towards one direction and hit something. As I move my hands along the invisible object, I find that it's a hard, solid surface but not too tall. I reach over the object to see if there is anything beyond it. Another hard surface, but this one is too tall for me to get over.

I turn in what I assume is the opposite direction and after a few steps I'm in front of another hard surface. As I run my hands across this one, I notice that it's weaker than the one I had found before. I can feel it move slightly as I put my weight on it.

Is someone here? Can anyone hear me?

Once again, no response.

Since no one seems to be here, wherever here is, I don't see the need to stay. I begin pounding on the surface in order to break it down and escape. I can feel it shake every time I hit it but it doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I take a few steps back in order to charge at the surface. Surely with the added momentum, I'll be able to make it out. I charge the surface as fast as I can go.

Contact, or rather the lack of it.

Whatever was blocking my path before is now gone. Charging further than I expected, I find it hard to regain my balance and I end up tripping over my own legs and falling.

And falling, and falling...

I wake up with a start. My heart is beating quickly, my breathing is labored, and I'm in a cold sweat. I try sitting up but my body is too heavy to move.

"Just what the hell was that?" I say as I try to catch my breath.

"Well Mr. Atoza, I was hoping you could tell me," a rather old sounding voice responds.

What?

"Who's there? What are you doing in my room?" I ask in a hurried and panicked tone.

The curtains around my bed come apart and reveal a smiling Nurse.

Since when did my room have curtains?

"I know you've come in here three days in a row but that doesn't mean that you can start calling this your room. If the world worked like that you'd at least have to be here longer than I have and your three days are feeble compared to my twenty-seven years."

Dumbfounded and at a loss for words, I begin to notice my surroundings. White walls covered in motivational posters, a desk littered with paperwork and a number of drawers and cabinets undoubtedly filled with medical supplies. I'm in the Nurse's Office but how did I get here?

A barely audible clank of metal can be heard whenever I try moving my arms or legs.

What the hell?

I focus my wandering eyes on the odd sensation coming from my wrist and ankles. They're tightly strapped down to the bed. No matter how much I move, I can't seem to come loose.

Only the several clanks of metal can be heard before Nurse finally says something. "Hm, you don't like them? I thought a lot of kids you age were into that kind of stuff."

I might still be confused about how I wound up here but at least I have enough sense to realize when I'm being insulted. Being at a loss of words and my restrains keeping me from giving the one-fingered salute, I resort to glaring at him.

Nurse notices my glare and lets out a loud, boisterous laugh. "I'm sorry. The restraints were a necessity given your state."

I cock my head to the side, "My state?"

"You were found in the hallway of the boys dorm in the morning. You were mumbling something and wildly moving about. A good Samaritan found you and brought here. We had to restraint you to prevent a repeat of what happened at the hospital."

Something happened while I was at the hospital? I know my memory might not be up to par but I should at least remember something like that happening, right?

It might have been my bewildered look or how I reeled back when Nurse said that, but he seemed to know what I was thinking. "You don't remember do you?" He sighs as I shake my head. "When acting in a similar manner at the hospital, you managed to punch your doctor in the face when he went to check up on you."

I know that I should feel ashamed of my actions but I can't help smile.

"Your records say that if you were ever to found in such a state, we would have to restrain you to keep you from harming yourself or others," he continues saying. He returns to his desk and pulls out a folder. He pulls out a page and shows it to me. Sure enough, written in a dark ink and highlighted for emphasize, it explains the procedure that should be followed if I were found in a "semi-conscious state of mind."

"Okay, I understand that but why am I still in these things?" I make the clanking sound again to make my point even clearer.

"Well, you know what they say: better safe than sorry. I prefer not having my face punched by a student in the morning."

After explaining the dreams I've been having and promising that I wouldn't punch Nurse in the face once freed, he finally takes off the restraints.

"Those dreams you've been having might be repressed memories. It's a good sign, it shows that you haven't permanently lost all of you memories. You just need the right trigger to get them back." He looks through my records one more time. "You know something though? You records indicate that you shouldn't be having such vivid dreams so consistently. Have you been taking you medication?"

No. In the rush of being sent to Yamaku, I neglected to pack my medication. I've also been lying to cover up my folly.

"Well, I m-may have forgotten to take them a few times." I sheepishly reply.

Nurse stares at me for a few moments, his expression doesn't betray what's going through his mind. He chuckles and reaches for something in his desk. "I have to thank you for that information." He pulls out a paper bag and tosses it to me. "You'll find you medication in there. It arrived shortly before you got here this morning. Don't lie to me again because now I know what you look like when you do."

I've come to realize that I'm a terrible liar. I've been caught in my lies almost immediately twice.

Nurse explains the importance of taking my medication and how I should be more responsible with my health. It's basically the same thing everyone hears when they go to the doctor's office. After his lecture is finished, he sends me on my way. A quick glance at the clock on the wall reveals that it's still pretty early.

Class doesn't start for a while. Maybe I should go join Nakai for a r-

Oh no.

As I step outside of the Nurse's office, I quickly recognize the person leaning against the wall. His grays eyes track my every movement, analyzing me to see how I'll react. Every cell in my body wants to run out of the building, but I can't. This has to be done.

Who will make the first move?

It feels like one of those old western movies. This is the point where the sheriff stares down the criminal. It's a duel and only one of us gets out of here alive.

Hanamaru raises his hand in the air. "Hey, Atoza, we need to talk." I'm thrown off balance by his delivery of those words. I don't feel any malice in them; they feel kind, almost apologetic.

"S-sure," is all I'm able to say. I was prepared for a fight but not this.

He leads me out of the building and we begin our talk. "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. It was very unprofessional of me."

"Is that coming from you or from Haka-, I mean, the Class President."

He seems to take some solace in the fact that referred to her by title. "Honestly, it's from both of us. She also told me to try to recruit you because you seemed to be 'worthy of the honor of being chosen for the Student Council'". He rubs the back of his head as he repeats her words.

"I'm surprised that you're so willing to admit that she made you do this."

"She didn't have to convince me. I felt guilty immediately after and I wanted to make amends. But I couldn't find you and when I did you ran away from me." His voice is quiet as he plays with the sleeve of his blazer. "By the way, it's against school regulations to run through the halls."

"Isn't there some rule against picking a fight with the transfer student upon meeting him. I think both of our mistakes can be over looked this one time." I put my arms behind my head and smile as we walk through the courtyard.

Hanamaru doesn't seem like a bad guy after all. At least he was able to admit when he did something wrong. He is my neighbor, so I guess befriending him doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Hanamaru remains silent as he looks at the path ahead of us. "I would have talked to you yesterday but you were in that room with that girl, so I decided against it."

So he was at the door that time.

"You mean Midori Kagami? Yeah, she realized I was hiding from someone so she helped me out. Good to see her plan worked, I might ask her for help if I ever need to hide again."

Hanamaru's face sours as he hears me speak of her. "You're in class 3-3 right? Have you heard about Nakai's popularity?"

"Yeah but what's that have to do with anything?"

He suddenly steps in front of me and looks me straight in the eye.

"There's word around the school that Nakai isn't the saint he makes himself out to be and that Kagami girl is in the middle of it."

What!?

"People have seen those to get together in secret and especially in that room you were in. If you want to avoid trouble I suggest that get don't close to her," he continues.

Kagami did mention that she was expecting someone else but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk about who he was. Other girls I've met have made it obvious who their boyfriends were but she tried to hide it. Could there be some truth to this rumor?

"B-but that's just insane. If someone did see that, then Nakai wouldn't be able to work here."

"That's the problem, no one can prove it. And even if someone found a way to prove it, no amount of evidence would be able to kick him out of this school. He's well connected to the higher-ups and is considered one of the best teachers here. There's no way that he'll be fired for something like this."

Nurse mentioned that Nakai had a lot of influence around the school and was close to the principal.

"But that can't be true right? I mean, girls like Amaya Mori are still head over heels for him. If that were true then wouldn't they be put off?"

Hanamaru scoffs at my suggestion. "Amaya Mori and other girls like her can be very fickle when it comes to romance. They probably consider these rumors to be an opportunity to find love."

"Then what about the Class President? She seemed interested in Nakai too."

No she didn't, but I'll grasp at any straw if it means that Nakai isn't a sick bastard. He helped me yesterday and I thought he was sincere with everything he said. There's no way that this is real.

Hanamaru grips me by the collar. "What did you say? That isn't true! She can't be, she isn't like them!" He doesn't sound angry but scared?

He lets go of me and turns to face the other direction. He starts playing with the sleeve of his blazer again, but this time it looks like he wants to rip it to pieces.

"Uh, Hanamaru? What's the matter?"

He mumbles something that I can't understand.

"Pardon?"

He mumbles something else that I can't understand.

What's with this reaction? First he's talking about how Nakai is a perv and now he looks like he might burst a blood vessel.

Wait, he couldn't.

No way.

Seriously, her?

This is going to be awkward. "Hanamaru? Do you have feelings for the Class President?"

He stops moving and remains quiet.

"You do, don't you?"

That would explain why he got so angry when I insulted her yesterday.

"H-Hanamaru?"

He suddenly faces me with his arms in the air and acts as if nothing is wrong. "What? Of course not! What would give you that idea?"

He's a worse liar than I am.

"Dude, it's obvious now. There's no point in hiding it."

He sighs in defeat.

"Wait, is that why you were so defensive yesterday? Were you jealous that she wanted me to join?" I ask.

He quickly nods his head. "But what's the point. She's going after Nakai, I could have beat you but I stand no chance against him."

I'll ignore the insult and take this as a perfect change of topic from what we were talking about earlier.

There's no point in lying to him about Hakamichi. It might break him if he believes me. "Hey, I was lying about the Class President's interest, I was just trying to make a point."

Hanamaru blankly stares at me. "What did you say?" he growls.

"I was just lying about the Class President. But since you're willing to admit you like her, I'll go tell her for you."

He jumps at me, grabbing me to keep me from going anywhere else. He shouts "Don't tell her!" over and over again until I agree to keep his secret.

I wasn't really going to tell her, but I figured this be the best way to diffuse his rage.

The rest of the morning was spent conversing a multitude of topics. From how he was born with Waardenburg Syndrome which caused the colorization of his hair and eyes and how it also resulted in his slight deafness in his right ear, to how he came to join the Student Council and how he fell for Hakamichi.

The bells ring, signifying the end of our conversation and the start of class. He makes his way to class 3-1 and I to class 3-3. I still can't forget what Hanamaru told me about Nakai and Kagami.

I don't know what to believe anymore.

--------

*Next Chapter*

I would have focused more on Hanamaru's origin but I couldn't find a way to present it properly in Bloodline. So because of things like that, I've decided that at one point or another, I'll start releasing one-shots to help fill in the gaps of the 24 years after the VN. Of course, it will focus more on the original cast but it will also help explain things in Bloodline that can't be explain through Yaso's perspective. I'll get started on those once I near the end of Act 1.
Criticism is welcomed and expected because of what I said about Hisao

[Ascended Flutist]

I prefer not having my face punched by a student in the morning.

What do we do with a grinning doctor
What do we do with a grinning doctor
What do we do with a grinning doctor
Early in the mor~ning?

Punch his face in an unconscious state
Punch his face in an unconscious state
Punch his face in an unconscious state
Early in the mor~ning!

Frankly, I was convinced the whole 'Hisao going Master of Romance on Yamaku Students' thing was just Hanamaru being slightly mental. His reaction ('Nooo, my beloved has fallen into the clutches of the Feminist conspiracy Master of Romance') was enough for me to put him on that particular list.

Good job otherwise. I'm excited every time you update that series.

Oh, and also :
WHY DOES EVERYONE RELEASES THE GOOD STUFF THE DAY WHEN HEADACHES BECOME THE PRIMARY ACTIVITY OF MY BRAIN. WOE IS ME!

[atw_ah]

Frankly, I was convinced the whole 'Hisao going Master of Romance on Yamaku Students' thing was just Hanamaru being slightly mental. His reaction ('Nooo, my beloved has fallen into the clutches of the Feminist conspiracy Master of Romance') was enough for me to put him on that particular list.

Hm, you have a point there. I kinda did make Hanamaru a little bit of an extremist, but that's only because I based him on a friend of mine. He has reacted in similar manner when he discovered that his beloved was taken by another man.

But it's good that you think that way, it is still just a rumor after all. Whether it's real or not will come it time.

[Mirage_GSM]

Well, she's probably related to Lilly in some way and he's her godfather or something.e

[atw_ah]

Well what do we have here? Another chapter you say, well why not?
For some reason or another, I've been very anxious to write this chapter specifically. It's nothing really special but I felt it was different from the others. Don't know why. Enjoy!
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Chapter Nine: Watch Your Step

I would like to say that I spoke with Nakai and cleared up this misunderstanding. I would also like to say that I met with Kagami and she introduced me to her boyfriend, who was her age. I would like to say all that, but unfortunately, I can't.

I couldn't work up the nerve to talk to Nakai during class. It was mainly a lecture day so he didn't stop talking about an upcoming quiz until the bell rang. I even tried to find Kagami during lunch, but the room I found her in the other day was empty. As the day went by, I found myself thinking more and more about what Hanamaru said.

Was I wrong when I thought Nakai was a good person? Is he just some giant pervert that gets his jolly from high school girls? Was Kagami one of those kind of girls who revel in tabooed romances?

The image of Nakai and Kagami haunted me for the rest of the day.

This morning didn't help at all either. When I went out to meet Nakai for an early morning run, he was acting oddly. He avoided talking to me about anything that wasn't about our run or class. He rushed me to see the Nurse when we were done and rushed me to get ready for class. It's like he didn't want to say anything to me. He was really chatty before, what made him change?

Normally things like this don't bug me, I would have just let it slide and go on with my life, but Hanamaru wouldn't let me. As the Vice-President, he practically has his finger on the pulse of the school. He knows every rumor there is and he always tell me about each one. He says it's to get me more familiar with the school, but I think he's just doing it to bother me. He's probably still mad that I tricked him into revealing his feelings for Hakamichi, so he's trying to get back at me.

The more rumors he tells me, the more curious and confused I become. It's like that old saying about the curious cat. Clever jerk!

Classes have ended for the day and once again my thirst for knowledge has yet to be quenched. Nakai avoided talking about anything that wasn't related to science and Kagami was nowhere to be found. With nothing important to do and not wanting to go back to my room, I decide head to library to focus my thoughts on an interest book.

The library here is much bigger than the one at my previous school. There are multiple aisles that line the edges of the room, each filled with their own genres. There are desks litter about as well, filled with students either engaged in a story or catching up on lost sleep.

Personally, I'm not much of an avid reader. I would always find a way to pass the time through a physical activity. Since my stay at the hospital, my endurance hasn't been what it used to be, so some less intensive activities are much appreciated.

I think about asking the librarian for a recommendation. I decide against it however because the librarian is a bitter, white-haired, old woman who looks like she'll kill the next person who comes up to her.

Why is it that every librarian I know is a bitter, old lady? Just once I'd like to meet a young one who's easy to talk to.

As I make my way through one of the many rows, I notice a familiar figure at the end of it. Hidden near that back of the library, Mori sits in a beanbag completely absorbed in the book she's reading. When I'm not too far away from her, she looks up from her book and notices me.

"Oh, hi Yaso," she whispers. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just looking for something to pass the time. You?"

She holds up the book she's reading, it's a health book. "Nothing much, just looking up what the signs were for when girl is pregnant."

...

"Can you say that one more time, I think I misheard you."

For a moment she has a perplexed look on her face. When it finally dawns on her what she said, her cheeks crimson lightly. "Hey don't get the wrong idea, I'm not pregnant or anything like that."

"So you were just m-making sure?" I nervously ask.

"No! I just wanted to know what the signs were. I'm still pure damnit!" She gives me an evil glare.

Did she just admit that she's a vir-

She jumps out of the beanbag, stands in front of me and jabs the edge of her book into my chest. "No! Stop right there Yaso, I know what you're thinking. Don't you dare think that that."

From across the library, the librarian makes a rather loud shushing sound in our direction. Mori settles down and returns to her seat. I sit in a nearby beanbag and continue our conversation. "Ok, so if you weren't looking that up for... comparisons, why did you want to know?"

She lets out a sigh and flips through the pages of her book. "It's because of my mom. Every week she calls me to tell me to be careful, not get pregnant and what not." After she finds the page she's looking for, she hands me the book and continues. "I want to play a trick on her, so the next time she calls I can tell her about how I feel sick according to these indicators."

"What a cruel trick to play on your mother. Does it really bother you that much?" I take a look at the book. Jeez, woman sure do have a hard time when they have a bun in the oven.

"It's not that it bothers me, it's just really annoying. A good scare ought to set her straight." She flips the pages of the book in my hand and points to a picture of a fetus. "Look at that thing! It looks like a gummy bear. Can you imagine having that in your womb for nine months?"

"Yeah... no, not really. I'm a guy so I don't have to worry about something being in my womb."

She giggles at my response. "Oh, what if you were secretly a girl and somehow wound up pregnant?" Her giggling becomes even louder.

"That's just- No!"

"Don't worry," she puts her hand on my shoulder. "If that happens to you, I'll be the first one to support you."

"Yeah right, you can barely speak without laughing now. And that's not going to happen!" I almost forget to add that last part.

Mori actually manages to stop giggling for once and winks at me, or blinks, I can't tell with her one eye. "I'm only laughing now because we're joking. If that really happens I'll be serious."

I cross my arms and look away. "Yeah well, we'll just see when that happens, won't we?"

...

That didn't come out right.

I can feel my face scrunch up as that thought hits me. It must be plainly obvious because Mori reacts to it.

Mori's laughter earns her another loud shush from the librarian. "Oh my God, Yaso! The face you just made was hilarious!" She falls over on her beanbag, clutching her sides, "Your killing me!"

I can't help but laugh as well at the shear ridiculousness of our conversation. We both spend quite a bit of time laughing that the librarian gets fed up and kicks us out. Mori checks out her health book and I manage to grab something off of the fiction shelf before we're escorted out.

Once we're outside of the main building, Mori turns to me. "It's been fun Yaso, but I've got to go back to my room. I've got to study this before my mom calls." She slaps the cover of her book to emphasize her point. "I'll see you in class tomorrow and don't forget about our date."

Date?

She runs off and disappears in the girls dorm before I have a chance to ask her what she meant by "our date".

I turn towards the direction of the boys' dorms and start walking. It's not that late but there isn't much else for me to do today. Might as well just turn in for the day.

I look up at the sky. Well, it is a nice day and there is plenty of sunlight.

Why not? I guess it wouldn't hurt to read outside for a bit.

With my book in hand, I make my way to through the field. I follow the walkway to the wide open field that separates Yamaku's main buildings from its outer boundaries. There are plenty of benches scattered around. Some under trees while others run parallel to the stone walkway. I decide to make myself comfortable under a tree and crack open my book.

It's a story about a retired American spy whose old enemies target his family. In response, the spy uses his old connections to get weapons and intel to find his enemies. It's a mixture of action and psychological warfare. It's an interesting read but I can't seem to move pass the fifth chapter. Some words suddenly feel harder to read. I go over a page again because I can't seem to remember what I just read.

It's getting harder to focus...

...

"How's your tea Yaso?" a soft, feminine voice asks me.

I open my eyes and find myself staring at a pair of mismatched eyes, one brown, the other blue. I move my gaze to my left hand and see a hot cup of tea slowly make its way to my lips. "It's really good thank you, Kagami."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kagami takes her napkin and pats her lips. "I was afraid you wouldn't have liked it."

I chuckle at her worried expression. "Nonsense, I'm willing to try just about anything once and I'm more than willing to try some of this tea again."

Satisfied with the taste, I slowly put the teacup back down on the table. My hand slips however, which results in the contents being spilled on the table. As the puddle of tea moves along the surface, it slowly makes its way to the edge and it falls on my pants. "Ow!" I shout as the liquid burns me.

Kagami quickly uses her napkin to soak up the remain tea off the table. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, it was my mistake, don't worry about." I take a napkin a start drying my pants.

Before I have a chance to react, I see another set of hands helping me dry my clothes. As I follow the delicate hands back to their owner, I see a blushing Kagami with her eyes hidden by her hair. "Y-you don't have to help me with t-that. I can do it myself."

Slowly her hands make their way up my leg and stop short of my groin. She rests her hands on my thigh, having long passed the area where the tea fell. As she gently begins putting more weight on her hands, she leans forward and locks her gaze with mine.

No words can express what I'm feeling right now. It all feels foreign to me and yet, it feels like I know exactly what to do. Without breaking eye contact, I wrap my arms around her waist and bring her closer. Her hands slide up my chest and find their way to the back of my head.

No words need to be spoken.

I lean forward finding my way to her lips. She bites her lower lip for a few moments until she follows my lead.

Closer we become as our lips me-

A large thud shakes me out of my dream. I look at the ground and find my book just laying there.

A dream? But why did I dream that?

Sure, I find her attractive but I don't even know anything about her beyond some rumors which may or may not be true. There's just too much trouble with that girl to be interested in her beyond just being friends.

Yeah, that's right. Too much trouble to be anything more.

As I begin to stretch, I notice that there is a strange sensation on my shoulder. I turn my head to see what this feeling is when I notice that it's a hand.

"Are you feeling all right? I heard you groaning out here, are you well?" A concerned woman asks.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. I was just sleeping," I reassuringly answer.

Now that my eyes have readjusted to the light I can see that it's getting late. The sun is already going down and there is no one else outside but me and this lady. She seems rather tall with long, wavy, blonde hair that go past her shoulders. She's dress in a grey jacket with long skirt to match.

"It's not safe to be sleeping outside at this hour. You should head back to your room to rest properly."

"Oh, sorry. I was reading out here and kind of nodded off. I'm still not well-adjusted to this school yet."

She takes a moment to think about my response. It's at this moment that I notice that this woman has kept her eyes closed for most of our talk. When she does eventually open them, I see that her blue eyes are cloudy. I also notice that in her right hand she holds and long, thin cane. "So you're a transfer student then?"

I nod my head, though this gestures seems for naught because the lady doesn't respond, so I vocalize my answer. "Yes, I just started this Monday."

She takes a seat at the other end of the bench before she speaks again. "Are you finding everything okay? Whose class are you in?"

"I'm doing well, I don't have a problem getting around. I'm in class 3-3 with Mr. Nakai."

A slight smile appears on her face. "So you're in his class. That's good, most of his students come to like him." Her smile falters for a bit, "Some too much, unfortunately."

"Are you a teacher her too Mrs....?"

"Miss," she quickly corrects me. "Miss Satou. I'm the English teacher for class 2-2."

Satou has a very welcoming air about her. It feels very easy to talk to her. "It's very nice to meet you Miss Satou, I'm Yaso Atoza."

"Hm," she tilts her head to the side but doesn't say more.

"Is something the matter, Miss?"

"Nothing," she smiles with a brief hum that follows. "Tell me, are you getting along with the other students?"

"I've managed to make a few friends here and there." It's strangely comfortable talking with Satou that I feel compelled to keep talking. "Though I am a bit worry about a rumor that involves one of them."

Satou furrows her brow. "What is this rumor about?" Her tone seems to have developed a bit of an edge.

Shit! I said that without thinking. I can't go around saying something like that to a staff member.

I don't say a word. Not because I don't want to say something but because I don't know what to say next.

She waits for me to answer but since I don't say anything she sighs. "You should be careful about what you say. You could get yourself and other people into trouble like that."

Once again, I'm at a loss for words.

"Rumors among students are a common practice, I understand that. But if it's something that is important and can cause problems for others, it would be in everyone's best interests that you tell me what it is."

The rumor is about Nakai and Kagami. Can I just go and tell a staff member about this? Is wrong that I don't tell anyone? What's the protocol for this situation?

"I-it's about s-something that I-" I'm having a hard time just getting the words across.

It's only my first week here, should I really be questioning the relationships of other students? All I really have to go on is Hanamaru and some rough speculation. Considering how he acted when I mentioned Hakamichi, I wouldn't put him as the most reliable of sources. But everything else just fits into place.

"I have heard t-that..." I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. "I've heard r-rumors about Mr. Nakai and a girl from c-class 3-2, Midori Kagami."

Suddenly, Satou gets up from her seat and begins walking off. "That's enough. I know what you're going to say. I don't want to hear anymore about that. Have a good night, Atoza." Her voice is bitter and hurtful.

Once she's out of view, I lean back on the bench and a think about everything that's happened.

This is just my fourth day here and I've already managed to get myself wrapped up in something I shouldn't have. This is why I always tried to avoid people back at my old school. I never wanted to be involved with unnecessary drama. Satou acted as if she knew what I was going to say, she seemed almost mad that I knew about it. Just what is going on here?

I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to know anything more. I wish I could just forget this. I thought Nakai was a person I could trust, someone that could help me get adjusted here. He now avoids talking to me. I thought that Kagami was an attractive girl, someone that I might have tried building a relationship with. Now I can't even find her.

Hanamaru and Mori don't help, they just add on to my worries by one being the person who tells me of these things and the other being an example of how this could have happened. Hakamichi doesn't even want to talk to me unless it has to do with me joining the Student Council.

Maybe it's easier to just avoid everyone.

I grab the few things that I had with me and head back to my room as the sky turns black.

Hopefully tomorrow won't leave me with this nasty pit in my stomach.

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*Next Chapter*

Fun Facts:
1. I've actually had a conversation about gummy bear fetuses being in my womb with the person I based Amaya Mori on.
2. I'm a guy and yes, the IRL conversation played out in a similar fashion as presented here.
3. I've never met a young librarian.
4. There are only three more chapters in Act 1.

[Mirage_GSM]

Worst case of foot in mouth disease I've seen in a while...
Blabbering rumours about teachers having affairs with students to other teachers you have known for less than five minutes...

[Ascended Flutist]

For some reason or another, I've been very anxious to write this chapter specifically. It's nothing really special but I felt it was different from the others. Don't know why. Enjoy!

It's much more action-packed than your other chapters, I felt. There's a lot of short and relatively unconnected sequences as opposed to the fewer, rather well-connected sequences I've had the habit of reading from you. Maybe that's why. Well that was my impression anyway. It's not a bad thing in itself, though. Just different.

Other than that, it's a good one. Spotted a few mistakes here and there, nothing horribly bad but it does slow the reading down, you might want to proofread that.

[atw_ah]

Worst case of foot in mouth disease I've seen in a while...
Blabbering rumours about teachers having affairs with students to other teachers you have known for less than five minutes...

Yeah, this part TOTALLY wasn't based on something that has happened in my life. *Innocently whistling*

While I was writing, I couldn't decide how I wanted Yaso to reveal that he knew about the rumors. Considering that I'm mentioned him developing FIM disease in an earlier chapter, I just went with that. I'll admit, it was a bit of a cop out on my part but it had to be done.

It's much more action-packed than your other chapters, I felt. There's a lot of short and relatively unconnected sequences as opposed to the fewer, rather well-connected sequences I've had the habit of reading from you. Maybe that's why. Well that was my impression anyway. It's not a bad thing in itself, though. Just different.

"Action-packed" isn't what I'd normally use to describe this chapter, but I can see where you're going with that.

I understand how the sequences appear unconnected (random dream about Kagami in the middle of the chapter) but this is mainly intentional. I had originally outlined a basic structure for all of the chapters in Act 1 a while back. However, as I wrote each of the chapters, I found myself straying from my outline (i.e. spending more time on something than originally planned or extended a chapter with parts of another). An example of an change in my outline would be Chapter Six: It wasn't in my original outline.
How does this relate to Chapter Nine being not so well-connected you ask? Well, it was in the original outline and it hasn't strayed from it, but the next three chapters have. So this chapter was meant to be a starting point for the end stages of Act 1, some things needed to be mentioned now before they awkwardly appear later. It's basically a stepping stone for what's coming up next.