The Altered.

Day/Night before school

Ludwig- He looks in the mirror, glancing over his appearance in his suit knowing no one is waiting to have dinner with him downstairs. "This is ridiculous..." He thinks to himself. "Why do I still do this?... Father and Mother aren't even here." He continues to think to himself as he stares at his own image, fixing his cuffs and collar. He lets out a regretful sigh as he sets off downstairs, shutting his bedroom door. He has a modest sized house despite the luxury inside, everything is quite modern and sleek. His house doesn't seem to fit in with the neighborhood well. His Father and Mother are well off, his Father is retired so they are away for vacations most of the time. He stays behind for school and to look after things but that's mostly a front. His Father says "Son you will have your time to vacation when you retire." He's never able to speak of his feeling freely to anyone, on the outside he seems calm and collected, is that really the case?

He walks down the stairs in no hurry and sits at a very long table with many seats. A maid rushes over and brings him water on a tray. She greets him kindly and asks him if he is ready for his dinner, he smiles politely and nods, thanking her for the drink. His smile soon fades as she leaves to fetch his dinner and he looks out the window of the house.

Kasumi- "Dinner is almost ready. Please come to the table." She says loudly to be heard...
She starts serving a fish and rice dish for her brother and father. Feeling rather pleased with herself that she is skipping a grade after doing so well homeschooling herself, she does not really think about how the family will do since their mother passed away and she is the primary caretaker for everyone.
"I cannot wait to be in school with the others. I'll meet new people... I'm sure father will be fine with me not here. I'll just work harder around the house to keep it up." She thinks to herself.

Hyde- "It smells like fish again." He mumbles under his breath. "Coming Kasumi!" He shouts loudly down to his sister. "Man, I can't believe she is coming to school with me. I thought I was going to be able to make a name for myself. Instead I'll be looking after her." He thinks to himself with a displeased look on his face as he walks down the stairs skipping every other step.
Taking a seat at the table he looks down and forces a smile confirming that it is indeed fish. After eating he starts clearing the table for Kasumi as their father looks on without saying much of anything to his children.
"Just another silent night. I wonder if he even remembers that me and Kasumi are starting school tomorrow. I know he has been under since mom died but we are still here..... No no no. I can't think that. I hope he is alright. We just need to keep supporting him and each other. I'm the only one Kasumi can count on right now." Thinking to himself as he finishes the dishes.

Kasumi- "Thank you Hyde. I could have done that. What time are we going to leave for the school in the morning?"

Hyde- "6:00AM. We will walk instead of taking the bikes. I want to talk with you."

The family goes their separate ways. Kasumi lays out her outfit and begins her prayers before laying down for bed. Hyde has trouble sleeping thinking about which sport to be involved in and the prospect of being the man of the house. Their father sits in his chair in the den reading a variety of medical books and old love notes to/from his wife.

Umiko- Walks in the door with a couple of grocery bags in her hands, she looks to be struggling a bit as she carries them into the house and sets them on the kitchen table. She lets out a sigh, but mostly to catch her breath, she hears the TV playing loudly in the other room. "Daaaad!, Dad, I got dinner! They didn't have any plain crab rolls so I had to get them with vegetables... You should eat them anyway... They are good for you." She says trailing off at the end of her sentence knowing he probably wasn't listening anyway.

Umiko's Father- "Huh? Oooooh! Sweetie welcome home. Hm? Yeah yeah, that's fine!" He says only half knowing what he is even agreeing too as he is watching his show intensely.

Umiko- She unpacks the sushi and drinks from the containers and waits a moment for her father to come in but he doesn't. "Dad?" She calls again but there is no response. "Mmm... come on Daaad..." She gripes before going into the living room to see what he is doing. "Dad, dinner. Where is Uzagi?" She looks down at her father who is sitting on the couch with the remote in his hand.

Dad- "Huh? oh yeah sweetie dinner was good!" He keeps watching TV with a glazed over look.

Umiko- Her face drops in annoyance. "We haven't eaten yet Dad..." She mumbles as she turns and goes down into the hall to look for her brother. "Uzagi? are you down here?" She looks around, spotting her brother at the punching bag.

Uzagi- "Oh hey Sis." He says as he turns to face her, slightly out of breath from his training. "What's goin' on?"

Umiko- "Dinner." She points to the door. "Come get dad away from the TV... I'm going to eat in my room.."

Uzagi- "Heh, watching his shows again? Don't you start school tomorrow? You should eat with us." He grabs a towel and wipes his face. "Dad said he was going to get you a cake, did he forget?"

Umiko-"That's okay... I want to get a head start on studying anyway..." She knows he forgot, what doesn't their Father forget. She runs upstairs and grabs her food and drink, going into her room and closing the door.

Sebastian- Sitting by the train station with Kane loitering. "I guess I should start heading home. I know my sister has already served dinner and cleaned up. Whats left of my dad is either checked out or asleep by now." Checks his phone which reads 1:15AM. He sees a text from his sister Kasumi which reads "Be careful tonight Sebastian, I left rice and fish in the refrigerator for you when you get home."

Kane- Chewing on something that he doesn't even really know what it is. "Ha. You idiot still going to school? What a waste. I'm dropping out this year. I'm not going back to that shit-hole. I don't need an education anyway. Look at this town. It's nothing." Saying aggressively.

Sebastian- Not believing a single word Kane just said gets up and slowly starts walking away. "Yeah... I'll see you tomorrow Kane." Rolling his eyes but not so Kane can see him.
After making it home he sees the lights are off so he goes in the back door. He peers into the den and sees his dad asleep sitting up in his chair with papers and books laying about him. "One more year at that school. This is my last chance to make an impression on all those freshmen. Maybe I'll get myself a girl or two throughout the year. I mean come on, who will pass up a chance to be with a senior." Thinking with a cunning smirk on his face as he grabs the food left by his sister and goes to his room.

Kane- Still at the train station. "The last train for the night will be coming in soon. I'll just take a few bags as they unload and that should get me through the next few weeks... I'll go to school a little more this year just to get a few free lunches. I can stretch what I have a little further that way." Talks out loud to himself while looking down the tracks for the train.

Rend- Watching TV in the pitch dark. Sitting on her couch in the Living room. She munches on chips and looks very bored as she yawns and changes the channel while stuffing more chips into her mouth. Covered in crumbs.

Erebus- Walking down the sidewalk, only lit every few blocks from the street lamps. His hands in his pockets and his tattered scarf blowing in the warm summer nights breeze. He turns into a shrine and walks up to the podium, placing his hand on it and walks past it to the steps, he sits down and tightens his scarf.

Ick- Snoring loudly with shrimp flavored chip bags and other junk food containers all around him, half covered and half not. Barely even on his bed. His lights and TV still on. His mother opens his door. "Ahhh... this boy!" She says without lowering her voice even a little. She goes in and grabs some of the trash from around him and covers him up properly, giving him a kiss on the forehead then smacking his cheek. "You better pass this year!" She says and turns to leave the room, she looks back and smiles as she turns the light off and closes the door quietly.

Nadine- Sleeping in the back of her parents car as they arrive in Shibuya after driving for a few days.

Mr. Ashburrow- "Nadine sweetheart, wake up. We finally made it! Take a look at your new home!" Says loudly not really thinking that she is probably exhausted.

Nadine- Opens her eyes and tries to be upbeat even though she is very sore from sitting so long and is bored out of her mind. "Oh wow" she says and she looks at the car clock which reads 4:48AM. "He must have gotten tired of driving so he pushed through the night to make it." She thinks to herself.

Mrs. Ashburrow- "We will be at the Inn in just a few minutes. The town isn't very large once your in it. The movers said they got there two days ago and the realtor let them in to finish the move so you will have a bed there." Smiling at Nadine to make her fell better knowing all she really cares about is getting out of the car and getting some rest.

Nadine- "That's good. Is it okay if I miss school tomorrow? I'm suppose to be there in two hours." She says trying to sound extra tired.

Mr. Ashburrow- "Of course sweetheart! We can all sleep in, but then we have got to get working at the Inn to get it up and running fast. Remember we put everything we had into it so we need a profit fast!" Says with a one track mind on his newly acquired business.

Nadine- "Sound great, dad" Says while looking out of the window.
She sees what looks like an ancient shrine. "Was that a person at that shrine? I guess this town is pretty religious if someone is there at 5 in the morning." She thinks to herself as she struggles to keep her eyes open as they pull into the Inn.

Next Day, Early Morning.

Kasumi- Waiting downstairs for Hyde after cleaning up after breakfast. She checks herself one more time in the mirror to make sure her Kimono is proper. "Why am I so nervous? I know I'll do fine and fit in. Where is Hyde we need to go." She thinks to herself as right as Hyde starts coming down the stairs.

Hyde- "Alright Kasumi lets go." He says as he passes her and makes his way toward the door. They walk in silence for a little while before Hyde speaks up. "You know Kasumi I do appreciate you doing so much for us at home. I think it was a good idea for you to come to school with me this year. I'm really proud of you for studying so hard to skip a grade." He thinks to himself that he is a little jealous that Kasumi seems to always succeed at whatever she tries.

Kasumi- "Thank you Hyde. I know that you were looking forward to this year, but I really wanted to get out of the house."

Hyde- Interrupts Kasumi before she can continue her thought. "I am always here for you Kasumi and I'm planning on looking out for you. I really care about you and we both know that Sebastian and Dad aren't really worth anything now." He says while trying to sound more manly.

Kasumi- "I wish you would not say that about our family. They are just going through some struggles."

Hyde- Interrupts Kasumi again. "They have been struggling for years! I need to take care of us now." He says loudly.

Kasumi- "Do not think you have to take on more then you are supposed to Hyde. You will burn out as well just like them." She says sternly with a warning in her voice.

Hyde- "Well enough about this. I've said what I need to and I see a lot more students just ahead. I don't need them to hear our family problems. I know you agree with me on that Kasumi." Hyde sighs and catches his breath. He closes his eyes and opens them with a smile on his face like he just reset himself.
"Come on Kasumi lets get to homeroom. We are in the same one. Lets sit a little further apart though okay?"

Kasumi- Silently nods her head and follows closely behind Hyde.

Homeroom

Ludwig- Sitting in his seat already as he reads over the school material. He looks diligent and prepared, like he has been at the school since early this morning. He doesn't look up to see any other students as they come in.

Umiko-Walks in with her bag on her shoulder, she takes her seat and starts to unpack her things in a very specific way, laying her pens and pencils out in order and setting her books and paper up. She glances across the room to see who will be her classmates for the coming year. "Not a lot of people in here yet... I wonder if this will be one of the smaller classes they were talking about at orientation?" She thinks to herself only seeing a couple other students.

Hyde- Looks around the room taking note of everyone in it. Acting like a watchdog he tries to puff himself up to make himself look bigger then he already is.

Kasumi- Sits quietly and does not let her eyes wonder around the room. She reads her school material and sits patiently for the teacher to start. She does notice that Hyde is toward the back of the room acting a little strange. She takes note that she really only sees two other students sitting to either side of her are in the room. "Did we get here that earlier? Were could everyone be?" She thinks to herself as she starts reading over the same paper to make her self look busy.

Kane- Roaming around the school grounds just in front of the adjacent shopping center and hospital. He looks to be arguing with himself as he thinks "I hate this place. To many teachers and students. I can't get away with anything easy here. It is the first day of school though. I'll wait for the second bell when the new kids are trying to figure out where to go. That's when I'll try to grab something. I'll just hang out around back in the woods until then." He makes his way around the school and into the woods so as not to be seen by the teachers.

Sebastian- Strolling into school confident in his senior self. Not very discretely checking out the girls as he walks around. He notices some of the upperclassmen athletes. "What a bunch of idiots. Just muscle bound, stupid, waste of life fools. If they get in my way this year I'll do something about it." He thinks to himself. He walks purposely close to the athletes and says under his breath "Morons." He continues to stride past them and carries on his way.

Erebus- Walking to school with his hands in his pockets, as usual he carries a cold demeanor and a stern look on his face. He passes Kane not giving him a second thought or glance in his direction. He turns the corner and walks into the building.

Ludwig- Shifts his eyes around slightly and then places something into his bag. He looks over at Kasumi and smiles to her. "Excuse me." He says in a whispered tone then points at her desk. "Could I borrow a pen? I forgot mine." His voice is proper and not too deep. "Wearing a kimono to school?...Strange." He thinks to himself but not in a displeased way as he looks at the girl sitting across from him. He already finds this classmate of his interesting.

Some stray students come into the room and sit down here and there.

Rend- Comes in the classroom with no rush at all even though class will start any minute, if anything the teacher is running a little late. She has a hood on and bags under her eyes, she looks as though she just strolled out of bed, or a zombie movie. She sits in the very back of the class and immediately puts her head down on her desk and closes her eyes. She has no sign of a back pack or any type of book with her, nor does she look interested in anyone or the class for that matter.

Hyde- Looks at all the students coming. He take note that one of the male students looks like he is talking to his sister. He continues to look around the room and sees a girl toward the front of the room with a horn. He squints his eyes a little to try to get a better look. However, he quickly loses focus on her and pays attention to the girl that just plopped down behind him. His nose twitches a little at her smell. "She smells like chips." He thinks to himself as he looks about the room again.

Kasumi- A little startled that someone is already talking to her looks over at the boy. "It would be proper if you introduced yourself first before asking to take my things." She looks at him in the eyes then down at her pencils to give one to him. "I am Kasumi Alastor. You may have one of my pencils. You should try to remember your things. This is going to be a long year for you if you keep forgetting the basics." She says all of this in a non-aggressive way. Almost as a mother caring for her son rather then chastising him. She hands him a pencil, an extra sharpener, and an extra eraser. "Do you need paper as well?" She looks him in the eyes again being quite proper about it.

Ludwig- He smiles at her and nods, his eyebrows turning a bit as he lets out a small laugh. "Ah, yes.. forgive my rudeness. My name is Ludwig Elderic." He smiles as he talks, he reaches and takes the pencil and bows his head. "Thanks you very much Miss Kasumi Alastor. I won't forget my things anymore this year." He says to her. "Oh no, the pencil is more than enough. You seem very prepared. It's nice to see that. As a Junior it's a bit embarrassing to forget something so simple, I apologize." He bows his head once more to apologize then he sits up and turns back in his seat to face the front once again. His smile becoming somewhat one sided, but no one notices.

Ick- Rushes in with what looks to be an exploded backpack, he has papers and books pinned to it with his arms trying not to drop anything even though papers are dropping left and right, he doesn't pick them up nor really notice them, he plops down in his seat and drops his bag along with all the loose contents into his desk top and lets out a big sigh. "Wheeeww! I made it! HA! Heeeeey!" He gripes and smacks Ludwig in he shoulder with the back side of his hand. "Where were you this morning!? We, as neighbors, should walk to school together man! Hey, do you have the homework?! .... Let me see it! I'll pay you back!!" He speaks loudly, not paying attention to anyone else at the moment.

Ludwig-His smile fades as soon as he sees Ick enter the room, he tries his best to ignore him until he is hit on the shoulder. He turns again in his chair and looks back at Ick. "It's the first day of school Ick, we have no homework yet." He doesn't seem irritated but some would argue otherwise.

Ick- "Oh yeah... HAHA! What am I thinkin' huh?" He laughs to himself and looks over at an unfamiliar Kasumi. "Hey! You new?" He leans over his desk to get a better look at her face, then sticks his hand out for Kasumi to shake. "Hey, I'm Ick! What's up? Wow, your dress is cool. You know my mom wore one of those things when she got married to my dad. Are you gettin' married today?" He says bluntly with no idea on the matter.

Ludwig- He's caught by surprise at Ick's question to Kasumi and he chokes, he coughs and hits his chest lightly. "How would that make any sense Ichabod?!" His tone raising very slightly, barely enough to notice. "We are in school.. Why would she marry here? Don't bother her." He tries shooing Ick away from bothering Kasumi, He smiles over at her slightly but only for a moment then he goes back to looking at Ick.

Ick- "Oh yeah.. Hahaha! Sorry girlie!" He still smiles dumbly at her, waiting for his handshake.

Hyde- Watches the whole episode with his sister and the two boys. He feels a welling up of anger toward Ick. "I don't like that fish brain. That lanky slimeball is to upfront." He thinks to himself as he flexes in his chair.

Kasumi- Bows toward Ludwig returning mannors to him noting that he is her upperclassmen. Not at all pleased by the manners of Ick she does not pay much attention to Ludwig. "Pardon me Ichabod, I am wearing a kimono and I believe this is the appropriate attire for the occasion. I take my education seriously along with my classmates, and by the way you have presented yourself to us it is clear to me that you do not. I will also ask that you refrain from calling me 'girlie'. My name is Kasumi Alastor. Now if you would please excuse me I must be prepared for our lesson today." She bows to Ick brushing off his handshake, turns to Ludwig and bows to him in appreciation for trying to keep Ick from bothering her. She turns in her desk and straightens her things again. Her face turns slightly red, but she keeps herself from feeling to angry/embarrassed.

Ick- "Woooah, she talks really good! I don't think I understood anything she just said!" He is amazed by Kasumi, he sits and smiles to himself, thinking the encounter was nothing but good, he looks off in a blissful daze as the lesson starts.

__

Second Bell/Lunch hour

Ick- "Oh yeah! Food time!" He says in excitement as he jumps up from his seat, grabs his bag and rushes off and out the door, accidentally bumping into Ludwig's shoulder on his way out causing him to loose his grip on his bag.

Ludwig- The bag falls to the floor. His expression turns sour and he watches Ick leave. He turns to reach down for it when a pencil comes rolling out, it hits Umiko's foot as she was about to walk by.

Umiko- She looks down at the pencil and reaches down. "Oh...um here you go." She says to Ludwig in a quiet voice as she reaches out her hand that is holding the pencil.

Ludwig- He smiles to her as he takes the pencil. "Ah, thank you." He says politely as he bows his head. "I'll be going now." He waves to her as he takes his leave.

Umiko- "Oh um..yes." She says and bows quickly before he leaves. "That's strange.. I thought he didn't have any pencils...? Did I hear them wrong?" She thinks to herself. "I shouldn't eavesdrop." She thinks again correcting her previous thought then sets off out of the classroom door.

Rend- Still has her head on the desk, it hasn't raised once during the entire class period. She hasn't heard the bell.

Kasumi- Notices Ick, Ludwig, and Umiko. She speaks up just enough to be heard by Umiko. "Hello, I have not gotten a chance to meet you yet. My name is Kasumi Alastor. I know it is lunch time and I am not sure what grade you are in, but I do not have anyone to sit with yet. Would you like to go the cafeteria with me?"

Hyde- Stands up and stretches letting out a yawn. He stoops down to pick up his bag and notices Rend still asleep at her desk. He reaches over and knocks on the desk. "Hello there. The bell sounded. It's lunch time." He knocks on the desk again and waits for her to respond. He motions to Kasumi not to leave without him but notices that she is talking with the other girl from their class.

Kasumi- Turns to Umiko before she has a chance to respond. "Pardon me. My brother would be joining us as well. Would you come with us?"

Kane- Already working his way through the halls toward the cafeteria. He is picking out anything easy to grab like pens, binders, books, lanyards, and other smaller items off of his fellow classmates. Once in the cafeteria he moves around table to table trying to grab any little scrap he can without anyone noticing him doing it.

Rend- "Mmmmm!" She grumbles as she begins to wake up and stir. She raises her head with her eyes mostly closed and her upper body still leaned over the desk. She puts her hood down revealing her odd features. "Yeah yeah..." She says mainly to herself in a groggy voice. She stands up and shoves her hands in her pockets as she walks out of the room with a sleepy stagger.

Umiko- She smiles slightly to herself even though no one could really tell. She is very happy to be invited to lunch already, being a freshmen this is her first time actually attending the school although she has been there before since her brother did attend. She nods to Kasumi kindly. "Yes, I'd like that. I'm Umiko. Um.. Umiko Isondae." She bows to Kasumi. "It's nice to meet you Kasumi." She then looks to the back of the room at Hyde and bows to him as well.

Kasumi- Bows in return to Umiko. "It is nice to meet you Umiko. My brothers name is Hyde. Lets get going." She says as she leads Umiko to the back of the room to get Hyde.

Hyde- "Umm... hey your welcome. You can come to lunch with us you know." He says to Rend. He thinks she probably didn't hear him as she makes her way out of the room. He turns to greet Kasumi and Umiko. After seeing Umiko he quickly forgets that Rend just left him standing there. "Hello Kasumi and hello... I'm Hyde." He turns to Kasumi after introducing himself. "What was going on with those two boys earlier? Were they bothering you?" He leads the three of them out of the door toward the cafeteria.

Kasumi- Answering quickly so as not to drag Umiko into their personal conversation. "No they were fine. The boy with antlers was Ludwig Eldric, and the other boy was Ichabod but I did not get his last name." She turns to Umiko. "Do you know either one of them Umiko?

Umiko- "Hello, I'm Umiko." She says to Hyde kindly then looks over at Kasumi when she is asked the question and nods. "It's more that I know of them really.. Their families have lived here for a long time, Ick's family is the Krory's. They own the famous noodle shop here. It's quiet good for a small town like this one. Ludwig's family is very well off and they always donate to whatever needs it like the hospital or church...but they aren't really around at all. They are usually away probably for business. Ludwig lives in the house by the river and Ick is his neighbor. I've...never really talked to them though.." She says as they make it to the cafeteria and find their seats. "Are you a first year too Kasumi?" She asks, kind of hoping Hyde would also answer the question even though she didn't ask him directly.

Hyde- Thinks to himself "That's a Krory boy? Hmm. Does she mean the large house at the end of that street? The one that doesn't really belong there?"
He looks at Umiko and says."I'm a first year as well. My sister actually jumped a grade."

Kasumi- Turns a little red that Hyde pointed out she is probably younger than everyone else. "I am a first year. I'm really looking forward to our classes together. Maybe we can study if things get a little hard." She says to Umiko

Umiko- "Oh you are both in your first year here? That's a relief." She smiles warmly at the two, not feeling so alone as a freshmen herself now. "Yes, I would really like that! We can also get a head start if you want. My brother went here when he was in high school and he kept his old books and notes...They are a little sloppy though." She says, her tone growing happier and happier as she gets to know the siblings.

Rend- Standing at a vending machine, she pulls a crumpled dollar bill out of her pocket and straightens in on the front of the machine then puts it into the slot. She mulls over which chips to get for a couple seconds then presses the button. She starts growing impatient as she waits for her chips to fall, but they do not, instead they get stuck at the very edge tauntingly. She stares at the bag with zero life in her eyes, a complete and utter expressionless gaze. "Piece of shit.." She mumbles to herself then she begins hitting the machine. "I just want the stupid chips!! Damn it why doesn't anything in this town work!!?" She says in anger, causing somewhat of a spectacle to the tables around her.

Kasumi- "Yes I would like that very much. Maybe we can plan on meeting on the weekend and we can walk around town and show each other our homes. After that we can plan weekly get togethers." She says as a smile grows on her face. "I know Hyde probably won't join us all the time though." She says with a little laugh hinting that he will not be as invested in studies.

Kane- Walking through the halls and cafeteria he notices that a girl next to the vending machine is upset and not paying much attention. He walks by and slips his hand into one of her pockets but doesn't feel anything to take. He continues to walk and slides behind a group of people and turns the corner before she looks if she even noticed him at all.

Hyde- Looking up at the noise sees a boy reach at a girl at the vending machine. Thinking that something much worse is happening he gets up and quickly moves toward the girl. "Hey excuse me." He says and notices it is the same girl from class. "Are you alright did he bother you?" He says as he notices that she is complaining about the chips so he tilts the vending machine so the chips fall out. "If you want you can come sit with me, my sister, and Umiko. We are all in the same class." He looks at her waiting for a response as he puts the vending machine back in place.

Umiko- "That sounds great!" She laughs with Kasumi, knowing what she means. They smile and continue chatting with one another.

Rend- Slightly feels something near her backside, she turns around quickly and catches a glimpse of Hyde's jacket as he goes to the vending machine, she turns again to face forward and to Hyde. "Hey!" She yells. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but don't touch me! And I don't need your help!" She scolds him thinking Hyde was the one who touched her. She pushes his chest and grabs her chips swiftly and then walks away just as fast, not bothering to answer his offer to have lunch. She grumbles all the way to the doors to go outside where she sits and eats her chips.

Hyde- "Well that didn't go over very well." He thinks to himself as he ponders going after her or back to the cafeteria. He decides to walk back toward Kasumi and Umiko. He sits down and has lunch with them. The rest of the school day goes as normal.

After School

Ludwig- Walking out of the building, he sees Kasumi heading out as well. Not noticing that Hyde and Umiko are with her he goes over. "Miss Kasumi." He smiles at her then the corners of his mouth drop slightly as he looks up at a large framed person beside her. "Oh excuse me, I didn't mean to intrude." His glance then goes to Umiko. He's beating himself up inside a bit because he'd rather not deal with too many people, but it doesn't show as he smiles politely to the group. "I wanted to return this." He says to Kasumi as he holds out the pencil she loaned him earlier. "Thanks again for letting me borrow it." He says with a bow.

Kasumi- Looks at Ludwig and bows "Thank you for returning this. You could have kept it. It looks like you needed to keep the sharpener and eraser." She smiles at him because she knows he forgot that she gave him those as well. "This is my brother Hyde and this is Umiko. Everyone this is Ludwig." She says to the group. "We are all going to walk home. Would you like to join us?" She slowly starts moving assuming that he will indeed follow. She does not want Hyde to get to over the top so early.

Hyde- "Nice to meet you." He says. "That's all I better say right now. If I say anything else I'll be ugly. I don't like this guy all around Kasumi already. It is the first day of school." He thinks to himself while trying to pay a little more attention to Umiko to keep himself calm. "So Umiko where exactly do you live? Would you like to lead the way?" He says while smiling to her.

Ludwig- "Ah...heh, I'll have to pay you back for those sometime." He smiles at her. He didn't forget but it gives him a good reason to see her again later. "It's nice to meet both of you." He says as he begins to move with the three, taking Kasumi up on her offer. "He's her brother? I don't see much resemblance." He thinks as he catches glimpses of Hyde.

Umiko- She bows as she is introduced to Ludwig. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She speaks more formally to him, not knowing him well enough to let her guard down just yet. Her attention turns to Hyde as he asks her questions. "Oh, um... I live near the Inn. Oh, sure...but where do you and Kasumi live? Will that be the right direction?" She looks at him while she speaks but doesn't make very much eye contact.

Kasumi- She smiles and makes small talk with Ludwig.

Hyde- "Ah. We live closer to the church and the shrine. So I guess we can split up in the middle." He turns a little toward Ludwig to break up him and Kasumi from talking to much. Already knowing the answer to his questions he has a little smirk on his face. "Where exactly do you live Ludwig? Are you closer to the church or the Inn?" They all continue to walk.

Umiko- "That sounds like a good idea." She says.

Ludwig- He stops whatever he was saying to Kasumi and pauses for a moment. He feels frustrated inside but isn't showing any sign of it. He turns more towards Hyde as he speaks. "I live in the turn around in the neighborhood that is more towards the Church."

Umiko- "The one by the river's edge right?" She asks then instantly gets embarrassed for saying that out loud. She looks down at her feet feeling frazzled.

Ludwig- He lets out a small laugh and nods. "That's the one." Their is a slight undertone of annoyance in his voice but it doesn't go noticed.

Hyde- They all continue to walk and he looks around his surroundings feeling like something is there. He catches a smell and realizes it is his older brother Sebastian. He thinks nothing of it and continues on their way.

Sebastian- Meeting up with Kane on the rivers edge close to the shopping center. "I saw my brother and sister walking home with some kids from school. I swear I hope they don't start bringing people around the house. I already hate it there. Maybe that will just drive me away for good. I hate them. They have no idea what is going on with anything around here." He says with an upset undertone.

Kane- "Yeah whatever. You aren't going to do anything about it. You don't want to live like me that's why you still hang around there because your sister makes you food." Kane says in a tone to shut up Sebastian.

Sebastian- "Forget this. Come on lets go to the shops. I'm sure we can find a few things there." He says and leads Kane back toward the shops to take part in some illegal activity.

Hyde- "I feel like I'm starting to get a read on Ludwig. I think he is annoyed but I'll keep around him and Umiko." He thinks to himself as they reach the road. "Hey Kasumi you can go on ahead to home. It is right there through those trees. You can see it already. I'm going to walk Umiko up to the Inn. That is if Umiko is alright with that?" He says and looks over at Umiko with a soft smile.

Kasumi- Looks at the house and nods her head. She turns to see if Umiko will take Hyde up on his offer.

Umiko- "Oh..you don't have to do that.." She says quietly. "I mean, thank you.." She says in a louder tone. She's shy knowing she will be walking alone with Hyde. She starts messing with her hair in nervousness and starts to walk towards her house slowly, waiting for Hyde to follow. "I don't think Uzagi would like this very much... But he's only being helpful right?...Because his sister and I are becoming friends?...right?" She thinks to herself.

Ludwig- "Well, I suppose this is when I will take my leave as well." He smiles and says his goodbyes to the group before heading off before the others. His expression turns to nothingness as he walks away.

Kasumi- "Goodbye Umiko. Goodbye Ludwig. I will see you all tomorrow at school. If we run into each other here we can all walk to school again." She bows and makes off toward the house.

Hyde- "See ya later Ludwig. I'll be home soon Kasumi." He says as he turns to walk with Umiko. "So Umiko, do you like our classes? I think it is a good group of students. No one has really stood out to me as a trouble maker. I think you and Kasumi will be good friends. You both already like to study." He laughs and tries to loosen up a little because he notices that Umiko is a little tense. "Hm she looked cute twirling her hair like that." He thinks to himself and starts thinking about if he likes her. "I guess she likes me enough if we are walking home together alone on the first day of school. Wait should I be thinking into this already?" He starts racing through his head almost not paying attention to Umiko as she talks.

Umiko- "Yes, I like my classes so far. We don't have too many students to one room so that's nice." They both start speaking to one another more and more casually as the conversation goes on. They both come up to Umiko's house and A tall figure begins to come into site. He resembles Umiko a lot as he stands against the house with his arms crossed. He has an intense gaze in his eyes as he just looks at Hyde the entire way as they approach the house. Umiko's brows lower along with her smile, her walking slows to a stop a little ways away from her house and the man waiting for her. "Um... I have to go now." She says as she bows to Hyde in gratitude. "Thank you very much for walking me home Hyde. Please tell Kasumi that I really enjoyed talking with her today and meeting both of you.." She speaks a little hurried and looks nervous, her eyes shifting back and forth.

Uzagi- Waits for a while but decides to walks over. He doesn't uncross his arms nor turn his eyes away from Hyde. "Who's this?" He speaks with a deep tone which could be mistaken for anger. He looks Hyde up and down then looks down at Umiko. "How was your first day?" He asks.

Umiko- Closes her eyes for a moment tightly and scrunches her face, not wanting to hear that voice. She turns a little and fake smiles at her brother before answering. "Um.. Uzagi this is Hyde my classmate, Hyde this is my brother Uzagi." She tries to speak politely. She is nervous knowing her brother is a bit over protective of her, even though it isn't wanted or necessary most of the time. She begins twirling her hair again, a nervous habit of hers.

Hyde- Gets an uneasy feeling as Uzagi approaches and the way he talks to Umiko. He does not like it but doesn't show it yet as he does not think it is his place yet to do anything. "It is nice to meet you Uzagi. Me and my sister are in Umiko's homeroom and classes. I thought I would walk Umiko home since it is a longer walk out this way... Well Umiko I will tell my sister you enjoyed your conversation. We will see you tomorrow. Have a nice evening. Have a nice evening Uzagi." He bows to the two of them and turns his back to walk away before Uzagi really has a chance to say anything to him.
He thinks to himself. "I don't trust him. I don't like him. Maybe if I get a little closer to Umiko I will talk with her about him." He walks home to have dinner with Kasumi.

Later that night
Ludwig's Home

Ludwig- Opens the door to his home, a maid greets him in surprise."You are awfully late Sir, did something happen?" She asks in concern. "I started to worry that I would need to contact your parents." She keeps talking as he removes his shoes and loosens his tie. "No, I'm just fine. I went into town today is all." He says with little to no emotion behind his words. He continues past her and begins to walk up the staircase. "Sir? ...Wouldn't you like dinner?" She asks. "No. I've already eaten." He states bluntly without stopping. He reaches his room and goes inside, locking the door behind him. He stands in front of the door for a moment with an irritated look on his face. He pulls out his cell phone and looks at it, the time reads 11:27PM, he places it on his desk. He then sits at his desk and types in Kasumi Alastor's name. Not much comes up but he clicks through what he finds then he runs across a picture of her family with her father and brothers in it, Sebastian catches his gaze, he's seen this person before but where and when? He begins thinking to himself then a memory comes up. This person hangs around the studio with other bad seeds. He turns his computer off and picks his phone up again this time dialing someone's number. The person on the other line answers. "Yes, do you have time? Meet me at the usual spot." He says without hesitation before hanging up. He stands and heads for the door. He walks down and is immediately greeted by the maid once again. "Oh Sir! Did you change your mind on di-..." She starts speaking but He just walks right past her, walking out of the house without a word. He closes the door behind him. He gets into his car and drives off. He soon arrives to his destination, it is dark, he is parked under a bridge. He gets out of his car and see's a shadow emerge. "I'm glad you came, Kane." He says in a cold tone, walking towards the figure. "I need some information, the usual pay." His face not showing any sign of emotion.

Kane- Left Sebastian and traveled to see Ludwig under the bridge. "Alright Ludwig. What do you want? What do you want to know? I'm not agreeing to the usual pay until I know what it is that I'm doing." Trying to come across a little more tough than in the past. Kane is starting to live even more tight than he is use to because of an uncertain future after leaving school. He knows he needs to make a better name for himself or start getting more jobs then just the standard things he works for Ludwig.

Ludwig- Has his arms crossed, leaning against his car. He looks to the side pondering on how to work his statement. "I'd want information on the Alastor family." He states bluntly. He turns his gaze to Kane "And I don't want anything false or made up. Tell me about the whole family, any small details as well.. Don't leave things out. I know you're with Sebastian often... I don't care if he is a friend of yours I still want to know his details as well. If you can't do it then I can go to someone else. ...You aren't the only buzzard I have." His gaze grows even colder as he tried to push Kane back down a peg or two. "I'll make you a deal bird... You become my eyes and ears of the family from now on aside from the information you give me and I will double your pay. That sounds more than fair to me." He continues.

Kane- Tries his best not to flinch. He knows he is playing chicken with Ludwig. "I can give you everything on the Alastors. I'll even find you hospital documents on their dead mother. But lets not kid ourselves here Ludwig. I know you can't have too many others besides me, you might not even have anyone else right now. I know you can't risk yourself to the professionals in this town. I know your family too Ludwig. I'm your best and safest accomplish here. I'll tell you what. I'll accept the double pay, but I want you to also pass my name along to anyone else in your little circle. I need more work. However, you will always be my number one customer." He stands firm trying not to budge or crumble under the pressure. This is the first time Kane has tried to directly extort someone. He continues to match Ludwig and his cold gaze. Kane is now leaning back to the concrete pylon of the bridge. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an obscure object and beings chewing on it waiting for Ludwig's next move.

Ludwig- He waits a while, looking down as he thinks before responding. He looks back up at Kane and something very odd occurs, he gives Kane a smirking smile, something he has never done before. "Alright Kane, I do need you after all. I guess I can be nice this once and accept the deal. You are frightening with that death gaze after all." He says to Kane in almost a toying tone almost mocking in a way. Kane knows he doesn't exactly mean what he says but he did agree to the deal. "You know which number to contact me by when you get more information... Oh and Kane, if you ever find yourself in trouble I'm not a bail out got it? Do not mention my name to anyone."He states harshly. Ludwig and Kane have dealt with another multiple times before but they have never really laid out any rules for one another, Ludwig thought this would be the perfect time to do so. "Now, what can you tell me on the Alastor's right now?" He asks.

Kane- Has a great inner relief that he accomplished his first real professional extortion even if he knew Ludwig wouldn't play too hard. "Well I haven't gotten to deep into the family yet, but what I can say is that Sebastian seems to be slowly losing it. He seems more hotheaded and self-centered then normal. Kasumi skipped a grade so that she can go to school with her brother Hyde. Speaking of Hyde there is something odd going on with him as well. He is acting a little different but it will take some time to find out what the cause is. But the most damaging piece of information that I have is the father is only a shell of a man. Sebastian is always complaining about him and how he just sits in his chair reading medical books, and old love notes from his wife. Give me some time and I'll have more solid information."
Kane stands up. He looks at Ludwig and nods his head knowing that Ludwig let him get away with something. He cracks a crooked smile turns his back to Ludwig and begins walking into the dark. "Have me my money soon. I'll do you know good if I get caught stealing food and get put in jail. I'll contact you with information or if I need additional resources to get a portion of the job done." Kane fades into the dark forest.