>HHH #8 Exposed! By John Evans, jevans@alum.mit.edu >Beware the Radish >http://www.chaoseed.com/btr/ The princess stood on the balcony, gazing out into the night. The stars shone like diamonds scattered on velvet, like the gems sparkling in her royal tiara. Her face glowed softly in the moonlight... >o/~ Gomen ne sunao ja nakute... o/~ >...never mind. "Princess." She turned, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "My guardian..." "You have a won a great victory...but your battle is not yet over." He >The one typo NeoPuu tried to tell me about but I didn't catch. Sorry, NP. >Oh, well... took a step forward. "Worry not, however, as I will always be here to protect you." She ran forward and fell into the comfort of his embrace. "Tuxedo Kuro- sama..." Her black-gloved hand caressed her hair. "Never fear, Magical Princess Yuki. I will always be here." Then his hand slid down her back... >*fondle* Yuki blinked. "Ch...chotto! I didn't say you could..." She squirmed. "Yuki! Time to get up!" Yuki blinked, and realized Tuxedo Kuro had suddenly turned into a pillow. "Come on, Yuki! Your show's almost on!" "What...aaaah!" Yuki threw aside her pillow and leaped out of bed, then tripped and sprawled on the floor. She sat up, and rubbed her back. "Itaaaai..." ===== HEART HEART HIGH Created by NeoPuu Chapter 8: Sad Sad Story! Yuki Takes Action! Written by John "jevans@datablast.net" Evans >That's my old email address, my current one is at the top of this fic... >The Name "Epithet" Name is a reference to something, but for the life of me, >I can't remember what... >This story, of course, hosted by ImproFanfic, http://www.improfanfic.com/ ===== "Saikyo-sama! Saikyo-sama!" Saikyo moaned. "Go away..." "Saikyo-sama, come on! It's time to get up!" Saikyo opened her eyes, and blearily focused on the form of the Trooper in front of her. "I'm sick," she muttered. "Even if I am the most popular girl in school...I'm only human." >Saikyo's not really sick. She's just depressed. >See, when I'm depressed, I sleep a lot. Write what you know and all. "I think you should get up and have breakfast," the girl continued. "I think that'll help you feel a lot better." Saikyo sat up in her bed, and aimed a glare at her follower. "I don't want to go to school today. I don't feel well." "I know," the Trooper said, "but you can't get discouraged." "Discouraged?" Saikyo tossed her head. "I'm not discouraged. I am simply ill. Is that so hard to understand?" "Saikyo-sama..." The Trooper gazed at her. Saikyo's mother suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Oh, Saikyo, dear. Shouldn't you be getting up?" Saikyo pulled the covers around her. "I'm...not feeling well, mother." Mrs. Hiruma blinked. "...Is this about those photos we got yesterday?" Saikyo huddled into herself. Her mother crossed to the bed and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Now, now, dear. You shouldn't be that upset." Saikyo peeked out from the sheets. "...I shouldn't?" "Of course not, dear. You may have lost a battle, but you can't just give up the war. Haven't your father and I always told you that?" Saikyo pulled the covers down a little. "Well...yes..." "That's right." Mrs. Hiruma patted her daughter's cheek. "Now, just think about it for a while, and I know you'll come up with some way to get even." She stood up again, and walked to the door. "And one more thing," she called over her shoulder. "Your show is almost on." A few moments after her mother left, Saikyo sat up in bed, fire burning in her eyes. "That's right...the war isn't over. I can't let something like *this* stop me!" "You're still the most popular and wealthiest girl in school, Saikyo- sama," the Trooper chimed in. "I certainly am, Sumiko," Saikyo replied, clenching a fist. "And soon... *I'll* be the one to have the last laugh! OOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOO!!!" >See, it's the first appearance of Sumiko... ===== Yuki sped down the stairs and zoomed to her place at the kitchen table. "Ohayo," she said cheerily, grabbing toast and eggs. "Ohayo," her mother said, smiling. "You're certainly cheerful today." "Hai!" Yuki said around a mouthful of toast. She beamed. "I'm glad, dear," her mother said. "Now, here's your lunch, and remember your show is about to be on." She put a bento next to Yuki's place, and then walked to the living room. "Thanks Mom!" Yuki swallowed, and leaped to the television. Today hadn't even started yet, but she had a feeling it was going to be a good day. And Doki Doki Kokoro always made her feel good. The television powered up and the static cleared...revealing something that was definitely not Doki Doki Kokoro. Yuki stared. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHH!" Suddenly a man in a business suit appeared on the screen. "Er," he said. "We would like to apologize for, er, showing the wrong tape. Er. We're very sorry. We bring you now to, er, Doki Doko Kokoro. Er, Doki Doki. Kokoro. Er." He vanished, to be replaced by the beginning of the Doki Doki Kokoro opening animation. Yuki's mother rushed into the kitchen. "Yuki! What's wrong?" Yuki flopped into her chair, still staring at the screen. "Uh...they, uh, well, nothing, Mom." She took a bite of toast, trying to get the image of the girl and the carrot out of her mind. >I hope I don't really have to explain this. ^_^; ===== "Well, that was strange." Saikyo tapped her chin. "Hm. I wonder..." >The point here is that Saikyo is watching Doki Doki Kokoro at the same time >Yuki is. Therefore she sees the same carrot thing...and this gives her an >idea for a plan to get Yuki. >Saikyo *still* has trouble coming up with plans on her own, you see... ===== "Agh! I'm going to be late!" She picked up speed, then started to run..faster and faster, until the gates were in sight...closing! With a last burst of energy, she leaped forward and dove...sliding into safety! "Good slide," a boy commented. Tobuko got up, dusted herself off, and smiled. "Thanks, Okami-kun. Maybe I should get up earlier." "Nah. I almost saw your panties that time." He grinned. "Baka!" Tobuko took a swipe at him with her schoolbag, and he stepped back, laughing. >The point here is that this is Doki Doki Kokoro. Okami is sort of like Gai; >'okami' means 'wolf', and Gai from Heavenly Sphere Shurato had the wolf as >his totem animal...well, it makes sense to me. Also, 'tobu' means 'jump', >which is the only thing of note Tobuko does in this sequence... "Hey, I'm just kidding!" He grinned. "But there are probably a lot of other guys who aren't as gentlemanly as I am." Tobuko folded her arms and tossed her head. "Hmph." "Tobuko..." His tone was serious. Tobuko looked back at him. "Nani?..." "Would you like to...go to a movie after school today?" Tobuko blinked, then turned away. *I don't know if I can,* a voiceover said. *I still don't know how I feel about Aoi-kun...or how he feels about me...* >This is a very Marmalade Boy-ish moment here with the voiceover. At least, >that's what it's meant to be. >Another name note: 'Shiro' means 'white'. 'Kuro' means 'black'. 'Aoi' means >'blue'. (It's also the nickname of this guy I know from a mailing list...) "Yuki!" Yuki blinked, then rubbed her eyes and tore her gaze away from the TV. "What is it, Mom? Her mother walked back into the kitchen. "There are some girls here to see you. Maybe they want to walk you to school." She smiled. [Girls?] Yuki thought. [Who could...oh, no!] ===== "OOOOOOOHOHOHOOOhayo, Yuki-chan!" Saikyo laughed. >Funny, nobody ever commented on that, but it's one of my favorite lines from >the whole chapter... "...What do you want, Saikyo?" Yuki asked, edging through the front door. "Why, we just came to say good morning!" Saikyo proclaimed. "Isn't that right, girls?" "Yes, Saikyo-sama!" the Troopers chorused. Yuki winced. She noticed Moemi standing near the back of the group, looking uncomfortable. Their eyes met, but Yuki didn't want to give any sign of recognition, so she focused on Saikyo. "Well...good morning," Yuki said. "...Now go off to school before you're late." "Oh, I think we have a bit of time," Saikyo said. "Why not make the most of it? We could talk about school, the weather, Doki Doki Kokoro..." Yuki stopped in her tracks. "...Doki Doki Kokoro?" "Oh, do you watch?" Saikyo asked. "I've heard so much about it..." >Saikyo has now confirmed that Yuki watches Doki Doki Kokoro, and thus will be >vulnerable to her carrot plan. >Sneaky little bitch, isn't she? "I watch it sometimes, Saikyo-sama," the Trooper immediately behind Saikyo said. "Oh, really? Tell me about it, Sumiko..." She turned to face the Trooper. >Sumiko again. Yuki had no idea why Saikyo was acting like this, but she didn't really care, either. She edged toward the hose. If only Saikyo stayed distracted... "...And Aoi is this big bishounen type guy..." Yuki stepped carefully through the yard. Astonishingly, none of the Troopers seemed to notice her. >They're just pretending, of course. "...But then Satoshi tried to defend her..." >That was just a name I took from Phoebe's description of Doki Doki Kokoro. Yuki reached the hose, and fumbled for the end. Almost there... "...While Jiro thought he had psychic powers..." >Jiro was another name from Phoebe's chapter...but it's also the name of one >of the main characters of 'Dark Times', which wasn't actually written at this >time. Oddly enough, he *does* have psychic powers... Yuki suddenly remembered Moemi, but realized that she'd probably be watching what she was doing, and thus would know to duck out of the way. She spun the valve and looked up to aim, but noticed Moemi still standing with the Troopers...why was she shaking her head like that? >Poor Moemi...she wanted to warn Yuki, but she couldn't blow her cover. *SPLISSSSSHHHH!* "EEEEEEEK!" Water sprayed onto Yuki from the hose. She frantically twisted the valve, but was almost completely soaked by the time she could stop the flow. "OOOOOOOHOHOHOHOOO!" Saikyo laughed. "Looks like you need to get a new hose, Yuki-chan!" Her Troopers laughed with her. Yuki took a good look at the hose. She noticed a number of small cuts and holes, from which the water had sprayed as soon as the pressure built up. She looked up and glared at Saikyo. "Well, we should be off," Saikyo said. "Don't want to be late, after all! See you at school, Yuki-chan! OOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!" She led the Troopers off, laughing all the while. The last one to leave was Moemi, who looked at Yuki sadly for a moment, then hurried off. Yuki wiped her eyes, and sniffed. Then she scowled. "That nasty, nasty Saikyo...I won't let this get me down! I'll go and CHANGE!" >Another strange note...I just sort of tossed that line off because it >sounded good, but everybody seems to like it and think it really shows off >Yuki's character. Kind of cool, actually. ===== Yuki ran along the street, panting. Suddenly she spied the school gates up ahead. [At last!] she thought. [Now I can...wait! WAIT!] The gates had begun to close. Gritting her teeth, Yuki put on a last burst of speed. The gates drew closer, until they were close enough to LEAP-- >--into a reference to this morning's Doki Doki Kokoro!... Yuki slid through the gates, a cloud of dust rising around her. As she came to a stop, she heard the CLANG as the gates closed. [I made it], she thought, and flopped onto her back. "Nice slide," a voice said. Yuki opened her eyes, and saw Gai standing over here, smiling. "Ohayo," she said. Suddenly a strange thought hit her, and she sat up and pulled her skirt down, to make sure it was covering everything it should. >She's definitely thinking of the show here. >There's so much potential in having a 'show within a show'...all sorts of >neat foreshadowing and weird things you can do...but nobody had been doing >that. So I decided to show them how easy and fun it is. "Ohayo Yuki," Gai said. He extended his hand, which Yuki took, and pulled her to a standing position. "You're full of energy today." He smiled. Yuki smiled back, with just a touch of a blush. "Well, yesterday was a good day for us, right?" Gai nodded. "I think you actually might have inspired people a bit more." Yuki rubbed the back of her head. "Well...I can't let that evil, evil Saikyo do whatever she wants!" Gai smiled. "...Say, Yuki." Yuki blinked, at the change in Gai's tone. "Nani?" "Well..." Gai looked down, then looked back at her...then looked off into the distance. "...Oh. I just remembered something. Sorry, I have to go." He walked off, without a backward glance. Yuki blinked. "Um...see you later," she said to Gai's retreating form. He raised his hand in a wave, again without looking back, and disappeared into the school. A small drop of sweat formed on Yuki's head. [That was strange...] >That was because NeoPuu told me he wanted Gai to have a habit of >disappearing at odd times, for some reason. You'll notice he does that in >#1. ===== Saikyo pushed opened the door to the bathroom. "Well, the first plan worked quite well. Good work, Troopers!" >I wanted a scene with Sumiko and Moemi, and in #1 Gai said the only time the >Troopers break ranks is in the bathroom, so... "Thank you, Saikyo-sama!" the Troopers chorused, following her in. "Now we start on Plan 2 for the day. But before that, everyone make sure you're presentable for class." Saikyo appraised the ranks of her followers, then nodded curtly and disappeared into a stall. Moemi walked over to a mirror and started to brush her hair. She looked at her pale reflection. It was getting harder to act like a devoted follower of Saikyo... "Moemi? May I talk to you?" Moemi turned, and felt a chill in her chest. "...Yes, Sumiko?" >What I'm trying to get across is that Sumiko is the highest-ranking of the >Troopers. Saikyo trusts her, and the rest of the Troopers fear her. Sumiko smiled slightly. "I'm...concerned about you." Moemi swallowed. "Concerned? Why?" "I wonder if you're not as...enthusiastic about serving Saikyo, as you might be." She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. Moemi put away her hairbrush, trying to control the trembling in her hands. "No...no, of course not," she said. "I swore to be Saikyo's loyal Trooper..." "So you did." Sumiko ran her hands through her long brown hair, then >That was a hint that Sumiko never had to go through the photos, hair >cutting, etc.. She attached herself to Saikyo of her own free will. >...of course, things didn't *quite* turn out that way... turned to face Moemi again. "But somehow...I don't know, there's something about your...attitude, recently." She reached out to Moemi's face. Moemi drew back slightly, then froze as the other Trooper stroked her short hair. "I tell you this purely out of concern for you, of course. If Saikyo were to find out..." Moemi drew in a deep breath, and searched for that little voice inside her. "Thank you, but I can handle my problems myself." She drew away from Sumiko's hand. *SLAP!* Moemi stumbled back and sat heavily on the floor, holding her cheek. Sumiko lowered her hand. "I wonder," she said, after a moment. Moemi got slowly to her feet, still holding her face. Her eyes darted around the bathroom, but the other Troopers were ignoring her. She looked at the floor. Saikyo appeared from the stall, and walked over to them. "Something wrong, girls?" "Nothing, Saikyo-sama," Sumiko said smoothly. Saikyo leaned toward Moemi. "Anything wrong, Moemi?" Moemi shook her head. "Nothing, Saikyo-sama," she murmured. "I'm happy to hear that," she said, giving Moemi a pat on the shoulder. "Now, we should be off to class." >It's vague, but I think Saikyo realizes that Sumiko just slapped Moemi, and >even if she doesn't know the reason, she trusts Sumiko to keep the lower >Troopers in line. >If Saikyo's totally unaware she seems too much like Villyn from DG, you >see... ===== Yuki frowned. "So...nobody knows what happened to Asako?" >Unfortunately, the title of the chapter doesn't have much to do with the >story. Ah, well... "I'm sorry, Yuki," Takeshi said. "I asked, but...she just sort of stopped coming to school. And nobody wanted to investigate, because..." He jerked his head toward the Trooper section of the classroom. Yuki chewed on the end of her pen. "Does anyone remember where she lived? I mean...her parents probably wouldn't move or anything...would they? I don't think my parents would...they never take my problems seriously anyway." She slumped in her chair. >When I wrote this, I was thinking maybe Asako just transferred to another >high school in the area. Maybe a less prestigious one than H^3. "It was a while ago, Yuki," Takeshi said apologetically. "I asked a few people, but they said they all forgot..." "Mou!" Yuki said. "The people in this school..." "Ne, Yuki," Gina said. "Hm? Nani, Gina?" Gina looked around, and leaned close to Yuki to speak quietly. "I never knew Asako...but I do have some information. I don't know if it'll be useful, but..." "What is it, Gina?" Yuki asked, leaning in close. "Well," Gina almost whispered, "I actually saw Asako right after her hair was cut." "Oh no!" Yuki said. "...How did she look?" "Well...it wasn't like she was bald or anything," Gina replied. "But you could tell she was really hurt, because her face was...almost dead." "Oh..." Yuki's face screwed up in sympathy. "And then she noticed me," Gina said. "I'd just transferred in, so we didn't know each other or anything...but she said something to me." "...What did she say?" Yuki asked, her heart pounding. "She said...'She made me understand.'" Yuki and Gina sat there for a moment, thinking. "...So, what does that mean?" Takeshi asked. Gina shrugged. "I don't know." She looked back at the blackboard, and absently played with the end of her hair. Yuki blinked, and stared at Gina. After a moment, a sweatdrop formed on her head. >The point I was trying to get across was that this was all dramatic and >stuff...but then Yuki realizes that, since nobody knows what it means, it >doesn't really mean *anything*. That's why she's sweatdropping. >What Asako really meant was left for the future authors to decide. >Although I had my own opinion, of course, which was: Saikyo says she's the >most popular, but she thinks 'popularity' means power and people fearing >her, and not friends. She really doesn't *like* anyone else, and she thinks >everyone else hates her. And that's what she made Asako understand...(Not >just by cutting her hair, of course, there had to be more to it than >that...) ===== "Gina Jacquard, Saikyo-sama," Sumiko whispered. Saikyo tapped her pen against her chin. "Hmmm. I did say no one was to talk to that common girl, didn't I?" "Yes, Saikyo-sama." "I think we may just have to do something about her." Sumiko smiled. "Yes, Saikyo-sama..." ===== Lunchtime rolled around. Yuki found her usual table empty (as usual), and sat down with her bento. She unwrapped the box, and opened the lid...and stared. Along with the standard white rice, her mother had elected to include a few small, peeled carrots as a vegetable. >If you'll read the end of HHH #7, you'll see a line about a carrot that was >supposed to be in this chapter. >I had a hard time figuring out what to do with that line. Eventually I >realized that I wanted to have carrots reoccurring and then something would >happen to make Yuki feel bad or something. I wasn't quite sure what would be >appropriate for Saikyo and HHH...but then I remembered an old saying: 'Write >what you know'. This whole carrot thing is lifted more or less straight from >a Ranma fanfic I wrote a while ago, called 'Ranma: Reality 1/2 2'. (#1 was >about something else.) The only real differences are how the carrots show up >in the first place, and the fact that in the Ranma story I used radishes. >Yes, really. Yuki shook her head. [Just a coincidence...] She took a bite from one of the carrots, to try and force herself over the bad feeling. Takeshi sat down across from her, with the hot lunch he'd bought. "Hi, Yuki," he said amiably. "Hi," Yuki said, frowning at her lunch. Takeshi snapped apart his chopsticks, then commenced poking at his tray. "Huh...well, that's just great. I don't like cooked carrots..." Yuki jumped. "...You okay, Yuki?" Takeshi asked. "...Er...yeah, I'm okay." Yuki rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously. "...Well...okay, then. ...Oh, I see you have carrots too." At that moment, Gina sat down next to Yuki. "Hi guys!" "Hi, Gina." Yuki smiled at her. "Funny how you tend to hear a bunch of similar things all at once," Gina said, scrutinizing her own lunch. >Anyone else ever notice that? "What do you mean?" Takeshi asked, his mouth full. "Well, the school's serving these carrots today, and Yuki's got carrots, and just this morning my mother was talking about making a carrot cake as a special order for someone." Yuki's eyes bulged slightly. "Oh yeah...that is weird," Takeshi said. "Don't you think so, Yuki?" "...Yeah," Yuki said. "Well, well, well, Yuki-chan! So nice to see you again!" Yuki stiffened, then slowly turned in her seat. "Enjoying your lunch?" Saikyo asked. "...I was until just a moment ago," Yuki said. She smiled as she heard Takeshi snicker. Annoyance flashed across Saikyo's face, but only for a moment. "Well, then...perhaps you'll be more pleased to hear that I'm here to present you with a gift!" Yuki blinked. "...a gift?" "That's right!" Saikyo said. "And it's right here..." A Trooper handed her a brown paper sack. She rummaged in it for a moment, then pulled out... A carrot. Yuki's eyes widened. Saikyo smiled, and took a step forward. Yuki stood up. "...NO! What are you going to do with that carrot?" Saikyo put her hand to her mouth. "Ohohohohoho!! Wouldn't you like to know, peasant tramp!" >Astute readers will notice that this Saikyo laugh is written differently >from the other Saikyo laughs in this chapter. The reason is that I copied >this directly from the teaser line in #7. "...Yuki?" Gina asked. Yuki stumbled away from the table, then ran out of the lunchroom. "Hey!" A teacher on lunchroom duty ran over. "Hiruma! Did you do something to her?" "Why, no, sensei," Saikyo said. "I simply offered her some of my lunch." She took a bite of the carrot and chewed thoughtfully. >I have this nagging fear that having a teacher get excited about something >Saikyo might be doing was somewhat OOC for those teachers...but I just >wanted to put that line in for Saikyo... Gina and Takeshi exchanged bewildered looks. ===== Yuki trudged homeward. School was out, and had ended on a low note. Gina and Takeshi had been baffled by her behavior during lunch, and she couldn't really figure out how to explain it to them...And there hadn't been any more leads on Asako...and she'd gotten a ton of homework from history class... Yuki heard a crunching noise, and blinked. She looked around and noticed a deserted playground nearby. And sitting on the edge of the sandbox was... Shiro. Eating a carrot. Yuki stared. Shiro looked back at her without expression. "...Where did you get that?!?" Yuki yelled. Shiro blinked. "This?" He held out the carrot. "Saikyo gave it to me." "...She did? Why?" Shiro shrugged. After a moment, Yuki frowned. [To annoy me,] she thought. [Well, I won't let it get to me!] "Why do you work for her anyway?" she said out loud. "I told you that before," Shiro replied, sounding bored. "Oh...But you shouldn't! Drugs are very, very bad!" Yuki said. >o/~ We should love in... o/~ Never mind. Shiro's eyes flashed...just for a moment. "You don't understand." Yuki put her hands on her hips. "All right...explain it to me!" Shiro looked at her, for several long moments. Then, finally, he looked away. "No." "Why not?!?" "You wouldn't understand." "Well of course I won't understand if you don't *tell* me!" "Go away." Yuki stomped her foot. "You shouldn't do anything for Saikyo! She's a nasty evil evil nasty girl!" >I had Yuki say 'nasty evil evil nasty' because I wanted to mix up the order >a bit. Shiro shrugged again. "...Drugs are bad!" "You said that already," Shiro observed. >Actually I was kind of unsure about how to write this scene. So I muddled >through...and it actually worked pretty well, because it made it seem like >Yuki wasn't quite sure what to say either. Yuki frowned. [This is getting nowhere. ...Wait...I wanted to ask him... That's right!] "Shiro!" Shiro looked at her. "Yeah?" Yuki swallowed. Did she really want to know?...But she had to know, didn't she? "I...I need to ask you something." Shiro kept looking at her. "Did you..." Yuki gritted her teeth. "When Saikyo took those photos... Did you...Did you kiss me?" She blushed involuntarily. Shiro took another bite of his carrot, still watching her. He chewed for a while, then swallowed. Then he said, "How much?" Yuki blinked. "What?" "How much will you pay me, to tell you?" "...No! Drugs are--" "Suit yourself." Yuki grimaced. Shiro looked back at her calmly. "...I...I haven't ever kissed anyone," she forced herself to say. "So...I need to know." "I've kissed lots of girls," Shiro said. "It's not a big deal." Yuki flushed angrily. "It is for me! Tell me!" "How much?" Yuki scowled...then blinked. "Wait...I don't have any Advil on me." "I think you do," Shiro said. "Oh? And how do *you* know?" "I heard them rattle when you put your bag down," Shiro replied. Yuki blinked, and shook her bag. There was indeed a rattle. She opened the bag and searched through it for a minute, and found the bottle of Advil from her mother, which she'd forgotten to take out. "Told you," Shiro said. "So, how much?" Yuki stared at him for a long moment. "...one," she said finally. Shiro snorted. "Five." >And right from there we all know what they'll finally agree on. Right? "No!" Yuki said, horrified. "I'll only give you one!" "Five." "...all right, two," Yuki said. "...How about four?" "I'm not going any higher than two!" They looked at each other. "...three?" Yuki asked. "Done." Yuki reluctantly opened the container, shook out three pills, and dropped them into Shiro's outstretched hand. He immediately secreted them away in a pocket of his uniform. "...So?" Yuki asked. Shiro looked up from buttoning his pocket. "So what?" Yuki almost fell over. "Did you kiss me or not!" "Oh, that," Shiro said. "Yes, I did." Yuki stared at him. "It was nice," he continued. "Too bad you couldn't enjoy it too." >Is he telling the truth? Or not? Once again, it was up to future authors... "...you..." Shiro raised an eyebrow. "...you...you EVIL PERSON! I HATE YOU!!!" Yuki launched herself at Shiro, arms flailing. Shiro stood up and grabbed her wrists, and threw her roughly to the ground. She started to get up, but froze when she saw his expression. "You should grow up." His voice was low, but it cut right to her spine. "You can't deal with things like a child forever." Shiro stepped forward... and his foot came down on Bobo-chan. With a soft tearing sound, the redone stitching gave way, and the doll's head rolled to the side. Then he turned, and walked off, without a single glance back. >I did this for two reasons. First, I wanted to have Shiro do the 'you should >grow up' argument. Second, NeoPuu had this idea for Bobo-chan... ===== Next time, on Heart Heart High-- Dark, Dark Past! Answers--And More Questions? >It took me so damn long to come up with that chapter title...I couldn't >think of anything else. Fortunately, it seemed to give NeoPuu enough space... "Shiro, you...you saved me!..." "..." >This was another idea NeoPuu had which I decided to set up for him. Be here in a week, for the man who started it all! >Meaning NeoPuu, of course. Thanks go out to my cool prereaders who I kept waiting much too long for a draft...Yasha and NeoPuu! (His name's just all over this story, isn't it?) >NeoPuu, NeoPuu, NeoPuu...NeoPuu! Neo Neo Bo Beo...o/~ >Anyway...that's all for that one, then.