Silent Ghost

The Animal House has a new inmate among their mists. He came in this morning. Artmis waited by the first door with bated breath.

"Welcome!" he said with a fake smile on his face. "And how are you today?" The newbie looked down at his feet and didn't speak. His older sister rested her hands on his shoulders.

"He's really shy," he said.

"Is that right?" Artmis asked. Perfect! One less trouble maker! He looked up at the boy's sister. "Just leave him to me," he said. "His room is already waiting for him."

"Okay," the older sister said. She leaned down to her brother's ear. "Call me once you get settled in, okay?" The young man didn't even look up when his sister turned and walked away. Artemis clapped his hands together.

"Let me show you to your room!" he said aloud. The greedy boss led the new boy into his office.

Meanwhile, Noiz and Mosh didn't have a good bond at the time. The kitty sat at her laptop, glaring at the screen. Mosh sat on their bed, frowning.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked. Noiz gritted her teeth was typed faster on the screen. The mouse boy frowned in discomfort.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" he asked.

"It's your fault," she told him. Mosh puffed up his cheeks, frowning.

"I said I was sorry!" he wailed.

"Uh-huh!" the kitty replied in a sharp tone.

"Now you're just being childish!"

"Childish, huh?"

Mosh flopped back onto the bed, frowning. He hated when Noiz got angry and pouty at him just like this. They had been at this fight for three days now and she wouldn't let up. Chances were the kitty wouldn't let up until he apologized to him-- his fault or not. Mosh sighed as his eyes wandered upwards to the ceiling. I wish there was something that would break this cloud up between us, he thought. His wish came with a knock on their door.

"You gonna get that?" Noiz asked. Mosh already leapt off the bed before the question even came out of her mouth. Mosh peeked out the front door.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Uh...." a small voice said on the other side on the door. Mosh opened up a crack.

"What is it, Mika?" he asked. Artemis' assistant looked down at her feet.

"We have a new student moving into the Animal House with us," she answered. The mouse boy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh?" he asked. Noiz paused with her typing, but didn't look up. Mika looked down at her feet.

"Well, there's a problem," she said.

"What do you mean?" Mosh asked.

"Well, he's a bit..."

"A bit what?"

Mika pressed her fingers together. "He seems to be a bit depressed." Noiz turned her head rather curious a this point.

"What do you mean, depressed?" the mouse boy asked.

"He won't talk, look at people, eat, or do much of anything," Mika answered in a quiet voice. She looked up at him with deperate eyes. "Please! We really need you and Noiz to help him!" Mosh gave her a rather uneasy look.

"We would help, but Noiz is still kind of pissed at me," he replied. The kitty whipped back around to her laptop. Mika began to look rather let down.

"You're the only ones that can help him," she said. "You can just make him feel welcome even if you have to fake being happy. Please?" Mosh tried to look away, but it was too late for him to get away from the trap. He lowered his head in defeat.

So Mosh and Noiz ended up taking the newbie out around the campus with them. Noiz looked up at her pet, glaring.

"Nice on, dipshit!" she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Mosh asked.

"Couldn't just say no to that stupid pixie?"

"But she used those puppy dog eyes..."

The kitty gritted her teeth. "Great! I just wanted to stay in and work on my grades, but instead I get stuck with you and what's his face behind us!" The mouse boy rested his hands on her shoulders.

"His name is Ichigo," Mosh whispered. The kitty gave him an odd look.

"Ichigo?" she asked. "He's named after a Bleach charater?"

"Shhh," Mosh whispered to her. "We have to cheer up and act happy." Noiz raised an eyebrow at him.

"So?" she asked.

"You have to act happy and smiling," he said. Noiz glared at him before forcing herself into a big smile.

"How is this?" she asked through clenched teeth. Mosh sighed and shook his head.

"Good enough," he mumbled. They looked back at Ichigo. He still kept his eyes to the ground. Noiz sighed and rolled her eyes.

"God help us all," she muttered under her breath.

The tour went on rather awkwardly. Kitty tried to look cheerful and upbeat, but she came off looking rather creepy to passers-by. The mouse did his best to keep up the delicate peace between them. So far, he walked a thread of a line. All the while, Ichigo kept his eyes at his feet without saying a single word. He didn't seem to respond to anything around him. Mosh nervously bit his lower lip.

"I don't think this is working at all," he whispered to his girl.

"What else can we do?" she asked back. "He's just a gloomy kid."

"Yeah, but it's not right for him to act like this," the mouse whispered back.

"So what do you suppose that we do?"

"I don't know, something."

She gave him an icy look. "Great planning there, genius!"

"Look, I just had this dumped on me too!"

"You should've said no!"

"But she's got those sweet little innocent eyes and..." Mosh found himself cut off be the sound of a stomach rumbling. He looked over to see the kitty trying to look away without a word.

 "What?" she snapped.

"I suppose you want lunch about now, right?" the mouse boy asked.

"I didn't say that!" she shouted with her hands on her hips. Her stomach grumbled aloud again. In the end, Noiz and Mosh took Ichigo to the cafeteria. The kitty turned to the new boy.

"You want anything?" she asked. Again, Ichigo didn't say a word. Noiz sighed and rolled her eyes. I might as well be talking to a brick wall, she thought. The kitty turned to the cafeteria worker.

"Just get him some pudding," she said. The worker got to work on their meals. Mosh patted the boy on the shoulders.

"It's okay," he said. Ichigo didn't respond. Noiz frowned as they got their meals. The trio ate outside. Mosh lowered his chopsticks.

"So, how do you like the school so far?" he asked. The new student didn't look up from his cup of pudding. Noiz groaned as she threw down her chopsticks.

"This is pointless!" she snapped. "He's lost cause! I'm done with this crap!" Mosh looked at her with big eyes.

"Noiz! What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.

"Admit it! You didn't want to do baby-sitting today, did you?"

"Well, no, but..."

"So why the hell are we doing this crap?!"

"We were asked to, remember?"

"You should've said no!"

"But I couldn't..."

"Don't give me that crap about baby eyes!"

The mouse looked around, nervously. "Please keep it down, you'll make a scene."

"I don't care!" Noiz snapped loud enough to reach the ceiling. The pair looked up see that Ichigo with his head buried in hands.

"Oh no, we've upset him," Mosh murmured. To their surprise, the new boy lifted his head, laughing. Kitty and mouse looked at him rather confused. Ichigo set down his spoon as he caught his breath.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "You two just reminded me of how my boyfriend and I used to be." Noiz gave him a strange look.

"How?" she asked. Ichigo gave her a little smile.

"He and I fought all the time," he said.

"Why didn't you leave?" Mosh asked. The new boy shook his head.

"It was proof that we we're still alive," he replied.

"Huh?" Noiz asked.

"We were drifting apart," he explained. "All we had left was the fighitng to remind us that we were alive. It became a way for us to get out our bottled up feelings inside. We broke up before I came here. You guys just reminded me of the fun times I had with him." The boy reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. "Thanks for lunch," he said. Ichigo paid for his share and walked out of the cafeteria.

"We are avoiding him from now on," Noiz said threw clenched teeth. Mosh sighed and lowered his head. That did little to change the situation between them.