Beauty from Tragedy

By Calamity Cordite

Chapter 2: Pretty Intimidating

A/N:Okay, I got on a roll. I don't know how long it will last, but thanks to reviewer requests, I've opted to break my normal rule on not posting a story until it's finished and go one chapter at a time for this one even at the risk of leaving the story hanging incomplete if I should lose my focus again before it's done. This is entirely likely, so read at your own risk.

Many thanks to everyone that reviewed. Even though the first chapter didn't get the response I was hoping for, those of you that did respond made me feel appreciated. We all like to feel appreciated.


"Yuna..."

A gentle voice intruded on my sleep. It was a nice voice. It made me feel warm and comforted to hear it.

"Yuu-n-aa..."

This time the gentle voice was accompanied by a less gentle poke in my side. I grumbled unintelligibly and snuggled closer to the warm softness next to me. While I liked hearing the voice, I wished whoever Yuna was would get up because I really wanted to sleep.

"Yuna?!" the voice squeaked, the pitch rising in surprise or embarrassment—I didn't know because I'd have to open my eyes to tell and that just wasn't happening—followed by a giggle. "Big sister, you have to wake up. Mama wants us to get ready to go shopping."

Okay, enough was enough. This damn Yuna-chick was going to get an earful. I popped open my eyes and sat up to shout for the stupid girl to get up already...and froze when I saw the source of the voice. It was my beloved Rina. An instant later I remembered that I was supposed to be Yuna, Rina's twin sister.

"Ah...hehe," I commented. "Morning, Rina-chan." I paused as I took in the sight of Rina still in her pajamas with her hair all bed mussed. I felt my cheeks heating up with a blush and I looked away. Kami, she was cute. "Wait...did you sleep here?"

"Yes," she replied brightly. "You fell asleep while we were talking. I guess it must have been a really exhausting day for you. Everything you had to deal with and you just woke up from a coma! You shouldn't push yourself so hard, big sister. Anyway, come on and get up. We need to bath and get dressed so Mama can take us shopping for you."

"What? Shopping for me?" I asked in confusion.

"Of course, silly," Rina replied. "You need a whole new wardrobe." Rina's bright face fell and her tone became melancholy. "Most of the stuff in here was from when Yuna-chan was in middle school. Most of it probably wouldn't fit you. We'll have to go through it later and bag up the stuff you can't use or don't want." I watched as she visibly shook herself and smiled at me. "You go wash. I'll get you some clean clothes to wear."


"When is your birthday?" Mrs. Kurimi...er...Mama asked me suddenly as Rina and I sat at the table eating breakfast.

"Ju...er...I mean, October 22," I replied.

I made the mistake of calling Rina's mom Mrs. Kurimi once and was treated to a display of melodrama I could only describe as epic when the woman dropped to her knees, grabbed me around the waist, and began to wail about how her daughter didn't want her as a mother, followed by her questioning the gods about how she had failed as a mother. I felt like the world's biggest heel and hastily corrected myself, calling her Mama. She instantly stopped wailing and began hugging me and thanking the gods that her daughter loved her again while Rina watched and giggled. I began to get the impression I would likely be subjected to this a lot.

"Good, but you need to do better if you don't want people to suspect anything," Mama said. "Now, tell me your name."

"Y-Yuna Kurimi," I answered, stumbling slightly over the awkwardness off the new name. "M-Mama...are you sure this is alright? I feel sort of bad that I'm being a burden."

The truth was I felt sort of guilty just being around the woman. She was putting on a brave front but she had obviously spent most of last night crying. Her eyes were red and she had dark circles under them. It was pretty obvious she was grieving for her lost daughter.

"It's fine, Yuna," she said with a reassuring smile. "We won't be able to get you a large wardrobe, but we can get you enough that you can get by until you start building it up. Don't worry about it. You are a part of this family now and we will do our best to give you whatever you need."

I was truly touched by her sentiment, but I was surprised when I felt my eyes start to burn. One again, tears began to fill them in spite of my best efforts to stop it. Mama saw the tears welling and came around the table to hug me. Rina joined in a moment later and soon all three of us were crying.

"I don't understand," I complained, embarrassed. "I ain't cried since I was a little kid. Now I can't stop. What's wrong with me?"

Mama gave me a watery giggle.

"Female hormones, dear," she explained. "Male hormones make you aggressive and short tempered. Female hormones make you calmer but they also make it more difficult to suppress your emotions. It'll get easier once you get used to it. It's just one of the many things that women learn to cope with and you'll have to now as well since you've joined Team Estrogen." Great. As if I didn't have enough to deal with. Mama must have seen my unhappy look. "I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you. Rina told us about who you were." I winced at that. I wasn't ashamed of who I had been exactly, but I didn't delude myself that I had been the type of person parents wanted their kids to grow up to be...or even hang out with for that matter. Again, Mama giggled at my look. "Don't worry. We aren't going to hold the past against you. Think of this as a chance to start over with a clean slate. Rina told us about your kind, compassionate self you kept hidden from everyone. You don't have to hide it now. Nobody will think it's a weakness for a girl to be kind and compassionate."

"Kind and compassionate?" I repeated, confused. Nobody had ever accused me of that. Ever.

"I was there when Rando-sempai rescued that puppy from the inlet pipe," Rina explained. "I saw it all...how gentle he was...how happy he was that the puppy was unharmed. That's why I fell in love with Rando-sempai." Rina gave me a sly smile. "Of course, then Rando-sempai was arrested by the police for destroying the retaining wall to get the puppy out."

"Ah, I remember that now," I grimaced. "No good deed goes unpunished, I guess."

Mama stood up and paced for a minute, wringing her hands nervously. There was clearly something she wanted to say, but was unsure how to say it.

"If you wanna say something, just say it," I prompted and then winced at how confrontational I sounded. "Sorry. I mean please tell me what's on your mind, Mama."

"I don't know why Rando-san felt it necessary to act out before," she began. "I'm sure he had his reasons. It's just that you are Yuna now, young lady. I don't expect you to be a Yamato Nadeshiko. In fact, I fully expect you to be an incorrigible tomboy and I'm fine with that. But...you're a girl now. You don't have to prove your manhood with brutish behavior. I know we said we would not try to make you into a replacement for Yuna, but I must earnestly request that you do your best to bring no shame to the name you carry." She paused and looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I am saying unnecessary things."

"No," I said, standing up and bowing formally to her. "It's only natural that you would be concerned. I know what I was...how people saw me. I make no apologies for it and I have no regrets, but that's not who I want to be anymore. Just before the accident I was considering changing my image, though it probably wasn't possible. Now, I have the chance to do it without everyone's expectations holding me back. I guess that's something else I have Yuna to thank for. You guys have taken me in, even though it can't be easy for you, and I'm grateful for that. So I promise I will try to be someone this family can be proud of and I will earnestly try not to dishonor the name I have adopted. Still, you should know that I'm a fighter. I don't think I could live with myself if I ran away from a threat, but I will try to find a balance between being a respectable girl and my self-respect as a martial artist. I promise I won't go looking for trouble, but I won't run from any trouble that finds me."

"Don't worry, Big Sister," Rina chimed in. "You can depend on me to help you adjust and develop a new image that everyone will admire."

"I admit I'm not happy with the thought of you getting into fights. It's not something a young lady should be doing, but then you're not an ordinary young lady," Mama conceded with a disapproving look. "I suppose if you're reasons are good then I'll overlook it, but if they aren't...there will be consequences. Agreed?"

"Sounds fair to me," I agreed.

"Good, now let's go shopping!" Mama exclaimed with a big manic smile. I gulped in fear of the look in her eyes.


Shopping with two women, I decided, was a grueling experience. I could see the appeal though. I found that I enjoyed seeing how hot I could look in the right outfit, and I tried on tons of them since I was still trying to develop my 'look'. I learned it was far more complex an operation than it was for a guy, that's for sure. It seemed like there were endless variations in color and style that could make or break how an outfit looked and these flaws could only be detected after trying it on. Still, while I had to admit it was kind of fun, after several hours of undressing and redressing I was ready for it to be over. Even allowing for the fact I had just woken up from a year in a coma, it was amazing how quickly shopping burned though my stamina.

I staggered into my bedroom and dumped the huge load of bags of stuff we had bought on the floor before collapsing onto the bed. As I reflected on the day, I realized that it hadn't been just about shopping. Mama and Rina had been constantly coaching me in feminine mannerisms and knowledge. I was amazed at how much there was I needed to be familiar with—everything from how I sat to how I ate and everything in between. And in between everything else, they would ask me random questions about knowledge that Yuna would have been able to answer without having to think about—birthdays, family history, names of close aunts, uncles, and cousins. My head was spinning with the amount of information I had been forced to absorb today. I was just thankful that I wouldn't have to deal with anyone at school that had known Yuna.

School was something else to be concerned with though. At the time of the accident, I had been a third year at Seika High School which had a four year program. I should have been a fourth year senior this year, but since Yuna and Rina were twins, I would be returning to as a second year. Unfortunately, had I been a better student, this would have made things easier, but now I was going to have to redo everything I had struggled through before without being able to resort to my previous, less than honorable methods to achieve passing grades. Darn it. I had also learned that Yuna had been a top student, getting better grades even than Rina-chan. There was no way I would be able to live up to that—not even in a hundred years.

I did notice one thing that scared the crap out of me; aside from buying bras and panties—which drove me to have a panic attack and nearly killed me from nasal hemorrhaging—I was surprisingly comfortable in public as a girl. It had been that way yesterday as well, though I hadn't noticed it at the time. Sure, some of it was a hassle; peeing, for example was a lot more involved than it was for a guy, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to having a period, but unless something forced itself into my awareness, I really didn't feel much different save for the lack of something hanging between my legs and the extra flesh on my chest—though even that slight oddness was rapidly becoming unnoticeable. I just felt like me. I really wanted to believe that this would be harder. I had been an uber-macho guy after all. I finally resolved not to dwell on it too much. It'd probably drive me crazy if I did.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I opened my eyes, Rina was laying beside me with her head propped up in one hand watching me while the other was gently stroking my hair. When she noticed me looking at her, she blushed and smiled at me.

"Did you have a good nap, Yuna-chan?" she asked.

I nodded. "How long was I asleep?"

"A couple of hours. It's almost dinner time," Rina answered.

"Geez, why didn't you wake me? We still have to make space for all the stuff we bought today and put everything away," I protested.

"You needed your rest, Big Sister," Rina admonished. "You're still recovering from a coma. There's plenty of time to clean out your closet and dressers after dinner."

It seemed that Rina was something of a mother hen. Not that I minded her hovering over me; it was kind of nice.

"Rina-chan, tell me the truth: how are you doing, really?" I asked.

She looked away for a few moments before giving me a sad smile.

"I'm okay. I'm a little sad, but not even close to as much as I would have been if you weren't here," she answered. "To tell you the truth, if it weren't for you, I just don't know what I would have done. I don't think I would have wanted to live without Yuna-chan. But because you're here, I feel a little happy too." Her face took on a stern look. "But let's get one thing straight, Big Sister; I am never going to leave your side. I won't lose you again. Not ever. Do you understand, Big Sister? No running away without me, no dying in bus crashes...think of me as your shadow from now on."

That sounded like paradise to me.

"Rina-chan..." I said, hugging her. She returned the hug and laid her head on my shoulder with a contented sigh.


I pasted an awkward smile on my face as Rina-chan clutched my arm and leaned her face close to mine so that her friends could take yet another picture. It had been three days since the shopping trip and in that time I had been undergoing intensive Yuna-training with Mama while Rina was in school. Yesterday, I had taken the transfer exams and been accepted into Seika High again, only this time as a second year girl. I was fortunate that I was placed in Rina-chan's class. Unfortunately, that meant all Rina's friends were eager to meet me and welcome me into their group. I had never been in a group of excited girls like this and I was really uncomfortable. Everywhere I looked, my eyes seemed to settle something embarrassing.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when Rina's 'sexy' blonde friend, Midori, sat down on a desk with her legs spread, flashing us all her panties.

"Midori!" Rina's short-haired, tomboy friend, Keiko protested with a laugh. "You're totally flashing us! Gross!"

"Aw, it's alright," Midori grinned. "There aren't any boys around here to see."

Maybe not, but the view was certainly something my male mind appreciated and my female body was responding accordingly. I quickly turned away as I began to blush and feel a little light headed. Being around so many girls was going to be Dangerous. I don't know how I was going to survive the locker room for Gym class.

"Yuna-chan, Chemistry is our next class," Rina informed me happily. "Let's go!"

As Dangerous as I was finding it to be in the middle of Rina's friends, the hallways were pretty uncomfortable for me as well. A transfer student gets a lot of attention to begin with, but since I was apparently Rina's twin sister, the two of us together ensured I was getting more attention than normal. It made me feel self-conscious in the short uniform skirt I was wearing. Seika High's girls' uniform consisted of a burgundy blazer over a white blouse and a pleated, green and black tartan skirt that only came to mid-thigh. A pair of black kneesocks completed the uniform. It was very cute and Rina and I made it look even better. Unfortunately, that drew its own brand of attention.

"Hey isn't that the new second year twin?" I heard a guy say from behind us.

"Yeah, boy those two sure are cute," another answered. "I wanna see their faces."

When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I had had enough. I looked over my shoulder with a vicious snarl on my face.

"Don't be so damn casual about leering at people, you scumbags!" I growled, a vein throbbing on my forehead.

"...scary," one of the guys whimpered as they recoiled in fear.

"S-sorry..." the other squeaked.

"Yuna-chan!" Rina admonished causing me to realize I wasn't acting very lady-like.

"Ah, haha," I laughed nervously, pasting a big fake smile on my lips. "I surprised you didn't I? I was only joking. A joke."

The two sweating guys quickly fled from our presence and Rina-chan and I continued to class. Rina continued to watch me with a pensive look.

"Sorry, Rina-chan," I sighed. "It just that everyone looking at us like we were some sort of circus freaks was really pissing me off."

"What happened?" Midori asked eagerly as Rina and I sat down at the lab table.

Giggling, Rina related how I nearly made a couple of guys that were acting too bold nearly wet themselves in fear. Her three friends laughed as I blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of guys acting too shamelessly? It's not that strange, is it?" I asked defensively.

"Yeah, but it's almost like Yuna-chan turns into a guy sometimes," Yukie, Rina's 'nice' friend giggled. Yukie was probably the most traditional girl in the group in her appearance. She had long black hair and a demure manner, though I was told she was the only one in the group to have a boyfriend—much to the boy-crazy Midori's annoyance. It seemed she was dating a college guy that nobody had met.

"It's so cute!" Keiko laughed. In spite of her tomboyishness, the sporty, short-haired redhead seemed to have a girlish love of all things 'cute'.

I felt myself pale as Yukie unknowingly scored a bull's-eye. I had to control my temper better or someone might figure things out. I felt Rina give my hand a reassuring squeeze under the table and I gave her a smile of gratitude.

"I guess Big Sister went a little wild while she was away," Rina explained. "It's okay though. It's kinda fun."


Once again, I found myself in the hallway—this time alone. I was trying my best to keep my temper in check and act like a normal girl, but it was increasingly difficult do to the large group of guys that had been following me around like puppies for the last two classes. When I reached the end of my patience, I whipped around and gave them a teeth-baring scowl.

"What the hell do you want?" I snarled before catching myself. I forced myself to assume a demure feminine posture with my hands clasped in front of me and put a big fake smile on my face. "I mean, do you guys need something?"

Then I saw who they were and groaned. It was the Karate Club. Not good. I had visited them when I came for my entrance exams. It hadn't gone well...


Flashback:

I entered the dojo of the Karate Club feeling a sense of nostalgia. It had been a long time since I had been here and I was curious about how the guys were doing. There were a few guys practicing with each other, but they were clearly low ranking members. They weren't all that good. I quickly spotted two of the senior members, my former lackeys, Kinoshita and Tamura standing to the side shooting the breeze. I almost called out to them, but managed to stop myself after calling out a simple "Hey" which drew their attention. I wasn't Rando anymore. I was a girl named Yuna and I wasn't supposed to know them. Mama's coaching was paying off it seemed.

"Whaddya want?" Kinoshita, the one with the dyed dark blonde hair worn in a ducktail style asked coming up to me with the black-haired, big guy with the buzz-cut beside him.

"Ah...Hi," I said. "I'm new here, but I heard this was Rando Masashi's club before he died. He was a really awesome fighter so I wanted to come see it. You guys must really miss him, huh?"

Okay, so I was being a little shameless, but I didn't expect Kinoshita and Tamura to burst out laughing like I had just told them the world's funniest joke.

"Miss Rando Masashi?" Kinoshita gasped between his laughter before turning to the rest of the room. "Hey guys! Do we miss Rando?"

All the other club members started laughing as well.

"There's no way we would miss a guy like that," Kinoshita laughed.

"Yeah, we don't even want to remember that guy at all," Tamura added.

"He was a total asshole that thought just because he was a little stronger he could lord it over us," Kinoshita sneered.

"I was so happy when I found out he was dead I danced with joy!" Tamura declared to the chorus of agreement from the other members.

I felt my rage build with each insult that was heaped on my former name.

"I see," I said, my head lowered so that my bangs shadowed my eyes. "I see that you guys are a bunch of candy-asses that hated Rando because he wanted to make you stronger so you didn't get pushed around like a bunch of pathetic little sissies. How pitiful you are."

"What?" Kinoshita growled as the room suddenly stopped laughing. "What would you know? That's tough talk coming from a cute little thing like you. Maybe we should play with you a little and show you who's pitiful here. What do you say guys? Do you want to play with this cute little girl here?"

The other members closed in with nasty chuckles. That was just what I wanted. I waited for the first one to touch me before I looked up with my eyes glowing with a demonic rage and then I unleashed that rage on them. When I left the dojo, every member of the club was groaning, beaten and bloody, lying broken on the floor. They hadn't been able to even lay a finger on me, though I was breathing more heavily than I expected.

End Flashback


"So what do you guys want?" I asked nervously at the group of guys. If they wanted payback then I would have no choice but to destroy them again...but that wouldn't suit the image I was trying to give of being a normal girl. Dammit.

"Miss Yuna," Kinoshita greeted with a sickening obsequiousness and a wide smile—which I noted was matched by the rest of them as well. "We would like you to join our club!"

"Wait...what?" I blinked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you must absolutely join our club," Tamura declared enthusiastically.

"B-but...I'm a girl. I can't join," I stammered casting around wildly for some excuse to get out of this.

"Don't sell your self short!" Kinoshita argued. "You're so strong! We'll happily make you our new captain!"

How pathetic. After all that crap they talked about me—well, they didn't know I was Rando, but still—and they had the nerve to try and recruit me.

"No can do," I replied with a smile.

"But Miss Yuna! Please reconsider!" Kinoshita protested.

"Move it, you Karate Club pansies!"

Everyone looked around to see a tall, heavily-built guy flanked by two flunkies glaring at them. Suddenly the Karate Club group scattered, clearing the center of the hallway while each tried to look casual like they hadn't just acted like a bunch of whipped puppies.

"Pussies," one of the flunkies sneered as the three of them moved past.

I couldn't have agreed more. However, as the leader moved past, he stopped and looked at me. I finally recognized him and Yamagami, the captain of the Judo Club. He was always an annoying asshole until I got fed up with his crap and beat the shit out of him back when I was Rando. After that he acted like a sniveling little bitch when ever he saw me—just like the Karate Club just had.

"Yuna Kurimi, right?" Yamagami addressed me. "We'll talk later."

Without waiting for me to respond, he walked off with his snickering lackeys in tow.

I turned to confront my pitiful ex-club members only to find they had vanished down the hallway when I wasn't looking. It didn't take long to find them though. They were huddled outside the building just under a window so I crouched down to listen to them.

"Shit, Yamagami makes me sick. That bastard..." Kinoshita commented.

"Yeah, when Rando was here he didn't act so damn big," Tamura agreed.

"He has gotten pretty powerful this year," the long blonde-haired Endo pointed out.

"It's hopeless," Kinoshita sighed. "We're just too weak."

"You said it," Tamura agreed. "Man, it was great when Rando was alive. One good glare and they'd tuck their tails and run away."

Ah, so that was it. Without me around to kick Yamagami's ass, he had become the strongest in the school and was now acting like some sort of Samurai Lord or something. I snorted softly. Only now do they realize they should have been thanking me.

"But if Rando came back to life that wouldn't be good, would it?" Endo asked.

"Waahh! You're right!" Tamura exclaimed. "That would suck! If Rando was here it'd make this look like a holiday!"

I face-faulted hard into the floor. Ingrates.

"But if Miss Yuna were to join us things would definitely change!" Kinoshita declared.

"Yeah!" Tamura joined in. "We must definitely make her join!"

So that was their plan, huh? Get me to join so I could fight their battles for them? No happening. I stood up and flung open the window.

"Forget it!" I shouted. "What kind of men are you that you want to hide behind a girl while she protects you from bullies? I was right; you are a bunch of pitiful candy-asses. There's no way I'm going to join the Karate Club if that's the reason. Don't even think about asking me to join again until you become strong enough to defeat Yamagami and his flunkies on your own!"

"But Miss Yu—"

Their wail of protest was cut off as I slammed the window shut and headed back to class.


I sat with my feet on my desk and my chair balanced on its back two legs as I thought about the stupid Karate Club. Hopefully my condition would keep them off my back for a while. If those guys attached themselves to me, then I might end up going down the same path as before. There's no way I wanted that. My best bet was to stay as girly as possible if I wanted to have a normal high school life.

"Yuna-chan! Your legs! Your Legs!" Rina exclaimed quietly.

"Eep!" I squeaked as I pulled my legs of the desk and pulled my skirt down from where it had ridden up to an indecent level.

"If you're not more careful you'll be in trouble," Rina-chan warned me. "There are plenty of guys checking out my sweet sister. That's why I said something."

"Checking me out?" I wondered, glancing around the room and spotting several guys that immediately turned to intently study the walls when they saw me looking their way.

"Yes. You're bright and energetic so you're become very popular," Rina explained.

"But we look the same so you must be popular too, right?" I asked. I'd hate that for some reason. Even though I was supposed to be her sister, the thought of a guy getting close to Rina-chan pissed me off.

"No, you're wrong," Rina denied. "Anyway you look at it, I'm the serious type so I'm not popular at all."

"No way," I protested. "I bet there are a dozen guys here that would do anything for you."

"Even if there were," Rina dismissed, "there is only one person that I'm interested in."

I couldn't help but smile as Rina winked at me. At the same time, I was sort of troubled. If Rina was still interested in me like she had been interested in Rando...I just didn't know how that would work at all.


That afternoon, I found a note in my shoe locker. A cold lump formed in the pit of my stomach as I read it. Whoever wrote it claimed to know who I was and it said to come to the equipment room behind the gym if I didn't want anything to happen to my sister.

Rina was currently helping out with the student council so she would be a while. It didn't look like I had much choice. I don't know how they could possibly have figured out I was Rando—and so soon—but I had to go find out what they wanted.

I made my way to the specified building and saw that the area was completely deserted. I tried the door to the equipment room and found that it opened easily. I slipped in and found it was pretty dark inside after just coming in from the bright sun. I stepped a few paces into the room and paused to let my eyes adjust. Suddenly, the door clanged shut and I heard the lock click.

"What the...?" I demanded, spinning around. "Okay, what's going on here?"

As my eyes adjusted I spotted Yamagami standing in front of the door flanked by a pair of his goons. Hearing movement around me, I glanced around to see the rest of the Judo Club emerging from behind stacks of equipment stored in the room.

"I'll tell you what's going on, Kurimi," Yamagami spoke up. "We know it was you that beat up four of my club members and put them in traction last week. They were lower ranking members and I'm considering kicking them out of the Judo Club for losing to a little girl like you, but even if that's the case, I can't just let this go. An attack on one of our members is an attack on all of us. Now, you are pretty cute so if you agree to get on your knees and beg for our forgiveness and then agree to play with us, then I might let it go. Otherwise, we'll have to punish you until you do agree. So what is your answer?"

"So you called me out because I beat up a couple of idiots?" I laughed in relief. They didn't know anything after all. "And now you think you're going to intimidate me into being your little toy? Was that your sad little plan?"

"Sad or not, it seems to have worked," Yamagami smirked. "You're trapped in here outnumbered and nobody will hear you screaming for help. But feel free to keep up the brave front. It makes it all the sweeter when we break girls like you. You won't be the first snotty little bitch with a few fighting skills we've broken and made into our toy."

"Is that so?" I asked, a sense of profound disgust filling me for these sad little creatures around me. "Then allow me to ensure there isn't another. Please, I invite you, if you think it will help then make your move."

Yamagami opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, be it to continue the banter or give the signal to attack, the door to the storage room was kicked open with a crash.

"Don't worry, Miss Yuna! We'll save you!"

I could make out Kinoshita, Tamura, and Endo along with the rest of the Karate Club as they poured into the room and began attacking the Judo Club. It was an incredible battle—incredibly lame that is. They didn't even last two minutes before the Judo Club had crushed them completely. It was disgraceful, really. They were so weak. Still, I was kind of impressed that they dug deep and found a big enough set of balls to go against the Judo Club for my sake.

"I hope you weren't counting on these losers to rescue you," Yamagami sneered. "Now, I think this is the point where you get on your knees and start begging us to forgive you."

"I wouldn't depend on those idiots to whip their way out of a wet paper bag," I snorted. "No, this is the point where I put you subhuman morons in your place."

"We'll see who gets put in their place!" Yamagami roared and charged me.

I stood calmly until Yamagami got close enough to try to grab me and then I launched a lightening fast kick that caught him flush on the side of the head. For a moment time seemed to stop as the whole room seemed to shake from the impact. Then Yamagami went rocketing away from me to slam into the concrete wall of the storage building with enough force to crater it deeply and send large cracks radiating out form the point of impact. The big Judo Club Captain didn't get back up.

"You bitch!" one of his goons cried and the whole group attacked.

Three minutes later I took out the last of Yamagami's thugs with a devastating head butt. His body went limp and he slowly topped to the floor out cold. I stood amidst the pile of broken bodies with blood running down from my scalp where one of them had gotten in a luck hit with a baseball bat before I took the bat from him and broke his arms. I slowly calmed down and my rational side took over again, assessing the situation.

"I...won't forget...this..." Yamagami groaned from beneath his crater.

"No," I said icily as I stepped over to him and began grinding his head between my foot and the concrete floor. "You won't. Because the next time you threaten my sister or my friends, I'm going to make this beating look like a fun picnic and then I'm going to crush your balls like walnuts and tear them off and choke you to death with them. You got that, you piece of filth?" He didn't answer so I ground down harder. "You got it?" I demanded again.

"Argghh...yes, dammit, yes. Just please stop!" he squealed.

I wasn't done yet though. "Who's the bitch now, huh? Tell me! Say it!"

"I-I am," Yamagami sobbed. "I'm the bitch. Please..."

"That's right," I said. "You're the bitch and if I ever see you near a girl again, we're going to have this discussion again in a very public place. Then everyone will know what you are."

I gave him a quick kick to the floating ribs, causing him to gasp and curl up in a ball.

"Big Sister!" Rina cried out fearfully as she ran into the room followed by several members of the student council. All of them but Rina froze as they saw the devastation while Rina plowed into me at full speed, causing me to stagger back a couple of steps. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

"It's my period," I deadpanned with a gasp as my breath was being crushed from me by Rina's fierce hug.

"That's not funny, Yuna-chan!" Rina chided. "Quick, we've got to get you to the nurse's office!"

"I'm fine, Rina-chan," I reassured her. "It's only a scratch."

"What happened here?" one of the student council guys asked. "Yuna-san, did you..." he shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Did you defeat all these guys?"

"Miss Yuna...is so...strong," Kinoshita said from where he was propped up on a stack of mats. He was very battered and had blood running down his face, but he was still conscious. "She took out...the entire Judo Club...by herself. She...took out...Yamagami with...one strike."

I looked around at the people staring at me in awe, disbelief, and even a bit of fear. Well, damn. So much for trying to be a normal girl. By tomorrow the entire school was going to know about this. I felt like I was going to cry, but I blinked back the tears that had begun to sting my eyes. Dammit. It was going to be just like last time when I was Rando.