Iruka was shivering.  Not with cold, but with fear.  *How the hell 
 did  I let myself get dragged into this?!*   It was the last place on 
 Earth she wanted to be.  It was a small meeting room in the Physics 
 Building, filled with cheap folding chairs and suicidal students.  Yes, it 
 was a meeting of the Society for the Scientifically Inquisitive and the 
 Intellectually Curious - more commonly known as the Darwin Society.  And 
 this special meeting had been called in honor of Iruka's "friend" Rakiko.  
 Of course Rakiko wasn't *exactly* her friend, although the pink-haired girl 
 insisted on trying to be.  Iruka had a strong sense of self-preservation.  
 Which she was ignoring by being here.  And by dating the President of this 
 club, Iwauchi Dokuro.  He was incredibly cute though - and sweet, too.   
 She smiled, remembering the delicious candy he had bought for her.  Maybe 
 they could go somewhere after the meeting and -

	Rakiko tugged on her sleeve.  "I'm ready."  She smiled brightly as 
 Iruka wheeled her down the aisle to the front of the room.  This was why 
 Iruka was here.  Since the accident, Rakiko had learned to maneuver in her 
 wheelchair, but she still wasn't very adept at it.  She needed help, 
 especially in situations where there were a lot of people close together 
 like this, and somehow Iruka had wound up with the job.
 Oh, plenty of boys had offered themselves to be Rakiko's "nursemaid", but 
 Iruko felt better doing the job herself.  She wondered for the millionth 
 time why she worried so much about the cheerful, curious girl.  Iruka had
 to admit, Rakiko *was* fun to be around, at least when she managed to 
 forget for a few minutes that her friend was also hazardous to the health 
 of everyone around her.

	Dokuro had insisted that Rakiko chair the meeting, saying she 
 needed the practice.  He sat in the back, since he wanted to be 
 unobtrusive and let her handle things by herself.  For a while, it was 
 surprisingly boring.  One club member began a debate on the existence of 
 life in outer space; next, a teenager in a white lab coat displayed 
 detailed plans of the mecha he was building.
	Iruka tuned out the drone until she heard "And the JX400 will 
 also have dual flamethrowers..." which naturally led to a discussion of
 how to avoid setting oneself on fire.  There were several tips from those
 who had obviously discovered what *not* to do the hard way.  One 
 particularly enthusiastic participant decided to demonstrate his point by 
 starting up a miniature blowtorch.  Everone near him scattered.

	"Um, Rakiko, shouldn't we be thinking about, uh... ducking or 
 something?"

	"Don't worry, it will be - "  The serenely smiling girl was cut off 
 by a shriek of intense pain.  "Fine."  

	The pillar of flame stumbled toward the back of the room until the 
 sprinkler system came on, drenching everyone.  

	"Shouldn't we call an ambulance?" Iruka asked, eyeing the charred 
 figure on the ground.

	"No, don't worry.  The emergency services insist on being notified 
 when we have our meetings for some reason.  They'll be here any minute."

	"Okay."  Iruka noticed a slender boy struggling to get up. No one 
 seemed to be paying any attention to him, although he was in the middle 
 of a crowd.  "Excuse me for a second, Rakiko."  Her friend nodded.  Iruka
 held out her hand and pulled him up as he grasped it.  He was incredibly 
 small and frail.  

	"Are you alright?"

	He smiled shyly.  "Yes.  I just did not dodge fast enough, I 
 suppose." He ran his hands over the floor until he found his glasses, and 
 put the thin wire-rims back on.  He sank gracefully into an empty chair, 
 studying her with deep green eyes.  "I have never seen you at a meeting 
 before.  You are a friend of Rakiko?"

	"Ah... yeah, I guess.  I've never been to a meeting before - mostly
 because of things like what just happened."

	He nodded, his long bangs falling into his eyes.  "That is sensible 
 of you."

	"I better go back and see if she needs anything," she said, casting 
 a worried glance over her shoulder.  He waved to her as she headed back.  

	"So who's your new friend?"

	Iruka blinked.  She had forgotten to ask his name!  Or even to 
 introduce herself.  "I don't know, actually.  Don't you know all the 
 members?"

	"Most of them.  I don't remember ever seeing her before, though."  
 Iruka puzzled for a moment over that slip of tongue, then dismissed it.

	The rest of the evening passed with only minor injuries.  When it
 was finally over, and the room had emptied itself out, Dokuro came over to 
 the two girls.  

 	"Good job, Rakiko," he said, shaking her hand.  A flash of jealousy 
 ran through Iruka.  All the other guys she knew liked Rakiko - was Dokuro 
 any different?  Then another feeling stole up on her.  It was anger.  Her 
 usual reaction to the feeling of being ignored was depression.  Not 
 tonight.  She had had enough of that.

	"Dokuro, I'm going to get something to eat.  Would you like to come 
 with me?"  She blushed the instant the words were out of her mouth, but 
 couldn't take them back.

	He looked shocked, then pleased.  "Of course."  He looked to 
 Rakiko, "Are you coming too?"

	"No, I ought to get home.  My dad will be worried about me."

	"Are you sure you can manage it by yourself?"  Iruka didn't know 
 what had come over her.  It wasn't up to her to take of Rakiko.
	
	Rakiko grinned.  "Yeah, I'll be fine.  You two have fun!!"
	
	They smiled back.  "Okay," they said in unison.  Rakiko giggled 
 at them, then made her way out.  
	"So, where do you want to go?"  Dokuro asked, after a sexy chuckle.
	
	"Well, there's a noodle place just outside of campus.  They're 
 very good."
	
	"Sounds great!"	

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
	
	As she wheeled herself along, Rakiko turned down several
 offers of help.  Some of the guys were cute, but they all looked at 
 her in the strangest way.  She just couldn't figure out how a hurt
 girl could appeal so much to them.  She was really starting to get 
 tired by the time she reached home.  Delicious cooking smells wafted
 by her as she opened the door.
	
	"Hi Dad!"
  
	"Hey sweetie.  How was your meeting?  Feeling any better?"  He 
 had their plates already laid out on the table.  She pulled herself to 
 her place, to his left.  She remembered dimly that Mother had sat at 
 the end.

	"I'm fine..."

	He interrupted, "I thought your friend Iruka was helping you?"

	"Oh, she's helped me so much.  She's so nice.  But she has her 
 own life too."

	He nodded, but didn't look pleased.  He always thought she needed
 someone to take care of her.  Other kids her age lived in dorms, or an 
 apartment.  She didn't know anyone else who still lived at home.  He 
 cared so much about her, she couldn't argue with him about it.  But 
 sometimes she wished she could be on her own.  Like Iruka.  She was 
 always so together, knowing exactly what she was doing.  She didn't need
 anyone else, unlike Rakiko.

	"Are you with me hon?  You kind of spaced out there for a 
 second..."
  
=================================
	
	Iruka flopped down on her bed, exhausted but happy.  She had gone 
 to a meeting of the Darwin Society and nothing bad had happened.  To her, 
 anyway.  She had gone and she had gotten another date with Dokuro.  Well,
 maybe stammering awkwardly and blushing while eating noodles wasn't the 
 most romantic date, but she had gotten to know him better.  Did this mean 
 they were serious now?  She hugged her pillow.  She hoped so.  She 
 wondered what it would be like to kiss him; as her daydream deepened, she 
 sank into true sleep.

	She blinked groggily as the insistent buzz of her alarm dissipated 
 the dream.  And she and Dokuro had been just about to - "Quit thinking 
 those thoughts!" she scolded herself.  She grabbed a doughnut on her way 
 out the door, and shifted her brain to studying gear.  She had a test 
 coming up in her math class, and needed a quiet place to 
 prepare for it.  

	As she came into the library, she noticed the boy from last night.  
 He was cataloging books.  He looked much more comfortable here than he 
 had at the meeting; the atmosphere of leather, paper, and wood fit him.  
 His hair was even the exact same shade as the dark wood the bookcases 
 were made of.  He glanced at her oddly as she headed to a quiet corner 
 table and spread her books out.   It wasn't until after she had shut her 
 last book with a sigh of relief that he approached her.

	A fine flush crossed his cheeks, and she couldn't help staring at 
 him.  That face was just too feminine to belong on a boy.  Finally, the 
 other student spoke, "I just wanted to thank you again for your help.  
 Your name is Iruka, is it not?"

	She nodded.  "How did you know?"

	"It is what Rakiko called you."

	"You were eavesdropping on us?!"

	The green eyes looked away from her.  "Not precisely.  I... well, 
 actually this is as good a segue as any... I am studying Rakiko.  And 
 all the members of the Darwin Society.  And I could use your aid, as an 
 assistant..."

	"Why would I want to help you with something like that!" she 
 yelled.  She winced as the eyes of the other library patrons turned to 
 them.

	"Because I may be able to help you avoid the harmful side effects 
 of being Rakiko's friend.  Would you at least listen to my proposal?"

	Her mouth tightened.  She didn't know what to think.  On one hand, 
 to be safe from future "mishaps" - she thought of the suicidal boy and 
 the explosion in the chemistry lab.  Maybe then she really could be 
 friends with Rakiko.  And Dokuro - she hadn't seen him do anything that
 could really get those around him killed yet (although he could easily 
 have gotten *himself* killed training that aardvark), but she didn't 
 trust that to continue.  But the idea of "studying" these people was 
 weird, and slightly disturbing.  "What would you want me to do?"  she
 said reluctantly.

	"Just describe to me all the incidents you know of where Rakiko - 
 or any of the others - did something potentially dangerous.  And make 
 a few inquiries on my behalf."
	
	"Why can't you ask her... whatever you want... yourself?"
	
	"I prefer the naturalistic approach.  Since you are already on 
 the inside, so to speak..."
	
	She frowned.  "And just how are you going to help me - what is
 your name, anyway?"
	
	"I am Owl.  As to helping you... it will depend on whether my 
 theory proves to be correct." Owl smiled, with a pleased gleam in the
 eyes behind those thin lenses.   "Here, let me explain."  The soft 
 voice gained confidence as they walked toward the checkout desk.  "It
 really is something you ought to be informed of, considering your 
 closeness to the subject matter."  
	
	Pulling out a book from a small shelf near the desk, the odd 
 young student flipped it to a well-worn page.  It was an illustration, 
 of a young man in archaic clothing, who had been impaled with several
 weapons of various kinds.  "The kind of people you see at the Darwin 
 Society have existed for centuries.  The oldest example I have dates 
 back to the fourteenth century, and involves a miller who got himself 
 stuck in a tub suspended from the roof of his barn.  Chaucer made quite 
 a story out of that one.  There have been many others throughout the 
 years.  It is quite fascinating... apparently the Darwin Society is not 
 unusual; they have a tendency to congregate.  In the old days they were 
 known as 'Fool's Colonies'."   She nodded impatiently.  
	 
	"The point is - I am sure you know of Darwin's theory of 
 evolution?  Well, I believe people like Rakiko have, in unscientific 
 terms, a 'luck gene'.  They never develop common sense because they 
 don't *need* it.  Their 'luck' protects them, and the self-protective 
 instinct decays, or is bred out.  The trait tends to run in families; 
 over twenty three percent of the club members have a parent who died in 
 a freak accident, such as what happened at the meeting the other day.  
 Naturally, at some point their luck runs out.  The oldest possessor of 
 this gene that I have record of lived to be thirty two."
	
	Iruka shivered.  "So it'll eventually happen to Rakiko too?"  
 And Dokuro?
	
	"I cannot determine that.  She seemed to have the strongest 
 luck I have observed, until that accident."
	
	"So what can I do to help her?  And to protect myself?"
	
	Owl sighed.  "I need to gather more data before I can help 
 anyone.  Fortunately, I have an experiment set up, disguised as a 
 psychology project, to collect more information.  If you would 
 participate - if you could get any of the club members to - I would 
 greatly appreciate that.  But most of all, as I said earlier, your 
 experiences with Rakiko are invaluable."  
	
	All the times Rakiko had nearly killed herself - and Iruka with 
 her - flashed through her mind.  They were not pleasant memories.  It 
 was hard to believe there was anything helpful there.  Yet, if there 
 was a chance...  The small voice in the back of her head, that was 
 honest when she would rather not admit the truth, reminded her that 
 she had been lonely ever since she came to Mitsuhara.  She never went 
 anywhere. She rarely did anything fun.  Until she met Rakiko.  She 
 found herself agreeing to the experiment.  Owl looked *almost* as 
 surprised as she felt.

----------------------------

	Kazuhiro lay awake, trying not to think about the pain.  The
 clock on his bedstand read 4:36.  He could hear the noise of the city
 through the thin walls.  But none of this was what kept him awake.  
 It was the thoughts swirling through his head that denied him the 
 blissful release of sleep.  He couldn't stop thinking about that girl.
 He tried to remember the last time anyone had noticed that he was 
 absent.  Nothing came to mind.  He tried to remeber the last time he
 had heard the words "call me sometime".  Similarly blank.  Something 
 kept preventing him from killing himself; maybe this was why?  
	
	The squeal of a gurney being pulled down the hallway 
distracted him from his thoughts.  Voices echoed in the corridor.
	
	"So how'd he manage it?"
	
	"Working in the garage before he went to the meeintg.  All 
 sorts of nasty fumes in there, and they soaked into the fabric of his
 clothes.  He probably spilled a good bit of paint or gas on himself 
 too.  Add an open flame and..."
	
	"Jeez.  You'd think he would have changed clothes or something."
	
	A laugh.  "Him?  No.  This is the second time this week.  Of 
 course, they always manage to get hurt one way or another, but with
 this one it's *always* fire."
	
	"Who's 'they'?"

	"The Darwin Society."

	"Huh.  Don't know anything about 'em."

	"You will.  Believe me, you will."


 **************
 Author's Notes:
 
 Thanks to Brett for pre-reading!

 1) Yes, the story I mentioned really did come from Chaucer... although 
 he adapted it from the real event. ^_^
 
 2) Owl does not have a gender (possibly literally, but I wouldn't want 
 to be the one who tries to find out -- Owl has studied other things 
 besides the Darwin Society).  The gender different characters think of 
 him/her as depends on their ideas of what's masculine or feminine.  Oh,
 and people skills aren't exactly a strong point here.  Obviously.
 
 3) Owl's theory is simply my theory on what could be happening here.  
 I like it; that's why I used this chapter to introduce the character 
 and the idea.  I thought *someone* should try and figure out what's 
 going on, why these people are all so strange.  

 Hope you all enjoy it!
 erica