Kakusu accepts Caddy's invitation to join Hidden Block at their table-but Mimi is upset at Kakusu for befriending Hidden Block, and Caddy is still being pestered by other students for the boot theft and kappa costume spectacle...

Humming a happy Nokemon tune to herself, Kakusu grabbed a bottle of apple juice out of the cooler and paid the grumpy cashier for the drink. Chatter skittering about the lunchroom provided a cheerful ambience to her bright mood. Kakusu continued humming waited for Mimi to join her.

"You seem chipper today," Mimi remarked as she picked up her tray. "What's the occasion?"

"Kakusu made a new friend today!" Kakusu beamed.

"Oh, yes, that Caddic-whatever his name is." Mimi rolled her eyes. "I thought he would have been insulted that you picked him up so easily."

"He was angered when I began to carry him," Kakusu replied, scanning the lunchroom. "However, that anger dissipated by the time I deposited him at one of the men's restrooms so he could change into his uniform."

"Sure didn't take him long." Mimi rolled her eyes again and frowned. "Maybe he's into that sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Kakusu tilted her head.

Mimi balanced her tray with one hand and flicked her other hand. "Don't worry about it."

Kakusu spotted her and Mimi's friend Naomi—her high twin ponytails stuck out of any crowd despite the girl's five-foot height. She and Mimi walked over to Naomi, weaving between students and tables to join the excitable first-year girl. Naomi waved to Mimi and Kakusu as they approached. "Have you guys seen Ruth?" Naomi asked as she balanced her lunch tray on one tiny dark hand.

"Right behind you!" Ruth, a muscular blonde fourth-year student, stood behind Naomi with her lunch in a paper sack. "It's a nice day outside—we should enjoy lunch on the grass or something."

"I don't feel like eating outside," Mimi replied with a shake of her head. "Let's just find a table."

"I don't know… both are good ideas." Naomi bit her lip, glancing between Ruth and Mimi.

"You three girls may sit where you please," Kakusu addressed the other girls, "but I am considering sitting with my new friend Caddicarus and with the Hidden Block club."

"The Hidden Blunders?" Naomi gasped, her ponytails standing on end.

"Naomi, don't be so rude!" Ruth whispered as Naomi withered.

"Why?" Mimi asked Kakusu.

"Earlier today, Caddicarus invited me to sit with him and his club during lunch," Kakusu replied with a wide smile.

"That's cool," Ruth replied. "Go for it."

"Oh!" Kakusu touched her fingertips to her own lips. "I just realized! I can ask Caddicarus if we are all able to sit with them—"

"No way," Mimi interrupted. "That Hidden Block club is a group of crazy weirdos. Why would I want to associate with them when Normal Boots is so much cooler?"

"Yeah, Hidden Block is weird," Naomi added.

"It looks like they only have a couple of extra chairs anyways." Ruth pointed at the table crowded with black and yellow jackets.

Kakusu turned and frowned. "Oh. I neglected to notice that detail."

"Whatever, you can go, I don't care." Mimi shrugged, her mouth pulled into a frown. "C'mon, girls, let's find a table," she said to Ruth and Naomi.

Kakusu's grip on her juice bottle tightened. "Please do not be upset, Mimi. I will join you girls for lunch tomorrow."

"You better," Mimi muttered, her eyes narrowing at Kakusu. She walked off with a suddenly chatty Naomi and a worried Ruth.

Kakusu sighed. Mimi had never directed her anger at Kakusu before, and it truly was more frightening to be the target of that anger as opposed to witnessing it being wielded on someone else. Regardless, Kakusu determined Mimi's irritation would fade by the end of the day like it always did in the past.

Kakusu approached the Hidden Block table, searching for Caddy. Wallid and Jimmy were engaged in conversation—something about Nokemon—and Ian was absorbed in his fruit cup and sandwich. Jeff hadn't arrived at the table yet, and Caddy… The bearded British boy spotted her first and waved at her with a giant sweeping motion. Kakusu grinned and waved back, mimicking his arm sweep.

"I saved a chair for you," Caddy told Kakusu, pulling out a chair beside where he sat.

"Thank you." Kakusu seated herself in between Caddy and Luke.

"Hey, Kakusu, glad you could join us," Luke chimed.

"Thank you, Luke." Kakusu set her apple juice bottle on the table. "I apologize again for the misunderstanding before class."

"Nah, it's cool." Luke waved a hand. "You were keeping guard over Caddy, and I appreciate anyone helping out my friends."

"I am glad," Kakusu replied. She twisted the lid off her juice.

Caddy glanced between the juice and Kakusu's face. "Where's the rest of your lunch?" he asked her.

Kakusu paused. "I attained sufficient energy requirements earlier. This juice is all I need currently."

Caddy chuckled. "If you say so." He spun spaghetti on his fork. "How was your class?"

Kakusu sipped her juice. "It was more enlightening than usual, even when Miss Shizuka rambled on a tangent about effectively fording rivers on the Oregon Trail."

Luke snickered through his sandwich. "Oh man, she went on way more tangents than usual today. I barely stayed awake."

"I hate when teachers get off-topic," Caddy replied. "At least the worst Mr. Will Bits does is make up silly little voices during his examples."

"Ha ha ha," Kakusu laughed. "Fortunately, Miss Shizuka's tirades are predictable. She only takes the class off-topic when she is extremely excited or extremely upset, typically after her most recent romantic relationship ends poorly."

"Really?" Caddy bit into a meatball. "That is incredibly stupid."

"Dude, isn't Miss Shizuka engaged to Mr. Saitomo now?" Luke asked.

Caddy coughed, covering his mouth with his hand to keep from hacking up his food. "Say what?!" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Are you alright, Caddicarus?" Kakusu rested a hand on Caddy's shoulder blade as he struggled to swallow his spaghetti.

Caddy nodded with a small gulp. "Fine, definitely fine." His eyes widened as he stared at Kakusu and Luke. "When and where did Mr. Saitomo get together with Miss Shizuka?!"

"I am not sure when, but I do know Miss Shizuka announced their engagement this morning…" Kakusu tapped her chin. "Oh, it was right before I retrieved you from that barrage of crumpled paper, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, after most people were done bothering you," Luke added with a frown.

Caddy's shoulders scrunched; Kakusu rubbed her hand in a circle on his back in one of the few ways she knew to comfort someone. "Did anyone try to harass you after I left?"

"Eh, a couple kids called me 'Kappacarus' or 'Kappy', but nothing more than bouts of verbal onslaught. No need to worry, okay?" Caddy smiled, his shoulders crumpling. His body language and strained voice told Kakusu that he did not wish to discuss the subject further.

"Only since you insist." Kakusu lifted her hand from his back. "Anyways," Kakusu said, hoping changing the subject would lift his mood, "as I was saying, Miss Shizuka's tangents in class are directly correlated to her relationship status."

"Really? That is incredibly stupid." Caddy grimaced. "She should at least—" A meatball bounced off his head. "HEY!" Caddy slammed his hands on the table. "Moosey!"

Ian stared at Caddy, his sandwich hovering in front of his face. "It wasn't me."

Wallid and Jimmy burst into laughter, Jimmy holding up a fork coated with marinara sauce. Caddy growled at the chortling chums. "Very funny, guys," Caddy said while staring at them. Luke chuckled.

"I fail to see the humor in the situation," Kakusu admitted.

"Oh, don't mind them," Caddy replied with a smirk. "Lately they've made it a game to tease me and see how quickly I blame Moosey for the prank."

"So it is an inside joke?"

"Precisely." Caddy snatched a paper napkin of Wallid's tray and wiped the sauce off his forehead.

"I see." Kakusu continued to drink her juice. These boys certainly were odd, but not insane like Mimi had insinuated.

Jeff arrived at the table shortly thereafter, and the boys soon got all wrapped up in their own conversations amidst eating their lunches. Kakusu listened to all the chatter as she finished her juice. The topic of conversation shifted quickly, from Internet shenanigans to stories of classmates to video game discussions. Most of the talk of video games confused her—the only video game she played was Nokemon Y, since she played the Nokemon card game with Jimmy occasionally—but she was able to pick up sufficient context clues to understand enough of what excited them so much. She smiled. This club—Caddicarus especially—was very interesting to her. She filed away key words from their game-filled discussions to research later after classes were over for the day.

She looked over Jeff's shoulder at Mimi, Ruth, and Naomi. The three girls were sitting at a table against the wall. Ruth said something that made Naomi laugh in mouse-like squeaks, and Mimi glanced sideways at Kakusu. Kakusu placed her fist over her mouth. Mimi's glare was unsettling…even frightening. Mimi looked away and muttered something to Naomi.

"Hey, Kakusu," Jimmy said, snapping Kakusu out of her musings. "Any idea why Mimi keeps glaring in this direction?"

"She just doesn't like us for some reason," Ian interjected, stabbing a peach slice with his spoon. "Typical behavior for her."

"I do not believe that is the only reason," Kakusu replied. "The full reason is difficult to determine, but I believe she also does not like me sitting over here instead of joining her for lunch."

"Why is that her business at all?" Caddy asked with a scowl. "It's not like she owns you or anything."

Kakusu paused, surprised at Caddy's angry tone. "Well…" She brushed her fingers along her jaw. Technically, Mimi did not own her, yet Mimi was the reason Kakusu found herself at Asagao in the first place. The full situation was something she could not explain to Caddy just yet. "She is very protective of her friends. Beyond that, her feelings on this matter are rather complicated to explain."

Jimmy shrugged. "If you say so."

"Maybe she just needs more friends," Wallid suggested. "That way, she won't be so clingy to the friends she has."

"As if she can find any," Ian said in a low, angry tone. "She's one of the most two-faced, manipulative witches known to humanity." He stared at each of the Hidden Block members in turn, avoiding Kakusu's gaze. "You guys all remember how she used Jirard to try to get into Normal Boots, right?"

An affirmative grumble passed around the table. Kakusu stared at her fingers tapping on the table. Even she remembered that disaster…most of the school were ignorant of the details, but Mimi had lost most of her friends after Mimi's exploits were exposed. For the first time ever, Kakusu wondered exactly why Ruth spent her time with Mimi—Naomi was a first year, so she was ignorant of Mimi's past, but Ruth was a fourth year in Jirard's class and had heard the secondhand rumors. Perhaps, Kakusu mused, she would ask Ruth about that fact.

"Kakusu." She looked up at Caddy, who stared at her with a worried frown. "Why are you still friends with Mimi after all those awful things she did?"

"I am afraid that is also a complicated explanation," Kakusu replied. "I cannot fully explain it since it is not only my story to tell."

The bell rang—ten minutes until class started up again. Students around them began to stand and toss their trays, but Hidden Block remained sitting as they watched Kakusu. Kakusu intertwined her fingers, looking away from the now silent boys as Caddy placed a hand on her shoulder.

Wallid twirled his fork in his fingers. "Well, regardless of what Mimi thinks or does, I think you're a nice person." Wallid smiled as he picked up his tray and stood. Kakusu smiled back.

"Oh yes, definitely," Caddy added with the widest grin Kakusu had ever seen on him. "You're truly one of the kindest people I know." He laughed. "And one of the strongest. How in the world did you manage to carry me all the way to Poppy Hall like that?!"

Kakusu beamed. "Thank you, Caddicarus. I…" She shrugged with one shoulder. "It is also complicated to explain, but essentially I have always been very strong." She pushed her chair out and stood.

"Blimey." Caddy's eyes shone. "I am quite envious." He chuckled, standing with his own tray. "Maybe one day I'll be able to heft you the same way you carried me."

Kakusu felt her silicone-fabric skin grow warm as she rubbed her neck. "I… think I would like if you carried me at least once." Caddy blushed at the words.

"Ugh, you two get a room!" Ian called back to them as he walked away with Wallid, Jeff, and Jimmy.

"Shut your face, you wanker!" Caddy yelled at Ian's back as he and Luke deposited their trays.

"Hee hee hee," Kakusu quietly giggled despite herself.

"You want to join us for lunch tomorrow?" Luke asked Kakusu as he, Caddy, and Kakusu exited the cafeteria together.

"I would like to join you for lunch again the day after tomorrow, to be honest," Kakusu replied as she tossed the empty plastic bottle into a trash can. "It would be most wise for me to alternate days in such a manner, to spend time with Mimi and to spend time with you all in Hidden Block… my new friends." Kakusu rubbed her ear, looking away with a small smile.

"No need to be shy about it, Kakusu," Caddy replied. Kakusu looked up, her smile mirroring his. "We're glad to have you join us."

"Yes, especially Caddy," Luke said with a chuckle and a wink at the British boy.

Caddy's eyes widened, then he glared at Luke while his cheeks turned pink. "You hush, too, you pillock."

Kakusu tilted her head to the side. She had assumed Caddy only insulted Ian; why would he do so towards Luke in this instance? "Are you sure you are alright, Caddicarus?"

Caddy sniggered and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Harmless teasing, is all."

A white object flew towards Caddy's ear. Kakusu caught the object between two fingers—a triangular paper with a picture of a kappa's face scrawled onto it. "Oi, what…?" Caddy turned his head, his eyes widening as he spotted the paper.

"That nearly hit your head!" Luke exclaimed.

Kakusu spun around, tracking the paper football's former trajectory to a group of five sniggering second-year boys clumped around a single open locker.

"Kakusu, don't do anything rash—" Caddy stammered.

She strode towards the boys, their laughter dying on their lips as her steps rang out on the floor towards them. "Which one of you shot this paper at my friend?" She spoke in a low voice as she held up the paper in her fingers.

The boys glanced at each other as they bit their nails and pursed their lips. One boy had a thick rubber band between his fingers. Kakusu narrowed her eyes at him. "If the guilty culprit admits to shooting this paper, I will return the paper to you and promise not to report you unless you try to harm Caddicarus in the future."

"Okay, okay!" The boy threw his arms over his face, the rubber band flying through the air. "I did it! Sorry!" he exclaimed in a nasally voice.

Kakusu's fingers tightened into fists. "I only believe you are sorry that I caught you attempting to hurt my friend. However…" She unwrapped the paper, fished out the ten-yen coin weighing it down, and let the paper flutter to the floor at the boys' feet. "Here is your paper. Do not ever try to harass or hurt Caddicarus again or I will report you… or worse." Her eyes narrowed as her lips remained in a stiff line.

All of the boys nodded vigorously. "We promise!" another boy commented in a deep vibrato.

"I will hold you to that promise," she said, letting her eyes glow. The boys ran down the hall, slowing down when Miss Shizuka yelled at them to walk in the halls. Kakusu turned and walked away from the boys, rejoining a slack-jawed Luke and a wide-eyed Caddy. "I have ensured those boys will not bother you in the future, Caddicarus," she said with a smile as she dropped the coin into his hand.

Luke leaned towards Caddy. "Dang, Caddy, you should keep her around," he whispered.

Caddy's ears turned pink as he nodded. "Thank you, Kakusu." He smiled, pocketing the coin. "The only other person to protect me so vigorously is my little sister, and she's not nearly so effective."

"I would do anything to ensure my friends are secure and happy," Kakusu replied as she, Caddy, and Luke resumed their walk to class.

"And I would do the same for my friends, including you," Caddy replied, patting her shoulder. "If you ever need anything, just let me know, alright?"

Kakusu nodded. "I will. I promise."

This time, after escorting Caddy to his classroom, Kakusu found herself smiling widely as she seated herself in her desk beside Mimi. She hummed a Nokemon tune as she slid her geography textbook out of her desk.

"So, did you have fun with the Hidden Blunders?" Mimi said in a hushed voice as she dragged her pencil across her notebook paper.

"I did enjoy my time with them." Kakusu surveyed the room; only half of the desks had students sitting at them. Shane from Normal Boots sat in the front row, Luke and Ian sat next to Shane, and Jontron from Normal Boots lounged behind them in his seat. She faced Mimi, lowering her own voice. "Please do not insult my new friends in such a derogatory manner. Normal Boots would not appreciate it, either, since the Hidden Block club members are also their friends."

Mimi glared at Kakusu, but held her tongue at the mention of Normal Boots. She continued scribbling on her notebook.

"I also will keep my promise—"

"I know, I know," Mimi hissed. Her shoulders slouched, and her eyebrows relaxed as she frowned. "I just…"

Kakusu squeezed Mimi's shoulder. "I understand completely. I will not stop spending time with you because of my new friends. You know this already, correct?"

"Yeah, but I still am afraid, y'know?" She gave Kakusu a quick side glance before returning to the shapes she was scribbling on her paper.

"Please do not be afraid."

"I'll try."

Kakusu returned her attention back to her geography textbook. Opening the book to a map of Terminate Field, Kakusu continued humming the Nokemon battle music and smiled. Not even Mimi's sour mood could lower Kakusu's cheerful demeanor. She logged the memories from lunch into her long-term memory database, lingering on the different facial expressions Caddy and the other Hidden Block members had made.

She clasped her hands together. Kakusu made new friends that day. Kakusu was very happy.

And she couldn't wait to see them again—especially Caddy.

{Author's note: Naomi and Ruth are OCs I made specifically to be Mimi's posse, so don't worry if you don't recognize the names. Also, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the story! I'll be writing a LOT more Caddy/Kakusu in the future. :) }