Day 1. Part 1

Aru fell back in alarm. He surveyed the area around him, judging his quickest route of escape.

'It's true. Don't you believe me?'

The boy standing in front of him waved a blue phone before Aru's face, the bright display blinding his eyes. Aru yelped when a hand sank into his shoulders, claiming a strong grip on him.

'Akise,' the boy said. 'Akise, don't you remember me?'

The boy sounded desperate, he stepped aside, let go of Aru, his head sank. So that Aru could only see the tip of the guy's nose behind that pitch black fringe.

'Of course, of course – what was I thinking? We haven't met yet, not in this timeline, and…'

'What's your name?' asked Aru.

'Huh?'

The boy looked up.

'Amano Yukiteru.'

'Okay, Amano, I really haven't met you before, and I have no idea what you're talking about. Frankly, the idea of someone's diary telling them the Future seems kind of odd.'

'Uh,'

'I'm sorry, I really need to get going now – homework.'

Aru gestured at his schoolbag. He gave Amano a slight shove (for good measure) and walked past him, not caring to look back.

'W-wait!'

Aru sighed, he wasn't getting rid of this boy that easy, it seemed. So when footsteps hollered after him, he just let Amano catch up, but kept on walking, fixing his gaze on the horizon. They walked like that, until Amano opened his mouth to start talking, though Aru still refused to look.

'My friends call me Yukki.'

'So?'

'Ah?'

'I'm not your friend.'

That silenced the boy – Aru smiled.

'Akise… I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that, but… But what I'm saying is true. It's going to start soon, the slaughtering. And when it does, I'll protect you.'

For the first time Aru made a full stop and turned to face the boy, he was met with a pair of dead serious blue eyes. This guy was mad. Aru considered making a run for it, but then he noticed Amano's toned arms, his athletic looking build…this wasn't going to be an easy run.

'Please, trust me. I know it sounds very difficult right now, but, but please.'

'Amano, I…'

He didn't know what to say. He looked at the boy again, Amano had no weapons in his hands, but there was something bulging out of his trouser pocket. Aru pointed at it.

'Is that a knife?'

'Yes.'

He took a step back, ready to grab the pencil that was always in his breast pocket.

'Wait, I'm not going to use it on you, it's for Yuno!'

'Huh?'

'…It's a long story…basically: crazy ex-girlfriend.'

Well, that made sense – no sane girl would ever go out with such a mad man like Amano. Aru considered his options. He couldn't just tell this guy to back off, and go home. Amano would follow him. But he couldn't go along with Amano either. The guy was mentally unstable, and he had a knife. So in the end Aru decided to walk his 'friend' to the nearest park, hear him out, and then find some excuse to disappear. You can't really blame him, either, Amano's hands were shaking all the way there, his irises darting around, watching out for something. Aru kept an eye on Amano's knife, left hand rubbing the pencil in his breast pocket. They sat down on a bench, secluded from the rest by a dark leafy bamboo thicket. Aru began to talk.

'So…you're from the future?'

Amano sighed.

'Yeah. I didn't want to drag you into this, but, considering my options, there wasn't anybody else I could turn to.'

Aru raised an eye-brow. He wasn't liking the way this conversation was turning. It meant only one thing: trouble. And with the cafeteria poisonings going around school, the library thief (whom Hinata expected him to catch), and the case of his mother's mysterious disappearance two weeks ago, Aru had enough on his hands as it was. Faintly he stared at Amano, rubbing his thumbs over the bench.

'You are my only hope, because you're smart, and you're not a diary holder.'

'Eh…thanks, for the compliment?'

'No need to be grateful. I'm sorry, Akise, I'm really sorry. But I can't do this on my own. I really need some help, somebody on my side,'

'What's a Diary Holder?'

'Oh. Yeah, I guess I should explain that first,'

Amano gave an awkward smile while scratching the back of his head. Aru had to admit, this Amano guy did look cute…even if he was crazy.

[End of First Chapter]