継続は力なり

Two days.. Two days had lapsed and not one hint of hostility had crossed Amelie's path; In her own mind, she thought of it as what it probably was.. An attempt to get her to lower her guard. She didn't like the idea of being ignored... It didn't suit her one bit.

Back in California, the girl had fit in well, not causing trouble for anyone. Up until the start of high school.

She didn't understand the reason why anyone would want to pick a fight with her, just that when it happened, she defended herself the best way that she knew how; Her reputation had preceeded her after a particular fight with a dark-haired athletic boy. The reason for the fight? Because he tried to say that he had slept with her.

She could never tell anyone that fact, it was unbelievable and his daddy's money hid any of his transgressions quite well.

Another reason why rich, arrogant people were regarded in high disgust, as far as she was concerned.

Amelie opened up her shoe locker, absentmindedly. There was no one around, but the feeling of being watched loomed over her. She narrowed her eyes and turned around quickly.

'The hell was that...?', she thought to herself. Nothing in the room had been disturbed, so she quietly slipped off her shoes, bent down to grab them and shove them into the locker. Her mind raced with the possibility that perhaps the three girls had something else in mind to torture her with; Hell, everyone in the entire school might be in on it for that matter.

"The next one to try anything... Anything at all...", the American girl muttered under her breath; Footsteps fell behind her as she started walking off in her school slippers. Amelie's face paled; Someone was following her.

'You're messin' with the wrong girl...', Amelie thought to herself as she balled up her fist.The footsteps drew ever closer; Amelie turned around and swung a punch at whoever it was that had enough nerve to follow her...

Lucky for him, he had quick reflexes.

"Whoa!", the male cried out, ducking the quick punch. "Jeez!"

Amelie looked up at her 'attacker' in confusion and disbelief; It was the Shaded One.

"YOU!!", she spat, "What the hell are you doing?!", she balled up both fists, just to be on the safe side.

"You dropped this...", he said, holding out a notebook. "Outside."

Amelie begrudgingly took the notebook. "Thanks.. I guess. Why were you following me?"

"... Really? I was going to give it back to you, 'baka'.", Musa stated, poking her forehead. Amelie's face soured to a scowl as she clung to the notebook in her arms.

"Can't blame me for being a little paranoid about someone following me like that with what's been happening lately...", she spoke, looking the man straight into the eyes, showing that she did not fear him, or anyone else in the world at that moment. "Won't you be in trouble with Ouji-sama for talking to me like this or something?"

"Wrong. Have you seen Yasu?", Musa questioned the girl.

"... No... Not this morning.. Why?", Amelie asked quickly.

"He hasn't been to school in a few days...", the male said with a furrowed brow.

"I noticed that.. It isn't normal for him, is it?"

"Sometimes... It usually happens when... Never mind. Oi, you're a second year, ne?", Musa said quickly, changing the route of the conversation; He was always good at doing that.

"Yes... Why?"

"Did you get an invitation?", he asked. Amelie looked at the Shaded One, slightly confused.

"Invitation for what?"

"For the party next week-- Never mind that...", he sighed, drawing his hand fro his pocket with an envelope in hand. "Here."

"Thanks... I guess..", she looked up at the male cluelessly, but took the envelope in hand, and reached her arm back out at him. "But... It won't be a good idea for me to be there though.", Amelie said with an apologetic bow.

"You have to go. I already invited everyone else in Rei-chan's year."

"'Rei-chan'...?"

Click... ... click.... click.

"REI?!", she shouted, looking at the envelope in disbelief.

"Yeah, so you're coming then?", Musa asked.

"Of course!", Amelie said with a smile. "Thank you!!", she gushed, bowing repeatedly.

"It's fine, it's fine... Just show up, ne?"

"Of course!!", she nodded, and ran off down the hallway.

"You really did it, didn't you...?", Marshy's voice cut through the moment. Musa looked up towards his voice to deliver his reply:

"Eh? Well, I couldn't NOT invite her. In any case, it might make the party more interesting, ne~?"

"Yeah, it might...", Marshy said, raising one eyebrow. "She doesn't really fit in too well, does she?"

"Not only that, but she's totally unbeatable. She even stood up to Ma-kun, and more than once.", he said with a nod.

"I see... Looks like that punch might have hurt if it had connected with your face, too.", Marshy said with a chuckle. "Your reflexes have gotten better."

"Is that so? ...I think I just got lucky.", he said with a chuckle. "It's a good thing that she's so short..."

-

The rich sound of a violin playing echoed through a certain mansion on the outskirts of the city that night; Yasu had nothing better to do but practice his usually neglected instrument rather tediously.

He played with passion, longing, and was deep in concentration...

Up until his cell phone rang.

"Your playing really is beautiful... I'm back...", the familiar feminine voice cooed into his ear from the other line; His eyes widened.

"Rei...?", he inquired, setting down the violin carefully and walking toward the door. As he opened it, the woman causing all his longing, frustration.. and unrequited passions looked him straight in the eyes with a warm smile.

"Yasu...", she whispered, shutting her cell phone. "It's been a while."