Shimon Middle, here I come!

The yells of two adults filled Hotaru's eardrums and the girl awoke with a grumpy sigh. She shook her head to gain a firm grasp of her surroundings and remembered that she was in her room. A room that had been vacant for awhile until she and the rest of her family moved in a few years back. The Hikari family was strange, at least to their neighbors. Hotaru sat up and stared at a wall, still processing that she was awake. Wait, around this time, her sister would try and wake her up because she has school. Maybe she forgot? Either way, Hotaru could wake up on her own without any help. Except, she looked at her alarm clock and was shocked to see what time it was. It's 10 am! Thats way past breakfast! She shot up and power walked to her parents, who were still in an argument. "Look, for all we know, the car probably needs a new transmission! None of this extra bullshit that you are buying!!", her mother shouted in fury and her dad rubbed his eyes. He was clearly getting tired of arguing with this woman. He took notice of Hotaru and stepped outside of the home to get some space from all the females. It must be tiring being the only male in the house.

"So you guys are arguing over the car? It works perfectly, doesn't it? I mean... it can get a little rusty from time to time but it is fine the way it is!" Hotaru tried to reassure her mother that the car was fine and changes were not needed. She loved that car more than anything; in fact, her little sister was almost born in it! "Anyway, why did no one wake me up? I have a few tests to take this week, you know. Thats 99% of my grade!" She exclaimed with her arms raising high into the air to give off even more dramatic effect. Her mother sighed heavily and rubbed her head... she is tired of her kids. "You got a week off. The school said that you were doing so well that they think you deserve a reward. I guess that means you pass automatically on the test." Her mom said and Hotaru yelled in delight. She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek, forcing the woman to crack a smile, and ran up to her room. She immediately got dressed into a... casual outfit that consisted of a white shirt, a choker with a bell on it, ripped jeans and a loose belt.

She looked like the average Goth teen, which makes her mom want to get rid of the clothes. "I don't care what mom thinks! As long as it makes me happy, I'm fine!", She happily thought to herself as she stepped out of her room and walked downstairs to the door. Her little sister, Moegi, was at the front door and had a bag full of snacks for Hotaru. Hotaru gratefully accepted it and gave Moegi a kiss on the cheek before leaving the house. "Let's see... She gave me some Jolly Ranchers, Chocolate chip cookies, Laffy Taffys and some other stuff I have never heard of until now. Sweet! Thanks, Moegi!" She said before heading towards Soichiro's house. On the walk there, she would be stared at by eyes full of lust from boys. They stared her down and imaged themselves treating her like a sex object. "Dirty little perverts...!", She angrily thought as she was getting closer to Soichiro's home and a group of boys appeared in front of her. It was almost as if they expected her to come around. She tried to move through them but they stood strong and pushed her to the ground with grins that reminded her of the devil.

The leader of the pack flipped her off and started laughing, "I think its time I taught these ladies a lesson! They ain't getting past us anymore! We OWN this block, baby. If you wanna pass, you'll have to pay up!" He held out his hand and made a gesture that meant he wanted money. She got back up and rubbed her eyes, getting slightly irritated. Before anyone could register what was going on, a fist was exchanged to the boy's jaw that immediately knocked him out. The rest had gotten the same treatment and one man stood on top of the unconscious body of the leader... Kaname! He placed his fist near the throat of his unconscious opponent and gave him the following warning, "Do not ever claim that you own these streets. These streets are under the protection of Kaname, the strongest of Namimori Middle. Next time you say anything like that again... I'll crush your throat like stepping on an ant!" He said with a cold tone and somehow the guy got the message while being unconscious. Well, he's probably half-dead and half-asleep because of Kaname's powerful punch. He didn't even use his brass knuckles! "I could've taken them by myself, you know!" Hotaru said with a smile and Kaname brushed off any dirt from his uniform. He gave Hotaru a glare and walked away with a wave, "Whatever. Next time, don't expect me to clean up your mess. I'm doing enough for Arisa." He told Hotaru before walking off in the distance to find Soichiro. He views Soichiro as a literal walking and breathing punching bag! His punching bag. Soichiro was... his rival, none had been proven worthy enough to ever gain such praise from Kaname. That means Soichiro was special in some way.

Hotaru couldn't help but laugh at his rude remark and dashed to Soichiro's house. She stood in front of his front door and pressed the door bell. The door opened immediately and Odysseus greeted Hotaru with ice cream splattered all across his face. He looked done with life itself and Hotaru tried to hold back her laughter but it just wasn't possible. "Go ahead and laugh! Just wait until it happens to you. You'll be crying then." Odysseus said with a agitated tone and walked around in the house with Hotaru, who called out for Soichiro. She didn't get an answer back from him, but his mother appeared to her with a smile and placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Well... Soichiro is busy dealing with Renovatio's training, just like Yoruichi and the rest of you guys are being trained. Wait... did you not find your teacher?", Lucia asked and Hotaru shook her head. In truth, she had absolutely no idea that Yoruichi and Soichiro had been training. What were they even training for? "Did they get into another fighting tournament?", Hotaru asked and Lucia raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Crap! She wasn't supposed to know!", Hotaru's mind panicked and she made up a lie to distract Lucia from thinking about the tournament. "Well, Yoruichi and Soichiro had been in a tournament for gamers... so they might be training their hands to withstand the pain of holding a joystick for three hours." Hotaru lied and Lucia nodded her head, thinking of that as a possibility. Hotaru let out a relieved sigh and wiped her forehead clean of any sweat. She went to the kitchen to see Odysseus and Lucci throwing handfuls of cold ice cream at each other. She let out a loud laugh and tears of joy ran down her cheek, seeing them fight like two brothers was entertaining. Well, not for Lucia because she was the one who had to clean their mess up. "Oddy! Quit throwing those ice cream balls! You'll get frostbite!", Hotaru warned him and he threw one at her for her laughter from earlier.

He glared at her, though not a serious one, and she smacked him on the back of his head. Now she's all dirty because of him! "It'll wash off, don't worry. It won't get sticky or anything!", Lucci casually said before ducking as a fast projectile had been aimed for his head. He looked up to see a sai, a trademark weapon of Hoshika and he almost threw up from the fear. Hoshika pointed at Hotaru and gestured to the front door, meaning that Hoshika wanted to have a serious talk with Hotaru. Hotaru obeyed and stepped outside of the house with Hoshika behind her. The older woman cleared her throat and began to speak, "You may have heard that Yoruichi and Soichiro have been training. It's 100% true. They are training for an upcoming match that can decide the fate of the Giove Famiglia. That means you, as the left hand of Giove XII, needs to get strong enough to protect him while he faces his enemies." Hoshika informed Hotaru of the dangers that might await them and Hotaru laughed it all off. She viewed this all as a movie plot and everyone was just playing with her, however that was not the case. Hoshika knew that Hotaru wasn't seeing that this was not a game or movie. This was ACTUAL lives at stake, including her own! "Well... you know your cousin, Hiyori? She's coming to your house to train you. You can go ahead and look for yourself!", Hoshika said and walked back into Soichiro's house. Hotaru's facial expression turned into a mixture of rage and jealousy. "If she's really back... GOD DAMN IT!", Hotaru began running down the street with a crazy look in her eyes. Pedestrians watched a teenage girl running in the streets with cars stopping to let her through, you would have thought she was insane! Hotaru made it to her front door and opened it, the sound of laughter filled her ears and she recognized the voice. Her eyes became a dull grey as she stepped inside and walked to the living room. Many thoughts trespassed into her mind but only one was loud enough to drive her insane. "Is Hiyori... Really here...?", Hotaru thought before seeing the young woman in the flesh!

Hiyori Igarashi, a woman who was destined to become her family's strongest swordsman! Hotaru looked at Moegi, who was fan-girling over Hiyori like crazy, and sighed deeply. So her distant cousin decides to come to Namimori to train her? This must be some sort of a sick joke. She seriously could not understand how this woman would come all the way out here because of a request from a random woman (Hoshika)? Hotaru looked at Hiyori, who noticed her presence and waved at her. She shyly waved back and began to leave the living room to go punch her pillows, just to hear Hiyori call out her name. "How are you, Hotaru-chan? Are you doing well at school? Made any new friends?", Hiyori innocently asked and Hotaru tried to hide the irritation in her voice when she made her reply. "Well, yes, I have been doing well in school! I did make new friends like Odysseus, Soichiro, Yoruichi, Lucci, Hoshika, that random dude behind the grocery store." Hotaru listed a few people she became friends with, a smile formed on her parents lips and Moegi gave her big sister a thumbs up. Hiyori stood up and approached Hotaru with caution, since the girl was really unpredictable and could lash out at any second. Hiyori placed her hand on top of Hotaru's right shoulder and gave her a warm smile, "I'm glad your growing up. Wanna go for a walk, just the two of us? I'll get you some burritos!" Hiyori offered a pretty good deal and Hotaru had no choice but to accept it. Her parents would have lectured her about not being a good cousin to Hiyori, who was staying in Namimori for a few days.

As the two walked down the sidewalk with cups full of tea, the two began to chat about various topics. The first had been about Hotaru having any crush at her middle school and she hastily replied with "none". Having a relationship with anyone at this school would be too much stress, especially this late of the year. She could really care less about finding love because that's not her main concern in life; Really, her goal was to live a life that wasn't full of regrets. But would she regret not having a boyfriend? Wouldn't she regret not putting herself out there? Ugh!! So many questions that she can't answer. The next topic Hotaru asking what Hiyori was doing in Tokyo. "Well, I planned on being a teacher of kendo. But... some things came up and I won't be able to fulfill that dream, at least not now. Don't worry, I'll be alright." Hiyori assured her younger cousin that she was okay and Hotaru didn't press her anymore for answers. Although, one last question remained on the tip of her tongue. Even so, Hiyori was aware of what Hotaru wanted to ask. "Yes, I was sent here to train my younger cousin in the arts of swordsmanship. I'm glad Stella knew I would love training you." Hiyori said with an spirited shout and Hotaru chuckled nervously. Was she serious about this? If she trains Hotaru, she'd put her body through hell and back. Hiyori pat Hotaru on the back and smiled, "Your training begins tomorrow, lil' cousin! Don't worry about anything, just come to the Igarashi Dojo once you wake up. I'll be waiting, okay?" Hiyori asked her cousin if she wanted to back down from this and Hotaru refused. If Hiyori can master a sword, so can Hotaru! Then again, Hotaru was never really good with anything that was sharp unless its a knife. She disliked swords because in Japanese culture, swords are symbolic of evil! She hated evil things, which is why she never wanted to learn how to use a sword. Maybe she'll stick with her staff. "Alright. I'll see ya later then!" With a smile, Hiyori had walked into an alleyway and ran on a wall that lead to the rooftop of a building. She looked back at Hotaru and waved goodbye before jumping to another rooftop. "Just what is with these guys and getting on the roofs of our businesses?!", a concerned citizen said and Hotaru snickered before walking home to rest.

As soon as she stepped through that door, Moegi jumped onto Hotaru and wrapped her little arms around her neck. "Big sis, I'm so happy for you! You stopped being mean to Hiyori-sama!", Moegi excitedly shouted and Hotaru gave her a wary smile. Well, it was true that was a bit mean to Hiyori for years now. Ever since they were little, Hiyori would always be ahead of her and gain more respect with each moment she breathed. She was the family prodigy and Hotaru felt like she was a failure of the family, so she'd avoid Hiyori at all costs and make up excuses to leave the house. Today and for tomorrow, she made an exception just this once. After this training montage, she was not letting Hiyori near her ever again. Moegi let Hotaru go to her room and plop on the bed with a loud sigh. "Soichiro... where the hell are you?", she thought before her mind drifted off into a deep sleep. As she dreamed, a nightmare was playing in her head. Hiyori was dressed as a red oni with a large sword and had been terrorizing Hotaru with each moment she could. "Hotaru Hikari, the worst swordsmen ever!", Oni Hiyori said to Hotaru and Hotaru got on her knees. She was pleading for Oni Hiyori to leave her alone, but failed miserably when Oni Hiyori raised her foot above Hotaru. "Say goodbye, trash!!" Oni Hiyori yelled as her foot slammed down on Hotaru.

Hotaru shot up from her bed, drenched in sweat and tears soaked her pillow. Was her fear of Hiyori being better than her showing up in her dreams!? It seemed like it. She slapped herself for being so weak that she couldn't even stand up to Hiyori in her own fucking dream. Like what kind of shit is that? "Whatever, today will be the day I show Hiyori what it means to work hard instead of being handed everything on a silver platter!", Hotaru said with a zealous facial expression and got dressed while helping Moegi find her shoes. The little sister wanted to go play outside with the dogs and was in a hurry because she didn't wanna miss them. Hotaru helped her put the shoes on quickly and Moegi ran outside with a goofy grin on her face. Hotaru took out the ribbons that stayed in her hair for the day and walked outside to the Igarashi Dojo, which had been a few blocks down away from Midori Middle. Nobody had warned her of the possible danger of being around Midori Middle but she walked without a worry on her face. She sighed as she heard the sounds of Kaname beating the pulp out of more wannabe thugs. This guy is always fighting people, isn't he? "I don't think no one has seen him NOT fight constantly." Hotaru said with a question mark floating above her head and she continued on her way to Igarashi Dojo. She took a left from Midori Middle and voila!

She ended up standing at the entrance of the place and sighed, she was so gonna regret this later. She pulled upon the door and stepped inside. The room she entered had been dim and a young girl was in front of her with a pen and a pad. "Welcome to Igarashi Dojo! Have you scheduled any appointments with the Igarashi family? If so, please state your name and number. That will make the whole process much easier for me.", the young girl stated with Hotaru sweating bullets. She had to set up an appointment?! Why didn't Hiyori tell her that!? Hotaru face palmed and tired to think of a reasonable excuse. She didn't like lying but sometimes its necessary. "Well, you see I was supposed to-", She was cut off when Hiyori stepped out of a room and walked to Hotaru with a smile. She gestured for Hotaru to follow her to her private training room, where only she and special people could enter. Once Hotaru stepped in, she saw Hiyori dressed in a black kimono with a strap wrapped around her waist which carried the sheath of a sword. She threw Hotaru her own kimono and her stare told the girl to get it on immediately. Hotaru sighed as she wore a light blue kimono with a green strap around her waist that carried the sheath for her soon-to-be sword. Hiyori suddenly turned into a strict woman because her blade was aimed at Hotaru's neck and she kept a stoic expression on her face, unnatural of Hotaru to see. Hiyori then spoke into a calm tone.

"You see my blade? It's name is Kubikiri Orochi, a sword meant to slay all who opposes our family. Kubikiri Orochi was passed down from generation to generation, along with the knowledge of the past wielder. My master gave me this blade once I was deemed ready to handle the responsibilities of owning such a sword. The bloodshed this sword has caused in the past sought fear into the hearts of our enemies, leading them to take desperate measures. You'd be amazed on how much Kubikiri Orochi was important to our forefathers legacies." Hiyori said with a chill tone that sent many shivers down Hotaru's spine. Hotaru had never seen Hiyori act in such a manner... when did she get so serious? Maybe she was getting more into her character? "Ah, well that's great! We are descendants of murderers... thats just great!", Hotaru replied with a laugh and Hiyori had Kubikiri Orochi's sharp tip where Hotaru's heart would be. She was threatening to kill her if she didn't take her training seriously like the rest of her friends did. "Do not play around, Hotaru. This is not a game! If you want to protect those friends of yours, then beat me and prove to me that you are worthy to be considered of Igarashi blood!" Hiyori shouted at her cousin and stepped back. She picked up a katana next to her right foot and threw it at Hotaru, who immediately jumped back and let the blade fall to the ground. She placed her hands around the grip of the katana and steadily watched Hiyori's movements. Hotaru looked at Hiyori's feet and kept her eyes on them. If she can figure out where she'd move next, She can set up a counterattack on her cousin and win. Hotaru witnessed Hiyori's feet vanish and her eyes widened in surprise; Is Hiyori really that fast!?

Hotaru began to listen for any sounds that might indicate where Hiyori might strike next. And strike she did because Hiyori had been behind her with her katana held high in the air, ready to slice Hotaru in half. Hotaru turned around to see Hiyori slam her blade down on her, which she gratefully blocked with the help of her own sword. Hotaru couldn't keep this up at all; Hiyori's strength was just too high. In fact, Hiyori was slightly disappointed in Hotaru for not being able to disarm her. Hiyori kicked Hotaru in her abdomen and saw the girl fall on her back in pain. Hotaru let out a painful yell and looked up at Hiyori in rage, "You don't even know the basics of kendo. What has your school been teaching you if you can't even parry? Well, I'll teach you the basics. Every swordsman has to learn the basics if they ever want to survive in this world." Hiyori said and placed Kubikiri Orochi back in it's black sheath. Somehow, Hotaru felt an eerie presence emitting from the sword and Hotaru got up with a grunt. Her entire chest hurt from Hiyori's kick and she was bound to leave a mark on her if she keeps this up. Was Hoshika telling the truth about none of this being made up? Was this all real and not an act? So there must have been so many times that she could've actually died...! "Get up. Raise your blade high and slash down 1,000 times. Do not stop until your sword has become apart of you, like an extension of your arms." Hiyori instructed with a cold demeanor and Hotaru had no choice but to obey. Hotaru had the feeling that if she ever disobeyed Hiyori, her head would go flying off into the sky. Hiyori definitely would do that if she put her mind to it.

Hotaru's arms ached in unnatural pain. She felt as if they were going to break if she swung this sword one more time. Hiyori had been sitting and waiting for Hotaru to finish learning kendo, the arts of the sword. Her brown eyes had been closed, but you wouldn't be able to tell because her long brown hair had been shielding her eyes from Hotaru.

"Alright, I'm done! Can we get back to training or can I go home? Moegi might be worried about me." Hotaru said to her older cousin and Hiyori looked at her with an even more stoic face. "Hotaru, I think you are ready to learn our family's strongest techniques. Though, I can't teach you the Igarashi's sword stances. I'd have to gain permission from my father to do that and he would reject the idea of you learning such... deadly techniques. So, you'll be learning the Dance of the Autumn Rain." Hiyori said with a smile and Hotaru began to cry when she heard that she needed to do more sword training.

——————

A few days had passed and everyone was done with their training. Well, except Kaname since he didn't even know that they all had been training. He was pissed that he wasn't able to go to school until next Tuesday, all because of those bastards. He would have beaten the principal for informing him of that crap until he heard Soichiro's name pop up. "Once I get my hands on him, I'll make sure he NEVER does something like this again." Kaname said aloud as he walked past a restaurant with a lady standing outside with a lit cigarette. He looked at the restaurant with a curious expression and walked inside, knowing that the lady with the cigarette was behind him.

He saw a woman with a chef apron and a big white hat trying to make a sandwich for an old man. "Huh, so that's a new thing for restaurants? I always thought they were all fancy and princess-like." Kaname said to no one and the customers heard his rude sentence. They began to question why the boy was here if he had no good thoughts about this restaurant. However, the chef looked at him and laughed. "My name is Q, it is a pleasure to meet you! Welcome to my restaurant. Still thinking of a good name for it but feel free to throw in any suggestions. Anyways, do you need anything? Like a drink or snacks?", Q asked as she gave the sandwich to an old man and held out her hands to Kaname. He stepped in closer and squinted at Q, "Your new here. Welcome to Namimori, please enjoy your stay." Kaname said with a smile and walked out of her restaurant. He refused to drink or eat anything for free, always ready to pay for what he desires. As he walked out, the woman with the cigarette followed him and he had gotten tired of her stalker attitude. With the flick of one wrist, his brass knuckle for his right hand appeared and he threw his fist at her face. What he didn't expect was for her to catch his fist, though he masked his surprise and was getting ready to head butt her when she began to speak.

"What are you doing, Kaname? Your friend, Soichiro, is getting stronger than you! Soon... you'll be left behind and weaker than anyone in your school." Her words struck a nerve in Kaname. A vein was shown in his forehead and he was getting angrier than the hulk. He tried to head butt her but failed once she moved out of the way and his head hit a wall. He turned around and saw her sitting on the ground, waiting for Kaname to cool down. "I don't know who you are but you have the balls to call me weak. No one has gotten away with that." He said before rushing at her and he threw a kick for her face, only for his ankle to be grabbed inches away from her nose. She began to squeeze his ankle, showing off her amazing strength and Kaname let out a pained sigh. Just who the hell was this woman!? He had never seen such power coming from a woman in all his life. She let go and Kaname fell onto his back, frustrated that he was getting treated badly by some bimbo he didn't even know. All he knows is that she is powerful and is damaging his pride as a man. With both his brass knuckles in hand, he got back up and was getting ready to clock her. But the sound of a female screaming got the best of his attention and he rushed to where the scream was coming from. "Don't worry, you old hag. I'll come back for you!", He said as he began to dash forward. The lady shrugged and lit another cigarette with a bored sigh. She was just having fun with him, why now of all times does a girl have to be injured?

Kaname looked to see Arisa in front of her home with a guy in a black robe. She was struggling to get out of his grasp and Kaname's eyes filled with rage. His fist immediately connected with the robed figure and his skull was cracked wide open, resulting in his death. Kaname didn't know it but he did just catch his first body. "Good, stay down. Now Arisa-", He looked at where Arisa would be standing and she vanished?! He was getting irritated and looked up to see Arisa on the roof with a black haired man. He had his hand wrapped around her throat and he laughed at Kaname, "You really are stupid! What kind of person leaves his little cousin all alone and defenseless!" He kept taunting Kaname as he jumped to another rooftop. Having no choice but to follow him, Kaname kept his eyes on Arisa as he ran through the streets with a pissed off glare. "It's because of me that Arisa is being kidnapped. If only I had been faster...", He shook his head and continued racing after them.

Kaname ended up following them onto a trail that led to a historical school. He looked up to see Shimon Middle, a school that had been disbanded in Namimori after the tragic deaths of many students. None had known the killers of the students, thus their souls couldn't rest in peace. Kaname could hear the cries and pleas of the children, a tear escaped his eye but he quickly wiped it off. "What are you doing, Kaname? Get to work and start searching for Arisa!", he ordered himself to do a 'simple' task and rushed inside Shimon Middle. The long halls were filled with rats or dead animals, which pissed Kaname off even more, and he looked around. Stairs leading to the upper level of the building were on his right and he began walking up the steps. As soon as his foot made contact with the 4th step, the 4th step dissolved into nothing and Kaname had a split second change of gaining ahold of the stairs. His hand was lucky enough to grab ahold of a step and he forced his way up. He began to run up the steps as quickly as possible, not bothering to look back and made it to the top of the first floor.

A door had appeared in front of him and his eyebrow was raised in suspicion. "Doors magically appear? I'm being guided to this guy. It is a trap, isn't it? Whatever. I'll bring Arisa back home before it gets too late." And with that, he opened the door to see a silver haired male holding Arisa by her hair. She was crying hysterically and the guy slapped her across the face. Kaname calmly stepped closer to the guy and raised his fists, revealing his brass knuckles. He threw a quick punch to the face of this guy, but his opponent grabbed his wrist and began to laugh. "So this is the fearsome Kaname? I never thought he'd be so... weak. Your speed is so puny to that of a dog. I have blood on my hands just to fight a little boy." The silver haired male said with a mocking tone and Kaname knee'd him in his stomach. Then attempted to uppercut him, but the scared look in Arisa's eyes caused him to miss and the guy took advantage of this opportunity. He punched Kaname's chest and laughed as he probably broke a rib or two. Kaname felt like his soul left his body once the guy's fist connected with his chest. Kaname was sent flying backwards and fell onto the ground with a loud sigh. He closed his eyes as he heard his opponent step closer to his body, a smile formed on Kaname's face as he jumped back up and stood in front of his opponent.

"I must have forgot to introduce myself. I'm Bakura, the one who will put an end to the Giove Famiglia." Bakura said with a smile and Kaname brushed the Giove Famiglia part off. He didn't know what that even was but he did know that this guy fully intended on killing him and Arisa. With that being said, it was time that Kaname got serious if he wanted to walk away with Arisa. His brass knuckles disappeared from his hands as he reached for something behind him. Arisa's eyes widened in surprise, did she know what Kaname was pulling out? "Yeah, I haven't used this in years." Kaname said as batons appeared in both of his hands. Wasting no time, Kaname swung the right baton into the left side of Bakura's body. The left baton was slammed right into Bakura's neck, entailing that Kaname was going to kill him. As the batons collided with his body, Bakura began to feel pain from his blows and wondered if Kaname was apart of the Giove Famiglia.

"Are you going to keep letting me hit you or are you going to fight back, you coward!" Kaname shouted as he held his batons high into an X position and let them rain down onto Bakura. Kaname's batons collided with two daggers, Bakura's weapons. It was a power struggle between the two, one had to give in! Bakura's teeth began to grit, "So his strength increases by 10% when he uses his batons. So this must be the full power of Kaname, the strongest person in Namimori. It's only natural he's apart of one of the most powerful families!" Bakura excitedly thought before head-butting Kaname into the ground. Kaname quickly recovered by rolling to the side, if he had been a second too late, Bakura's daggers would have pierced his chest. He shot up from the ground once more and rushed at Bakura with the latter doing the same. Once again, their weapons clashed and metal sparks began to emit from them. "Your pretty good, Kaname. Too bad you were so busy fighting me that you completely forgot about Arisa!", Bakura laughed as Arisa had been dragged into darkness and Kaname's focus completely wavered. He was quickly subdued by Bakura; Meaning he got punched in his face so hard that he fell unconscious. Kaname's body dropped to the ground and Bakura sighed in relief. "I never expected Giove XII would be able to gain such a powerful ally. A pity that your story... ENDS HERE!", He shouted as he raised his dagger high and slammed it down on Kaname's chest. He laughed for a second until he saw Kaname's baton shielding Bakura's dagger from his heart. Bakura kept repeating his action only for his daggers to keep getting blocked by Kaname's baton. "Amazing! Even while unconscious, his body refuses to give up. Maybe he'll prove useful to me in the future." Having changed his mind about killing Kaname, Bakura was waiting for Giove XII to appear and save his comrade.

....

Soichiro and the rest of his friends were formed in a small circle. They all had been finished with their training and were happy to see each other. Soichiro's face had two bandages on both of his cheeks, the least that he got out of his training with Renovatio. Odysseus patted Soichiro on his back, he knew how crazy Renovatio was from experience. Hotaru and Yoruichi fist bumped, happy to see each other unharmed. Well, Yoruichi had a broken nose but it was fine nonetheless. "I'm glad all of you are okay. I'm a bit sad that Kaname isn't here but its fine, right?" Soichiro was a bit worried that Kaname could have gotten hurt or worse. But Yoruichi had reassured him that Kaname could handle himself... he was the strongest person at their school, after all! "Like I said, don't worry about it! He'll be fine. Now all we have to do is beat this guy's ass and be done with it!", Yoruichi said with an excited shout. Soichiro smiled at this. He looked at Hoshika, who had her phone held in her hand in case anyone called, and walked towards her.

He hugged her tightly and she returned the hug back, happy that she may have helped the boy. Just then, her phone began to play her ringtone of some BTS crap and she quickly answered. The person on the other line was Lucci, the 10 year old hitman, and he began to inform them all of the information he has got. "I have to keep this as straight forward as possible. Soichiro, the mafioso that has infiltrated this town has a leader named Bakura. I couldn't recover any details surrounding his background, goals, or anything of that matter. I even had Renovatio join in on finding out who this guy really is, but even he couldn't find any clues leading to Bakura's history." Lucci said with Soichiro getting a bit disappointed. They had absolutely nothing on this guy. How could they win if they didn't even know how his combat capabilities? Then, Renovatio's voice filled the ears of all who was present and Soichiro hid behind Yoruichi. "One thing is for certain... Bakura plans on eliminating Soichiro and his friends. If anything, he probably plans on killing everyone else. So you must infiltrate Simon Middle and defeat Bakura." He said through the phone and the teenagers nodded.

They knew the risks, all except Hotaru, and prayed that none of them die while facing Bakura. "This is it... this is where I have to show everyone that I'm going to protect them." Soichiro thought to himself as they faced the direction where Shimon Middle would be waiting for them. Yoruichi questioned where Lucia had been, she is always there to give Soichiro a good luck kiss when he goes off on dangerous things. Speak of the devil, she appeared and had a letter in her hand for Soichiro. "Here... Read it now or our town will be disintegrated." Lucia said and Soichiro quickly opened the letter. With open eyes, he read the letter from Giove XI and yelled in anguish. Putting the letter away, he turned to face Hoshika and the rest of his friends. "Soichiro, Yoruichi, Hotaru, and Odysseus. Remember that this mission is the deciding factor of whether or not the Giove Famiglia survives." Hoshika warned them all with a deadpan voice and they nodded once again. They all began to charge towards the abandoned school with their heads held high. Everything depends on them.

Soichiro and his friends stood near Shimon Middle, or rather known as Simon Middle, and looked at the entrance. It was already open and someone left footprints in their wake. Hoshika got down on her knee and examined the footprints, "Let's hurry." She rushed inside along with the rest of them and stood vigilant, waiting for anyone to try and attack them. 10 minutes passed by and no one dared to attack, maybe no one was here? "What if this was a total bust? We came all this way for nothing if someone doesn't show up." Odysseus said and Yoruichi agreed with him. The two boys hated having to wait for others, especially their soon-to-be opponents. Hoshika forced them to shush and heard the door a floor above them open. A body was being held by none other than... Lord Bakura! He looked down at Soichiro and back at the body he was carrying, grinning like a devil and throwing the body at Soichiro.

Hoshika caught it and looked to see the face of an conscious Kaname, who had been injured badly. Well nothing life concerning but a black eye will be on his face for weeks. Getting out a first aid kit, Hoshika began to tend to his injuries and Bakura watched with interest. "Come and face me, Giove XII." He taunted Soichiro and vanished into the room. Once he said that, The stairs had dissolved into dust and Yoruichi watched with a wide mouth. "Did he just... cut off our only chance to get up there..." Yoruichi was left speechless and Odysseus laughed whole-heartedly. "Don't worry, Yoru. We'll figure out a way up there! Don't worry, okay?" Odysseus cheered him up and the two high-fived like true bro's. Hoshika facepalmed while Soichiro joined in on the high-fiving, boys will be boys. Hoshika cleared her throat and gained the attention of the boys. She helped Kaname stand up on his own for a few seconds and sighed.

"Okay, we'll split up in pairs. Yoruichi, go with Odysseus. Soichiro, go with Kaname... you'll need him. Hotaru will be coming with me." She informed them of which way to go and the first pair immediately went to their designated spots. Soichiro and Kaname stayed behind while Hotaru and Hoshika walked through the left side of the building. The girls walked through the hallways, clearly baffled that this place was such a dump. It was a wonder on how nobody bothered to tear it down; Maybe because it would be a complete waste of time since they wouldn't be rebuilding it. This place has too much history that it scared most people off... maybe because of the dark feeling it gives off.

Hotaru opened a door that led to a gigantic room that must have been 76 feet tall. "This must have been the gym, Hoshi. I can't believe that they really left a hole in the roof and didn't even bother to think of patching it up." Hotaru complained about the place being filled with such damp water and Hoshika sighed before being tempted to smack her across the back of her head. "Watch your step, Hotaru. The floor is a bit slippery so make sure you take slow steps." Hoshika said and walked deeper inside the gym, looking for an exit that could lead to Bakura. Soon enough, a knife was thrown towards Hoshika and she tilted her head to the side. The knife went past her and a figure wearing a long black coat stood a few meters ahead of her. She watched their movements carefully and began to speak to Hotaru, "Don't worry about me. Just find an exit and get out of here. Once you find a way to Bakura, just call the others and they'll come to you." Hoshika said with her sai being in both of her hands. She rushed at the figure and threw the left Sai at the person, only for them to move out of the way and dashed towards her with their own weapon. Quickly, her sai and their knife collided. The sparks of metal rubbing against each other ignited a fire in their hearts. The robed figure removed their hood and revealed who they were.

"Axel?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were supposed to be in Italy, guarding Giove XI!" Hoshika said and the red-haired male smiled sadistically at her. She shook her head, refusing to believe that he was working for the enemy. "Sorry princess, but I gotta do what I gotta do for some cash." Axel said before punching her across her face with his free arm. She groaned and tried to stab him with her sai but he caught her wrist and began to squeeze it hard. He was trying to break her wrist so she couldn't use her weapons, "you are far too dangerous with those toys of yours. Let me make sure you can NEVER use them again!" Axel said with sadistic laughter and Hoshika broke free of his grip. She was LIVID; How could he betray the man who gave him a home?! "I'll kill you for betraying Giove XI." She said in a cold and deadpan tone that almost struck a nerve in Axel. He laughed and prepared another attack, "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YA TRY!!" Axel shouted and the two former friends clashed.

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That's it for Chapter 15! I planned on showing their fight during the chapter but I was too busy finding my dogs chew toys. Hope you guys enjoyed and welcome new readers. Thank you, GhostlyBone for giving me a power stone, I don't really deserve it XD

Soichiro: Damn. KANAME LOST-

Kaname: Shut up before I kill you. Like and share.