Chapter 3-I: Signal, Warning, Danger

'Briing, briing, briing,' the alarm clock rang. It was morning and rays of sunlight seeped into the room through the sky blue curtains. 

'Briing, briing, briing.'

The bluenette turned sideways on his bed, after a few seconds he covered his ears with a pillow to block out the noise. 

'Briing, briing, bri-*crash*'

A fist came down with full force and smashed the alarm clock. Bolts and screws flew out it, signifying the intense damage done to the object. 

"Toshirou-kun, did you break your clock again?!" His mother called from outside his room.

Toshirou rose up slowly from bed with tousled hair and droopy eyes. A frown etched its way onto his face seeing his broken clock. He stood up and stretched his body, twisting side to side to undo the stiffness in his torso. He put his hand on the left side of his neck and bent his head to the right. Cracks were heard and he did the same for the other side. He groaned in relief as the morning stiffness was gone from his body. 

'What a pain.'

He walked a few steps to the bathroom and did his morning business. Thirty minutes later, he came out all clean and fresh for the morning. His uniform was neatly ironed and folded and rested on top of his desk.

"Toooshi-kuun, Chiyo-chan is here! Hurry and come over here!"

"Give me five minutes!" Toshirou shouted back in response. He quickly dressed up in his uniform, used a brush to untangle his hair and took his school-bag with him. Exactly five minutes later, he was all set for school and quickly dashed out of his room before his mother could burst in and do something embarrassing.

"Ohayo Toshirou-kun." Chiyo greeted as he strolled into the living room. Toshirou grumbled a good morning and took a seat at the dining table. He glanced at the wall clock. Seeing there were still a few minutes to spare, he poured himself a bowl of cereal and immediately began munching away.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Chiyo asked.

He looked at his cereal bowl and saw no milk in it. 

'Dammit!'

A small habit of his of eating cereal without milk when he was upset. He looked up at Chiyo and was taken aback a bit by her concerned expression. With a steady hand, he took the milk box and poured himself some, careful not to let anything spill on the table.

"Kaa-chan and I had a talk yesterday. It left me pissed for a while." He said.

"You didn't fight with Onee-chan right?" 

Toshirou's mother, Ruri, had cautioned Chiyo more than once not to call her Aosaki-san, because it made her feel old and seem to have so much responsibility. Toshirou had openly scorned his mother when she said this, which ended up not quite in his favor.

"No, we didn't fight. But what we talked about, isn't something to be overly proud of." He said. At that moment, he finished his cereal. He stood up from his chair and gave out a hand to Chiyo, which she took and stood up as well. 

"Are you done with that stuff I asked you to make for me last night?" Toshirou asked her.

"Almost, though I'm still confused as to why you need something like that." She replied.

"I'll tell you later. But for now, just hold on for a while."

She nodded her head and walked to the door with Toshirou by her side.

"We're leaving Kaa-chan!" 

"Ehhh, but I want to talk with Chiyo-chan more." She cried, running out of one the rooms and hugging the life out of Chiyo.

Toshirou looked at her with a somewhat grim look, probably knowing her actions will delay them further but chose not to say anything.

"O-onee-chan!" Chiyo gasped. The hug only became tighter and Chiyo sighed heavily in surrender.

"Alright that's enough, we've got school. If you want, she'll come afterwards and then you'll spend all that girly time together." Toshirou proposed, hoping she would let up.

"Hontoni?" Ruri exclaimed joyfully.

"Hai, really." 

"Yaaay!" Ruri let go of her and lifted her hands into the air like a kid with a wide smile on her face. Chiyo couldn't help but burst into laughter at her childish, yet heartwarming behavior.

Toshirou gave Chiyo a slight push towards the door, to escape before Ruri suddenly changed her mind. 

"I'll come over later Onee-chan." Chiyo said and waved goodbye.

"Haaai!" Ruri waved her arms at both of them. "Be safe, the both of you! And do your best today!" 

"We will." Toshirou replied, giving her a small wave in return and grabbed Chiyo's hand, making a dash for it because as he feared, there were only twelve minutes left till school began.

...

The day went by surprisingly normal for Toshirou. He had classes, didn't answer any questions during lessons, warded off some girls, argued with Takezawa-sensei, pretty much an everyday thing.

He sometimes felt as if someone was watching him but immediately dispelled it as just his imagination. He was bored out of his mind and wished heavily for lunch break to arrive.

His wish was granted. Sooner than he expected, the bell for lunch went off and he offered silent thanks hearing the sound. But, he now had another matter on his hands; avoiding girls - again, who would more or less, ask if they could share their bento with him. 

'I could just jump out the window'. He thought to himself. With a sigh, he walked out of the door. Normally, Toshirou would have lunch with Chiyo in her class or if she was busy, being a part of the the Arts and Crafts club, would have lunch on the rooftops. It was unauthorized entry for students but heck, what did it matter? He'll be damned if he couldn't get peace and quiet with a cool breeze under a lovely sky. He slowly made his way through the mob of students, carefully keeping an eye for anyone who wanted to approach him. 

Finally, he arrived at class 2B. He walked into the class and tried to find Chiyo which proved a bit difficult since students were still bustling out of the classroom. Her pink ribbon caught his eye and he made his way towards her direction.

Spotting her talking with some friends, he debated on whether he should make his presence known or to just wait till they were done. But no, he couldn't wait. He was hungry, very hungry and couldn't care less if he interrupted whatever conversation they were having. Just as he was about to, the two girls whom Chiyo was talking to, looked up at him. They had ecstatic smiles on their faces and whispered something to Chiyo, probably something funny, because they suddenly burst into laughter.

"Do you mind telling me what's so funny?" Toshirou asked, taking a nearby chair and sitting by her desk. 

"It's nothing." Chiyo giggled. 

"Ohayo, Toshirou-kun." The two girls by her desk waved at him. He surprisingly gave a small wave in return and spoke to them. 

"Yo."

The unexpected answer made them flustered and they scurried out of the classroom, all blushing and giddy at having the cold and unsociable Toshirou talk to them. 

"Their poor hearts." Chiyo said with a sad sigh.

"Shut it!" Toshirou snapped.

She giggled softly, brought out her bento box and placed it on her desk with Toshirou doing the same as well.

"You don't have a meeting today?" Toshirou asked, taking a bite from his meal.

"I actually do but I have a few minutes to spare." Chiyo replied.

"I see, just make sure you're not late. Okay?" 

"Hai."

They ate in silence, enjoying the other's company despite the eyes surrounding them. Murmurs of "Are they dating?" and "I wish I was Chiyo-chan" floated around them but of course, they ignored it.

'Has nothing really changed since she confessed.' Toshirou spoke to himself as he watched her eat. 'Why did I say no? She's so wonderful, sweet... and pretty too. She's been by my side for as long as I can remember. Would it have really been a bad thing to say yes?' His gaze softened. 'But, it would've been unfair to her, she deserves someone better, someone who'll make her truly happy. I would do anything to see her get a person like that.'

His thoughts were interrupted when an envelope was put across his face, surprising both him and Chiyo. A girl bowed her head and handed the object to him.

"Someone told me to give you this." She spoke being flustered and quickly left just as she came. 

'Weird.' Toshirou observed the envelope. It looked like it contained a letter, if his past experiences were anything to go by.

'But still, there's something off about this letter. He looked at the envelope a bit carefully and opened it, removing the letter from it as well. It had no touch of it being a girl's. No pink, no heart stamps, even if it's a tomboy, it still looked very odd. The only thing this could mean was that... it's from a bo— He shook his head, not being able to finish that train of thought.

"What is it?" Chiyo asked, curiously.

He didn't respond as he was reading the letter.

-'Meet me at the back of school by 2:15 and come alone. I would like to speak to you.

Signed

Anonymous.'-

Yep, it was definitely the handiwork of a boy. Toshirou's eyes darkened and his mouth was slightly agape. Even his skin was slightly pale. What the heck did he do that made him attract the attention of another guy? Is it because he refused the advances of the girls? Is that what people thought about him? With a depressed look, he sighed and slumped on the desk dejectedly.

'Is he really okay?' Chiyo sweatdropped. 

"Was the letter that bad?"

He quickly recovered and lifted his head from the desk. "No, never mind. Lunchtime Is almost over, I'll see you later." He rose from his chair and took his bento box along with him.

"Mm, later." She said.

He gave a small salute with two fingers and left the classroom.

...

'Ding, ding, dong, dong,' the bell sang, bringing the awareness of the end of classes for the day.

"Have a wonderful day, minna-san!" Misaki Takezawa said to her students. Toshirou picked his bag and slung it over his right shoulder and walked out with his fellow classmates. He gave a small salute to Takezawa as he exited.

'Now, to clarify something important. But first, I have to make sure Chi is in her class.' He sent a text to her. Almost immediately she replied back, confirming she was in class. 

2:16, his watch read. 'That's good, at least it won't be a hassle getting there first and wasting my time waiting for whoever it is.' He took long, purposeful strides towards the back entrance of the building. He turned by the left corner which led to a secluded area perfect for doing anything private - like a confession. God knows how many times he had to come here, almost on a daily basis.

'2:19 and they ain't even here yet.'

He spoke too soon. He spotted a boy in the distance, resting his back on the wall with his head faced down. A shiver ran through Toshirou's spine.

'Damn! It really is a guy.'

"Oi, Tomodachi!" 

The person in question raised his head slowly and looked for the person who called out to him. When his eyes landed on Toshirou, he adjusted his position and stood up straight. 

Toshirou made out his features as he walked closer to the boy. He had black hair with his bangs falling in between his eyes which were dark green in color. Something about him wasn't right but Toshirou couldn't just figure out what. Stoically, he scrutinized the dark haired male. His shirt was disheveled and untucked plus his tie hung loosely around his neck, his sleeves were folded up to his elbow and he didn't have a blazer on. He was good looking and had that bad boy vibe to him. He would honestly not have a problem getting a girl. So why?

"You're the one who wrote this letter?" Toshirou questioned him with a monotone voice.

He didn't give him an opportunity to continue before he proceeded. "I'll have to decline. I don't swing that way, at all. I came to tell you in person so as not to be rud-"

"You're the son of Nathaniel, aren't you?" the boy interrupted.

The atmosphere became still. It was thick and uncomfortable, so much so that a knife could be pierced through it.

"Huh!?" Toshirou's left eye twitched in irritation. "Are you a dumbass? The heck did you just ask me!?"

"I asked you if your father is Nathaniel, Nathaniel El Andrei." The dark haired male replied.

Toshirou sighed and slapped his hand onto his forehead. With an extremely irritated sigh, he rested his back on the wall. "And here I was getting all worried. I'm leaving since you're a waste of my time and clearly delusional. That's not the kind of question you'll ask to someone who has never known his father." He said and began to walk away.

"Is that so? Then how's Noelle doin'. It's been fifteen years since I saw her. Well, to be exact, it's been fifteen years since I chased her down to this accursed world."

Toshirou stopped walking.

"What did you say?"

The dark haired boy smirked. "Oh! So you do know what I'm talkin' about. That's very nice. You might've fooled anyone else with that actin' of yours but unlucky for you, it was me, Kuroma."

Toshirou turned around and looked at him. "At least you didn't come to ask me out. But, you've just crossed a very thin line. I'll spare you if you can show me you are not the real deal."

"You seriously are an odd one."— he flashed his teeth at him, revealing sharpened canines — "But it doesn't matter."

Toshirou didn't allow this to faze him. He kept up his cool facade with his hands in his pockets, and leaning back and forth on his heels, he said, "I'm going to ask you, one last time,"— he stopped and stared directly into his eyes— "show me proof that you aren't the real deal."

"Making demands now, are we? It's alright, you and that wench are gonna die anyway." Kuroma said.

"For a horse, you've sure got a mouth on you, and a big one at that." Toshirou used two fingers to close his nose. "The mouth stinks just as much."

{*index: Kuroma - Black Horse*}

Kuroma visibly shook with anger as his hair covered his eyes.

 "Omae"— he broke into a wicked grin —"I'll kill you!"

He lunged at Toshirou with a fist aiming at his jaw.

'He's fast.' Toshirou dodged in the nick of time. He moved his head to the right and jumped away from the incoming attack, making Kuroma hit his hand on the wall. There was a loud crack heard on the wall. A large crater had formed on it. Toshirou's eyes widened a bit.

'If that had hit me, I'd have been a goner.'

"Oi, oi, oi! Don't scurry around like a lil' rat, you'll only prolong your death." Kuroma said with a sadistic smile, taking his fist out of the wall.

'I have to get out of here.' 

"If you wanted to kill me, why didn't you do that a long time ago?"

"Because it wouldn't have been fun now would it? I wanted to see the baby grow, grow into something that I can kill with pleasure." He replied.

'He's crazy, but...'

"If you want to be satisfied, give me 30 seconds."

"Ho?"

"Yes, thirty seconds to get my bearings right."

Kuroma looked like he was contemplating this before breaking into a huge grin. "Your time starts now."

Without any hesitation, Toshirou turned and ran back into the school building.

'That's right,' Kuroma snickered. 'Run... run and turns this into a game. It's far more interesting that way.'