The Rats of CHS

Chapters

First Period: Dodge-Ball with Aria.
Second Period: Besties For, like, Forever?
Third Period: Negotiations.
Forth Period: Caged Wolf
Lunch: Down the Rat Hole
Fifth Period: Interrogation.
Introductions: The Rats
Fourth Period Part 2: Mouse Trap

First Period: Dodge-Ball with Aria.

Adagio was talking with her sisters, who thought the Rats had left. Unbeknownst to her they did leave, but not all of them. "We will Sonata, during lunch period when everyone will be out and about. But for now, just act normal and don't do anything stupid." Adagio ordered, which made Bad Boy raise a brow from behind his corner. "We gather back at lunch, remember that." Adagio and Sonata went their separate ways, Bad Boy pulled out his phone and called Tesla.

"Ey, it's me... Yeah, you were right. Those three are up to somethin'... Said somethin' about brainwashing the students at lunch, any idea what that means?..... Nothin', huh? Alright, run a background check on those three and cancel all my lunch appointments, whatever they're doin' at lunch we ain't stickin' around for it..... Yeah, I'll tell Anarchy all this at 2nd... See ya then." Bad boy hung up the phone and frowned. "So, they wanna run my school? The only runnin' they'll be doin' is runnin' from me and me boys..." Bad Boy said to himself, then he started walking to first period. "Better ditch the scene, don't wanna be late."

(Aria's POV)

Aria looked at her schedule and saw she had Gym this period, luckily she was already in front of the gymnasium. "And here I am without a fake doctor's excuse, guess I'll have to entertain myself while suffering with the students..." Aria noticed Anarchy walk past her without taking any interest in her. "Hey! Tall, dark and brooding!"

Anarchy stopped, half turned his head and looked at her with hidden eyes and his indifferent frown.

"Where you heading?"

"Gym." He answered. "Where are you heading?"

"Gym." She responded. "Small world, isn't it?

"Hm." He grunted

"Well, aren't you the friendly type?" Aria commented.

Anarchy stayed silent and started walking again.

"(The strong, silent type huh? I wonder how I can gain his trust...)" She caught up to him and started walking beside him. "Seriously though, what are we doing in here?"

"Dodge-ball." He deadpanned. "I'd say you'll like it, I feel like you're the violent type."

"Meh, I get an excuse to hurt people, so I'm happy." She looked up at him. "But don't underestimate me, tough-guy. If you're not careful I'll tear you a new asshole."

"Right back at ya, twin-tails." The two entered the gymnasium, multiple gasps were heard as soon as Anarchy set foot inside. This was followed by the entire gym going quiet.

"....... Wow, are you really that frightening?"

"Fear is simply the emotional reaction toward the unknown... They know me very well, what they do not know is who will survive while I'm on the court." He said in complete stoicism.

"Fucking brutal..."

The tardy bell rang and the students lined up against the wall, coach Soldier walked in, eyeing the students for weakness which some of the weaker students had plastered on their faces. Coach Soldier was a military veteran who trained rookies at boot-camp, he always wore his old military bucket and tunic that had his metal pinned on his chest. His helmet hid his eyes due to it's size, but it somehow didn't blind him. "Folks... As you all know, today is Tuesday... And judging from the sorry looks on all your maggot faces, and the fact that Counter Punch is here today, I think we all know what day it is..."

Nobody said a word in response.

"..... Good! Now let me get role-call..."

"Hey, Anarchy." Aria called. "Who's Counter Punch?"

"You're lookin' at him." He responded.

"I thought you were Anarchy?"

"Anarchy's my gang name, my real name is Counter Punch." He explained.

"Counter!"

"Present." He responded.

Soldier walked to Aria with his clip-board. "Hmm..... I don't see your name here maggot... I'll have you know I don't take class-skipping stowaways..."

"She ain't a stowaway, she's new here." Anarchy informed.

"... I see, so you're a new recruit?" Soldier pulled out a pen and clicked the button. "Name?"

"Aria." She responded.

"... Sir-name?"

"Blaze." She responded again.

"Ooh, Blaze huh?" The coach lifted his helmet enough to reveal his eyes, the left one was completely white and void of a pupil while the right one was dirt brown. "......... Oh, I see..." He adjusted his lid and smiled. "You got a fire burning in those eyes... Yeah, I think we'll get along just fine, maggot." Soon, the coach finished taking roll and cracked his neck. "Alright you sissified maggots, let's get those legs moving! Three laps around the gym, go go go!" The class formed a line and began running, the group was led by Rainbow Dash, followed by Spitfire, followed by Anarchy, and Aria was behind him. "Let's go maggots! C'mon, move those flabby sticks you call legs!" The four in the lead didn't let up, even Anarchy kept a constant speed with his jacket probably burning him up like a furnace. Before they knew it it was already the third lap. "Alright, that's enough work for today... Not! Twenty push-ups, go!" The students got on the floor and began doing one of the most despised exercises ever conceived. Some of the students were already at the point of breaking, but most were just gritting their teeth and enduring, Aria being one of them. But not Anarchy, he kept a fast and steady pace that would have been close to showing-off if he had been smiling.

"Good god, Anarchy! Slow down a little!" Aria whispered.

He stopped completely, and then adjusted his body so he was sitting. "Done."

"(Already!?... Maybe Adagio was onto something, this guy could be useful...)" Aria finished her twenty and built up a sweat, while Anarchy didn't look fatigued at all. He was sweating, sure, but he wasn't panting for breath like the others.

"Alright maggots, thirty sit-ups, go!"

Sit-ups were relatively easy, so the large amount didn't really surprise Aria. She kept a pace that matched Anarchy's own, though she was showing signs of light struggle as they progressed. Of course, Anarchy was doing just fine with no signs of struggle. The two finished at close times, but Anarchy had a second or two on her. "Geez, are you even tired?"

"No." He dryly answered.

"You're kidding." She said in disbelief.

"I'm not lying, Aria." He said in his signature dry tone. "There's more to me than you know..."

"Thirty Jumping-jacks ladies, let's go!"

Another relatively easy one, probably easier than sit-ups! "What else are you hiding, Counter Punch?"

"More than you think... Let's leave it at that." He said.

"How about under the hood? I haven't seen your whole face yet." Aria asked, passing the half-way point.

"Hmm..... If you manage to beat me at dodge-ball, I'll show you." He finished up his jumping-jacks, followed by Aria.

The coach blew his whistle and everyone stood at attention. "Alright maggots... Now you're done..." The coach picked up two dodge-balls, he tossed one to Anarchy. "Red team." He tossed the other at Aria. "Blue Team... Team members are assigned by me."

"... I won't hold back, Anarchy." Aria said with a glare, her's was matched by Anarchy's own.

"Wouldn't be fun if you did, Aria." The tension in the room tripled in weight, and everyone could feel it because they were staring at the two team captains and shuddering.

Shit was about to go down.

(Fifteen minutes earlier, art room.)

"Hello class, I am Mr. Biceps, and the reason I say this is because we have a new student joining us..." Yes, Bulk Biceps is the art teacher, and he does a damn good job at it. He had a blonde buzz-cut, white skin, and a button-up shirt that was trying to contain his pecks. Next to him was Sonata who looked as happy as can be. "Care to introduce yourself, miss...?"

"Hiya, I'm Sonata!"

"Well met, Miss Sonata. Now..." Bulk Biceps, I kid thee not, flipped his desk like a fucking psychopath and lifted Sonata up by the collar of her shirt. "ARE YOU READY TO CREATE ART SO BEAUTIFUL THAT IT'LL MELT MY FACE OFF!?"

"YES MR. BICEPS!" Sonata shouted at near equal volume.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT! NOW PICK A TABLE WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE AN ART BUDDY! He put Sonata down and lifted his desk, then flipped it back on it's legs. Sonata kept her carefree smile and went to a desk with a lone girl. "So you will be Ditzy's partner?"

"I guess!"

"Alright then. Now class, today we will be finger-painting, paint whatever it is your hearts desire as long as you keep it appropriate and wash your hands afterward. NOW PAINT WHAT YOU LIKE!"

(Present time, Gym)

'fweeeeeee!'

Dodge-balls began soaring across the court like bullets, nailing victims one-by-one. Anarchy was dodging like a champ, and launching red rubber with a cannon's force. The sheer speed of his throws caught people off guard and the strength he put in them made them too strong to catch without falling or facing rubber-burn. Aria was holding her ground, keeping a sharp eye on her surroundings and watching for vulnerable victims. Her strategy was pick-out the distracted or overwhelmed and strike fast and with accuracy, like a sniper or a snake. She didn't have the strength Anarchy had, but she had better agility and precision. Soon, only three players remained. A lone Anarchy and Aria with Spitfire.

"So, only two left." Anarchy said.

"You're finished, Anarchy! It's two against one!"

"Wrong." He threw a ball at Aria and put a spin to it, she dodge but before it got close it curved and followed her path. She was done, the look on her face was of pure shock when the ball curved in her direction. But it didn't hit her, it hit the floor and started to spin-out like a car tire, then it shot off to her right like a bullet and nailed Spitfire dead in the jaw. Anarchy smirked and cracked his neck with a sick snap. "I call that one the Sucker-Punch."

Spitfire fell to the ground due to being unprepared to take a hit like that out of nowhere, Aria stared in amazement. "Impressive... " She picked up two balls, setting one down next to her. "I have a few tricks as well... I call this one, Gemini!" She tossed her ball very high into the air, it slowly descended toward Anarchy. He didn't react to it, he just side stepped and avoided the first while a second ball flew at him, which he successfully avoided.

"You think that-!" A third ball was hurtling toward his face, and he had less than a second to react.

'Thwack!'

The third ball hit home, right in his unsuspecting face. ".......... Ow.... That stung a little..."

"Keep your eyes on the opponent, Anarchy." Aria said with a smirk. "I honestly expected better of you, did the name throw you off or were you just being cocky?

Anarchy said nothing for a moment, simply staring at the ball that hit him in the face. "..... Honestly? Both."

"... Blue Team wins!" The coach shouted. The entire gym class was amazed by this and now afraid of how Anarchy would react.

"........... Heh... About time someone beat me." He tossed the ball to the side and walked up to Aria. "I was getting bored with winning every time, nice change of pace to have a rival."

"Uh... You're not gonna get romantic here are you?"

"No, I'm just doing my part in losing the-"

'Riiiiiiiiinggggg!'

The fire alarm went off, the students made way for the door and filed out. "... Bet."

"Let's move it you two! This drill wasn't scheduled!"

"We'll do this outside, c'mon." Anarchy said, Aria followed along. "Geez, who's the idiot that caught the school on fire?"

"..... I think I have an idea on who that idiot is..." The two made it outside, the sun shining down on them and smoke coming from one of the rooms of the school. "... So, you gonna show me what's underneath that hood?"

"Hm, might as well." Anarchy lowered his hood and showed his whole face. He had short, messy black hair and a small scar on his right cheek, it was barely noticeable unless you were close to him. But the strangest thing about him was he had heterochromia, his left eye was a deep red while his right eye was light pink of all colors. "Strange, isn't it? Eyes of contrasting colors is actually a genetic mutation called heterochromia that occurs in some people."

"Huh... Why hide it?"

"Like I said, fear is the emotional reaction to the unknown. The less my enemies can see me, the more they fear me... Plus, it's a little awkward to have a pink iris while acting like a stone-cold badass." He explained, then put the hood back on to hide his face.

"Hm... If you ask me it makes you look like more of a threat. Like, in an ironic sense." Aria said while watching the smoke rise from the room. "Hey, you have any idea what room is currently burning?"

"I think it's the art room..."

Author's Note

Well guys, here's chapter 2 of this story. I'll have the third chapter out sometime later, I have school work to put up with. Until then, see ya.

Second Period: Besties For, like, Forever?

Tesla was sitting at his desk, pondering on the new information Bad Boy provided for him. "Hmm... Hypnotism. Is such a thing even possible?" He tapped his pencil on his notebook for a moment, then he got an idea. He drew rough sketches of the three and started thinking about their personalities. He looked at the drawing of Sonata first. "Sonata... Probably not the brains of the trio, but... She does have some charm..." He moved onto Adagio. "Adagio, a prime example of the deadly brains-and-beauty combination. She could be a potential threat, though I caught a hint of arrogance from our conversation earlier..." Lastly, he moved onto Aria. "Aria... Honestly I can't say anything about her, all I know is she likes picking on me... She does remind me of Anarchy a little, but that's all I can work with for now..."

"...H-hello?" A girl peaked her head into the classroom. It was Sonata, but she looked bothered by something. "Is this Mr. Whoove's class?"

"Yes, it is." Mr. Whoove got up from his desk and walked over to her. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm a new student, this is my class for this period." She informed.

"Oh? Well, care to explain why you were late?"

Sonata showed him her hands, they were burned to a slightly darker shade of blue compared to the rest of her skin.

"Ooh... You were in the art room?"

She nodded.

"I see... Do you, um, need some ice?"

She nodded again.

"Right... Hmm." He looked around the classroom, observing his students at work on a short worksheet. All except for one. "Tesla?"

Tesla looked up from his drawing and saw Sonata. For a split second he saw Sonata in sorrow, then her frown grew into a big smile and she waved at him.

"Could you escort this poor girl to the infirmary? You're not doing anything at the moment so you don't mind, right?"

"Um... Alright, I'll take her down." Tesla got up and walked to Sonata, who was lightly bouncing in place out of joy. "Uh, I guess you're happy to see me?" He looked at her hands and his eyes widened. "Oh... Um... Are you in pain?"

She nodded with much more vigor than before, despite her burned hands.

"... Okay? Well let's go to the nurse's office so we can treat those burns." Tesla and Sonata left the classroom and began walking down the hallway. "Were you in the art room last period?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Who started the fire?"

This question seemed to throw Sonata off, she stopped and looked down. "...Tesla? Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah." He answered.

"You promise not to tell anyone? Including my sisters?"

"...Yeah, I may be a Rat but I'm not a snitch." He answered again, then he put his hand to his heart. "I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"Okay... I know who started the fire..."

"Who was it?"

"It... It was me. I accidentally started the fire." She admitted, looking down in shame.

"...How on Earth did you start a fire in the art room?"

"We were finger-painting, and my partner Ditzy wanted to do an oil canvas..."

(Art room, first period)

"Let's do an oil canvas!" Ditzy exclaimed.

"Oil?" Sonata turned her head questioningly. "How's oil used for painting?"

"I heard about it on the Internet, you use oil to smudge the painting to make it look more realistic." Ditzy explained.

"Hmm... I dunno, what if the oil starts a fire?"

"Ahaha, my dear Sonata." Mr. Biceps interrupted. "You don't use real oil in a canvas. You use oils from poppy seeds or walnuts as a binder and smear it to form a picture."

"Ohhh, so we can't do that?"

"For now, stick to simply making a picture with regular paint." He said, then went back to his papers.

"...Wanna paint a kitty?" Sonata asked.

"I like kitties." Ditzy answered, so they began to paint a kitty.

(15 minutes of painting later)

"There, perfect!"

The two painted a picture of a pink, fluffy kitty cat playing with a ball of yarn. Although the quality of the picture was comparable to a two-year old's level it was still very cute.

"We finished our painting, Mr. Biceps!"

Ditzy walked up with Sonata, the painting within her grasp. "We painted a kitty!"

"Excellent work you two, it's a lovely painting! Now, go wash up, the bell will ring any minute now." Mr. Biceps advised.

Sonata went too the sink and turned the knob, letting her hands soak under the scalding-hot water. "...Eh...Owww!" She turned the wrong knob and ended up scalding her hands, making them darken in color. "Owowowow!" She was splashing hot water everywhere, and some was caught by an electrical socket. Sparks flew and a loud bang was heard, then a fire formed causing the students to fly into panic.

"WHAT THE-FIRE! SOMEBODY PULL THE FIRE ALARM!"

'Riiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggg!'

"SONATA!" Mr. Biceps swooped in and plucked the injured Sonata off her feet and made a mad dash for the fire exit. "EVERYBODY INTO THE FIRE EXIT, QUICKLY!"

(Present time)

"He got everyone outside before somebody got hurt... He said it wasn't my fault but..."

Tesla smiled and slowly shook his head. "Oh, Sonata... What am I gonna do with you..." Tesla took her hand and looked at it, it was red but the flesh wasn't damaged. "Of course you weren't burned by the fire, you'd be in the hospital if that happened."

Sonata looked down with a frown. "Sigh... Why am I so stupid?"

"Hey... C'mon, you're not stupid." He said in a comforting tone.

"Yes I am!" She stated. "I'm a big dummy because I always end up hurting either myself... Or others..." She looked at her hands and sighed. "I've always been this way, you know... I heard Aria talking to you about my tootsie-pop incident that put me in the hospital, that wasn't my biggest screw-up but it's up there..."

"That put you in the hospital?"

"They tried giving me the Heimlich-maneuver... Let's just say that it didn't go so well..."

"Well regardless, you're not an idiot Sonata." Tesla got an idea, he motioned her to follow and guided her to a classroom. "Look in that window for me."

"Um, okay?" She looked in the window and saw a few students inside. One was dead asleep in his desk, he had white skin and beautiful golden blonde hair. He wore a... Very expensive-looking tux? There was another student as well, she had peach skin (Same color as a white American in our world) and short white hair that was lightly tipped with purple, it reminded her of feathers for an odd reason. She wore a brown leather jacket and skinny jeans. She gave off a bad-girl vibe similar to Bad Boy's. "Um... What am I looking at?"

"Detention." He stated. "And the two in the room are Gilda and 'The Esteemed' Blue Blood. Now, Gilda can be a smart girl when she wants to be. But she suffers from an Anarchist bug, never listening to anyone but herself. Blue Blood is a whiny little prick who's spoiled like rotten milk, I'm honestly surprised he's made it this far without failing... My point is, these students, but more specifically Blue Blood, are true examples of idiots." Tesla took a short pause, thinking about something. "On second thought, I'm gonna take Gilda out of that list. It's just Blue Blood who's the idiot."

"But how are they any different from me? I'm not smart like Adagio or Aria or... Well, you!"

"Because you're not in there." He answered, pushing his glasses up with his finger. "In my opinion, lacking knowledge doesn't make you an idiot. Now being a complete jerk, that's a different story."

"Than what am I to you?"

"A klutz, which means you're accident-prone." He answered. "You're not stupid, you're just clumsy. Now let's go get those hands healed."

".....Thanks, Bestie." She said in a sheepish tone.

"Anytime, Bestie." He responded.

The two started walking down the hallway again, Sonata staying close to Tesla. He didn't seem to mind, though he acted a little awkward from it. "Um, am I bothering you?"

"Huh?... Oh no, I'm just not used to girls walking with me like this." He answered.

"But you were just fine a moment ago, what happened?"

"I was distracted from the fact that you were a girl... Now that I realize it I'm starting to slip-up." He said, looking downward.

"So you've never been with a girl before?"

"Sadly no... Brains seems to always fall to ego in the 'coolness' range for guys. Us nerds are usually loners or have a small circle of friends." He explained, still shying from her but not as much.

"Why?"

"Well for a number of reasons, awkwardness, lack of appeal, fear of women, I could go on... But I won't." This seemed to break Tesla out of his awkward phase.

"Well... I'm your friend, right?"

"Of course." He answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure..." Sonata noticed Tesla start to shy away from her again, he probably realized where he was again. "You're still scared of me?"

"Yeah... S-sorry..." He muttered. "I don't hate you or anything, I just... Well, you know..."

"Aww, it's okay." She chirped. "It's kinda cute in a way, like a full-grown dog being afraid of a kitten."

"Uh, Y-yeah... I guess." He rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. "Ah, the nurse's office!"

"I hope the nurse can heal my hands, I can't even hold a pencil with these!"

"Don't worry, all you need is some aloe and you'll be right as rain." His timid side left him once more. He opened the door for Sonata because she couldn't open it without hurting herself. However, nobody was inside. "Crap, Redheart isn't in today... Well, I guess I could try and heal you. It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Will nurse Redheart get angry?"

"I doubt it, we just need some aloe or something." Tesla searched the various cabinets for a bottle of aloe. "No, no, no, no, no... Ah-ha!" He grabbed the bottle and popped the cap. "Alright, hold out your hands."

She did as told and the greenish liquid dripped onto her hands, it's coldness making her shudder.

"Now rub your hands together." He ordered.

"Alright." She closed her hands and let the liquid smear in her closed palms, then she opened them and pressed her hands together. She rubbed slowly and carefully at first in fear of pain, but the stinging soon diminished. "Ooooh, much better..."

"Now just let it dry and you should be fine." Tesla informed, he was awarded a hug for his effort.

"Thanks, Bestie!"

Tesla shuttered from her cold, wet hands dampening his back. But he hugged her back regardless. "Uh, Y-yeah, no problem... Um, your hands are still wet..."

"Oh, whoops!" Sonata released him, looking away in embarrassment. "Ehehe, sorry about that... Guess I'm still a klutz!"

"An adorable klutz, too." He said to himself.

"Huh?" Sonata looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "An adorable klutz?"

Tesla's face reddened and he froze for a moment. "U-Um... Y-you heard that...?"

"So you DID call me adorable!"

Tesla blushed even harder. "W-well, yeah... Do you not like being called that or something?"

"Wow, you are, like, really red right now." She commented. "It's like you're a chameleon or something!"

"Uh... It's like I said, I'm not used to girls... I must look like a weirdo right now, huh?" He joked.

"Yeah, you do... Well, you sorta did from the start." She informed. "Those clothes don't really look good on you, weirdo."

"Oh..." Tesla said in a disappointed tone. "It's the red shirt, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's the shirt. If it were blue than you'd look a lot better." She said. "But that's enough of your poor fashion sense. What you said was really sweet, so... Thanks." She hugged him again. "You big weirdo."

".....Uh... Yeah, you're welcome I guess." He muttered.

Sonata chuckled. "Smooth." There was a short pause. "... Aren't ya gonna hug me back?"

"Huh? Oh, r-right." He hugged her back and after a few seconds they released each other.

"Alright, let's get back to class Bestie." They exited the nurse's office. Tesla seemed to look downward as they walked, it was cute to Sonata how awkward he really was. But she didn't mind his terrible social skills, he was nice to her. "...Hey, Tesla. Do you have a brother or sister?"

"A brother." He answered. "Erm... Older brother."

"Well, did you like him?"

"Like him?" He answered in his non-timid tone. This seemed to distract him from who he was really talking to. "Oh, I hated him."

"Really?"

"He's a bully, a show-off, and he picked on me because of my condition." He ranted. "Of course he was a Jock with a dumb bitch for a girlfriend, only reason she was with him was to steal from him. I didn't care though, I let her even when I saw it happen."

".....Well, how'd you... You know, survive?"

"I always out-smarted him like the dumb ape he was, and if I couldn't do that I'd just ignore him and he would go away. A bully thrives on attention, so if I ignore him he'll get frustrated and leave me alone." His blush was completely gone by now. "Why do you ask?... Do you... Hate your sisters or something...?"

"Well, Aria says I'm 'The Worst' and... Other things when we're not in public..."

"Oh... Is that why you believed you were ignorant?"

"...I guess..."

Tesla saddened and he began to comfort her. "Oh, Sonata... Don't believe anything like that, you're not 'The Worst'."

"I know, but..." She looked at him with glistening eyes. "Sometimes I... I just don't know..."

"..... When my brother still lived at my house, he made my life a living hell. For a while he had me convinced that I was a pathetic little runt.... But then I met the Rats, and with them, I met Anarchy. When we first met he saw the pathetic look in my eyes, he said it reminded him of someone he once knew."

"What did he do?"

"He told me I wasn't a weakling, far from it! He said that the person he knew had suffered worst than I did, and that the abuse made him strong. Not strong by muscle, but by heart... This person told him that things like strength, skill, and smarts aren't determined by how much of it you have... You're only as strong or as smart as you believed you were..."

"Wow... Anarchy said that? I thought he was a cold, muscle-headed thug, but he sounds really wise!"

"He hides a lot under his hood, he's not just a brute on the inside... But Sonata, don't believe what Aria says you are. You're a smart girl, smarter than you think." He adjusted his glasses. "Another thing Anarchy told me... If you believe long enough, eventually you'll become what you believe you are... Even if it's far from the truth..."

"... So if I keep believing I'm smart, I'll become smart?"

"Yeah, exactly." He confirmed. "But don't let your sisters make you think otherwise, you aren't an idiot and you aren't 'The Worst'... You're Sonata."

"...Thanks, Bestie... You know, you always make me feel like a smarty-pants." She informed.

He responded by blushing and shying away, as he's done so many times before. "Oh... Well, I...Um, y-you're welcome... Bestie."

Sonata giggled a little. "You're so adorable Tesla! One moment you can talk to me like I was a close friend, the next you can barely get a sentence out without stuttering." She poked his cheek and his blush darkened a little. "You really are a chameleon, aren't you!"

"Sonata!" A new voice called out. The two turned around to find Adagio waving at them with her hall pass. She caught up to the two and smiled to Tesla. "And Tesla, what are you two doing?"

"We came to the nurse's office to heal Sonata, she... Well, hurt herself." Tesla explained.

"How?"

"Well, um... She injured her hands... She was in the art room when an outlet short-circuited, one thing led to another and she ended up burning her hands with a heated pipe..."

"Hmm..." She eyed Tesla up and down, then smirked. "Tesla, you naughty boy..." Oh... Well that came out of nowhere. She approached him with a seductive, almost hypnotic sway. "Are you hiding something from me?"

".......Um...Wait, what was that first thing you said?"

"You heard me... " She was closing in on him, and he was too afraid to do something. "You naughty boy..."

"Back-off, Adagio!" Sonata put Tesla in a possessive hug. "He's with me!"

"Hm?..." Adagio looked surprised, but after a moment realization came to her. "Ah, that's right. You two are 'Besties' as Sonata calls it." Adagio looked at Sonata's hands, they were indeed burned by the slightly darker shade of blue. "And it looks like you weren't lying, judging from those burns..." She held out her hand to Tesla. "Do forgive me for that, the way you acted I thought you were lying to me."

"Uh... Yeah, I understand." He took her hand and they shook. "I'm just awkward in front of girls."

"Hm, I had you figured as the awkward little brainiac." Her grip on his hand tightened. "Yes, and again I'm sorry for acting like I did. You see, when I suspect something I... Act rather rash at times." She gave him a seductive gaze and giggled. "Especially when I want something that I can't have..."

"Y-you're doing it again..." Tesla's face was as red as a tomato. Sonata looked at her sister with a threatening glare. "You're making me... Really uncomfortable..."

"Ahaha!" Adagio laughed and let go of his hand. "Oh I'm sorry Tesla, I simply couldn't help myself... Well, it's nice to see that Sonata has made a friend, I'll be leaving now." She turned around, but she did not move. ".....By the way, Tesla boy... You mentioned you had a condition, yes?"

"Um... Yeah?"

"Well, I'm curious. What is it that you have?"

"Autism." He stated. "Well, high-functioning anyways... I take medicine and I had help in the past for controlling it."

"Hmm... Care to explain it to me further?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Oh geez, where do I start?"

"Isn't it a condition to where the brain is wired differently?" Sonata questioned. "Like, there isn't anything wrong with you, it's just that you think differently, right?"

".......... I... Y-yes, that's the basis of it." Tesla said in a surprised tone.

Adagio blinked a few times in surprise. "I... Sonata, is that you?"

"Yep!"

"I... How?"

Sonata simply shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno! I just feel like a smarty-pants when I'm with Tesla!"

"You mean an intellectual being?"

Sonata tilted her head in confusion. "A what?"

Adagio stood dumb-struck.

"Well, Intectual Beans or not, we gotta go. See ya later Dagi!" Sonata pulled Tesla away as Adagio gave him a questioning look. The two reached Mr. Whooves class, he was handing out papers.

"Ah, you two made it back." He said. "Well, I'm passing out graded papers. Now Sonata, you may sit... Yes, your seat will be the empty one next to Tesla, since you two have already been acquainted with each other."

"Thank you Mr. Whooves!"

"You're very welcome, Miss Sonata. Please, take your seat." He said.

Sonata skipped to to the desk next to Tesla's and sat down.

"Tesla, why don't you show her how to do the problems?"

"Can do." He went to his desk, where Sonata was examining her problems with a furrowed brow. "Are they difficult?"

"Hmm... Maybe..." She was confused, but it was algebra so he didn't blame her.

"Here, I'll demonstrate the first one for you." He scooted his desk next to hers. "Now, Math is all about finding a common pattern that all the problems share, a pattern that you simply repeat with each problem to solve them." Tesla slowly guided her through the first three problems, making sure she understood the steps. Sure it was a bit much but he wanted to make sure she understood. "Got it?"

"Yup!" Sonata chirped.

"Alright, let me know if you need any help." Tesla pulled out a small device. "Mr. Whooves, do you mind?"

"Not at all, just keep the volume low." He said.

The small device wasn't a phone or an MP3 player, it was a GameColt Advance with the game Pokemon FireRed Version. "Alright Koga, let's get this over with." To those of you who don't play Pokemon, Koga's a bitch. He focuses on making all your attacks miss and slowly killing off your team with over-time damage and strong poison-type attacks. He's not difficult, just very frustrating to deal with unless you have a Nidoking or a Pidgeot with Aerial Ace. Of course, Tesla didn't have those Pokemon on his team. So this could be a long and tedious fight.

"Psst! Tesla!" Sonata whispered. "I need help!"

Tesla looked over and she was on problem five, the first one with fractions. "Oh, I see. Here's what you do." He explained and guided her through the problem. "There, you got it?"

"Yeah, thanks!"

Tesla nodded and resumed his fight.

(Sonata's POV)

"(Let's see... Um...)" She was stuck on problem six, another one that had stupid fractions. She leaned in to ask for help, but hesitated. "(...Should I?)" She thought about it, then looked at the problem. "(No, I wanna do it on my own... I won't learn without doing it myself.)" She looked over the problem carefully, remembering bits and pieces of what Tesla explained. "(Maybe.....)" She looked at the problem she did before this one, hoping to remember something. "(....... Oh, I can't do it! I only feel smart when Tesla's supporting me... Maybe I really am stupid...)"

"Sonata, if you need help you can ask." Tesla said. "You don't need to push yourself."

"I know, but... You say that I'm smart. But how am I smart if I don't know how to solve a single problem?"

"Sonata, true knowledge isn't how much you know, it's how you apply what you already know." Tesla said. "Sure, having a lot of information makes the solution easier to find, but lacking the information doesn't mean it can't be solved!"

".....Than how do I solve something without knowing how to solve it?"

"Simple, just break the mold." Tesla answered.

"Break... The mold?"

"It means to do something out of tradition, approach it from a different direction." He explained to her. "For instance, ask for help instead of struggle by yourself."

"But isn't that being lazy?"

"Yes, but it's also working smarter instead of harder. You may not know how to solve it, but I do." Tesla explained. "If there's an easy way, don't hesitate to take it."

"Right... I understand." She said in a sad tone.

"It's okay, Sonata. Nobody's perfect." Tesla said, trying to cheer her up. "Everyone has their flaws, for instance, I'm really bad at interacting with girls and I struggle with History class. You are bad at Math, which isn't uncommon."

".....What about people who believe they're perfect? No matter what they say or do?"

"They're the most imperfect of us all, blinded by arrogance to realize their flaws..." Tesla shook his head at the thought. "Almost sad, really."

"... What about things that don't exist?"

He raised a brow. "Like?"

".....Sirens?"

"Sirens?... Hmm, oddly specific." He adjusted his glasses a bit. "Well, I can't really say much about Sirens, I've never met one before... But if anything, I'd say that they have flaws like all living things do." He stated. "Any more questions?"

Sonata had sat in silence for a moment. ".........No, that's all I needed to know...Thanks."

"Alright, now let's do this last question-"

"Wait." She interrupted. "I wanna try this one on my own."

Tesla's face changed into one of surprise. "Well, be my guest." He sat back and observed her work.

"(Alright... Fractions again.)" She looked at the problem carefully, a look of worry started to form when she couldn't figure out what to do.

"It's okay Sonata, no need to rush..."

Sonata nodded and looked at the problem again, a look of determination on her face. "(Alright, I can do this...)" The gears in her mind started turning. "(I'm smart... I believe I'm smart...)" She looked back at Tesla who was observing her with a curious look. "(He believes I'm smart...)" Sonata looked at the problem, and in her mind the problem unfolded. The steps appeared in her head, and her pencil was scribbling them down at a constant pace. "(Add that... Divide by this... Carry the three.....)" She put down the pencil, and exhaled. "Eighteen."

"Eighteen?" He repeated. "Is that your final answer?"

"Yes... The answer is eighteen..." She slouched back in her seat, a fatigued smile on her face. "I actually did it..."

"Hmm..... You're correct." Tesla patted her back. "Nice work, Sonata."

"Thanks... I couldn't have done it without you, Tesla..." She got up and turned in her paper, Mr. Whooves took it and looked it over.

"Hmm... Very good, Miss. Sonata. Not a single miss." He informed with a pleased smile. "Now, the bell will be ringing soon so I suggest you start packing-up."

"Thank you, Mr. Whooves." Sonata went back to her seat and waited for the bell to ring. She didn't really have anything to pack up so she just waited...... She turned to her new friend. "Tesla, I-"

'riiiiiinnnnnnnngggg!'

The bell sounded and everyone left the room, she saw that Tesla didn't hear her and he went out the door. "W-wait, Tesla!" She caught up to him and flagged him down. "Hey, I wanted to say something..."

"What's up?"

"Um... I wanted to thank you again for believing in me..." Sonata hugged him, causing him to blush and lose his cool. "If you hadn't, then... I never would've believed in myself."

"Uh... W-well, it was nothing. I'm sure you would've done fine even without my help." Tesla argued.

"..... No, I wouldn't have. I don't know why but when you're with me I... I feel so much smarter than normal... I really couldn't have done it without your help." Sonata's hug tightened a little. "So... Thank you, Bestie."

Tesla was at a loss for words. He was too nervous to speak and Sonata's little speech pretty much made sure he wouldn't talk. So, he didn't talk, and instead he hugged her back. They stayed like that for a few moments, Tesla's nervousness and his blush slowly fading as he got used to the hug. "Hey, Sonata?"

"Yes?"

"Could you let me go soon? I have to go to class..." He requested.

"Hmm..... Under one condition..." She let him go and turned her cheek to him. "Gimme a kiss goodbye?"

Tesla went from green to red like a traffic-light. Her request practically sucker-punched him, and he just stood there in astonishment.

"...Pffhahahaha! Oh my god, your face! Y-you look like you ate a really hot pepper right now!"

"Eh-! T-That wasn't funny!"

"Was so~!" She sing-songed. "Bye, Bestie!" Sonata skipped off to her next class, being as happy and care-free as she normally was.

".......Um....Huh..." Tesla was at a loss for words, but the fact that he still hadn't made it to his class occurred to him "Oh crap." He took off as fast as he could go, unaware of the fact that he was being watched...

Author's Note

Hey guys, I finally finished the new chapter. I have to admit, I didn't plan on it being so long. Oh well, I'm not complaining, this was a fun chapter to write. I'll start working on the next chapter sometime after Christmas break. So until then, happy holidays!

Third Period: Negotiations.

The dismissal bell had rang and Adagio had been patiently waiting behind a corner for two certain people to step out of Mr. Whooves class.

"W-Wait, Tesla!"

"Right on schedule." Adagio whispered, she peeked out from behind her corner and watched the two.

"Um... I wanted to thank you again for believing in me..." Sonata hugged him, Adagio placed her hand over her mouth in shock. "If you hadn't, then... I never would've believed in myself."

"Uh... W-well, it was nothing... I'm sure you would've done fine even without my help..." Tesla replied.

"Ohhh, that's so sweet." Adagio whispered to herself. "They're so cute together... Almost saddens me that I have to end their friendship during lunch." Adagio continued to watch them, Sonata looked so happy embracing her friend like this... Then her friend hugged her back, she looked ready to cry of happiness. "Oh, look at her..... I suppose we could allow her to bring a pet with us to Equestria." Adagio thought more about that idea. "Hmm... He's a polite little boy, it would be a nice change of pace to have a like-minded individual to talk to instead of Sarcasm and Stupidity."

"Hey, Bestie?" Tesla continued, Adagio started listening again.

"Yes?"

"Could you let me go soon? I have to go to class..."

Adagio saw a mischievous smirk grow on Sonata's face. "Hmm... Under one condition..." She let him go and turned her cheek to him. "Gimme a kiss goodbye?"

Tesla blushed and froze-up from her request.

"...Pffhahahaha! Oh my god, your face! Y-you look like you ate a really hot pepper right now!"

"Eh-! T-That wasn't funny!"

"Was so!" Sonata sing-songed. "Bye, Bestie!" She skipped off to her next class, being as happy and care-free as she normally was. Tesla simply stood there for a moment, then he said something under his breath and bolted.

Adagio stood silent watching him run, then she smiled with a light chuckle. "Tesla... He can be so adorable at times." She began walking to her next class, thinking over her plan to make sure there were no flaws that she missed.

"Now, why don't we talk business?"

Adagio recognized that voice. She bolted into the girl's bathroom before they'd noticed she was there and hid in one of the stalls. "Bad Boy, of all people it had to be..." Adagio silenced herself and listened... He was in the Boy's bathroom, talking to someone.

"I can't thank you enough Bad Boy! "

"Ey! Easy on the merchandise." Bad Boy ordered.

"I-I'm sorry!" The voice peeped. "Just... Make sure she gets my note, it's very important."

"Ey, who do ya take us for? The Rats don't always get the job done the right way, but we always get it done... Now, for your end o' the bargain..."

"Uh... You sure this is the best place?"

"Course it is! What's more private than the bathroom?"

Adagio raised a brow in curiosity. "(This could be interesting...)"

".....Alright, but don't bust my chops when someone calls you out. Now, whataya wanna know?"

"Dazzlings." He stated. "Tell me everythin' you know 'bout 'em."

"(What!?)"

"The Dazzlings?... I hate to bust your balls here but honestly I got nothin' on them. N-Not that we haven't tried I mean, believe me, we've tried!"

"Hmm... You gotta have somethin' on 'em." Bad Boy insisted

"Nope, nothing, zip. We looked up their names, looked for birth certificates, identification, b-but we... We found nothing!" The other boy started to sound a little panicky. "I've never had a case like this, Bad Boy! It's like they're not from this state... Hell, not from this country!"

"Woah, easy there cowboy... Now, you said you found NO info?"

"Honest to god, Bad Boy." He answered.

There was a short pause. "............. Alright. I'll make sure our 'someone' gets your note, this one's on me..."

"Oh, thank you!... Hey, hasn't your boy Tesla found anything yet?"

"Those were his orders... But somethin's been distractin' him." He explained. "... Well, I'll see ya later... I still got some business to take care of, negotiations with a client."

"Yeah... See ya. Oh, and good luck with the business." He said.

The two exited the opposite bathroom. Adagio had now realized that her cover may very well be in danger with the Rats sniffing around for any clues of her true identity. She knows she has no records... But that's not exactly a good thing in this case. If anything, this will only make her look more suspicious than if she had records. "Hmm... This could be problematic..." The bell had rung, signaling the tardy bell and the start of third period. "The bell... I'll just skip class. This school will be under my control sooner or later, then I'll be off of this Celestia forsaken rock." Adagio looked at the walls of her stall, they had various messages carved in by more than likely a sharp pencil. There were many anonymous messages, like 'I like Mr. Tuner' or 'kik me for gossip, Gabby G.' along with other things like Anarchy symbols or crudely drawn dicks... You know, common things in a highschool bathroom. "In a lady's restroom... The guys restroom must be a mess of scratches and genitals."

'Vrrr!'

Adagio took out her phone and saw that Aria had texted her. 'Coming to class?'

Adagio texted back. 'No, but don't blow my cover.'

'K. Btw, Bad Boy wanted to talk to you.' Aria texted.

Adagio looked puzzled. 'Why?'

'Wouldn't say, just said to meet him when you're off the can. His words, not mine.'

Adagio's eyes widened a little. "So he knew I was ease-dropping..."

'Oh, one last thing. He said to go to the band room, and go alone. Should I go with?'

'No, I can handle this.' Adagio typed.

'Your funeral.'

Adagio stored her phone in her pocket, and exited the bathroom. She wondered whether she would take up his offer, or ignore him altogether. "If I go there's a chance he'll call me out on the 'no identity' thing, but..." Realization slowly came to her. "If I go... He'll be ALL alone in a sound-proof environment, completely oblivious of my powers... Or even better, he'll have his gang with him! I could have the three most powerful students at their knee, ready to do my bidding..." Adagio was giddy with joy. She walked straight for the band room with a confident grin, all thoughts of threat erased from her mind. "Oh, what a wonderful turn of luck. With their help, getting to Equestrian will be sooo much easier..." She walked down the hall and into the band room. Nobody was there so she waited for Bad Boy to show himself. "........Where is that rat-faced Idi-MPHH!" A cloth muffled her, then a force hit the back of her legs causing them to buckle. Within seconds she was pinned, with her arm held behind her back in an arm lock of some kind. "(Oh no... I can't move...)" Her mouth was now gagged by the cloth and tied in a sturdy knot, she was now officially powerless. Panic had overridden any thoughts she may have been thinking of and her only priority was struggling against her binder's lock to try to break free, which was a hopeless endeavor. "(Oh Celestial please help me! I don't want this, anything but this!)" Tears started to shed. If there was one thing Adagio had feared more than anything, it was being powerless against a much stronger force. "(No! Please god no, I'm still a vir-!)"

"Keep that hold on 'er, Anarchy. Don't want her gettin' free yet." A familiar voice spoke.

"(Wait..... That voice!.)" She turned her head as far as she could, catching a glimpse of a grey hood and shrouded face. "(Anarchy... That means the other voice was Bad Boy...)" Adagio was relieved by who her captors were, if they were strangers than this would have taken a dark turn that nobody would wanna go down...

"Keep 'er still, need the skirt's hands for the last rope." Bad Boy ordered. Her arms were forced to meet, then they were tied by rope. "Alright, now set 'er up gently."

"Gotcha, boss." She was lifted rather easily by Anarchy and set against the wall. Aria definitely wasn't lying about his impressive strength, but right now that was the least of her concerns. She looked at Anarchy with pleading eyes in an attempt to guilt-trip him, but he turned away with a look of remorse. "Sorry about this, Adagio. It's nothing personal, boss's orders..."

Bad Boy knelt down and brushed her hair away from her face. "Either way, we're not gonna lay a hand on your pretty little face so long as you play nice..." Bad Boy continued. "See, we just wanna... Negotiate wit' ya..."

"Mfmphm..." She mumbled behind her gag.

"...Anarchy, give 'er some freedom. Not like it'll matter, she can scream all she wants to here..." Bad Boy smirked. "Band Room's sound-proofed, and the teacher's out..."

"(...Drat, I hate it when I'm right.)" Anarchy untied her gag and the first thing she did was scream at the top of her lungs, might as well try and call out his bluff.

....................

"Heh, almost like magic ain't it?"

"..... Yes... Like magic..."

"Ey, you try anythin' funny and Anarchy will make you REALLY scream... And not the way you'd like, unless you're into masochism." Bad Boy warned, which was followed by the soul-shattering sounds of Anarchy cracking his neck with a leer hidden under his hood. Sure Adagio couldn't see it, but she felt the freezing shivers it sent through her spine. She decided to play it safe and keep quiet, for her health, and possibly her life. "Hm, there's a good girl..." Bad Boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a sucker, unwrapped it, and popped it into Adagio's mouth.

"What are you... Cherry?"

"My favorite." He unwrapped another sucker and put it in his own mouth, letting it settle in his cheek. "Now, I hope you have an idea why you're here..."

"You called me?"

"Good guess. But that's only half the answer." He said.

"Well that is all I know, you just told me to come here alone." Adagio answered.

"Hmm... Yeah, I did didn't I?" He did l little chuckle to himself. "That reminds me, I wonder if she took the bait or not..."

"Bait?"

"Anarchy, go and wait for our guest." Bad Boy ordered, which Anarchy followed by cracking his neck and opening the entrance. "How's about a little lesson in psychology while we wait? See, I've been in this kind o' work for a couple years now. Through experience I learned the human mind is rebellious by nature... For example, if you tell it not to do somethin', chances are it's gonna do it..."

Anarchy came through the door and fell just in front of the frame with a bruise on his face, Aria stood above him. "Adagio. Where is she?"

"....... Anarchy? You still with us?"

He was silent for a few moments, then he simply got back up. "Orders?" He answered without a hint of pain in his voice.

"..... Eh, rough 'er up a bit. But don't break her apart yet, need her in one piece." Bad Boy gave him his orders, turning back to Adagio. "This might get ugly..." He warned.

Aria scowled at Anarchy. "You think you have a chance? I know how you work, you're just big talk! You use your looks to scare your enemies into submission!"

Anarchy didn't look very impressed with her accusation. "You're right, I do rely on intimidation more than I do my fists... But that's because people know better than to taunt me, they know when to stand down... Thus, I rarely ever fight in the physical sense." He wiped a drip of blood from his lip, then licked it. "In simpler terms... People know not to fuck with me, because they know better than to piss me off..." He put his hand back into his jacket pocket, sounding almost disturbingly calm. "Sadly, you do not..."

Aria's confidence was starting to deflate a little, but she was still headstrong. "You don't scare me, Anarchy!"

"Hm, I was afraid of that..." He simply stood there with his emotionless glare, giving off an ominous aura. "I'm warning you, right now. Just back-off before you get hurt..."

She reeled back a little, but she wouldn't be intimidated by him. "What's wrong, coward? Afraid to hit a girl?"

"..... I warned you." He ran at her, still with his uncaring attitude. His hands were still hidden, most likely concealing a sharp pencil or a pair of scissors. Aria took a defensive stance, hands held out in an 'X' to block him. "That won't help you." He lashed out for a quick jab, and Aria tensed to endure, but the punch never came.

"Huh?"

As soon as she relaxed, Anarchy grabbed her arms and jerked them apart, grabbed her by her temples, and head-butted her with a sick crack. She cringed and held her forehead in pain, while Anarchy stood unaffected.

"Ghh! Ah... Dammit!"

"That's for calling me a coward." He put his hands back in his pockets, sounding much more satisfied now. But, he was still stone-faced. "I'm telling you, Aria. Back-off. Now.

"Sonova... You have a plate in your head of something!?"

"Thick-headed." He stated. "I don't feel a thing."

"Yeah? Well you'll be feeling this!" She lunged at him with a flying kick, striking him in the stomach. He showed, believe it or not, emotion. His face was contorted in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. Aria vaulted off of him, causing him to fall back down to the ground. "I hope you felt every second of that, freak."

"Damn... Freakin' heels..." He got up, coughing-up spit as he held his stomach. "This is your last warning! Back-off right now, or else..."

"Ooh, getting feisty aren't we?" Aria taunted. "What happened to that cold monotone you always have? Are you losing you're cool already?"

"Tch, cheeky bitch..." He removed his right hand from his pocket, it had brass knuckles equipped. They weren't spike-tipped, instead they had rounded studs for bruising skin rather than piercing it. "I'll show you feisty." He grabbed a music stand and threw it at her like a javelin, she rolled out of the way but this gave Anarchy the window of time he needed to charge her and tackle her to the ground. He reeled his hand back, ready to take out his anger on her. "I fucking warned you... Now, you're gonna taste brass and blood." He growled.

"You don't have the balls to hit a girl!"

"You wanna fucking bet?" He socked her with his brass, giving her a nosebleed and a surprised look. "You think you're tough shit? Just because you saw the real me, you think you know my weakness?"

"You... Y-You brute..." Aria was holding back tears, though it was a dying effort. "You would hit a girl like this?... With brass knuckles?"

"You're wrong... I don't hit women, but I ain't afraid to smack the bitch outta someone who punches me in the face and has the nerve to call me a coward afterwards." He punched her again, this time in the jaw. "Ovaries or not, when someone calls me a coward they're gonna be lying belly-up with a broken nose."

Aria was sniveling with tears running down her face, but she was too stubborn to cry openly. "Alright! I'm sorry I called you a coward, just let me go already!"

"....." Anarchy got up and cracked his knuckles. "You should have took my advice, Aria."

She shakily got-up and wiped her face, her make-up smearing with her blood and tears. She wasn't done yet, she trembled in anger and balled her bloody hand into a fist. "Grr. I'll fucking kill you!" She charged him while his back was turned with the intent to kill. She threw a punch as hard as she could and... Missed.

Anarchy swiftly ducked under her and brought his brass fist under him, he trembled in rage. "Counter Punch..." In one swift motion, he turned around, still crouched, and preformed a devastating uppercut while jumping from his crouched position to add force to his blow. He put every ounce of strength he had into this attack, managing to knock Aria into the air from the force. "You're worst mistake yet, forgetting my fucking name." He K.O.'d her, if the punch didn't than the floor hitting the back of her head definitely finished the job. "Now, stay down..."

"A-Aria!?" Adagio yelled.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt..." Bad Boy commented. "Nice work, Anarchy."

Anarchy looked at Bad Boy, then looked back at Aria. She had blood and tears dripping from her unconscious face. "... Aria..... I don't like hurting people..." Anarchy shook his head, regaining his emotionless composure. "Look Adagio, I'll make this quick. When she wakes up, you tell her never cross me again..."

Adagio shakily nodded

"And tell her... I'm sorry." He held Aria up, checking her for and serious injury. After making sure she wasn't severely injured, he sighed and muttered to himself. "Go ahead and hate me, Aria... Like everyone else does." He tied her up as well, using both rope and some leftover guitar string. He didn't bother with gagging her, she couldn't cry for help anyway. He also tied her ankles together so she wouldn't try anything when she woke-up. "Should I tie Adagio down?"

"Don't matter to me, go for it." He answered, and Anarchy began tying her ankles. She tried struggling but his grip was firm enough to keep her still. Bad Boy knelt down to Adagio. "Don't worry, you're sis'll be fine, he's a softie for people he really cares about believe it or not." Bad Boy looked over to Anarchy, he was checking Aria over again. "Ain't that right, Anarchy?"

"I have no comment." He deadpanned.

Bad Boy shook his head with a smirk, then turned to Adagio. "Now, you still haven't answered my question, doll-face... But, seein' as I have places to be I'll explain the other half for ya. See, I overheard your little plan to hypnotize the school..."

"(Great, now I'm in trouble...)"

"Well, I ain't stupid. I realized you were sayin' something else, using some kinda code to pass along a little message." Bad Boy said.

"(.....Hmm, maybe not...)"

"Code can only mean one thing, Adagio... You're up to somethin' and don't want nobody to find out... Not just some prank either, somethin' big." He lifted his shades, revealing his deep blue eyes. "I want in... And I want a cut of the dough."

"(Yes!)" Adagio had gained the upper-hand and put on her best guilt face. "Alright, you caught me... But what makes you think I would allow you to help?"

"Me and my crew got plenty to offer, from blackmail to theft... But, if dat don't interest ya..." He lowered his shades and motioned toward Anarchy. "My associate here could convince you otherwise... Or better yet!" He went straight for her chest, but he did not grope her. He was more interested in her amulet. "I bet this thing's worth quite a bit... Yeah, bet it's a real ruby too..." He examined it very closely, seeing how it reflected in the light. "Oh, and the thing's been well cut, looks like the work of a master craftsman..."

Adagio was clearly distressed by him touching the amulet. "Okay, you can help..." She said in faux defeat.

"Good choice... Now, tell me you're REAL plan." Bad Boy asked.

Adagio nodded and looked around the room, looking for some kind of... "(Idea.)" She saw a Battle-of-the-Bands poster on one of the walls. "The Battle-of-the-Bands, we plan on taking gold."

"Hmm... The Band thing, eh? So that's what you meant by 'hypnotize'... Yeah, heard about a prize for the winners. We Rats ain't much in the singin' and playin' department but I think we can find another way to help." He snapped his fingers and Anarchy approached. "Cut this fish loose, she's with us now."

Anarchy untied her binds and assisted her to her feet. "And her sister?"

"..... Eh, bring her along. Untie her first, carryin' a chick out-cold in binds ain't exactly a pretty picture to look at." He untied Aria and picked her up, bridal style.

"But something doesn't add up, she said she'd hypnotize everyone at lunch right? What was she gonna do at lunch?"

"Um..... Sabotage. Yes, sabotage the other bands..." Adagio lied. "But I'm sure you could do a better job at it than we could!"

"Hmm... Well there ya go, Anarchy." Bad Boy took out the suckerless stick in his mouth and tossed it aside, then turned to Adagio. "And you're right, we can play dirty..." Bad Boy held out his hand. "So, whataya say? We got a deal?"

Adagio grinned and took his hand, giggling to herself. "And the Rats met the Dazzlings..."

"I'll take that as a yes..." Bad Boy let go of her hand and motioned Anarchy to follow. "Battle's tonight, after school... Anarchy'll drop ya sis off by the nurse, you Dazzlings meet us at lunch and we'll talk when we're all together." Bad Boy and Anarchy exited the band room, leaving Adagio to herself.

She began laughing, giggling at first and eventually going into a full-on evil laugh. Once she calmed down she walked out of the band room with a bounce to her step. "Oh Bad Boy, so powerful yet so clueless... I couldn't have asked for a better puppet." Her eyes began to glow red, but it was very feint. "Or rather... Rodents Of Unusual Stupidity?... Nah, I like puppet better."

Author's Note

Looks like things are starting to heat up in CHS. I'll be posting the next chapter later, though an exact date won't be specified due to Steven Bomb 4 this week. See you cool cats later!

Forth Period: Caged Wolf

"M-My Mistress... Your shake, as you like it." An unnamed boy said, presenting a shake to a mysterious hooded woman sitting on a black throne. She nudged her head and a servant retrieved it for her, held it up to her, and tipped it into her waiting mouth. "Is it... To your liking, my Mistress?"

".............. Yes... It's perfect." She responded. "Now, what of... The little pest?"

"Um... W-Which-"

"Anarchy..." She said in a more forceful voice. "Where is Anarchy...?"

The guard beside her visibly gulped. "Um, r-right, Anarch-er... The pest... His... His c-current whereabouts are... C-currently... Unknown....."

"... So he's still managed to evade my attempts at capture? How troublesome." Her guard fed her more of her shake. "What about his partner, and their leader?"

"..... Bad Boy, also has yet to be found... Tesla however, has been captured!" He said in a more proud and confident tone. "Would you like to see him, my Mistress?"

"Immediately... He may know where the other two are located, and I would simply love forcing that information out of his feeble body."

"At once, my Mistress." He turned around. "Bring in the prisoner!"

A few moments pass, and no guard has arrived with her prisoner. A stress vein pops on her head. "...... Servant?"

The servent gulped. "Y-Y-Yes, My M-Mistress?"

The woman gestured him over with a finger, he hesitantly complied and immediately regret it. She grabbed him by the collar of his... Dog collar, and glared in what one would assume to be silent rage. "I. Want. My. Prisoner. Now."

'BOOM!'

".......... What was that sound?"

"An explosion, my Mistress." The guard on the left answered.

She dropped the frightened servant and he scampered away. "Find out what caused it, immediately." She ordered.

One of her guards ran in the direction of the sound, shortly after, he returned. "It was a gas leak, it is being dealt with."

The woman let out relieved sigh. "Good... For a moment I believed the prisoner-"

"My Mistress!" A guard burst through the door and ran to her as quickly as he could. "The prisoner's escaped! He rigged the pipeline to detonate so he could make a break for it!"

"What!?" She slammed her fist on her arm rest in frustration. "Where is he now!?"

"He's still within the grounds of the fortress, all units are scouting the area." He answered.

"I want that Rat at my feet immediately! No one sleeps until he's found!" All of the guards in the room scattered into different rooms in search of the prisoner. "You can't hide from me you little pest... Hm?" She noticed her two reserved guards, the ones that stand at her sides, had not moved. "Hey, that goes for you two as well, move it!" They still did not move. "....... You have ten seconds to explain yourselves."

"My Mistress, what if you are attacked? We cannot leave you here by yourself." The right guard said.

"Hmm..... I can handle myself, though I understand your concern for my well being." She said, after a short pause her brow slowly rose in curiosity. "..... In fact, I very much appreciate your concern... Now that I think about it, this almost seems planned, don't you think?" She asked, looking at her nails. "Prisoner escapes, the guards go into a bit of a riot in my fortress, suddenly I'm aaaaaall alone... With my most trusted and loyal guards... Why, one would even call this, suspicious. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, my Mistress." The guard answered.

The woman stood up, and caressed the guard's helmet. "You know, I can never see my guard's faces behind these buckets... Would you mind if I took a peek underneath? I oh so want to know who my brave knight is so I may thank them properly."

"I believe that-"

"Are you questioning me? In case you were confused, that was not a choice, it was an order." The woman grunted behind clenched teeth, clearly pissed.

"..... Fine." He answered. "But know this, you may not like who you find underneath."

"Oh, I know I won't." She said. "So which one are you? Bad Boy, or Anarchy?"

"Why don't you find out, my Mistress?"

"Getting smart with me, are we? Perhaps I will keep you as my personal dog, see how smug you'll be when you're licking my feet clean like a good little puppy." She said with a smile that was somewhere between sadistic and lustful, though it leaned more toward sadistic.

"Hmph, I thought the kinky shit was Mistress Adagio's area of expertise." He said.

"What? Mean girl's have needs, don't they? She's not the only one with a slut-bone in her, the only difference between me and her is I like breaking my toys, and she likes having more than one bone inside her... However, I'm not talking about her slut-bone in this case." She chuckled and lifted her hood, revealing here identity to be Aria. That is, if the black throne, 'mistress' entitlement, or the hatred of Anarchy didn't give it away. "I'm talking about whatever she can stuff up her clam-cave to get herself off, nothing held back."

"The Slut and the Goth... You know, Tesla said something about that before, something from... Forget it, I'm getting off topic." The guard said.

"Indeed." She turned to the other guard. "I assume you're the other one?"

"Yes." He answered, a bit stoically as well.

"Well, judging from your 'enthusiasm' I'm guessing you're Anarchy." She turned to the other guard. "Which makes you either Tesla or Bad Boy, and I'm leaning toward Bad Boy."

"Hm, nice detective work Aria... Let's see if you can really handle yourself like you claim you can." Bad Boy drew his sword and swung, which was met by Aria's rapier.

"I hope you like the taste of feet, dog." Aria took a deep breath and shrieked, letting loose a visible wave of magical energy that pushed her assailants back. "Because when you hear my song, you'll obey your siren mistress without hesitation!"

"Anarchy! Drop her, now!"

Anarchy ripped-off his chest plating and threw it at Aria like a discus, exposing his indigo stomach. Aria swiped her rapier and the metal split in two, both pieces missing their intended target. "Hmph, I always hated heavy armor, too clunky and heavy for my tastes."

"Really? Well, allow me to make you feel a little more comfortable!" She slashed Anarchy, he couldn't avoid the attack due to the armor's movement restrictions it had on him so instead he blocked the attack with the gauntlets. They successfully blocked the attack and busted open, releasing his arms from their double-edged prison. "I hope you have something under those reinforced pants."

"Obviously." He undid some latched on the sides and the pants collapsed on itself, falling into separate pieces and revealing his battered cargo shorts. He had no shoes either, his feet were just wrapped in layers of gauze.

Aria got a better look at him now, his hands and torso were also wrapped in gauze. Though whether it was from injury or not was a mystery. There was a red Anarchy symbol on his torso where his heart would be, it was stained into the gauze with some red substance, which was obviously blood stains, but was it his blood or someone else's? Well, all-in-all he looked like a total badass, a vicious cold blooded badass with a face shrouded in mystery under that helmet. "Hmm... Not a bad physique, Anarchy." Aria said in an interested tone. "It's too bad you never fell for my spell, you would have been a very promising pet of mine... But I'm curious, why does a cut-throat like you have muscles like that?"

"Stealth requires toned and sleek muscles for overwhelming opponents with agility and strong, precise attacks. While at the same time being thin enough to provide flexibility and quiet movement to take-out most unwary victims in a single strike... Kind of like a tiger, really. I'm quiet, but regardless of whether my victim is aware of my presence or not I can prove to be more fatal than a heart-attack." He informed, cracking his knuckles. "Hell, all good stealth experts have muscles, they just never give you a chance to notice them."

"Hm, makes sense..." Aria noticed the bow he had, along with his lack of arrows. "Why do you have a bow without any arrows, my little kitty cat?"

"Hmph, wouldn't you like to know?"

"As a matter of fact, I would. It's almost suspiciously pointless." Aria said.

"You'll find out... But enough talk, let's fight." Anarchy charged at her, jumped, and flipped with one leg extended. Aria avoided his axe-kick and went for a heavy slash. Anarchy ducked and shoulder-checked her right in the stomach, then he flipped her over his shoulder. While she was down, Anarchy pounced with a dagger drawn and ready to stab.

Aria shrieked and flung him into the air. "You'll have to be faster than that, you little turn-coat!" She noticed Anarchy was spiraling in the air with little control over himself. She held her sword close and began whispering, causing the sword to glow with a blue aura. "Siren's song, Heart-Breaker!" Aria drew her sword back and stabbed the air, creating a bolt of aura that was speeding toward Anarchy. The bolt went right through him, then he somehow just vanished! "The hell!?"

"Shadow Feeler." Anarchy arose right behind Aria from her own shadow and wrapped his arms around her neck, strangling her like a python. "You're not the only one with magic, Aria. I can project copies of myself and literally hide in shadows."

"Gak! S-Shit!"

"If I were you, I'd save my breath. Just makes it easier on my part." Anarchy felt her claw at his arm in desperation, she was already losing strength and she couldn't use her voice to escape. Her arms drooped down to her sides, she's finally given up.

'shk!'

"Gah!" Anarchy felt a sting right on his side. He'd been stabbed. He let Aria go upon feeling the sting again, when he looked down he saw his dagger was missing and he had two fresh wounds, one on his stomach and another on his side. "Fucking... Stings." He ripped off some of the gauze from his arm and applied it to the wounds, stopping the bleeding for now. "Ehehe, nice one... You're definitely no push-over."

Aria held her neck, gasping for breath. She threw the blood-soaked dagger to the side and growled in anger. "Bad Dogs get their fucking balls chopped off... You better pray that you win this fight, you Bad Dog."

"I'd rather pray that you stop holding out on me and actually try entertaining me... Or are you really that pathetic?"

"Grrr, you wanna play rough? Fine, we'll fucking play rough!" Just as he planned, Aria was now pissed. Her movements were no longer careful, they were hate-fueled and reckless just how he liked it. "Get ready, because it's fucking serious now!" She charged at him, swinging her sword with reckless abandon. Anarchy dodged every swing like it was nothing, further enraging her. "GRRAH! God fucking DAMMIT!" She shrieked yet again, and Anarchy disappeared as soon as the magical shock-waves made contact. "Run all you want, I'll fucking find you and make you scream!" She looked down and saw her shadow ripple like water, she tried reaching inside. Her hand went through her shadow like water, and she pulled Anarchy out of his hidey-hole by the neck. "I'm gonna make you my fucking bitch!" Anarchy grabbed her breast, she gasped and held it while blushing. Next thing she saw was Anarchy's fingers.

'poke'

"AH! BITCH!" Anarchy poked her eyes while she was distracted, next he brought his fists down on her temples, she let him go and recoiled in pain and embarrassment. "Y-You fucking pervert!"

"I like to win my battles, Aria. Which means a sneak like me might have to play dirty if it means I come out of it clean." Anarchy slapped the rapier out of her hands, spun her around, and kicked her in the back.

"Shit!" She landed on her stomach, injured but not beaten. She scrambled for the sword, but the buzzing of electricity halted her. When she turned around, Anarchy had his bow drawn back and a bolt of pure lightning hovered where an arrow would be. The buzzing of instant death snuffed the flames of her anger and rationality took over. "..... An... Arrow of lightning... Ironic, given your fighting style."

"Tell me Aria, have you ever heard a Tiger's roar?" Anarchy asked, Aria slowly shook her head. "Well if you do anything reckless, I'll show you what a Tiger's roar sounds like... But, I have a feeling you won't like it."

"......." Aria's eyes glowed red, and her magic activated. She wasn't done here, far from it. "No, you won't." She ordered. "Hear my voice, and fall under my spell..."

Anarchy said nothing. He lowered the bow and the lightning bolt dissipated.

"Mhmhm, yes... Now, put down the bow..." Aria commanded, and Anarchy did as she ordered.

"Anarchy!" Bad Boy charged at Aria from the shadows, sword drawn. Before he could interrupt the spell something extremely fast dashed in front of him and knocked him away. It was Anarchy, face hidden by the helmet and Rapier in his hand, protecting Aria. Bad Boy was badly injured, Anarchy's blow going through the armor and piercing his skin. "D-dammit... No..."

"Eh-..." Aria was stunned by his speed, but she snapped herself out of her confusion and regained her domineering composure. "Well, isn't this a nice little surprise... Anarchy, finish him."

Anarchy brought the rapier down and impaled Bad Boy's helmet, killing him instantly.

"Yes, good pet... Now, obey your mistress and remove your helm." She ordered, and Anarchy obeyed. Showing off his long, blue hair and beautiful red eyes that spar-

"Hi Aria!"

"W-WHAT THE HELL!?!"

It was... Sonata's head... attached to Anarchy's body? "C'mere Aria, I got something for ya!" Sonarchy grabbed her in a spine-snapping hug, Aria struggled for dear life.

"Get away from me you nightmare! Get awa-MMMPH!?!" Son-archy kissed her on the lips. Aria didn't know if this was technically incest or not but either way she wanted to throw-up. Aria jerked her head, breaking the unwanted kiss. "Ack! Bleah! His... Her... It's tongue got in my mouth!"

"Hey, that's mean!"

"Get the fuck away from me you... You thing!" Aria kicked it's shin and it let go of her. She made a mad-dash for the door, it was locked with no visible way of unlocking it. She slammed the door and kept trying to turn the handle. "Come on! Open! Open you piece of shit, open!"

"Aaaaariaaaa..." A hand placed itself on her shoulder, making her nearly piss herself. It moved down her back and started caressing her waist. "In case you were wondering, I've got both.~"

(Reality)

"The fuck's wrong with her?" Bad Boy asked.

"I have no idea, but she keeps fidgeting." Anarchy motioned to Aria, who was shifting nervously in her slumber. "Getting kind of difficult to carry her while she's freaking-out like this."

"Don't sweat it, we're almost at the nurse's office." Bad Boy assured.

"You said the same thing fifteen minutes ago, Bad Boy." Anarchy said in an irritated tone.

"I know, I know. In all honesty I was just stalling for the bell, I hate my third period." He admitted. "And I know you hate your third period too, so just endure."

They made it to the nurse's office, Anarchy sat Aria down on a chair while she struggled. "There, much better."

"..... Shit, doesn't look like Redheart's in today." Bad Boy groaned in annoyance. "Guess someone's gotta watch the spaz until she wakes up... Anarchy, you wait outside, she'll wanna try kicking your ass again if your in here when she wakes up and I ain't ordering you to drop a girl twice in the same day."

"..... Alright, but I'll be ready if she gets out of hand." Anarchy left the office while Bad Boy watches over Aria.

"Hm... Wonder what's goin' on in there..." Bad Boy looked at her fidgeting form for a few moments. "... Eh, I probably don't wanna know." He pulled up a chair and started playing on his phone.

(Aria's Head)

"Gotta get out of this asylum... Gotta get away from that freak..." Aria was running through the halls of her fortress, she lost Sonarchy a while back but she has yet to find the exit. "Come on! Isn't there a way out of here!?" Aria tripped on a loose tile and hit the ground, causing a thump to echo through the halls.

"I heeeaaaard thaaaaaat!~"

"Fuck!" Aria got up and ran away from the voice, praying to god that she wouldn't be found.

"Aaaaariaaaaa! Where are you, Ariaaaaa!?"

"Motherfucker, why won't it leave me alone!?" Aria turned a corner and stopped dead. There was the freak, but it hadn't noticed her yet. "Shit!" She tip-toed to the other side and ran for it as quietly as she could. "That was way too close... Oh, what?" A dead end, she would have to go back. Aria groaned and swore under her breath. "Fuck me..." She was about to turn, but something grabbed her arms, then slowly licked all the way up her neck and up to her ear. Then, it whispered...

"Gladly, my Mistress.~"

(Reality)

Aria jumped from her chair and screamed. "NO!"

"Oh, sh-!" Bad Boy jumped from his chair and dropped his phone. "Sonova bitch, you scared the shit outta me!"

Aria paused, looking around the room in search of something. "It's...... It's gone..."

"The hell's wrong with you!?"

"Bad Boy?... Where's Anarchy?"

"He's far away from your crazy ass, figured you'd try fightin' him again so I watched over you for him." He picked up his phone and checked it for cracks. "No way in hell your fightin' him again, it's for your own good."

"I don't care about that you little fucker! Where the hell-... Wait, I thought you..."

"It was a freakin' dream you spaz! I dunno what was goin' on in your messed-up head but whatever it was it didn't happen." Bad Boy explained.

"Yo, Bad Boy!" Anarchy ran inside, ready to drop someone. "You okay? I heard you scream." Anarchy saw Aria, who looked like she was about to piss herself at the sight of him. "Um... You alright?"

".......A-Anarchy?"

"Yeah?"

Aria ran up to him and lifted his hood, when she saw his mismatching eyes she sighed in relief and hugged him. "Oh sweet fucking god you're back to normal..."

"......... Did I knock her screws loose or something?" Anarchy questioned, which made Bad Boy shrug.

Aria realized what she was doing and let him go, visibly blushing. "Er-... Um... T-That meant nothing, got it!? I've been through a lot of fucking shit and-!"

"Hey, it's okay... You were fidgeting a lot when I carried you here, so I expected you were having a nightmare." Anarchy waited until she regained her composure. "Now, what happened?"

She tried to recall what happened, but like all dreams it was just bits and pieces of what she saw. "... It's kind of vague, it had something to do with you and Sonata... I think you two were together or something."

Anarchy's eyes widened. "Um... Uh, I'll admit Sonata's cute but she's too childish for me... Wait, why would that frighten-"

"No, not like that!... Wait, I think I... Oh, right." She remembered that thing alright, that nightmare that nearly had it's way with her. "Yeah... Uh, you had Sonata's head and chased me around somewhere... Just, I don't know the details, okay?"

"..... Okay? Well, since we're talking I'd like to apologize for-"

Aria silenced him by covering his mouth. "You know what, Anarchy? Just stop right there, because at this point I don't even care that you kicked my ass anymore. I said some hurtful things, and you retaliated, let's call it even and leave it at that."

"Uh... Alright, glad we worked things out?"

"Yes... Now, what period it it?"

"Forth." He answered.

"Right... Well, thanks for taking me to the nurse's office and... Yeah, see you later." Aria walked to her class, while Anarchy covered himself with his hood.

"..... You know, I didn't expect her to accept my apology so easily." He said.

"Hm, there're all sorts of girls out there buddy... Some hold grudges, some don't." Bad Boy answered. "Hell, I half-expected her to make you lick her boot or some weird kinky shit to apologize to her."

"The fuck's wrong with you?"

"Ey, I call 'em like I see 'em, and in my opinion she looks like the 'lick your mistress's feet' type." Bad Boy and Anarchy walked out the door, discussing things further. "Course, Adagio looks like the biggest bitch outta the bunch, probably uses that big brain and nice ass to get what she wants."

"Heh, now that's believable." Anarchy chuckled. "Well, I gotta get going, see ya."

"See ya at lunch." Bad Boy walked off as Anarchy walked into his fourth period class.

"Hey, teach. Sorry I'm........ Uh..."

The classroom was enveloped in an ominous green fog, the students inside were all kneeling down to Adagio Dazzle, who was sitting at the teacher's desk, filing her nails with a calm smile. "Mhmhm Anarchy... How kind of you to join us..."

The door closed behind him and locked itself, he saw two students in the other side of the door window with the key. "... Hmph, I had a feeling you were making-up shit about the band thing." Anarchy tightened his fists and hardened himself, prepared for anything.

"And I had a feeling you weren't just brawn, guess we were both right... Tell me, are you as smart as Bad Boy, or are you smarter?"

"Smarter, but he's a better leader than me." He answered. "Now you answer a question... Do you honestly think you can control me? Do you honestly think I would ever submit to you?"

"Hmmm......." She put her file down and held up a file, which had Anarchy's name and student ID number on it. "Weeell, from the content of this deliciously informative student file I oh so happened to obtain... Honestly, I think I have more authority over you than simply controlling you..." She tossed the file to him, and he opened it up. He was silent, with his mouth slightly agape.

"....... No... If you so much as touch her..." Anarchy clenched his fist in anger, crumbling the papers.

"Go on, finish that sentence and see what happens. I can assure you that you won't like it." Adagio said, not even bothering to look at him.

"..... What... What are your orders?"

"Mhmhmhm, I knew you would see thing from my perspective... Simply do whatever I say without question, and I promise we won't lay a finger on her." She got up from her swivel chair and slowly sashayed to him, swaying her hips almost hypnotically. "My first order is, tell no one of this meeting, not even your little gang can know... Of course, if you tattle on me at all than... I may have to do something rather irrational....."

"..... Understood." He said through a hesitant voice.

"Excellent." She circled him, carefully eyeing his figure up and down. "My second order... Whatever I say, goes. You will heed my command without question."

"Understood." He answered.

"Good. Now, my third order..." She leaned against his chest like he was a wall, looking up at him with a half-lidded gaze. "Hmm... You shall treat me like a queen, and defend me with your life like the obedient little rook you are... Think you can follow those three little rules?" She questioned, he was silent. "......... Perhaps, I have not been very clear... Should I remind you of the consequences if you fail to keep your queen happy?"

"..........Understood..."

"What was that?"

"I said... Understood." He voiced more clearly than before. "I'll protect you... But promise you'll leave her out of this."

"My brave little rook. I assure you, I will not lay a hand on her." She smiled, drawing little circles on him with her finger. "That is, as long as you don't break the rules of our agreement."

Anarchy huffed in defeat. "....... Understood, my Queen." He swallowed his pride and kneeled before her, hating every second of this degrading act. "... Only for her..."

Author's Note

Here's another chapter for you guys, a bit edgy I'll admit but a fun chapter to come up with even though it was suppose to go in an entirely different direction with Aria's dream. I was planning to just set her in a black void and make her think she was in Hell, but it didn't turn out too good so I went in this direction with much better results. Live and Learn, right? Anyway, see ya!

Lunch: Down the Rat Hole

The lunchroom was currently bustling with teens. A group of jocks had cornered a geek, some nerds were playing a weird card game; the tables were loaded with all kinds of people enjoying their lunches. But out of everyone here, one person was missing... In fact, not just one, three were missing! Three people that Adagio had to speak to, as was agreed upon. "Where are those rat-faced thugs?" Adagio questioned.

"..... You think they went home?" Sonata asked.

"Doubt it, they would have at least told us if they were leaving." Aria answered.

"You lookin' for the Rats?" A red, muscular boy asked. "They ain't here, they only eat in the... Er-... Jus' follow me."

The Dazzlings complied and followed the boy to the gymnasium. He opened the door next to it, which was labeled 'Storage Room'. "Is this it?" Adagio asked.

"Eeyup." He answered, than opened the door. "If I were you, I'd watch what I say... Rats got a lot of power, ya know."

"We'll try to remember that." Adagio said, then entered the darkness with her sisters. The door closed, cutting off all light save for the door's rectangular window. "Quite a welcoming place for a lunch..."

There was the sound of footsteps, Anarchy stepped out of a corner with a flash-light. "Oh... It's you three." He motioned them to follow, Adagio was reluctant but complied. Sonata was a bit tense with the darkness around her, she moved closer to Anarchy for protection. "Relax, Sonata. Nothing in here will hurt you..."

"... I... Like to feel safe..."

"Fine." He answered, letting Sonata stand next to him. He conversed with the other two. "Bad Boy's been waitin' for you three, thought you wouldn't show."

"You never really told us where to go." She replied.

"Never do." He said. "There are some snakes out there that might sell us out, so only other clients can point you in the right direction. You understand, right?"

"Fair enough." Adagio said.

"So why do they want you guys to get caught?" Sonata asked.

"My guess is they might have been a victim of us. Someone wanted us to hurt them and they blame us, when in reality they're blaming the wrong people. Kind of like the whole 'guns kill people' debate, blame the fire-arm instead of the shooter."

Sonata looked worried.

"Hm? Don't worry, we don't sell out clients, that would ruin us entirely. Whatever business we do will be completely anonymous..."

Adagio smiled at the mention of this policy.

"Unless you stab us in the back, then you'll end up like 'Flashy-boy' from earlier... Or worse." They reached a blank wall, with no signs of any suspicious indents that could signal a fake wall. "Got it?"

The girls nodded.

"Good." Anarchy pulled a loose patch of carpet from the floor, which was attached to an old trap-door. "Welcome to the Rat-Hole, kiddos." He lifted the trap-door, the faint sound of music and laughter could be heard. "One at a time, latter's a bit shaky."

They each went down the latter, one at a time of course so the latter wouldn't break. When the last person stepped off the latter Anarchy pulled a rope and closed the entrance. "So what IS the Rat-Hole?" Aria asked.

"One of out team's HQs." He answered.

"The laughing?" Adagio asked next.

"Others." He answered, guiding them toward a steel door. "You three ain't exactly the first people to want our services, the Rats are bigger than you'd think." They made it to the door, it had a slide panel on it. Anarchy banged on the door two times, and the panel opened revealing a pair of eyes.

"Anarchy?"

"Yeah, got some business with Bad Boy." He said.

The slide panel closed, and the sound of various locks being unlocked followed. The door opened, and the boy behind smiled with a con-artist's grin. "Welcome to the Rat-Hole. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

The Rat-Hole... Was much livelier than the Dazzling's thought. There were many students inside, some were gambling at a round table with Hold 'em, others laughing at the soda bar or talking at the various tables with friends or dates, there were even students working as waiters and waitresses filling orders! The place was similar to Mos Eisley's from Starwars, but more secretive like a Speak-Easy. Adagio was quite impressed by this place, as it turns out the Rats really are bigger than the school lets on. "Oh... Oh my, I had no idea."

"Tesla found this place when we looked at the school's blue-prints. He erased the room from the plans and we made it a base of operations." Anarchy explained. "We got all kinds, from nice Italian food to illegal gambling. Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it here."

"My, my. It seems I underestimated Bad Boy." Adagio admitted. "To think, not even the teachers are aware of this place. Bad Boy must be an incredible leader to keep ALL of this hidden."

"He keeps a lot of secrets, secrets that hide his true power... There's a reason people fear him just as much as they fear me." He motioned them to follow. "But, I'm getting off topic. Follow me, I'll show you to the Boss' office." There was the sound of something crashing. "The hell?"

"You listen here, motherfucker!" There was a fight by the poker tables, Anarchy grew pissed.

"Sonova... Gimme a minute. Hey! You in the Green!" Anarchy approached and spun him around. "We got a problem here?"

'Twack!'

Anarchy and was hit right in the face, Aria's eyes widened and she smiled. "Oh, this just got interesting."

"You're a DEAD little fuck!" Anarchy bashed his face with brass knuckles, when the kid went down he flipped him on his back and pinned him, holding his arm behind his back. He slammed the assailant's face into the concrete floor, making the guy shout in pain. "You better fucking calm down you sorry sonova bitch!"

"Okay! I give, I give!"

Anarchy let him go. "Now what happened?"

"That cheating bastard... Had an ace in his sock!" He pointed at a boy wearing a blue jacket.

"Proof?"

"My hand... Two aces. The river had the other two aces." He said in a raspy voice.

"Really now? Well I'm here to settle this... Both of you, OUT!" He shouted, both of them left with their metaphorical tails between their legs. "Fucking jackass... You." He pointed to one of the players. "What's the cheater's name?"

"Uh-... B-Black Steel." He answered.

"Hmm... Right." He turned to the Dazzlings, Sonata was frightened, Adagio was astonished, and Aria was smiling. "You three, let's go." They followed him to the other side of the room, to a door that had 'Bad Boy' scratched into the wood. "Well, this is it." The door opened by itself and a purple girl wearing a lab coat walked out, she looked like she was in a hurry. "... Hm, never seen her around... Nevermind that, please step inside."

The three entered Bad Boy's office. The place was pretty nice, a pinball machine was in the corner, a T.V. with stolen cable behind his desk, there was even a calender with a naked woman on it pinned to the wall. He was in his swivel chair, playing a video game with Tesla who sat on a bean-bag. From the sounds coming from the T.V. the game was very violent.

"God dammit!" Bad Boy shouted. "Tesla, summon Death-Trap already!"

"Still on cooldown, Bad Boy." A few explosion noises sounded. "Got a Badass psycho!"

Sonata gained interest in their game and walked over to spectate, Adagio just rolled her eyes at Bad Boy. "Ahem!"

"Hang on, I'm in Fink's Circle of Slaughter! Oh shit, LG Goliath!" Some screams of death followed. "Tesla, helmet!"

"Little busy!... Bad Boy, Goliath farm or Death-Trap!?"

"Agh... Fuck it, Death-Trap! I'll Zerk and aggro!" This was followed by a little girl's voice and a man's angry screaming, then the sound of guns firing. Sonata looked very confused from the terms, but was entertained by the gameplay. After a few minutes the game announced their victory and the two sighed. "Fucking balls... That was fun." Bad Boy turned his head and noticed Adagio. "Ey! Doll-Face!" He quit his file and gave Sonata the controller. "Here ya go, kid. Go nuts."

"But I wanna watch Spongebob!"

"Spongebob's been a little bitch ever since the newer episodes, play Borderlands 2." Bad Boy commanded, then spun in his chair until he faced Adagio. "Sorry about that, me an' Tesla's doin' a play-through. So, I assume you're here to discuss business?"

"Yes, I believe I am." Adagio answered. "So tell me, what do you have in the 'sabotage' area?"

"Well, depends on what you're lookin' for. We got all kinds of methods from equipment tampering to wardrobe malfunction, and everything in between." Bad Boy handed her a composition book with drawings of the method and a description of it along with the cost. "See, we Rats are a lot bigger than you'd imagine. We've got power, money, ties... You get the image, yeah?"

"Yes, I understand... But tell me, do you ever fear of being... Overthrown?"

"Hmmm..... Well, not really." He answered. "If someone wanted to try that, I'd know within the minute. That's when Tesla does some research on the person, background checks, identification, and all that stalker crap. Then I wait for him to make a move, I retaliate with triple the fire-power, they give up and go home, end of story."

"..... What if they make it to your office?"

Bad Boy reached under his desk and... Pulled out an AK-12 Assault Rifle with the grenade launcher attachment and laid it on the desk. Adagio's eyes widened. "Any more questions?" He asked.

"W-Where did you get that?"

"Like I said, I got power, money, and... Ties." He removed the gun's magazine, showing her it was loaded. "It's the real deal too, made in the Motherlands." He reloaded the gun, and put it back under his desk. "Course, I haven't had to pull out my Equalizer in... A year? Maybe a little less than that."

"Um... I see... Well, let us get back to the original topic." Adagio skimmed through the book, but after a few dozen pages she closed it. "Well Bad Boy, all of these are very good ideas. But, do you have anything subtle?"

"What, like an accident?"

"Yes, something that would look like a coincidence. We don't want anyone suspecting anything." She explained.

Bad Boy laughed. "Ahahaha! Accidents are our specialty, Doll-face! So, whataya have in mind?"

"I was thinking some simple equipment tampering would be enough, think you can do that?"

"Me? Hah, course not!"

Adagio looked confused.

"But Tesla on the other hand can work with tech like it's second-nature, we just need the parts to do the job." Bad Boy spun around to face Tesla, who was playing Borderlands 2 with Sonata. "Yo, Tesla. We need you to get some parts to screw with some music equipment."

"Band thing's tonight, right? I'll get the stuff once I get home." There was some screaming coming from the game. "Sonata, cover me!"

"I have no idea what I'm doing, but okay!"

"Anyways." Bad Boy continued. "I bet you three are hungry, yeah?"

"I... I suppose so, but we don't have any money at the moment." Adagio explained.

Bad Boy shrugged. "Don't matter to me, Doll-face. This one's on me. Yo, Anarchy!"

Anarchy poked his head in. "They givin' you trouble, boss?"

"Nah, but tell the cooks to get someone in here, we're hungry." Bad Boy explained. Anarchy nodded and closed the door. "So, whatcha eatin'?"

"A salad will do." Adagio answered.

"Figures... What about you, fire-cracker? You hungry?"

Aria shook her head. "I'm good... But fire-fracker?"

"Ey, anyone who tries tanglin' with my boy Anarchy is friggin' nuts in my book. Plus, you got a temper on ya." Bad Boy noticed Aria start to get pissed and smirk. "Ehehe, easy there, jus' playin' with ya." He turned around. "What about you, Baby-Blue? You hungry?"

"Got any pizza rolls?"

"Sure, kid." The doors opened and a waiter walked in. "Right on time."

"What will you have, boss?"

"Boss?" Adagio questioned. "I thought there were only three of you?"

"Ey, I'm the boss around here. He's workin' for me, so he calls me 'boss'." Bad Boy turned to the waiter. "We'll have pizza rolls, a salad, and... Gimme a plate of bacon-cheddar fries."

"Excellent choices, boss. We'll have everything ready in a few minutes." The waiter exited.

"... Cheddar fries?"

"What? You expect me to eat school food?"

"I... I didn't know you served food like that." Adagio said.

"Ey, how else am I gonna attract people?" The waiter returned with their food, all under thirty seconds. "Besides the fast service of course."

"Enjoy your meal." He bowed and left the room.

Bad Boy popped a fry covered in cheese and bacon bits into his mouth. "Mmm, good shit." Sonata felt around for a roll while playing her game, which proved too be quite a challenge until Bad Boy placed the plate between the two. "Enjoy your food."

"Yeah, thanks." She wasn't really paying attention.

Bad Boy and Adagio began their discussion again. "So, you want a simple equipment malfunction? Nothing else?"

"Correct. I simply require my competition to be out of the picture." Adagio answered, eating her food.

"I understand that, but ain't that a little boring?"

"We work for efficiency, not enjoyment." She said.

"Whatever you say, Doll-face." Bad Boy looked at his phone. "Still got fifteen minutes, why don't you three look around a bit?"

"Nah." Sonata answered, fixed solely to the game. Aria just shook her head.

"Doll-face...?"

Adagio thought about it. "..... I'll kindly decline."

Bad Boy shrugged and ate another fry. "Your loss."

Aria started to grow bored of just standing around so she went over to the pinball machine, leaving Adagio alone with Bad Boy. "..... So, what exactly do you do in this school?" Adagio asked.

"I do a lot of things, most involve ruining the lives of others for good pay... I also run this joint, and I basically run the school with an iron fist." He ate another fry. "It's a cruel business, but it pays a lot."

Adagio raised a brow. "Really now? How well does it pay?"

Bad Boy grinned and chuckled a bit. "Ya know, curiosity killed the cat..."

"It's just a simple question, right...?"

Bad Boy thought about how much each person payed for his services. "Well I don't mean to brag... But I'd say over two hundred bucks per job, roughly speaking. Not counting the cash this place racks up, which would be five hundred when I pay all my employees. Add that all up and I leave with seven hundred bucks."

Aria looked away from the game when she heard 'seven hundred bucks'. "Say what now?" The pinball machine lit up, Aria cursed under her breath and launched another ball.

"Nothing, Aria!" Adagio said, while Aria was already back at her game. "Well, I believe our business is done. Sonata, Aria!" The two were too focused on their games to look at her, but they listened to Adagio. "Let's go, we have some business to finish!"

"Aww, but I like this game!" Sonata wined. "Can't I stay, Dagi?"

"Sonata... Please, don't be difficult." Adagio asked, keeping her anger in check.

"Ah, let her stay." Bad Boy suggested. "We'll baby-sit the little runt for ya, let you do what you need to do."

Adagio wanted to protest, but she thought about how much she would complain if they took her. "..... Oh, fine. Just keep an eye on her, she's... Accident prone. Aria, let's go."

The machine lit up again, and the 'game over' chime made her hit the side of the game. "God-... Whatever, Dagi."

"Ey, easy on the pinball game, it's vintage!" Bad Boy ordered. Aria just groaned and left with Adagio, leaving two Rats and a Siren. "Damn woman... Absolutely no respect."

"What is this game anyway?" Sonata asked.

"Borderlands 2. It's a favorite of mine." Tesla answered. "So far it's the only series where you can kill midgets and mutated psychopaths without a hospital or zombie apocalypse being involved... Hell, you're not too bad at this game now that you have a grasp of the gameplay."

"Yeah. EXPloader, to your left." Sonata warned.

(Lunch Room.)

Adagio and Aria were escorted out by Anarchy. "Pleasure doin' business with ya... Oh, and tell nobody of this place."

"Right." Adagio answered, which was followed by Anarchy slamming the door shut. "Hm, friendly type."

"I know, right?" Aria commented. "So, we taking over the lunch room now?"

"Yes, I believe now is the perfect opportunity." Adagio said, her eyes glowing red. "Are you ready, Aria?"

"Whenever you are, Dagi." Aria's eyes began to light-up as well, just like Adagio's. "But what about the Rats? Shouldn't we take them out first?"

"Normally we would, seeing as they are the bigger threat, but... Well, I have a plan." Adagio looked at the humane five along with Sunset. "A plan that will eliminate an even bigger threat than the Rats."

"... Those six?" Aria asked.

"Yes, those six... It's simply a gut feeling, Aria. But you know very well that I don't take risks." Adagio said.

"Whatever you say, Dagi. So we keep the Rats for now?"

"For now. When the time is right I will make them fall, just like everyone else." The two walked to the center of the room, than they began to sing...

Author's Note

Got the new chapter out, went to see Deadpool before I submitted it. (Awesome movie, 10/10 by the way.) Anyways, hope you like the chapter, see you all in the next one!

Update: I added to the end, it just felt kind of incomplete with the original ending...

Fifth Period: Interrogation.

The sirens song had ended, leaving a green mist to flood the cafeteria. Various chains of magic were connected to their necklaces, all linked to various students that were now arguing over the Battle of the Bands. "Mhmhm, I can feel the magic pulsating in my gem..." Adagio said, admiring her pendant. "But, it's still not enough to power the portal."

"Seriously?" Aria said in disbelief. "How much magic does the portal need?"

"We need all three of our pendants filled to allow us to open it, I'm almost half full." Adagio said.

"Same, and Sonata probably hasn't reached our level." Aria said.

"She will, when we preform for the entire school body at the battle, there will be more magic than we can hold... Hm, I should probably text her to do some snooping while she's down there." Adagio pulled out her phone.

"You think she can pull it off, Dagi?"

"Probably not, but do you want to do it?" Adagio asked, Aria's silence answered the question.

(Rat Hole)

"Quit squirming, kid!" Anarchy ordered, trying to wrangle Sonata to the floor. She had tape over her mouth and was thrashing against him. Anarchy wrestled her to the floor, belly down, trying to force her arms together. "Just... Making it... Difficult!" He got her arms together and held them down with his knee, than began tying the rope, binding her wrists together. "Dammit... Didn't go down as easy as I thought you would. Stubborn little shit."

"Mfmmpm." Sonata tried to talk, but her voice was muffled.

"Hey, boss! Got her pinned!"

"Nice work, Anarchy. Good and clean, just how we like it." Bad Boy responded, approaching the frightened siren. "Now Sonata..." He removed his shades, looking down at her with his blue eyes in full display. "I ain't gonna hurt ya..." He cracked a smile. "Yet."

"Hm!?" Sonata's pupils shrunk.

Bad Boy snapped his fingers and Anarchy lifted her up, sitting her down on the chair across from Bad Boy's desk. She was shaking and whimpering like a frightened dog. "Calm down, Sonny, I was just joking... I don't make Anarchy beat people for no reason, that'd drive away clients." Sonata felt a little relief after hearing that, than she looked around the room for someone. "Lookin' for Tesla?" He asked. "He ain't here, sent 'im off to collect payment from a few dead-beats."

"... Mmphmpmh..."

Bad Boy snapped his fingers again. "Anarchy, phone."

"Got it." He gave him his phone and Bad Boy pulled up the Notes app.

"Use your nose, tell us what's on ya mind..."

Sonata used the tip of her nose to text a message, she nodded when she was done and Bad Boy read it.

'You'll never get away with this, you bully!'

"What makes you so sure?"

"M... Mh?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Do you have any idea who we are, Baby Blue?... Any idea at all?" He crossed his arms. "See, we ain't some playground bullies lookin' for lunch money... We're a crime syndicate in the making, a mafia in training. This ain't my first kidnapping, baby, and certainly ain't my last."

Sonata shrunk down, clearly terrified.

"Aw, don't be scared, we won't hurt ya... Well, so long as you play nice, that is." He put his shades back on and chuckled. "But, let's discuss why you're here first."

'vrrr!'

"Hm?" Bad Boy saw Sonata's pocket light up in a rectangular shape. He slipped two fingers into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Anarchy, thumb." He tossed him the phone and he used Sonata's thumb to open the phone via thumb print. The unlock was successful.

"Hm, lot easier than beating the password outta her." He tossed the phone back to Bad Boy, who read the text to himself. "What's it say, boss?"

"... Huh, looks like Doll-face wanted her to snoop around my office... Guess you were right, Anarchy. They really are after us..." He texted her back. "Ah well, I'll just tell her you're a little busy right now..."

(Adagio)

'vrrr!'

Adagio pulled out her phone and read the text. "..... Hm." She put her phone back. "If you say so, Sonata."

"What'd she say, Dagi?"

"She's gonna wait for the place to clear out first, so she'll be back later." Adagio answered.

"Hm, pretty smart of her..."

"Yes, very..." Adagio stopped her walk for a moment. "..... Oh my god, she was captured."

"What?... Shit, you're right. She's never been this careful... Should we go get her?"

Adagio thought about that for a moment, than she noticed Tesla talking with a student in the distance, receiving a large some of cash from the unknown person. "Hmm..... I have a better idea."

"With geek-boy?" Aria questioned.

Adagio ignored the comment and walked toward him, the unknown student left once his business was concluded. Tesla saw her and flinched back a little. "A-Adagio? Why are you out of class?"

"Oh, no reason." She answered, giving him bedroom eyes. "Well... Now that I think of it, there is something I need to do." She backed him against the wall, making him nervous. "Could you be a dear and... Assist me with that tiny little task?"

"Uh... D-Do I really have a choice?"

Adagio giggled. "No."

"I thought so... What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to hack into the student body records. I've done it once, but I'm sure you're much more efficient than I could ever be." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You wouldn't dare defy your queen... Right?"

Tesla gulped. "R-right..."

(Rat Hole)

"..... Guess she bought it, than." Bad Boy put her phone on his desk. "Now, let's get back to why you're here..."

Sonata gulped.

"Sonata..." Bad Boy stood over her, leaning down to meet her eye-to-shades. "I know you and ya sisters ain't who you say you are."

"..... Mph?"

"Playing dumb, eh?... How 'bout I just tell ya why I'm suspicious?" He straightened himself to full height. "I had some top men do some background checks on you three... Wanna know what I found?" He paused for a moment. "... Nothin'"

Sonata tilted her head in confusion.

"You and your sisters? No identification, no birth certificates, no family records... Hell, are you three even sisters?"

"Mh... Mphmhrmhmph?"

Bad Boy held out the phone and she texted a message.

'If you have no info, than how do you know anything?'

"Ain't it obvious, Baby Blue? You have no records, which means you three are hiding somethin'... I did some cross-comparison with your 'records' and only two other students matched yours." He held up a finger. "The winner of the fall formal herself, Twilight Sparkle..." He raised another finger. "And... Sunset Shimmer." He lowered his hand. "Wanna know what those two have in common?" He pulled out a picture from one of his jacket pockets, it was a picture of the statue outside of the school. "They're both from that magic portal... Those two came here outta 'nowhere', and have no background to speak of. Sounds reeeaaal familiar, don't it?"

Sonata just stared at him with pleading eyes.

"Look, Sonny, I ain't askin' much... Just tell me who you are, and WHAT you are."

Sonata looked away from him.

Bad Boy snapped his fingers. "Anarchy."

"What's up?" He asked.

Bad Boy smiled. "Teach our guest some manners."

"M-Mph!?" Sonata went wide eyed.

"Whatever." Anarchy grabbed the back of her chair and threw it to the side, with her still on it. She hit the floor with a hard thud, forcing a painful grunt out of her. She looked back and saw Anarchy with the chair held above his head. "Last chance, Sonata. Either you start talking, or I make you start talking." Sonata started crying, but if Aria ever found out that she cracked than she'd be in even more trouble. So she closed her eyes and braced herself.

"Yo, Anarchy, hold up a second!"

..... Sonata opened her eyes and saw Anarchy put the chair down. "What's up?"

"Doll-face's texting me." He said.

"Her? How'd she get your number?"

"Texted Aria earlier, she must've kept my number." He answered, reading the text.

"Well what'd she say?"

"... The hell?"

'I know you have my sister, Bad Boy.'

"Crap... Looks like she caught us." He said, texting her back.

'You gonna come get her, than?'

She answered back.

'No.'

"No?" He read. "So she don't want her sister back..." She texted again.

'If you want to keep her, than fine. I'll just keep my new little mousy.'

"Mousy?" He asked out loud. "Who the... Tesla." Bad Boy cursed under his breath, then ripped the tape off of Sonata's mouth, making her grunt. "I'm done playing games, Sonny. Start talkin', or else..."

(Adagio.)

"It's just up ahead, Adagio." Tesla assured.

"Where exactly are we going, Tesla?"

"Someplace quiet, where no one will disturb us." He said. "And there's only one place like that."

Adagio was puzzled, but then she saw the book-return slot on the wall. "Ah, the library. A place with computers yet is hated by everyone."

"Exactly." He confirmed. "Chances are nobody will be here, so..." He opened the doors to discover, he was wrong. Sunset Shimmer and her friends were there, discussing the 'dark magic' that the Dazzlings used. "Oh, Sunset?"

"Tesla?" She questioned back. "What are you doing here?" She then noticed the orange fluff that was Adagio's hair. "And what are you doing with them!?"

"Uh-" He felt something sharp press against his back. "... Business... Just business..."

"... Rat business?"

"N-no! I... Was going to do a research paper with my partners." He lied.

"You're a terrible liar, Tesla-dear." Adagio said, retracting the knife from his back. "Miss Shimmer, how exactly does our business have anything to do with your current affairs?"

"... What?" Rainbow questioned in confusion.

"It's our business when you hypnotize the school with dark magic!" Sunset yelled.

"Dark magic? Moi?" Adagio said in faux innocence. "I'll have you know, Sunset, we do not dabble in the dark arts. Ours is simply a... Foreign magic."

"Foreign?... What do you mean by that?"

Adagio ignored her question and held Tesla's shoulder. "Tesla-dear, is there any place else we can... do our business?"

"I got a suggestion."..... That was NOT Aria's voice. Adagio turned around and was met with the bad end of a glock. The holder? Bad Boy, and he looked beyond pissed. Behind him was Anarchy, who held her sisters at gun-point with twin glocks. Sonata looked scared out of her mind while Aria simply kept her eyes closed, accepting her capture. "How 'bout I send ya straight to hell?"

"Boss!" Tesla shouted.

"B-Bad Boy! What a... Pleasant surprise... So, um-"

"Drop." He interrupted.

"Uh... dr-"

"I said DROP!" He smacked Adagio's head with the bottom of the gun's grip, he was done playing around.

"AH! Okay! Okay!" She slowly kneeled down, hands in the air. "Such a ru-"

Bad Boy shoved the barrel of the gun in her running mouth, silencing her. "Not another fucking word, Siren. Or the last thing you'll ever swallow will be your own bloody vocal chords."

Adagio gained a look of surprise.

"Ya sister cracked, told me everything." He shoved the gun further down her throat, making her gag. "Now... You think you can just take my clients from me?... You think you can steal my crew? My Rats!?"

"Bad Boy! Stop!" Sunset yelled, gaining his attention.

"You!? The hell you doi-"

'smack!'

Bad Boy wasn't watching Adagio, she took his moment of weakness and hit him square in the crotch. "Oh!... My boys!" He collapsed, holding his crotch in pain. Adagio shrieked, unleashing a sound wave that threw Anarchy back.

"Shit!" Anarchy quickly got back up. "Tesla! Stop them!"

Adagio looked at Tesla, paralyzed by fear and astonishment from her display of magic.

"Tesla!"

"... I... I can't... There's no way that was real..." It was no use, he couldn't move an inch.

Adagio smiled, and ran toward him.

"Tesla! Snap out of it!" Aria and Sonata jumped Anarchy. He saw Adagio grab him. "Tesla!"

He snapped out of his trance, but when he came back all he could see was a pair of green, glowing pupils starring into his. "Hello, Tesla-boy."

"Adagio?" Tesla felt something press against his lips, than his head became fogged.

"(Shh... Relax.)" A voice entered his subconscious. "(Don't fight it...)" Tesla was... Entranced by those eyes... He couldn't look away, they were just so... Beautiful. "(That's it... Just look into my eyes...)"

Anarchy watched in horror as Adagio kissed Tesla, he saw his color drain from his body. "What the hell are you doing to him!?" Sunset pushed Adagio away from Tesla, causing him to collapse. The sisters pushed Anarchy down and ran for it, Adagio followed suit. "Goddammit!" Anarchy scrambled up. "Sunset, check Tesla! I'll get the boss!"

Sunset and her friends came to his aid, Anarchy helped Bad Boy to his feet. "Ah, easy Anarchy."

"I gotcha boss, you okay?"

"Still tender... Man, girl can hit... So, where's my boy at?" Anarchy turned him to Tesla, still pale and unconscious. "What happened?"

"Adagio kissed him and... His color started to fade." Anarchy explained.

"Hrm... Sunset, any idea?"

"No, I have no idea... But I know someone who might. Applejack, Rainbow, bring Tesla with us. Anarchy, follow me." She ordered.

"Where we goin', Shimmer?" Bad Boy asked.

"My locker, I have something that can help us."

(Adagio)

"We lost them, Dagi." Aria said. "You alright?"

"Crap... I never thought he would snap like that." Adagio said, rubbing her head. "It still hurts..."

"... Dagi, I'm sorry for cracking." Sonata said. "It's just... Anarchy." She shivered. "He's so scary."

"It's... It's understandable, Sonata. I'm just glad that we got away right now. But, it's not a complete loss." She said, smirking and crossing her arms. "I just so happened to... Leave them a parting gift."

Author's Note

Hey guys, I'm sorry for the really late chapter. I was a little cluttered the past month. Anywho, the chapter's finally done. The release date for the next one is unknown, but it'll be a little while.

Introductions: The Rats

"And this is the cafeteria, where the gossip is as plentiful as the food." Sunset said as she motioned toward the scenery. All the teens in their individual groups talking shit about people who were not in their group. "You'll come here when it's time for lunch, but for now we just chat until the first bell."

"Sunny!" A group of girls approached, five to be exact. "Oh, who are they? Are they new here!?"

"Yeah, I was just showing them around. This is Adagio and her sisters, Aria and Sonata." She motioned too the three girls.

"Hi! I'm Sonata!" The blue girl said with enthusiasm, waving her hand in the air with vigor.

The purple one wasn't so enthusiastic, she just looked away from them and crossed her arms. "Aria."

"Well it's nice to meet you three, I'm Pinkie Pie!"

"Oh! How... Fitting." Adagio said.

"So how do like the school so far?"

"Oh, I have a feeling we'll simply love it here." Adagio said, Aria nodded with her while Sonata stood puzzled.

"But I thought we-"

"'LIKED' it here!" Aria cut Sonata off, covering her mouth and leering at her. "AND WE DO! Isn't that right, Sonny?"

In Sonata's head she was struck suspicious by that nickname, luckily the wires connected in Sonata's brain and she got the memo. "Mhm!" She sounded, due to the hand covering her mouth.

"..... Okay?... Well where are you three from?"

"Us? Oh, we're from... Um..." Adagio was trying to think of a name that nobody here knew about.

"Um, why did it, like, get all quiet in here?" Sonata asked, distracting everyone from the initial question.

"....... Oh, Rats." Sunset said in a hushed tone.

"What? Did you, like, forget something?"

"No, Rats..."

Sonata was confused by her response.

"... She meant the animal, Air-head." Aria deadpanned.

"Ohhh... Why?"

"Flaaaashyyyy! Come on out, ya Dead-Beat!"

"... Who was that?" Adagio asked, which cued Flash Sentry to race-walk right past them. From the look on his face he was in some sort of trouble. Sunset grabbed him and pulled him out of the open.

"What did you do!?"

"I fucked up..." He said, then he resumed his race-walk in hopes of getting away from whoever he pissed off.

"Ey! Where do ya think you're goin', Flashy-boy!?"

"Shit!" He was found, but not caught! He made a break for it, but as he rounded the corner a foot stuck out from behind it and tripped him. He fell face-first, then tried getting back up only to have the culprit force him back down via a foot on his back. He turned his head, fearing the worst.

Too bad for him, it was the worst. "Goin' somewhere?"

"Anarchy..."

"Yo, Anarchy! Take it easy on 'em!" A teen called out, walking toward Flash and this 'Anarchy' person. He had yellow skin and short, spiky black hair. He wore a leather jacket, triangle sunglasses, and a pair of jeans with boots that had spikes at the toe, he also had spikes on the jacket's shoulders. "We can't get our payment if he's not in one piece."

"Whatever..." Anarchy stepped out of the corner. He wore a grey beat-up jacket that had 'Chok it outa me' on the front in thin, slash-cut black letters, and the Anarchy logo on his left sleeve. The half of his face from the nose up was hidden by the shadow cast by his hood, but the small frown on his indigo face showed he wasn't the friendly type. He had on an old pair of jeans with an older pair of vans slip-ons that had a skull on each. There was also a notable chain that was connected to his pants, probably from a chain wallet. He moved his foot from Flash's back and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, get up pretty boy. The boss's been dying to see you again." He said in dry monotone. "And if I were you, I wouldn't keep 'em waiting..."

"Y-Yeah, sure Anarchy..." He got up with the assistance of Anarchy, the other guy finally made it to him.

"Well, well, well... How ya doin' Flashy-boy?" The teen asked, eyeing Flash up and down. "You were walkin' awful fast there... What's the rush?"

"..... You know why..." Flash said.

"Oh, do I now? You tellin' me what I do and don't know, smart-guy?" He leered at Flash. "I don't think you're in any position to be smart-mouthin' me..." He started to slowly circle him, like a shark circling it's prey. "The reason!... I pulled you over..." He carefully eyed Flash behind those sunglasses. "You skipped out on my payment..." Sunset's eyes visibly shrunk. "We do you a favor, out of the kindness of our hearts... And you try skippin' out on us?"

"I'm sorry... I wanted to buy my girlfriend a present, I forgot today was-"

"You forgot SHIT!" He snarled. This shut Flash up instantly.

"Boss, if I may interupt...?" Another boy stepped out from the crowd. He had permanent green skin and short, blue hair. He had a red shirt with a black splatter-pattern and black denim pants with brown shoes. He had glasses on and carried a head-set around his neck, he was also chewing gum from the movement of his jaw.

"Huh, about time you showed up Tesla." The teen said. "So, what were you gonna add?"

"Oh, how about the very reason he's in this mess?"

"..... He skipped out on me?"

"No, further back." Tesla hinted.

"......... Ohhhh, that right..." He smiled with a short chuckle. "There's what you ASKED us to do for you... Be a shame if your dirty little secret got out to the public..."

"Okay, okay... I'll pay you..."

"No, you won't." The teen nudged his head to the side, Anarchy nodded and pushed Flash in the direction. The teen held Flash down with his foot on his back like Anarchy did. "You pay us triple tomorrow, or I destroy you're reputation... And maybe, just maybe... Anarchy will have a little play-time with you... Got that, pretty-boy?"

Flash nodded vigorously.

"Good..." The teen released Flash and he scampered away. "Alright boys, let's am-scray before-..." The teen turned his head and looked in Sunset's direction. Sunset took a defensive stance. The teen grew a half smile and walked toward her, motioning his friends to follow.

"B-back-off! We don't owe you anything!"

"I ain't interested in that, Shimmer..." He walked past Sunset and approached Adagio and her sisters. "I'm interested in the pretty face right here..." He said, which caused Adagio to blush a little.

"Uh... M-Me?" Adagio asked, pointing at herself.

"Who else?"

"Oh... Well, that is very kind of you." She said.

"Hmm... You're new here, am I right?"

"Yes, me and my sisters just started today." She explained.

"S'that so? Well, I humbly apologize for... Creating a scene like that with my client, especially when it's the first thing you see when you arrived."

"It's fine... Um... You haven't introduced yourself." Adagio said.

"Oh, yes. Where ARE my manners..." The teen lowered himself to one knee and held out his hand, palm up. Adagio was...Well, surprised by this gesture. She ended up placing her hand into his palm. As predicted, he took her hand and lightly kissed it. He let go and she took her hand back, holding it almost possessively. "I'm the leader of The Rats Gang, but most people know me as Bad Boy..." He got up and motioned to his friends. "And these fine gentlemen are my associates and friends, Anarchy and Tesla..." He looked back at her with his half-smile. "Now, what's your name?"

"Adagio Dazzle." She said, she motioned to her sisters. "These are Sonata and Aria."

"Hm... Pretty names for pretty girls... Well lemme give you three some advice." He flicked his wrist and a rectangular device appeared in his hands, he tossed it to Adagio who immediately recognized it.

"M-My phone!?"

"My advice is... When we're around, keep your hands in ya pockets so you don't get picked. Never know when we might swipe something or...Plant something for someone..." He snapped his fingers and started walking away. "Let's go boys, we got another client to collect from." The two followed Bad Boy down the hall, but before he rounded the corner he stopped. "Oh, and by the way Doll-Face... You and your two friends ever wanna have some fun, come see me. And hey... I wouldn't mind ya sisters coming along either. Pffhahahaha!" Bad Boy walked away along with Anarchy, but Tesla stayed behind when he saw Sonata's look of confusion.

"So wait... He, like, said to bring us twice?"

"... It was a sexual innuendo." Tesla explained. This only seemed to confuse her more.

"Sexual window? How's a window sexual?"

Tesla gave her the 'are you kidding me' look. Aria rolled her eyes and lipped 'she's not very smart', Tesla got the message and approached her. He leaned into her ear and explained the joke to her to save her and himself the embarrassment.

"..... What does that have to do with a sexual window?"

Tesla was at a loss for words, Aria pulled him over and away from clueless Sonata. "You're better off explaining this to a sack of potatoes, Tesla. She thought 'lollygagging' was attempting to swallow a Tootsie-pop in one gulp."

"Oh, so she's a special little snowflake... I couldn't imagine the frustration..."

"You have NO idea." Aria released him and he went over to Sonata.

"Um, yeah. You'll figure it out on your own Sonata, I'm confident that you can..."

"You are? Like, for realzies?"

"Um... Yes?"

"Aww, that's so sweet!" She embraced Tesla in a not-so gentle hug, it wasn't that she was a strong idiot, she was just a really affectionate idiot. Kinda like Pinkie, but calmer and a little more air-headed... Okay, maybe she was both. "You're my bestest friend for forever and ever!"

"You're... Crushing... Me..."

"Ahaha! Look Aria, I can make him do funny faces!" She squeezed Tesla harder, causing his face to contort in pain.

"... Ehehe, they are funny. Hey, give him the Juicer and see what face he makes." Aria said, showing off her first smile so far.

"Aria, don't encourage her. Sonata, put the boy down before he 'runs-away' like Mittens did." Adagio ordered, Aria grunted and her smile deflated back to a indifferent frown. Sonata released Tesla from her strangles of affection, Tesla did a rib count. "I apologize for my sister's rude behavior, both of them. An intelligent young man like yourself shouldn't be put through that kind of torture." Adagio helped him up, even going as far as to dust him off a little.

"Um... T-Thank you, Adagio. But I'm fine, I've been through a lot worse..."

"Hmm....... I'm curious." Adagio said. "You are very smart, yes? Why is someone like you affiliated with someone like Bad Boy?"

"..... Well, it's quite simple... Bad Boy treats me like a normal person, despite my condition." He explained, which Adagio raised a brow in response.

"Condition...? What kind of condition?"

"Yo! Tesla!" Bad Boy called out. "Let's role already, I ain't gettin' any younger!"

"Alright, gimme a minute!" Tesla called back, then he turned back to Adagio. "Sorry, the boss runs this place like an Italian Mafia, I gotta go." He walked up to Sonata and Dusk. "I gotta go, so-"

"Bye bestie!" Sonata hugged Tesla, but with more control over her strength. He hugged back of course, though a bit awkwardly.

"Um, yeah... Bye Bestie." Tesla was released from her vice, which cued Aria to pat him on the back.

"Good luck...Bestie." Aria teased, then the two followed Adagio to their lockers.

"Hey Tesla! If your done flirtin' with the new skirts let's go already!"

"Oh, sorry!"

Tesla quickly rejoined his group, then they left the scene.

"............... So, what do you girls think?"

"I've been in this school for fifteen minutes and I already wanna hang myself, honestly I thought I'd last longer." Aria deadpanned.

"No, I'm talking about The Rats... You think they could be of use?"

"The gang of low-lives? I dunno, maybe." Aria said. "They claim that they run this school with an iron fist, but with a leader like Bad Boy? I'd say they're just trouble, for society AND for us."

"Couldn't we just, like, brainwash them like we usually do?"

"We will Sonata, during lunch period when everyone will be out and about. But for now, just act normal and don't do anything stupid." Adagio ordered, the bell to first period rang which meant they had to split-up for now. "We gather back at lunch, remember that."

Author's Note

I wanted to try something new this time, something different from my usual shtick of crack humor. I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while, so I decided to bring it to life. Rate and comment on what you guys think of this story, though I'll admit that I have a bad habit of getting lazy with chapter release/creation, so when that happens please just shank me in your imagination and bare with it. Also keep in mind I have other stories I'm working on, so that could be a reason I start going at a snail's pace. I also have other things like school (which will be an absolute goldmine for this story), a 'cooling off' period so I don't overwork my creative bone which I learned is a big no-no, and living my life... Basically, just be patient and don't shank me in real life, and I know by now you must be thinking 'Why is this person so worried? We won't maim him because he has a life outside of writing. Hell, the story's bronze rank at best.' and to that I say I'm prone to paranoia... Kay, xoxo and all that.

Also, have an awesome thanksgiving! A bit late to say it but oh well!

Fourth Period Part 2: Mouse Trap

(Forth Period)

Tesla was in his Chemistry class, and an 'optional' group experiment was issued. Tesla despised these terms, absolutely hated them. Now, it wasn't because of the idea of working with someone that drove him away...

"Tesla, dear!"

"Hey there, Brainiac!"

"Tesla, the Grrreat and Powerful Trixie requires your-"

"Back-off! I saw him first!"

It's the fact that, every time one was issued, he would be... Smothered. You see, nobody liked chemistry, because chemistry was freaking hard for most! But not for ol' Tesla, the Lab Rat of the infamous gang of thugs, it was child's play to him. Not only would someone get a good grade on this assignment, but with enough ass-kissing they might even earn a favor of the Rats as a bonus! He's seen it all, Jock threatens him if he doesn't comply (then they're thrashed by an angry Anarchy), beauty tries seducing him (usually Rarity or the other five or six ignorant Divas of this class), Trixie does... Whatever she does (which is 'begrudgingly allow Tesla to assist the Great and Powerful Trixie' which he occasionally ends up doing completely out of pity); Tesla's a shy kid and all this attention is way too stressful for him. Usually he pairs-up with Anarchy but he and Bad Boy had some business in the Band Room, and they had to clean-up whatever mess they made. This meant Anarchy would be late for class, again. This also meant Tesla's brain was anyone's game, again.

"Come now, Tesla dear, you wouldn't say no to me, would you?"

"I got Cheeze-Its, I'll share if you work with me!"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands your assistance!"

"He's mine!"

"(Uh-oh.)"

It was sort of just instinct to him now, he knew that when somebody shouts, this will evolve into an all-out brawl. Sadly, Anarchy wasn't here yet to scare them into submission like an angry, snarling soccer-mom protecting her young. He's the only reason the class is still in shape really, lord knows Ms. Cheerilee tries...

"Hey! Settle down! Kids!?"

"Yours!? You don't call the shots here!"

'click'

That's the sound Tesla was waiting for, the sound of the door handle clicking open. He quickly stood up from his seat, escaped the crowd through an opening and rushed for the door. Whoever was behind the door, more than likely Anarchy, Tesla hid behind. "You're late, Anarchy. Tell them to-... Um."

"It's Adagio, Tesla." She corrected. "But... I suppose I could protect you, I do owe you for entertaining my little sister."

"Uh... Y-Yeah, I guess... But I'm sorry I called you that, I thought you were someone else." Tesla's nervous side was starting to show itself.

"Mhmhm, you're adorable, Tesla." Adagio teased. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

Tesla blushed. "J-Just protect me from those savages!... I'm not adorable, either..."

"Um, pardon me but who might you be?" Cheerilee asked.

"Adagio Dazzle, I'm new here." She pulled Tesla from behind her and held him close to her. "And I guess I'll be filling Anarchy's role as mamma bear today, as you can see."

"Ugh, I hope so, that boy's presence alone keeps the class from rioting." The teacher let her in and mumbled to herself. "Same reason I don't write him up for being tardy every day..."

"Hmm... So this is what you go through every day?" The class had evolved into a brawl, with the Jocks duking it out while everyone else watched. "You were right to call them savages... Though I might not have Anarchy's... Intimidation." Her eyes glowed a faint red, unnoticeable at a distance. "Momma bear has her own way of ending this quarrel." Her necklace began to glow, and she began sapping the willpower of everyone in the room. "Now, all of you cease this pointless violence!"

The fighters were now... Sluggish, almost exhausted.

"(Yes... Such weak and pathetic minds are so easy to mold.)" She glanced down at Tesla to see if he's succumb to her-... "(He's... Hmm, this is a rather curious reaction.)" She was honestly surprised that he was unaffected by her curse, the strong-minded aren't so easily put under her charm but that doesn't make them completely immune, he should at least-

"Gh! Ah, my head hurts..." He held his brow, trying to make the headache go away. Then he noticed Adagio looking at him. "... What?"

"(..... Well, he's not immune at least, but I still can't tap into his mind...)" She looked away from him, through the eyes of a siren one would see strange green tethers of energy coming from the students and teacher, connected to Adagio's necklace. "(You had my curiosity... But now, you have gained my attention, Tesla-boy.)"

"Um... Adagio? Could you let me go?"

"Hmm..... No." She instead pulled him closer. "Then I wouldn't get to see you blush so hard, just like you are right now." Tesla just looked downward, his shade of red growing a tad brighter. "Now come, I believe we have an assignment to do, no?"

"Y-yes, but it's a group project, so... Um..."

"Yes?"

Tesla shifted nervously in silence...

"..... Oh, you're simply terrible at talking to girls... Don't worry, I'll be your partner." Adagio answered.

"W-wait... I-"

"What? Do you not want to work with me?"

"Um... N-No, I... Um, B-Bathroom!" He crossed his legs, attempting to make her think he had a full bladder.

"Oh! You should have said something!" She let him go, completely buying his act. "Now go before you make a mess..."

"Ah, t-thank you Miss Adagio!" He blurted out with a bow before running out the door...

"Miss Adagio?" She rolled her eyes. "Such an awkward little boy..." Adagio took out her phone and called Aria, not entirely sure if she was awake yet. She waited a few moments for her to pick-up.

"......... Yeah?"

"Aria! Glad to hear you're awake! I need something done..." Adagio strengthened her curse, causing a green mist to form in the room. The various students and teacher gaining red, glowing eyes. "Do you remember that adorable little nerd that I like to tease?"

"The shrimp that Sonata likes? Yeah, I know him." Aria answered.

"I need you to find and subdue him for me, he went to the bathroom and I've just taken over his chemistry class, it would be troubling for him to return and then run away." She snapped her fingers and her newly hypnotized victims knelt-down before her. "Oh, and please don't hurt him too much, he's much too frail for that kind of treatment."

"Yeah don't worry, I'll go easy on the glass-jaw... Oh yeah, and I saw Anarchy headin' your way." She warned.

"Perfect timing, I can smash two Rats with one stone. Good luck with finding my precious little nerd, Aria!"

"Good luck with the fucking brute, Dagi." Aria hung-up, and Adagio sat in the teacher's desk and pulled-out a folder from her binder. She looked through it, chuckling to herself. "Mhmhm, who would have thought..." She set it to the side and retrieved a file that was on Cheerilee's desk, then began filing her nails. "Ah, it's good to be a queen..."

'click'

The door opened, and as told by Aria... "Hey, teach. Sorry I'm........ Uh..."

(Boy's Bathroom)

Tesla race-walked into the empty restroom and took a stall, then collapsed onto the toilet seat. "Holy freaking balls..... Sonata, I can take... But that..." He took several deep and steady breaths, thinking to himself. "(Dammit, what's up with today? I could handle one girl without freaking-out too much, now I've got two! I'm the nerd, the geek, I shouldn't be in this situation! I mean for god sake, I'm not in some weird Japonies harem manga, am I!?)" Tesla was freaking out again, but he caught himself and pinched his brow. "(Okay, calm down buddy, no need to go in that direction... Okay, first question, why was Adagio so clingy?... Hell, why did she stare at me for fifteen seconds and smile?......... Yeah, right, like she'd be in love with me! Hah, what a card! If anything she just wants to take advantage of the power the Rats possess... Like the rest of them.)" He shook his head of those thoughts. "(It still raises the question though, why is she so clingy and possessive of me?... Forget it, I'm probably just overthinking things like I always do...)"

'BANG! BANG!'

"Open up, fuck-wad!"

"(What the actual fuck?)" Normally he'd tell whoever said that to go fuck an active bee-hive, but that was a girl's voice. "What the hell are you doing in here? This is the guys bathroom you pervert!

"If you're not out here in three seconds-"

"Eat my entire ass you perverted bitch!"

'BANG!'

"HOLY SHIT!" The door snapped right off it's hinges and came barreling at Tesla. He caught the incoming door, but the door was ripped from his hands and thrown over the stall walls moments later.

"Wrong. Fucking. Answer!"

"Hoooly shit you're Aria." Tesla was lifted by the collar of his shirt. "Um... Ehehe, is it too late for sorry?"

Aria just narrowed her eyes. "You're lucky Adagio wants you in one piece, otherwise I'd make what I'm about to do to you far more painful for you." She reeled back her fist. "Now hold still, I don't wanna hit your glasses and break 'em."

"W-W-Wait! Don't I get, like, some sort of request before I die!?"

"Die?... Look genius, I literally just said I wasn't gonna kill you. Adagio would kill me if I banged you up too much." She corrected.

"Well... It's YOU though!" Tesla reasoned. "Aria please, I'm begging you. I'll do anything, just-"

Aria promptly dropped him back onto the toilet. "Anything?..."

Tesla sighed in relief, grateful that she actually accepted. "Yes, anything."

"Hmm... Alright, I'm interested." Tesla had started to get up from the toilet. "Oh, and a word of advice, runt." She leaned in closer, glaring like a snake about to strike. "Be careful what you wish for," She raised a fist to his face. "or you just might get it."

Tesla fell back onto the toilet seat, his face a shade paler than normal. "N-no funny business, got it." He knew a head-start wouldn't help him, he's not exactly a track runner. "..... You're a girl, right?"

"Is that the question, runt?" Aria had a bit of anger in her voice. "Because if it is than you're asking to get slapped."

He shook his head. "N-no! No, I know you're a girl! A very p-pretty and-"

"Enough." Aria silenced his rambling. Her temper had cooled, though a small blush tinted her cheeks. "Just get on with it, loser."

"R-right, sorry." Tesla knew he was walking on thin ice here, so he had to choose his request carefully. "What I wanna ask is... Well, what does it mean when a girl stares at you?"

"..... Seriously? That's what you wanna know?" Tesla's silence answered her, she giggled a bit. "God you're hopeless..." She shook her head. "But whatever, I'm not gonna argue over something so simple."

"... Right." Well that was certainly no help to his self-esteem. "So... What does it mean?"

"Hell if I know, it could mean a lot of things." Tesla didn't look very satisfied with that answer, Aria just rolled her eyes. "Look runt, girls aren't all the same. Just because I'm one doesn't mean I know how all of them think." She lectured, little Tesla shrinking down a bit like a scolded child. "Now, how about you do something for me, since I was kind enough to humor you."

"Sure, fair is fair." He braced himself. "Just make it quick, if you would."

"... Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind." She motioned him to stand, he complied without missing a beat. "What I want is for you to come along quietly, that way my sister gets her little nerd in perfect condition. I don't get nagged at by Dagi and you don't get a broken nose, not a bad deal, right?"

"Better than me getting my ass kicked by a girl." He admitted. "Plus I do owe you a favor as well..."

Aria moved out of the way to let him through. "Good to see you can use that big brain of yours, now follow me..."

Tesla nodded and they exited the bathroom, he knew fighting back was just going to make things much worse, so he gave in without a struggle. "..... Why does your sister want me anyways?"

"You'll find out." She answered. "Just be a good boy until we get there."

The rest of the trip was quiet, much to Aria's enjoyment. Tesla's mind was racing on what Adagio wanted from him. He said he'd be back, didn't he?

"Alright Geek-boy, end of the line." Aria opened the door and shoved him in, closing it behind her. "Hey Dagi, got your boyfriend for ya!"

Yep, there was Adagio. With the entire class kneeling to- "W-What the hell!?"

"I thought you might say something like that, Tesla-boy." Adagio giggled. "But don't worry, I'll spare you your intelligence and freedom. We can't have a smart little cutie like you mindlessly fighting the others now, can we?"

"Freedom!? What's going on!?"

"Oh come now, isn't it obvious? Or do you simply refuse to believe the obvious?"

Tesla was still confused.

"....... So you really have no idea?... How about a hint?" Her eyes began to glow an ominous shade of red. "Come on, you're an intelligent young boy, right? You must have a vague idea!"

"... No... No way in hell." He denied. "You... You're... A succubus! A manipulative, yet attractive succubus!"

"Succubus?..." Adagio cackled at his answer. "My precious little Tesla, I don't just throw my body around like a filthy animal." She corrected, debunking his guess. "Though, while I am flattered you find me that way, I expected something more appropriate from you. Something like... Siren?"

"....... A siren?" Tesla just looked at her, much more confused than before. "Um... How was I suppose to know that if you look exactly like a human?"

"You weren't, it's just amusing to see what you humans can come up with." She stood up, holding her arms behind her back. "But sadly, I'm not here to amuse myself with you. I have a much more important topic to discuss with you, my dear." She slowly approached him, adding a little sashay to her walk. "You see, I already have one Rat in my clutches... But, I'm afraid one Rat just isn't enough." Her voice became sweet and angelic, soothing even... "While Anarchy may be useful, he does not have any skills in the technological department."

"W-Wait, did you say Anarchy!?"

"Yes, she did..." Anarchy broke from the crowd.

"........ Anarchy..... Why...?"

"Go on, my little Rook. Tell him why you're following my orders." Adagio ordered.

"..... Rabbit." He stated. "If I don't follow her command, they'll hurt her... I have no choice."

"Oh... Oh no..." Tesla knew who she was, then glared at Adagio.

"Yes, quite saddening isn't it? But I fear that we're getting off topic." Adagio began circling him. "Join us, my cute little mouse..." She circled around, stopping just beside him. A hand had snaked its way to his rear and squeezed his cheek, exciting a squeak from him. "And I promise you won't regret it... But if you refuse," There was a light prick on his neck, she raised her hand to reveal the blade of a knife, with a speck of blood at the tip. "You'll be... Shall we say, dealt with. She circled the knife playfully on his chest, watching him squirm in fear. "Please don't make me have to resort to doing that, Tesla... Just be a good little Rat and I'll make sure to reward you properly.~"

Tesla weighed his options, help Adagio and be rewarded with... A very temping offer from what he could imagine. But could he really betray his closest friends in favor of helping this 'Siren'?... Well, normally he would never stoop so low, but the very sharp knife threatening to pierce his shirt didn't really give him much of a choice. "..... Fine." He answered. "But I'm still a Rat, you can't take that away from me."

"I can live with that." She sheathed the knife and put it in her shirt. "Now, you will follow three rules." She commanded. "Tell no one of this discussion, heed me every command, and protect me as if I were a queen... I believe you have an idea of what will happen if you fail."

He nodded, looking away from his captor. "An... Unfortunate accident."

"Excellent." Adagio let him go without hurting him. "Now, let me give you a little something..." Then, she kissed him out of the blue, on the lips to his surprise. At first he was red with embarrassment, but then he felt how... Icy her lips were. He could feel his own lips turning numb from this strange frigidness, his neck hair stood up on ends as a disturbing chill crawled up his spine. Once Adagio broke the kiss he felt light-headed, hearing a low purr coming from her. "Delicious..." Tesla was fairly certain that the term 'taking your breath away' was just a metaphor, but it felt like Adagio had done just that! Tesla's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees as a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him.

'Riiiiiinnnnng!'

"Mhmhmhm, time for lunch." Adagio and Aria exited the class room. "Don't be long now, or you might miss the show..."

"Anarchy... H-her lips..." Tesla coughed a bit. "Is... Is a kiss suppose to feel like ice?"

He shook his head. "No... No it isn't." He helped Tesla back to his feet. "I'm gonna be honest, Tesla... I'm not so sure we can win this one."

Tesla just chuckled weakly. "D-Ditto..."

Author's Note

Almost time for the big event! A rather short chapter I'll admit, and I hate to stall like this, but I felt that Tesla wasn't getting enough story time. But don't worry, lunch is next.

(Some changes were made, just extra detail)