Ririka was in a daze.  Externally, she was vaguely aware of herself walking to her locker and putting on her indoor shoes.  Internally, however, she was replaying her interaction with Kanou over and over again.  She’d been so rude, and yet he hadn’t seemed to mind at all.  In fact, Ririka could’ve sworn that she’d seen him smile, just a bit.  Odd for a boy that was rumored to rarely smile.

“Uh, Ririka?”

Ririka looked up at Seiya, startled.  Slowly, she followed his gaze to the indoor shoe she was putting on…the right shoe.  On her left foot.

Crap.

Ririka stared back at Seiya sheepishly.  “I…um…”

“What’s with you?” Seiya asked.  “You’ve been acting all weird ever since we bumped into - oh.”

Ririka dropped the shoe, then picked up the left one.  “Wh-what are you getting at?”

Seiya narrowed his eyes.  “You’re thinking about Nozomu, aren’t you?  Don’t tell me he’s your type.”

“So what if he is?” Ririka huffed.  “You don’t get it.  He’s cool!  Like a knight!”

Seiya snorted.  “I dunno.  He seems kinda effeminate to me.  Like one of those anime boys - what do you call them?  Bishies?”

“Seiya, you’re making me cringe.”  Ririka stood up, having finished putting her indoor shoes on.  “Besides, he’s so tall… his legs look so long…”

Ririka trailed off, staring down at Seiya’s (rather short) legs.

“What’re you looking at?” Seiya snapped.

Ririka pointed down just above Seiya’s knee.  “You’re hurt.”

Hesitantly, Seiya looked down.  Sure enough, there was a scrape.  Blood was trickling down his knee.

“That’s right - you fell while you were chasing me earlier, didn’t you?  I bet you hurt yourself and didn’t notice,” Ririka explained.  “So we’ll need to - Seiya, are you listening?”

He wasn’t listening, of course.  The boy had gone white, staring down at the wound.

Ririka groaned.  “Not this again…”

“How are you so nonchalant?” Seiya hissed, his eyes watering.  “I tore my skin open!  And now blood’s coming out!”

Ririka rolled her eyes.  “Don’t be such a wimp.  It’s just a little blood.  You’d think that a doctor’s son would be more used to this kind of thing…”

Somehow, the two kids managed to make it to the nurse’s room - albeit Seiya was clinging to Ririka’s arm the whole way, shivering.  Ririka opened the door and walked inside, Seiya right behind her.  Funny - there was no one there.  Perhaps the nurse was on a break?

Ririka sighed.  “Whatever.  I’ll just do this myself.”  She motioned to one of the cots, which had a conveniently-placed stool to its side.  “Seiya, you sit there.  Put your leg up on the stool, okay?”

While Seiya moved to the cot, Ririka walked over to the cupboard.  She’d been cut enough times to remember how the nurse would help.  Sure, she wasn’t exactly a licensed medical professional, but treating one scrape couldn’t hurt, right?

Ririka grabbed a box of Band-Aids, a tube of the usual antibiotic stuff, and a small towel.  She then gently wet the towel in the sink, then walked back to Seiya.  After pulling over another stool so that she could sit, she began to clean Seiya’s scrape with the wet towel.  Despite her best efforts, Seiya let out a yelp of pain.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Ririka whispered in her most soothing tone.  “Really, it’s no big deal.”

Seiya looked up, his face still pale.  “Really?”

“Yep!  I just finished washing off the dirt, so now I just need to dry it off before I can put the antibiotic on,” Ririka continued.  Before long, she’d dried the wound, then applied a bit of the antibiotic gel.  Seiya tensed up, but didn’t make any more noises.

“Okay, now I just need to put a Band-Aid on, and…”  Ririka smiled as she stood up, looking down at Seiya’s newly bandaged cut.  “There!  All done!”

“Wow,” Seiya said softly.  “You’re actually really good at this.”

Ririka shrugged.  “Anyone could do it.”

Seiya grinned.  “Well, I guess everyone can do at least one thing well.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll peel the Band-Aid off!”

“Wait!  I didn’t mean it like that!” Seiya stammered.  “I meant…um…”

Ririka glared at him.  “You meant what?”

“I meant…Ririka, have you ever considered becoming a nurse?  You can do stuff like this already, and blood doesn’t scare you at all, and…” Seiya trailed off, seeing Ririka’s anger fade from her face.

“Well, to be honest, I’ve thought about it,” Ririka replied, a slight smile on her face.  “I guess it would be nice to help people, you know?  But…”  She looked down at her feet, her smile gone.  “What if there’s someone I can’t help?  What if someone dies under my watch?  What if -”

“Don’t worry!”  Seiya stood up suddenly, then grabbed Ririka’s hands.  “It’ll be okay.  You’re super strong, and brave, and kind, and…well, I…”

Whatever Seiya was about to say, it was interrupted as the bell rang.

Ririka backed away abruptly, removing her hands from Seiya’s.  “Crap, we’ll be late!”

“R-Right!” Seiya stammered, almost out the door already.  He waved Ririka over.  “Come on!”

Ririka nodded, following after him.  As she ran through the almost-empty hallways, her mind was full of thoughts - and not just thoughts about Nozomu.  For some reason, what she’d said about how she might fail as a nurse still echoed in her head.  She’d thought about that sort of thing in the past, of course; she’d watched enough hospital dramas to know that not all patients survived.  Still, something felt different this time.  Something deep within her, a part that she couldn’t name, seemed to grow cold.  The sensation was almost familiar.  Like a memory.

Like a premonition.

Kanon had been to the headmaster’s office at White Dove Academy twice (under two different headmasters), and while both meetings had been relatively successful, he would rather not repeat the experience any more times than necessary.

The first meeting had occurred several months ago, back when he first infiltrated the main campus in London.  It was a quick visit - he’d only needed to modify a few of the headmaster’s memories to make it seem like he was properly registered.  After months of fruitless searches for Nurse Angel, he’d transferred himself to the Japanese campus.  That had taken some more memory modification, a lie about his father’s job, and quite a bit of paperwork.  Still, since Nurse Angel - Ririka Moriya - was in Japan, it was all worth it.

The second meeting took place about six weeks ago, the day he’d transferred.  Shihon had been there, and had introduced him to the Japanese headmaster in a very favorable way.  Kanon could still remember what Shihon had said: “Kanou was a superior student in London.  Good at any sport, and always ahead of the others in class.  One of the elite.”

Kanon had flinched a bit at that.  Was someone like him really worthy of that much praise?  Sure, he was good at sports, but he’d started training when he was seven, and fighting for his life against Dark Joker since soon after his eleventh birthday.  And even though he was ahead of others his age academically, that was because he’d already covered the class material with his tutor a few years ago (except for things like Earth’s history, of course).  He had an unfair advantage over the average Earthling student, that was all.

Not just the Earthlings, his mind whispered.  You had an advantage over the people of Queen Earth as well.

That was true.  He came from a noble family with quite a bit of wealth and prestige - though most of that was gone now, laid to waste with the rest of Queen Earth.  Still, he was lucky enough to have been living in the castle when Dark Joker first began their assault on the planet.  When things got grim, any survivors nearby were ensconced in the castle - the only place Dark Joker couldn’t penetrate - but there were so many other people on Queen Earth who weren’t so fortunate.  Even Kanon’s parents had eventually died.  His mother went down fighting, while his father slowly wasted away from a painful disease brought on by exposure to the Black Vaccine.  They’d been brave and loyal in life, and surely there were many peasants just like them who were not lucky enough to reach the castle.  If one of them had survived instead of Kanon, would things have been different?  Would Nurse Angel have been found sooner, and Queen Earth saved?

Kanon shook his head.  I need to stop thinking like this.  I survived, others didn’t - that’s just the way it is.  I should be thankful.

Kanon made his way to the door, then knocked.

“Come in!” the headmaster called out, her voice in a pleasant sing-song.

Kanon walked into the room, stopping in front of the headmaster’s desk.  He bowed.  “I was told to come see you.”

The headmaster nodded.  “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble.”  She shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable.  “Actually, it’s…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kanon saw something move.  He whipped his head around, but there was nothing there - just the suit of armor that decorated the back wall.  It had been there when he first visited this office, but something seemed different this time - not in the way it looked, but in the way he felt when he looked at it.  His heart was pounding, telling him to get out as fast as possible.

“Kanou?  Is something wrong?”

Oh.  Right.  The headmaster.

Kanon gestured to the armor.  “I was just looking at this.  Where did you get it?”

The headmaster stood up and clasped her hands, looking pleased.  “I’m glad you asked!  I inherited it from my late husband - he was the previous headmaster of this campus, you know.  While he studied in London, he got this armor from Sir George Bichou.  It was made several hundred years ago, in 1256!  How’s that for a history lesson?”

In truth, Kanon had stopped paying attention.  He could’ve sworn that he’d seen something move - most likely the armor.  Years ago, he would’ve written it off as a trick of the light, a coincidence, but now…  Well, after so long dealing with Dark Joker, it was stupid to even think of coincidences.  If one ignored signs of an attack, they’d wind up dead; Kanon had seen many people from Queen Earth learn that lesson too late.  He needed to trust his instincts.

And right now, his instincts were telling him that he had to act fast.

“Good morning, everyone!”

By the time Ririka poked her head through the classroom door, followed by Seiya, her unease had vanished.  It was her birthday, after all.  She was ten now!  If that wasn’t adequate cause for celebration, Ririka didn’t know what was.

The moment Ririka stepped into the classroom, Anna and Karin crowded around her, each girl holding out a small, colorfully-wrapped package.  “Happy birthday, Ririka!”

“Thank you so much!” Ririka exclaimed, walking forward and grabbing the presents.  “You guys remembered!”

Karin beamed.  “We’re your friends!  Of course we would!”

“You reached ten before I did…” Anna added.  “How does it feel to be a whole decade old?”

Ririka laughed.  “Oh, I feel better already!  So much more mature!”

Anna clasped her hands, smiling shyly.  “How do I say this?  Now you’re like an older sister!”

Seiya, who’d been awkwardly standing behind the three girls, butted in between Anna and Karin.  “Oh, by the way, I became a ten-year-old - and an older brother too - last month!”  He shot a glance at Karin, then Anna.  “Seems like I didn’t get a gift…”

The two girls glowered down at him, crossing their arms.

“...I shouldn’t be here,” Seiya muttered, beginning to back away.  “Am I right?  Please excuse me.”

Ririka could feel a smirk coming on.  “Hey, Seiya?”

Seiya stopped moving.  “Y-Yes?”

“I never got anything from you.”

For a split second, Seiya’s face only showed the pure, unadulterated terror that one can only have when realizing they forgot to get their childhood friend a birthday gift.  Then his eyes narrowed, and he pointed at Ririka.  “I already got you something!  I gave it to you earlier, don’t you remember?”

Ririka glared back.  “Oh, really?  And when was that?”  If this boy thinks he’s going to trick me out of a present, he’s got another thought coming!

“You forgot already?” Seiya snapped.  “I gave you an origami dinosaur back in kindergarten!”

“Do you seriously think that makes up for not giving me anything for five years straight?”

“It was a T-Rex!  What’s there not to like?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that -”

“Ahem.”

Ririka and Seiya looked up to see Mrs. Takahashi, the homeroom teacher, looming over the two of them.  For a moment, she was silent, simply looking at the two children with an exasperated expression.  Then she spoke.  “Is something going on here that requires my intervention?”

“N-No, of course not!” Seiya stammered.

Ririka joined in,  “Yeah, it’s no big deal, we were just, um -”

“If it really is no big deal, as you say, then you two should be able to resolve this quietly at your desks, and not make a huge, disruptive scene,” Takahashi hissed.  “Is that clear?”

“Of course, ma’am!”  Seiya grabbed Ririka by the wrist, ignoring her glare, and started pulling her towards their desks.

That seemed to satisfy Takahashi, who just sighed and walked back to the front of the room.  Ririka could feel relief coursing through her as she walked to her desk.  Thank goodness Seiya’s immaturity didn’t get me in trouble!  

Still, Seiya still held her wrist, and he seemed intent on dragging her to her desk.  Ririka shot a helpless look at Anna and Karin.

Between this and the whole Nozomu incident, my tenth birthday isn’t exactly off to a great start…

Karin giggled under her breath as Seiya and Ririka walked to their desks.  Sure enough, Ririka was getting mad again, snapping at Seiya for still holding her wrist.  It was as if the whole encounter with Takahashi had never happened!

She turned to Anna, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.  “There they go again.”

Anna chuckled.  “When I see them fighting, it seems like it’s their hobby.”

“You’re right!”  Karin’s voice shrank to a whisper.  “Ririka still hasn’t figured it out yet.  Should we help her?”

“No, no, this is something she’s got to figure out for herself,” Anna whispered back.  “Either that, or Seiya has to confess to her.”

Karin sighed.  “Like he’d ever do that.”

“He’s got the least intuitive way of showing his crush,” Anna said, nodding.  She frowned.  “I hope Ririka doesn’t hate my present.”

Karin raised an eyebrow.  “Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”

“Well, uh, my dad hasn’t been giving me much allowance, so I could only get her a box of candy…”

“Don’t worry,” Karin reassured her, patting her on the back.  “Ririka would never hate anything that came from a friend.  She’s nice like that.  Still, your dad should be able to give you more money.  Your family’s rich, after all.”

Anna stared down at her feet.  “We’re not that rich.”

“Your family literally owns a country house.  You’re rich.”

“Well, I guess…”

“Anyway, we’ve got to talk to Ririka,” Karin suggested.  “I heard that something happened between her and Nozomu earlier.”

“Nozomu?  Really?  I’m surprised she even got past his fan club.”  Anna shot a furtive glance at the back of the room, where Miyuki sat.  “They scare me.”

“Still, we should get this cleared up before the rumors grow out of proportion,” Karin said, already beginning to walk to Ririka’s desk.  Anna followed her, and before long the two girls were standing next to Ririka.

Ririka had set her backpack on her desk and was about to unzip it when she noticed her friends.  “Oh, hi again!”

“Ririka, I heard something.”  A devious grin worked its way onto Karin’s face.  “You and Nozomu -”

“It wasn’t anything big!” Ririka exclaimed quickly - too quickly.  “I just crashed into him, that’s all.”

Anna gasped.  “That must’ve been so embarrassing!”

Karin nodded.  “And I bet Miyuki yelled at you.”

Ririka slumped over, holding her head in her hands.  “And now everyone knows…  Karin, where’d you hear this?”

“I heard it from Saki, who heard it from Honoka, who heard it from her brother Hiroto, who heard it from…”  Karin paused for a moment, searching her memory.  “I think he heard it from Komachi, who heard it from Gin, and Gin heard it from Nagisa - you know, one of the girls in Miyuki’s little posse.  And Nagisa was there when it happened.”

Ririka groaned, slumping over even more.

“It’s okay,” Anna said soothingly.  “This’ll pass over soon.  Then nobody will care.”

“Honestly, I envy you,” Karin added.  “I wish I got to crash into him.  He’s so cool!”

Ririka shook her head.  “Now he probably thinks I’m an idiot who never looks where she’s going.”

“Don’t be silly!  That was just your awkward initial meeting.  Haven’t you ever read a shoujo manga?  Boys and girls meet like this all the time!  It wouldn’t be more cliche if he, I dunno, saved you from a falling object or picked up something you dropped,” Karin explained.  “Don’t you see?  The story is only getting started!”

Ririka sat bolt upright, blushing.  “You really think so?”

“I know so,” Karin said.

“You like him, don’t you?” Anna gently teased.

Ririka’s face turned red.  “What?  I - well, I -  I mean, I -”

“What’s so great about that stupid guy anyway?” 

Karin, Ririka, and Anna all turned their heads to stare at the source of the outburst: Seiya.

Seiya stuck his chin up.  “Well?  Somebody had to say it.”

The three girls turned back to each other.

“Ignore him,” Karin whispered.  “He’s a lost cause.”

Ririka frowned.  “It seems like he really dislikes Nozomu.  I wonder why.”

“Well, it’s because he -” Karin stopped mid-sentence as Anna put a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll have to figure that out on your own, Ririka,” Anna said firmly.  “We can’t help you.”

Ririka opened her mouth (probably to ask another hopelessly oblivious question) when the second bell rang, signaling the start of class.

“Anyway, we’d better get to our seats,” Anna said.  “We’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Anna and Karin made their way to their desks, while Ririka could only stare after them with a bemused expression.

Eh, she’ll figure it out eventually, Karin reasoned.  She’s smart enough.

“Of the mountain, of you, far away…”

Takahashi read aloud from her book, pacing through the columns of desks while the students read along.  Or at least some of them read along; Ririka wasn’t exactly focused.

Pictures of Kanou Nozomu lingered in her mind, pictures of him passing by in the hallway, eating lunch alone when he could catch a break from his fan club, showing a rare smile…  He always had such a melancholy look in his eyes, like he’d seen a lot.  Like a real adult!

And then there was our little meeting this morning, Ririka said to herself.  Maybe the fact that we bumped into each other on my birthday means…

Ririka couldn’t help but let out a giggle, though she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.  Still, it was too late; the entire class was staring at her.

“Moriya, is there something you have to say to the class?” Takahashi asked, her voice stern.

“Well, um, no -”

“Then I’m sure that you’d be fine reading the next section aloud,” Takahashi continued.  “Start from where we left off.”

Ririka stood up, holding her book.  Let’s see, what page were we on?  Hmm…  Oh, right!

“Of the mountain, of you, far away -” Ririka began.

“Moriya!” Takahashi snapped.  “We read that page five minutes ago!  Weren’t you paying attention?”

“Well, I -”

“Clearly, your mind isn’t on your schoolwork.  Are you thinking of something else?”  Takahashi narrowed her eyes.  “Or someone else?”

Ririka could feel her face going red.  “No!  I just -”

“Sit down, Moriya.  There will be plenty of time to obsess over boys - or maybe girls, I’m not judging - at lunch.”

Ririka sat down.  She could still feel the eyes of her classmates on her.  She could hear them whispering, though she couldn’t make out the exact words.  They were probably talking about what had happened that morning.  And now everyone would know who she liked…even Miyuki and the rest of Kanou’s fan club.  And all because I giggled at the wrong moment.  I really am a dummy.

As if he’d read her mind, Ririka could hear Seiya muttering about what a dummy she was under his breath.

Ririka turned her head to glare at him.  At least I’m not as much of a dummy as him!

By lunchtime, Ririka was very tired, very embarrassed, and very hungry.  At least I remembered to bring my lunch.  I wonder what mom packed me…hopefully not green pepper again!

She was walking with Anna and Karin to their usual lunch spot, chattering to them about Para Para, when she saw her friends stop moving.  

Slowly, Ririka followed their awestruck gazes to the left, where Kanou was walking straight towards them.

“Ririka,” Karin whispered, “he’s looking at you.”

Karin wasn’t lying.  Ririka could see that Kanou’s gaze was resting on her face.  Oh God, what am I going to say?  Do I look weird?  Am I blushing?  I’m totally blushing!

Anna smiled.  “Looks like he’s got some business with you.”

Ririka couldn’t say a thing.  She was frozen in place, thinking of a million things as Kanou came closer.  I look terrible today, don’t I?  Totally unnatural, too.  Come on, Ririka!  Be casual!

Kanou stopped a few feet in front of Ririka.  The first thing Ririka noticed was that he was smiling for once.  For a moment, he stared into the sky, his eyes shining.  He looked as if a load had finally come off his shoulders.

Finally, he spoke.  “Ririka Moriya, could you come over here for a minute?”

Without another word, he turned and began to walk towards the fountain.  Ririka could only stand in place, eyes glued to the back of his head.

Karin gave her a little push from behind.  “Well?  What are you waiting for?”

As if she was in a trance, Ririka took a slow step, then another.  As she began to walk, she picked up speed, and before long she’d nearly caught up with Kanou.

She didn’t notice Seiya watching her from behind the staircase, a panicked look on his face.

She didn’t notice Miyuki glaring at her, her two friends mimicking her exact expression.

And she definitely didn’t notice the boy staring at her through a wall.

So that girl is Nurse Angel, huh?

Dewey’s penetrative vision had never been as great as Keto’s, but it was fairly easy for him to stare at Kanon through the walls of the headmaster’s office.  It had been through a stroke of luck that he’d found Kanon at all - while searching in England, the place where the first Nurse Angel had lived, he’d had a sudden hunch that this new Nurse Angel wasn’t in England at all (and thus, neither was Kanon).  And just as he’d guessed, Kanon was in Japan - Tokyo, to be more specific.  Though, given that Kanon’s alias was so obvious, Dewey wondered if Kanon even cared if someone found him.

I mean, seriously?  Kanou?  That’s literally one letter away from his actual name.  Is he really that stupid?

Or is he just looking for a fight?

I certainly am.

Dewey had never met Kanon, but he’d heard plenty about him.  Apparently, he was quite an accomplished fighter for his age…just like Dewey.  The two of them even looked to be about the same age, though age didn’t really matter anyway (at least according to Buros).  And although Kanon had been poisoned by the Black Vaccine back on Queen Earth, Dewey was sure that he wouldn’t just lay down and die without a fight.

Dewey wanted to burst through the wall and challenge him right then and there, but this wasn’t the time for that.  Keto was always mocking Dewey about how he was too reckless, how he always rushed in without a plan, and, though Dewey hated to admit it, he was right.  There was a factor that he couldn’t plan for, and that was the girl walking behind Kanon.

Nurse Angel.

Or, as Kanon called her, Ririka Moriya.  

Why is he even calling her that?  He knows she’s so much more.

The girl didn’t exactly look like the reincarnation of a legendary warrior.  She looked rather weak and spindly, without much muscle, and Dewey doubted that she’d ever been in a fight.  Stupid Earthlings.  They have no idea what’s coming, and they’re completely unprepared.

But still…

One could never be too careful when dealing with Nurse Angel, according to Buros.  After all, who knew what would happen once she transformed?  Powerful beams, shields, healing magic, and even a vaporizing attack…that’s what Dewey had heard about the previous Nurse Angel’s attacks.  Perhaps transformation would give this new girl the proper battle instincts?

Honestly, Dewey had no idea.  But there was no harm in doing a little test, was there?

He turned to the suit of armor by his side.  He’d enchanted it with the Black Vaccine hours ago, and apart from a close call with Kanon earlier, no one had seemed to notice, not even the headmaster.

Dewey could hear footsteps coming from the hallway - that stupid old lady was coming back.  He had to be quick.

By now, Kanon and Nurse Angel were out of sight, but Dewey was pretty sure they’d been heading to the fountain.  He made a vague gesture that way, then spoke to the armor.  “I have a mission for you.”

The armor nodded, and Dewey knew that it was listening intently - after all, enchanted objects had no thoughts except those relating to how to carry out their missions.  They were completely unable to get sidetracked or have traitorous thoughts, and for those reasons, Dewey much preferred working with enchanted objects over people.

“I want you to kill two of the students here,” Dewey commanded.  “Kanon - the pink haired boy - and Nurse Angel - the blonde girl.  They’re by the fountain, I’m sure you can figure out who they are.  I don’t care how you do it, if you’re seen, or if you wind up having to kill anyone else.  Just make sure you kill those two.  Understood?”

The suit of armor nodded again.

The footsteps were getting closer, so Dewey gave one last nod to the armor before teleporting out of the room.

Perhaps this plan would work, perhaps it wouldn’t…

Either way, the future looked like it would turn out to be quite a thrill.