《Sasha》


 0. ~Seven Years Ago~

    Sasha waved goodbye to her friends and headed home.


    Two and a half blocks, almost there. She could save some time by cutting through the back alleys, but they were dangerous.


    "There are bad men out there waiting for young girls like you to make a mistake," an image of her mom appeared before her, telling her what to do as usual.


    "I can defend myself!" Sasha argued back, but her mother scoffed and vanished. Debate over before it began.


    A slow moving car rolled past Sasha as she crossed the second block. Had the car stopped or been aggressive in any way she''d run. Kidnapped off the street, another warning from dear mom.


    Suddenly someone shrieked, Sasha jumped in surprise.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    THUD


    Sasha jumped again, something landed behind her.


    She spun and set her eyes upon a man lying on the ground. A man with red liquid oozing out of his mouth, more of the red spread out around him, slowly creeping towards her.


    She''d never seen so much, the dark red puddle grew larger and larger, turning into a small lake.


    She bent down, placing her hand on the ground, letting the warm thick red liquid run through her fingers. She watched it spread past her feet as it broke off, forming tiny streams down the curb.


    A heavy aroma filled her nose, choking her breath.


    A groan escaped the man. His eyes wide open, cheek against the pavement, staring in Sasha''s general direction. His legs bent wrong ways, one of his arms too. One of his fingers hanging loosely from his hand.


    Sasha knew she should have been scared, knew most would run away, but she wasn''t, and running away from something that can''t do any harm didn''t make any sense.


    So still the man was. Lifeless, destroyed from a simple fall. His entire body bled, the metallic stench was strong enough to taste.


    Sasha couldn¡¯t turn away, instead absorbed the scene in ecstasy.


    It''s... beautiful.

 1. ~First Day~

    Part One


    Sasha''s Rise to Popularity


    Seven Years Later


    Sasha took her seat beside the black haired girl in the front row of the classroom before the bell rang.


    Students took their seats, grouping with friends from previous years, whispering to each other about the new girl. Sasha overheard them asking about her background, others criticised how she dressed.


    The black haired girl shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. She will make a quick first friend.


    The teacher wrote his name on the chalkboard and introduced himself, along with the course he taught. The introduction dragged on, just like every other first day of school.


    The teacher¡¯s voice blacketed the room, putting black expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, boredom in their eyes. They all turned into hypnotized slaves deprived of the choice to explore the world¡¯s possibilities on their own.


    Everything was the same. They are all the same.


    The only time someone can get rid of that look is when they experience pain, or shocked by something that excites them, but that only lasts seconds before they fall right back into it again. After the pain dies down, or the event loses its excitement, the look always comes back. Everyone had it, Sasha is forced to mask herself, pretend she¡¯s the same. If not for the fake demeanor, she¡¯d be treated like someone different.


    Sasha tried opening the eyes of a friend once. It ended in disaster.


    "H-hello," greeted a brown haired boy on the other side of her, his face turning pink.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Brave or stupid? Sasha caught a few pairs of eyes looking their way, smirks on their faces.


    Stupid.


    "You¡¯re new here, right? I-I could show you around the school later, if you don''t mind," he twiddled his thumbs and then mumbled under his breath like he forgot something. "My name is-"


    Sasha interrupted him with the wave of her hand. "I don''t know if I''m sticking around for the entire school year or not. Don¡¯t bother."


    The boy pouted, and for a split-second that look vanished, but returned just as fast. He walked back to his friends, who all laughed as he rejoined them.


    At nine the school bell rang, signalling the end of the first class. Students packed up their things. Sasha glanced at the girl beside her time to make a temporary friend again.


    "Hello," Sasha greeted the black haired girl. Except her hair wasn¡¯t really black, the roots were snow white. Her black jacket complimented the look. "I like your jacket."


    "Thank you, I-I like yours too," the girl replied shyly. "I¡¯m Eva."


    They walked out together. Eva showed her around the school while Sasha pestered her with questions. Sasha learned that Eva transferred to this school last year, and didn¡¯t have a circle of friends. Like Sasha, she¡¯d also transferred several times before.


    Walking down a crowded hallway, the girls brushed by a male athlete and Sasha felt her new friend tense up.


    "Have eyes on a boy already?" Sasha smirked.


    Eva slapped her hand over Sasha¡¯s mouth and took her hostage, until they rounded a corner and let go.


    "Don''t do that!" Her cheeks turned red.


    Sasha laughed. Honest and shy, Eva showed no trace of her earlier boredom. Not since Sasha first spoke to her.


    "You know, I think you would look a lot better if your hair wasn''t black," Sasha said.


    Eva¡¯s smile turned to a frown and she looked away.


    Oh, so that¡¯s how it was. She¡¯s been told differently.


    "I¡¯m serious!" said Sasha, and pulled Eva¡¯s attention back. "I''ll beat up anyone that doesn''t think so!"


    Eva grinned, and her emerald eyes sparkled. ¡°Would you really beat them up?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Sasha said and punched the air. ¡°bare-handed.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re small and cute,¡± Eva patted Sasha¡¯s pink head and giggled. ¡°What could you do?¡±


    Sasha smiled back.

 2. ~Challenge~

    After school, Sasha faced her opponent.


    She¡¯d been informed of his lazy history, having attended the dojo since before she was in kindergarden, and barely made blackbelt. Three ranks below her. That was someone not really committed to the art but enjoys it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt him, can I face someone else?¡± Sasha asked and glanced at the second highest ranking sensei there. Someone with skill.


    Some of the bystandards chuckled, others whispered that she didn''t deserve the belt around her waist.


    ¡°No,¡± the instructor said. ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked the lazy blackbelt guy.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± The instructor asked Sasha.


    Sasha took up a stance. ¡°Have it your way.¡±


    The instructor didn''t believe Sasha when she told him she would defeat anyone she was put up against. Despite that, he still tried to match her with someone her height. She refused to fight a younger boy. Parentsnever took it kindly when their kid goes home with a broken rib or a black eye. Sasha didn''t hold back.


    Beating an adult, however, only puts shame on the adult.


    I should be fighting the instructor himself, not this skinny man that didn''t participate as often as he should.


    ¡°Neither of you hold back. Do your best.¡±


    "No hard feelings okay?" said Sasha, cracking a smile as the instructor looked between them one last time.


    The lazy blackbelt nodded, obviously not taking Sasha''s words seriously.


    "FIGHT!" The instructor chopped the air in front of them and pulled back.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Sasha immediately dashed forward, dodged the rookie''s first and only punch; grabbed his arm with both hands and bent his elbow back until a beautiful pop echoed throughout the dojo.


    A cold rush spread through Sasha¡¯s body, causing her to tremble with pleasure. Pleasure she craved more than anything. But it didn¡¯t last long enough.


    Her wide eyed, shocked opponent finally screamed. The other black belts gaped in disbelief until the instructor stepped forward.


    "Someone get him to a hospital."


    "I''m on it!" One of the students aided his comrade.


    "You two help him," the instructor pointed at two others who immediately nodded and helped. "The rest of you do warm ups. Start stretching..."


    Everyone moved into their spots with haste. The remaining black belts took position in the front, and the rest made a four by eight person rectangle with enough room to move around. Lowest ranked students stood at the back.


    Sasha pinpointed a spot for herself, an empty space waiting for her, but a rough hand was placed on her shoulder before she moved.


    "Careful old man, those fingers look fragile," Sasha warned the instructor.


    "Come, we will go into the next room," he lifted his hand from her shoulder and led the way.


    Like the other room, there were mirrors alongside one wall and old tournament banners plastered on the other, but much smaller.


    "I haven''t fought for fifteen years, so I won''t fight you,¡± he said. ¡°What I can do is teach you what I know, and in turn, you teach my students what you know."


    "You aren¡¯t going to punish me? And what makes you think I¡¯m capable of teaching these kids anything?" Sasha scowled, glaring at him.


    "I can¡¯t punish someone for following my orders,¡± he rubbed his bald head. ¡°A mistake on my part¡­ you surprised me.¡± He paused, then looked at her more seriously. ¡°I want you teaching my students because you¡¯re skillful, confident and have determination. A fire like that is inspiring. Unforgettable.¡±


    ¡°Psh, whatever old man.¡±


    ¡°You can start by leading the warmups, move on from there. Whip them into shape, then maybe teach them how to defend themselves. I think you will bring a lot of excitement to my dojo that many will not forget."


    It didn''t sound that bad. She occasionally had to lead warm ups and teach others how to do things. In some dojos it was mandatory, but she¡¯d never been asked to make a class more exciting. It was a chance to take command in any way she wanted to.


    She held out her hand. ¡°Okay fine, I''ll give this dojo a chance.¡±


    A heartwarming smile spread across the old man''s face as he took her hand in his. "I am looking forward to working with you. Take a week or two, learn everyone''s names, there¡¯s no hurry."


    They shook hands.

 3. ~Little Pink Bunny Rabbit~

    Eva didn''t show up the second day. She helped Sasha avoid overhearing meaningless conversations. Sasha tried to block them out, and almost succeeded in turning them all into white noise, but instead all but one voiced hushed.


    "-a mess when I saw her yesterday, you should have seen her hair! It was almost pure white but with black spots all over, like a dog," a girl chuckled.


    Sasha spun around in her chair.


    The girl sat on a desk, students crowded all around her.


    "I know where she lives,¡± the girl continued. ¡°-and I know her parents aren''t home."


    White spotted hair? Did Eva try and-? ¡°Who was that?¡± Sasha interrupted.


    The girl glared at Sasha. ¡°Ev-a,¡± she replied, pronouncing the name wrong. ¡°You want to join us?¡±


    Sasha stood up, her chair screeched the floor.


    Eva was an honest girl, a shy one. Someone who didn''t like to be picked on. I thought she left the bullying behind. If her bully is in this school- Sasha glared back at the girl. Her straight brown, average hair would be a good reason to be jealous of Eva.


    The girl grew taller as Sasha stepped closer. Sasha shivered with excitement, like she was about to fight a strong opponent.


    "You know where Eva lives?" Sasha asked her calmly.


    The girl nodded. "Yes, and it is Ev-a if you-¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "-write down the address for me," Sasha interrupted her again.


    Hot anger flashed in the girl''s eyes before another girl leaned over and whispered into her ear. Her expression changed as if she suddenly understood something.


    "You are E-va''s new friend? So are you supposed to be a little pink bunny rabbit then? You two girls like playing dress-up?" She grabbed her own hair making pig-tales like Sasha''s, and bounced on top of her desk.


    A few people chuckled. Sasha stood her ground.


    "Are you going to give it to me or do I have to beat it out of you?¡± Sasha''s voice turned ice-cold.


    The mood of the classroom changed instantly.


    "You''ve got some guts,¡± the girl responded. ¡°I''ll be waiting for you after school."


    Some students gasped.


    Sasha chuckled. "Where should we meet? I''ll be there, just make sure you have Eva''s address written down for me when I arrive," despite Sasha''s confident statement, the girl still held a smirk.


    Excitement stirred in her stomach. Maybe I''ll get a real fight, she seems sure of herself.


    She took out a pen and paper, wrote the location of the duel and handed it over.


    It wasn''t exactly the place Sasha expected this girl to name.


    The day before, Eva prevented her from entering two different areas while showing her around. One was a room inside the school where popular kids gathered, and the other was outside the school in a private space between three of the school''s walls where you would find the infamous delinquents. That was the area she named. Cameras didn''t overlook that area because the school budget couldn''t afford to buy a new one every week.


    "Make yourself at home when you get there, I might arrive a few minutes late," the girl said.


    Sasha nodded, and went back to her desk in silence before the teacher walked into the room, sending everyone else scrambling to their seats.


    For the rest of the day, Sasha listened to rumours of a pink haired girl going to get beat up after school. It was really hard to concentrate during any of her classes. At least it drowned out any mention of E-va.

 4. ~Stupid Girl~

    After school, Sasha took her time.


    She expected to arrive first. She expected to be surrounded by a group of people. Either delinquents, or a group of girls. Walls on three sides, one entrance and one exit, The Den was the perfect place for a trap, and she expected one. Wanted one.


    Sasha reached the corner and stopped when she heard loud voices echo from within.


    She hid against the wall.


    "-know I''m on my last leg here! If the Principal hears one peep of me beating up another minor I get suspended! But this? -this is likely going to get me expelled!" Some guy yelled out. ¡°She¡¯s a small pink haired girly-girl right? You beat her up.¡±


    ¡°But I-¡± the girl went silent.


    "I am not doing this, what did she want anyway?" He grumped.


    Sasha didn''t hear the girl¡¯s reply, but the guy grumbled a response.


    The stupid girl is full of herself! Doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯m getting a fight. Sasha pushed herself off the wall and entered The Den.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The older boy towered over the stupid girl. Tall and menacing, he wore a dark short sleeved shirt under a jean jacket -sleeves ripped off- to match his ragged school pants. Scars and muscles...


    He looks tough! This might have been a good fight too.


    He spotted Sasha and glared back at the girl, "Is that her?" he pointed.


    The girl nodded, eyes averted in shame, but Sasha caught a glimpse of fire in the corner of her eye.


    The older boy stepped closer, not hiding his anger he held out a slip of paper. "I am sorry. Take it and leave and please don''t say anything to anyone that involves me. I can''t afford it."


    Sasha took the paper and he turned away.


    "Younger sister?" Sasha asked.


    "Ya, you have one?" he glanced back.


    "Two, twins," Sasha answered.


    "Haha, don¡¯t think I could handle that. One is hard enough."


    No choice but to play innocent, Sasha giggled and took a step back. "Sorry for bothering you."


    "Hey,¡± He called back before she could escape. ¡°What exactly do you need that address for anyway?"


    "You¡¯ll find out soon enough," Sasha answered and walked away, shaking.


    The stupid girl promised a fight, and didn''t deliver.


    Sasha turned her focus on the paper. Her hands shaking, she could hardly read it but Eva¡¯s street connected to the one she lived on.


    I need to calm down before seeing her.


    She broke into a run.

 5. ~Bet~

    Sasha knocked on the front door.


    Catching her breath, she glanced at the paper again to make sure she had the right house number. Before she focused on the number, the door opened and a woman stood in the doorway.


    Pretty, she wore a t-shirt with thin jeans, brown hair sat on her shoulders and she had a face that told Sasha to leave immediately.


    "Hello,¡± Sasha breathed in. ¡°Does Eva live here?" She hoped the pretty lady was Eva''s mom. Isn¡¯t she supposed to be at work?


    The woman¡¯s eyes scanned the area. "Where are your friends?" She asked, but sounded more like a command. "If you¡¯re here to bully-"


    "Eva is my friend, I moved here not too long ago. There were a lot of rumours going around in school today and I wanted to check on Eva," Sasha interrupted and took in another big breath, not yet recovered from her run.


    The woman gave Sasha her full attention. "How did you find this house?" She asked, again in that demanding tone.


    A mother protecting her child, Sasha witnessed this desperate need for the very first time. Nothing was going to hurt Eva, not while her mother stood here. The determination in her eyes...


    Sasha hesitated, but handed the woman the paper that led her here. "I overheard a girl saying she knew where Eva lived, she refused to give it to me at first but then her older brother got involved and he handed me this."


    The woman glanced at the paper, before scanning the neighbourhood once more. Only then did her shoulders relax. ¡°Eva did mention she met a nice girl yesterday. Did she show you around the school?"


    "She helped me a lot,¡± Sasha nodded.


    "What''s your name? You can come in but stay by the door okay?" Eva¡¯s mom ushered Sasha inside.


    Sasha stated her name.


    The house was nothing spectacular. Sasha quickly identified each room.


    The woman left her in the entrance, turned a corner. A door squeaked open.


    "Sasha''s here?" Eva sounded surprised.


    Sasha didn''t hear anything else before Eva''s mom showed up again.


    "Take off your shoes, you can stay. If you need a ride home later I can provide one as an apology for my own behaviour."


    "I live about a block from here, it isn''t far.¡± Sasha replied as she took off her shoes. ¡°I can walk." She held back a curse when she realized she left her bag at school.


    The woman led Sasha through the house and knocked on a bedroom door twice before opening it. The bed, a carpet, a decorated desk, a poster- two posters gave a girly look to the room. The walls a default white.


    This all reminded Sasha of her first bedroom to herself.


    A mess of clothing was scattered all over the floor, and in the middle of it, sat the girl Sasha met yesterday.


    "Hello,¡± Eva smiled.


    Sasha could tell it was forced. There were bags under her bloodshot eyes. Was she crying?


    A winter hat sat awkwardly on top of her head, none of her hair visible for Sasha to see, the hat, no doubt, had the sole purpose of hiding it.


    Eva''s mom turned to Sasha, and stared at her as if her eyes could talk. They said: Don''t hurt my daughter!


    Sasha nodded an understanding before stepping inside. The door closed behind her, but not all the way.


    "Your mom is cool," Sasha broke the silence as she walked over and knelt down in front of her new friend.


    Eva avoided Sasha''s gaze but sat still in the middle of the floor surrounded by clothes.


    ¡°You know, I was called a little pink bunny rabbit today.¡±


    That made Eva smirk, but she resisted Sasha''s attempt to cheer her up and the smirk vanished as fast as it appeared.


    Sasha sighed. ¡°Are you going to let me see your little problem or not? I¡¯m pretty sure I can help fix it. I have two little sisters who have hair problems at least twice a month.¡±


    ¡°Nothing as bad as this I bet,¡± Eva grumped.


    ¡°Well, if you still have the full length of your hair then you''ve just lost that bet.¡±


    That got her to look at Sasha with curious and pleading eyes, like she wanted details.


    Sasha pointed to the pink decorated desk where all her make-up and stuff was bound to be. ¡°You have to take off that hat and find a chair if you want details.¡±


    Eva nodded and stood up, bolted out of the room to find a chair.


    Sasha took a moment to skim through the tools she had to work with and frowned.


    I''ll need to raid the kitchen.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.<hr>Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 6. ~Terrified~

    Miya tapped her foot, hand on her chin. ¡°How are we going to get that off of you?¡±


    Her twin sister, Luna, trembled, arms hugged around herself. Covered in glitter, and sticky to the touch.


    What if I grab hold of it here?


    Miya grasped the outfit and tried lifting it off of her. It hardly budged.


    What happened? All we used was-


    She picked up an empty tube of glitter and read the label.


    Glitter glue, for arts and crafts.


    That explains it.


    A door slammed shut upstairs.


    ¡°Sasha¡¯s home!¡± Miya rushed up the basement steps to greet her older sister.


    ¡°M-Miya!¡± Luna cried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Sasha will know how to get you out!¡± Assured Miya, leaving her twin sister captive inside a costume in the basement. She opened the basement door into the hallway, which was also where the entrance was.


    Sasha bent down and undid one of her shoelaces.


    Sasha looks mellow today. Eva must be a charming girl.


    Miya grinned and kicked the basement door open.


    ¡°Sasha! Did you have fun playing dress-up at your friend''s house?¡±


    Sasha paused a moment before taking off her second shoe and stood up. ¡°Where¡¯s your sister?¡±


    Miya rolled her eyes, you know exactly where she is! ¡°Today we were playing dress-up like you were! It was fun, but then she got stuck and I can''t get her out of her costume to try on another.¡±


    Sasha shook her head in disappointment.


    Miya straightened out her yellow outfit. The top had a cute TV character she forgot the name of, and a matching yellow skirt draped over her thighs, not quite long enough to touch her knees, still fit after two years having it.


    Miya¡¯s arms got a chill as Sasha stared at her with suspicion. Miya¡¯s survival instincts told her to run.


    Maybe Eva only suppressed it a tiny bit. This is bad!


    Miya bolted back down the stairs to warn her sister.


    ¡°Luna! You better get up there, and DON¡¯T tell Sasha where I am!¡± Miya leaped off the last step, tumbled, and hid underneath the stairs.


    ¡°Is she mad?¡±


    Miya nodded. ¡°Just as bad as when we tried to roast her cute stuffed pig over the kitchen stove to make bacon a couple of years ago.¡±


    Luna paled, and awkwardly climbed the stairs.


    When Sasha sees the outfit I used to dress Luna up in¡­


    The basement door opened and Luna caught Sasha¡¯s attention with her small voice.


    ¡°Where did you get that outfit?¡± Sasha asked, barely loud enough for Miya to make out.


    A deep chill crawled along Miya¡¯s spine. Sasha¡¯s beyond angry! This was worse! Like the time we took her blanket and made confetti! Then, after she told us to clean it up she didn¡¯t like the fact we used her pillowcase for a bag and tossed the pillow in the trash. You can¡¯t have a pillow without the pillowcase! It was impossible to try and explain it to her.


    "Miya said she found it in your room and told me you bought it with the money you were supposed to use for getting into the dojo," Luna quietly replied.


    "Mmhmm, so where''s Miya now?" Sasha asked.


    Miya whimpered.


    "She told me not to tell you," Luna answered.


    "Go clean yourself the best you can. Miya will follow you shortly," Sasha¡¯s voice grew cold.


    Miya heard Luna scamper across the floor into the bathroom, and shortly after, ice crystallized the walls and stairs as Sasha descended to the basement one step at the time.


    "Miya, the faster I find you the quicker this will all be over," said Sasha, her icy rage descending further and brushing against Miya¡¯s skin.


    Miya tried to shake it off but the chill wouldn¡¯t go away, a squeak escaped her lips when more frost brushed against her leg.


    She slapped her hands over her mouth and faced the stairs, glaring into Sasha¡¯s cold gaze.


    An evil grin spread across Sasha¡¯s face. "I see you, Miya!."


    Ignoring the cold, Miya bolted for her bedroom door and tried to slam it shut, but Sasha jammed her foot in the way and flung the door open. Sasha reached forward, grabbing Miya¡¯s collar.


    Miya shut her eyes tight and pretended this was one of many nightmares. When her eyes opened again, she watched Sasha¡¯s dark orbs fill with rage -no, it went deeper than rage. What is she going to do?


    Sasha jolted her forward.


    Miya flinched, screamed, and cried.


    ...


    Cried until something soft touched her cheek, and scraped off dry tears.


    Luna sat on her knees in front of her, naked and clean. A box of kleenex at her side. She reached up and wiped Miya¡¯s other cheek.


    ¡°W-w-what h-happened?¡± Miya stuttered over her words.


    Luna explained that Sasha had dragged her up into the bathtub and wiped them both down, not leaving a single inch untouched. Sasha left Luna to dry them both off with towels, but Miya wouldn¡¯t stop crying so Luna got a box of kleenex. They had to find a fresh set of clothes in their dressers, their current ones were in the washing machine.


    Miya noted they were sitting on the bathroom floor.


    ¡°-our punishment for ruining Sasha¡¯s outfit is making her another that will stand out in snow,¡± Luna finished.


    Miya¡¯s eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open. ¡°What? That¡¯s it!¡±


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

 7. ~Acting~

    Sasha waited outside Eva''s place, holding a plastic bag containing her lunch.


    After all the encouragement she poured into Eva yesterday, Eva still had mixed feelings. Sasha went as far as role playing the bully, and made Eva practice responding as the victim. Acting is not the real thing, Sasha realized this when Eva wouldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    The door finally opened, and out stepped a girl with long flowing snow-white hair. Brushed, her hair took on a natural wavy look. Her green short skirt and hair-band on top matched the colour of her eyes. Everything else was blue and white school wear.


    No wonder they picked on her, she¡¯s beautiful.


    "You are quite pretty I must say," Sasha teased. "There will be many jealous people."


    Eva blushed but still walked to join her.


    "And many boys will look at you," Sasha added with a smirk.


    Eva''s blush darkened and she turned back toward the door.


    "Ohhhh-no," Sasha took hold of Eva¡¯s arm and pulled. "I didn''t do everything I did yesterday and dress like this for you to turn back now. Pretend your hair is as black as night and everyone around you is standing in their underwear."


    "You two try to have fun, okay?" Eva''s worried mom called out from the door of the house. She said she''d take another day off work, in case something happened.


    Sasha rolled her eyes, remembering how she encouraged her sisters in a similar way when they entered kindergarten. She made a mistake when she told them to have fun, well, mainly the mistake was with Miya. Her fun is different from everyone else''s.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll break some fingers if anyone tries to touch her!" Sasha called back cheerfully as she pulled the blushing Eva behind her.


    Eva resisted when they reached the intersection marking the halfway point. Sasha let go and faced Eva who looked her up and down.


    "Why did you-" she paused, or couldn''t seem to find the words.


    Sasha wore a black lolita dress with pink frills and stripes. Not typical school attire, nor was it anywhere near normal for someone to be wearing something like it anywhere. Sasha was bound to grab more attention than Eva.


    "I told my youngest sister to dress me up in something that would stand out in snow, so she put this on me," Sasha said. "Besides, it works well with my hair style, it¡¯s quite comfortable and I can''t let you hog all the attention, now can I?"


    Eva¡¯s eyes widened.


    Sasha spun around once for her. "Do you like it?"


    Eva nodded with enthusiasm, her eyes not betraying her actions.


    "Well, then you better get your voice back soon because I never said I''d protect you against words," Sasha turned back toward the school, took a few steps forward and glanced back.


    Eva was surprisingly right behind her, she could have ran back home by now.


    "Alright,¡± Sasha said. ¡°The plan is to walk right past everyone, straight into the doors of the school. Keep your eyes on the doors and we''ll make it."


    "Have you ever done anything like this before?" Eva asked.


    "Nope," Sasha replied. "This is my first time wearing a dress to school."


    Eva stood directly at her side when they reached school property, her head high. She looked proud, like a jungle cat.


    She''s acting.


    ¡°How long can you keep your head up like that you think?¡± Sasha asked her.


    ¡°Until we reach the doors, if we hurry,¡± Eva whispered back.


    Sasha laughed and they walked to the school doors.


    After the first set of eyes fell upon them, heads turned one after the other.


    Before they reached the school, the entire student body watched them parade by. Sasha betrayed her own plan and glanced around, for defensive reasons.


    Approaching the door, Eva reached for the handle, but someone opened it from the other side.


    Another pair of eyes fell on them. It was the stupid girl that failed to give Sasha a fight.


    Dressed different, the girl wore a jacket that couldn''t really be called a jacket, there was also a little too much makeup on her face. This was a stupid girl trying to attract the attention of an even stupider boy.


    The stupid girl laughed. ¡°What are you supposed to be?¡± She asked, looking Eva up and down and then Sasha in turn.


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Sasha asked. ¡°She''s a princess,¡± she pointed to Eva. ¡°I''m her doll,¡± she pointed to herself, ¡°And I can only guess you''re supposed to be a-¡± Sasha looked the stupid girl up and down. ¡°-a prostitute?¡±


    The stupid girl immediately changed moods, glared at Sasha with the intent to say something to counter.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Sasha didn¡¯t give her the chance. ¡°Doesn''t really matter now does it?¡± She said and walked through the door the stupid girl held open, Eva followed and they made it to their first classroom without anyone else stopping them. It was thankfully empty because Eva burst out laughing the moment the door closed shut.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.<hr>Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 8. ~Spinning~

    The bell rang for lunch.


    Sasha exited the classroom with Eva leading the way. Eva weaved through the growing crowds with ease, already used to the layout the students made while Sasha fell behind. The dress didn¡¯t make things any easier.


    I¡¯m switching back to normal clothes tomorrow.


    Sasha pushed passed a few more students, lost sight of Eva, but someone grabbed hold of her hand and gently tugged. The hand no doubt belonged to a girl.


    Pulled through the students, she stumbled into a classroom, tripped on her dress and fell to the floor. Two girls behind her shut the door and locked it.


    A buzzing noise snapped Sasha''s attention to a third girl sitting on the teacher''s desk holding an electric razor. Judging from who the person was, Sasha had a pretty good idea what this was about.


    Sweet, cold, revenge.


    Sasha stood up and let her bag drop to the floor, excitement fluttered in her stomach. Didn''t matter who touched her right now, all they would know is pain.


    The stupid girl shut the razor off, she shifted her weight from one butt cheek to the other. "Okay, so this is how we''re going to play this game,¡± she said. ¡°First we¡¯re going to shave your head, ridding you of that ugly pink hair-"


    "Funny, I know a lot of people who would think differently," Sasha interrupted with a smirk. "So I think I''m keeping the hair..."


    "Second," the stupid girl continued, an attempt to ignore Sasha. "We¡¯ll need to strip you naked."


    "You were straight to the point that time, no more excuses?" asked Sasha..


    The stupid girl¡¯s eye twitched.


    "Do you not recognize your situation? You are outnumbered three to one, so don''t think you¡¯re getting out of here in one piece!" The stupid girl yelled.


    ¡°Okay, so you want to get me back for whatever I did to you-¡± Sasha rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You made a fool out of me in front of everyone!¡± barked the stupid girl, jumping off the desk.


    Sasha flinched, reflex had her in a fighting stance. The stupid girl smiled triumph.


    ¡°So you are affected by this situation, and here I thought you were at ease the whole time. I''ll admit, you had me worried there for a few seconds,¡± she walked to the side of the teacher¡¯s desk and eyed the razor she held as if it was suddenly very interesting. ¡°Girls, hold her down for me so we can get this over with.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering when you''d say something like that,¡± Sasha''s senses went wild.


    The first girl grabbed hold of Sasha in a bear hug, trapping her arms.


    Sasha pulled forward and slammed the back of her head into the girl''s face, the girl let go. Sasha followed with a stomp on the girl¡¯s foot, and jabbed a sharp elbow in her gut.


    The girl fell flat on her bum.


    The second girl foolishly tried to grab Sasha''s neck from the front. Sasha saw it coming, grabbed the foolish girl¡¯s arm before she could get a grip and sharply twisted, forcing the foolish girl to her knees, following the pain.


    Unfortunately, Sasha was on school property and the school had records of what she ranked in karate. Breaking too many limbs when she clearly controlled the situation might land her in suspension, and she couldn''t have that.


    The first girl¡¯s broken nose and whatever the stupid girl decides she wants broken will have to satisfy her.


    Make your move.


    The stupid girl stood frozen.


    Sasha tightened her hold on the foolish girl''s arm, who begged her to let go. The first girl cried on the floor, harshly wheezing through her nose.


    ¡°Breathe through your mouth,¡± Sasha growled. ¡°And you stop begging, I''m not letting go until she makes her move.¡±


    Both went silent.


    ¡°What. The. Fuck!¡± The stupid girl finally squeaked her surprise.


    ¡°What?¡± Sasha said, ¡°I never said I was a harmless doll, princesses must have bodyguards after all.¡±


    The stupid girl screamed, cursed, and flung herself at Sasha, holding the razor like a dagger.


    Sasha''s smile grew as she let go of the foolish girl and dodged the stupid girl''s attempt to skewer her; a wide swing, hard to pull back from. Sasha took the fully stretched arm in both hands, put her knee against it, and applied force.


    SNAP


    The stupid girl screamed.


    Sasha¡¯s body shivered with pleasure.


    The razor crashed to the ground, bounced into a corner, harmless.


    Situation under control, Sasha let her go, walked to the teacher¡¯s chair and sat down.


    Moments after, an army of teachers entered the classroom. Sasha twirled herself in half circles in the chair, waiting.


    Two girls cried, a third girl sat against the wall holding her arm, silent as a mouse.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± asked a teacher after absorbing the scene.


    ¡°I defended myself,¡± Sasha said spinning in the chair to face them. ¡°That razor on the floor over there was used as a weapon. I dislocated her arm-¡± She pointed at the stupid girl. ¡°-to make her let go, though there is a small chance I may have broken it instead by accident. So I recommend sending her and the other crying girl to the hospital. She has a broken nose, possibly a hurt toe, and I think a bruised gut, it should be checked just in case,¡± Is that-no. The first girl- ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Sasha gestured. ¡°I didn''t really do anything to her but maybe hurt her pride a bit. I held her arm so she couldn''t really move.¡±


    Surprisingly the teachers mobilized.


    All three girls were sent to the hospital. Sasha refused to go with them and ended up in the principal''s office writing an incident report. Memory failed her for perfect details and for order, so she jotted down notes every time she remembered something and numbered them afterward.


    When she thought she had it all, she handed it in.


    The principal read a few lines before handing her another paper.


    ¡°On that one please describe the events that may have caused this one, if you don''t mind,¡± the big man looked at Sasha with suspicion in his eyes.


    Sasha''s thoughts brought her to the one person that told her not to mention him.


    ¡°Umm, I''ll do it, but I want to make sure a certain boy doesn''t get in trouble. He actually prevented a possible fight that would have involved him.¡±


    ¡°The girl''s older brother perhaps?¡±


    Sasha nodded.


    ¡°He''s been a good boy lately, and if you don''t see any reason to get him in trouble then why should I?¡±


    Sasha nodded again and started writing. Details were harder to think about now as she thought about the last couple days. She couldn''t help but smile at some of the things she said to the stupid girl.


    ¡°Something amusing?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever been to the high-school sitting just outside of Tanner?¡± Sasha asked him.


    ¡°Shoal''s high?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well you see, they play this game there...¡±


    Sasha explained how the game goes, and in the end, after he read what she wrote, Sasha was allowed to leave without punishment.


    She just forgot to warn those girls what would happen if they dared to lay a finger on Eva.


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 9. ~Yatsu~

    Sasha ran late for her last class, but had a note explaining her absence.


    She used the stolen time to recon the school and figure out its layout while the students were in class.


    When Eva showed her around the school yesterday, Sasha was lost the entire time but did her best to memorize landmarks. Now she realized the school was just one big square with branching hallways.


    The small cafeteria explained why the students ate anywhere they wanted, aside from unattended classrooms. Different from her previous school which had a huge cafeteria, big enough to house the entire student population and more.


    Sasha rounded a corner and slammed into a moving something, bounced off of it and flew backwards landing on her butt. A clatter of books and papers hit the ground.


    Sasha cursed and searched for the cause, not surprised to find a boy already picking up dropped papers. Some of which had no doubt fallen out of a familiar looking binder.


    That''s mine, why does he have- oh- never mind.


    The enormous amount of papers had fallen out of her pack.


    Great.


    She shook off her pack and helped the boy clean up the mess. Her binder pretty much ruined as far as her organization went so she just tossed the papers into it. Re-organize it later if she had to.


    Sasha picked up paper after paper until she found only one left and reached for it.


    Another hand found it at the same time.


    She looked up at the boy, big dark blue eyes stared back at her, but only for a moment.


    He averted his eyes to the floor and held out his collected stack of papers.


    ¡°Sorry! I didn''t mean to knock you down, please forgive me.¡±


    His hand shook, was he nervous or frightened? Sasha couldn''t tell.


    Sasha took the stack of papers, but before she could thank him he stood up and walked away in haste.


    Her eyes grew wider as she watched him walk further away. He then turned a corner, out of sight.


    Sasha wasn''t entirely sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.


    Surprised? In shock?


    Could I have found someone without-?


    Usually it would have- it didn''t...


    I have to find him, to confirm it...later.


    Sasha shoved all the papers into her now messy binder, threw it into her pack and set off toward her last class.


    She found her classroom but stopped when another person opened the door and walked inside, the boy.


    I guess I don''t have to look very hard. She walked up to the door and opened it.


    Sasha earned the stares of the entire class, no surprise there.


    The boy sat down at the back of the classroom.


    A thin, tall man with short dark graying hair, pushed a pair of glasses back on his nose and accepted Sasha¡¯s paper before continuing his lesson.


    She sat down.


    Sasha would have to wait until later to confront the boy, because she sat in the front she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes on him, therefore she tuned into the lesson- or would have until the teacher ordered the class to pair up, and individually called Sasha and Yatsu over to his desk.


    Yatsu turned out to be that boy, and still didn''t have that look. Even as the teacher instructed the others to begin, while explaining what they¡¯d all missed, Yatsu still didn''t have that look.


    "-assignment where you write down ten things that interest you and share these interests with someone you don''t know. This is an exercise to simply ease any nervousness about standing up in front of strangers when sharing future assignments with the class. You two will pair up."


    "Do we have to go into detail?" Yatsu asked him.


    "That¡¯s up to you."


    The teacher gave us each a page with one to ten numbered down the left side. With little room, they silently decided to sit in front of the teacher''s desk. The first thing that came to mind was Eva, so Sasha jotted down my newest friend in the number one spot.


    She glanced at Yatsu and found him with a blank page.


    Was he drawing a blank?


    "I made a friend my first day," Sasha shared, trying to get his head working.


    Yatsu looked up at her with those really dark blue eyes. If his dark brown hair wasn''t so messy, if he wore anything other than casual clothes, and he put on some muscle he would be a boy of many girls'' dreams. His eyes told Sasha otherwise. They gave off the feeling of being lost, and he didn''t know what to do.


    "I-I like your eyes," he said, almost a whisper, before snapping his eyes back to his paper.


    That surprised Sasha.


    "I''m an idiot," he quickly said when she didn''t respond. "Forget I said anything," he attempted to stand but dropped his paper.


    Sasha reached out to pick it up for him.


    A sharp shiver spread through her when he touched her, a shiver that turned her arm numb, a shiver that made her forget everything else.


    I''ve never felt like this.


    The closest was when she had a hold of someone, ready to hear the beautiful sound of a limb about to break.


    The paper slipped out from her grasp, his touch gone.


    "Everyone back to your seats," the teacher called out.


    Yatsu weaved his way across the classroom, sat down at his desk.


    Sasha got up, tried to shake that feeling from her arm before she took her seat.


    She didn''t know what happened, but the boy named Yatsu was added to the list of things that interested her.


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 10. ~That felt good~

    The next day, Sasha couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. His single touch made her entire arm feel funny for hours. It faded slowly, a whisper remained. She craved another taste.


    Yatsu entered the school ground, and scanned the crowds of students waiting for the bell to ring.


    Sasha averted her gaze to avoid eye contact with him.


    Eva called out to her and bounded over.


    Boys from every direction watched her approach. Some watched her butt, some her breasts, few her hair, all with curious expressions.


    Sasha glared at them and then at Eva. "You¡¯re late."


    "Who are you-" Eva spun around, and all the boys¡¯ gazes turned elsewhere. "-looking at?" she asked, concluding her own answer.


    Eva is gaining popularity fast... "All the boys looking at you," said Sasha, stating the fact. "I don''t doubt someone is going to ask you out by the end of the day."


    "W-what really?" Eva''s face turned pink. "What about you?"


    "I''m not wearing a frilly dress. You stand out more than I do," said Sasha stepping toward the school. "The bell is going to ring soon."


    Eva fell in step behind her but Sasha stopped, and glanced over her shoulder. I could do it now.


    "Sasha-?"


    "I need to check something," Sasha spotted Yatsu weaving through the crowd. Heading toward the school double doors.


    Sasha followed him at a quick pace.


    Yatsu opened the door and stepped in. Sasha rushed through the same door, brushing against him. Renewing the rush of numbness, this time through her entire body.


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    "Sorry," she briefly called back to him and kept walking.


    Eva caught up, questions plastered on her face.


    "My arm... smack it," Sasha said.


    Eva gave her a funny look but raised her hand and gave her a light whack.


    Sasha''s arm tingled, she resisted the urge to scratch it. "That tickled."


    Eva whacked her again, this time a jolt of electricity shot up Sasha¡¯s arm. She shivered with pleasure.


    "That felt good~" Sasha purred.


    Eva didn''t respond, and dragged Sasha into their classroom. They sat down at their desks.


    "What felt good?" Eva asked.


    "Yatsu, he-"


    Eva''s eyes grew wide and sparkled with an unnatural interest.


    Sasha ignored it.


    "I- when I touch him I feel funny," Sasha held out her arm. "My arm is numb like it¡¯s asleep, but when you whacked me it felt-"


    "Good," Eva''s finished. "You li~ke him."


    Sasha paled.


    Eva giggled.


    "I don''t!-it''s just-"


    "Too late for that," Eva said and turned, facing the front.


    Students filed in. The warning bell rang. The teacher entered the classroom.


    I don''t like him-like him, but...


    I do want to get to know him.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 11. ~Rage~

    Lunch time, Sasha stood up. "I need to find someone."


    Eva grinned, "Go get-em," she encouraged.


    Sasha''s face pinked, but she fought it back and left the classroom.


    Her body was still fuzzy, her one arm completely numb. Fading faster than before, Sasha guessed only the feeling in her arm would be left by the time she went to bed that night.


    Not knowing where Yatsu was, Sasha wandered the school. Happy she no longer wore that dress she weaved through student traffic with ease. Scanning faces one after the other.


    She ignored the surprised recognition some of them gave her. She ignored everyone.


    Until someone intentionally stood in her way.


    Wide-eyed, the someone held out a white envelope to her.


    She took it, not knowing what to expect. She glared at him hoping to find the answer but he averted his eyes, his feet suddenly seemed important. His hands hid behind his back.


    Sasha ripped open the letter, dropping the envelope on the ground. She read the first few words, then tore the letter to pieces in front of him.


    "Don''t waste my time."


    The boy winced as Sasha brushed passed him.


    Who would give someone a love letter on the first week of school?


    She turned a corner, focused on finding Yatsu.


    "Sasha!" Her name sweetly called out. Someone new tapped her shoulder.


    Sasha spun around and glared at a girl.


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    The girl stood nearly a head taller than Sasha and smiled down at her.


    "Want to have lunch with us today?" She gestured to a group of girls.


    A group of freshman girls.


    Do they think this is my first year of high school!


    "What class are you in?" The girl asked. "We went to numerous grade nine classes and couldn-"


    "I am not a mascot," Sasha growled and walked the opposite direction, to her next class.


    I''ll find him after school.


    Another, older boy blocked her path.


    "Yo, Sas-"


    Ignoring him, she pushed her way through.


    What is with everyone!


    Sasha entered her classroom and sat down at her desk. Tried to calm down her rising anger.


    "Ummm..." a shy voice.


    Sasha wanted to bash her head against the desk.


    "Would you like to be my fr-"


    Sasha cursed and glared at her. Anger turned to rage.


    The girl stood shaking, eyes wide, terrified. She fled.


    Sasha grinned.


    No one else confronted her.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 12. ~Like you would do that~

    Final class of the day, Sasha resisted glancing back at him. She couldn''t help but feel his gaze on her, crawling along the back of her neck like a bug.


    If we make eye contact, he might ask-


    -but he might think I¡¯m¡­


    Her rage from lunch turned to humiliation after thinking about how she¡¯d confess to him. She¡¯d never confessed to anyone before. The mere thought of it turned her face red.


    Thankfully no idiots asked her what was wrong.


    What should I do?


    Sasha sought Eva¡¯s help, but she faced the teacher.


    The teacher pushed his glasses up and called upon someone, asking for a random fact about American history.


    The called upon person answered without hesitating.


    Then the bell rang and a bunch of students stood up all at once.


    What should I do? What should I do? "What should I do!"


    "I can walk you home, pretty girl," said a boy leaning against the desk next to hers.


    Sasha scrunched her nose and turned away.


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    "I wasn''t kidding." The boy''s tone changed.


    "No," Sasha responded over her shoulder.


    "But...I... ah whatever, your loss." The boy left.


    Eva watched him leave. "You''ve been getting asked out too?"


    "Yes," Sasha growled and risked a glance over at Yatsu. He finished packing his stuff, and tossed his bag over his shoulder. "I should¡¯ve never worn that stupid costume."


    Eva giggled. "It was pretty cute... you going to ask him out?"


    Sasha blushed.


    "Go!" Eva encouraged.


    Sasha stood up, sat back down. "I don''t know what to say."


    "Just say hi?" Eva suggested.


    Sasha glared at her. "Like you would do that."


    Eva blushed. "Then... wait? -for him to ask you out?"


    Sasha nodded, watching Yatsu leave. If he asks me out.


    <hr />


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 13. ~Heart-Shaped Sticker~

    Part Two


    Chapter One


    Foolish Foolish Boy


    Four months later


    Yatsu sat in his room, staring blankly at the piece of white paper on top of his desk. The importance of this paper and its identity was determined was by the envelope sitting directly above it -or more specifically- the red heart-shaped sticker that would seal the envelope, and the words Yatsu wanted a specific someone to read.


    The hard part was coming up with those words. Yatsu has written many letters, but nothing good came to mind.


    He¡¯s discarded the idea of a poem. They always ended up sounding really lame. The girl he was giving the letter to was very opinionated, lame won''t do him any good.


    He''s almost stuck his name beside a silly question a few times, but that wouldn''t get anyone''s attention unless he handed it right to the girl and waited for the reply. He guessed she could stick the reply in his locker, or desk, ¨Cor somewhere- after they were done with it, but there was no guarantee they knew where his locker or desk was and forcing them to find out seems stupid.


    He''s covered the entire paper in words before, but after reading over the first line he immediately tore it up into little tiny pieces and tossed it into the trash.


    Pissed off one day, he almost walked up to her. Thankfully he chickened out because that would have been a complete disaster.


    Yatsu silently cursed, and smashed his forehead against the desk hoping it would send a bright idea into his brain, unfortunately all it gave him was a headache.


    "What are you brooding ov-wait a minute, is that what I think it is?" The hand of Yatsu''s older sister snatched the blank white paper from under his nose. "Awe, there''s nothing written!"


    "Of course not," Yatsu turned to look at his sister''s disappointed face but instead he found her with a stupid grin.


    "My wittle brwother is awl gwoun up!"


    "Oh sh-" he tried to get away but she was faster. She smooshed him into a tight hug.


    "So, what''s-her-name~?" She sang into his ear.


    "I''m not telling," Yatsu managed to spit out as he struggled to get out of her death hug.


    "You have to tell! Or I''m not letting go," she squeezed him tighter, his stomach ready to give up everything he had eaten for breakfast.


    "I...can''t...breathe..."


    "Rika! Your friend is here!" Mom called from downstairs.


    Released, Yatsu dropped onto his desk chair coughing and choking. Saved by his sister''s friend he tried to catch his breath.


    "Coming mom!" She said but stopped in the doorway.


    Her bright purple twinkling eyes made Yatsu shudder.


    "Don''t think we''re done with this talk. When I get back you will tell me her name, how long you''ve had this crush for, how you met her and especially how you came to¡­ fawl in wuv with her~" She fish-face kissed the air before she vanished, but suddenly showed up again. Her long black and purple hair waved back and forth. She turned serious. "It is a girl, right?"


    Yatsu nodded, still recovering from her death hug.


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    Her scary grin came back. "Good, I''ll even help you with that letter later if you wish. I know exactly what a girl would like to see," she said.


    "Really?" He choked out, but she vanished again.


    The front door slamming shut shook the house.


    Thank you Rika¡¯s friend.


    He picked up the blank piece of paper and put it back onto the desk. He sat down in his chair and stared at the paper a little longer but-


    Rika knows what to put, should I wait till later?


    He didn''t want to suffer the humiliation she would put him through, but if he weighed that against getting this girl saying yes, would it be worth it? Does he want to be choked to death and be forced to spill out everything to his older sister just for a really good love letter?


    Ah, no. Not a chance, I''ll do it myself! She probably would just come up with something ridiculously mushy. Having someone else do something this important is a really bad idea anyway. I have to know what is inside the letter.


    He took up his pen again.


    No matter what, he had to figure out what to write today, otherwise his sister will do it for him... but how is he supposed to do this right now after thinking this over for months! Damnit!


    He leaned back into his chair, he could still remember the day he got lost in Sasha''s beautiful bright-sapphire orbs, and that cute button nose, her flushed cheeks. For some reason she wore a really cute costume that day. He totally blew it when he randomly blurted out that he liked her eyes, he hoped she didn''t remember that when he confess his feelings this time.


    Maybe I can open with that though and hope she will remember?


    He wrote that down onto the paper followed by a few other meaningful words before picking it up and reading it over.


    He shuddered, crumpled the paper and tossed it in the general direction of his garbage can.


    Bad idea.


    After Sasha wore that costume, a couple guys got interested and one at a time, boys confessed to her. Sasha turned down every single one of them. Her popularity skyrocketed because some of the confessions got loud. She screamed at poor guys that only wanted to talk. Some begged her friend Eva for advice, asking her what they could do to have Sasha look their way, but Eva just turned away or shrugged, not giving them a straight answer like she knows something but won''t give it up.


    ¡°Ahh, forget it! I don''t need the perfect letter, she''s probably seen them all already anyway.¡± He quickly wrote something down, stuck it into the envelope and sealed it before he could change his mind.


    Now all he had to do plant it where Sasha will find it, and wait.


    <hr />


    This was not Proof Read By: JayDirex</a> (Apparently I did a really good job.)

 14. ~Impossible~

    Going to school early never crossed his mind until he reached the school ground. It would have been so easy to walk through an empty building and slip the letter into her locker, why didn¡¯t he think of this before?


    Yatsu sighed. A group of younger boys already sat at his usual bench he sat at every day before school started. Last year, and the year before when he discovered the spot, he never had to share it. Without that spot he had two choices. Wander around aimlessly until the bell rang, or wait by his classroom.


    Might as well...


    Yatsu¡¯s first class of the day was Sasha¡¯s second, but even if he remembered what desk she sat at. The chance of him slipping the letter in it without being seen was unlikely. Unless he somehow gained access to the room alone-


    I¡¯d fail miserably.


    A casual pass-by and slip it into her desk, that was the plan, but he couldn¡¯t remember where she sat, and that teacher likes to move people around.


    Yatsu shook his head. Why is this so hard?


    He found his locker and his hand spun through the combination, opening it with ease. Locker opened, he stared into it.


    Why was I here again?


    Yatsu glanced down the hallway, both directions.


    It¡¯s quiet.


    No one walked in the hallway and Sasha''s locker sat only a few steps down on the other side.


    Yatsu dropped his bag on the ground and fished through it, finding the envelope.


    "...so then he was like..." a group of girls rounded the corner.


    Yatsu shoved the envelope back into his bag and pretended to reach into his locker for something. The girls walked by and stopped next to the door of the neighbouring classroom.


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    He breathed slowly, heart racing.


    That was close.


    The teacher arrived after a few minutes, and the warning bell sent students scattering to their classrooms.


    Yatsu usually waited in his spot until the warning bell, and would walk in last minute, taking his seat right as the final bell went. For him, it felt weird being one of the first to enter the classroom.


    Students filed in and the teacher called out a student¡¯s name.


    The student, a boy, put his hand down. "How much homework are we going to get today?" The boy asked.


    "How much do you want?" The teacher fired back.


    "None!" The boy replied.


    A few students giggled at the outburst.


    "Well, then you should do all the work during class instead of talking to your neighbours when I give you the extra time," said the teacher, erasing yesterday¡¯s lesson off the chalkboard.


    "Impossible! No one can finish it all within the given time, not with the three pages handed out every day! It takes me over an hour at home, a big waste of time!" The boy complained.


    Yatsu had the same teacher the year before. The student was going to eat his words.


    Most of the students arrived and the final bell rang before the teacher could respond to the student¡¯s outburst, instead she smiled and wrote an equation on the board, beginning today''s lesson.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 15. ~Moron~

    "Homework will be the three pages in your textbooks, eighty-nine, ninety and ninety-one. For those of you that think you can finish by the end of class today, the first one done will receive this chocolate bar," she placed an expensive looking chocolate bar on the front of her desk.


    The entire classroom grew silent, aside from about thirty pencils scribbling away on paper.


    Yatsu chuckled quietly, that boy probably didn''t realize it quite yet, but he was the reason she presented that chocolate bar and he was scribbling away as hard as everyone else.


    The teacher''s bribe worked. Maybe the prize was good? She tried the same thing last year but it didn¡¯t have this kind of effect.


    "Yes?" The teacher asked a girl with her hand up, sitting near the door.


    The girl lowered her arm. "Sorry for interrupting, may I go to the-?"


    The teacher gestured the girl out before she finished the question. Yatsu had half the mind to raise his hand and leave the classroom too, just to kill some time. He didn''t care for the chocolate bar, he already had an idea on who was going to get it.


    The person sitting beside him was a math genius, flying through the answers. Yatsu didn¡¯t find math hard, most of it was easy as long as you knew the equations; this guy, however, found it fun, and took this race for chocolate as a challenge to test himself.


    "Done!"


    "Done!"


    The person sitting beside Yatsu and the girl sitting right behind him stood up and walked towards the teacher as some of the other students groaned.


    The chocolate bar must be a good one if she was after it too, or maybe she didn''t want him to beat her?


    The girl was the boy''s twin sister, his lifetime rival, equally smart. They clashed a lot and their competitiveness entertained the class. Yatsu believed they should put their minds together, but he was afraid of what would happen if they did.


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    "You two are both done at the same time, and your answers are both one-hundred percent correct," said the teacher examining their work. "I guess I''ll have to split it."


    "I don''t need it, I say give it to the next person that finishes," the girl rejected the prize, and her twin brother''s pride forced him to agree. They sat back down, both taking out novels to read while they waited for the end of class. The rest of the class continued scribbling.


    The door opened and the girl that left the classroom, quietly rushed back to her seat, completely ignored.


    With class nearly over Yatsu packed his books to leave.


    "Done!" Someone called out right before the bell rang.


    Yatsu chuckled this time as he witnessed the boy, that doesn''t like homework, walk to the front of the classroom and present his obviously incorrect work.


    The chocolate bar wasn''t worth getting proved wrong, but he dug his own grave.


    Moron.


    Yatsu walked out of the classroom and cursed at himself... now why hadn''t he thought of that? He could pretend to go to the bathroom in the middle of class and bring the letter with him. The hallways were usually empty at that time!


    Great, now I¡¯m a moron.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 16. ~Help Timmy and his dog cross the bridge~

    Yatsu turned the corner into a specific hallway, containing a specific locker, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he found it completely unoccupied. Speed walking, he reached into his back pocket where the letter sat.


    Making it quick, he pulled the letter out and dropped the envelope between the cracks before walking away. He only glanced back once to make sure it hadn''t fallen out. Seeing it hadn''t, he rounded the next corner, toward his current classroom, and breathed in deep again.


    The easy part was over.


    In the hallway, a boy walking out of one of the offices surprised him. Yatsu didn''t recognize him and continued on, pretending nothing unusual happened.


    Yatsu imagined himself looking suspicious to the boy, based on the direction he came from. The boy could probably guess what Yatsu just did, and when word got out that Sasha received another letter, that boy would know exactly who gave it to her.


    Haha! No, stupid. I need to calm down.


    Yatsu opened the door to his classroom, apologized for interrupting and sat at his desk, completely ignored, much like the girl in his previous class. Which suited him fine. He eyed the clock, his absence took longer than he thought.


    He wasn''t one of those people that goes to the bathroom often, maybe there was someone suspicious of him.


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    No, there isn''t.


    He shrugged it off and tried to figure out where they were in the lesson, a paper on his desk with the title, ¡°Help Timmy and his dog cross the bridge by matching up the words with their definitions¡± pretty much explained it. The paper also had a cartoon drawing of a small boy sitting on the back of a large dog, staring at a bridge. A bridge, Yatsu guessed, was going to be fixed by matching up words with definitions.


    What a lame excuse for a game.


    The words, Yatsu assumed, all had something to do with the new subject they were going to study, and this was the introduction?


    Someone must have pissed off the teacher today while I was gone.


    Reading the first definition, an image appeared in his head of a heart letter on the ground, and a faceless girl picking it up.


    He shook his head to rid himself of the thought.


    My last two classes better not be this quiet.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 17. ~Rejection~

    Yatsu couldn''t help but glance at her, Sasha tied her hair in twin-tails, as usual, and she wore the school uniform today. If she wore anything else he¡¯d have a harder time confronting her.


    She won¡¯t be easy. Even the tough guys are afraid of her.


    The toughest guys in school have run home crying after confessing their love to Sasha. She''s made even the shameless of people lose their confidence, while others who¡¯ve witnessed or felt her wrath know better than to try to ask her out.


    But if she turned Yatsu down, how would she do it? She¡¯s only said a simple no to one guy, but that guy confronted her. In front of a teacher and she probably didn¡¯t want to cause a scene.


    Yatsu didn''t believe he¡¯d live through this, maybe it¡¯s better to-


    No, damnit! No thinking about it!


    He forced himself to concentrate on the paper in front of him as he tried to write down ideas for a project they¡¯d present next week.


    Unfortunately he drew blanks and his mind wandered back to a certain girl- and what she would say when he confronted her.


    Or maybe he should say something first.


    That¡¯s a better idea...I think.


    He slammed his head on the desk just as the bell rang, which scared him upright again.


    Yatsu¡¯s heart raced as he packed up and left the classroom, contemplating what he¡¯d say to her. From the hallway he rounded the first corner into a staircase and quickly exited the building, only to turn and head straight back to the classroom, outside. There was fire exit door within the classroom that he assumed Sasha would use, and he didn''t want to make it obvious it was him by taking a door he didn''t normally take.


    She wasn''t outside yet, he couldn''t see her.


    I hope I look okay.


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    The door to the classroom opened and a girl wearing a bright coloured shirt with jeans stepped out.


    It wasn''t her. He released a breath he didn''t know he held.


    Maybe they saw me rush here and decided I was a freak?


    Stupid thoughts, shut-up!


    Fidgeting, he waited and blankly stared at the traffic going by, trying not to think about anything at all.


    The door opened again.


    A girl wearing a light jacket, with a matching skirt and long white hair stepped out looking around. She held a small paper in her left hand and didn''t carry a bag.


    She checked the paper and looked around again.


    Eva? She''s waiting for someone.


    Yatsu¡¯s heart dropped, questions clouded his head.


    Why did Eva have the letter? Did Sasha give it to her?


    Did she give it to Eva so she could hand it back as some sort of rejection?


    Sasha wasn''t one to have someone else do it for her. She would¡¯ve torn the letter to pieces in front of him!


    This was no doubt rejection, but not a rejection from her.


    Yatsu thought back, thought hard.


    Could I have-?


    Did I drop the letter in the wrong locker?


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 18. ~Dont tell anyone~

    Why do I have to wait while my friend gets to meet a blabbering idiot?


    An idiot without a name.


    Who gives someone a letter -a heart letter- without writing his name on it? Were we supposed to recognize the handwriting? It could be anyone! The coward could convince someone else to confront us if he got cold feet.


    If I meet him, I''m going to let him have it!


    Sasha sat close to the wall, an attempt to listen in on their conversation.


    "I-I''m sorry, but I have to return this," Eva said quietly, she must have been confronted already. Sasha missed his oh so dramatic entrance.


    "Sorry," the idiot sighed. "You already have a boyfriend, right?"


    Durr... moron! Everyone knows that! Psh, and that''s it. The kid played it pretty cool despite being an idiot.


    Sasha sat up to leave, but.


    "Actually," the idiot spoke up.


    What the hell?


    "I must have gotten the wrong locker by accident," he said.


    Sasha''s eyes grew wide. It was me he wanted to ask out? Not Eva? Our lockers are side-by-side¡­


    "Could you ask her to meet me here tomorr-?"


    The classroom door opened before he finished talking.


    Sasha looked up at Eva, something in Eva''s eyes told her this boy was different. Should she care? No. Sasha barrelled passed her.


    The moron had his back turned already. Sasha grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.


    A surge of energy shot up her arm, she didn''t need to look at his face to know who it was. It''s been four months since she''s gotten anywhere near him, but she could never forget the numbing pleasure he gaveher with a simple touch.


    Those dark orbs of his held knowledge, he had to be smarter than any other kid here. The laid back half-assed brown hair-due and normal school clothes intimidated her more than she knew it should.


    He ruined me, right when I was about to... he took that from me.


    Sasha couldn''t move, stood still, could barely feel her hand as the tingling stopped spreading right around her shoulder.


    Resisting it, she remembered the letter, and suddenly didn''t care if it was Yatsu! She was still going to let him have it for being an idiot.


    "What the hell do you want with me?" Sasha nearly screamed at him.


    He just stared at her like an idiot, either he didn''t know what to do or he was thinking¡­


    Sasha could usually tell what others thought in this kind of situation after having been confronted so many times, but he seemed so calm in comparison. Unpredictable.


    Doesn''t matter, I know I can beat you at this game.


    Yatsu drew a breath, like he was about to say something but didn''t. Sasha''s patience ran out.


    "Spit it out!"


    "I like you!"


    Sasha yelled the same time he did.


    He stood his ground where others turned tail.


    "What did you say?" Sasha asked him, trying not to sound intimidated but instead tried to intimidate him.


    The tingling in her shoulder spread, her entire arm went numb.


    This is... I only feel this when fighting Miya, how can he-


    If he was surprised, afraid, scared or having second thoughts, he hid it all and held her gaze.


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    "I like you," he whispered.


    Sasha tilted her head down and tried to regain her composure, but she couldn''t. It wasn''t just the letter anymore, it was him, his eyes and how he could stand there so calm.


    "You are a stupid moron," Sasha blurted. "Not putting a single name on the card, not telling us who you were, telling us only that you were going to be at a very specific location right after school. For all I know you might not have written letter in the first place!" The edge in her voice dissipated, but he stood as still as a stone and took it all. Then he stared at her, and only her. "Did you want to make me yell and scream at you?" yelled Sasha, her rage barely there.


    Sasha waited for an answer, but Yatsu turned away and all the rage and tingling vanished. Gone in an instant. Her arm no longer numb.


    He left her confused and frustrated. His touch, now strong and satisfying. She didn''t understand how or why.


    This freaking guy!


    As Yatsu stepped away Eva dashed to Sasha''s side. "Aren''t you going after him?"


    "How could he make me feel so... just how?" Sasha begged her for an answer.


    "You like him, don''t you?"


    "Do I?"


    Sasha honestly didn''t know if she liked Yatsu or not. Or if it was the tingling and the numbness that made her want to like him.


    His eyes told her that he wanted her. Not once had he glanced at Sasha like most boys did. All of them look at her chest or lower. She usually wanted to knock all of their teeth out for doing so.


    Not Yatsu.


    "Go," Eva encouraged. "Sasha, there¡¯s no one else like him in this school, you said so yourself. Would you rather spend the rest of the school year watching me and Braxton m-make out in front of you," she giggled over her own stuttering.


    Just the thought of that almost made Sasha puke. She hated Braxton. She still couldn''t believe Eva liked him as much as she claimed.


    Perverted bastard.


    If Eva broke up with him Sasha hoped Braxton has a good doctor, because he will be in so much pain when she was done with him. She¡¯d snap the bones in his armsjust for staring at her and her butt when Eva wasn''t looking. He might have touched her too but Sasha had been very careful. Not for his sake but for Eva''s.


    "Are you going?" Eva urged her again.


    Braxton opened the classroom and stepped outside, holding Eva¡¯s bag. He stood six feet tall or just under, spiky blond hair stuck up in all directions, he wore black clothes almost all of the time. He thought he was a punk with his few fake piercings. One on each ear, one on his lip and the last on his belly button- so Sasha was told.


    She turned away from him, and eyed where Yatsu stood moments before.


    "I better, I guess¡­ I don¡¯t know," Sasha replied unsure.


    "Go," Eva literally gave Sasha a nudge. "He won¡¯t ask again."


    Sasha believed it, he wouldn''t ask again. She raised her eyes toward the direction Yatsu went, her feet would gladly take that leap forward, her heart-rate sped up.


    He better not make it home before I find him.


    She took one small step forward and paused.


    "Eva," Sasha nearly whispered, and glanced back at her. "Don''t... don''t tell anyone."


    Eva gave her a half nod.


    Sasha turned back, her left foot happily moved to run. Right foot followed suit.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 19. ~If thats okay with you~

    Where is he?


    Sasha took the shortest route to his place. She risked running through someone''s lawn to beat him. He can''t have already gone inside, not yet.


    Hopeful, she backtracked toward the school, only this time she took the route he would have taken. After a block she had doubts.


    I guess I can talk to him tomorrow...


    She walked another block and gazed out into a small park, with a few slides and benches-


    A boy sat hunched over one of the benches.


    "I found you!" Sasha nearly shouted, a smile across her face.


    Yatsu, not paying attention, hadn''t noticed her. He couldn''t be feeling sorry for himself, could he? Was he that serious about liking me that he¡¯d cry over it?


    Sasha recalled that Eva, turned down the first time she confessed to the first boy she ever liked, cried for a week. Eva stayed depressed until Sasha flipped and told her that she¡¯d break the boy''s neck if she continued moping about him..


    That got her to smile at least. Eva didn''t take Sasha seriously despite her serious tone. She made Sasha promise to not hurt the boy, and in turn Eva would become her normal self.


    Was Yatsu like that?


    Sasha made little effort to sneak up on him. She sat down on the other end of the bench he occupied. Still unnoticed, she hesitated to speak.


    What should I say?


    Well I can¡¯t think into this too hard, I have to be quick. Just say something!


    "Yatsu~" Sasha purred. The unfamiliar sound sent a wave of heat into her face.


    What the hell am I doing? That was nothing like me! -the tingling feeling... did it do that?


    Yatsu looked over at her from his hunched position, and shot straight up when he met her eyes.


    Sasha moved closer and noticed his lips. She suddenly wanted to feel them touch hers.


    What would happen if I kissed him? Could that tingly feeling get any stronger? She wanted it to, wanted it to get much much stronger. She shuffled closer, and closer, until she was nearly there, she leaned in but he pulled away.


    "W-what are you doing?" He asked harshly, more out of reflex though. She knew Yatsu didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way.


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    "I was going to make up for what I said to you earlier," she said, her face heating up. I...I almost kissed him! "I wanted to apologize... It''s just... I was so..."


    "Y-you¡¯re forgiven," he said.


    Sasha guessed he was confused right now. She did tell him off earlier, but she never told him ''no''.


    "You¡¯re an idiot-" she repeated softly. "-and a moron and stupid, but I never said I didn''t like you," Sasha breathed. "I w-want you to be my idiot b-boyfriend if that''s okay with you."


    Her face melted, and her heart fluttered. Yatsu remained silent.


    Sasha let him think, but his shoulder looked a bit lonely. Her previous boyfriend liked to cuddle, it was odd at first, but she found herself leaning into him more and more often over time. Mostly to rid him of the bored look, then it became something like a habit. However, with Yatsu she hesitated. It seemed that touching him would light up her entire body.


    I have to get used to it somehow...


    Sasha rested her head against his arm and welcomed the pleasure that came.


    When he looked at her again, her heart jumped inside her chest.


    What is wrong with me? "I''m sorry I was ever mean to you. I was just waiting so long for you to say something," I must like him. I¡¯ve never felt like this before.


    Sasha felt his heart race as she leaned against him.


    "Were you waiting for me to say something?" He asked. "Why me?"


    Sasha smiled, her entire body bathed in endless pleasure for the first time, but touching him this long made her lightheaded. "It''s a secret." She lifted herself off of him. "I should leave so we can both get some rest. I''ve had enough excitement for one day."


    She stood up and stepped toward the school, but spun around once more, giving him her brightest smile. "See you tomorrow!" She waved a goodbye.


    "Ya..."


    Fuzzy all over, she walked home.


    What should we do? What can we do? He¡¯d walk me home, wouldn¡¯t he? No, I can¡¯t make him do that! It¡¯s too far out of the way! I should pick him up, that way we can walk arm in arm all the way to school.


    I can start making lunches again!


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 20. ~The three words~

    Sasha walked up to the front door and fumbled with the doorknob.


    "What do you mean she''s fallen in love? This is my sister we''re talking about! She''s had someone under her thumb before but she''s never tried kissing him. You were obviously following the wrong person," Miya''s voice trailed from the side of the house as she spoke with someone Sasha didn¡¯t know. "Go! I''ll find someone else if I find out you''re wrong."


    So she has a spy? That¡¯s how she knows everything?


    Sasha continued fumbling with the doorknob but paused again.


    How does she pay her spy? She wouldn''t give away the money mom left us.


    Luna came to mind.


    Couldn''t be, Sasha shook her head, eliminating the silly thought and opened the door.


    The side door slammed shut and a surprised Miya stood staring at Sasha like she¡¯d been caughtred-handed.


    Holding onto Yatsu so long, the fuzziness lingered, leaving Sasha physically and mentally exhausted. She didn''t want to fight Miya, besides, she Miya knew everything already, it wouldn''t hurt to confirm it. "Go get Luna, and grab the pail of ice cream from the freezer.¡±


    Miya brightened up and flew down the stairs to the basement.


    Taking advantage of the minute she had, Sasha took off her shoes and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. In her bedroom she changed her clothes but caught her reflection in the tall mirror standing in the corner of her room.


    In the reflection she didn''t see a girl with a boyfriend, she saw a petite girl with pink pigtails and a flat chest. A girl too young to have a woman''s figure. If the girl wasn''t her, she''d guess the girl in the reflection was twelve, maybe thirteen years old. Not a girl dating a boy.


    If she held hands with Yatsu in public, people might think they were older brother younger sister, and if her twin sisters were there, it would look like Yatsu had triplets for sisters.


    Sasha needed to find a way to make herself look her age.


    Do I still have that stuff?


    She spun around, and tossed open her closet door. Sasha dug deep and found an unmarked box. A dusty box. Dusty meaning Miya never found it.


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    The contents of the box held gifts from Sasha''s ex-boyfriend. She didn''t understand then, but now she had an idea why he gave them to her. She opened the lid, revealing girly products she''d never thought she would use, not for herself.


    "Sash-a!" Miya called out, begging Sasha to join them, they probably wanted her to scoop the rock-solid ice cream out of the container.


    "I''m coming!" She closed the lid, and shoved the box back where Miya would never find it. Tossed on some basic clothes and joined her twin sisters.


    Luna handed Sasha the scoop then patiently waited holding out two ice cream cones.


    Miya placed a bowl on the counter. "There are only two cones left," she explained.


    Armed with the scoop Sasha nodded and went to battle with the ice cream. To her surprise it gave way rather easily. How long did I make them wait?


    After making their cones, and her bowl, the three of them sat around the kitchen table.


    Sasha ate a spoonful, savored the vanilla flavor. As she took her second, she eyed Miya -who neatly licked away at her cone. Sasha shifted her gaze to Luna, who had ice cream on her cheeks.


    It was now or never. "I''m going to bring a boy home one day that I want you two to meet."


    Luna stopped in mid-lick and Miya froze, in the middle of devouring a big portion of her cone and slapped her own forehead with a pained expression.


    "Ow, I hate it when that happens... okay, what was that? I don''t think I heard you right," Miya said.


    Miya heard Sasha just fine, but Sasha humoured her. "I would like you to meet my boyfriend one day."


    "What makes you think you will have this boyfriend longer than the last one?" Miya countered.


    Sasha met Miya''s cold gaze. Miya wouldn''t believe anything Sasha said unless she made it very clear to her.


    Sasha reached into the back of her mind and pulled the three word phrase she planned to use. There was, at least, some truth to it and Sasha was confident she would not falter saying it, convincing her unbelieving little sister she finally found someone she liked.


    "I love him."


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 21. ~Pervert~

    Someone jerked at his door, finding it locked, whoever it was proceeded with a couple of bangs.


    "What the hell, Yatsu! You have a girl in there or something?" Rika called out.


    Her question made Yatsu''s face heat up. It had to be first time he''s ever locked his bedroom door. He didn''t want to talk to Rika because she¡¯d find out in seconds and he¡¯d never hear the end of it. But if he didn''t respond, she might believe there really was a girl in the room.


    "There¡¯s no girl in here, just leave me alone."


    "Awe, but I was going to help with your love letter!"


    "I don''t-" he stopped himself. If he said he didn''t need her help would she jump to the conclusion that he already gotten himself a girlfriend? I guess it wouldn''t hurt to see her idea.


    He recreated a rough copy of the letter he used today and slipped it under the door, only it had a different time and location. Even if Rika was in a different school altogether, she¡¯d known more about his school than he expected her to at times, and he didn''t want her to guess who he liked. "T-that one okay?" He asked her.


    "Pfft!" She started laughing. "You''d be lucky if she decided to show up! Give me your pencil."


    Yatsu slipped the writing utensil under the doorway and glanced at his window, trying to keep an open mind. He''d gone over and over what happened, what Sasha said to him, it was unreal.


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    "This is what you should use," Rika slipped the paper back under the door, with the pencil. Yatsu read it over, and paled.


    He crumpled it up, tore it apart and tossed it in the trash.


    "Oh com''on! Only something as bold as that would ever get my attention."


    "I''ll never ask for your help ever again," deadpanned Yatsu from behind the door. His mixed feelings about everything didn''t help.


    "Aww, let me write it again?" Rika asked.


    "No."


    "Please!" She begged.


    "No."


    "You''re no fun."


    Rika sucked her teeth and stomp off down the hallway.


    "At least I¡¯m not a pervert," he whispered before flopping on his bed with his eyes closed. His mind continued to race through the event. Despite being mentally exhausted he lay there for what seemed like an eternity before falling asleep.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 22. ~Dont ever let go~

    ¡°Yatsu!¡± His mom called from downstairs.


    Yatsu opened his eyes, squinting at his alarm clock. It read a time way too early for him to wake up.


    ¡°Yatsu!¡±


    ¡°Five more minutes!¡± He called back.


    A moment later, there were two soft knocks at his bedroom door.


    ¡°Can I come in?¡± asked her voice.


    Yatsu snapped awake and his heart skip a beat.


    ¡°Hold on-ah!¡± he yelped, leaping off the bed and falling face first into a pile of dirty clothes on his floor.


    ¡°You alright in there?¡± her voice giggled as Yatsu somersaulted over the clothes before standing up.


    ¡°Yup, just thirty seconds!¡± he answered grabbing a pair of pants from a pile he judged clean and switching out his PJ''s.


    ¡°You okay?¡± she asked again.


    ¡°Yip!¡± He squeaked, trying to pull the pants up that seemed a size too small. That pile must have been his pile of unwanted clothes. But despite the extra tight fit around his waist he managed to squeeze into them. He then grabbed a shirt from a different pile and pulled that on before glancing back at his messy room.


    Damn, I should¡¯ve asked her to wait downstairs and I bet I look like a slob too.


    ¡°Yatsu~¡±


    He opened the door. Behind it, he found a cute petite pink-haired girl wearing the school''s uniform with a backpack on her back. Sasha.


    ¡°I came to pick you up and I made you a lunch!¡± she smiled holding up a large plastic bag in front of her.


    He nodded, unable to find words.


    "That''s..." Yatsu rubbed the back of his head, his eyes wandered over to his sister''s room.


    ¡°We should go,¡± he said taking Sasha''s free hand and leading her downstairs.


    Mom caught them halfway out the door and handed him his backpack.


    ¡°Be on your best behaviour now,¡± she winked.


    ¡°Mom, please-just, don''t tell Rika?¡±


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    Mom smiled back as they closed the door behind them.


    Yatsu groaned and found Sasha staring at him while he still grasped her hand. He let go.


    ¡°S-sorry,¡± he apologized and started toward the school.


    She caught up and took his hand into hers once more. They made eye contact, her eyes serious all of a sudden.


    ¡°Don''t ever let go and say that you¡¯re sorry,¡± she said and faced forward as they took a few more steps. ¡°Don''t ever let me go,¡± she whispered.


    Yatsu barely caught that last line and wasn''t sure if he heard it right. He decided he did and responded by tightening his grip around her soft hand.


    They reached the school faster than Yatsu expected. Or maybe it felt that way? Walking in silence, holding a girl''s hand can do that?


    Before anyone witnessed them together, Sasha let him go and switched the bag containing lunch from one hand to the other.


    ¡°I can carry that,¡± Yatsu offered, thinking it made sense. She said she made him a lunch so-


    She shook her head. ¡°I''ll meet you and we can eat lunch together,¡± her face turned a little pink. ¡°I usually eat on the roof with Eva, we can meet there?¡± She phrased it like a question.


    ¡°Ya, sure,¡± Yatsu responded, knowing the place.


    A couple months ago he followed her around at a distance for a few days. Learning everything he could. The day she made eye contact with him, he stopped, not wanting her to think he was a creep.


    She walked a few steps ahead of him before turning back. ¡°I love you."


    ¡°I-I-¡± he stuttered over the phrase he¡¯d only said to one other person. Sasha, impatient with his response, left. Yatsu never finished his statement, as if it wasn''t true.


    We only started dating yesterday, of course I''ll have trouble saying it! He spotted a place to sit and wait for the first bell to ring.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 23. ~That looks Yummy~

    Yatsu''s stomach growled. He hadn¡¯t eaten since school yesterday. The climb to the school''s rooftop took the last of his energy.


    He pushed the door open and met a light breeze, along with the stares of two pair of eyes from two girls on the roof. One of the girls lit up at his arrival and the other shied away. Yatsu gaped at what lay in front of them, and then back up at Sasha who waved him over, gesturing for him to sit at her side.


    With a nervous breath, he walked over, his eyes set on the impressive spread. A blanket covered a large area, and on top of that sat enough food to feed an army.


    Drooling, he sat down beside his girlfriend. He managed to pry his eyes away from the food to steal a glance at her face.


    She giggled as Yatsu blushed and turned away.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have all day, go ahead and eat!¡± said Sasha.


    He nodded and obeyed, not knowing what to take he reached for the closest item, a rice ball.


    He took a bite and barely tasted it before swallowing, needing to get something into his stomach.


    He took another bite and stopped, realized he was the only one eating. He chewed and ate slower, getting a small taste of the rice ball he nearly inhaled.


    It tasted amazing.


    They still stared at him.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He asked Sasha as soon as his mouth was empty.


    ¡°D-do you like it?¡± She asked him, twiddling her thumbs.


    That¡¯s right, she said she made this, didn¡¯t she?


    He eyed the last bit of rice ball in his hand with new interest.


    ¡°It is amazing! -but I have to try a few more things. Why don¡¯t you two go ahead and dig in? It would be weird if I was the only one...¡± he encouraged, trailing off.


    The two girls quietly took their first bite and the whole situation turned awkward in a hurry.


    Too quiet. Eva¡¯s boyfriend might have been a good person to have around, speaking of which-


    ¡°Where is your boyfriend?¡± Yatsu asked Eva.


    ¡°He¡¯s with his friends,¡± she answered quietly.


    Yatsu nodded, he did have a large group of friends. He couldn''t really see Sasha hanging around in that kind of group either so it wasn¡¯t likely these two would join them.


    ¡°Yatsu.¡±


    Sasha held out her chopsticks toward him, filled with some sort of sushi.


    That looks yummy.


    He leaned in and took the whole thing into his mouth.


    An explosion of flavor played with his taste buds, he drooled a bit, swallowed. ¡°Now that was good,¡± He searched for another piece. ¡°You know I have a weakness for sushi? Where did you get that?¡± Unable to find it he turned back to Sasha, who held her chopsticks in her mouth, frozen in place as if caught doing something.


    ¡°Sasha?¡±


    She didn''t respond. He glanced at Eva for an answer, but she stared at Sasha, jaw dropped.


    The bell rang, time to clean up.


    Sasha moved, and Eva along with her.


    ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± Yatsu asked, confused.


    Both of them shook their heads as they piled things together and neatly set things aside.


    Feeling unwanted, he stood up. ¡°I''m going to head to class, then?¡± He phrased it as if asking permission.


    Sasha nodded.


    He left.


    What was that about?


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    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 24. ~Soft~

    She must want to keep it a secret.


    Yatsu couldn''t figure out any other reason for Sasha not sparing him a single glance. So she wouldn''t talk to him unless in secret. It was just... at lunch time he felt he did something wrong that made her hate him, but he didn''t know what it was! There were plenty of stupid little things: eating like a pig, not insisting she go first, he could have asked what she recommended to start with...


    This is as frustrating as trying to convince myself to confess my crush! No. It is worse! -because there isn''t anything I can do about it... I guess I can apologize and hope for the best.


    But it would feel weird to apologize if I didn''t know what I was apologizing for...


    The bell rang, ending the school day.


    He looked down at his desk, a blank page sat in front of him.


    I have a lot of homework to do.


    He finished packing and tossed his bag over his shoulder. The teacher must have stepped out for a minute, because it was odd finding himself standing alone inside the classroom, with two bright sapphires glared at him.


    Yatsu trembled, Sasha froze him in place. She stepped toward him. Yatsu suddenly didn''t want to know what he''d done wrong, he wanted to run. Sasha walked up to him, reached out, and grabbed his hand. As soon as her soft hand mingled with his she breathed calmly and leaned into him.


    Questions rolled around in Yatsu''s head, nothing made sense anymore, but he remembered something he was going to ask her during lunch.


    ¡°Shall I walk you home?¡± His question came out a bit stiff, she only leaned into him like this once before. He wasn''t used to it yet.


    A few seconds of breathing, she nodded.


    ¡°Are we going to stay like this?¡± He asked, and hesitated with the next part. ¡°E-everyone is going to find out.¡±


    She took one last deep breath, and pushed off of him, but their hands stayed interlocked.


    Her face held her usual angry and annoyed expression.


    ¡°L-let''s go,¡± she broke contact, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him through the emergency exit.


    Yatsu forced back a smile as they passed other students.


    No one would suspect them together. Not unless they kept at this kind of stunt. People would realize that it was him every time and would probably become suspicious. For now it should be fine.


    Sasha dragged him off school property and into the next block. They rounded a corner and she crashed into him with a hug.


    Okay, this is a bit strange, wasn''t she being a bit too clingy?


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Yatsu asked her.


    She shook her head, ¡°Just hold me?¡±


    The request threw him off balance, she was so cute with her face cuddled into him¡­ how could he say no!


    He wrapped his arms around her. Felt her tense but relax after a few moments.


    He didn''t know she had a cute side to her like this. All feelings of doubt left him. Right now, he bet he could even return those three words. What if I did? Could I say it so casually like she did?


    ¡°Take me home,¡± she said quietly, nearly a whisper.


    Pried away from the three words, he looked up and figured out where they were. If they took the alley ways they would reach her house twice as fast and they wouldn''t have to worry about people seeing them like this. He used to take them when he shadowed her.


    He slowly turned, facing the direction toward her place, she adjusted herself. One of his arms still wrapped around her, she held onto his hand as if her life depended on it.


    ¡°How did you know I live that way?¡± Sasha asked.


    Yatsu froze.


    Sasha giggled. ¡°I know you followed me for a few days...¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°Ya, I''m sor-¡±


    Sasha slapped her hand over his mouth and faced him, ice in her eyes. ¡°Don''t say it,¡± she said.


    Yatsu paled.


    She buried her head in his chest.


    He stepped forward, she stepped with him, lagging behind.


    She tripped over him, he tripped over her.


    Yatsu bit back a laugh. They were terrible at this!


    Sasha giggled when Yatsu caught her from falling.


    Yatsu laughed with her.


    Soon her house appeared in front of them. Time to say goodbye, but Sasha leaned into him more when they reached her front door. They stayed like that for a while.


    Yatsu didn''t know what to do. Words she said yesterday stopped him from leaving. He really needed to write them down, or he would keep forgetting and make some really stupid mistakes.


    Slowly she pulled back, let go of him and reached for the doorknob.


    I could say the words right now, I could... I should.


    ¡°I-¡±


    Her soft lips touched his cheek, and her pink hair backed up and flipped away.


    Sasha then dashed in her house, gave Yatsu a last twirl with a wink, and as soft as her lips brushed his cheek, she smiled, and closed the door.


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 25. ~Ill tell you, but~

    Chapter Four


    After closing the door and taking a deep breath, Sasha set her bag down and reached down to take off her shoes.


    A quiet shuffle near the doorway earned a death-stare. What she thought was only one girl, however, was a pair of girls. One met Sasha''s icy stare and cowered behind the other. The other was still staring outside, with her jaw wide open.


    ¡°You two watch the whole thing?¡± Sasha asked them, her voice icy.


    They both silently nodded. Luna never turned away from the window. Miya''s emerald eyes focused on Sasha, readied to bolt into another room.


    The lunchtime incident still had control of Sasha, and though it was minor now, she still couldn''t chase Miya down even if she wanted to.


    For nearly an entire class, it felt like lightning bouncing through her every time she moved, and when it finally died down, all she could think of was that she wanted more, she craved it.


    Touching Yatsu at the end of the day made the desperate craving disappear, but it tugged at her even now. If Yatsu hadn''t given her something to focus on...That indirect kiss was too dangerous. I was stupid to try it.


    ¡°So,¡± Sasha paused, and her face heated up a little. ¡°What do you think of him?¡±


    Now Luna looked at Sasha, still holding the same speechless expression. Miya''s jaw dropped too. Their staring made Sasha unconfortable.


    Miya''s expression slowly turned to an icy glare. ¡°What have you done with our sister?¡± She screamed the question, stood up and faced Sasha. ¡°Give her back!¡±


    ¡°I am your sister-¡±


    ¡°Sasha would never fall in love!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sasha wasn''t sure she heard her right, why couldn''t she fall in love? Can''t anyone? ¡°Why not?¡±


    Miya looked away, shaking, her fists clenched tight.


    ¡°You just...you can''t!¡± Miya jumped at Sasha with a fist drawn back.


    Sasha''s grabbed Miya''s arm and twisted it hard, throwing Miya face first into the floor.


    Sasha let her go after that and stepped back, stopping herself.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± Sasha said a bit startled. Sasha caught her punch without thinking. Reflex? I''ve never moved that fast before. ¡°Miya?¡±


    Miya didn''t respond.


    ¡°Miya, are you okay?¡±


    Sasha fell onto her knees and rolled her sister over. A sigh of relief escaped her when she watched her chest rise and fall. Miya breathed fine.


    I must have just knocked her out.


    ¡°Luna, help me bring Miya to her room,¡± Sasha bent down and lifted her halfway off the ground.


    Luna, after she was done staring at Sasha with her big bright amber eyes, moved to help. She lifted Miya''s feet, and together they dragged her up the stairs.


    They tucked Miya into her bed and went back downstairs.


    ¡°Did you know what that was about?¡± Sasha asked Luna as they reached the bottom step.


    Luna nodded her head.


    ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡± They walked into the living area.


    Luna shook her head.


    ¡°Well, since I''m not going to get answers, did you want to ask me something?¡±


    Luna looked up at Sasha and nodded.


    Sasha sat down and gestured for her to do the same.


    Excitement sparkled in her eyes, interested in something.


    ¡°I.. want to know everything,¡± she said.


    Luna said that louder and more outgoing-like than any other time Sasha''s ever seen her.


    Luna breathed. ¡°What''s his name? When did you first meet him? Why do you like him so much? What was it like to kiss him?¡±


    Sasha''s eyes widened, she expected to be questioned about Yatsu, but Luna took her by complete surprise with all of these questions.


    ¡°Why do you want to know all that?¡± Sasha asked.


    Luna''s excitement left in a blink of an eye, and she pouted. ¡°You''re not going to tell me?¡± She sniffled.


    What was wrong with my sisters? One went berserk telling me that I can''t fall in love and the other was about to burst into tears because I wouldn''t tell her every single detail between me and Yatsu?


    ¡°I''ll tell you, I''ll tell you,¡± Sasha didn''t want to deal with two crazy girls.


    Luna''s excitement shined again, eager to hear her big sister''s story.


    ¡°I''ll tell you, but don''t tell Miya anything.¡±


    Luna nodded, her eyes widened more and more by the second.


    Sasha looked away and tried to recall everything. She breathed in.


    ¡°How about this, I''ll tell you everything if you give me a tour of the basement,¡± Sasha said. ¡°If not, I guess I will give you the quick version, answering all your questions but without much detail.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± She shot up to her feet. ¡°But only my side, because I don''t dare venture into Miya''s side. She sets up traps and some can hurt. You can tell me everything down there too! There''s a nice spot for that.¡±


    She grabbed onto Sasha and led her downstairs.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.<hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 26. ~You dont want to know~

    After everyone was all done stretching Sasha instructed everyone to get ready for push-ups. Some groaned, but obeyed. She took her position amongst the group.


    ¡°Ichi!¡± Sasha called out as she did her first push-up, after everyone finished it, she told the next guy in line to call out the next number and the third guy to continue.


    ¡°Ni!¡±


    ¡°San!¡±


    ¡°Shi!¡±


    Twenty-four student made it today, so Sasha made everyone do forty-eight pushups, not everyone could do that many, especially with small pauses in between each one. She wasn''t exactly as strong as some others, but she didn''t weigh much to begin with, and fifty push-ups were nothing compared to what she had in store for the rest of the class.


    Sasha wasn''t going to teach anything today except new exercises. So she expected sore muscles at the end of the workout. The ultimate plan was to make the rest of them give up by the end of it.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    She will hold a little respect for those that don''t.


    The last push-up was called out. Sasha finished it quickly and glanced back. Some of them were shaking, a couple already gave up.


    Smiling at the results, Sasha switched position and lay on her back with only her knees in the air.


    ¡°Curl-ups next!¡± She called out.


    More groans.


    ¡°If your groaning now, then you don''t want to know what comes next,¡± Sasha said that quietly, but she was sure at least half the class heard her.


    ¡°Ichi!¡± She pulled herself up and lowered herself back down.


    Sasha almost missed karate today, Luna talked to her for hours.


    She didn''t know Luna was into reading books, specifically, romance novels. Some of the things Luna said, and more than a few questions Luna asked, made Sasha blush. Especially the questions related to any sort of touching.


    If I touched Yatsu while I was exhausted and sore all over, what would happen to me?


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 27. ~Fine~

    Running up the few steps to Yatsu''s front door, Sasha shifted the lunch bag over to one hand and was about to knock when the door swung open and Yatsu popped out.


    He was dressed as sloppy as ever, like he rushed out of bed similar to yesterday, though it looked like he put some effort in combing his hair today.


    "Hello," Yatsu greeted, stepping outside and closing the door behind him in one fluid motion. His dark orbs found Sasha''s sapphires. "I figured I should get up a little earlier so you didn''t have to wait," he explained breaking eye contact with a yawn.


    No, that''s a lie. Sasha glared at him while he took the first few steps toward the school. He stopped when she didn''t follow and sighed.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you the real reason..." he held out his hand for Sasha.


    Sasha smiled at her victory and took him up on his offer.


    As soon as she took his hand, that tingly feeling rushed through Sasha, and all of her sore muscles from yesterday fizzed with pleasure, relieving her pain.


    She made a noise and slapped a hand over her mouth.


    Curious, Yatsu glanced at her.


    Sasha turned away, her face burning with embarrassment.


    Don''t ask-don''t ask-don''t-


    "I haven''t told my older sister about us yet," Yatsu said. Sasha breathed. "-and I don''t want to put up with the trillion questions game anytime soon," he confessed.


    "I played that game yesterday," Sasha said, recalling the experience in the cold basement divided into three even areas. One each for the twins and a third for anyone''s entertainment. "I got something in return so it was worth it."


    "You have siblings?" He asked her. "I didn''t know-"


    "Twin sisters, they¡¯re ten. Honestly I barely know them, but they seem to know everything, and are deeply interested in me for some reason," Sasha looked up at Yatsu who had some understanding written on his face.


    "Can I meet them?" He asked, catching Sasha off guard.


    She planned to introduce them, but it was still too early. We haven''t had a date yet!


    "How about you take me on a date first," Sasha said.


    His hand tightened around hers, and he froze.


    "Uh, okay, ummm... how does S-Saturday night... sound to you?" He asked.


    Obviously he forgot about the term dating and made up plans on the spot.


    "Where are we going? Are you going to pick me up? And what time exactly?" Sasha questioned him jokingly.


    He glared at her. "You¡¯re enjoying this aren''t you?"


    She smiled at him.


    "I''ll figure out the details later," he admitted.


    "Then it''s a date," she leaned into him.


    They walked the rest of the way in silence.


    After reaching school property they parted ways. Sasha''s soreness missed Yatsu''s touch by the time she reached the school''s doors.


    We have to let everyone know about us soon, I can''t take it much longer!


    Sasha walked to her locker and spun through the combination, or tried to. The first time it didn''t open.


    "Hey," said a boy leaning against the locker next to hers.


    Sasha glared at him, recognizing him immediately. His slick black hair and forest green eyes made most girls swoon when he glanced in their direction. The school''s number one bad-boy talking to her, why? Sasha didn''t have a clue.


    "What do you want?" Sasha tried her locker again.


    "What do you say to coming around the garden around lunch time to-?"


    "No," Sasha refused, failing at her now third attempt in opening the damn locker. "I''m busy at lunch," I plan to eat with my boyfriend, stupid.


    "Okay, how about third then?" He asked.


    Sasha could tell he wasn¡¯t about to give in. If she didn¡¯t agree to meet him at third, it would take place after school. If not after school, it would take place later. If not later he would suggest the next day.


    "Fine, third," Sasha said and cursed after finally opening her locker on her fourth attempt.


    "See you then," he gave her a smile any girl would fall in love with at first sight. Only Sasha wasn''t any girl and this guy made her sick. That look was in his eyes even after she accepted his proposal.


    Sasha grabbed what she needed from her locker and closed it.


    If this is about a confession, I will let him have it! If it''s a prank, I will kill him. Either way- I''ll knock that stupid look off his face!


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    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 28. ~Lost~

    Rumours spread across the school and everyone knew about it long before lunch break. Sasha wasn¡¯t surprised it spread so quickly, but, the rumours were spread wrong. That pissed her off.


    They all said she was going to confess to him, instead of the other way around.


    Walking to the cafeteria, Sasha felt Eva''s eyes on her, she knew Sasha wouldn''t confess to anyone.


    This was a prank.


    Information like that wasn¡¯t usually wrong unless the one who spread the information told it that way, and Sasha was pretty sure no one listened to their conversation. She never said a word to anyone, so it was obviously him that spread these rumours in the first place. Sasha hoped he knew he was a dead man.


    "Sasha, are you okay?" Eva asked her from behind.


    He¡¯ll be a dead man¡­ if Eva doesn¡¯t stop me.


    "Ya, I''ll be fine," Sasha responded and slowed down. "Let''s just get something to eat."


    They climbed the stairs to the roof. Yatsu was already there. He must have hurried because his class was on the other side of the school.


    Sasha met his lost puppy eyes.


    He¡¯s worried too? Don¡¯t tell me he thinks the rumors are-


    He¡¯s kind of cute with those eyes.


    "Is it true?" He asked.


    Sasha turned away from him. "Some of it," Sasha replied.


    I can¡¯t talk to him seriously when he looks at me like that.


    Sasha risked another glance.


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    Despair? Sasha laughed inside.


    "We are supposed to meet later- and he was the one who came to me while I was at my locker this morning, what he was doing... who knows?" She sat in her spot and began unpacking the food, Eva helped.


    Yatsu took a minute before he decided to join, he still looked worried.


    "Do I have to kiss you to convince you that I like you?" Sasha glared at him. "That worried expression of yours is pissing me off more."


    Yatsu¡¯s expression switched from worried to afraid, but he shook his head to recover and breathed deep before sitting down. He kept his head down, eyes to the floor.


    "Sit on my lap?" he whispered.


    Eva coughed and choked on her water from the bottle she was drinking from.


    Sasha blushed and eyed his lap with big eyes.


    W-what was he thinking? Me sit on his lap? It¡¯s MORE embarrassing than a kiss! I would look like a little kid! -and it would be hard to eat from there. I would have to lean twice as far to reach the things I wanted!


    I bet it¡¯d be really comfortable though.


    Sasha shook her head, "A-a-after Saturday," she stuttered and placed the now empty bag to the side.


    Yatsu took the first bite, grabbing the sushi Sasha meant to hide again.


    Eva followed his example.


    Sasha erased her thoughts, and did the same.


    <hr />


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 29. ~Scribbling~

    Sasha¡¯s pencil sped across the page, copying down the teacher''s notes word for word.


    ¡°Sit on my-?¡±


    She stopped her hand, and glanced at the page.


    Stupid Yatsu, making me screw up.


    She flipped the pencil over.


    That was the fourth time!


    Scribbling to catch up, she averted her thoughts.


    That''s right, I have to scream at someone today... no, he deserves more than that.


    Sasha glanced at her paper again.


    Damn my multitasking! Sasha flipped her pencil over and the bell rang.


    Most of the class stood up and rushed out the door, all heading in one direction.


    Sasha copied down the rest of the notes and closed her binder.


    As she zipped her binder, Sasha''s wrists were snatched by people on either side of her and suddenly gravity plopped her on the floor; her stool kicked out from under her.


    Ow.


    Two more people jumped on Sasha''s legs before she reacted.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Sasha jerked an arm free, and threw a punch, nailing Butter Fingers in the gut. Sasha threw another as she flailed to get free, but Butter Fingers dodged the second attempt, and once again took hold.


    Pain shot up Sasha''s other arm and she froze.


    ¡°That''s better,¡± Scrawny Girl held Sasha''s arm, twisted around to breaking point.


    Sasha ground her teeth. This one knows me.


    The second girl took back Sasha''s arm and both were pressed to the cold floor, and sat on.


    Sasha tugged again, but it was pointless.


    Scrawny Girl hopped onto Sasha''s stomach.


    Sasha winced and avoided eye-contact.


    ¡°The infamous... Sasha? -was it?¡± Scrawny Girl asked rhetorically. ¡°You know I was planning on stripping you and your, uh, friend... of your popularity a couple months ago? -I never really did get around to it.¡±


    ¡°There''s makeup in her bag!¡± A sixth girl said and brought Sasha''s bag close. ¡°Some of it is expensive...¡±


    Scrawny Girl leafed through it and pulled out Sasha''s eyeshadow.


    ¡°My my, you have good taste... well, the lipstick you have in there is cheap,¡± she popped the eyeshadow open.


    ¡°Psh. Take it, I don''t care,¡± Sasha grumbled. Iwanted to test it on my date with Yatsu.


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    ¡°You''ve never used it? This looks brand new!¡± Scrawny Girl closed the eyeshadow and leafed through Sasha''s bag some more.


    ¡°We should doll her up!¡± The girl holding the bag suggested. ¡°And make her look like a slut!¡±


    Scrawny Girl paused and looked up at her friend before eying Sasha with interest.


    Sasha glared back. ¡°You put any of that on me-I''ll kill you,¡± Sasha growled.


    ¡°Hold her still,¡± Scrawny Girl said.


    Butter Fingers, and the other girl sitting on her arm, reached for Sasha''s head.


    Sasha struggled and tried to bite them.


    ¡°Help them!¡±


    The girl holding the bag placed the bag beside Scrawny Girl, and took hold of Sasha''s head.


    All three held her still.


    Scrawny girl pulled out some makeup Sasha didn''t recognize. ¡°This will make you look really cute, just for him. This is mine, but I''ll let you borrow it for a minute,¡± she took out a brush. ¡°I wonder what he likes about you anyway? Wait, he once said he liked a girl with a little fire in her...¡±


    Sasha couldn''t move, didn''t know what to say, could hardly breathe... when the brush came close, Sasha shut her eyes tight.


    ¡°That''s it, hold nice and still,¡± Scrawny girl said and applied the first touch.


    They brushed and pressed lines across her face. Laughing followed, giggling afterward, talking... whispering¡­


    Anger, rage, confusion...


    Shaking, shivering...


    A lump formed in Sasha''s throat as the group of girls applied one thing after the other.


    ¡°And this,¡± Scrawny Girl chuckled. ¡°This will make you glow.¡±


    They applied one last layer to Sasha''s face.


    ¡°And we''re done! That was painless, wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Taking a picture!¡±


    SNAP


    ¡°Haha, okay girls,¡± Scrawny girl said. ¡°Grab your things and let''s get out of here, we can''t leave him waiting for her too long.¡±


    The pressure on Sasha''s legs finally vanished. Next, Scrawny Girl climbed off. The girls holding Sasha''s arms were last.


    Sasha sat up slowly as the girls fled. Her makeup scattered all over the floor beside her.


    With her energy sapped, she sniffled and a teardrop fell on her hand.


    ¡°This sucks.¡±


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 30. ~Childish Games~

    Chapter five


    Yatsu was pushed and shoved all over the place trying to head for the garden where this event would take place. At this rate he figured he''d be lucky to see any of it. Windows surrounded and overlooked the garden but if four-hundred students crowded the area it would be really hard to find a good spot. Maybe I should just go outside and wait for her there.


    He made up his mind and turned around within the chaos, but a soft hand grabbed his and tugged.


    A delicate touch, definitely a girl¡¯s hand.


    Yatsu tried to get a better look at the girl as she led him out of the crowd and tossed him into an empty classroom, slamming the door behind her.


    ¡°Sasha,¡± Yatsu exhaled at her sight. ¡°Shouldn''t you-¡± A strong flowery scent hit his nose.


    She moved fast and tackled him with a hug.


    In the split-second Yatsu observed her, he swore her eyes were darker than usual.


    Then that flowery scent stung his nose again as Sasha buried her face into him.


    ¡°Yatsu...¡± she whispered, but that was more than just a whisper.


    Yatsu closed his arms around her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The girls... pinned me down, they dolled me up and they-¡± Sasha sniffled. ¡°-I told them to let me go but-¡± she sniffled again ¡°-I couldn''t fight them off¡­ They caught me off guard,¡± anger swallowed the embarrassment in her voice.


    Yatsu willed some of his strength into her, though it wasn''t much.


    He wasn''t there for her, he couldn''t protect her.


    ¡°Yatsu?¡± Sasha backed up.


    Makeup, lipstick¡­ Sasha was pale... those girls didn¡¯t hold back.


    Yatsu stared and watched Sasha¡¯s eyes drop tears of embarrassment, while anger and a mixture of other emotions surfaced on her face.


    There was still strength behind that mask.


    I couldn¡¯t protect her, but I can help her now. He pried his eyes away and scanned room.


    A sink stood in the corner, and paper towel hung on the wall beside it. Table-like desks set up in orderly fashion. A science classroom.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± he had her wait as he took a box of kleenex sitting on the teacher''s desk, and rummaged through the classroom¡¯s first aid kit for a petroleum pack. He grabbed some paper towels and ran them under the tap for a second. Sitting back down in front of Sasha and poured petroleum on the paper towel. When he raised up the paper towel Sasha glared at him like she was about to kill something.


    ¡°I''m going to clean you up. It¡¯s water and a little petroleum, nothing more,¡± he said.


    She kept glaring and eyed the paper towel.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s had more than one accident and mom wasn¡¯t always around to fix it,¡± Yatsu reassured. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can get it all off but¡­¡±


    Her glare turned to a focused expression, but then she looked at him again and nodded an approval.


    He hesitated at first, but gently went to work. First, the tears that dripped down her face made black streaks, he wiped those up along with the eye-shadow that made her eyes terribly dark. He finished that and flipped the paper towel over, wiped off any blush and every bit of powder they splashed on her face. He grabbed another towel, went over it again.


    Last were the lips, it didn''t all come off, or at least he didn''t remember her lips being that pink but-


    No one will notice.


    The paper towel cleaned her up but it was rough. Yatsu took kleenex and wiped everything down a final third time, taking off any access and applying a soft touch, like her hand against his.


    When he pulled back and allowed her to open her eyes she wore a bright smile.


    ¡°Am I pretty?¡±


    ¡°Psh, who wants to be pretty? You are so cute I-¡± Damn, he couldn''t even talk if she looked at him like that! He turned his gaze, his face pink. ¡°-well, I''m speechless. I can''t believe I''m-¡± he closed his eyes. ¡°I would have never thought in a million years that you, of all people, would place your lips on my cheek.¡±


    He risked a glance at her again.


    Sasha¡¯s blush returned. ¡°I''m not pretty but cute? Y-you see me as a young little girl playing childish games?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± she didn''t sound mad. Yatsu smiled and nodded. ¡°Yup, and I want to be your childhood friend that eventually falls head-over-heels in love with you- So, your options: you could march over there with your head up high dominating the situation and flat out refuse him before you turn around and walk out, or, you could do the exact opposite and walk in all blushing like an idiot. I think that''s what most of the school suspects you to do. You could not show up at all, but I don''t think that''s an option you are willing to take.¡±


    She shook her head.


    She''s no coward. Yatsu''s heart fluttered, he didn''t know how much more excitement his heart could take before he simply keeled over. ¡°I already ran out of ideas so what do you think?¡±


    Her expression changed again, sparkling with determination.


    She suddenly stared at him, her expression fierce. Her face redder than he¡¯s ever seen, she took hold of him, and closed in. Her lips almost brushed his, but then she went around, and kissed his cheek a second time.


    <hr>


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.In case no one has noticed yet, JayDirex </a>is doing a fantastic job at Proof Reading (weeding out my silly mistakes, making sure everything is clear, making sure everything makes sense and constantly pointing out the things I preach to others on a regular basis) give him a hand everyone!


    The Yandere Darkling Claps.

 31. ~Oooooh, shit!~

    Everyone glared at Yatsu as Sasha dragged him through the crowd, until Sasha plopped him outside the garden.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± she said and continued on alone.


    Yatsu watched Sasha enter the school garden from the entrance behind her.


    She walked slow, with her head down and appeared incredibly shy. She approached Brandon, the bad-boy, as if she really wanted to be with him.


    That¡¯s not what she wants. Yatsu reassured himself.


    A part of him was jealous she decided to use the shy option he mentioned. If Sasha walked toward Yatsu like that, he¡¯d have to resist the urge to pick her up and give her a big hug.


    The spot on his cheek, that her soft lips kissed twice, tickled him like crazy.


    What exactly is she going to do? The question floated around the school for the past five hours.


    Brandon looked around and smirked with an obvious attitude. His green eyes stated his thoughts like an open book.


    Bastard thinks he''s got her.


    His gaze finally fell on Sasha, who stood two heads shorter than him. He stared down at her like she was a meal. Then he opened his mouth.


    "Sasha," he started. "Sasha I-"


    The whole school went dead silent as Brandon spoke. Every student wanted to hear what he had to say.


    Sasha responded with something slick, then threw her fist up and cracked him in his jaw.


    Brandon reeled back in pain from the full force of the punch.


    ¡°Oooooh, shit!¡± Someone laughed, but his laughter fell on deaf ears.


    Sasha turned around and almost reached Yatsu, when Brandon recovered and, in front of everyone, stormed toward Sasha.


    Yatsu saw the rage painted on Brandon''s face and stepped forward, moved to protect, his heart pounding in his chest as he moved between Sasha and Brandon.


    Brandon raised his hand, clenched into a weapon, Yatsu could only raise his arms to block, but he wasn''t fast enough.


    The full weight of Brandon''s bare fist hit his temple. Yatsu¡¯s vision failed immediately and after a moment, the back of his head pounded. Students yelled and screamed but it all turned to a jumbled mess before fading to nothing.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.<hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 32. ~Echo~

    On his back, Yatsu opened his eyes and squinted at the dark purple sky.


    Strange, he couldn''t recall a sky like that, ever.


    Yatsu tried to raise his head to check himself but was unable to move.


    Immobile, he observed the strange sky, while black and grey clouds floated by.


    Time didn''t seem to matter, two seconds, two hours or two days, he couldn''t tell the difference until footsteps echoed toward him, feet dragging across rough pavement. A boy about his age walked right past him, Yatsu attempted to call out to him but the boy¡¯s arm... thick red liquid dripped down from his shoulder his arm wasn''t entirely attached to his body... Still, the boy kept walking and it wasn''t long before he left Yatsu¡¯s view and his footsteps ceased.


    What happened to him?


    Yatsu shrugged.


    Time passed and more footsteps approached, this time they came from the opposite direction and they didn¡¯t drag. Yatsu recognized both approaching people.


    Braxton, Eva''s boyfriend, approached Yatsu.


    Brandon stopped back a ways, barely in Yatsu¡¯s field of vision.


    Unlike the guy that dragged his feet, Braxton walked right up to him. No blood dripped from his arms, he was all intact.


    "Yatsu," Braxton whispered, his wide eyes still roamed the landscape.


    Brandon''s head turned side to side, watching for something. The unusual behaviour made Yatsu shiver.


    "The Queen comes for you," they whispered together. "She is not far."


    "She will devour what is left and toss you away when you are completely dead," Brandon stepped forward and walked away, leaving Yatsu''s vision.


    "Heed our warning, Yatsu..."


    They left as quickly as they¡¯d arrived, one step at a time.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Yatsu heard something new. Instead of slow moving people, something scrambled about.


    "Where are you~" The sing song voice reminded him of two different people, one definitely Sasha. "Where are you~" The scrambling sound continued.


    "I''m here, Sasha!" Yatsu called out.


    The scrambling grew louder and a female figure suddenly stood over him.


    "There you are~" said the figure. Her voice belonged to something not human. Her eyes blinked black, her single pink pig-tail, bobbed side to side, and extra limbs extended from her back. Three hands held knives that she rose in the air. A fourth held something else, she opened her hand and a third eye, pure white, stared from the palm. "I found you~"


    Yatsu panicked and screamed but couldn¡¯t move.


    Three knives came down, stabbing Yatsu in the chest.


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 33. ~Trapped~

    Yatsu opened his eyes and shuddered.


    He tried to move and was happy to find himself capable. Only, his right side was numb, and he found himself staring at pink hair, trapped in two small white ribbons.


    Trying to control his breathing he lay back. The dream already becoming one big blur so he focused on something else; like searching for a way out of a sleeping girl''s grasp.


    He examined all of his options and gave up. Moving out from under her was impossible. He¡¯d either have to wake her himself or wait till she wakes on her own.


    Wait, where is here anyway? He lifted his head a bit, and from the few objects in view, Yatsu concluded he¡¯d been here before.


    The infirmary? He lay his head back down and nearly cursed when Sasha stirred from where she lay, only, instead of waking up, she snuggled closer to him.


    The scent of flowers.


    Brandon coming at him in a fit of rage.


    Three knives stabbing his chest.


    Yatsu started to sweat.


    Calm down, moron! Deep breath.


    He breathed in.


    Breathed out.


    Someone walked in the room.


    The last time Yatsu called out to someone, three knives fell toward him.


    Ya, but this is the real world, and it¡¯s probably just the the school nurse¡­ but what if it isn''t? Oh just stop talking to yourself Yatsu!


    "Hello?" He tried to be quiet, but is there such a thing when someone is sleeping right on top of you?


    "Yatsu?" The nurse was male. Yatsu recognized his voice having once met him before, but couldn¡¯t recall his name. "How are you feeling?"


    How am I feeling? Why? "Okay for the moment?" He responded unsure.


    First, the nurse¡¯s head of dark hair became visible, tied up into a small ponytail. Next his cleanly shaved face and dark eyes came into view.


    "From the young lady''s report it says here that you took the full force of a punch to your temple, and another to the top of your head."


    "Right," Yatsu reached up and touched his face with his free arm, and winced. "Ow," he brought his hand back down, it apparently only hurt when he touched it. "So do I look funny?"


    "You have a black eye and you might have a headache for a day or two, other than that, if you don''t feel anything else, you¡¯re free to go... but you are also free to stay if you don''t want to disturb the miss..." he trailed off.


    "Did anyone else get hurt?" Yatsu asked, thinking Brandon hadn¡¯t stopped with him.


    "No," he said, sounding like he wanted to end the conversation, now that he knew Yatsu was okay. His job done.


    Yatsu muttered a thank you and the nurse left the room.


    Watching the sleeping girl on top of him for a while made him tired, and he covered his mouth for a yawn. He placed his hands back down, his right hand accidentally brushed against Sasha''s backside.


    He cringed and silently cursed.


    She reacted and stirred some more, only this time he was pretty sure she was awake.


    Yatsu hesitantly looked back down at her, only to find two ice cold eyes staring back at him.


    Ummmm... "Hi?"


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 34. ~Raccoon~

    Chapter Six


    Did Yatsu just touch my butt?


    Sasha stared into Yatsu''s dark blue orbs for the answer, but what she saw was worry and fear. Not the face of someone who took advantage of a girl and enjoyed himself.


    She blinked and looked at the bandage on his chin.


    Doesn¡¯t look too bad.


    The first strike he took was the worse one, if Brandon had hit her instead of Yatsu, she might be in a hospital right now. The second hit wasn''t nearly as hard. She¡¯d reacted in time to grab Brandon¡¯s arm, but couldn''t stop him from hitting Yatsu a second time. By the time Brandon threw a third punch, his friends showed up and pulled him back, forcing him to stop.


    Yatsu really saved me. I guess I can forgive him, this time.


    "Are you okay?" Sasha asked him sternly.


    He eagerly nodded, making it too obvious he knew what he did wrong.


    Sasha could tease him about it, but he might become bolder after she did that.


    She could threaten him, but then she didn''t think he would ever try to touch her again, and she did want to experiment with that stuff one day; she couldn''t just hold his one hand anymore, she wanted to be arm in arm with him all the time when they walked together.


    Just pretend this incident never happened in the first place.


    Sasha eyed the clock. The final class of the day was half an hour through already.


    "Ummm, can I get up please?" Yatsu asked. "My right side is numb."


    I did ask if he was okay didn''t I? Sasha climbed off of him and sat on the edge of the bed, one hand still touching his arm. He moved around a bit, causing her to let go. Already, the tingly feeling slowly leaked from her. Sasha resisted, focused on what was left as Yatsu straightened himself out. If she kept trying to touch him, he might become curious as to why, or worse, he might think she was too clingy.


    "Are you okay?" He suddenly asked.His one eye haddarkened.


    "You look like a raccoon," Sasha giggled. Her hand found his and as they closed around each other, the tingly feeling inside Sasha restored. She nearly groaned in pleasure.


    "The nurse mentioned that I was free to go. What do you want to do?"


    That opened her eyes. She never thought about it, but they could so go out on an early date. The problem was coming up with a place to visit, she didn''t know any. "I don''t know."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Maybe I could show you some places?" Yatsu said, reading her mind. "I mean, since we have a little bit of time. You''ve only just moved here a few months ago right? -has Eva shown you around town yet?"


    Sasha shook her head, but that was a lie. She remembered Eva took her out shopping, twice. However she didn''t remember the way to the shopping mall. It was the only place Eva visited when she shopped.


    Sasha preferred smaller stores.


    "Only to a mall," she told him. "I didn¡¯t really like it there."


    He smiled. "Well, I personally don''t like the mall either but it does have the most stuff. I can still show you downtown if you''d like. There''s not too much there, but maybe you''ll see something..."


    Sasha nodded.


    "It¡¯s also a bit of a walk. We''ll probably be there a while..." he trailed off.


    Does he not want to take me? Or is he warning me that the time might get away from us? Does it matter? "Just take me there and we''ll figure things out as we go."


    His hold on her hand loosened a bit. She tightened hers in response, and he tightened his again.


    I guess that might have sounded a little harsh.


    He stood up then, and glanced towards the door. He inhaled once.


    "I hope you don''t mind being seen in public with this then-" he said and pointed to his face with his free hand. "-and we will probably need to stop for some pain killers if it gets bad."


    Sasha moved and sat in front of him, earning herself a blushing Yatsu.


    "I''ll kiss it all better if it gets to be too much for you," she said and gently pecked his upper eye as an example.


    His face turned cherry coloured. "T-that m-might work," he agreed with her, embarrassed to admit it.


    So cute. "Then let¡¯s go!"


    "Hold on a second," he stopped Sasha from dragging him out of the infirmary. "First I need this..." he grabbed his pack from the hanger next to the door. "...and second, we might be seen."


    "I don''t care about that any more," said Sasha attempting to drag him out again. "Let them find out."


    "Alrighty then..." He suddenly looked really concerned.


    They are going to find out later anyway.


    <hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 35. ~Familiar~

    Leaning against Yatsu and holding his hand, the neighbourhoods they walked through became familiar.


    ¡°This is the way to the mall,¡± Sasha said.


    ¡°Yes, we have to go past the mall to get to the other stores,¡± Yatsu explained. ¡°I think two blocks further- I did warn you it was a long walk.¡±


    Sasha nodded. It actually wasn''t that far. Almost the equivalent from her place to his.


    They arrived in the downtown area in no time.


    A rusty Jeweler''s Shop closed down a while ago, the sign loosely hung from a single chain. A bakery blared a Come in we¡¯re OPEN sign along with a couple of small sketchy clothing stores. A dollar store too. Sasha glanced up at Yatsu and followed his gaze to some sort of hobby shop.


    Yatsu directed her and opened the door to a different restaurant, a cafe of some sort.


    Refusing to let go of his hand she sat beside him. The seats were squishy and comfy. She leaned into him, getting more of the familiar tingly feeling coursing through her.


    An attractive waitress with black and purple hair, and wearing a black and white maid costume, walked in their direction. Her hair colour seemed odd to Sasha until she saw her eyes, which matched the colour perfectly.


    ¡°I don''t remember this place looking like this,¡± Yatsu calmly stated as he scanned the room. ¡°It used to be... normal.¡±


    ¡°Goshujin-sama, Ojou-sama, Irasshaimase,¡± the waitress curtsied, addressing the two as if she were actually a Japanese maid instead of a waitress. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡±


    Sasha glanced up at Yatsu to see if he was going to respond, but he just stared at the waitress in shock.


    ¡°Can we h-have two waters to start please?¡± Sasha hesitantly asked her.


    ¡°Hai, Kashikomarimashita...¡± the waitress turned around but spun back and winked at Yatsu.


    Sasha''s breathing grew heavy and her throat dried up as she took in the waitress¡¯ figure. A tall and mature girl with curves and a chest that Sasha lacked.


    Sasha spun around and glared at Yatsu for answers. He came here often, he knows that girl.


    All her rage dissipated when she saw the fear in his eyes. He looked like a lost puppy.


    ¡°I knew she was working part time but-¡± he said that quietly, almost to himself. ¡°Damn, she''s going to kill me when I get back home! What is she even doing here during school hours?¡±


    Back home? ¡°Who is she?¡± Sasha asked, still a little annoyed but now with an idea. This busty beauty better be related to him.


    ¡°Rika,¡± he spoke her name. ¡°My older sister.¡±


    Sasha let out a breath she didn''t even know she was holding. ¡°Oh good.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t feeling sorry for me at all, are you?¡± He said, staring at her as if she betrayed him.


    Sasha shook her head and leaned into him again. ¡°You can stay at my place tonight if you want,¡± she joked.


    ¡°I can?¡±


    She blinked a few times... I was joking, but he sounded serious.


    ¡°Ya, I g-guess you can,¡± that way she didn''t have to let him go!


    Crap, but the twins, I''d have to introduce them, and then we have to find something to do before bedtime. He could sleep with me in my room... the thought of Yatsu in her bedroom, undressing himself and climbing into the covers where she lay made her light-headed... or somewhere else.


    But then she''d have to let him go! Why is this so hard!


    ¡°Here''s your water,¡± Yatsu''s sister returned and placed a glass of water on the table in front of each of them. ¡°Can I take your order now or do you still need time?¡±


    ¡°Ummm...¡± Yatsu quickly checked the menu and ordered.


    ¡°S-same,¡± Sasha responded, still light-headed when Rika asked her.


    Rika nodded and repeated the order before heading to the back.


    ¡°So far, I think she likes you, so be aware that she likes to grab and suffocate people from behind with death-hugs,¡± Yatsu warned.


    ¡°I''ll try my best to remember,¡± because I might snap fingers if I don¡¯t.


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 36. ~Princess~

    After leaving the cafe they browsed other interesting stores. Yatsu noticed that Sasha never let go of his hand or arm. It was honestly a dream come true.


    When she looked up at him from his chest her eyes twinkled like a little girl¡¯s.


    Yatsu smelled Sasha¡¯s hair and felt her warmth leaning against him. He desperately fought back the need to touch her, caress her, anything, something.


    Sasha, your touch¡­. maybe going to your place isn''t such a great idea. Maybe I should put up with my sister sooner than later and we just go to my place. I¡¯ll tell her.


    ¡°Hey Sasha-¡±


    ¡°Yatsu look, let¡¯s check it out!¡±


    She ignored his words at the sight of an accessory store and dragged him in behind her.


    Shirts, hats, key-chains, dolls, bracelets and anything else you can think of were lined across the walls and displayed in tables. Sasha overlooked the first half of the store completely and dragged him to the glass counters in the back, where the more expensive items were on display.


    Rings?


    His mind spun as he¡¯d never thought about buying a ring for a girl. A ring that a girl like Sasha would be happy to wear.


    Her free hand sailed over the top of the glass display until it stopped and pointed at something.


    ¡°Can I try that on?¡± She asked the clerk behind the counter.


    The clerk eyed Yatsu like a wolf as he reached in and pulled out something much bigger than a ring.


    Sasha let go of Yatsu and gently took hold of the item. She stared at it wide-eyed for a moment and marveled at its beauty before she placed it on her head.


    With a bright smile and a pink face she turned to Yatsu.


    He didn''t hear her speak. Something fuzzy hit the back of his head like he forgot something important.


    ¡°Yatsu~!¡± Sasha pulled him back to reality and then repeated her question. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    The tiara she placed on her head sat crooked.


    Yatsu chuckled and removed the tiara to admire it a moment before placing it back on the counter for the clerk to put away.


    ¡°Maybe if you didn''t wear your hair in pigtails it would fit you better,¡± Yatsu nodded to the clerk as to thank him for wasting his time.


    Sasha frowned at Yatsu but nodded.


    ¡°Ya, Eva makes the better princess anyway,¡± she said taking hold of his arm again. ¡°Where to next?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m done browsing through stores,¡± Yatsu said and yawned.


    ¡°Then¡­ m-my place?¡± Her eyes sparkled.


    Yatsu nodded hesitantly and together they walked out of the accessory store.


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    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 37. ~Nervous~

    Yatsu resisted Sasha''s attempt to pull him inside her house. He wasn''t sure if it was his imagination but he swore the curtains moved, and two pairs of glowing eyes stared at him a moment ago.


    One pair beamed bright amber in colour, and the other a cold blue, almost as blue as Sasha''s. Yatsu felt hunted, like a deer stalked by wolves.


    Sasha dragged him in regardless, and he immediately scanned for anyone around, but the window space was empty.


    ¡°Was there someone just here?¡± he asked pointing at the window.


    "Those were my sisters, they probably disappeared into the basement," Sasha''s calm voice eased Yatsu a little.


    She placed her bag down, took off her shoes and bid him to do the same.


    He followed suit, tried to be polite and tidy by placing his stuff beside hers. When she took hold of his arm again things didn''t feel quite right, but he dismissed it.


    I''m just nervous. Calm. Down.


    He breathed in, and breathed out, but struggled as if his sister were strangling him in one of her hugs


    "What''s wrong?" Sasha asked, facing him.


    He tensed up to respond with nothing, but her eyes; he couldn¡¯t lie to her.


    "Nervous," he honestly replied. "I feel like I''m being watched."


    She nodded, understanding. "Want to meet them?"


    "Uh-only if they want to meet me."


    She nodded again with a smile.


    Sasha lived in a pretty normal house from where Yatsu stood. The walls were white and bare, floors free of clutter, and the entrance led into the living room. No second floor, but definitely a basement.


    "Want to watch a movie?" Sasha asked and gestured to the living room.


    "Sure," Yatsu made himself comfortable while Sasha set one up.


    Wasn''t long before Sasha joined him on the couch, or more accurately, lay across the couch with her head resting on his lap. She reached back, grabbed one of his arms and hugged it in front of her.


    Before the movie started playing Yatsu¡¯s body relaxed. Exhaustion caught up to him. Walking around all afternoon drained him of his energy.


    Before the movie¡¯s title displayed, he closed his eyes.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.<hr>


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 38. ~Flinch~

    Yatsu woke unable to breathe. His eyes shot open.


    Lips mashed against his, blue eyes stared at him and pulled back.


    Yatsu''s head spun.


    ¡°Nope, he kisses like a virgin, that can''t be why she likes him.¡±


    Yatsu focused on the girl in front of him. The blue eyes... he thought it was Sasha but her voice was higher pitched and her hair darker in colour. This girl stood smaller and wore a vibrant dress, something -Yatsu was sure- Sasha would never wear again.


    The girl stared at a notepad she held in her one hand, a pencil in the other. She scribbled something down and suddenly perked up. ¡°Oh! Maybe he''s good with his tongue!¡± She eyed Yatsu with her too familiar blue eyes and leaned in again.


    Yatsu raised his free arm and blocked her.


    ¡°Don''t-¡± I need to think.


    She backed off and scoffed, but didn''t leave. ¡°Are you good with your tongue?¡± She asked instead.


    Yatsu''s clouded mind deciphered her question by tieing it to her last action.


    She kissed me.


    -and now she wanted to¡­ taste his tongue?


    Sasha hasn''t even- ¡°No!¡± he answered her.


    ¡°Alright,¡± She wrote something down on her notepad. ¡°Do you play sports?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he answered again. ¡°Why are you asking me these questions?¡±


    She examined his arms and legs thoroughly before jotting something else down on her notepad. ¡°To see what she likes about you.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Yatsu paused.


    This girl literally kissed him simply because she wanted to know what someone liked about him? -what Sasha liked about him? The notepad she''s holding, is that a list she''s going through to find out what that thing is?


    Yatsu felt light-headed.


    ¡°How good are your grades?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± He countered with his own query.


    ¡°Eh? My name?¡± She glared at him with a smirk. ¡°Answer the next question and maybe I''ll tell you.¡±


    Yatsu trembled at the girl¡¯s dark stare. She was no doubt related to Sasha. They shared the I can see your soul look. The one you don''t ever want to deny or lie to.


    He nodded, ready for her question. The girl¡¯s blue eyes narrowed to slits.


    ¡°Have you ever had sexual intercourse with Sasha?¡±


    Yatsu paled and said nothing.


    ¡°That''s an interesting reaction. I guess that''s a-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He quickly answered before assumptions were made.


    ¡°Well, I guess that eliminates the next few questions,¡± she said, placing her writing utensil on the pad and eyeing Yatsu¡¯s lower parts. ¡°Unless she''s seen it.¡±


    Yatsu couldn''t respond. Little girls aren''t supposed to know about this stuff, what was he supposed to do in this situation?


    ¡°So that''s it,¡± she said.


    ¡°M-Miya?¡± A soft, quiet sound emitted from the hallway and an amber eyed little girl approached the living room.


    Miya spun toward the hallway, ¡°Luna? Good!¡± she pointed at Yatsu. ¡°Take his pants off, we need to measure it.¡±


    Frozen, Yatsu watched as the amber eyed girl, Luna, advanced before him.


    What do I do? This is-


    ¡°I can¡¯t reach his pants, Sasha¡¯s in the way,¡± said Luna.


    Miya placed her notepad and utensil to the side. ¡°Fine, help me lift her off.¡±


    Miya and Luna grabbed either end of Sasha and attempted to yank her off the couch as if they did this everyday.


    In a blink of an eye, Sasha''s arm shot up and grabbed Miya. But Miya didn''t flinch and instead brushed off Sasha''s hand and counted down the next tug.


    ¡°Ready? One, two, three-!¡±


    The girls flopped Sasha on the floor with a thud.


    Miya turned back toward her notepad.


    Luna moved slowly, closer to Yatsu. Her eyes on his pants.


    I can''t let this happen, Yatsu tried to stand but Miya pushed him back down and started climbing on top of him. Her eyes closed in as she lifted one knee, placed it on one side of Yatsu. Her other knee she tried to lift, tried to straddle him but she stopped dead.


    "Luna-" Miya glanced back in alarm, scanned the room, but Luna vanished.


    Miya shivered and slowly climbed off of Yatsu, removed her knee from the couch, and stepped over her sleeping older sister on the floor.


    "Sorry," she bowed in apology and bolted to another room.


    Yatsu wasn''t sure if that apology was entirely for him. A moment later Sasha rose from where she lay.


    One of her pigtails hung loose. Her hair half-covered her one eye. She climbed back onto the couch and into the same position, hugging Yatsu''s arm in front of her.


    ¡°Yatsu~¡± she purred and took out her other pigtail, dropping the elastic on the floor.


    Yatsu couldn''t move.


    Should I tell her that Miya stole my first kiss?


    Sasha squirmed and made herself comfortable in his lap.


    I''ll tell her later.


    He rested his hand on her head, her hair soft to the touch as he scratched.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sasha tensed but pressed her head against his hand for more.


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 39. ~Circles~

    ¡°Yatsu~!¡± Sasha took hold of his arm.


    Yatsu''s whole body tensed, and his face heated up. He really tried to act normal, tried to mentally prepare himself for it, but Sasha joining him for every break put him on edge.


    He knew it wasn''t like the entire student body was looking at him, but he couldn''t help but feel someone glaring his way. Sasha with a boy was a topic of interest in school. I can easily place myself in their shoes.


    Sasha dragged him to their last class of the day. Entering the room, the teacher glared at them like insects until Sasha pulled out a paper and handed it to him.


    He pushed his glasses further up his nose, read the note and nodded for them to take a seat.


    ¡°Was that the note from yesterday?¡± Yatsu asked.


    ¡°Yes, though I don''t think he would have believed it if it weren''t for your-¡± she paused.


    Yatsu looked at her curiously.


    She gestured, circling her finger around her one eye. ¡°-makes you look like a raccoon.¡±


    ¡°Right, I forgot that was there,¡± Yatsu scratched his head.


    Sasha giggled, and for a moment, Yatsu forgot about everything else.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.<hr>


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>


    A/N: Sorry, a super short one.


    (*The Yandere Darkling pleads forgiveness!*)


    Any overall thoughts, opinions, or desires floating around? -based on this story? :3

 40. ~Wittle Brwother~

    As much as he didn''t want to, Yatsu opened the door to his house and stepped inside. Sasha wanted to visit, though he didn''t know why. He told her he needed to do this himself.


    ¡°I''m home,¡± he announced out loud, hoping no one in particular heard -or rather cared- for his entrance.


    She''s probably going to find me in my room later.


    ¡°Yatsu?¡± His mom sounded concerned and she looked the part when she poked her head around to greet him.


    Oh, I forgot- he scratched his head. "Ya, sorry for not saying anything.¡±


    ¡°If your sister didn''t tell us you were out with your friend you would have had to explain yourself further young man,¡± she couldn''t hold her stern look. ¡°You two watch a movie?¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Yatsu went to take off his shoes, but his curious mom stared at him.


    Shit, wrong answer.


    ¡°W-we went to her place-¡±


    That didn''t make things better.


    ¡°-and she did put on a movie-¡± Damnit! ¡°-mom, she has two younger sisters!¡±


    Mom nodded with an exaggerated sure.


    Yatsu took a breath. ¡°We were tired from the walk around town so as soon as the movie started we fell asleep.¡±


    "I believe you, no need to get all worked up about it."


    Her smile told him otherwise.


    Yatsu worried his sister would bug him to no end, but it didn''t occur to him that mom would be curious too.


    "Please just, don''t tell her anything," he picked up his pack and dragged it upstairs.


    His face on fire with embarrassment, his goal was to calm down before his sister knocked on his bedroom door.


    He reached the top step and stopped dead in his tracks.


    ¡°Hello Wittle Brwother~¡± Rika said in her annoying baby voice. ¡°How''s my- hey!¡±


    Yatsu bumped her out of the way, opened the door and walked inside his room. He was going to close the door on her but she was inside before he had the chance.


    Standing, he still needed to calm down.


    ¡°Come back later,¡± Yatsu stated in the most neutral voice he could.


    ¡°Nope, I want to know how you got that black eye first.¡±


    ¡°Someone at school hit me,¡± he avoided her gaze, hoping she''d leave now.


    ¡°You got into a fight?¡±


    No.


    ¡°I stopped him from hurting Sasha.¡±


    ¡°My wittle brwother is a herwo?¡±


    Without another word, he turned around and pushed her out of his bedroom, closing the door behind her.


    ¡°You''re a meanie!¡± She called out.


    Good. Now go away.


    He walked over to his bed and flopped onto it.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 41. ~Again~

    Chapter Eight


    Sasha let go of Yatsu''s arm, hoping he''d calm down.


    He still acted like an idiot, despite holding her hand in school for the last few days.


    Yatsu needed to relax or his heart would explode from pounding so much, but she had to admit he was cute, blushing all the time.


    Sasha figured it wasn''t her touch that affected him.


    "You should calm down a little," she said, taking hold of his arm again.


    "I keep thinking someone is watching me," Yatsu responded.


    "I''m always being watched, you should get used to it."


    "Even when you aren''t around... yesterday I think someone followed me all the way home," he shivered.


    Sasha took that information and placed it into a good to know spot within her brain. If someone was tailing Yatsu, she wanted to know why.


    They turned a corner, on their way to meet Eva for lunch and nearly bumped into some guy.


    "Sorry," said Yatsu, as they made their way around him.


    "Congratulations, Hero,¡± said the guy they bumped into.


    Yatsu trembled.


    Sasha spun around and glared at Brandon, but he averted his eyes.


    ¡°He looked miserable,¡± must have been punished good for that suspension.


    Sasha met his parents months ago in a grocery store, a religious couple. Brandon openly greeted her and his parents followed up with all kinds of stories. All about how Brandon did this, Brandon did that. Sasha hardly listened but it was all praise, like they were attempting to sell him.


    Despite wanting to desperately get away, they followed her through the store and even had the nerve to cut in front of her in the checkout line.


    That might be the reason he tried to confess to her. His parents probably kept pestering him.


    "Great, Now I pity him," she said aloud.


    "Huh? Pity who?" Yatsu asked.


    "Never mind," Sasha pushed open the door to the roof. Eva, already waiting, sat facing away from them.


    Sasha sensed something wrong.


    Eva sniffled.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Sasha¡¯s anger flared.


    Not again, please not again! "Braxton?" Sasha asked Eva softly.


    Eva turned toward them and nodded, her eyes red and her face a mess of tears.


    "Yatsu, wait here with her," Sasha released him and doubled back.


    "W-wait!" Eva called out.


    Sasha stopped.


    Yatsu stood stone still.


    "You''re going to tell me to let it go aren''t you?" Sasha grumbled, glancing back.


    "Y-yes," Eva lowered her eyes.


    "Fine, but you better get over him fast, or I will break every bone in his body."


    Eva nodded and then they went back to normal setting up lunch.


    Sasha planned to sit on Yatsu''s lap today to surprise him. Instead they ate in silence.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>


    AN: Thank you MangoScribble</a> for the awesome line-break!

 42. ~Lie~

    The final bell rang and Sasha latched herself to Yatsu. Eva followed them outside and it came time to part ways.


    "Did you want me to walk you home today?" Yatsu asked Sasha.


    "Actually," she felt him tense again. I''m going to beat this guy to a pulp. "I''m going to walk Eva home today," Sasha lied.


    Eva, having already taken the first few steps home, perked up.


    Yatsu nodded an understanding. "Then I''ll see you tomorrow?"


    She gave him a smile and turned towards Eva. In silence they rounded a corner together and immediately Sasha put her senses on high alert.


    "Ummm¡­?" said Eva.


    "No, I''m not going home with you. I need to find out who¡¯s following Yatsu," said Sasha. Judging no one followed her, she turned back and peeked around the corner.


    She barely caught a glance at Yatsu walking into a shortcut. Either he wanted to get home quickly, or he was being stupid.


    Both.


    "Oh ok, then I''ll see you tomorrow?" Eva asked.


    Sasha faced Eva and found hurt in her eyes.


    This is not what I need right now. Sasha sighed. "I''ll walk you home Friday," Sasha promised, regretfully.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Eva nodded with a sad, but understanding expression before continuing on her way.


    Not wanting to think upon it further, Sasha watched and waited a little longer, and finally she was rewarded. A shadow darted across the road, a blur.


    Impressive.


    Sasha followed in silence. The shadow darted from one side of the street to the other and finally stopped in a corner.


    Can Yatsu really sense this person?


    Sasha crept closer to the shadow, but it was glued in place. Crouched down, slim figure, Sasha made out male features on his face, his eyes unblinking, staring in Yatsu¡¯s direction.


    Sasha crept closer and pounced. Her arm snaked around his neck.


    "Don''t hurt me!" he shouted.


    It''s just a kid! She spun him around.


    The kid shivered, scared. He''s-


    "You''re my sister''s spy," Sasha said, releasing him.


    He nodded, recognizing her.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked him.


    "Following your boyfriend," he turned and pointed at Yatsu.


    Sasha followed his gaze, and her eyes grew wide. Three bigger guys slowly surrounded Yatsu.


    "Were you following Yatsu yesterday?" Sasha asked the boy.


    The boy didn''t respond. He vanished.


    Sasha cursed, that was the one chance I had to interrogate him.


    She could try and chase him down, but Yatsu needed help first.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 43. ~Protect~

    Sasha crept closer to the boys surrounding Yatsu. They trapped him in a corner.


    Yatsu put his arms up, hands ready to defend, they laughed.


    ¡°Haha, you really think you can take on the three of us?¡± One of them chuckled.


    Yatsu trembled.


    Sasha sped up.


    The tallest boy, blond spiky haired bastard shot his hand out, grabbed Yatsu''s collar and stared him down. The boy said a few words, threw Yatsu to the ground, and kicked his stomach.


    Yatsu! Sasha broke into a run.


    ¡°Piece of shit!¡± Braxton kicked him again.


    Yatsu cringed.


    Sasha jumped and landed on the back of Braxton''s stationary leg.


    CRACK


    His leg crumpled and his knee smashed into the pavement.


    Sasha¡¯s body tingled with excitement.


    She stepped back as Braxton howled.


    Startled, the other two guys faced Sasha.


    Sasha backed out of Braxton¡¯s reach.


    Yatsu''s eyes were wide, his mouth open. He didn''t want her here.


    Despite the fact he was useless in this kind of situation, he braced himself to stand, but cringed with every inch of movement, and collapsed.


    Sasha wanted to help him, but couldn''t yet. Two guys stood in between him and her. A third lay on the ground squirming.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Braxton squeaked and he fixed his growing eyes on Sasha. ¡°Y-you?" He paused and ground his teeth together. "You... broke my LEG!"


    Sasha stood ready. Any second now he will call the morons-


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He spat at the two morons. ¡°GET HER!¡±


    Hmgh. Figured.


    Moron Number One circled around Sasha slowly. The smallest of the three, Sasha dubbed him the most dangerous. Moron Number Two held his fists up. Sasha couldn''t tell if he had muscles underneath the hoodie he wore or if he was a bit on the chubby side. But then he dashed forward.


    Built.


    Sasha dodged under his first swing barely, reacted with a punch to his gut. Her fist bounced off his stomach, and she regretted making the move.


    Not built, not chubby. He''s just big!


    The big guy grabbed a fist full of her hair.


    She cursed and grabbed hold of his hand, preventing him from tearing her hair off. She tried not to flail around.


    He lifted her to her tiptoes and then off the ground completely, until she met his eyes.


    The pain from her scalp forced tears to drop from her eyes.


    ¡°Foolish girl, what were you trying to- you¡¯re... smiling?¡±


    Sasha grinned behind her tears, and dug her fingers into the pressure point under his thumb as hard as she could.


    He cursed and dropped her.


    She landed in a crouch, rose up fast and kicked him between the legs.


    One.


    Before Sasha located Moron Number One, an arm wrapped around her neck, digging into her throat.


    She cocked her head forward and flung it back, smashing it against Moron Number One''s face. She proceeded with a stomp on his foot and an elbow to his ribs. His hold loosened and she pulled his arm off her, twisting it until she felt resistance.


    He dropped to his knees.


    Sasha inspected her neck with her free hand.


    From below a hand grabbed her ankle and squeezed.


    She jumped, unaware Braxton got that close.


    Yatsu had gotten up onto his feet, his eyes showed a mixture of confusion and relief.


    Sasha gave Moron number one a sample twist of his arm. ¡°When I let you go, you will leave; or I will break both your arms,¡± Sasha said. ¡°Got it?¡±


    Moron Number One nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± she let go of him.


    He hesitated, but scampered away.


    The big guy was slowly recovering, he sat on his knees. Hands between his legs, whimpering like a dog.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± Braxton squeezed Sasha¡¯s ankle harder. "Fucking come get her! I have her-!"


    Sasha stomped on his arm with her free foot and stepped out of reach again. Almost surprised he didn''t cry out this time.


    He''s pretty tough.


    Before the big guy fully recovered, Sasha eyed Yatsu.


    They should die for hurting him but-


    Sasha''s rage dissipated.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.-I need to take care of Yatsu.


    She walked over and crawled underneath Yatsu, supporting his weight. That flow of fuzziness spiraled its way into her.


    ¡°Sasha,¡± Yatsu groaned in pain, holding his side.


    ¡°S-sorry,¡± she tried to be gentler. ¡°Let''s get you home.¡±


    He nodded.


    She wrapped his arm around her, and helped him the rest of the way to his house.


    "Ow, haha," Yatsu cringed but laughed.


    "What?"


    "It''s like we''re trying out a different way of walking again."


    Sasha giggled.


    Sasha dragged Yatsu onto his front porch, and let him brace himself against one of the beams.


    Sasha didn''t want to let go, but she did and started walking away.


    ¡°Sasha.¡±


    Sasha stopped.


    Yatsu breathed in. ¡°Thank you, for-¡±


    She turned back and hugged him, cuddled into him as much as she could.


    ¡°I will protect you from now on,¡± she whispered. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 44. ~Poor Kid~

    Chapter Nine


    Yatsu closed the front door behind him.


    Immediately his sister''s fist slammed into his shoulder, jolting his elbow into his fragile ribs. He bit his lip, preventing himself from screaming.


    ¡°Yo, bro. You going to- hey are you-?¡± Rika walked around to his front. ¡°Y-you''re bleeding! -you okay?¡±


    Yatsu¡¯s pain slowly dissipated. Tasting iron, he bit his lip harder than he thought he did.


    ¡°I got into a fight,¡± he said and attempted to kick off his shoe.


    ¡°A fight? You? Again!¡± Rika moved to his side, placed her hand around his waist for support.


    Another jolt of pain shot through Yatsu as she applied pressure to his waist. Tears fell from his eyes, it was more pain than a simple bruise would cause.


    He gave up on taking his shoes off. ¡°Let go, please,¡± he growled.


    Rika let him go. ¡°Fine, if you don''t want my help, I''ll-¡±


    Yatsu breathed slowly, ¡°My ribs took a beating. Hold my arm."


    "Oh," she carefully took hold of his arm.


    "I think I need to go to the hospital."


    "Ermm..." Rika glanced around hesitantly. "Mom isn''t here..." her eyes eventually landed on Yatsu. ¡°Fine, I''ll take you."


    "Thanks Ri-OW!"


    Rika opened the door. "Man up," she said, but then looked at him with more concern. "Or do you think you can make it to the hospital without an ambulance?"


    "I can make it," Yatsu responded through his teeth.


    ¡°I''m not carrying you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Yatsu toughened up as Rika helped him out of the house, down the porch steps and into Rika''s car. Rika climbed into the driver¡¯s seat, started the car and put it in reverse.


    Bouncing out of the lane-way and into the street caused Yatsu more pain. He tolerated stopping at streetlights and stop-signs, but when Rika braked abruptly for an ass-hole, Yatsu puted and tears fell from his eyes.


    Rika pulled into the hospital¡¯s visitor parking lot, bouncing the car yet again, before parking the vehicle. She climbed out and circled around the car.


    Yatsu attempted to sit up and regretted it, he held up his hand when Rika opened the passenger door.


    ¡°Climbing out of here is going to hurt like hell,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Tough Guy, you got three options,¡± Rika said. ¡°You either get it done yourself, I help you, or I tear you out of the car because I don¡¯t want to be here all night. It¡¯s like ripping off a Band-Aid.¡±


    Yatsu glared at her.


    Rika smirked back at him.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    With effort, Yatsu pulled himself out of the car. Rika provided support as he whimpered with every step.


    ¡°SUCH a baby!¡± Rika laughed. ¡°My wittle baby bwother-¡±


    Yatsu ignored her as she dragged him into the building and up to the reception desk.


    Mentioning Yatsu¡¯s inability to walk on his own earned him a room and a bed to himself and an order to take it easy. Rika sat on the far side of his bed, waiting.


    Shortly afterward a nurse took Yatsu for x-rays, and he returned with a doctor who gave a prognosis.


    ¡°Bruised ribs,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll be hurting for at least three weeks. I¡¯ll prescribe some pain medication and give you a doctor¡¯s note.¡±


    ¡°Awe, that¡¯s no fair,¡± Rika said.


    Yatsu couldn¡¯t fathom why Rika would be jealous over taking pain medication.


    ¡°Can I have a doctor¡¯s note?¡± Rika asked the doctor.


    Clearly the doctor sensed the playfulness in her voice and left the room without responding.


    ¡°Hmgh, he¡¯s no fun,¡± said Rika, eyeing Yatsu with interest.


    Oh no. Yatsu knew that look. Whenever Rika got bored at family gatherings and situations like this she would find something, or someone, to entertain her. This time Yatsu was that someone.


    ¡°So how¡¯s your cute little pink-haired girly friend doing?¡±


    And of course this conversation is about Sasha.


    ¡°Sasha¡¯s her name, right?¡± Rika continued. ¡°You know, mom says that she can''t wait to have grandchildren because they''ll be so cute!¡±


    Yatsu paled.


    Rika laughed.


    ¡°I told mom not to tell you anything,¡± Yatsu grumbled.


    ¡°She didn''t,¡± Rika countered. ¡°-but she does like to talk to herself when she''s excited.¡±


    Mom is THAT excited? ¡°When-¡±


    The doctor entered the room again, interrupting the conversation. He handed Yatsu a piece of paper and a bottle of painkillers.


    ¡°Regular dose is three pills a day, once every eight hours, after meals,¡± he said and then pointed to the paper. ¡°That note says you are liable to stay at home for a week and explains your condition. You may leave the hospital when you are ready,¡± he left the room again.


    ¡°Well, that was quick for a change,¡± Rika stood up.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yatsu unscrewed the child-proof pill container, popped one in his mouth, but the doctor forgot to give him water. He swallowed anyway. ¡°Wait for this thing to start working first.¡±


    ¡°Psh,¡± Rika sat back down. ¡°Ten minutes and I''m gone.¡±


    Yatsu nodded.


    The silence welcomed the sound of sirens, growing louder and louder.


    Hospital staff mobilized.


    ¡°What happened?¡± A nurse asked.


    ¡°Kid was hit by a truck,¡± a doctor answered.


    A moment later a crowd of people passed by the room. Yatsu caught a glimpse of Braxton lying down with his eyes closed, a breathing apparatus on his face.


    ¡°Poor kid,¡± Rika said. ¡°He looked your age.¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Yatsu said.


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Ya, he was the guy that beat me up.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 45. ~Afternoon Coffee~

    Someone banged on the front door.


    Rika put down her coffee, and hopped off the kitchen counter-top.


    From her kitchen window she caught a glance at the visitor''s school uniform.


    Is this? -she came to visit him?


    Rika smiled, and opened the door.


    Sasha stared back at her with a scowl, but as soon as Sasha''s eyes met hers, that scowl turned into the sweetest smile.


    "Is Yatsu home?" Sasha asked.


    A chill crawled down Rika''s spine. Somehow this little girl put her on edge with only three words.


    Cautious, Rika moved aside.


    ¡°Please come in.¡±


    Sasha stepped inside, and after taking off her shoes, she headed straight for the stairs to Yatsu¡¯s room.


    Rika watched Sasha walk away. No,wait, this may be my only chance to get to know her. She sprung forward and gently snatched Sasha''s arm.


    Sasha froze solid.


    "The kitchen," Rika spit out and let go. "Erm, sorry, I was hoping we could talk."


    Sasha didn''t say anything, but turned toward the kitchen.


    Settling down once again on the kitchen counter, Rika observed Sasha as she took a seat at the table.


    She''s stiff, not looking at me... did Yatsu say something to make her dislike me?


    "So... Sasha, right? Does Yatsu still call you Sasha? -or does he have a sweetie-pie name for you yet?" Rika asked.


    Sasha muttered something Rika couldn''t make out.


    Guess I''ll take that as a no?


    "You two seemed pretty close at the restaurant, I-"


    "No," said Sasha, emotionless.


    But the longing in that one word overwhelmed Rika. This girl is-


    "Just how much do you like my brother? He''s not special or anything. He''s a pretty lazy guy if you ask me. Anti-social, likes to lock himself in his bedroom and fantasize about..." being with you. Rika scratched her head. How exactly did he land this girl again?


    Come to think of it, wasn''t their visit to the restaurant two days after I tried giving him love-note advice? Rika grinned. Oh Yatsu, you landed yourself a cute little pervert, didn''t you?


    "How did you two meet?" Rika pressed, wanting answers.


    "We bumped into each other..." Sasha trailed off, her stare grew distant.


    What a cliche way to-


    "...four months ago," Sasha finished.


    Rika paused. Four months ago? That was the beginning of the school year -and she talks as though... she''s had her eyes on him...


    Maybe Yatsu wasn''t after this girl? -and she snatched him up?


    No, he''s been almost too weird lately, this is definitely the girl.


    "Okay, talk," Rika said. "When did you two get together? How did it happen? I want to know the details because Yatsu won''t tell me anything."


    "Beginning of last week, my friend, Eva, received a heart letter-" Sasha started.


    "Wait, he gave a letter to another girl?" Rika interrupted.


    Sasha turned her head and glared into Rika''s eyes.


    Rika trembled.


    "Can I finish the story?" Sasha asked softly.


    Rika nodded.


    The tension lifted when Sasha continued and told how she and Yatsu got together.


    Rika''s head buzzed with confusion, more so when Sasha explained what happened at the park.


    There was no feeling behind Sasha''s words. She didn''t explain how she felt, or how she saw Yatsu. Only the events that happened in chronological order. Sasha randomly tried to kiss him? Why?


    Does this girl not feel anything for my brother? Or is it all an act?


    My friends would spill their hearts out if I asked them juicy details on how they met their boyfriends.


    Sasha stopped talking.


    "Do you feel anything for him at all?" asked Rika, glaring at Sasha.


    "I love him. I will never leave him."


    Sasha''s eyes changed and screamed innocent little girl.


    Rika laughed.


    I get it now! This girl doesn''t know what love is! She''s confused, and lost.


    Yatsu, you sure know how to pick them.


    "-hahaha, shit girl, that''s too funny," Rika wiped tear-filled eyes. "You know you can''t stick to him all the time, right?"


    "I''m not joking," Sasha said. "I love Yatsu, and I won''t let anyone hurt him."


    Rika shifted in her chair. ¡°Sasha. How much do you know about Yatsu? You know he¡¯s never been in a single fight till you came along. Yesterday was the first time I¡¯ve ever heard of him going to a hospital.¡±


    Sasha¡¯s eyes turned frigid. ¡°Yatsu went to the-?¡±


    "Gagh!" Yatsu yelped from the kitchen¡¯s entrance and crashed to the floor.


    "Yatsu!"


    Sasha raced to aid the fallen Yatsu before Rika could get off the counter.


    Moving to help him back to his feet, Rika stood behind him and took hold of one of his arms. But Sasha''s hand slapped down on her wrist, startling her.


    "That''ll hurt him!" growled Sasha. Her icy stare penetrated Rika''s soul. "You need to get under him!"


    Sasha climbed under Yatsu and helped him up using the full support of her back.


    Rika helped walk him to a chair, Sasha''s display of affection turned logic upside down in her head.


    I''m not wrong, I don''t think Sasha knows what love is-


    Rika watched in awe as Sasha not only provided Yatsu the best comfort possible, but also moved in and held on to him like life itself depended on it.


    -she changed the moment he showed up. First she was cold and distant, now she''s... I''ve never seen anything like it.


    Rika grabbed her coffee cup, and downed the rest.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 46. ~Dazed~

    AN: The Yandere Darkling would like to make an announcement (but doesn''t really want to). The plan is to start part three with the next thread, but there is a problem:


    The Yandere Darkling can see this story happening multiple ways.


    In order for only one story to happen and not six all at once, The Yandere Darkling needs to write ahead again. This might take me two months.


    The Yandere Darkling will set a date, however, and promises to post the next chapter on March 31st 2016. (Don''t be afraid to keep reminding The Yandere Darkling of this promise!)


    The pain subsided. Sasha''s warmth comforted the hurts and her scent eliminated the rest.


    Her eyes filled with concern and her lips moved with words but Yatsu didn''t care.


    Damn, she''s pretty.


    Yatsu reached up and brushed Sasha''s cheek. It was soft.


    Sasha blushed.


    She fought those guys... she got hurt, but she won.


    Yatsu retracted his hand.


    How can Sasha fight like that?


    ¡°-su, Yatsu, are you okay?¡± Sasha¡¯s voice finally registered. ¡°Yatsu~! Are you still in pain?¡±


    ¡°I''m okay,¡± he said with a wince, hurt from a sudden movement. ¡°Still a little sore.¡±


    Rika chuckled. ¡°A little, huh? Mr. Tough guy?¡±


    ¡°Don''t make fun of him!¡± Sasha growled.


    ¡°But I rarely get to poke fun,¡± Rika pouted. ¡°Fine, I''ll leave you two lovebirds alone, but the next time I see you two, I want an honest answer to one question. No matter what it is. Deal?¡±


    Yatsu glared at his sister.


    ¡°Deal,¡± Sasha said.


    Rika grinned, hopped off the counter top and left.


    Sasha moved a chair close and sat pressed into Yatsu. ¡°I missed you. I came by this morning and the day before, did you know that?¡± She asked. ¡°Your front door was locked and I couldn''t get in.¡±


    Shouldn''t mom have been around during that time? Yatsu couldn''t remember, but believed she did say something about going somewhere for a few days... -whatever, I''m not about to call Rika back and ask.


    Yatsu breathed. ¡°Sorry, I think my mom-¡±


    SMACK!


    Sasha slapped her hand over Yatsu¡¯s mouth, causing him to jump and curse from a jolt of more pain.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Damnit! What the hell did I do?


    Yatsu glared at Sasha, but her glare trumped his.


    She glared through him, with icy orbs.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Yatsu panicked and figured out what he did wrong¡­ I... said sorry again.


    Sasha removed her hand.


    ¡°Sor-s-s-s-so.¡± Yatsu stuttered. ¡°So what are we going to do today?¡±


    Sasha''s death glare turned to disappointment. ¡°I have to go home and make the twins supper,¡± she said. ¡°But you went to the hospital? Is that why you haven''t been in school?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Yatsu answered. ¡°The whole week actually. Those guys beat me pretty good. Speaking of which, did you know Braxton''s in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did break his leg,¡± Sasha said and shrugged.


    ¡°You did?¡± Yatsu gaped, then remembered Braxton was lying on the ground for the duration of Sasha¡¯s fight.


    ¡°He kicked you. So I broke his leg. Now he won¡¯t kick you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ya but, the doctors mentioned something about him getting hit by a truck,¡± Yatsu said.


    Sasha''s expression didn''t change.


    Yatsu¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°Stray rumours at school. Eva is worried about him too,¡± Sasha said, rolling her eyes. ¡°That girl will never learn.¡± Sasha stood up, and pushed her chair back in place.


    That¡¯s right, rumours would be all over school by now, and Eva¡­ Yatsu¡¯s mind brought him back to the fight.


    ¡°Hey, umm, how can you fight like that?¡± Yatsu shifted his position on the chair. ¡°You were amazing! I mean, you fought those three guys... alone!¡±


    Sasha smiled. ¡°After you''ve healed, I''ll show you,¡± she said and walked to the door but stopped. ¡°Will you be up early tomorrow?¡±


    Yatsu scratched his head. ¡°Probably not. You shouldn''t have to walk all the way here to get me anyway,¡± he countered.


    Sasha moved, and suddenly she stood crouched right in front of him. ¡°How else are we going to walk together as a couple?¡± She asked and pecked him on the cheek. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow after school.¡±


    Dazed, Yatsu waved her goodbye.


    Sasha softly closed the door behind her.


    ¡°My, you two are quite the duo,¡± Rika peeked into the kitchen. ¡°There is just one thing you forgot to do.¡±


    Yatsu glanced back at his sister, curious.


    ¡°After that wittle peck on your cheek you should have pulled her back in and mashed your lips against hers. Then, with your tongue...¡± Rika continued.


    Yatsu¡¯s face was on fire when she finally finished.


    Rika laughed.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 47. ~Panic~

    Chapter Ten


    Sasha knocked on the front door, wishing she stood in front of Yatsu''s place instead.


    The door opened and Eva''s mom poked her head out, her brown hair, freshly cut, sat on her shoulders. Wearing a tee-shirt and skinny jeans, again, she really didn''t look like a mother figure.


    ¡°Sasha! Come in! It''s getting colder out there,¡± she ushered Sasha in the house. ¡°Eva''s almost ready, it''s rare for you to walk to school together.¡±


    ¡°My boyfriend is staying home this week,¡± Sasha said.


    Eva''s mom chuckled. ¡°I feel sorry for your parents, someone your size saying she has a boyfriend-¡±


    ¡°Mom! Could you give me a hand?¡± Eva''s voice echoed down the hall.


    Whoa, I''ve never heard Eva call out like that.


    ¡°You go help her,¡± Eva''s mom said, catching Sasha''s surprise. ¡°I''m sure she wouldn''t mind.¡±


    Sasha placed her bag down, and kicked her shoes to the side before sneaking to Eva''s room.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Eva called out again. Staring into her dresser''s mirror, she held up her hair behind her. She was still in her PJ''s.


    ¡°I can help with that,¡± Sasha said from the doorway.


    Eva spun around and her eyes lit up. ¡°Sasha!¡±


    Sasha walked in and went to work, noting that Eva had dolled up more than usual. She stunk of perfume too.


    ¡°Planning on dating someone today?¡± Sasha asked.


    No, I bet she''s going to-


    ¡°I''m going to see Braxton after school today.¡±


    Sasha stopped what she was doing and glared at her through the mirror.


    ¡°No,¡± Eva panicked. ¡°We''re broken up, I just... want to see him. Make sure he''s okay,¡± Eva hung her head and twiddled her thumbs.


    You wouldn''t be dressing this nice for a little visit, Eva!


    Sasha went back to work on Eva''s hair. She can''t go alone. ¡°Then I''m going with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eva''s eyes widened in the mirror before she spun around. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To make sure my best friend doesn''t do anything stupid,¡± Sasha answered and gestured for Eva to spin back around so she could finish her hair.


    Eva obeyed. ¡°You aren''t going to hurt him, are you?¡±


    A shudder crawled through Sasha, and she hid a small grin while applying the finishing touches.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Sasha asked. Changing the topic.


    Eva admired herself in the mirror. ¡°I look like a model.¡±


    ¡°A pajama model,¡± Sasha laughed. ¡°Hurry up and get dressed, I''ll wait outside.¡±


    Sasha left the room.


    ¡°Sasha,¡± Eva''s mom called her over to the kitchen.


    Sasha rolled her eyes but wandered over and sat down.


    ¡°I''d like to meet your family. You''ve been a good friend to my daughter and-¡±


    ¡°My parents are never around,¡± Sasha interrupted.


    Eva''s mom raised an eyebrow. ¡°I heard you had sisters? Surely your parents come home and fix you something to eat.¡±


    Sasha shook her head. ¡°That''s me.¡±


    Eva''s mom opened her mouth but closed it again.


    Why now? Sasha looked Eva¡¯s mom in the eye. ¡°Mom and Dad are always at work. They come home once every two months and stay a week, tops. They are never home. I''ve been taking care of my twin sisters since I turned thirteen. Before that, we had a nanny, and she...¡± Sasha clenched her fists. ¡°...we didn''t like her,¡± Sasha finished, and let it go before her mind wandered to far.


    Eva walked into the kitchen carrying her backpack, and wearing a coat.


    ¡°Ready to go, munchkin?¡± Eva''s mom asked her.


    Eva blushed. ¡°Don''t call me that in front of...¡± she trailed off. ¡°Sasha, let''s go,¡± she turned toward the front door.


    Sasha joined her and pulled on her shoes.


    ¡°I love you!¡± Eva''s mom called out from the kitchen.


    Eva''s blush deepened. She took a breath and shouted back, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    ¡°I love you more-¡±


    Eva slammed the door closed behind them.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 48. ~Video Camera~

    Eva lead the way and asked the desk clerk where Braxton resided within the hospital.


    ¡°Second floor. If you take those stairs it''s just around the corner to the left,¡± the clerk said.


    Eva thanked her and together Sasha and Eva entered the staircase. A video camera sat on the wall in front of them in plain sight. On the ceiling of the second floor, another camera sat upside-down.


    Sasha frowned.


    Eva opened the door to the second floor, and they walked around the corner to Braxton''s room.


    Sasha counted another four cameras along the length of the hallway.


    No one is going to hurt anyone in this building, and get away with it.


    Sasha stayed by the door while Eva approached her boyfriend. Who lay in his bed, dressed in fragile hospital clothes.


    ¡°Eva!¡± Braxton shifted on his bed, then he glanced toward the door. ¡°...Sasha,¡± he said softly.


    Eva stopped in her tracks and spun back, glaring at Sasha.


    ¡°Well, you better tell her now, Braxton,¡± Sasha said. ¡°Or should I break your other leg too?¡±


    Tears streamed down Eva''s eyes. ¡°You said you wouldn''t-¡±


    Braxton cleared his throat, interrupting Eva.


    Eva spun back.


    Sasha took in the arrogant grin on Braxton''s face. The bastard isn''t going to hold back. Good.


    ¡°Eva, I''m sorry, but I never really wanted to be your boyfriend,¡± Braxton glared at Sasha. ¡°I was after Sasha, but then that little creep came out of nowhere and ruined everything.¡±


    Sasha walked in, placing her hand on Eva''s back for comfort, Eva swatted her away.


    ¡°I thought... I... you still hurt him!¡± Eva accused.


    ¡°He attacked Yatsu, so I stopped him,¡± Sasha said. ¡°It wasn''t just him either. If I wasn''t there, it''d be Yatsu laying in this bed right now.¡±


    ¡°But- weren''t you hit by a truck?¡± Eva asked Braxton.


    Braxton scratched his head, shrugged, and lifted up his shirt, revealing a big bruise.


    ¡°Didn''t hit me too hard, but man it hurt,¡± he dropped his shirt. ¡°Damn thing came out of nowhere, or at least, that''s what I was told. I don''t remember too much about the accident.¡±


    Eva wiped away her tears.


    Sasha placed her hand on Eva''s shoulder again. ¡°Why don''t you go wash up?¡±


    Eva nodded and scampered out of the room.


    After Sasha was sure she left, she glared at Braxton.


    Braxton''s arrogant smile remained. ¡°You can''t touch me here, and when I get out-¡±


    ¡°-if you so much as touch Yatsu, Eva or me again, I will throw you in front of something much bigger than a truck,¡± Sasha finished for him. ¡°Or, better yet-¡± Sasha pointed to his leg. ¡°-after you get out I''ll break that same leg again, and again, and again.¡±


    Braxton paled.


    ¡°You''ll be limping the rest of your life after the second break and hopping on one foot after the third. I can make it look like an accident every time. After all, it looks pretty fragile right now,¡± Oh, but that''s not all I want to break. Sasha licked her lips. ¡°What creative accidents will you get yourself into I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Get away from me,¡± Braxton turned away and looked out the window.


    Sasha grinned, and heard Eva''s footsteps as she entered the room.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Sasha suggested.


    Eva''s attempt to doll herself up went to waste. She''ll cry later too, I hope she holds it in till we reach her place.


    Eva nodded, ¡°goodbye... Braxton,¡± she said quietly.


    Braxton didn''t respond, causing more tears to fall.


    Psh, you will never learn. Stupid girl.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 49. ~Promise~

    The next day, Sasha stood in front of Eva''s place again. Eva''s mom opened the door, crossed her arms and stared at her. Sasha was about to ask where Eva was when the stare turned into a glare.


    ¡°I need an explanation now,¡± she said and hugged herself tight when the outside air hit her arms. ¡°Eva hasn''t stopped crying since you brought her home yesterday, and-¡± tears watered her eyes, ¡°-I don''t want to see her like this anymore,¡± she sniffled. ¡°Can''t Eva ever just be happy for once?¡± She wiped away the tears on her face with her sleeve.


    Ah, no, she''s about to- ¡°After school,¡± Sasha said. ¡°I''ll tell you about her breakup,¡± Sasha turned away in haste, but paused. ¡°She should have broke up with him the day he asked her out.¡±


    Sasha left Eva''s mom standing in the doorway.


    And I wanted to visit Yatsu today.


    <hr>In school, Sasha continued scribbling down answers on the question sheet, constantly referring to the textbook in front of her. Though her concentration kept snapping because the rest of the class wouldn''t shut up.


    "Braxton is doing well, I heard he''s already on his feet-"


    "Eva''s not here, she must be taking it-"


    "-no, I heard Eva broke up with-"


    "Shh!" The homeroom teacher eyed the classroom.


    The gossip silenced but started up again just as quickly.


    Four questions remaining. The bell rang and Sasha packed her books.


    ¡°Meet us on the rooftop where you eat lunch,¡± a girl whispered beside Sasha''s ear and slithered out of the classroom with the rest of the students.


    Sasha tossed her bag over her shoulder. Nothing better to do.


    Sasha climbed the stairs and opened the door to the rooftop. Two of the four girls waiting looked familiar. A fifth girl stepped in-between Sasha and closed the door behind her.


    Sasha stepped back and grinned. Scrawny Girl, Butter Fingers, and the rest. I owe these girls a promise, don''t I? She dropped her bag.


    Scrawny Girl stepped in front of Sasha and pointed to the ground. ¡°On your knees,¡± she commanded. ¡°Or we''ll put you on your back again.¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± growled Sasha and clenched her hands into fists.


    Scrawny Girl flipped open her phone, Sasha recognised the photo of her of when they dolled up her face. ¡°Remember this?¡±


    Sasha shrugged. ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°We''ll spread it all over the school if you don''t do what I say.¡±


    Sasha rolled her eyes and pointed to the phone. ¡°Psh, this is pathetic. You girls must be stupid if you think a little bit of makeup on my face is going to make me do- whatever you''re trying to make me do.¡±


    Scrawny Girl flipped her phone closed. ¡°Fine, then. Girls, we have a ton of pictures to print.¡±


    With that, the four girls circled around Sasha and entered the school again. The fifth girl, holding the door for them, gave Sasha an air-kiss goodbye and followed them out.


    This was a waste of time. Sasha picked up her bag. I''ll have to be careful they don''t throw me on my back again. The same trick will NOT work twice.


    <hr>Standing in front of Eva¡¯s, Sasha knocked and Eva''s mom opened the door with a greeting, already ushering Sasha inside.


    ¡°Can I offer you some water?¡± she asked.


    Sasha nodded.


    Sasha sat down on a couch while Eva''s mom turned on the kitchen tap and filled a glass of water.


    Placing two cups on the coffee-table in front of them, she sat down beside Sasha, placing her hands on her lap.


    Sasha shuffled in her seat, and took a sip of water before placing it back down. ¡°Okay, here we go,¡± Sasha took a breath.


    Eva''s mom listened without making a sound, tears streaming down her face.


    Sasha recalled how Braxton¡¯s attempt to use Eva to get to her. Spilling it all out, including their visit to the hospital.


    ¡°-and that brings us here,¡± Sasha said, finally finished.


    Eva''s mom took a sip of water.


    ¡°So -erm-?¡± Sasha paused, trying to remember if Eva ever mentioned her mom''s name.


    Eva''s mom wiped her eyes with her sleeves. ¡°Please call me Natalee,¡± she said. ¡°I''m sorry you have to see me like... this.¡±


    Sasha shivered. ¡°Don''t apologize to me, I''ve done nothing to deserve it,¡± Sasha took another sip of her water.


    ¡°You are much more mature than you... should be,¡± Natalee said carefully. ¡°I hope you continue to be friends with my daughter. Care for her, you might be able to strengthen her heart where I couldn''t.¡±


    Sasha stood up. ¡°Eva in her room?¡±


    Natalee nodded.


    ¡°Tomorrow is Friday, tell her I''m coming to pick her up on Monday for school, and that she better be ready.¡±


    Natalee smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Sasha waved a final goodbye and turned the street corner, she entered her house, and Miya bounded up from the basement stairs.


    ¡°How was the visit at Eva¡¯s place?¡± Miya grinned.


    ¡°It was good,¡± Sasha kicked off her shoes and glared at Miya. ¡°Where¡¯s Luna?¡±


    Miya took a few steps back. ¡°We were playing dressup again. She needs a little help-¡± Sasha brushed passed her. ¡°-cleaning up.¡±


    Downstairs, Luna shivered. Miya dressed her up in a grand flowery dress, and tried to make her skin look doll-like too by using¡­ white glue?


    ¡°Bath.¡± Sasha commanded. ¡°Now.¡±


    Luna darted up the stairs without a word.


    Sasha followed her.


    <hr>Later, after scrubbing Luna from head to toe and pulling the dress off her. Sasha flopped onto her bed.


    Yatsu snatched away all her thoughts, she wanted him to brush her cheek again. She wanted to hold him, she wanted him to hold her.


    An image of Yatsu twisted and formed into an image of the Scrawny Girl''s stupid face.


    Sasha frowned as she imagined Scrawny Girl waving the picture they took back and forth, teasing her with it. Not like it was a spectacular picture, but Sasha still had to do something about it.


    Luna passed by her room, clean and wearing only a towel.


    Dressing up worked once...


    Sasha glanced toward her closet.


    <hr>


    Sitting in her room, Miya hovered a pen over a blank piece of paper.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Sasha was not happy, maybe it was because of those stupid cheerleaders?


    I¡¯m just going to have to-


    SLAM


    Miya jumped, nearly falling off of her chair, but froze when she stared directly into Sasha''s cold gaze.


    Sasha let go of a dusty box she slammed down on Miya¡¯s worktable.


    ¡°Get up early tomorrow, Miya. I''ll need help with this,¡± Sasha said, turned away, and climbed the basement stairs.


    How did she sneak up on me? That''s nearly-


    Miya''s thoughts ceased when she recognized the dusty box. Open.


    On her work table.


    Miya, nor Luna dared touch it before. Sasha made it very clear they were not to go near it. It''s been nagging at Miya forever to know what was in the stupid box.


    Miya peered inside.


    Luna bounded in the room, all dressed in her tomboy clothes, and froze upon seeing the box.


    Miya grinned sadistically. ¡°Pick a really cute dress, I''m going to turn you into a real doll tonight.¡±


    Luna blushed.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 50. ~Diva~

    Chapter Eleven


    Sasha trekked across the school playground, the ridiculous pink dress cascading around her body weighed her down, and the makeup staining her face irritated the hell out of her.


    I am never wearing a dress or makeup again after today.


    All eyes, one pair after the other, shifted in her direction. Sasha only grinned, and was satisfied with her wardrobe choice, after she spotted a familiar group of girls gaping at her.


    Hmmph, you like what you see?


    Sasha entered the school, and wasn''t surprised to find her photo along every wall and scattered all over the place. A colossal waste of paper.


    More students turned their heads in the hallway as she walked to her classroom and sat down.


    In the middle of class, the PA system beeped and Sasha was called to the principal''s office.


    Sasha grinned, she couldn''t help it. Either today''s gunna be fun, or it''s gunna suck. She stood up.


    The principal raised an eyebrow as Sasha entered the office and closed the door behind her.


    ¡°Good morning miss¡­¡±


    She smiled back, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    He gestured for her to sit down. Sasha took the offer, folding her dress underneath her butt.


    ¡°Now I know there''s something going on, or these horrible pictures of you wouldn''t be spread around the entire school and you wouldn''t be-¡±


    ¡°-all dolled up,¡± Sasha interrupted and shifted in her chair. A vain attempt at comfort. ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡±


    ¡°Please elaborate,¡± the principal said, crossing his arms.


    Sasha held his gaze. Should I tell him? Would it put a stop to these girls?


    No, I don''t think so.


    She turned away. ¡°Sorry, but no.¡±


    The principal stared down at her for a moment longer.


    Sasha glared back at him, not easily intimidated by his authoritative atmosphere.


    He sighed. ¡°Okay, fine. I won''t push myself into your situation but I want one thing from you, Sasha.¡±


    Sasha perked up.


    ¡°I don''t want anyone to get hurt. Promise me that, and you can go.¡±


    Sasha shook her head. ¡°If you are referring to my defending myself-¡±


    ¡°I suspect those brawls you''re calling self defense were provoked,¡± the principal interrupted her and she frowned. ¡°Look, there are fights all the time, but in your case, someone has always been seriously hurt, Sasha. You can''t do that to people.¡± He stared into her eyes. ¡°I''m giving you a warning, you understand?¡±


    Sasha understood. Thinking from his perspective, when multiple people get sent to the hospital and one person is always involved, and always the victim, it looks suspicious.


    -but these girls have been rather aggressive.


    ¡°I can''t make that promise,¡± Sasha said. ¡°These cheerleaders are focused on stripping Eva and I of the popularity we never asked for. I didn''t just let them take that picture,¡± Sasha shook her head. ¡°They play dirty, but I can handle it.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Sasha, it isn''t just about-¡± The principal trailed off as a teacher knocked on the door.


    The teacher poked her head in. ¡°Sorry, is this a bad... time?¡±


    Sasha stood up. ¡°Nope, I''m done here.¡±


    The teacher stared at Sasha''s dress as she diva-walked out of the office.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 51. ~Ugly~

    The mouth-watering stares of the boys and the piercing glares of the girls irritated Sasha to no end. Relief finally washed over her when the final bell rang and students scrambled out of their classrooms.


    But I can''t let my guard down yet.


    Still expecting the cheerleaders to pounce, Sasha finished packing up and left. Eyes stared at her down the halls, and out the door, until she was out of sight. Surprisingly, no one followed her out.


    And no one followed her home.


    Well, I guess they weren''t up for it today.


    Sasha opened her front door and walked inside.


    ¡°Did the boys drool at you all day?¡± Miya grinned at her from the other side of the room. ¡°They sure drooled at Luna.¡±


    Luna walked in from the kitchen. Wearing a similar pink dress as Sasha, even behind the thick layer of makeup covering her face, her cheeks glowed red.


    That''s because she''s cute.


    ¡°You know, I bet Yatsu would love to see you wearing that costume,¡± Miya grinned.


    Sasha blushed.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.No he wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°He¡¯d ask you to marry him, I bet.¡± Miya nodded.


    Sasha¡¯s blush deepened.


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking a shower. Luna, you¡¯re after me while I make supper,¡± Sasha retreated upstairs, flew into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.


    The bathroom mirror sat on the opposite wall, above the sink.


    Sasha stared at herself.


    He won¡¯t do something like that because of this ridiculous thing¡­ would he?


    Butterflies twisted her stomach around in a knot. If they married... she could... he would...


    I''m visiting him.


    -but the makeup is ugly.


    She ran her hands under the sink.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 52. ~Fun~

    Hello everyone!


    This story has been quite an adventure for me thus far. It was mostly an experiment of mine set outside a fantasy setting, but now I''m really determined to finish before continuing anything else!


    So we have a poll here called "What ending would you like Sasha to have?" This is to settle my curiosity and will not affect my ending or my story what-so-ever. It''s set in stone! (Well, figuratively anyways)


    So after you vote for your favorite option, you could also maybe go here</a> and plop a rating, maybe a review if you haven''t done so yet? I need more than my determination to keep me writing these days... procrastination is winning! Beat it to a pulp for me with some comments!


    Anyways, enough of my rambling, below this epic darkling is what you''re really here for.


    Panting, Sasha approached Yatsu''s home. Without knocking, she opened the door.


    Yatsu''s mom -holding a basket of clean clothes- spotted Sasha taking off her shoes.


    ¡°Oh, Sasha! I didn''t hear you knock,¡± she said. ¡°You here to see Yatsu?¡±


    Sasha paused. ¡°He''s not here?¡±


    ¡°He''s in his room,¡± she held out the basket. ¡°Could you take this with you?¡±


    Sasha recognized the clothes, some of them Yatsu wore to school a number of times.


    Sasha took hold.


    ¡°You should wear a dress more often, you look cute,¡± Yatsu''s mom winked and walked back toward the laundry room. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    Sasha swallowed the compliment and rushed upstairs, nearly bumping into Rika.


    Rika looked her up and down once before grabbing Sasha''s shoulders and backing her to a corner.


    ¡°What did my little brother do for you to dress up like that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I-¡±


    ¡°I''ll hurt him if-¡±


    Sasha glared at her.


    Rika flinched.


    ¡°I wanted to wear this today,¡± Sasha said. ¡°Now let me go, I have his fresh clothes.¡±


    Rika glanced at the basket. ¡°Fine.¡± She said, releasing her and mumbling something to herself as she retreated downstairs.


    Free, Sasha stepped forward and knocked on Yatsu''s bedroom door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Yatsu called out, not sounding excited that he had a visitor.


    Sasha trembled. It''s been too long since she''s heard his voice.


    ¡°It''s me.¡±


    ¡°Sasha? One minute!¡±


    Sasha smiled, listening to Yatsu''s curses as he scrambled to prepare himself. Curious, Sasha tried the doorknob. The door inched open.


    Sasha couldn''t wait and said, ¡°I''m coming in.¡±


    Yatsu froze in place, sitting over his bed, holding a pair of pants pulled up to his knees. Staring at Sasha with wide eyes.


    Sasha placed the basket of clothes beside the door and moved toward him. ¡°I can help you,¡± she said.


    Yatsu''s cheeks pinked but let Sasha help. She noted he was still sore, wincing when he pulled up too hard.


    ¡°T-thanks,¡± Yatsu stuttered. ¡°Why''re you...¡± he looked her up and down.


    Sasha smiled. ¡°I wore it to school today, do you like it?¡± She twirled for him.


    Yatsu stared at her.


    Sasha''s cheeks heated up.


    He finally nodded approval.


    Sasha frowned and crossed her arms. ¡°Do you seriously like it?¡±


    Yatsu stepped forward. Wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently.


    ¡°You look adorable.¡±


    Sasha blushed, and a wave of pure fuzziness washed through her from his touch.


    Yatsu leaned back a little, his face close. ¡°Can I-?¡±


    He leaned closer.


    And closer.


    His lips mashed into hers.


    Lightning shot through the fuzziness. When he pulled back, she leaned forward for more.


    She wanted him closer, she wanted more lightning. More of Yatsu.


    Instinct took over, she kissed him back. Until he moved too far away for her reach.


    Sasha didn''t hear what Yatsu said next, still lost in pleasure. She tugged him in, genly wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest. His heart ker-thumped over and over again.


    ¡°-asha... Sasha? You okay?¡± Yatsu asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± Sasha stuttered, burring her face into his shirt so he couldn''t see her. ¡°You know I don¡¯t want to wear a dress ever again after today.¡±


    Yatsu flinched, but then pulled her tighter.


    ¡°You are too cute in that one not to wear another,¡± He whispered. ¡°Would you wear them on occasion?¡±


    ¡°No, they get in the way and-¡±


    Yatsu pushed her to arms length, his dark eyes demanded attention.


    Sasha shuffled her feet in discomfort, and looked away embarrassed.


    The lightning dissipated, the fuzziness began to fade, barely kept alive with his hands firmly resting on her shoulders. ¡°I g-guess... if it was for you I could... on occasion...¡±


    ¡°Sasha~¡± The way he said her name made her knees weak.


    Sasha met his eyes as he leaned in.


    Lightning pierced through her again. Stronger than the first time.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said in between. ¡°-and I''ll take you up on that offer,¡± he kissed her again. ¡°On occasion... for me...¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 53. ~Shouldnt~

    Chapter Twelve


    Yatsu watched Sasha walk away. She rounded the block, out of sight, but he watched a little longer before retreating inside.


    When the door closed behind him, he found Rika standing there, leaning against the opposite wall with her arms crossed.


    ¡°You sure took advantage of her,¡± Rika said accusingly. ¡°It was written all over her face, and it''s plastered on yours permanently.¡±


    Yatsu blushed. ¡°So.¡±


    ¡°So~¡± Rika pushed herself off the wall and wrapped her arm around him. ¡°Tell me everything, your girlfriend seemed to enjoy it a lot, so what did you do?¡±


    Yatsu tried pushing her away, but Rika''s hold was stronger than usual.


    ¡°Come on , you can tell me,¡± her grip tightened, crushing his arms. ¡°Don''t make me guess! Did you fondle her?¡± She asked.


    ¡°N-no,¡± Yatsu pushed harder, trying to pry out of her death grip. ¡°Let go.¡±


    Rika let go.


    Yatsu rushed to the stairs.


    ¡°If you don''t tell me-¡±


    Yatsu stopped.


    ¡°-I''ll keep pestering you,¡± Rika''s evil grin didn''t lie.


    Yatsu hid behind one of the railings, his face grew hotter.


    ¡°I took your advice and kissed her like you said,¡± Yatsu said.


    ¡°Huh? I didn''t hear you!¡±


    ¡°Well, then too bad!¡± he climbed the rest of the stairs and locked his bedroom door behind him.


    His grin came back as he remembered the softness of Sasha''s lips against his. Her cute pink cheeks. Her eyes desiring more and more each time he kissed her.


    He didn''t want to stop, he didn''t want to send her away. He wanted to take it further, but he couldn''t... he shouldn''t...


    Yatsu glanced at the calendar hanging on his bedroom wall. He''s only been thinking about it recently, but there was an age gap.


    I have to wait. He convinced himself. I''ll wait.


    For you.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 54. ~Balls~

    As promised, Sasha regretfully, but patiently waited outside Eva¡¯s bedroom door while she dressed for school.


    Fireworks still danced inside Sasha from yesterday, but the scary part was that she wanted to kiss him again. She wanted him to-


    Sasha shook her head.


    It¡¯s about time Eva got out, or she wouldn''t have enough time to eat before school.


    ¡°Okay Eva, I¡¯m coming in to help, or we¡¯re going to be la-¡±


    Eva opened the door, fully dressed, holding her backpack in front of her.


    Dry tears stained her cheeks.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Sasha asked.


    Eva shook her head.


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t miss school because of some stupid boy.¡± Sasha dragged her to the kitchen where her mom waited with both breakfast and a pre-packed lunch.


    Eva sat down and took two bites.


    She¡¯ll eat later...


    They cleaned up and put their shoes on.


    At the door, Natalee kissed Eva goodbye. ¡°Try to have fun today, okay? I love you!¡±


    Eva whispered a reply before Sasha dragged her toward school.


    Halfway there, Eva breathed in.


    ¡°Sasha, h-how can you be so strong? You¡¯ve had a boyfriend before Yatsu, right? What did you feel when he- when you-¡±


    ¡°Broke up with him?¡± Sasha finished her sentence. ¡°Psh, that moron just liked to cuddle a lot. Eventually he got bored of me, so I dumped him before he grew balls and made any further moves.¡±


    Eva coughed and snorted, slapping a hand over her face to hide her smile. Her cheeks turned pink.


    ¡°What?¡± Sasha asked. ¡°Balls? If he had any at all they¡¯d have prolly been tiny,¡± Sasha gestured with her fingers just how tiny she guessed they were. ¡°Maybe this big?¡±


    Eva burst out laughing... and giggled uncontrollably throughout the rest of the walk.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a> ...well, he changed like three things this time, but I still give him credit.

 55. ~Snowing~

    Eva opened the door to the school rooftop.


    All day so far she¡¯s had trouble focusing in class. Braxton¡¯s cruelness still hurt but Sasha¡¯s joke lifted her mood.. Constantly switching between Braxton and Sasha in her head was exhausting.


    She sat down on the floor with her eyes closed, waiting for Sasha to show up.


    Shortly after...


    ¡°Boo!¡±


    ¡°Eep!¡± Eva flinched while several girls laughed at her..


    ¡°You¡¯re jumpy,¡± said a skinny girl who sat down in front of her.


    Another placed her hands on Eva¡¯s shoulders.


    Two more sat down on either side of her.


    Eva shivered.


    The girls on either side of Eva grabbed onto her arms, the one behind her pressed down on Eva¡¯s shoulders to keep her in place. The one in front dropped her bag onto the ground and dug into it.


    She took out a pair of crafting scissors, snipping it in the air a couple of times.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for your haircut.¡±


    ¡°Eh? No!¡± Eva¡¯s stomach twisted into a knot. She couldn¡¯t muster the strength to resist. Her throat dried up, rendering her unable to scream.


    The skinny one holding the scissors gently took some of Eva¡¯s hair, and cut.


    Snip.


    Snow drifted to the pavement.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl. If you continue to behave like this, maybe I¡¯ll actually try and do a good job.¡±


    Snip snip.


    The girl holding one of Eva¡¯s arms stared at her hair with interest. ¡°We should cut her hair short, her bangs shorter, then give her pigtails! She¡¯d be so-¡±


    The skinny girl glared at the other girl with contempt. ¡°You want to make her more attractive?¡±


    Snip.


    ¡°No¡­¡± she moused.


    Snip snip snip.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing such a bad job,¡± Skinny girl laughed. ¡°I need better-¡±


    Bang!


    Everyone jumped.


    Eva glanced up, finding Sasha walking toward them. Her head hung down and her hands were balled into tight fists.


    ¡°Sasha!¡± Skinny called out. ¡°We were just giving Eva a haircut, what do you think so¡­ far?¡±


    As Sasha approached, the skinny girl grabbed a lock of Eva¡¯s hair, ready to make a very close cut.


    Eva caught a glimpse of Sasha¡¯s eyes and trembled.


    Sasha lifted her head and giggled.


    Suddenly she fired her arm out over Eva¡¯s head and then-


    Pop! Snap!


    The crafting scissors bounced on the pavement, breaking in two.


    The three girls holding Eva in place, let go and backed away.


    Frozen, Eva heard the Skinny girl¡¯s whimpering behind her.


    ¡°Y-y-you bitch!¡±


    Sasha breathed in deep, her normal kind eyes returned, but the grin remained. ¡°And that¡¯s why scissors are dangerous,¡± she looked over her shoulder toward another girl. ¡°You all might want to leave now,¡± she growled.


    ¡°C-Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± yelped one of the girls as they all scampered into the school.


    Eva¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the skinny girl¡¯s thumb and finger bent sideways.


    Sasha picked up the crafting scissors, observing how to put it back together. ¡°I can¡¯t do a perfect job, but how do you want your new hairdo?¡±


    ¡°My...hair?¡± Eva stared at her, then looked down.


    There was a lot of snow, long snow.


    ¡°Eva¡­ calm down.¡±


    The knot in Eva¡¯s stomach pulled tighter, her head suddenly ached. A large lump formed inside her throat, until...


    ...she puked, and her world turned black.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Proof Read By: JayDirex</a>

 56. ~Dangerous~

    Chapter 13


    ¡°Yatsu! You have a cute visitor!¡± Mom called out from downstairs.


    Sasha?


    Suddenly full of energy, despite laying around all day, Yatsu rushed downstairs and found Sasha already escorted inside and mom retreating to the kitchen.


    She¡¯s cute? No. That outfit, with that skirt and high-knee socks wasn¡¯t just cute.


    She stared at him with sparkly sapphires.


    She¡¯s not only cute, but dangerous¡­


    ...and it¡¯s Saturday.


    Saturday means no school, she¡¯d be here all day unless¡­


    Yatsu¡¯s feet moved on their own, while his brain calculated a plan.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°We¡¯re going out,¡± Yatsu called out before Sasha took off her shoes.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Mom rushed into the entrance again and fished through her purse hanging on the wall.


    Oh no¡­


    Mom pushed money into his palm.


    ¡°You two use this and have fun okay? I love you~¡±


    Manly pride demanded Yatsu take the money and scoot Sasha out as fast as possible.


    ¡°See ya,¡± he waved to his mother as the door closed shut behind them.


    He breathed in.


    Now he had money to make his plan happen. He took a gander at the wad of cash in his hand. Mom handed him way too much.


    He breathed out. ¡°Okay then, shall we-¡±


    Before he could finish, Sasha spun him around and pressed her lips against his.


    So warm and soft. She pulled away before he got a good taste. She licked her lips in satisfaction.


    Yatsu resisted the urge to satisfy himself by punishing her for teasing him.


    I''ve been watching too much romance.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sasha¡¯s sweet voice sent a chill down Yatsu¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Yatsu said. ¡°I¡¯m ready for this date.¡±


    Her eyes popped wide open.


    Yatsu grinned. His revenge taking form.


    Sasha¡¯s surprise didn¡¯t last long as she wrapped her arms around his like she usually did before asking, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± he responded easily.


    Sasha pouted.


    Yatsu¡¯s grin didn¡¯t waver.

 57. ~If I Win~

    This was such a lame idea.


    The large screen in front of them displayed a movie about a talented young blind woman getting swept off her feet by an undercover cop pretending to be free like the wind. Skipping details, two men now battled to the death for this girl. The sword fight was drawn out so long it started snowing, despite one of the characters having picked wild flowers not five minutes before the fight.


    It was lame¡­ but-


    *Sniffle*


    Sasha tightened her grip around Yatsu¡¯s arm. The sparkle of a single tear formed in her eye.


    She may have been dangerously cute before, but now she was unfathomably adorable.


    The movie ended, but they stayed a little longer, listening to the ending credits.


    Sasha wiped her eyes free of tears. Yatsu pretended not to notice.


    Most of the theatre cleared, Yatsu figured it was time to follow them out.


    ¡°Ready?¡± He asked.


    Sasha nodded. ¡°Where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Yatsu responded confidently, but scratched his head. It¡¯s still early, would Sasha enjoy the arcade?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    They entered the main theatre area.


    No, probably n-


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sasha pointed to a flashing sign.


    Laser Tag?


    Sasha dragged him closer.


    Yatsu remembered playing Laser Tag once in elementary school, and didn¡¯t remember doing well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it!¡± Sasha beamed after figuring it out, then proceeded to drag Yatsu to the counter without giving him a choice.


    He forked over enough money for the two of them and they were led into a room where the gear hung. Looking at the ridiculous outfits made Yatsu want to turn back.


    Sasha didn¡¯t hesitate to pick one out and tightened it around her thin frame. She picked up her laser gun and held it using both hands.


    ¡°How do I look?¡±


    Adorable.


    Sasha blushed and averted her gaze.


    I didn¡¯t say that out loud¡­ did I?


    ¡°So,¡± Sasha said. ¡°I was thinking we should make this game more interesting¡­¡± she pulled Yatsu closer. ¡°Whoever wins between us gets a reward.¡±


    Reward? Yatsu¡¯s mind raced through all sorts of places.


    ¡°If I win, I-¡± Sasha leaned in and whispered. "I want you to kiss me like you did yesterday, and if you win, I''ll-"


    "Sit on my lap during lunch break on Monday," Yatsu blurted.


    Sasha scrunched her nose in cute distaste. "Fine," she suddenly leaned in and pushed her lips to Yatsu''s, pulling back just as fast. "Get ready to kiss me back in front of everyone, cause I want it as soon as we''re done."


    Sasha stood up and waited by the door. Yatsu equipped himself, no longer caring how he looked. Kissing her back today was not a good idea. It could lead to¡­


    Yatsu held up his laser rifle.


    I have to win.

 58. ~Pew Pew~

    One of the staff walked in and opened the door into the arena. ¡°You guys all know the rules? Find your starting places, the game will start momentarily.¡±


    Sasha led everyone in and vanished from sight.


    Yatsu entered last, his eyes quickly adjusting to the neon colours scattered around the dark room. Pillars lined the bottom floor and mirrors were scattered along the walls.


    Yatsu followed a kid that seemed to know where he was going, climbing a ramp to an upstairs area. Paths broke off left and right, developing into an easy maze.


    The gear beeped and the lights flashed on, signaling the battle was on.


    Immediately the pew pew of several laser guns echoed all over the place.


    Yatsu glanced around a corner, witnessing someone getting shot. His gear blinked red a couple times before flashing back on.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Yatsu raised his gun and fired, making the guy¡¯s gear flash red again.


    1¡­


    2¡­


    3.


    His gear switched on again and Yatsu shot him down a second time before hiding.


    Three second intervals, I could time this.


    Yatsu poked his head around again, observing.


    Some hid, others walked around shooting at everything. Yatsu blasted away, until his gear shut down for the first time.


    Yatsu spun around, catching a glimpse of pink pigtails vanishing around a corner. After three seconds, Sasha popped out and hit Yatsu again before he could react.


    ¡°Common Yatsu, they¡¯re too boring~ let¡¯s have fun,¡± Sasha shot Yatsu down one more time before disappearing again.


    Yatsu smiled.


    She¡¯s right.


    This was still a date, what fun would it be if they didn¡¯t go for each other during this one-on-one battle? Besides, the longer her gear was shut down, the better chance Yatsu had in winning.


    He chased after her, and the real fight begun.

 59. ~Kisses~

    ¡°I want my kiss now,¡± Sasha said as they put away their gear.


    ¡°How do you know you won?¡± Yatsu asked. ¡°I think it was pretty close.¡±


    Sasha shook her head. ¡°Nope, I won for sure.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Yatsu led them out and together they read the TV displaying the scores.


    Leading with seventy-two points was a random kid picking his nose behind them. Beside Sasha¡¯s name, displayed a close sixty-nine points. Below Sasha was the kid¡¯s friend, and in fourth place sat Yatsu, with a sucky score of fifty-two.


    Sasha beat him by a landslide and she knew it!


    ¡°How?¡±


    Sasha pointed at the screen, it now switched to specifics.


    ¡°Oh, well if I knew that before we-¡± Yatsu stopped and took a deep breath. He should have read the rules when Sasha did. At least then he would have known shooting the lights on the shoulders was worth one point more than shooting the light on the chest.


    Aside from that, he should¡¯ve won. He shot Sasha a few more times than she hit him.


    That one point difference¡­


    ¡°Well that sucks,¡± Yatsu scratched his head.


    Sasha grinned victory and pulled him out of the way before letting go and turning to face him.


    "Now where''s m-"


    Yatsu interrupted her, pressing his lips to hers. He placed his hands on her shoulders, deepening the kiss. Her lips were soft, her taste addicting. Yatsu pulled back to breath, and dived in again for more.


    Pulling back, they both gasped. Sasha looked dazed ready to collapse.


    Yatsu moved her side.


    After she weaved her arm around his, that''s when the stares of observers pierced through him.


    This probably doesn''t look too good.


    "Time to go," he led Sasha outside.


    "Y-Yatsu..." Sasha begged.


    "Yes?" Yatsu glanced over, finding her legs shaking like crazy.


    "...I-I can''t walk," she finished.


    "Erm..." Yatsu scanned the area for somewhere to sit, but everything was occupied. The only other thing is- "...would you... ride on my back?" he asked, but didn''t wait for her to respond.


    He stood her up on her own, before crouching in front of her, like his sister used to do for him.


    After a moment, Sasha''s arms wrapped around his upper torso and Yatsu lifted her off the ground.


    She''s not quite as heavy as I thought...


    Yatsu hopped, getting a better hold.


    We could do this more often...


    Sasha leaned forward, her chest pressing against his back, and held on tighter.


    ¡°Okay?¡± Yatsu asked.


    Sasha wiggled in response.


    ¡°Right then...¡± Yatsu stepped forward, taking it slow. He walked a city block before hopping again for better grip.


    I don¡¯t think I can carry her the entire way, unless¡­ ¡°We¡¯re taking a shortcut,¡± Yatsu crossed the road safely and cut into an ally. Looming shadows veiled some of it in darkness already.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    It¡¯s later than I thought.


    Yatsu hopped again, and carried Sasha through one ally and entered the next.


    Almost there.


    Her home was close, but pressure built up in his forehead like a warning to turn around and flee.


    Something is wrong.


    ¡°Sasha?¡±


    Sasha refreshed her grip.


    ¡°Sasha¡¯s okay¡­¡± Yatsu slowed down, but kept going, almost reaching the end when a stranger stepped out from the shadows, blocking the way.


    Big, adult, missing his front teeth and holding his fingerless mitt out like a stop sign.


    ¡°Whoa there, little man,¡± he said, shuffling closer. ¡°We don¡¯t mean to scare.¡±


    We?


    Boots scraped the pavement behind them.


    ¡°Sasha,¡± Yatsu whispered. ¡°Danger.¡±


    Sasha stirred.


    The stranger cocked his head. ¡°Is that yer little sister?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sasha replied and the stranger stopped moving toward them. She tapped Yatsu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let me down.¡±


    Yatsu obeyed, and crouched down. When he went to stand again, Sasha took his cheeks and pressed her lips into his.


    ¡°Oh snap!¡± The creeper behind them covered his mouth in surprise. ¡°She¡¯s a diva!¡±


    Sasha pulled back and whispered into Yatsu¡¯s ears. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you Yatsu~¡± She pecked him once more.


    Yatsu couldn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t dare move. Sasha¡¯s eyes turned cold, reflecting an emotion Yatsu¡¯s never seen before.


    She released him, and spun toward the stranger.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the stranger perked up. ¡°Am I next? Lay one of those kisses on me, come on  now,¡± he got too close to Sasha.


    Sasha said something Yatsu couldn¡¯t make out, but the stranger bent down for her, puckering his lips.


    Sasha took one more step closer, then in a blur, she thrust the palm of her hand into his nose. Before he could react, she followed through with two fast strikes to his neck and jump-kicked him in between the legs.


    The stranger collapsed to his knees as Sasha spun to face the other creeper.


    Yatsu shivered and a chill crawled down his spin.


    Sasha walked by him and stood in front of the creeper with her hands up.


    The creeper flipped open a knife.


    ¡°Lookie here baby girl, I don¡¯t want ta hurt ya, we just wanted a little fun, ya know?¡± He waved the knife back and forth.


    Yatsu held his breath.


    They started circling each other.


    Creeper faked a lunge and thrust his knife forward.


    Sasha didn¡¯t fall for his fake and sidestepped his attack. She grabbed his hand holding the knife and tried twisting it, but creeper yanked back.


    The creeper smiled and stepped forward, slicing down.


    Sasha backed out of reach, but he chased with a slice upward, then across.


    Sasha dodged and kept backing out of the blade¡¯s reach until he spun the blade around in his hand and swung down fast.


    Sasha fired both her hands up criss-crossed above her head, blocking him. From there she grabbed his wrist and twisted.


    The creeper¡¯s back arched, following the pain, but he still held the knife. Resisting, and using his greater strength, he threw a left punch.


    Sasha saw it, and propelled his captured arm down, moving back to avoid his punch at the same time.


    The creeper cried out, and stumbled forward a couple steps.


    With both his strength and Sasha¡¯s added force, the knife drove into the creeper¡¯s leg.


    Sasha already had her fists up again.


    The creeper glared at her and tried to defend himself.


    Sasha feinted high, and punched low at his leg, causing him pain, forcing him to limp back and switch his footing.


    Relentlessly, Sasha threw a few more punches in rapid succession, making him focus on her fists, then thrusted her heel into his other knee.


    She backed away as his legs gave out and he fell to his hands.


    He breathed heavy. Muttering nonsense.


    Sasha snapped her head toward Yatsu, and back again.


    She didn¡¯t look at me.


    Yatsu looked back.


    The stranger was unmoving, face on the ground.


    Yatsu¡¯s stomach flipped upside down.


    ¡°Yatsu~¡±


    Gentle hands took his hands, soft lips brushed against his lips.


    Her eyes sparkled. One of her pigtails came undone.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked him. ¡°You froze,¡± she added, and moved in for a hug.


    The creeper didn¡¯t look like he was about to stand up, and the stranger...


    Yatsu hugged her back. She¡¯s warm.


    He pulled away, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.


    Red streaked across her cheek.


    Yatsu paled, and looked at his hands.


    They were both covered in blood.


    Sasha snatched his hands to investigate and Yatsu noticed a deep gash across the bottom of Sasha¡¯s right palm. Her other hand too.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Yatsu quickly grabbed both wounds, applying pressure. ¡°Your place!¡± He commanded, panicky


    Sasha nodded in agreement, frighteningly calm.

 60. ~Influence~

    Chapter Fourteen


    They rushed the rest of the way and made it to her house. They hurried inside and immediately Sasha commanded her twin sisters to gather rags and bandages. Cooping themselves up in the bathroom, Yatsu dabbed, wiped and wrapped Sasha¡¯s wounds up. Sasha stayed still the best she could. The cuts didn¡¯t hurt, but every time Yatsu touched her, a playful fire danced up her arm.


    He tied the last with a bow and breathed deep. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s-¡±


    Sasha leaned forward and kissed him, pulling back slowly. Lightning bounced through her entire body.


    The more she kissed him, the more she wanted to, needed to. His touch eased her. Kissing him set her body aflame.


    When he kissed her back¡­


    It¡¯s my turn to clean.


    Sasha grabbed a rag and dipped it in warm water.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Yatsu asked.


    She raised the rag to his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re dirty,¡± she proceeded to brush his face and forehead. Took his hand, wiping every finger, the back of his hand, and up his sleeve.


    ¡°So I am¡­¡± he said.


    She wiped away his blood and sweat, and scrubbed at his clothes but they¡¯ve been stained. She stopped and frowned.


    ¡°This is no good,¡± I¡¯ll go grab some of dad¡¯s clothes. ¡°Take them off.¡±


    Yatsu froze¡­ again.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Your clothes are dirty,¡± Sasha grabbed his shirt and lifted up, over his head.


    Yatsu lifted his arms and his shirt came off. Sasha tossed it at the closed door and reached for his pants. Yatsu caught her wrists, stopping her, his face turning red.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do that,¡± he stuttered. ¡°But first we should clean up¡­ and I need to shower.¡±


    Sasha looked around, and admired the mess they made. Red art painted white rags, dotted the floors, and smeared Yatsu¡¯s pants. The metallic aroma threatened to clog her breathing.


    Yatsu¡¯s bare chest.


    Yatsu¡¯s red-stained hands.


    This wasn¡¯t just art, they made this together.


    Sasha stared deep into Yatsu¡¯s eyes.


    His hands tensed around her wrists. She leaned closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful Yatsu~¡±


    She kissed him.


    More.


    She pushed into him.


    More.


    He fell back, and she fell on top of him. Lips never parting.


    ¡°Sasha-¡± Yatsu squirmed, but he wasn¡¯t getting away. Sasha kissed him more and more.


    A knock on the door scared Sasha upright.


    ¡°Come in!¡± She said in reflex.


    Miya pushed open the door and entered holding some spare clothes. Luna stood behind her. Miya¡¯s eyes opened wide and she dropped the spare clothes on the floor.


    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡±


    Luna¡¯s eyes grew wider, and sparkled with interest, staring between Sasha and Yatsu.


    ¡°Come Luna,¡± Miya pushed the things Luna was holding to the floor. ¡°Our sister is being a bad influence, straddling Yatsu like that.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    With increased effort, Miya dragged the beaming Luna out of the bathroom, closing the door behind them.


    Yatsu breathed heavily. Sasha realised she might¡¯ve not let him breath between kisses.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sasha asked him, backing up, wrapping her arms around his torso.


    He¡¯s so warm.


    ¡°Sasha?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Sasha hugged him tighter.


    ¡°We should clean up.¡±


    ¡°In a minute.¡±

 61. ~Hot Chocolate~

    After a nice shower, Sasha sat down at the kitchen table with clean clothes and damp hair. Having prepared herself a hot beverage, she stared at her cup..


    I shouldn¡¯t have gone first.


    Now I have to wait.


    Sasha forgot Yatsu¡¯s fuzzy touch wore away in the shower, and after she stepped out, Yatsu snuck passed her before she could renew it. Her hands stung when she so much as touched her bandages, when before there was no pain. For now though, she could still raise a cup.


    Sasha blew on her hot chocolate before taking a cautious sip.


    The basement door opened. Miya yelled out a couple words from downstairs before the door shut again. Luna ran around and pulled out a chair, sitting beside Sasha.


    Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Miya?¡± Sasha asked.


    ¡°Downstairs,¡± Luna responded quickly.


    Sasha glared at her.


    ¡°Her hands are tied around a support beam,¡± she added.


    Sasha looked away from Luna sparkling eyes, ignoring the fact her sisters switched rolls. With only one explanation for Luna¡¯s presents beside her, Sasha took another cautious sip from her cup and prepared to spill the latest events between Yatsu and herself.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <hr>


    The shower stopped running, Sasha stopped talking. Luna hopped off her chair and disappeared behind the basement door. Sasha gulped the rest of her hot chocolate. Waiting, she tapped on her cup impatiently.


    He¡¯s taking too long.


    Sasha stood up and walked to the bathroom door. She waited there, wanting the door to open. Needing the door to open. Her heart leapt in excitement at every noise Yatsu made.


    Finally, something fiddled with the doorknob and the door opened.


    Yatsu stepped out, and Sasha tackled him, pressing her lips against his.


    Fire melted away the pain from her wounds, lightning zigzagged down her legs. She stopped to breath and kissed him again.


    Yatsu suddenly kissed her back, just lips, then pulled away breathing heavy.


    ¡°Are¡­ are you okay?¡± He asked.


    Sasha wrapped herself around his arm, nuzzling his shoulder. ¡°I am now,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Yatsu pulled up on the pants he wore. ¡°Can we quickly wash my clothes, these are too big on me. Is there anything else I can wear? The belt is even too big!¡±


    Sasha nudged him toward the laundry room. ¡°Dad is a lot bigger than you, can¡¯t help it, but¡­ you might fit in one of my dresses.¡±


    ¡°A dress? Haha, no thank you.¡±


    <hr>


    Later, after they¡¯ve eaten and Yatsu replaced Sasha¡¯s bandages, Sasha ignored the beeping, warning her that the laundry was finished and cuddled into Yatsu on the couch.


    He rubbed the top of her head, absorbed in a movie about a kid transported to the distant past to deliver a staff.


    Sasha¡¯s seen it before, it was more silly than anything. The kid was lucky to run into a kung fu master, strong enough to fend off a small army of worriers. Eventually they run into another strong master, and, taking turns, the masters teach the kid how to fight. He doesn¡¯t become that strong, but he could fend for himself in the end.


    Sasha yawned, laying against Yatsu she closed her eyes.

 62. ~Scared~

    Chapter Fifteen


    ~Scared~


    The ending credits played through the movie¡¯s music before eventually falling silent.


    Yatsu stroked Sasha¡¯s head, resting on his lap. Once again Yatsu was stuck, and this time, she held his arm like her teddy bear.


    She breathed easy, her lips perked in a cute smile. Without pigtails her hair scattered all over, and with her eyes closed, she looked innocent, defenseless¡­ adorable. It was hard to believe Sasha could fight like that. One of those guys might even be dead! But if she hadn¡¯t fought them¡­ Yatsu glanced at her hands.


    We should go to the hospital tomorrow. She never once expressed pain while I bandaged her up. And-


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful Yatsu~¡±


    A chill crawled down Yatsu''s spin. Was that Sasha in shock? He wasn¡¯t sure, he was just happy Miya knocked on the door.


    Yatsu yawned and brushed Sasha¡¯s hair away from her eyes.


    I¡¯ll figure you out eventually.


    He watched her sleep a long time before his own eyes refused to stay open.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Four black clouds floated across purple sky. After a while the clouds dissipated one after another, not a trace of them remaining.


    Yatsu heard giggling and four girls approached him.


    ¡°We finally found you,¡± one of them said and grabbed Yatsu¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s stand you up.¡±


    They all helped Yatsu to his feet.


    ¡°You are ours now. With you, The Queen won¡¯t hurt us.¡±


    They all laughed, triumphant.


    ¡°You see?¡± She raised her arm and Yatsu was spun in the direction she pointed.


    Two large men surrounded The Queen and one foolishly lunged toward her.


    The Queen spun, dodging his attack, blades out, cutting open the foolish one¡¯s stomach before lunging at another man, slicing his throat. She turned toward one more, but he was already running.


    ¡°She¡¯s ruthless,¡± the same girl said and interrupted Yatsu¡¯s vision. ¡°She¡¯s smart, but now she has a weakness. She leaned in close. ¡°I wonder why she didn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    She leaned in more, closed her eyes, puckered her lips. ¡°If I kiss you, she might not kill me either,¡± she leaned in but suddenly a blade punctured through her left eye and she dropped like a rock, dead.


    The Queen scurried toward them on three legs. Her piercing eyes targeting another girl. She raised another dagger and threw it.


    The dagger whizzed by Yatsu¡¯s head.


    One of the girls cried out.


    Another screamed. ¡°Run!¡±


    The Queen stopped when she reached Yatsu, and checked him over three times.


    Finally she smiled in satisfaction before laying Yatsu back on the ground.


    ¡°No one will ever touch you again, Yatsu~¡±


    The Queen leaned in.


    ¡°I love you~¡±


    She kissed him.

 63. ~Obsessed~

    ¡°He¡¯s asleep, just kiss him,¡± Miya nudged Luna closer to the couch where Yatsu petted their older sister.


    ¡°No,¡± Luna protested again, her cheeks turning crimson.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Luna trailed off and twirled her hair. ¡°He¡¯s Sasha¡¯s boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Psh, such a lame excuse.¡± Miya stopped pushing. ¡°It won¡¯t even count as your first kiss,¡± I just need to see something.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it,¡± Luna said, but made no attempt to escape.


    ¡°No?¡± Miya leaned against the wall. ¡°Well, I thought you wanted to kiss him, you know, to try it. Otherwise your real first kiss might end up a messy one,¡± Miya hid a grin. ¡°I wonder what that boy would say if you slobbered all over him, especially if it were a boy you really liked.¡±


    Luna glanced toward Yatsu. ¡°I-if that boy liked me back, he¡¯d probably be fine with a messy first kiss.¡±


    Miya threw up her arms. ¡°I give up, you¡¯re impossible! Corny! This is probably the one chance you have! The first boy you kiss will probably be after you turn thirty!¡± said Miya jetting around the corner to the kitchen to hide behind a wall.


    Typical Luna, I know you¡¯re jealous I kissed him. You¡¯re obsessed with their relationship! You tied me up just so you could listen to Sasha¡¯s kissing stories.


    Miya peeked and found Luna standing stone still, staring at the couch. Then she stepped toward the basement door but paused.


    Is she thinking about it?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Luna took another two steps toward the basement door and stopped again before spinning around and walking all the way over to Yatsu.


    ¡°She¡¯s gunna do it!¡±


    Luna leaned in, paused again, then leaned in the rest of the way.


    Did it work? Miya rushed out of hiding as Luna pecked Yatsu square on the lips.


    Then Luna pulled back with her cheeks glowing crimson, but otherwise, it didn¡¯t work. Sasha always looked much happier after she kissed Yatsu.


    ¡°Why?¡± Why didn¡¯t it work? Why does Sasha like him so much? He¡¯s a loser, a wimp, an idiot that gets beat up. ¡°Why!¡± Miya shouted. ¡°Why does she love you?¡± Miya¡¯s throat hurt. ¡°I-I don¡¯t get it!¡± She dashed to the basement and slammed the door shut behind her. She flew downstairs and ran to her bed, tossing her blanket over her head.


    In the dark, her mind raced through the list of things Sasha would like Yatsu for. Reevaluating everything she crossed off. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Her thoughts were interrupted when the stairs creeked.


    The footsteps were too heavy for Luna and Sasha was still in a dead sleep. Yatsu is in the basement?


    Miya listened for her traps. A mouse trap, her low-hanging light, waiting for Yatsu to hit or step on one, but instead he sat by her feet, the bed sagging under his weight. He sat there a while without saying anything.


    Miya¡¯s thoughts wandered. Hiding under her blanket with someone at her feet reminded her of a dark memory. A long time ago she hid under her covers like now, only back then she shook in fear. Scared her sister would kill her too.


    Yatsu deserves to know.


    Miya breathed deep and spoke. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it,¡± she rose to her knees, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Sasha likes you so much. She¡¯s never liked anyone as much as she likes you but she does, and you deserve to know... something.¡±


    Yatsu remained silent, but Miya felt his gaze on her.


    ¡°Luna and I both remember something Sasha doesn¡¯t and... we don¡¯t dare jog her memory,¡± Images of the past flashed in Miya''s head. ¡°Shortly after Sasha¡¯s eighth birthday, Luna and I were three, our parents left for work and left behind a babysitter. I don¡¯t remember too much about her, but I felt we got along pretty good for a while, until something happened. Maybe the babysitter¡¯s boyfriend broke up with her or something stupid, I don¡¯t know. Just suddenly she got angry, commanding. She yelledand screamed at us, pulling on our hair to drag us around,¡± Miya pulled her covers tighter around herself. ¡°What I do remember clearly though, is our babysitter falling from the second story of our old house, smashing her head open on the tile floor, and Sasha standing where she fell from, staring down with a cold dead gaze."

 64. ~Eight Years Ago~

    Eight years ago.


    ¡°Sasha! Come over here! Now!¡±


    Sasha timidly opened her bedroom door, her younger twin sisters huddled behind her, but half closed it again when Nami snorted and stomped her way toward them. Stopping in front of the door, Nami tried to grab Sasha but Sasha swatted her hand away.


    Nami¡¯s nostrils flared and her eyes glazed over in anger. She reached again and clamped her fingers around one of Sasha¡¯s pigtails.


    Then she pulled.


    Sasha screamed.


    ¡°When I say come, you get your ass moving! Understand?¡±


    Sasha averted her gaze, crying, shaking.


    Nami drank bad stuff again.


    Nami grunted and jerked on Sasha¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Sasha cried again and sobbed.


    ¡°Do. You. Understand?¡± Nami repeated.


    Sasha sniffled and nodded.


    ¡°Look at me and say it.¡±


    Sasha looked at her and mumbled. ¡°I¡­ understand.¡±


    ¡°Louder!¡±


    Sasha met her gaze and sucked back the pain, stopped crying and stared into Nami¡¯s pitiful hazel eyes. ¡°Yes. I understand,¡± she said, emotionless.Stolen story; please report.


    Nami grunted satisfaction before pulling and tossing Sasha into the bathroom.


    Sasha landed in front of a mop bucket in the middle of the floor. ¡°The bathroom needs cleaning. You aren¡¯t allowed to leave until it¡¯s glowing.¡±


    Sasha nodded, rubbing where Nami yanked on her hair. She wanted to cry more, to scream, to hurt Nami back, but Nami was too strong, and she would only continue to hurt Sasha if she cried, Nami would hurt the twins if Sasha couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    Sasha approached the mop bucket, and picked up a dirty rag from within.


    She cleaned and cleaned almost finished when Nami yelled out again, already climbing the steps.


    ¡°Miya! Luna!¡±


    Sasha¡¯s body shook uncontrollably. Anger, rage, she burned up, her hands and face becoming sweaty.


    Sasha glared at the pitiful bitch as she used the thin railings to support her lard ass up the last step and waddled to the twins¡¯ bedroom door.


    Shouting, screaming, crying, sobbing, Sasha watched as Nami kicked Miya down the stairs, pushed Luna on the back, causing her to stumble down a few steps before Miya caught her.


    ¡°Go!¡± She stepped toward the bathroom, but stopped at the railing, waving her hand at the twins. ¡°Go! You two are gunna-¡±


    Sasha¡¯s tummy twisted, her head hurt, her fist turned white from gripping the rag so hard.


    Then she went cold, and her head cleared. Observing, Nami still shouted at the twins, leaning further over the railing than before. Back facing the bathroom Sasha was cooped up in.


    Slowly, Sasha moved toward her. Body leading, mind still registering what she was about to do.


    Step after step, Sasha silently walked closer and closer.


    Then fear touched her cold heart.


    Hurry! Faster! Hurt her!


    Sasha burst forward into a short sprint and jumped, bashing into Nami with every bit of strength and weight she had.


    ¡°Ooph.¡±


    Sasha bounced off of her, crashing to the floor, but the thin railing cracked underneath Nami and collapsed under her extra weight.


    Nami fell and the crunch that followed satisfied Sasha more than anything else ever had.

 65. ~Dojo~

    Chapter Sixteen


    Yatsu straightened his new gi jacket and stepped out of the room, trying to figure out how to tie the white-belt around his waist. He settled for a simple double-knot before looking up.


    Sasha stood in the hallway, waiting for him. Her black gi hanging loosely on her petite figure.


    She eyed him up and down and then reached for his waist.


    ¡°You tied it wrong,¡± she said and retied the white-belt, only struggling a little bit with the bandages around her wrists. ¡°There,¡± she tugged it, trying to tighten it, and winced.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Yatsu tugged it tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Sasha wrapped herself around his arm. ¡°I¡¯m okay now.¡±


    They walked to the stairs but moved out of the way for Rika.


    Rika grinned. ¡°You two look adorable! Are you off to dance lessons?¡± She asked.


    Yatsu¡¯s cheeks heated, realising he had a girl hanging off of him.


    ¡°Ju-jit-su,¡± Sasha corrected and nudged Yatsu further down the stairs before Rika could bug them further.


    Mom spotted them as they entered the living room and her eyes lit up.


    ¡°You two are so cute!¡± She hugged them.


    Yatsu¡¯s face heated more.


    ¡°Ooof, thank you Yatsu¡¯s mom,¡± Sasha said.


    ¡°Oh please, you can call me mum too if you want,¡± mom squeezed them again and released them. ¡°You go have fun!¡±


    ¡°We will!¡±


    They managed to get their shoes on and left the house before they were delayed further.


    ¡°Right here,¡± Sasha pointed up a driveway leading to a small gym. Only a few vehicles were parked around it. Yatsu thought it¡¯d be busier.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Sasha took the lead, opening the gym door and motioned Yatsu to enter first.


    So he did, earning a few pairs of eyes checking him out. One guy with a bald head gave him a nod. Yatsu nodded back before that same guy snapped his head up at Sasha¡¯s entering and called out, ¡°Eski!¡±


    Yatsu jumped, but everyone else in the room dropped what they were doing and snapped to attention.


    ¡°Rei!¡± The guy said and everyone bowed.


    Sasha returned the bow and everyone picked back up on what they were doing.


    A respect thing? Yatsu took off his shoes, then his socks, following Sasha¡¯s lead.


    The bald guy approached them, he too wore a blackbelt, same as Sasha.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± he greeted and addressed Sasha. ¡°Are you leading class today?¡±


    Sasha shook her head and pointed at Yatsu. ¡°I¡¯m going to make this guy a yellow belt by the end of class.¡±


    The black-belted guy nodded. ¡°Ah, you must be Sasha¡¯s friend I¡¯ve heard about¡­¡± He trailed off and his eyes drifted to Sasha¡¯s bandaged hands. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°An idiot pulled a knife on us yesterday. He got me twice, but he was in worse condition after I was done,¡± Sasha smiled and held up both hands for him to see.


    The bald guy¡¯s eyebrows rose. Yatsu couldn¡¯t tell if he believed Sasha¡¯s story or not.


    ¡°Well,¡± he scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do a quick warm-up and then you can get to your one-on-one training,¡± he left and took position at the front of the dojo.


    Everyone scrambled into rows, Sasha positioned Yatsu in the back, beside a young kid wearing a yellow belt, and took her own position at the front beside the bald guy.


    He took them through a series of stretches, then some workout, including some air-punching.


    Sasha abandoned her post to help Yatsu with his stance, and taught him how to punch properly. Feet needed to be shoulder width apart, knees bent, fists tight with thumbs tucked away.


    From there, Sasha moved Yatsu away from everyone and taught him how to block, how to kick and demonstrated him a few easy quick defensive moves.


    ¡°Okay, now for a kata,¡± Sasha said and took a ready stance.


    Yatsu mimicked her but she shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you first,¡± she said and breathed in, looking left, right, left, and suddenly shouted the kata name.


    She punched forward, followed with a block, then a quick kick. Swift, smooth, she performed each action with precision and determination.


    Finally she fell back to the ready stance, bowed, relaxed her arms and smiled at Yatsu, her cheeks turning pink.


    ¡°Shink you can memorise s-at~¡± She slurred and fell.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Yatsu caught her.


    Her head was hot, her bandage bled through. Yatsu lifted her up on his back, she hugged him from behind. The bald guy took notice and commanded a student to fetch water.


    ¡°Hospital,¡± Yatsu said and the guy nodded, proceeding to arrange a ride.

 66. ~Fuzzy~

    ¡°You can visit her now,¡± a nurse informed Yatsu as she left Sasha¡¯s hospital room. ¡°She should take it easy and rest for a day, otherwise she¡¯s free to go.¡±


    Yatsu stood up and was about to ask the nurse a question, but she was already walking down the hall.


    She left in a hurry. Yatsu entered the room.


    Sasha was sitting up in her karate gi, glancing around, swinging her feet.


    ¡°Yatsu!¡± She hopped off the bed and crashed into him.


    ¡°Ooof,¡± Yatsu absorbed the impact and hugged her back, patting her head. ¡°Sasha?¡±


    Sasha hugged him tighter. ¡°You¡¯re fuzzier than usual,¡± she said and looked up at him from his chest. ¡°I want to kiss you,¡± she reached up and drew him in.


    Yatsu put a finger to her lips, stopping her.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Fuzzier than usual?


    ¡°Before that,¡± Yatsu said. ¡°What are-¡±


    Sasha removed his finger and pressed her lips to his.


    For a moment she froze before backing away. ¡°I want you to kiss me back,¡± she pouted, sapphire eyes twinkled.


    His heart skipped a beat. She¡¯s too cute! ¡°Fuck it,¡± he kissed her back.


    Sasha trembled in his arms. Yatsu provided support and lost himself. He wanted to embrace her, to taste her... He deepened the kiss.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± The nurse interrupted, standing in the doorway.


    Yatsu pulled away from Sasha.


    She set down a piece of paper on a nearby chair. ¡°Doctor¡¯s note for skipping school,¡± she said and retreated again.


    Sasha hung like a rag doll in Yatsu¡¯s arms, mouth open, breathing heavy. Yatsu stood her upright, still providing support. Her legs wobbled.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yatsu asked.


    Sasha shivered and squeaked.


    Yatsu didn¡¯t understand the squeak, but her smile provided an answer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    She nodded.

 67. ~Invitation~

    Yatsu yawned, opened the door to the school rooftop and paused. Oh right, Sasha didn¡¯t come today¡­ should I go to the cafeteria? Yatsu shrugged. I¡¯m already here.


    He sat in his usual spot and took out a boxed lunch.


    Taking a bite, he gazed over the city.


    The view turned into Sasha wearing a polka-dot apron, holding out a boxed lunch for him.


    Yatsu¡¯s face heated up and he shook away the image. ¡°Why did she have to wear something so cute?¡± He took another bite.


    After Yatsu finished eating he sat back and closed his eyes but suddenly the rooftop door opened and three girls filed out.


    Yatsu sat up and waved a greeting with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Hello?¡±


    The girls glanced around as if looking for something until the thinnest one confronted him. ¡°There are usually two girls here eating lunch¡­¡± she said.


    Two girls? That¡¯s right, Eva¡¯s not here.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Sasha stayed home today,¡± Yatsu said. ¡°Do you have a group project you need to discuss or something?¡± Yatsu sat back again.


    ¡°No, we just wanted to invite them to the place only popular kids go. You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± The girl waved him off.


    Has Sasha mentioned these girls before? Why would she be invited to...


    ¡°...three girls dolled me up¡­¡±


    They opened the door to leave but the thinnest one paused and spun back toward him. ¡°How would you know Sasha wasn¡¯t here today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him a couple times with her,¡± the girl with blonde hair on her left said as they walked toward him again. ¡°Sasha dragged him off of school grounds once.¡±


    Yatsu searched for an escape but the only way out was to jump or walk through the door they blocked. Trapped, he stayed seated.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re that boy that protected Sasha that day we dolled her up for her confession to Brandon!¡± The thin girl eyed Yatsu up and down. ¡°She was supposed to go looking like the slut we turned her into or not show up at all! Why did Sasha turn to you?¡±


    Yatsu shrugged, scratching his head. Because I¡¯m her boyfriend! He almost said it. He wanted to blurt it out and get it over with but the girl with black hair on the thin girl¡¯s left leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Okay. Fine,¡± The thin girl nodded. ¡°You¡¯re invited too as an exception. Bring Sasha and Eva to the club room tomorrow after school. Try not to be late.¡±


    The left as abruptly as they arrived, door closed shut behind them.


    They won¡¯t leave her alone, will they?

 68. ~I don鈥檛 Care~

    Chapter Seventeen


    Yatsu knocked and opened the door to Sasha¡¯s place, not waiting for a reply, not wanting to think about how he was going to tell Sasha about the invitation he received yesterday.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Yatsu¡¯s eyes widened as the most adorable girl Yatsu has ever seen rounded the corner to the entrance.


    Sasha¡¯s pink hair flowed over her shoulders, not tied up like it usually was. Her pink PJ¡¯s gently embracing her small figure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me like that,¡± Sasha said before rushing into his arms.


    Yatsu hugged her back.


    ¡°How are you today?¡± Yatsu asked and hugged her tighter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything today, like you said I should,¡± she looked up at him. Her sapphire eyes twinkled and cheeks turned pink.


    Too adorable. Yatsu forced himself to let her free. She could turn even the tamest of people into a predator.


    Yatsu recalled Sasha¡¯s ability to fight and fought back a chuckle.


    They¡¯d still end up the victim.


    ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± Sasha tilted her head.


    ¡°You-¡± Yatsu brushed her hair from her face. ¡°-are too adorable today.¡±


    Sasha blushed. ¡°Did you want some hot chocolate?¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    Yatsu followed her into the kitchen. He sat at the counter while Sasha poured water into a kettle and, with shaking hands, set it on the stove.


    She¡¯s struggling to lift that. ¡°Do you need help?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°No,¡± Sasha proceeded to hunt through the cupboards and reached for something on the higher shelf.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need help?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Sasha said and reached further, standing on her tiptoes.


    I can¡¯t watch this anymore. Yatsu stood up.


    Sasha took a different approach and tried pushing herself up on the counter.


    ¡°Ah, nope,¡± before she could apply pressure to her hands, Yatsu wrapped his arms around her. ¡°We don¡¯t want your wrists to start bleeding again.¡±


    Sasha tensed at his touch, but leaned back into him. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°What am I getting?¡±


    Sasha pointed. ¡°The hot chocolate mix is up top.¡±


    Yatsu moved to get it but Sasha took his hold of his hands. Keeping them wrapped around her.


    Yatsu breathed in. Should I tell her about the invitation now?


    ¡°Sasha.¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    Damnit, why do you have to look so comfortable? ¡°I need to tell you something.¡±


    Sasha spun around in his arms to face him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    The kettle whistled.


    Sasha moved from Yatsu¡¯s grasp and turned the stove off.


    Yatsu took the chance to grab the chocolate mix from the cupboard. Sasha grabbed cups. Yatsu took the kettle and poured the water, not letting Sasha have the chance to lift it again.


    After dumping the mix into both cups, they moved back to the table. Yatsu tested the drink by taking a sip. Too hot.


    Sasha stirred hers a little more.


    ¡°So what did you want to tell me?¡± Sasha asked.


    Yatsu stirred his drink and tried another sip. Still too hot.


    ¡°A few girls approached me on the rooftop at lunch today; they said they wanted to invite you and Eva to the popular kid¡¯s club.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Sasha sipped her drink.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so,¡± Yatsu said. ¡°But you¡¯re going to anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°They invited me too,¡± Yatsu said. ¡°Though only because they think I know you.¡±


    Yatsu tested his drink once more and found it satisfying. He set it down after he was done.


    Sasha sat staring at her cup a little bit too long before shaking her head. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sasha stood up and took both cups to the sink.


    ¡°Sasha?¡±


    She grabbed Yatsu¡¯s arm and pulled him toward the living room. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it later. Come... sit for a while.¡±