[color=yellow][center][h1]High School Rumble! Part 1 – Gate Crash[/h1][/center][/color]
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Silence settled like a heavy blanket in the club room of the Going Home Club. The lights were switched on and the curtains were drawn fully, despite it not even being sunset yet. The reason for this was the person who sat at the head of the table, the club's captain, Gabriel. His Porphyria forced him to avoid direct sunlight at all costs, and he’d had to spend some of his hard-earned Points for that.

He could alleviate the effects by drinking some healthy blood, but that's not something anyone would usually have on hand.

[b][color=orangered]"As you all know,"[/color][/b] He started slowly, [b][color=orangered]"There are rumours that the only reason we're a part of the Coalition of Ichor is because they took pity on us. Are we... fine with that?"[/color][/b]

Many of the members around the table cringed at that, clearly they thought it was true.

"Well, uhh... Maybe it's good that they think that?" Someone spoke up. All eyes turned to him and he clearly regretted his decision to speak up.

[b][color=orangered]"I suppose that might be the case,"[/color][/b] Gabriel said, shifting the attention away from the poor boy. [b][color=orangered]"If they consider us to be weak, they might think it's not worth attacking us."[/color][/b]

Some of them exhaled sighs of relief.

[b][color=orangered]"But on the flip side they might just consider us to be the weakest link and attack us first."[/color][/b] He said.

The mood plummeted right down again.

This was probably the main problem of running the Going Home Club, all of their members were closet introverts who wanted no part in fighting. They lacked confidence in themselves and their skills, even though they were most probably adequate enough. Gabriel himself was one of the least powerful in terms of direct combat, in fact. His power was almost useless in a fight and he had a weak constitution because he couldn't go out very much. The only reason he was captain was because he was the only one not afraid to speak up.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the club room door and [url=http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eUNXszPgL-Jz1Vl1SjkNmRZG1AHHkiw-tmKzwJ8_DGYIbyaVzsBkFVkJOYU8H3-ovP-9P2aBQsOtOGH2zbjJhXIfT_me=s400]a head[/url] poked in from outside.

"Akiko-senpai told me to tell you to find Rachel," The girl said, Reiko was her name. "She didn't show up for club, and you usually know where she is."

[color=orangered][b]”That girl…”[/b][/color] Gabriel sighed, as he stood up. He knew where she probably was that day, it was rather sunny after all. [b][color=orangered]”Kurosaki, take care of this while I’m gone.”[/color][/b]

As he walked over to Reiko, he pulled out his umbrella and opened it. He wasn’t even out of the club room yet but he had to be careful.

“Akiko-senpai told me about your condition,” Reiko said, walking besides him, “I can use my power to help you if you want.”

Yes, one wasn’t part of the occult research club unless they had a power that was similar to magic. Reiko had been taught black-magic before coming to Kagetora, although she hadn’t had that much success. She did however excel at weather magic but reportedly she didn’t have very much control of it yet.

[b][color=orangered]”That won’t be necessary,”[/color][/b] Gabriel said, [b][color=orangered]”I imagine she’d get cold, anyway.”[/color][/b]

They exited the main school building and turned left. Their destination was the school’s garden, it was actually too large to just be a ‘garden’ but it had started small. Over time, those with plant based powers had added to it and made it what it was now. Rachel was no exception, the last person who had worked on the garden had accidentally overgrown the plants making the garden most unwelcoming, until Rachel had come along.

She basically tamed the plants and calmed their growth for a while, enough to beat them back. Later she had even made benches out of some spare tree stumps so visitors could sit if they were tired. Right now, they were looking at one of those benches, the one that Rachel was sleeping on.

The bench was in a small clearing amongst all the plants of the garden. She’d made this area specifically for herself and it was very hard to see from outside. On it, Rachel slept soundly, the sunlight giving her hair a warm glow.

[b][color=orangered]”Akiko gave you the hairbrush, right?”[/color][/b] He said.

“Yup, here you go.” She replied, pressing it into his hand.

He gave her the umbrella to hold as he leant over Rachel’s sleeping form. He propped her upright and used on arm to keep her steady. Even now she was still asleep, she had a reputation for being able to sleep just about anywhere, and stay asleep even in thunderstorms. Akiko however, had a way around that.

With his other arm, he started to brush her unruly hair. As soon he made contact, she started to stir. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, as if trying to get rid of her sleepiness. She stifled a yawn as Gabriel finished brushing out whatever he could handed the brush back to Reiko.

[b][color=orangered]”Akiko says you need to head to the club.”[/color][/b] Gabriel said.

Rachel blinked some more, as if confused.

[b][color=chocolate]”Oh, you’re not Akiko.”[/color][/b] She said, as if she were only realizing now.

[b][color=orangered]”Akiko’s waiting, let’s go.”[/color][/b] He said gently.

[b][color=chocolate]”Okay.”[/color][/b] She got up, a little unsteadily. She grabbed Gabriel’s already outstretched hand for support as he took back his umbrella.

“Is she always like that?” Reiko asked.

[b][color=orangered]”Yes, she always is.”[/color][/b] He said, leading Rachel back towards the main path.

He heard a sigh from Reiko but he didn’t really care. He had to keep an eye on Rachel, which was one of the only instructions left behind by the Science Club captain before he had disappeared. A girl called Richelle would appear soon after he had gone, and they had to take care of her. So far it had proven somewhat troublesome, as all the measures they had taken seemed only to attract unwelcome attention.

But if he was honest, moving her up to A-tier really was a bit much.
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[b][color=thistle]”My name is Alphonse,”[/color][/b] he said, shaking the man’s hand firmly, [b][color=thistle]”Alphonse Alloré.”[/color][/b]

He was an old man, he wore a pristine suit which said a lot about his status. 

“Thank you, Alphonse.” He said, “We will remember you for next time.”

The man turned to leave, and Alphonse headed in the opposite direction. He walked briskly as he was most definitely late for the Student Council meeting. He hadn’t had much of a choice in the matter, the principal had called for him and it turned out that they’d gotten important guests.

It was an investor looking to use the auditorium and guest hall for a function, more specifically their CEO was celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary. Normally it might not have been a problem, rules could be enforced and fights temporarily restricted. But he knew that frictions had been running high recently between the major Factions.

It seemed like any time now they would be ready to make an assault on the student council, but knowing the other factions might make an attempt at the same time caused them to stay their hands unless they found themselves fighting two enemies at once. Technically the Coalition of Ichor was leading the student council, but the President had disappeared meaning it was possible he would return to a council full of enemies.

Although he was able to defeat a club captain without giving him a chance to retaliate, the Science Club captain wasn’t exactly very strong. But there was no point in worrying about the President now, if a battle broke out when the event rolled around, it would give the school a bad reputation.

He strode into the Student Council room at last.

[b][color=thistle]”We have a problem.”[/color][/b] He said solemnly.