Chapter Six:

Shizuo sighed and lit his early-morning cigarette. Eventually, her friends (who had also happened to be in the exchange student program, not to his surprise though) had come to get her.

He let out a puff of smoke. The short hour that they spent together was something different, he must say. She was an odd girl, that's the only way that he could put it into words in order to rationalize it.

Flashback:

He sighed and tossed the cigarette into the trash, looking over to the girl who was sitting stiffly on his couch. She had been thanking him profusely the entire ten minutes that she had been sitting there. Well, that was until he had snapped at her for apologizing so much and she fell quiet. From what he could tell, she was trying to be very polite about everything. So polite that it was painful. Quite clearly, she wasn't from a big city. Manners were never really a big thing in Ikebukuro, after all.

"So, where do you come from?" He asked quite casually as he set down his silver lighter onto the counter. He didn't know how long she would be here, but he figured that since he would probably never see her again he should ask her a little about herself.

She looked over to him with a smile, any traces of distress or signs that she had been crying were gone,

"Ah- well, I come from the school Karibia High" She said.

"Oh" Was his simple reply. He didn't have much to say on the matter, really. The name to the school was quite odd, though. But then again, there were weirder names in the world than that he guessed.

There was another beat of silence as he leaned up against the frame of his kitchen door, asking,

"Why did your parents let you come out to a city like this? It's a death sentence, you know" His fingers fiddled with the box of cigarettes in his pockets as he starred lazily at her. It was true, anyone who came out here on their own free will was insane. But, the pressing need for work and money made people to insane things- didn't they?

"Ah- well... I don't have parents... My dad, he died of pnuemonia when I was very little, too little to remember, and my mom got hit by a car last year" She replied, that same smile still etched on his face.

Well, congratulations, Shizuo, he thought to himself, you managed to say more than two stupid things in one night. Do you feel successful?

"I'm sorry" He grunted. Again, he didn't know of any better way to put it than that. After all, he wasn't exactly the most social person in the world. Probably the exact opposite, really. He had his close circle of people he talked to, which really included only Celty and Tom, and that was about it.

"No- Don't be sorry!" She smiled at him, "Things happen for a reason, you know. I know it sounds bad, but if the things that happened to me didn't happen, then I wouldn't know all of the wonderful people I know today. I mean, I miss them and I wish they were alive, but I love my friends. And, besides, they can be together forever now, right?" She grinned at him, then her face changed emotions as she pressed her index fingers together at the tips, "I-I don't mean to s-sound awkward or anything"

"It's fine" He replied simply, tapping his fingers on the box.

What an odd girl.

Flashback End

By the time that her friends had gotten there, she had fallen asleep. The orange-haired one had to carry her out, the silver haired one thanked him, and the only two females that came questioned him immensely about what happened, like he sinned against humanity for helping her or something. Oh, well. That's what it must be like to have friends then.

He let out another breath of smoke, letting the nicotine ease his stress. He had a whole list of people he had to get money from today, and (as always) he was sure to loose his temper and throw vending machines, or anything else he could get his hands on to be quite blunt.

He sighed and tapped the phone in his pocket.

"Here's the number to the apartment that they we're staying at, would you mind calling us tomorrow after school hours?" Asked the silver-haired boy, "She's going to be very grateful that you helped her, and she's going to want to make you dinner as a thank you. I'm telling you, it's easier to call her and ask if she left anything at your home, because she'll find a way to hunt you down so that she can invite you over for dinner. Don't think that she won't, she will" He said with a slight smile before pushing some hair out of his face. "Thank you," He added, "For making sure Honda-San was safe, she means a lot to all of that" and with saying that, he turned out the door and walked out.

He pulled out the small piece of paper and held it in his hands. Then he shoved it into his pockets. Eh, there was no way she would actually track him down to make him dinner.

Oh, my, he had no idea how wrong that thought was.

"Neee!~ I'm glad that you got back safe! I went all up and down the streets looking for your pretty face!" Kida said, grinning a bit slyly and leaning forward toward the slightly flustered girl, "You should come get a drink with me, as celebration for your safe return" He grinned at her.

Uotani slapped her hand up the back of the boy's head, causing him to stumble slightly and hold the back of his head in pain.

"Don't you even think about touching my Tohru" She said a bit darkly.

"Or I'll have to zap you" Hanajima added, small sparks flaring off by the side of her head.

A shiver went down Kida's spine as he turned to face them with a nervous grin,

"Ah- As I was saying, we should show you around the school!" Kida stammered as Mikado shook his head, "I-I think you'll like it"