Chapter 7

An alarm blared in a primarily dark room, set aside from the sun's rays peeking through the cracks in the curtains. A hand reached out from under the bed and tapped around the bedside table before landing on the snooze button of the alarm clock. There was a soft sigh followed by the flipping over of a blanket as a mess of red hair was revealed.

Despite how tired she felt, Anzu was excited; today was her first day at a normal school. With the help of Kureno and Hatori, Akito finally allowed her to go to school with some mystery provisions. None of that mattered though, because she finally felt like she was moving forward. After getting ready for school, she stood in the bathroom mirror for a while, twirling around and admiring herself in her new sailor-themed school uniform; it felt so surreal to have something she normally saw in movies on her body. Not wanting to be late on her first day, she fixed her hair one last time and pried herself from her reflection to grab her bag and leave the house.

Suddenly, as she was locking her front door, something brushed against her arm and the female jumped and dropped her house key. Clutching the handle of her bag with both hands, she closed her eyes and swung it around with a shrill scream.

"Ow, Zu-chan…"

Hearing her familiar nickname, she immediately stopped and opened her eyes. Instead of looking at someone who was almost eye level with her, she now had to tilt her head up to see the familiar tuft of blond hair.

"...Momiji?"

"Bingo! I look different, don't I?" The male grinned playfully before his mood quickly changed as he picked up her key. "I wish I could've called you or told you I was leaving somehow, but everything had happened so quickly I…"

As Momiji went on explaining himself, the female's thoughts had already drowned out anything she was hearing. He really grew so much in such a short time. His voice was a little deeper too, however his presence still felt the same.

Being as this was all so sudden, the crimsonette was speechless.

"Is the change too surprising?"

"N-No, I just…" Anzu blinked as she was brought out of her thoughts. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she quickly took her key out of his outstretched hand, smiling bashfully. "Welcome back."

The male smiled back warmly. "Thanks. I've gotten a lot more handsome, haven't I?"

"Just a bit." She laughed softly as they started walking together. "You're even wearing a different uniform so we can't match. Meanwhile, I haven't grown at all…"

"Sure you have!" The blond exclaimed. She may not have gotten taller, however there was something different about her. A new ambiance? Maybe it was because he hadn't seen her in a while, but he always appreciated seeing her smile. "How about a new nickname, like Lola?"

As soon as Anzu was about to answer, a black sedan pulled up next to the two and the back door opened, revealing Akito. Momiji immediately shifted closer to the girl protectively, the air growing tense despite the seemingly lighthearted smile on the raven's face.

"Are you ready to go to school, Anzu?"

"We're going to walk to school together." Momiji replied.

"That's not necessary. She already knows that."

Anzu frowned, seeing what she needed to do. Stepping out from behind Momiji, she walked towards Akito and got into the car. "I'll see you at school, Momiji." With that, the car sped off out of the estate, leaving the blond by himself.

"You won't be seeing much of him." Akito broke the silence in the car, looking directly at the red head.

"What do you mean?"

"I've arranged it already." The response was quick. "If you're going to go to school, then you'll do it by my rules. When school's over, I'll be waiting to take you home so don't make me wait."

"…Okay."

° ∆ -------- ••• ------- ∆ °

"Welcome to Kaibara Municipal High School. My name is Ms. Sato and I'll be your home room teacher for this year."

Anzu glanced around the classroom in silent anticipation only to be underwhelmed by the outcome. The classroom was mostly bare and there were plenty of desks, however she was the only student in the room. Facing the front, she turned her attention to Ms. Sato - an older woman with gray hair pulled back tightly in a bun.

"Where are all the other students?"

"We have special provisions for you, Ms. Fukushima. No need to worry, this will not affect your school life as I'm skilled in all subjects. We will also eat lunch in this classroom together. Shall we begin?"

The crimsonette's shoulders dropped as she realized the position she was in. Everything she'd been so excited to attend school for had been ripped away from her. This was nothing like what she expected and it took everything in her to stop the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

The school day dragged on for Anzu as she sat in her tutoring sessions. Her breaks would coincide with the other students, however she could only watch from the window as everyone else conversed amongst their friends. Luckily her classroom was on the same floor as the other second years, however it didn't make her feel any less secluded. They would often walk past her classroom and whisper amongst themselves about the girl with the red hair. Ms. Sato tried to make sure she wasn't alone, but that only made her more lonely.

Finally, the final bell rang, signalling that school was over. Akito said to come straight outside and she didn't have a reason not to, so she slowly made her way out of the building.

"Hallo Lola!"

Anzu quickly turned around as she stood in the middle of the entrance gate to the school. Momiji was running towards her with a smile, waving excitedly. Behind him, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were walking down the stairs with two other girls and a male with white and black hair. The blond's bright smile was more than enough to make her forget how lonely she'd felt all day. She wanted to smile back and wait for them, however someone grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her towards the street and into a car.

"You're really upsetting me, Anzu. Why are you constantly trying to turn away from me?"

Akito's grip on her wrist made her wince in pain as she turned to face the Sohma head. Every time they were close, she felt like her heart was plummeting into her stomach.

"I was so kind enough to give you school, but I guess I should take that from you then-"

"No!"

Interjecting, Anzu immediately shook her head. "I really want to go to school! I promise I'll come straight out next time. I can still be the rooster and stay by your side too." Looking down into her lap, she quieted down with a somber look. Akito's grip softened, so she assumed she said the right thing.

"You're not allowed to leave my side, just like the one before you."

Akito's piercing gaze didn't fade as they rode home. Anzu spent the entire afternoon in the room of the Sohma head, alternating between doing her homework and doodling in the margins of a blank notebook.

"Can I at least have some classmates?"

"In due time, Anzu."

° ∆ -------- ••• ------- ∆ °

"Anzu goes to our school now?" Tohru asked as she walked with the Sohma boys down the street. Hana and Uo had already bid their goodbyes and left the opposite way. "Is she in your class, Momiji-kun?"

The blond was silent as they walked, not paying attention. Instead, his mind was wrapped around the look on Anzu's face as she was pulled to the car, followed by the intense glare from Akito as they drove off. It was obvious that Akito was keeping her away from him, but this was a bit much.

"Momiji-kun? Are you okay?"

Momiji stopped walking and turned around, noticing that everyone else was now behind him. He figured he needed to let out what was on his mind. "I knew Anzu was coming to school today, but I never saw her until now."

"Do you know anything about that, Yuki?" Haru glanced over at their student council president.

Yuki thought about it for a moment before coming to a realization. "I had overheard some of the teachers talking about provisions for a new student when I walked into the staff office. Apparently there's a single classroom being used by only one student and one teacher. I didn't know it was about her."

Tohru frowned. "Do you know why she's being isolated?"

"I don't see why. The rest of us go here scot free." Kyo rested his arms behind his head. At that moment, he didn't notice Yuki's obvious disagreement with his statement.

"I want to do something about it." Momiji clenched his fist in frustration. "She was so excited about coming to school and making friends. You all should've seen how happy she was when we were talking about it before school ended."

Tohru was going to say something, however she seemed to have an epiphany. "Oh no, I have to hurry or I'll be late for work. I'll go on ahead!" The brunette waved before quickly running off. Once she was out of sight, the real conversation began.

Kyo's mouth formed a small snarl of distaste. "I know I wasn't the only one who noticed who's car she got in."

"Did something happen between you and Akito, Momiji?" Haru faced the blond seriously.

"Not exactly... It was more so between Anzu and Akito."

Kyo crossed his arms, reading the situation clearly. "So basically this is her punishment for whatever happened."

"Way to speak the obvious, stupid cat."

"Shut up you dumb rat!"

"Is that the only-"

Momiji intervened before the two could go at it, irritated with the entire situation. "Das ist genug! This isn't Anzu's fault so she shouldn't be punished! I'm going to go get her."

Haru grabbed the blond's arm before he could run off. "And how are you going to do that?"

"I don't know, but-"

"Haru is right." Yuki spoke up. "There are too many factors that determine what we can do right now."

"But I can't just sit and do nothing!"

"We can think of a plan together." The gray haired male assured him. "We wouldn't let you fight alone."