12 A Hiro Kind Of; Talk

I've been asking myself this question every time I walk to school with her, her soft hand in mine, but if this is a dream, I would really like to wake up now. It would be too cruel if they were the ones behind this.

I watched as Pandora, her hair purple in the shade, mess with a large, dark burgundy key jangling along with my backpack.

"Hey Depra, you listening to me?" I pinched myself with my free hand, trying to confirm if I was truly dreaming. "Hey, you should at least pay attention to the girl you're dating!"

I felt her squeeze my hand, and that brought me out from my thoughts. I looked into her regal purple eyes, which seemed a bit mad.

"Uh, what did you want?"

"I was asking where you got this key from!"

Oh, that. "It's a keepsake, a very important one."

"But it wasn't always there, was it?" She asked, swinging our connected arms as we were walking to the school.

"No, it's pretty recent. Why do you wanna know anyway?"

She pouted, crossing her arms, meaning she also dragged my closer to her. "Duh, because I wanna know more about you!"

"When I don't know much about you?"

"Hey, you're not one to tease!" I couldn't help but chuckle at her cute reaction.

"I can joke around with the best of them too you know. When you meet Hiro, you'll understand. He's probably a bigger jokester than even you Pandora."

She uncrossed her arms, looking at me inquisitively. "You mention him a lot, but I haven't gotten the pleasure to actually talk to him." She started to swing our arms again, this time with less force. "I've actually got a close friend too. Her name's Mestra, and I've known her for most of my life."

Her face turned into one of melancholy as she stopped swinging our arms. "Without her, I don't really know what would've happened…"

I've never seen her make that expression before. Crap, what should I do? I cleared my throat. "Well, how about one day soon, we all meet up for a great big hangout, or something like that."

She smiled as she heard my words, and she once again started to swing our arms. "Yeah, I really would enjoy that. I think she would enjoy it too." She started nodding to herself, her smile growing wider the more she thought about it. "Oh, we could have ourselves a nice picnic!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Picnic? You do know it's November in two days, right?"

She started to squeeze my hand with all her girl force, which wasn't very much at all. "Party pooper."

"Well, if the weathers good, we can go this weekend. Deal?"

"Hmph! I don't know if I wanna go with a party pooper like you!"

"I'll stay as far away as we are now."

"That doesn't even-!" She stopped as she saw the small smile on my face. "You know, you're becoming a little bit too good at this joking thing."

"I learned from the best, what can I say. Oh, we're here."

Our walk to school had finished as we approached the gate, and she slipped out of my grip only to hold my fingers, her eyes looking at me expectantly.

"It's a promise, alright? We're going on that picnic, okay?"

I couldn't help but get mesmerized by her gaze once more, and I managed to nod my head. "Yeah, it's a promise."

A grin arose on her cute face, and she practically danced away, waving me goodbye. "See you later Depra!"

"Yeah, see yah," I said, raising my hand in goodbye, watching her walk into the school. I looked up, noticing the grey clouds blanketing the sky.

"Hey God, if this really is a dream, then please, don't let me wake up, at least for a little while longer."

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I smiled as I watched Depra walk into the school building, nodding to myself. "Right, today's the day Mestra; the day we put our plan into action!"

I turned to my partner in crime, Mestra, who nodded to herself. "Indeed, I think it's time we've had ourselves a chat."

"Oh man, after all that hard work we put in to make sure nobody interfered, this better be worth it," I said, stretching my tired body upwards. "I can't believe how many people were into this though. I knew Pandora was popular, but to think that Depra had that many supporters as well."

"It's because of those friends of his," Mestra said, and the two of us started to walk towards the school. "As much as they tried to help, all of it would've ended in failure if it wasn't because of us."

Yeah, by those friends, we're talking about Erebus, Eros, Aether, Hemera, Nyx, and Necessitas; you know, those fools. I sighed, scratching my growing afro. Just imagining what would've happened if even on their plans came to fruition is enough for me to get stressed out.

"By the way, do you so happen to have a plan?" Mestra asked, her green eyes glancing over at me. "I'd rather not have you die."

I scoffed. "Please, of course I do. I would've enacted it sooner if they weren't so lazy, but nooo, they just have to be slow setting things up when it concerns me, but when it's something they want, they'll be faster than a cheetah at the sight of antelope."

Mestra frowned, turning to me. "What do you mean by that?"

Whoops, kind of let that one slip out. "Nothing of importance to you." I said, and I raised my finger up as I continued, a satisfactory look on my face. "Remember rule number one of being an underclassman: Never question what your upperclassman says, no matter how weird it may sound."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yes, you are indeed my upperclassman; an idiot for sure, but an upperclassman nonetheless."

"Nah, I'm the lovable genius Hiro!" I proclaimed, pounding my chest with a single fist. "Loved by all, shunned by none, helper of all his friends!"

She sighed. "Strike that, a stupid idiot that so happens to be my upperclassman."

I opened the door for her, and she accepted with a curt "Thank you" as we continued our walk and talk.

"It seems our time together in this partnership of ours is drawing to an end," Mestra said, readjusting her backpack. "It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?"

"Who says the fun in this partnership has to end?" I asked, and she looked over at me, curiosity filling her green eyes.

"You are quite the smooth talker," she murmured, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Nah, I just know what to say and when to say it."

"Is that not the very definition?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Oh please, I'm not a player or anything like that. Although if I wanted to get a girl I could."

She wrinkled her face as she leaned away from me. "Cocky too boot. As if any girl would fall for you."

Ah, you would be surprised. We stopped in the middle of hallway, having to go our separate ways now.

"Well Hiro, I bid you farewell. I want to hear this plan of yours in more detail at lunch, so let's reconvene there." She bowed her head slightly.

"Your way of speaking throws me off sometimes," I said, but I waved her goodbye before heading to my own classroom, where Depra was staring out the window, a small smile on his face.

His black greasy hair was now covering his eyes, and he was wearing the same clothes he wore the past couple days, but he had a different air about him, one that rang full of happiness. I had asked him if was every going to cut it, but it seems that he has no intention of doing so. I also asked him about the acne that came with it, but unsurprisingly, there wasn't even a trace, as if it had vanished or something.

"What's gotten you in a good mood Depra?" I asked, tapping him on the shoulder, and he turned to me, a bigger smile then the one he had before on his face.

"Oh, it's you. Do I really look that happy?"

"Well, you're not sleeping, so there's that," I said, chuckling as I took my seat behind him. "And even though I can't see your eyes, I'm pretty sure they don't look as dead to the world anymore."

He frowned, picking at his long, greasy hair. "Is it really that bad?"

"You've assimilated with a true cultured protagonist."

I couldn't see them, but I'm sure he rolled his eyes then. "Whatever, I have no intention of doing similar activities."

I decided to press him. "But something did happen though, right?"

He faced forward, resting his chin on his head. "I don't really think so."

Oh, he's actually gonna hide it? "You wouldn't be hiding anything from your dear 'brother' now, would you?"

I could see the tips of his ears grow red. "Oh, don't remind me! Agh, that's so embarrassing. I'm still not done with my lists yet."

"How many left?"

"Oh, just two. I had four, but I knocked it out two weekends ago. There's this nice old couple who live out in the farmlands, they really helped me out, and I go every so often to catch up. They were on the Familial Love by the way, and they seemed pretty happy by my confession." Through the reflection on the window, I could see him smiling. "I was quite relieved at that."

I nodded. "You still haven't answered my previous question."

He whirled around. "Hey, no fair!" I laughed at his reaction. "I'll tell you soon, alright?"

I'll let it go for now, since I already know what it is. "Okay, whatever bro. Who else is on your list?"

He looked up, thinking. "Uh, I believe your older sister is one."

"What the hell do you need with that woman?"

He glanced at me. "Oh, she's the reason I even joined the Hidden Club. Plus, she helped me out a bunch after that, especially last year."

I leaned back in my chair. "Yeah, she is good at that." I of all people should know, she's helped me out more than I could probably ever repay. Well, unless…

I shook my head internally. I shouldn't be thinking about that. I already decided when to do it, especially after; fuck, I'm doing it again. "Okay, who's the other one?"

His mood suddenly shifted as he looked down, and he quietly gripped the chair. "Well, I don't really know much about that type of love, so I could be wrong, but…" He trailed off, starting to get lost in thoughts.

I patted him on the shoulder, nodding at him. "One step at a time, alright?" He looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

I grinned. "It's what I'm here for my dude!"

"What are you two talking about?" It was Lachesis, who pulled up a chair next to us, and Depra stiffened slightly at her voice. He's still not over it huh?

"When did you get here? Now that I think about it, where's everybody else?"

Lachesis glared at me. "You don't need to know. As for the second question, they're probably in the library or something. This is basically a free period you know. No teacher or anything."

She was right about that. We're expected to be fluent in our language by the end of the year, with their being a written, audio, and oral exam. It really was a pain, but only because it was too easy.

"And yet, you chose the copout way Lachesis, choosing English."

"Shut it," She grumbled, and I laughed.

"You two really don't like each other, do you?"

It was Pinkie now, and she pulled up a chair as well, placing her bag next to mine. "It isn't that, it's just because she loves me sooo much!"

She punched me. "Go to hell Hiro!"

Eh, can't win them all. I glanced at Pinkie, who was pulling out study materials. "You're actually struggling?"

She stuck her tongue out. "Not everyone can be as great as you."

"Eh, you're not so bad. In any case, I'm gonna pull a Depra and take a well needed nap. I'm so damn tired! Plus, I don't get to bother you guys, so it's a win-win, probably."

I yawned, pulling out a pillow. "Why did you bring a pillow to school!?" Depra exclaimed, watching me place it on my desk.

"I'm tired, so I packed it in advance, since I knew I didn't need to worry about my language. You, on the other hand, need some work on your German. Same goes for Pinkie and Latin."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Pinkie complained, collapsing onto her materials. "Why do I need to learn how to speak a dead language anyway? Why can't I use Chinese, since I'm already fluent in it?"

We all turned to Pinkie as she sighed, messing with her long pink hair. "Since when did you—on second thought, I'm not gonna worry about it. Besides, we all know that you can't use a language you're already fluent in, which is why Lachesis' reasoning is bullshit. What was it again, ah yes, 'English isn't my first language even though I speak it perfectly, so I should be allowed to take it?' Yeah, bullshit."

I got another punch for that statement. "I thought you were about to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey Depra, wake me up when it's time for the next class please and thank you." He nodded, and I let my face fall onto the soft pillow.

Really am glad I chose Japanese, I thought as I started to drip off to sleep, letting out a loud yawn. Watching anime without subtitles is what's saving me in the end…

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"You're not coming to eat with me?" Depra asked, a frown on his face as we walked out of the lunch line, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's not like I just eat with you. You're forgetting the other six we eat with. But no, not today."

His frown didn't leave as we walked out of the cafeteria. "But…"

I patted him on the back, giving him a grin. "Alas, I cannot Depra King. Now shoo, I'm already late since you insisted I escort you through the lunch line as usual. Go on before Lachesis sends out a search party, and don't think she won't."

I waved him away, and he relented, walking away with his shoulders slumped. "Damn, if you're still like this with me now, your girl is gonna get hella jealous you know." I sighed, scratching the back of my head. Well, it should be fine for now.

I glanced at nearby clock and nearly jumped out of my skin. "Damn, I really am late!"

I rushed through the school, watching the student body eat and chat amicable during their lunch until I reached my destination, one of the many courtyards in the school.

Mestra was sitting on a bench under a tree that had lost almost all its leaves, with the remaining hanging on being yellow, red, or a mixture of both. I had many experiences with that bench, and my thoughts went back to sophomore year, reminiscing on one of my many near death experiences.

Ah yes, what fond memories indeed.

"Sorry I'm late!" I yelled out, and she glanced up at me, her sandwich already half-eaten. "Depra really didn't want me to leave him, so it took a while to shake him off."

"And here I thought you were the punctual type. Way to prove me wrong once more," she said curtly, biting off a piece of her sandwich. Man, when was the last time I had banter like this?

"I'm more surprised you got away so quickly," I said, sitting down next to her. "Could it be your friendship with Pandora is that superficial?"

"No, she just has other friends she likes talking too, unlike Depra."

"Nah, I wouldn't say that about him, he just knows who's the best," I said, nodding to myself, and she let out a sigh.

I unboxed my homemade lunch, courtesy of my adorable lil' sister, Luna.

I clapped my hands together. "Thanks for the food." I glanced at the note she wrote, which said "Have another fun-filled day at school today big bro!" It had a quick sketch of her giving me a thumbs up. She had gotten into drawing lately, and it showed in her note.

"Fufu, it seems like she's a bona fide genius, same as I," I said, grinning to myself before putting the note in my pocket.

Mestra looked over into my lunch. "You make your lunch?"

"Nah, my little sister Luna does. Ah, she really is the best!"

She frowned. "Luna? Huh, interesting…" She trailed off as she tried to grab some of my food, which got stopped by a slap of my hand. "Meanie."

I pulled out my sandwich and took a couple bites out of it, the heavenly taste filling my mouth. "So good!"

"Are you really 17?"

"Just because your sandwich is clearly inferior doesn't mean you can throw shade at me you know. Besides, Luna's food isn't meant for sharing I'll have you know," I said, taking another bite out of my sandwich.

She started to slightly tug at her green hair. "I forget you're like this, so let's cut to the chase, since I'm in no mood to meet up again to go over your plan after school. So, what exactly is your plan?"

I nodded, taking a swig of water. "Right, the plan. I take Pandora away from the gate to a secluded area, say what I need to say, and that's it."

"… You're an idiot."

"I think you meant lovable genius."

She took a bite out of her sandwich in frustration. "Ugh, whatever. Do you actually have one?"

"Aw, are you actually worried about me partner!? I didn't know you cared so much!" I exclaimed, holding my chest. "I'm touched."

I got punched for that one. "I'm serious, I don't need you dying on me today. That would cause way more problems than necessary."

"Are ye of little faith Mestra?" I asked, taking another swig from my water. "I'll be fine. I'm not number one for nothing."

She frowned. "Number one?"

Oops, let that slip. "Number one in being cautious! After all, I'm an Overly Cautious 'Hiro!' Get it, cause I'm Hiro?"

She let out a sigh. "I'm a fool for even spending any energy worrying about you."

"Speaking of worry, do you have a plan?" I asked, taking another couple bites from my sandwich. "Delicious!"

"I don't think I have to worry about death like you do, so I shall be fine," Mestra said. "After all, I can defend myself if I must. I'll just take him somewhere and talk."

Yeah, I know all about that, I thought, taking a glance at my bag. "Mind telling me where?"

"I don't, but why do you wish to know?"

I leaned back into the bench, looking at the fading leaves on the tree. "Well, I need to talk to him as well. I'll tell you where Pandora is as well since you'll need to talk to her too."

She pursed her lips. "Was it that obvious?"

I looked into her sapphire blue eyes, holding eye contact. "Well, if I couldn't even do that much, I would be considered a failure in my field. Although…" I trailed off, leaning in closer as she stared back at me innocently.

"There's something about you that throws me off. It's like you're older or something."

"Well girls mature faster, so that must be what's bugging you."

I chuckled, and released my gaze, looking up into the grey skies. "That's probably it isn't it. Man, I guess it must be true about guys not knowing everything about girls."

Lie.

"Anyway, how are you going to know where Pandy is?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. Someone I trust will handle that part." I finished up my sandwich and burped. "Yep, delicious!" I opened my bag of cookies and popped one in my mouth.

"You are quite vulgar sometimes, you know that?"

"Not vulgar, but free-spirited. Enough about that, I'm tired as it is, so I'm taking over your lap."

I collapsed my head on her lap easily, and she frowned as she looked down. "You just do whatever you want, don't you?"

I yawned and shook my head. "That isn't it at all. I just live my life the way I want, to have as much fun as I want, and ultimately to enjoy it as much as I want." For the two of us…

"Such a silly boy indeed," Mestra sighed, and I drifted off to sleep for the second time today, my last thoughts of a silver-haired girl calling me Master.

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"Yo, how's it going Pandy?"

It was the end of the school day now, and the Hidden Club had just finished their club activities for the day (it was a study session). I had beaten Depra to the gate, where a girl whose hair was purple underneath the grey clouds was waiting for someone.

Sorry, but I'm not the one you want.

She looked up, alarmed, before she sighed a breath of relief. "Oh, it's you. Where's Depra?"

I stopped a couple feet away from her, giving her a grin. "Well, you know how he can be sometimes, such a klutz and all. He told me to go on ahead and meet with you instead."

"Eh? But I can't be swept off my feet by anyone but my Depra!"

This girl is ridiculous. I glanced back to the school, worry starting to take over. I don't know how long Caelus and Hera can distract Depra, so I really need to speed this along.

"Well darling, if it's to be swept off your feet, I know the perfect place." I said, slyness accompanying my grin.

"Darling?" She asked, tilting her head as she pursed her lips.

"Well, of course! You want to be swept off your feet, so I'll go and do just that, hence the reason why you're my 'darling.'" What the hell am I doing right now!?

"Hmm." She started to think to herself, and I walked a bit closer to her, leaving only about two feet of space before glancing at the school again, my time running out.

"Well, if I'm your darling, then what I am too you?" She asked, a curious look in her eyes.

"I'm your honey of course, the man who'll sweep you away!" I proclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. I'm not flirting with her Depra, I swear.

"But honey, I don't even know your name," she said, finally relenting as she winked at me. Wait, that actually worked!?

"Well, I'm Hiro, pleased to make your friendship!" I said, bowing down slightly. Well, whatever works, works, I guess.

"Oh, then I guess it's alright honey! So, what do you wanna do? A bath, dinner, or. May. Be. Me?" She giggled as she let out another wink, pointing at herself, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"How about a talk instead? I don't need Depra getting all nervous on me darling." I walked towards her, and she flinched when I was less than a foot away from her. So, it is true then.

"Relax darling, nothing strange shall come upon that pretty little head of yours," I said, motioning her to follow me.

"Oh, but I don't know." I could see the hesitation in her eyes, and I glanced back at the school building. Damnit, my times about to be up.

"It shall only take a second darling, and then you can get swept off your feet by Depra as many times as you wish."

She looked down, and I could see her hands grip her shirt tightly. "It'll be alright," she murmured, as if reassuring herself. She nodded to herself and looked me in the eye. "Alright, let's go honey. Sweep me off my feet."

I nodded, grinning to myself. Alright, part one successful. "Follow me for the journey of your life!" I led the way, and we walked side by side, Pandora making sure we never bumped into one another.

"So, Hiro, honey, where are you taking lil' ole me?" Pandora asked, giving me a sly smile. "Nothing strange will happen to me, you promised!"

"But of course darling, only the strangest of occurrences for you! But rest assured, nothing strange or dangerous shall come upon you, this I swear!" I yelled, pounding my chest. "After all, what sort of honey would I be to you if I couldn't hold a simple promise?"

"Indeed; you may be right about that," she said, giggling to herself. "But I really don't like strange things all too much."

I chuckled. "Then you're in the wrong city then darling. Oh, would you look at that, we're already here."

I walked ahead of her, clutching my key. Alright, here comes the moment of truth Hiro. I released my key, the preparations complete, and turned around back to Pandora, who was surveying the place. "I didn't know you liked nature."

We were in a clearing surrounded by evergreen trees, shrubbery making it hard for us to see beyond the tree line. I nodded to myself as I stopped, waiting for Pandora to come in closer.

"But of course! I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and full moons to illuminate a girl's beauty even more!"

She giggled. "Oh, you are quite troublesome, aren't you?" She walked closer until there were only a few inches of space between us, and she leaned closer, her regal purple eyes locking into my own. "Luckily for you, we have the same interests. I wouldn't mind doing things like that with you."

"Alas, I've done a combination of all those things together with another girl, so you'll have to do it with another guy."

She leaned back, pouting. "Meanie. Did it work out with that girl?"

The bittersweet memory came back, and I shook my head. "No, it wasn't meant to be with that one."

"Then…" She leaned in close again, her eyes looking deeply into my own. "Would someone like me work instead?"

"Nope, someone like you could never work," I said, appearing behind her, placing my backpack on the ground as I scrounged around in there.

Pandora whirled around, blinking at me. "How did you…?"

I yawned as I pulled out the thing I was looking for, a manilla folder with papers neatly organized in it. "Okay, here we are."

"What's the matter honey?" She asked, tilting her head inquisitively while giving me a sly smile.

I let out a small smile before sighing. "Sorry, but playtimes over darling." I opened the folder and began to read out the contents.

"Name: Pandora Alvah. Age: 15. Birthday: April 16th. At age 3 she lost her dad to an unknown disease and her mother to suicide. Has a close friend named Mestra whose age is currently unknown at this time. At age 5 she lost her entire family due to an unspecified accident or attack; we couldn't figure out which. A possible victim of the 'White-Haired Experiment,' that alone could explain the aforementioned incident; however, there is no further evidence connecting the two at the time of writing this report, so it's just speculation. The biggest thing of note however, is that any male who has gotten close to her after these two incidents has died within a week of acquainting themselves with her."

Her smile faded at my words, and her hands clutched the hems of her shirt. "I see, who exactly are you, and how did you find out all this?"

I ignored her and continued reading. "After the age of 5, her history suddenly becomes hazy, as anyone who could've known anything have all either died or disappeared, but despite all that, we do know she had a teacher/caretaker of sorts, but I don't think I need to tell you who that might be, do I?" Silence was my answer, and I nodded. "Didn't think so."

I closed the manilla folder shut. "Now, I have a theory about why this might be the case. Do you care to listen?" Silence once more, and I shrugged. "Well, feel free to tell me if I'm wrong at any point. Now then, all the people who have had the pleasure of knowing her have died, save for Mestra. All the people who have died are males who have had some sort of prolonged contact with you, yet at school I have witnessed that you touch Mestra an innumerable amount of times. Keeping this in mind, let's return to the fact that only the males have died, while the females have, oddly enough, disappeared. This leads me to the only logical conclusion that-!"

I got cut off as I grabbed Pandora's wrist, her trying to grab the manilla folder out of my left hand. Her eyes widened as she saw what I had done. "My only conclusion is that whatever you do, it only affects males, biologically speaking, and that they must have some sort of unspecified amount of time they must be in contact with you, whether that be continuous or on and off. Now, here's the kicker, they all died of either old age when they weren't, died of diseases such as stage 5 cancer when they were previously healthy, without any history of cancer or any such disease, killed themselves, got themselves thrown in jail only to be killed there, you get the general picture, don't you?"

"Hey, please, let got before…" She trailed off as she watched me, unfazed as I continued to grip her arm.

"Oh, and this always happened within a week, sometimes even happening in one day. And the women who were close to them always turned up missing. Yes, very strange indeed. Of course, we can't forget about this mentor of yours. Again, do I really need to say who this mystery person is, hmm?"

She paled as she looked between my hand, the folder, and my face. "Hey, if you don't stop, you'll…"

"But, I had some research done on the bodies, and it seemed that in total, it takes about 30 minutes of touch, either continuous or on or off, before they die, and 5 before symptoms are shown. Oh, it's been almost 4 minutes now by the way, in case you were wondering."

She tried to break free, shaking her hand, but her arm wouldn't budge, my arm like iron.

"Hey, please! I don't wanna-!" I leaned in close, and I could see how worried she was. It was funny in a messed-up sort of way, but I wouldn't laugh at something like this.

After all, this wasn't even the hard part.

"What's wrong darling? Why are you scared? I thought you were a girl who didn't like strange things? Well, I did say nothing would harm you, and I wasn't lying when I said that."

She gritted her teeth, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Please, what about Depra?"

I just gave her a smile, and I peeked at my watch, which I had brought just for the occasion. "Yep, it's been 5 minutes now. I like to make sure, so let's make it 6."

I tapped my foot impatiently, watching Pandora look at me in horror, and yet, another minute went by, and nothing happened.

"But, how did you…" She trailed off as I released my grip, only for me to gently grab her trembling hand, giving her a small smile.

"Well, talk about an exercise in trust, right?"

She was shaking her head as she looked me up and down. "But you should be aging right about now. How is this possible?"

Wait, she knows how I would die? But, if that's the case, then why can't she control it? I'll have to think about it later. "Call it a gamble I was confident in." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, you guys can come out now!"

I heard protests through my invisible earpiece, and I rolled my eyes. "Do I look like I'm aging right now? If not, then withdraw already."

Pandora was officially lost at this point. "What are you talking about?"

I snapped my fingers, and a group of about 50 girls, all of them having brightly colored hair, who had the perimeter surrounded, appeared out from the bushes, all heavily armed with tech so far into the future it was almost unbelievable. Well, to Pandora at least.

I watched them walk by, smiling and waving them all goodbye, with the last one being a short girl with long blue hair that nearly reached the ground. "You know what to do, right?"

"Yeah, and you remember your promise, right?" She retorted, teasing me slightly.

I rolled my eyes. "Do it and it's yours tomorrow, promise. I'm having a visitor today, so you can't be in the house."

She scowled. "Oh whatever. Fine, so long as I get to sink my teeth into that game!" She looked at Pandora, who had collapsed to her knees. "Is she going to be alright?"

I motioned for her to leave, and she shrugged before whispering in my ear. "You got lucky; you know that?"

"I'm all skill." I heard her scoff as she disappeared, leaving me with Pandora, who had collapsed to her knees, shaking.

I sighed. The stunt I just pulled wasn't even the hard part. I scratched my head, looking at the trembling girl. I'll have to apologize to her, but there's something even more important to do. After all, that was the reason I decided to do all this to begin with.

"Hey Pandora," I called out, and she didn't respond, still shaking on the deadened grass, her hair a darker shade of purple as the clouds grew even darker from up above. I knelt down in front of her, and I could see her eyes wavering. I grabbed her hand with my free one and nodded to myself.

Here goes.

"You know, judging from what I've read and seen, I have no reason why I should let you ever meet Depra again, you know that?"

"Hk!" She gasped, and her eyes moved towards ground as her hand started to tremble within my own.

"So, I'll only ask you this once, but what he is, to you?" Her eyes met mine once more, and I continued. "My dear friend Depra, what is he to someone like you, Pandora?"

"He-he's my everything," she managed to say. "I've been looking, searching for him for so long, for almost all 15 years of my life, and, and-!"

"Would you ever hurt him?"

"I would never! I care too much about him, because I, I-!" I let loose a smile as I saw her eyes, unwavering in their resolve as she told me those words.

"Then, it doesn't matter."

Her eyes widened at my words. "Huh?"

I lifted her to her feet, giving her a wide grin. "I'll put my faith in that then, instead of this."

I threw the folder up into the air, and the papers went fluttering in the wind as the sun finally managed to piece through the clouds, setting the girls hair ablaze.

"I'll believe those words, and put my faith in those feelings of yours," I said. "Since all I want is to make sure he gets the happy ending he deserves, and if you say you want the same, then I'll make sure both of you get that ending."

"But, why…" she trailed off her eyes widening at my next words.

"Because I'm his friend, and friends make one another happy." I gave her my signature pose, a smile that went with my wink, giving her my best thumbs up.

"And that's all there is to it, my friend."

I watched as the tears started to fall from her face and smiled to myself at the job well done. Those were the only tears I were going to accept after all, I thought as I gazed up at the clearing sky. Tears of happiness, and nothing less. After all, making a girl cry tears of anything but that makes you worse than scum, and I'm not that.

Not anymore at least.

"Yo-you're an idiot," she managed to say through her tears, and I laughed.

"Nope, just your lovable genius Hiro!" I exclaimed, laughing even harder.

"Th-thank you," she said, sniffling.

"Oh please, don't thank me. I should be apologizing to you after all. So, I'm sorry." I bowed my head towards the crying girl, and she shook her head, smiling to herself.

"Yes, a true idiot through and through. But, it's not as if I can dislike it."

"Hey now, don't go falling in love with me for real, Depra would be pissed."

She rolled her eyes. "As if a girl could fall in love with you. I should be saying that to you, since I'm so delicate and frail."

I laughed again. "Whatever. You would be surprised at how many have fallen for my wonderful charms." I let out a sigh of relief before turning around.

"Where are you going now?"

"To go see someone who's hopeless on their own; you know the type," and without waiting for her response, I walked off, giving her a wave goodbye without turning around.

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"Are you sure that was the right choice Hiro?"

I stopped, turning around to see Pinkie, who had her arms crossed as she walked towards me, her body wrapped in a pink cloak.

"Of course, since when I have been wrong?" I said, teasing her while giving her a grin.

"You got lucky you know, thanks to that stupid thing around your neck," she said, reaching my side.

"Hey, it doesn't like being called that!" I unconsciously reached for my key, which was underneath my shirt. "And besides, it's not as if I know everything about her life. I'm not the one she needs."

"Yeah, well you're everyone's 'Hiro,' aren't you?"

I turned away from her sighing. "Well, my nickname is Hiro, so I guess I am everyone's, right?"

I felt her punch me from behind, and I winced as I held my back. "That hurt you know."

She walked around me, reaching my front once more, stopping inches away from me and raked her hand through her hair. "That doesn't change the reason why she's dangerous you know. Who knows what she's going to do to him?"

Once upon a time, her being near me wouldn't have bothered me; on the contrary, it would've bugged me to no end. I lowered my hand, gazing up at the grey clouds above.

"You know what I saw today?"

"Hmm? What?"

I turned back around, my eyes to the ground. "A sight I'm familiar with." I walked a step away before turning around. "It was a look that said that she had lost all hope, that she had no chance to ever recover it. My little sister had that look not too long ago, and that damn image pisses me off whenever I imagine it."

I clenched my hands into fists. "Who am I to try to deny her that sliver she's been offered? I can't help her, so I have to leave it to those two."

I felt a small hand reach mine, and I looked into Pinkie's eyes. "You're stupid."

"A lovable genius indeed," I murmured, shaking off her hand as the memory burned into me came forth again. Auburn hair, a face too cute to be crying, pleading me to save her from the depths of her despair.

"Anyway Pinkie, if that's all you needed from me, I'll be taking my leave now. I still have another hopeless one to confront today."

"If he dies, I'm blaming you."

"It won't come to that, since I'm making sure that this time, the love story ends with a happy ending. And that's a promise I'm keeping." Especially since how the last one turned out…

I waved her goodbye, not looking behind me as I did so, and continued on my way to see Depra.

A couple minutes later, and it seemed I had arrived a bit too early, as I could still see Mestra still talking to him. It was an empty parking lot near an abandoned school, and I was hiding near some bushes as I crouched down, waiting for them to finish.

"Damn was that rough though," I murmured to myself, laying down on my backpack. I'm so tired, I could sleep right now. I looked back up towards the clearing sky, sighing to myself. I just hope she finds what she's looking for with Depra.

I could hear footsteps approaching, and I watched as Mestra walked by me, not noticing my presence.

"Am I really that unnoticeable?" I asked, and she looked down at me, frowning.

"You're early. Well, I'm glad you didn't die."

"Nah, I can't die, I've got too much to live for at the moment," I said, sitting up. "Anyway, you finished?"

"Yes, I said what needed to be said. But I don't know if he's taking it too well." She gazed back at him, worry filling her face. "Well, it should be fine."

"What did you tell him?"

She sighed, flipping her red hair back. "Enough. I told him enough to get the general picture. And you, what did you say?"

"Well, I had to test her is all, so she's probably alright. But, there's a blue-haired girl if you start heading back to the school, and she'll take you to Pandy."

She scowled. "Since when do you call her that?"

I got to my feet, brushing myself off. "Since today, that's all. She might need someone to talk too, but she's not sad or anything, you can trust me on that one." She pursed her lips at my words.

"Well, so long as she's alright. Take care partner."

I nodded, and she walked off into the distance. I scratched my hair, grabbing my backpack as I looked over to where Depra was. He seemed to be staring at the sky above, completely motionless.

"Alright, here comes round two baby," I said, hyping myself up for my second talk.

I walked up to him, waving at him. "Yooo! How's it going Depra!?"

He turned his head, looking at me. "Oh, it's you Hiro. What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by, and whadda yah know, I found a wild Depra in the wild, so I just had to catch him!"

He let out a slight smile. "Very funny." He looked back up at the sky, sighing.

Damn, what did she say to him? Making my job a lot harder damnit. "Hey, let's go. Standing here won't do you any good. Besides, the real reason why I'm here is so that you can sleep over today. Tomorrow's Halloween, so we need costumes for the Hidden Club's activity, and I'm sure you don't have one."

He nodded before turning back to me. "Yeah, I don't have one this time. Where do you wanna go?"

"How about Monster Mall? They normally have good costumes there."

He nodded again before walking past me, leaving me alone with a scowl on my face. I watched him walk ahead before he turned back around to look at me.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. C'mon, let's get some matching costumes, alright?"

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"Ah hell yeah, matching costumes!" I said triumphantly, raising my bag high in the air.

The sun had nearly set now, and we were walking back home under the streetlights. Depra had a similar bag in his hand that he was swinging back and forth, and he smiled at my ridiculousness.

"I wouldn't exactly call it matching, since we're not even the same thing."

"Huh? Whadda ya talking about? Vampy and Wolfy are a pair like no other! I'm Wolfy, and you're Vampy!"

He tilted his to look at me, frowning. "Um, but I'm the Werewolf, aren't I?"

Ah, he doesn't know about those two. "Sorry, inside joke."

"Yeah, and I hate nature."

I rolled my eyes. "I have a sneaking suspicion on what that really means. Anyway, Eris should be home today, so you can talk to her about whatever you need to."

He smiled. "You planned it that way?"

I laughed. "Please, you know that I'm not like that. I go with the natural flow of things and adapt quickly!"

"So, you planned it?"

I gave him a light punch. "How the hell could I have planned this out in the span of a day!? Cut me some slack man!"

He started to laugh. "It would be like you to do something over the top such as this. But I guess even you have limits huh?"

"You're right, they far surpass yours, for I am the lovable genius Hiro!"

He shook his head in disbelief. "If you have limits, what does that say about me?"

I pulled him back, yawning as I put both of us to a stop. "Duh, it makes us human." We watched a crack of lightning strike in front of us, and we both looked at each.

"… I can see why you hate nature."

"See, I'm glad you finally get it!"

I chuckled, and Depra started walking again while I looked up at the relatively clear sky. Who the hell was that? Do they not know who I am?

"Hiro, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, sighing. I'm too tired to think about this crap, and I still need to talk to him. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

We continued on our way, and it wasn't until we were about halfway home that I decided to bring it up.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something."

Depra looked at me, messing with one of his long locks of hair. "Really? That doesn't happen very often. Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's not about me. It's actually about you, and that girl you've been hanging out with."

"Me and Pandora? What about us?"

Us. Yeah, I figured that was the case. "Well, you've got some news you would like to tell me, right?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing ever gets past you, does it?"

"Well, I would think it's been pretty obvious, considering I've been making sure no one interferes."

He looked alarmed. "Wait, people tried to interfere!?"

I laughed at his reaction. "You didn't notice all the people rooting for you? Half the school knows about it at this point you know. You aren't exactly trying to hide it."

"Oh, I thought we did a pretty good job." Well, it doesn't help that she has quite the fan club at school. Even upperclassmen would like a chance with her, but I doubt Depra knew about that, since, well, you know.

"Anyway, you're not gonna tell me it's all fake and all the work I did was for nothing, right?"

He shook his head, his hair whishing around with him. "Oh no, we're, uh…" He trailed off as he stopped, and I walked in front of him before turning around. "Yeah, I guess we are dating, aren't we?"

"You're not sure!?"

"Oh no, it's not like that at all," he said, waving his hands frantically. "Well, it just doesn't feel real, you know? Like I'm in a wonderful dream that could end at any moment."

Well, I guess that way of thinking is fine for now. "Trust me, this isn't a dream. There isn't anyone who can morph reality anymore."

"Anymore?"

Ah fuck, that slipped out. "Oh, I got confused with a game I played. Anyway, congratulations all the same Depra! Still, I wasn't expecting you of all people to get a girlfriend first."

He nodded. "I always thought it would be you."

"Yeah, well, you beat me. Can't say that I'm not jealous, but seriously, how the hell did you get someone that hot?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. She asked me out, so maybe she's liked me this entire time?"

I see, so even when they first met, she was already… "Even more lucky of you huh? Looks like you're not all bad luck after all."

"I guess you're right about that," he said, nodding to himself.

"Well, now that you've got yourself a girlfriend, there's something I need to say."

"Okay, go for it."

"Be careful."

I could tell that wasn't what he was expecting as my playful tone turned serious. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

"How much do you like this girl?"

"What? Where the hell is this coming from!?"

"If you don't think she's worth it, then I suggest you back out now and never speak to her again."

His arms started trembling as his hand clenched into fists. "I, I!"

I walked to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. "What is she to you, Depra King?"

Silence as he looked down, and I gripped his shoulders even tighter. He looked up, and I could see his eyes unwavering.

"I believe, if it's her, then everything will be alright."

I closed my eyes, sighing. Well, I expected this. I'll trust those two's feelings over the facts this time. "Just know that everyone has secrets, and when you come to hear hers, you may not like them. Always remember, there's always two sides to a story, and you should hear both before making a decision."

I opened my eyes, smiling at him. "Well, I have faith in the both of you. Don't make me regret my decision, alright?"

"You make it sound as if something horrible going to happen soon."

I laughed as I backed away. "Trust me, nothing bad's gonna happen, not on my watch, for I am the 'Hiro' who'll always protect this city!"

He scowled. "Sometimes, I can never tell if you say your nickname or hero."

"Well, I am your 'Hiro,' aren't I? You decided which one I am."

I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew he was glaring at me. Well, he'll find out one day.

"C'mon brother, I need some Luna food in my belly already, and you need to talk to my annoying older sister."

"She isn't that bad."

I rolled my eyes. "Try knowing her for over 12 years."

"You've known her that long!?"

���For almost as long as I've known Luna. I met her before Luna," I said as we continued to walk back home.

"Huh, I never realized that. I guess you guys are pretty close."

"Close doesn't even describe it anymore man," I grumbled. I don't even wanna think about it at the moment.

"I see, so you're inseparable?" I gave him another light punch.

"Oh, whatever. It's just complicated. I'll tell you about it one day."

"How many things do you plan to tell me 'one day?'" Oh yeah, he's got jokes now, doesn't he?

"That jokester Pandy really taught you a lot huh?"

"Huh? Pandy?" He looked bewildered as he heard me call her that.

"Oh, I talked to her today before I went with you."

"Hey, I wanted to be there when it happened!" He gave me a light punch as I laughed.

"It was great, we both had this banter going on, you really should've been there. Darling really is something else."

"Wait, 'darling!?' What the hell happened between you two?"

"Well, it's an inside joke. Like how you hate nature."

Depra put his hand to his chin, his brain probably working overdrive trying to figure out what happened. "Oh, I'll have to ask her next time I see her."

"This is going off-topic now, but how are you doing with those episodes of yours?"

"Oh, those," he said flatly, and he bit his lip slightly. "Well, since I've started to date Pandora, none."

Alarm bells started go off in my brain. "Is that good?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It's why this all feels like a dream, you know? Although, I have so many nightmares now that I can barely sleep at night nowadays, so maybe that's making it up?"

"I shudder to think that's how it works Depra. But, it's progress, right?"

"I trade passing out randomly to passing out to sleep deprivation. Yay." Yeah, I shouldn't have said that.

This is quite worrying, I thought as I run my hand over my hair. What exactly could it mean? I could feel myself getting frustrated. Damnit Hiro, he's right there, and there isn't a damn thing you can do!?

"Well, I get the feeling it'll be over soon though," Depra muttered, bringing me out from my thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a dream, and all dreams come to an end," he said. "It's been a while since I've had a normal dream, so this is enough for me, you know? Even when it does end eventually…"

You shouldn't have to settle like that. "Don't give up, okay? This must mean something, right? I'll try to figure out something, so I'll let you know if I find anything." He nodded, and we drifted off into comfortable silence.

"Oh, we're here," I said, having reached my house. The sun had long gone down by now, and I could see some lights on inside my house. I pulled out my house key and opened it.

"I'm back, and I've brought Depra too!" I yelled out towards the kitchen as Depra and I took off our shoes, and I saw Luna rushing towards me, wearing a light blue apron.

"Oh, big bro, you're home!" She gave me a quick hug before turning to Depra. "Are you staying here too big bro?"

"Big… bro?" Luna nodded at Depra's words

"Yep, you're my big bro now big bro!" She gave him a hug, which decimated Depra's defenses, and she skipped back into the kitchen.

"Hiro?"

"Hai, Hiro-desu."

"I know what you mean by how she's super effective…"

I laughed as I patted him on the back. "Yep, you're now officially a part of the club now. I'm going to prepare your room, so talk to Eris while I'm up there, got it?"

He nodded, and I walked up the stairs to the guest bedroom, and I scowled at the mess.

"Damnit, she didn't even try to clean up after herself. Damn Miku rip-off," I grumbled to myself as I cleaned up all the empty bags of chips, soda bottles, a variety of sweets, and just trash in general.

It took me a while, but I finally finished. I sat on the bed before yawning, falling backwards. It's been a rough couple of days, especially with me trying to prepare for something really important…

I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, and I frowned at who it was.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Depra's there with you, isn't he?"

Such a silly girl. "Lachesis, stop spying on him already. I'm tired, so unless it's important, I'm hanging up."

"It's drawing closer you know."

"Yeah, yeah, if something like that would happen, don't you think someone would've handled it by now on my side of things?"

"I told you that in confidence, and you still struggle to believe me?"

"It's not that, but I struggle to think how much worse he's gonna get, especially to the point you claim he's going to be. You're clearly not telling me something."

Silence, and I sat back up. "Whatever, just know in the end, it might not have come to this, especially since you're the one who fucked him over so bad that he's like this."

"I'm not having this conversation again."

She still doesn't get it. I sighed, scratching my cheek. "Anyway, is that all? He's here with me, so don't worry about it."

"We'll talk more later Lachesis. Right now, food made from the goddess Luna is awaiting me, and I can't keep it waiting forever."

I could hear her sigh. "Fine, we'll talk more in person." I heard a click, and then she hung up.

I just wish she would understand is all…

I heard someone knock, and I groaned as got up. "Yeah, it's open."

Luna walked in, sitting next to me. "What's up?"

"Oh, Big Bro Depra is talking to big sis, so I felt I shouldn't bother them," she said, and I patted her on the head, smiling.

"Good girl. Oh, I have an idea for you lil sis."

She looked up at me curious. "What is it?"

I grinned, and I told her my plan of action…

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Over the weekend, as promised, I went out with my best friend along with Pandora and her best friend.

It was a nice, crisp afternoon in a park, and we were eating under a tree with all its leaves red atop one of the hills.

"Hey honey, did you make this food?" Pandora asked Hiro, who was stuffing his face.

"No darling, it was my cute sister. It's delicious, isn't it?"

I honestly didn't know what was going on. I glanced at Mestra, who seemed equally stunned. "Do you know what happened?"

She shook her head, pushing back her blue hair. "If only. Should we do the same?"

I scowled, and she let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I didn't think so. I don't hate you, you know. If she's happy with you, then that's all that matters to me."

That talk said otherwise. I took a bite out of a sandwich. "Damnit, I can't even be angry at you with delicious food like this in my mouth."

"Well, they do say food brings people together, so delicious food would do it all the more, right?"

I sighed. "Well, I guess we can start over."

She nodded, giving me a smile. "Glad to be friends now Depra."

"Hey Mestra, isn't honey amazing?"

"No Depra, isn't darling more amazing?" They both started to laugh. I can't even begin to understand what those two talked about for their relationship to end up like this.

They had wrapped their arms around each other and started to sway back and forth, laughing as they ate their food. "Two peas in a pod," I said, taking a swig of water.

"Hey Depra, you should've introduced me sooner! This girl is great!"

"Yeah, how dare you keep him a secret Mestra! Trying to hog him all to yourself are you now!?"

Well, I guess that's the type of people those two are. "I honestly didn't know what to expect."

"I thought they were gonna hate each other," Mestra said, drinking some water. "Still, their carefree attitudes are almost contagious."

"Oh man, you should've seen us in our costumes Pandy. I was a cool, slick vampire while Depra was a rabid werewolf."

"I didn't think werewolf fit him all too well. He's too skinny."

Hiro laughed. "That's what everyone in our dandy club said. We had a nice time teasing him about it."

"Ugh, don't remind me, and besides, you made me get it in the first place Hiro!"

He shrugged. "I figured I could get a good laugh with the others."

I kicked him away from Pandora, who was laughing the entire time, and Hiro and I somehow managed to switch places.

"You're next to your girlfriend now, but have some public decency, alright? That means no handholding! This is a PG book we're running here!"

"How the fuck does that make any sense!?" He says the most ridiculous things sometimes.

Pandora was still laughing, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Ah, please, I'm dying, please stop!"

We watched her managed to calm down, and she took a couple deep breaths before nodding. "Right, that isn't the reason we're here today! We were supposed to come here to introduce our best friends to each other, but the shocking reveal that Mestra has been cheating on me all along has ruined everything!"

"Yeah, it's all your fault for approaching me that day."

"If I'm remembering right, you were the one who proposed a partnership, partner." I could see Hiro visibly start sweating.

"Nah, I would never! Even if that were true, it doesn't change the fact that you snuck up on me and spoke to me first!"

She rolled her eyes. "Why is it that I'm surrounded by immature people. Well, except possibly Depra."

"Whadda you mean 'possibly!?' I'm calm and collected alright?"

"Only because you're so negative, you negative bunny," Pandora teased, swirling the water in her bottle around.

"That isn't even a thing."

"Of course they are, they're over there by those people, see?" She pointed towards a nearby group, who were feeding black bunnies with white swirls all over their bodies.

"Those are just normal bunnies," I said, taking another bite out of my sandwich.

Pandora shrugged. "Fine, but when they come for you at night, don't come crying to me or my honey."

I still don't understand the joke. I shook my head, deciding to forget about their shenanigans for now.

We laughed, ate, and talked for a good while, until the food was all gone and out bellies were filled to the max.

"Ah man, I knew Luna's cooking was the best!" Hiro exclaimed, and Pandora frowned.

"You mean my Lun-Lun?" She asked, pulling out her phone and pulling up a picture. "Is this her?"

She showed us a picture of the girl, and to my surprise, it was Luna, along with three other girls, one of which being Pandora.

"HUH!?" Hiro exclaimed, practically jumping to his feet. "You're friends with my sister!?"

"Huh, so you're the older brother she talks about," Pandora said, putting her phone away. "She only ever says great things about you I��ll have you know. Kind of makes us jealous sometimes."

Something clicked in my brain as the realization dawned onto me. "Oh, so that's why you were at the beach that day."

She nodded, grinning. "Yep, I was hanging out with my Lun-Lun. Oh, she's so cute, I could just dress her up for days on end!"

"Ahaha," Hiro said as he collapsed back down. "She wouldn't tell me who her friends were, but to think you were one of them." He sighed. "Well, at least I know one of them. I'll figure out the other two eventually."

Pandora giggled. "Quite the shock, right?"

Mestra stretched towards the sky, yawning. "Well, what do we do now?"

We decided to talk a little bit longer, and by the end, I could feel myself never wanting it to end.

As Hiro and Mestra packed up, Pandora was sitting on the hill, looking over the people playing in the park. I plopped myself down next to her, and she gave me her usual sly grin.

"Sorry, but only honey can sit next to me."

"Whatever, I promised to be as close as I was that day, remember?"

Her regal purple eyes widened as she covered her mouth and started to laugh.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

She shook her head, her hair blazing orange as if set aflame. "Oh, it's nothing, I just wasn't expecting you to remember something like that." She removed her hand for me to see a smile that continued to thaw away my heart. "But I'm glad you did. You made me quite happy."

I felt her hand interlock with my own, and there was a sense of peace withing that simple action.

"Hey! This is a PG book! Censor that shit right now!"

And then there's Hiro, who brought about a different sort of peace.

I stared up into the blue sky and let out a grin.

I think I could get used to my life being like this, even if it was only a dream…