A/N: /dead

Over Blue and Sun
Chapter Two

There came rich swearing and violent clanging of various clinic paraphernalia.

In panic, Akira had launched himself at his two sempais in the attempt to stop the younger one from killing the other.

“Takamura-sempai! What are you doing?! Please stop!”

A hard-looking thing flew past his vision and struck Suoh's head. The bluenette promptly passed out, not quite releasing his hold on Nokoru's neck hence bringing the boy down with him as he fell.

Akira turned to the direction of the projectile and gave a cry of relief and joy.

“Yudaiji-san!”

Idomu Yudaiji was staring wide-eyed at the scene. He had thrown his school briefcase in alarm at the sight that had greeted him.

“What the hell?” he asked in a frantic tone, rushing to help Akira to his feet. “What's happening? And where are the nurses when you need them?!”

He received no reply besides the blond's coughing and gasps. When Nokoru's breathing had calmed, he collapsed on the empty stretcher and stared at the prone, unconscious form of his ninja bodyguard on the clinic floor. The expression on his face could not be painted definitely. It was a muddled mixture of shock, anger, fear and a dash of pity. His heart refused to believe his mind's mantra.

Had Suoh...just attacked him?

“Kaichou?”

“Nokoru-san, are you alright?”

Dazed blue eyes shifted their gaze to his two friends. “He just...” he managed to say. “He...”

Idomu rubbed his childhood friend's back vigorously and turned to Akira for some explanation.

The black haired boy shook his head in anguish as he got his chairman water to drink. “He just woke up then...” He frowned in the effort to remember. “Growled and stuff. He...he called me Hihara!”

Nokoru coughed and hopped off the bed, joining his friends observing the fallen ninja. Idomu seemed to be in deep thought.

“Shouldn't we get him back to the bed?” Akira asked, gingerly approaching Suoh should he wake up and suddenly strangle people again. “That suitcase hit him pretty bad.”

None of the boys spoke as they carried Suoh's body back to the mattress. The young chef among them left to look for the nurse.

Idomu sat beside Nokoru by the edge of the bed. The blond had scarcely spoken anything since the excitement had died down.

“What do you think?” the redhead asked. “Is this another amnesia attack? Because I hear he had it pretty bad during the tournament, but it was a good competition.”

The blond looked at his friend. He had not been with them because he attended a briefing for an international music tour.

“It can't be his amnesia,” Nokoru replied, his voice still somewhat hoarse. “What he did doesn't justify it.”

“Well, what did he DO exactly?”

There came a sigh. “As in Akira's account, he woke up, saw me then...” A pale trembling hand flew to his neck and emerald green eyes lowered their gaze to the floor.

“Was the Hihara thing true?” asked the pianist.

Nokoru shrugged. “If it were, I wouldn't know. I was talking to the nurse a while before.”

Idomu nodded and they both fell silent once more.

“There was...” the blond began timidly. “...one thing, though.” He caught the redhead's attention.

“What?”

Nokoru's face was still with the memory of something he didn't like. “His eyes. They weren't Suoh's. They were cold...like ice.”

- - - -

Takamura Suoh uttered a heavy groan and tried to sit up.

He opened his eyes but it was hard to see anything. Smoke was all around him, acting like some sort of annoying shield.

“Oh my, I hope I haven't killed you, have I?” A hauntingly familiar voice reached his ears and made him shiver. He didn't associate that voice with such a sly, sneering tone.

“That would be a shame.”

“Suoh!”

Now that sounded like...

“A coward you are, Hihara!”

And that sounded like...

The smoke cleared slightly and he felt strong arms grab him by the waist and heave him to a standing position. Marveling at such strength, the blue-haired boy wheeled about to face his savior and, to his apparent surprise, saw none other than his favorite ebony-haired kouhai.

...although he was looking a wee bit older and more mature than he remembered. Worse for wear by his appearance no less.

“Are you okay, Suoh?” was his frantic question.

Dropping formalities, are we?

“Yes, Akira. I'm fine,” he returned politely. “But where...” He saw the alley behind them and the crater on the ground. “You guys didn't save me from that Sumo, did you?”

Akira Hihara gave him a weird look. “...what's a sumo?”

“Impressive. You're still alive.”

From the dissipating smoke emerged two figures. One was short and looked like he was cloaked in the Clamp Campus' official coat. The other was slightly taller and was dressed in a jumpsuit.

“Kaich—!”

Nokoru Shimizu drew his broad sword and launched himself at his adversary. Suoh Takamura barely had time to register what was happening when something was thrust into his hand. Nevertheless he raised his arm in an attempt to block the attack and found a gleaming katana in his grip.

Summer blue eyes narrowed as they saw the shock, fear and above all, major cluelessness in his enemy's eyes that weren't even looking at him. Their gaze shifted and Nokoru was slightly struck at the small plea he saw directed at him.

That was only for a moment, however, as the blond did a backflip in midair to save himself from being hit.

Suoh turned on the spot, looking for Shimizu. “Nokoru! What on earth...Ijuyn why—AKIRA!”

Akira Hihara and Idomu Tsuchiura were facing off once more. Energy had begun radiating off them at magnificent speeds. Their eyes were almost blazing white once more and their power was marvelous yet deadly.

“Move away, Tsukimori-san,” said the black-haired boy with such calm ferocity that it did nothing but worsen Suoh's fright.

He ejaculated a yelp as he felt himself promptly yanked away from harm's way. Seconds later, a colossal blast annihilated the entire block.

“Idomu, stop!”

“Shimizu, unhand my cousin or DIE!”

“Harm MY cousin and die as well, Hihara.”

Nokoru Shimizu brought his face in close proximity with Suoh's and looked him straight in the eye before roughly shoving him off.

“This is not our enemy nor Hihara's cousin.”

The two wizards ceased their flares and their eyes returned to their natural colors. Akira folded his arms across his chest.

“Bullshit.”

Suoh visibly winced.

“This is a well orchestrated plan to get us to surrender. Well, it isn't going to work Shimizu.”

“Who?” the blue-haired boy managed to speak after several minutes.

The blond among them turned to him and bowed politely, though his stance strongly suggested he wasn't laying his guard down.

“Shimizu Nokoru of the Northwest Clan. This is my cousin,” he gestured to the redhead.

“Tsuchiura Idomu,” was the reply. “First cousin to the heir of the Northwest Clan, I am his Powerbreaker.” After seeing the look on Suoh's face, he added, “...which basically means I am in charge of protecting him.”

“My name is Akira Hihara,” said the youngest of the party in turn. “I too am a Powerbreaker but of the Southwest Clan. And the heir is my cousin, Tsukimori Suoh.” He trailed off, his quicksilver lowered to the ground. For a moment, Suoh thought of the cheerful Akira he knew.

“You are?” Nokoru asked, still wary of him.

The blue-haired boy blinked.

“I'm...Takamura Suoh,” he said, feeling somewhat dazed at what was happening. “And I'm pretty sure I'm not in school anymore.”

He looked at their surroundings with a most insecure expression on his face. Even a ninja his rank had some breaking point. His companions exchanged glances.

“Takamura, eh?” asked Nokoru.

“He sure looks like Tsukimori-san, though,” said Idomu. “Are you sure THIS isn't a ploy to fool US, Nokoru?”

“Could be,” the blond shrugged. “Tsukimori-kun may know someone that looks like him and has made alliances to carry out a possible ambush.”

Suoh turned to him. “What?” he asked incredulously. “I'm being serious here! I...I have no idea...” He paused to calm his racing pulse. “...wait. Run that by me again, there's someone who looks like me? Wh-where is he?”

- - - -

Suoh Tsukimori woke up once more feeling groggy.

This time, it was coupled by a splitting headache making his existent annoyance flare up again. He could hear voices arguing not far from where he was.

“That's the most absurd deduction I have ever heard. How can that not be Suoh-kun? It looks like him...he must be it!”

“And Takamura-sempai hasn't been moved from the clinic since the tournament! He hasn't woken up either since just a few hours ago. He never left so how can a look-a-like possibly replace him?”

“I know it sounds absurd but his is far from his amnesia, or just side effects of a possible concussion. The doctor has assured us! Besides a recent bruise and the tournament injuries, the doctor says his physical and mental conditions are stable.”

“Then explain, Nokoru, why he attacked you when he saw you and why he called Akira, Hihara.”

There was a gasp. “Could Takamura-sempai be on drugs?”

Suoh had had enough. “Excuse me?” he said. “Who exactly are you talking about?”

The three boys jumped in surprise, not expecting him to be awake so soon. Akira Ijuyn looked close to tears.

“Takam-mura-sempai...”

“Hi,” Nokoru greeted him civilly and paled when amber eyes narrowed as they turned their gaze to his direction “We're looking for a friend of ours whose place you seemed to have taken,” he paused, not knowing exactly how to continue. “Do you have any idea where he is?”

Suoh Tsukimori frowned and sat up. He noted with some surprise he donned a set of comfortable, pajama-type clothing. He shook his head in answer to the blond's question.

“The last thing I remember was being struck by Shimizu's Energy Strike, no thanks to Tsuchiura and his cheating ways. I believed I was knocked out...and here I am.”

For Idomu and Akira, it was freaky to witness one of their dear friends in such a complete change of character. It was as if the body of the blue-haired ninja was possessed. The chairman, however, was keeping his cool.

“Who exactly are these people?” he asked.

Suoh Tsukimori took a good long look at the three teens in uniform by his bedside. He realized that despite the strong similarity of these faces, they were not the same people he knew. They all had a different aura to them, especially the blond. For a moment, he regretting attacking him without warning.

“You three look very much like them,” he said slowly. “Back where I'm from, we, the Southwest clan are in eternal feud with the Northwest clan. Shimizu Nokoru and Tsuchiura Idomu are their current heirs. My cousin and I,” he glanced at Akira with a sort of fondness. “Hihara Akira are the heirs to our clan. We had been in the middle of a fight...” he frowned in effort to remember what else he could disclose. He was, after all, in a foreign world.

The pianist and the chef among the party were left speechless at the flawless recitation. Nokoru merely nodded as if he told him everything he needed to know.

“And what's your name?” he asked.

Suoh continued to stare at him with skepticism. “Suoh Tsukimori.”

“Do they have schools where you come from, Tsukimori-kun?” Nokoru asked politely. Suoh nodded. “Well then,” the blond continued cheerfully, clapping his hands together before wrapping both arms around the shoulders of his friends beside him. “This is Yudaiji Idomu to my right. He's the active Vice Chair to the Elementary Divison Student Council of Clamp School, which's clinic you are in now. To my left is Ijuyn Akira. He's the treasurer. A brilliant chef and teacher in the University, I must say! You have to try his cakes if you're staying here long.”

The boy in question blushed.

“As for me,” Nokoru continued. “My name is Imonoyama Nokoru and I am the Chairman. I've got a secretary too, and his name is Takamura Suoh. He acts as my bodyguard since I get targeted a lot.”

The sheer happiness radiating from the perky blond caught Suoh by surprise. The Nokoru he was familiar with, and the Nokoru facing him; they looked alike in so many aspects but they were two entirely different people.

Suoh Tsukimori's eyes widened a bit. In spite of himself, he reddened with embarrassment. “He's your bodyguard? And I...” He bowed as best he could in bed. Even if the person in front of him was in the exact likeness of his adversary, it was not in his conduct to attack people he hardly knew. “I am very sorry. It was a misunderstanding.”

Nokoru raised his hand to pacify him. “Don't worry. It's perfectly alright.”

“Hang on, you say this other Suoh looks like me?” the blue-haired man was serious again. “Then where is he?”

TBC