Chapter 2 I’m All Alone!
***Yuki’s POV***
I stood there watching Naomi walk away, rubbing her cheek. She usually has such a temper, why she didn’t attack Kyo was beyond me. She usually took every chance she got to attack him, and, in my opinion, he would have deserved it.
“That was low, even for you,” I told Kyo, gritting my teeth. My hands were in fists at my side. I wanted so much to lash out and hit him, but for Tohru’s sake, I held back.
“What are you talking about?” he asked defensively. He was in a fighting stance as if ready to take on anything, although, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself against my wrath.
“I’m talking about Naomi. You know, she has a big a temper as you, and she walked away. She didn’t try to purposefully hit you,” I said, anger coating the words.
“What are you trying to insinuate?” He cocked an eyebrow and glared at me through his red, evil eyes.
“That you hit her on purpose.” When he was about to argue, I held up a hand and continued, “I know you two don’t get along. You’ve been waiting for a moment to get her back after she made a fool out of you in PE the other day.”
“That isn’t true!”
“No? Then go apologize and tell her she can stay with us,” I shrugged. “It would only be right.”
He glared at me for a moment before snatching up his bag, which he had dropped and headed for school. “I don’t have to.”
I sighed, “Come on Miss Honda. Sorry you had to see that.”

Once we entered the school building, we knew everyone must have seen Naomi’s face. The students were talking about her fat lip and bruised cheek all morning. I chuckled. Everyone was going to throw a fit when they saw Kyo. If they talked to her, then they would all know what had happened.
But, I was surprised to hear that that was not the rumor going around. Hana and the Yankee came up behind us.
“Did you guys see Naomi’s face? She says she and her older brother were throwing around a baseball, and she missed. That seems like a bad bruise for a baseball. Her brother would have had to chuck it at her as hard as he could to produce a bruise that big,” the Yankee informed us.
Tohru and I exchanged looks. Why hadn’t she just told the truth?

***Naomi’s POV***
I hadn’t told anyone at school the truth about how I received the bruise and fat lip. All through school I received questioning looks from the teachers, and later, my boss. They probably knew I was lying and thought my brother was the one that had punched me. I didn’t know why I lied; I could have gotten back at Kyo. But, I wanted to keep my distance and not cause a scene. But, it would seem I caused one anyway.
I desperately wished for someone to talk to, but I had no real friends. I had transferred to this school in the middle of last year, and I hadn’t had time to make friends. I was too busy with my job after school at a local café to make friends.
It seemed as if everyone was scared of me. Sure, I was more of a tomboy, and I did have a bit of a temper, but surely there was one person in the whole school who could stand me. Only Yuki had ever tried talking to me. He was the closest thing to a real friend I had. Tohru was a good friend, but then, she was nice to everyone.
As I was walking through the streets, I felt as though someone were following me. It was too dark out to see, and my brother had warned me of thugs out at night, which was why he had enrolled me in self defense classes when I was younger.
Glanced nervously over my shoulder. A figure was shrouded in the dark abyss of shadows, which seemed to be consuming him. I turned down an ally, only to find a dead end. Panic-stricken, I searched my pockets for a weapon as footsteps could be heard creeping slowly towards me.
I closed my eyes when my search for a weapon came up empty; it’s not like I carried a pocket-knife with me everywhere I went. But, I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. As soon as he was right behind me, I swung my leg back hitting him where it counts.
The figure fell to his knees, groaning. I recognized the voice, but it couldn’t be him.
“Kyo? I’m sorry. I thought you were a crazy thug or something. Why were you creeping up on me?” I said with concern, though I never knelt down to help him. I was still angry from this morning.
“Well, I was going to say something when you kicked me,” he grumbled, holding himself.
“Call it payback for this morning. Now, we’re even,” I smiled slightly in amusement. It was the first time all day that I had felt a little better.
“Ya, well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” he took a deep breath and stood up. “I wanted to apologize for this morning. Look, I loose my temper easily, and… well…I-”
I held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. It was a bad day anyway. You just added to it.”
“You can stay with us if want,” he mumbled.
I gave him a hard look. “Oh gee I can? You sound so enthused,” I said with sarcasm. “Yuki told you to say that, didn’t he?”
“So what if he did.”
“This is just a pity apology and a pity invitation. Well, I don’t need it. No thank you.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to do the right thing, here.”
“For the first time in your whole entire life!”
“Oh, like you know me so well!”
“I know you well enough. I’m a good judge of character.”
“That makes it all better.”
We stared each other down. Neither one of us ready to back down. We were daring the other to step down first. I for one was not going to be first. Kyo was a self-centered little brat that needed to be put in his place, and I was more than
“Kyo? Naomi?” came Tohru’s voice. She was staring at us from the mouth of the ally.
“It’s us, Tohru,” I took a deep breath.
She came towards us in her work uniform. She had to have heard us fighting. Heck, the whole town probably could.
“Are you two fighting again?” she asked, though I knew she already knew the answer.
I nodded. Kyo just leaned against a side building. As Tohru passed a trash bin, a cat jumped out at her.
Startled, she fell forwards onto Kyo, who bumped into me.
I heard a noise, like a pop, then orange smoke filled the ally. I coughed and stuttered as I tried to make sense of where everyone was. What was that smoke from?