"You forgot to carry the negative there, Kazu," Danny stated and she pointed out the mistake. "Besides that... you're good."
Seeing as the boys would be having high school entrance exams in just a few short months, Danny had decided that she should give Kazbutora and Baji some mock tests just to see how well their study sessions were sticking. And so far...
A sweatdrop ran down her cheek as she marked the last question on Baji's paper wrong. Silently, she slid the paper over to him. "... Am I really that bad of a teacher...?" she muttered as she massaged her temples.
Meanwhile, Kazutora busted out laughing at the sight of his best friend's paper being almost completely covered in red. "How are you this bad?" he asked between laughs.
"Shut up! Math is hard!" Baji exclaimed as a vein popped on his forehead.
"Well," Danny sighed as she lowered her hand, "all of your other grades are passable. Let's just hope that there's some sort of miracle. Maybe one of the gods will pity you enough and bless you with enough luck to get you through."
"Are you serious?" he asked with an offended look.
"Yeah, Danny, are you serious? He'll need the help of at least five gods," Kazutora said with a grin once his laughter died down.
"Kazutora! You're supposed to be on my side!" Both of the teens just chuckled at the angry boy.
"Y'know," Danny started once her laughing had finally begun to dwindle down, "I don't know how you're gonna survive high school."
"Hah? You're still helping me." He crossed his arms with a grin. "I ain't takin' no for an answer."
"Wooow, what a way to talk to a captain~" she teased.
"Yeah, Baji, how dare you talk to a captain that way," Kazutora added as he elbowed the boy.
Before anything else could be said, the door opened, revealing Baji's mom with a tray of snacks. "How's the studying goin' kids?" she asked with a smile as she walked over to the small table they were all sitting at.
"Thank you," Danny said with a sweet smile as she set the tray down on the table. "We just need to work a bit more with math."
She nodded. "Well, thank you for tutoring my son, sweetheart," she said as she patted Danny's head lightly. "God knows he needs all the help he can get."
"Hey!" Baji rebuked, earning a hard look from her that shut him up.
"I'll leave you kids to it," she said as she left the three.
With an inaudible grumble, he lightly glared at the door before looking at Danny, who had taken a snack from the tray. "Y'know, she thinks you're nothing but an angel."
"As she should," she chuckled as she took another treat.
Baji's eye twitched slightly. "You're nothing but a devil in disguise," he commented before angrily snacking on a cookie.
"Oh, nooo, my cover's been blown. Whatever shall I do?" she dramatically asked as she held a hand on her forehead before flashing him a toothy grin. "You wouldn't know what to do without me."
~
Days passed and finals were over, signaling the start of winter break. Even though she knew she did just fine on her own tests, she was worried about the ones Baji would have to take before long. She wasn't even worried about Kazutora, seeing as things seemed to stick pretty well with him. Baji was the complete opposite. She had even tried explaining her thought processes, but it just served to confuse him further. Her worries were about if he would be accepted into any high school. His grades were - barely - passing and she knew how picky schools could be at times.
"Daju~ You look like you're about to murder someone," Sayu said with a chuckle as she poked her taller friend's cheek. Having finally been excused from school after their last test, the two were walking to Danny's house to go for a joy ride. On the days that they weren't studying, this is what they'd do, and now that school was finally out, they planned on doing something a little extra special and fun to celebrate.
"I'm just worried about Baji," she truthfully answered with a sigh as she scratched the back of her neck a bit. Fuck, this is more stressful than the upcoming fight, she mentally added.
"Yeah," she sweatdropped, "his grades aren't the best, are they?" She lightly chuckled as Danny let out a groan. "Well, look at the bright side, there're plenty of high schools around with entrance exams that even he could pass."
"You're right," she sighed. "I'm still worried for the dumbass though."
Soon enough, they reached the Hanagaki residence and, after they both changed - Sayu had left some clothes in her room for these occasions - they headed out on Danny's sweet Spirabilis. As Danny drove, the two idly chatted about random subjects. "So, you got any plans for Christmas?" Sayu asked as they came to a stop at one of the lights.
"Just gonna be kicking a guy's ass later on in the day," she replied as she waited for the light to change. A few cars were ahead of them too, so she just hoped that they were all paying attention.
"Revenge?" she asked with an exasperated expression that Danny could practically hear.
"Eh, revenge is just an extension. That guy, Hakkai, I mentioned before said he was gonna kill him, he seemed pretty serious about it too, so we're just gonna prevent that. I wouldn't want a guy as nice as him getting tainted with that sorta sin, ya know?" Finally, the light turned green and the cars in front started moving forward.
"Yeah," Sayu replied as they started moving forward. "Where are we going anyway?"
"That spot I was telling you about earlier. It's in Roppongi, but with my sweet Spirabilis, we'll get there and back in no time."
"Ah, the place you've been rattling on about, right? And isn't that you're wallpaper too?"
"Yep," she chuckled as she made a right turn, "it's just so beautiful, especially around sunset."
After that, the ride went smoothly. Almost too smoothly. Every light from then on was green, they had the right away at every stop sign, and they had even found 2,000 yen in the parking lot right where she had parked her bike. Now, usually, Danny believed in the superstition that if everything seemed to be going well, something bad was about to happen. Unfortunately for her, she was much too engrossed in the conversation she and Sayu were having.
"-then there's this one type of bug that the male will forcefully fertilize the female just to have the babies kill the mother by eating her from the inside out," Danny rambled on, moving her hands for emphasis. Then, the feeling of a hand on her shoulder cut her off from what she had been saying.
Now, any normal person would simply stop and turn around to see who had grabbed their shoulder especially when the hand wasn't being forceful. But, as we all know, Danny is not normal.
Swiftly, she grabbed the unknown person's wrist and twisted around until she had their arm locked into place. "Who the fuck-" Abruptly, she cut herself off as her expression went from one that said that she was ready to fight to one that said "oh shit." Her eyes quickly moved from the gloved hand up to the person's black sleeve before landing on the very familiar face. Deep blue eyes locked with violet ones as she froze for a moment. With this being the closest she had ever been to one of the delinquents that she simped for back in the day, her brain went on the fritz as she registered that it was Rindou Haitani, the better-looking of the brothers in her honest opinion, that she was holding. Once the information finally clocked after about three seconds, which felt like an eternity to her, she dropped his hand like it was a hot pan. I am so fucking dead. "U-uh, sorry," she stuttered out as Sayu stepped behind her.
They both knew how royally she just fucked up.
From behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his glare hardened, giving off a murderous aura. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now," he stated in a low cold tone that was completely different from the last time he had spoken to the younger delinquent.
Shit, I gotta be smart about this! Danny opened her mouth slightly to say something, but... WHY CAN'T I FUCKING THINK OF ANYTHING?!
"I'm sorry about him, he's just a bit overprotective," Sayu said with a sheepish smile, doing her best not to look so nervous. "And he spaces out a lot, so you just took him by surprise," she added as she gripped the back of Danny's shirt. Her face didn't show it, but the trembling of her hands told her just how nervous she was.
As if that simple action had flipped a switch, Danny's previously stiff form relaxed as she looked one of the Kings of Roppongi dead in the eyes, taking the older teen by surprise, though he didn't show it. Whether she would have to fight or not, she would be ready. You may be hot, but you're scaring Sayu. "Look, I'm sorry about grabbing you like that," she said as she put her hands into her jacket's pockets. "As for why you shouldn't kill me..." Her head tilted slightly as she briefly paused. "There's a fight happening soon that I'd rather be in perfect shape for. I can't say much on the matter, but it'll definitely be one that goes down in the books." A small smile stretched across her face as she kept her eyes locked with Rindou's, watching for any hint that he may try and attack her.
"Who? Depending on your answer, you might be lucky enough to get your request," he said with more of a demanding tone.
Danny knew that this wasn't exactly the best plan, but she'd rather be forced to give some vague information than not be able to help the two blockheads on the day of the fight. Before she could say anything, his eyes flicked to the alley on her left, making her look over there as well. Standing there was your typical delinquent who had froze upon seeing the two insanely strong delinquents. Before anyone could utter even a syllable, he went running back to where he had come from, making Rindou click his tongue in irritation.
Danny let out a small huff of air before feeling an arm drape over her shoulders. "Well, well, well~ If it isn't Toman's Beast~" Ran grinned as he looked at the seemingly unfazed teen before his eyes landed on the shorter girl who gave him a wary expression. "And he's got a lil cutie," he added with a wink thrown at Sayu, who lightly blushed a bit at the action.
Having not been taken off guard this time, Danny didn't go with her usual reaction of punching him in the face. While she was curious as to how she compared to the Kings of Roppongi, she could hold herself back. "It involves a little dragon," she said to Rindou, doing her best not to seem nervous under the lanky teen's arm.
Rindou's eyes shifted from his brother to Danny's with a hint of amusement while Ran raised his brows in interest. The younger of the brothers began walking over as the older one let go of Danny's shoulders.
Thud
Thud
Thud
Thud
Thud
He stopped directly to Danny's right. "I'm only letting you go because those Black Dragon bastards have been nothing but trouble. Next time, I won't be so merciful." With those words said, he began walking away. Ran let out an amused chuckle as he followed his younger brother, finally leaving the two alone. Rindou stared ahead as he thought about the interaction. Danny was an interesting individual. One second he looked like every other delinquent that had come face-to-face with him, then the next he was standing tall, as if they were equals. One thing was for sure, Danaju Hanagaki was someone he wanted to fight. He wanted to see just how strong Toman's Third Division Captain was.
"L-let's just go home..." Sayu said as soon as the brothers were out of sight.
"Yeah..."
The two quickly sped-walked back to where Spirabilis was parked, only stopping to get on and start the bike. As soon as they were out of Roppongi, they both let out a sigh of relief. "Holy crap... they are so much scarier up close..." Sayu said with a sigh as her grip around Danny's waist finally loosened.
"Yeah... that's for sure," Danny said in a similar tone.
"And they're so much hotter up close," they said in sync with a dreamy sigh after a moment, making them both chuckle.
"And I can't believe Ran winked at me," Sayu slightly squealed. "And he called me cute!!"
Danny pouted for a second before smugly saying, "Well, I got to touch both of them."
"Eeeeh? They both wanted to fight you. I got complimented," she rebuked with a sly smirk.
"Yeah," Danny scoffed. "You got complimented by Ran's Wednesday Addams-lookin' ass."
An offended gasp loudly sounded from Sayu along with a light smack that connected with Danny's shoulder. "You take that back!"
"No," she said with a grin thrown over her shoulder as she made a left turn.
"Hmph. Well, Rindou looks like Chicken Little!"
"Now that's just too far!"
After a while longer of driving around and lightly arguing, Danny dropped Sayu off at home before deciding to go to one of the safer bridges nearby. Once she parked her bike at one of the parking lots close to the desired bridge, she took out her MP3 player and listened to some instrumental music through one of the earbuds. She had been in the specific mood for Kevin Penkin's music, but he'd be right about the same age as her by now, so she would have to make do with Flight of The Valkyries.
Once she reached the top of the bridge, she was surprised to see a familiar face there. It was one she hadn't seen for a while and wasn't intimidated by, though not many intimidated her. She leaned on a section of the railing about a meter away from the male, taking him by surprise. "Ne, Kisaki, why didn't you say anything after you found out I was in Toman?" she asked as she looked over at the younger teen. "No hello, how've you been doing, long time no see."
"Tch." He stood up straight, placing his hands in his pockets. "I knew that you didn't remember who I was. So what was the point?" He turned and began walking in the opposite direction.
"It isn't your fault," she said, making him stop and look back at her with furrowed brows. "I have object permanence issues. If I haven't seen something or someone for a long time, I forget that they exist completely. It's even worse if I got a buncha stuff going on."
Another scoff left his lips as he turned to face the girl. "What does that matter? You've ruined everything. The only thing you could do to make it up to me is get me back into Toman."
Danny raised a brow as she smiled and leaned her back against the railing. "And who says I want to make it up to you?" She laughed. "You're not the same Kisaki I used to be friends with. That Kisaki was a sweet, quiet, shy boy. But you? You're a manipulator, someone who tried to get two of my friends killed. Yeah, don't think I didn't figure out that you were the one who convinced Peh that Draken was at fault for Pah's arrest or that you weren't the one who planted the seed of doubt into Kazu's mind. I see you for what you truly are." Despite him being such a manipulator, Danny had the upper hand in this situation. Without a weapon or men, Kisaki was helpless. This was something she knew to be a fact, whether it pertained to the future or now. She was in control, and he knew that. "Even if I was desperate enough to obtain your forgiveness, I wouldn't be able to get you back in. Mikey isn't that dumb, and Baji would kill you the moment he laid eyes on you." She smirked at his frustrated expression. "So, keep those nasty fingers and silver-lined words away from my family, yeah?"
Without another word, he stormed off in utter defeat, leaving Danny to smirk to herself from the victory. While it wasn't as satisfying as shooting him, she could be content with mouthing off at him. For now, at least.
~
"I'm home!" Danny announced as she walked in the door.
"Thank goodness you're back," her mom said as she leaned out of the kitchen area. "Could you do me a huge favor and go buy some soy sauce and udon noodles? I don't have quite enough for supper," she asked with an apologetic smile.
"Yeah," she replied with a half smile as she slipped her shoe back on and lightly nodded. "The ones from Tomato, right?"
"If you could?" She put her hands together in a bit of a plea, making her daughter chuckle lightly.
"Sure thing, Mom." With that, she turned and left again, mounting Spirabilis before heading for the other side of Shibuya. Since she had a bike now, she had been sent on more frequent last-minute shopping trips, and, in all honesty, she didn't mind too much. She loved the feeling of the wind going through her hair as she drove. It brought almost a euphoric feeling that distracted her from all of the stress she's had to deal with over the past months.
Soon enough, she made it to the grocery store that carried the specific brand her mother always bought and she headed in. Immediately, she noticed that the store had been rearranged, making a small sigh leave her mouth. She was hoping that it'd be a quick in-and-out trip, but everything couldn't go perfectly, especially after her earlier encounter.
Finally, after a few minutes of going up and down the store's aisles, she found the aisle with the items she was looking for. After grabbing a few boxes of udon noodles, she moved to grab the soy sauce. Before she could grab it though, she bumped hands with someone, making her retract and look at the owner of the hand. God, why is today the day I run into three of the top five on my list of 'Hottest Delinquents'?
"Oh? What do we have here?" He smirked as he narrowed his dark eyes slightly.
Danny merely raised an unamused brow before grabbing two things of soy sauce. "Not in the mood," she stated before turning to walk away. But, the rest of the year's luck was gone, which was made apparent when the black-haired teen grabbed her left shoulder. Reluctantly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "What?"
Kokonoi clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked at the shorter teen. "You really like invading other gang's territories, don't you?" he asked with a glare.
"Huh." She raised her brows for a moment in interest. "Interesting to know, but I've been coming here for quite a few years," she said as she plucked his hand from her shoulder. "My mom's friends with the staff and, guess what, so am I. So, unless you want to be kicked out for attempted physical assault, I suggest you leave me alone," she added with a sweet close-eyed smile, taking him off-guard. Seeing her chance, she left the aisle and went straight to the register.
"My, if it isn't Yoko's oldest?" the older lady behind the counter greeted with a sweet smile as Danny unloaded her items.
She offered the woman a smile as she nodded her head in a greeting. "How do you do, Ms. Sato?"
"I'm doing well, Dear. How's your mother? She hasn't come in for a while," she continued as she began scanning the items.
"She's doing well, Ma'am. She's just been sending me out more since I have my own motorbike now."
"Just be careful on those contraptions. No tellin' when some moron will get too close. And that'll be 1,586 yen, Dear."
Danny nodded as she got the cash out of her wallet. "I know. I always keep track of the other vehicles on the road," she replied as she handed over 1,600 yen.
Sato nodded in approval as she got the change from the register drawer. "And be careful of those gangs too. Back in the day, those kids were respectable. They hardly ever caused a ruckus and always cleaned up after themselves, nowadays, they go about causing havoc and always leave it to the police and people in the neighborhood to clean up their messes," she huffed as she handed over the 14 yen.
"I'll be sure to keep an eye out. Have a good night." After giving her a slight bow, she left with the bag in hand. By the time she had mounted her bike and started it, Kokonoi exited the store with his own bag in hand. Once his eyes locked with hers, she stuck her tongue out at him, emulating what he had done before. After that, she drove back home, chuckling to herself a bit as she drove.
Unbeknownst to her though, Kokonoi smirked at her retreating form. "Interesting..."
~Originally, it was just supposed to be Rindou that they ran into, but I wanted to throw Ran in there. And despite how much Danny wants to fight them, I love both boys.
Also, do you guys prefer shorter or longer chapters? I try to keep them around the 2,000s range, but sometimes, like with this one, I get a bit carried away. Just curious:)~