!
Kimagure Orange Road
Spring Wonder
Chapter 2

The dark blue horizon was rimmed in red as the sun struggled to
rise above it. The park's grasses were inching back towards a healthy
shade of green; the frozen dew on them sparkled.
The air was clean and had a chill that only an athlete could
appreciate. Akane filled her lungs with the crisp, clean airs until
she felt as if her lungs would explode. She then let it out in exhales
which were indiscernible from sighs of contentment. She cycled air
rapidly,
as she jogged down the sidewalks of her hometown.
Track season was more than five months in the past, or three into
the future; but that isn't why she was running.
She'd had trouble sleeping, in anticipation of this day that was
slowly dawning. There was something special, almost ethereal, about
doing something for the first time.
Today would be her first day at Koryou, the school where her
cousin Kyosuke, and the love of her life Madoka, went. She hoped it
would be the beginning of a new period in her life.
She had been so deep in thought that she'd made the last few
turns on auto-pilot, and hadn't realized she was on her own street.
She skidded to a halt in front of her apartment building and flew up
the stairs and into the entryway.
As she was showering she began to reflect on the gravity of what
she was doing. She'd given up her old school for this--a school she'd
loved. She could only hope that it would be worth it.
She slapped both her cheeks to bring herself back to reality. Of
course it was worth it. She had to remember why she was doing this.
Her shower done, she wrapped herself up in a towel and walked
back to her bedroom. She threw open her closet, where her new outfit
was hanging. It was a nice ensemble: a lace-up top with frilly
sleeves. Below it was a khaki miniskirt with a very chic belt with a
double-toothed metal buckle.
She'd bought the new clothes in Shibuya, though she didn't pick
them out, oddly enough. When she was waiting at the local station for
her train, she'd run into Komatsu. He was taking measurements with a
light meter, looking bored and despondent. Akane would too, if she
were Komatsu. She didn't think he had a snowball's chance of getting
into a good school. She suspected he knew that.
It was then that Akane realized that Komatsu might have a better
idea of what would be considered fashionable that she would. She
couldn't believe all the strange conversations she'd overheard Komatsu
and Hatta having about women's clothes.
Komatsu was more than happy to have an excuse to hang around a
women's clothing store in Shibuya and came along. Akane went along
with it mostly as a joke at first, but his comments had ended up
being extremely insightful.
Akane took the two hangers out of the closet, and looked at the
rows of Hoshi uniforms that she hadn't taken down yet. It was a good
opportunity for her, since she didn't have the Koryou uniform yet,
she could wear anything she liked the first few days. Fortunately her
mother hadn't made a special trip to get her a new uniform.
Her parents had been oddly silent about the whole thing. They
were uncomfortable about why she was expelled--but they still thought
she should've had more tact. But when she seemed so dedicated to
making
a fresh new start, they became confounded. As such, she hadn't been
yelled at at all, and her parents didn't mind the money they spent in
Shibuya. (Fortunately her mother didn't know that there were a few
shops in Shibuya that sold uniforms.) Or the money she'd spent on the
manicure. Though they did ask about the shouts and frequent swearing
coming from the bathroom as she brushed all of the gnarls out of her
hair. She really regretted wearing a ponytail.
Akane rushed out the front door, being careful that her parents
didn't see her. She would have trouble explaining her attire. As she
rushed down the streets, she realized that she was going to be about
an hour early to school. This was unfortunate, since Madoka tended to
be late far more often than early. She wondered what she would do with
the time.

-> -> ->

"Time to get up!"
"Mfff... Go away," Yuki mumbled.
Sakurai yanked the blanket off of the bed, causing Yuki to
shiver.
"Damn it, mom!" she shouted, finally opening her eyes.
"I want you at the breakfast table in twenty minutes!" she looked
down at her watch and pretended to press a button on the side. "Mark!"
Seventeen minutes later, Yuki staggered to the table.
Sakurai slid a soup bowl in front of her daughter. Yuki's hands
fumbled for the coffee pot and filled her cup.
"You're rather out of it, I thought you went to bed at 9,"
Sakurai said.
"Maybe I slept too long," Yuki mumbled.
Sakurai went back to her breakfast, trying hard to appear
indifferent. Yuki had been moody all weekend, and Sakurai was tired of
trying to get her daughter to open up.
She wondered if it had something to do with a boy. However, Yuki
hadn't shown any interest in boys. Whenever Sakurai brought up the
subject, Yuki simply rolled her eyes. Of course, that's what Sakurai
expected from a teenager.
She remembered how secretive she'd been at Yuki's age. She
wondered about all the things that Yuki had done or been involved with
that she would never know about. It made Sakurai worry, considering
the things she'd been into at Yuki's age.
Sakurai found herself not being to understand her daughter. A
month into junior high she had joined the track team: it spite of the
fact that Yuki hated every sport under the sun.
She'd started watching baseball games with her father, and had
long conversations about batting averages and trades. At the same
time, Yuki hadn't painted a brushstoke in over a year. All her
acrylics were withered up in their boxes, and there were five
canvases in the basement that had never even been touched.
As Sakurai looked across the breakfast table every morning, she
discovered that she recognized her daughter less and less.
"What're you staring at?" Yuki said with a scowl. A scowl she'd
seen far too often these days.
"Nothing," Sakurai said with a sigh. "You'd better get ready for
school."

-> -> ->

"Okay, so these invisible forces: fate and time, disintegrate
his body. Next thing he knows, he wakes up on this cliff, feeling
disoriented. He jumps to his feet and walks to the edge of the cliff
and stares down onto this vast, blasted plain. He sees the eternal war
between Demons and Devils. The war that his deeds, which he has only
recently been able to remember, have damned him to be part of for all
eternity.
"Looking down at that eternal punishment, we hold on this damned
soul, as it sinks in where he is, what's happened; and he feels that
complete and total regret. But he gets over it, he runs over to a
nearby corpse and picks up its weapon and runs down to join the fight.
"Because, you see, although he is damned, he isn't running
anymore. He's doing the right thing, and there is some solace in that.
And as he does so, the question that defined the whole thing echoes
back to him-"
"All right, all right!" Komatsu said, exasperated. "I've heard
enough. Look, it's a nice story and all, but it's not really our bag.
We're going to go ahead with the 47 Ronin in Space and the Princess
of Silence."
The exchange-student furrowed his brow. After a moment he made
a gesture with one hand, said "Screw you guys!", and walked away
across the school's courtyard.
"Impudent punk," Komatsu said. "In a few years, when I'm the
leading light of a new generation of Japanese filmmakers, he'll be
sorry he was so rude."
"I did kind of like the bit with the rats, and the brothel,"
Hatta said. "Which reminds me, doesn't 'The 47 Ronin and The Princess
of Silence' sound like the title of a porno?"
"That's just a happy coincidence. It's like Naked Lunch, by the
time they realize it isn't, we'll already have their money," Komatsu
said.
Hatta stared, slack-jawed, off into the distance.
"What're you drooling at?" Komatsu asked, then turned around.
Then he understood. He reached over and closed Hatta's jaw for him.
"Don't bother, she doesn't like guys."
"I was always so scared of her that I never noticed... Damn, has
Akane ever got a BODY!" Hatta said.
"Don't bother, it's hopeless. No use burning yourself out for
something you can't ever have," Komatsu said.
"But isn't that what we always do?" Hatta said.
"Hey! We've been on dates!" Komatsu said, then paused. "And, I
have a girlfriend now, you ass!"
"Maybe it's just a phase she's going through," Hatta said. "Maybe
she's just toying with the idea of being a lesbian."
"Did you ever toy with the idea of being gay?" Komatsu asked.
"No! Who would want to do another guy? Yuck!" Hatta said.
"Why would it be any different with girls?" Komatsu said.
"Well... LOOK at them! I mean, damn, how could you not adore that
soft skin and all those wonderful curves..." Hatta said, his face
flushing. "Besides, since when are you so understanding about these
matters?"
"I had a long talk with Akane the other day. She has it bad for
someone of the female persuasion. She wouldn't tell me who, though,"
Komatsu said.
"I wish I knew, then I'd be able to have an accurate fantasy,"
Hatta said with a stupid grin.
"Dude, I said we're not going to talk about that anymore!"
Komatsu said.

-> -> ->

Kyosuke was defending his choice of corn-cob holders as an
anniversary gift for Ayukawa's parents when she went slack-jawed. He
quickly turned to follow her gaze, and his jaw assumed a similar
posture.
"What's Akane doing here?" Ayukawa asked.
"Hooking, if those clothes are any indication," Kyosuke said.
He felt a sudden surge of pain in his right arm as Ayukawa
punched
it.
"I have an outfit like that!" Ayukawa said.
"Yeah? How come you never wear it around me?" Kyosuke asked.
He got punched in the left arm for that one.
"Hey guys!" Akane said as she approached.
"Hi cuz, what're you doing here?" Kyosuke asked. "Is your school
off today; or did you get expelled?"
"Well, as a matter of fact..." Akane said.

After a few moments of shocked silence, Akane explained the
situation to her cousin and Madoka. Naturally leaving out the exact
circumstances of why she was in the headmistress's office to begin
with.
"But why are you dressed like that?" Kyosuke asked.
"Well, I haven't had a chance to get the Kouryou uniform yet,
so I figured I'd just wear my street clothes," Akane said.
Kyosuke was about to say something, but Madoka cut him off.
"They're very becoming on you, Akane. Are they new?" Madoka
asked.
"Yeah, I got them in Shibuya a few...weeks ago," Akane said. Then
she blushed. "I haven't had the nerve to wear them outside the house
before."
Madoka smiled tenderly. "Ah, we all need to show off once in a
while. Especially with a body like yours."
Kyosuke started to go a little red, his lips quivered, and Akane
could hear the squeaking of his teeth grinding together; but he said
nothing.
"However, I think you should've worn your old uniform," Madoka
said. "It wouldn't do to get in trouble on your first day. Especially
considering how you ended up here."
"I...." Akane said.
"Run home and change," Madoka said. "If you don't get back in
time, Kasuga and I'll run interference for you."
"Well... Uh, okay," Akane said.
She took to her heels and ran, taking curves at dangerous speeds,
cutting through people's yards, and jumping over fences as she went.
She knew she should feel embarrassed: and she did, a little. But
the clothes had served their purpose: she'd just been complimented by
Madoka! And Madoka was willing to get in trouble to save her
reputation.
With each passing day, Akane felt herself falling more and more
in love with Madoka.
As she barreled down an alley, some salaryman wolf-whislted at
her. On impulse, she threw an illusion at him: made him think he was
being attacked by a snake. She didn't know what kind of snake, since
she wasn't well versed in ophiology, but it looked like a cross
between a boa-constrictor and a cobra.
But then Akane skidded to a halt. Why was she attacking him?
She dressed like this so she would get this sort of reaction. Why
punish him for responding the way she intended?
The illusion vanished from around the cowering salaryman. Akane
resumed running. Well, at least he'd have an interesting story to
tell the guys at work.

-> -> ->

When Manami got down to the courtyard picnic table where she
often ate her lunch, she found Komatsu sitting against a tree and
singing.
"Oooh-ooh, ooo-ooh, Lloyds of London. Oooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, Lloyds
of London," he belted out.
Manami sat down on the bench nearest him and took out a piece of
paper with crudely scrawled hiragana on it and showed it to him.
"What did you want to see me about?"
Komatsu jumped to his feet and sat on the bench across from her.
"It's about the movie," Komatsu said.
"Look, I already told you I'm in. You can stop begging," Manami
said.
"Uh... I'm afraid that's not it. Quite the opposite, in fact,"
Komatsu said.
Manami turned that around in her head. What would the opposite of
"I'm in" be? Everyone but me in the world is out? No...wait, that was
the complement. Then she got it.
"You're... firing me?" Manami said. That didn't sound right, she
didn't think Komatsu would ever be in the position to fire anyone.
"I'd be happy to have you on as an extra, but the thing is that
I've found someone else. You would've made a good Princess of Silence,
Manami, but this girl was born to play it. I mean, why have Patty
Duke play Princess Leia when you've got Carrie Fisher, ya know what
I'm saying?"
Who the hell was Patty Duke? Manami was about to protest, but
Komatsu was already rising.
"Sorry I have to cut this short, but I'm meeting a friend
off-campus for lunch," Komatsu said.
"You can't leave campus for lunch," Manami said; it was the only
clear thought in her head.
"Then this will have to be our little secret, sweet cheeks. See
you in the funny papers," Komatsu climbed the tree and proceeded to
jump over the fence; in spite of the fact that the gate was ten feet
away, and open. He always had to be so theatrical.
Manami ate her lunch in silence for several minutes, until Hatta
arrived.
"You look bummed," Hatta said. "I suppose he told you."
"I don't know if I'm more hurt or confused," Manami said.
"Yeah, he isn't acting like himself anymore. It's that skirt he's
going out with," Hatta said.
"He's got a girlfriend?!" Manami said, ashamed that she sounded
so surprised.
"That girl is all he can see anymore. You wouldn't believe all
the great fight scenes he cut out of the script so his girlfriend
could have more lines. Damned studio couch!" Hatta said.
Manami spit her milk across the table.

-> -> ->

Yuki chewed on her tasteless lunch and gazed over the treetops
with an ambivalent mix of apathy and profound longing.
She wasn't supposed to be on the roof. Since it was against the
rules to come up here, it meant she was able to eat her lunch in
solitude. Or so she thought.
Several people ate their lunch in the courtyard twenty feet
beneath her dangling feet. Kaori had come out and was calling her
name.
"Yo!" Yuki said.
It took a few moments for Kaori to figure out where her voice was
coming from. She craned her neck to look up at her friend.
"What are you doing up there?" Kaori asked.
She hadn't needed to raise her voice. Yuki always wondered why
you had to shout to be heard over horizontal distances, but not
vertical ones.
"Eating; and thinking," Yuki said.
"Coach Watanabe wants to see you," Kaori said.
Yuki groaned. "I'm eating lunch." She didn't mention that it
wasn't giving her much enjoyment, though.
"She made it sound like it was important," Kaori said.
Yuki sighed, nodded in assent, and rose to her feet. She crumpled
up her lunch bag and threw it into the wastebasket twenty feet below.
It bounced off the rim and sunk into the liner. The lunch-eating
students below started cheering.

As Yuki walked down to Coach Watanabe's office, she wondered what
Watanabe could possibly want. She hoped that the coach wasn't going to
make a pass at her. Watanabe was a little long in the tooth for her
tastes.
"What up, coach?" Yuki asked as she walked into the office.
Watanabe looked up from her submarine sandwich. Geez, didn't
anyone eat Japanese food for lunch anymore?
"Ah, Yuki. Please, sit down," she indicated a chair.
"Something up?" Yuki asked.
This was the first time she'd talked to her old coach since the
end of the track season last September. Yuki hadn't expected to see
her for at least another month.
"I assume you intend to try out for track again this year?"
Watanabe said.
Yuki almost went with her knee-jerk reaction of 'yes', but then
remembered that Akane wouldn't be on her team. In the fall and winter
she'd enjoyed not going to practice. She liked having more time to do
homework and goof-off.
"I'm sort of one the fence right now," Yuki said. "Truth be
told."
"It would be a horrible mistake if you didn't come back. You have
genuine track abilities," Watanabe said.
Yuki started to blush, but then gave Watanabe a strange look. How
could she have possibly know she was ambivalent about coming back?
Even Yuki hadn't known until a couple of minutes ago.
"Coach... Why did you call me down here?" Yuki said.
"Now that Akane is gone, we need a new team captain. We need a
natural athlete that is likable and can lead the other team members.
At the end of the day, the team captain teaches the team more than
even the coach does... It takes an exceptional person to perform that
job, Yuki. I believe that person could be you," Watanabe said.
Yuki almost jumped from her chair. She always thought that was
an expression; but the surprise caused jolts to go through the
muscles in her legs, and it was hard to keep seated.
"Coach, I don't think I could even make a passable team captain;
much less follow an act like Akane," Yuki said. "Besides, I'm just
a sophomore. I'm not even an upperclassmen yet."
"Don't misunderstand me, Yuki. I've had my eye on you since day
one. Even if Akane was still here, I still would've seriously
considered making you team captain anyway," Watanabe said.
"Uh huh," Yuki said.
Watanabe gave her a strange look. Then she rose and walked over
to the window, she motioned for Yuki to follow her.
"Look at them down there, I saw what happened with the trash
can. How do you account for a reaction like that?" Watanabe said.
"It was a lucky shot," Yuki said. "That impressed people."
"It's so much more than that, Yuki. I don't know why you can't
see it, but you've made an impact. You've become popular without even
trying. You're a genuine celebrity," Watanabe said.
Yuki stared down at the crowd of lunch-eaters and let the coach's
words sink in. Did the other kids really like her that much? She
hadn't
noticed.
"I don't want to be a celebrity," Yuki said. It was true, there
was only one thing she wanted: and it seemed forever beyond her reach.
"I know that you worshipped Akane, Yuki," Watanabe said. "But
perhaps it's your time in the spotlight now."
"You'd be surprised how unmoved I am by all of this," Yuki said.
"How can you be so pigheaded?" Watanabe shouted. "Can't you think
of the team? They need you!"
Ah, the old 'team player' strategy. Yuki walked away from the
window, past the chair, and towards the door.
"I'm sorry, Watanabe-sensei. I honestly am; but this isn't who I
am anymore. Give my best to the team," Yuki said.

-> -> ->

It was Akane's first math class at her new school--and she was
bored out of her mind. She had been continuously writing and rewriting
a note to Madoka in her mind; but that was difficult to do with the
teacher yapping on about Jacobians.
Akane finally decided to make simplicity and forthrightness her
watchword. She folded the note up and--when the teacher's attention
was elsewhere--flung the note across the aisle.

Kyosuke's field of vision was momentarily interrupted by a white
flash. His glance jerked along its trajectory, and he saw a piece of
folded paper land squarely in Ayukawa's lap.
A note? Who would...
Then Kyosuke remembered who sat across the aisle from Ayukawa
now. This couldn't possibly be good.

M-sama,
Are you working after school today?
-A-san
Madoka tore a sheet of paper out of her notebook and started on a
note of her own.

A-san,
No, I'm not. Did you have something
in mind?
-Madoka
Akane couldn't help but stare at the note in admiration for
several
moments. Madoka had such beautiful penmanship. Akane wondered how
adept
she would be with an inkstone and brush.

M-sama,
Would you like to go for coffee after
school? I know a good place in Omiya.
-A-san
Akane flipped her pen back-and-forth between her fingers like a
see-saw. Omiya was far enough away to make it unlikely they would run
into anyone they knew. Well, anyone she knew. Old acquaintances of
Madoka showed up in the oddest places. Even in Saitama.
She also believed she made it clear that it would only be the
two of them...
Somewhat satisfied, she folded up the note and tossed it across
the aisle. Less than a minute later, a reply landed on the desk in
front of her.
Love to. =)
-Madoka
Akane' heart began to race. Her plan was working. It was actually
working!

-> -> ->

A couple of miles south of Koryou High School, past the JR-line
tracks, the ground rises twenty feet in less than a foot of space,
making a large and moss-covered cliff.
Because of this sudden rising, it was possible to look out the
window of a 9th floor apartment and be at eye level with the man
working
in the garden next door.
Also on this immense cliff was a small park. Sitting beneath a
tree
during this lazy afternoon in April were two people who seemed to be
very
much in love. Which just goes to show how deceptive looks can be.

Yuki moaned as Komatsu rubbed her shoulders. "Mmmm, I have such
a wonderful boyfriend."
"Does he know about me?" Komatsu asked.
Yuki laughed and let herself fall farther back into Komatsu's
arms. He really did seem to have the magic touch.
"Akane seems to be fitting in, in case you were wondering. Oh!
Are you okay? You just stiffened up there..." Komatsu said.
Yuki shrugged it, and Komatsu, off. "It's nothing, my muscles are
just a little sore. We were doing gymnastics in gym class today."
"Oh?" Komatsu said, salivating. "I would've loved to have seen
you in one of those tight leotards."
Yuki felt good in spite of herself. Yes, he was a pig, but it
felt good to know SOMEONE appreciated that she was in shape.
"Do you want to do something this weekend?" Komatsu said.
"We have finals coming up: don't you?" Yuki said.
"Yeah, well, I never study for them," Komatsu said.
"You're that good, huh?" Yuki said.
"Well... It's more that I don't really care," Komatsu said. His
laugh was that of a boy who knew he should be ashamed but wasn't.
"Sorry, but I have to study. If I don't keep my grades up,
they'll
kick me off..." Yuki said. "You know, I think that's a good idea. Are
there any movies you want to see?"
"Nah, that's so impersonal. I'd rather do something where we
could
get to know each other better," Komatsu said.
Yuki felt a pang in her chest. Komatsu would make someone a very
good boyfriend, she thought. He was deeper than he appeared at first.
She couldn't believe that they'd been here for more than an hour and
he hadn't brought up his stupid movie or movie-making even once.
He really was a nice guy, after all. They could be friends; even
good friends; but nothing more. She just didn't swing that way.

How lucky I am, thought Komatsu. This had started out as
flirting,
and even for the first couple of dates he hadn't taken this seriously.
He'd just stick around until he lost his virginity, then he'd be on
to someone else...
Or so he'd thought at first. He was ashamed of his original
attitude. This girl was warm, caring, interesting; she was... a
person.
Who would've thought that within that pretty head of hers were
thoughts
as deep and complex as his own?
He never would've believed it, but he was falling in love with
Yuki. What a lucky man he was.

-> -> ->

Omiya was a good 45-minutes by train. Akane spent most of the
time working their coffee-conversation over in her head. The train was
too noisy and public to have any meaningful conversation.
After some light conversation, Madoka blind-sided Akane with a
question she'd grown tired of: "Have you thought about what university
you're going to apply to?"
"I thought Koryou had an escalator system," Akane said, suddenly
realizing that her stall for time had raised a legitimate point.
"There's no college, though, it stops at high school," Madoka
said.
Stupid Akane, she chastised herself. She'd spent over two weeks
going over those stupid pamphlets and handbooks as she went through
the lengthy process to get accepted into Madoka's school. She imagined
she wouldn't have been allowed entry if it weren't for the ten letters
of recommendation from her teachers at Hoshi's.
"Well, I'm not really sure what I want to be yet," Akane said.
"What are you thinking?"
"My parents want me to go to school in America," Madoka said.
Akane felt her body temperature drop ten degrees. Though, oddly,
her chair felt warmer.
"Oh," was all she managed.
"I'd rather stay around here, though," Madoka said.
"Oh," Akane said cheerfully.
"So, you have no idea what you want to do when you grow up?"
Madoka said.
"Does that sound so unusual?" Akane said.
"I suppose not. It's just strange to me, since I've known since
I was a a kid," Madoka said.
"Really?" Akane said, blinking in surprise. "How did getting into
gang fights as a kid fit into you plans as a musician?"
Madoka looked embarrassed, but she also adopted a smile that
Akane
thought was genuine.
"Hikaru told you about those, huh?" Madoka said.
"We talked at lunch," Akane noted.
"My parents wanted me to be a musician; so naturally I rebelled.
It didn't matter that I was good at it, and secretly liked it. Just
the fact that my parents approved was enough to make me hate it,"
Madoka said.
"So you finally matured and accepted it," Akane said. Madoka was
so cool!
"Well, no, I took up the saxophone," Madoka said. "My dad blew
his top at first. You'd think someone who loved music as much as him
would appreciate jazz. Finally he grew to accept it.
The trick is this: do what you're best at, but do it on your own
terms."
"But don't you still play the piano?" Akane asked.
Madoka shrugged. "I don't think we can ever completely escape our
parent's expectations."
That statement sounded far more ominous that Akane suspected
Madoka intended.

-> -> ->

Late that Afternoon Akane, jittery on caffeine and high on
endorphins, returned home and went up to her room. She hummed a jaunty
tune to herself as she dug through the pile of mail on her desk.
The usual stuff--pamphlets from colleges that wanted her to attend
because of her apparent athletic prowess. Among them she found a
pamphlet for a charm school. She would've been insulted if she hadn't
ordered it.
She pushed the mound of other pamphlets to the floor with her
arm; then sat down to look over her chosen pamphlet.
She sighed longingly as she looked at the pictures of cute young
women in ball gowns, kimonos, and other types of formal wear. It made
her feel warm in a very personal place.
After a few minutes of looking at the pamphlet and dreaming, she
let it fall closed and looked out the window at the setting sun. She'd
need training in the matters of polite society if she wanted to join
Madoka in it. But she couldn't ask her parents to pay for it. There
would be too many questions...
She opened up the pamphlet to the last page and looked at the
figures. She could probably pay for the school with a part-time job.
She smiled as she realized another point of kinship with Madoka. They
would be defying school rules together.

-> -> ->

Two weeks passed. Two long, balmy, wonderful spring weeks. Then a
gigantic storm struck Tokyo, leaving the Kyosuke's huddled in the
basement of Green Castle apartments for the better part of a night.
The next day the students of Koryou High School found their usual
class schedule canceled. This would normally be a cause for
celebration--
but the grueling cognitive labor had been replaced with grueling
physical labor. It was their job to clean up the storm's effects on
the school grounds.

"Put your backs into it!" Komatsu shouted.
"How the hell are we supposed to do that when we're picking up
leaves?" Hatta asked.
"Dunno. I just know that what's you're supposed to say when
people are slacking off," Hatta said.
"Maybe we'd be more apt to work if our fearless leader was
actually helping," Hatta said, holding the trash-stick up
threateningly.
"I'm an overseer, that means my job is to see. Now how can I see
over you guys when I'm down there in the muck with you?" Komatsu said.
It wasn't just a clever phrase: this area of the yard was covered with
mud. Komatsu suspected that's why the headmaster had assigned his
group there.
Komatsu suddenly stiffened his pose. "Look alive and decent
chaps,
a member of the fairer sex is approaching!"

Komatsu was the only member of his crew that wasn't completely
covered in mud. He was also the only one wearing the plastic apron
that the teachers had handed out that morning.
"Hello Manami, beautiful day, isn't it?" Komatsu said.
It wasn't. The sky was covered with grey clouds, and an
unpleasant chill was in the air; reminding them that winter wasn't
going
to be forgotten so easily.
"How's it going over here?" Manami asked.
"Oh, I'd say we're almost done," Komatsu said.
Hatta mimed stabbing Komatsu in the back with his trash picker.
Manami almost smiled.
"Listen, can you ditch these guys for a minute, I want to talk to
you," Manami said.
"Oooh, Manami's suddenly become a bad girl?" Hatta said. "Hatta
like!"
Komatsu ignored him and walked off with Manami.
They walked up the hill and into the small valley between the
line of trees and the stone wall. Manami wondered how many times
Komatsu had dreamed of her--or any girl--taking him here; and then
doing all kinds of things that would probably hurt on a ground
covered with pine needles.
Manami wondered how she'd start; she'd never had a conversation
like this before. It certainly didn't help that there relationship
had never been clearly defined to begin with-
"Look Manami, if this is about the Princess of Silence. I'm sorry
I took you out of the loop on that one. But it isn't really tenable
to change things at this point. Yuki has really put her heart into the
role. You can still be an extra, though," Komatsu said.
"This isn't about your stupid movie!" Manami said, feeling her
face grow hot and her throat grow raw.
Manami realized something was truly wrong when Komatsu didn't
even notice her outburst. He was looking into the distance with a
dopey look on his face.
"She's so wonderful, you know, she can feel everything so deeply.
I'm so lucky I found her..." Komatsu said.
Manami just stared at him, dumbfounded. So this is what love is.
She felt her stomach churn as she realized that Komatsu had never been
that way around her.

"Why should you never wave to Hatta while he's raking leaves?"
"I dunno, why?"
"Because he'll fall out of the tree."
Laughter. Akane tied up the trashbag and threw it onto a pile of
the same. Over the past four hours they'd de-twigged and de-weeded
the school's entire front lawn, and helped moved a fallen tree onto a
dump-truck; but Akane wasn't tired at all. She felt that she could
do this forever.
Higuchi-sensei came by with a clipboard. She gawked at the large
pile of garbage bags that the two of them had amassed.
"What next?" Akane asked.
"Ah, Akane-san, Madoka-san... I think you've done enough," she
said, bemused. "Why don't you just relax until the headmaster calls
everyone in."
Higuchi-sensei walked off, occasionally turning her head to give
them a bewildered look.
"Well, what do we do now?" Madoka asked.
Akane motioned to the large grassy hill that overlooked the
athletic fields. "You wanna cloud watch?"
"Geez, I haven't done that since I was about nine or so," Madoka
said.
"Then you're vastly overdue," Akane said. "Come on," she said,
grabbing Madoka's hand.

"I just don't understand boys," Manami moaned.
"Not much to understand," Kurumi said. She was fighting to bring
a human-powered mower out of the shed. It's been made her task after
smarting off to Aoki-sensei. But the last laugh would be on Aoki
sensei when Kurumi turned it into a psi-powered mower.
Kurumi finally managed to get it through the door, but it took
a plank-worth of door along as it did so.
"But Komatsu's been after me since the day we met; why's he
suddenly going after that Hoshi school tart?" Manami asked.
Kurumi raised one-eyebrow as she looked at her twin sister.
Manami usually never insulted anyone; she must've been really hurt.
She chose her next words carefully.
"Well, it's pretty hard to ignore someone who's throwing
themselves at you," Kurumi said. "That Yuki girl is putting it on
pretty darn thick. I think she wants to ride the baloney pony, if you
know what I'm saying."
Manami blushed; obviously she did. Then something flashed across
Kurumi's mind.
"Maybe Komatsu never thought of you in that way before," Kurumi
said.
"Oh come on," Manami said. "I know I'm not much to look at, but
this is Komatsu we're talking about."
"Well, a lot of people see you as the mommy type; and that's not
really sexy," Kurumi said.
"I take the irony of that statement is lost on you?" Manami said.
Kurumi brushed it off with a flippant toss of her hand. "Doesn't
matter, it's still true."
"Well, I guess..." Manami said. "But what can I do about it?"
"Let your wild side out," Kurumi said. "It'll be good for you.
If you keep all that inside, you're eventually going to explode."
"I tried letting it out... once. It didn't go all that well,"
Manami said.
"Maybe you should try something a little more personal first..."
Kurumi said.
"What are you talking about?" Manami said.
"Well... You know, 'get to know yourself'," Kurumi said.
"Like, what, psychotherapy?" Manami asked.
Kurumi shook her head furiously. How could her sister be so dense
sometimes?
"No, you lay down and you...," Kurumi gritted her teeth.
"Fingerpaint."
"Wouldn't you get paint all over if you laid down while doing
that?" Manami asked innocently.
"NO! You... give yourself the finger; tickle the taco; slap the
south mouth..." Kurumi said.
Manami slowly seemed to be getting it. "You mean..."
"Yes," Kurumi shouted. "YOU MASTURBATE!"
Her voice echoed near and far; and Kurumi thought Manami had
been blushing before. She was surprised when her sister spoke.
"How exactly does one... get to know oneself?" Manami asked.
Kurumi shook her head and walked off. "I'm not going to tell ya.
The real joy comes from figuring that out on your own. Good luck."

-> -> ->

"Hmmm, I don't think so, do you have this in a Yaoi?" the
pimple-faced girl asked.
"For god's sake, can't you little girls ever read a manga that
doesn't have two guys humping somewhere in it?!" Akane said.
"What're you, some sort of bigot?" the girl said, stiffening.
Akane snorted and turned back towards the shelves. The covers
were a sea of pink and red; Akane scanned the covers.
"I'm sorry, I think that's all there is. I don't think there's
a Yaoi version of Buddha's story," Akane said.
"Drat," the girl said.
"What did you want one for, anyway?" Akane asked.
"My mom thinks the manga I'm reading are rotting my mind. She
says I can't read anything now that doesn't have some historical or
Buddhist junk in it," the girl said.
Poor girl, Akane thought. Her parents had been like that too.
She'd had to buy her Yuri manga in secret and hide them under her
futon. Then something occurred to her; she walked along the aisle and
finally picked something off the shelf.
"You ever read this?" Akane asked.
"Hinotori? No; doesn't look like something I'd like," the girl
said.
"It's a little more subtle than most, but this one's got a lot
of homoerotic overtones in it. There's this one part where a guy puts
another guy's engorged nose in my mouth. Allegedly to bring down the
swelling; of course, we know how that works," Akane said, bouncing
her eyebrows.
The girl took it, looked at it dubiously for a moment, then
nodded. Akane rung her up and she left with a smile. Another satisfied
customer, Akane thought to herself, feeling an odd warmth inside her
chest. She couldn't imagine any worse fate than working in a manga
store for the rest of her life; but it did have its good points.
She checked her watch and felt giddy. It was almost time. She
untied her apron and popped her head into the backroom.
"Hey manager, I'm taking off," Akane said.
The manager didn't look up from the stack of books he was
sorting.
"Can't you wait until Kaori gets here?"
"I don't want to be late. First day and all," Akane said.
Manager said. "All right, then. Hopefully Charm School will make
you more pleasant to work with."
Akane smirked. "Don't count on it. Besides, if you didn't like
my style, you would've canned me the first day."
"The kids do seem to like your attitude. Take care," Manager
said, finally looking up and giving her a smile.
"Thanks, you too."

-> -> ->

They were assembled in the front hall. The hard teak floor made
Akane's sock-clad feet hurt. However, she was so nervous that she
hardly noticed.
Occasionally she caught the glance of another girl in line; they
all looked as nervous as she felt. In a situation like this, Akane
would usually crack a joke to break the tension. However, a sign on
the
opposite wall said, in beautiful calligraphy: "Speak Only When Spoken
To". Akane decided it was too early to be breaking school rules; even
if she didn't like a piece of paper telling her what to do.
A door at the far end of the hallway creaked over. Thirty heads
turned to see who came through it. It was a woman, probably in her
fifties. She had grey hair tied in a tight bun with jade chopsticks
sticking out of it. She wore a heavy light-blue kimono and carried
a polished teak walking stick.
Silently, she walked to the exact center of the line and turned
to face the new students. She took a long moment to stare each of them
in the eye. When she came to Akane, Akane rapidly dropped her eyes to
the floor. She chided herself; but on recollection she realized that
it was the right thing to do.
After making her small survey of the new girls, she returned to
her original position, gave one last long, hard stare. Then she banged
her walking stick on the floor. The sound of teak on teak sounded like
a gunshot and Akane felt the girls on either side of her jump. She
sub-vocalized something herself; though she wasn't sure what it was.
"Follow," the teacher said.
She whirled around and walked through a door on the wall they
were facing. Akane and the rest followed, their orderly arrangement
quickly falling apart.
Akane found herself in a locker room. Unlike locker rooms at
school, it wasn't damp nor did it smell of armpit. It smelled like
wood polish and incense. On each locker was a label with a name
in gorgeous calligraphy on it. Akane would later learn that the labels
had been created by the previous class, as their last assignment in
calligraphy.
Akane found hers and stood before it. She heard the clack of the
walking stick and turned to face the teacher.
"After you change, meet me across the hall. Be prompt," she said.
She then turned and left. The clacking sound of her stick slowly
faded.
Akane pulled open the locker (there was no lock). Inside was a
white kimono. A TRUE kimono, the old type that she'd only seen in
movies. The kind she saw Empress Kojun wear on TV.
She quickly got out of her street clothes and pulled on the
heavy kimono; she needed help from the girl next to her, and Akane
returned the favor in kind. The kimono fit perfectly; which surprised
Akane, even though it shouldn't. She had provided her measurements on
the application form, after all.
As she went to put her clothes into the locker she saw a silk
ribbon neatly folded on the bottom. She looked at it, stupefied, for a
moment. Had there been some part of the kimono she'd forgotten to tie?
She looked around and saw a girl with long hair tying the ribbon into
it. Akane quickly picked it up and did the same.
Next to the door leading out was a full-length mirror. Each girl
checked herself out in it before she went through. When Akane got
there, she looked on in slack-jaw amazement. She hardly recognized
herself. She looked so... eloquent.
"God," she mumbled. "I don't look like such a punk anymore."
The girl behind herself started laughing. Akane turned to give
her an angry look, but then she saw the girl's smiling face.
"It's weird, isn't it?" the girl said. "I didn't think I'd ever
look like a real woman either."
Akane returned the smile, somewhat relieved. She hadn't wanted
to make an enemy here; at least, not on her first day.
"I'm Akiko, by the way," the girl said with a slight bow.
"Akane," Akane said, with the same bow. "It's a pleasure,"
They walked across the hall together and into what Akane would
later term the classroom. It didn't look like any classroom she'd
ever known.
There were no chairs, for one thing. There were small desks on
the ground with cushions set in front of them. There was a large
cushion at the front of the room; on which the teacher was sitting.
She was sipping from a tea mug.
Akane and Akiko took one of the desks near the back. It was an
old habit to take one near the back; that way the teacher couldn't
hear them when they chattered. Akane made a mental note to sit closer
to the teacher next time. She actually wanted to learn THIS material.
"Welcome," the teacher said. Even though her voice was strict,
Akane noted some warmth behind it this time.
"Do any of you know why you are here?" the teacher said.
A few raised their hands. Akane sat perfectly still.
"I suspect a depressingly large number of you are here because
you parents forced you to come here. For that I apologize. However,
you are here; you might as well learn something. Though, be warned: I
will suffer no obstructions. Don't make yourself, and your classmates,
suffer; we did nothing wrong, and your hostility is not warranted and
will not be tolerated," she gave the entire class a mighty glare.
"Some are here because they believe that what I can teach will
get them ahead in life, or achieve some goal that has alluded them.
I will try not to disappoint; but you are short-changing yourself.
What I will teach is not simply a means to an end, but an end in
itself. I just hope you realize that someday.
"I cannot know for sure why you took this class: but I will tell
you why I am teaching it. I believe that if we turn our back on our
past that we lose a vital part of ourselves. I believe in no dogmas;
even and especially those that say that everything that is new is
absolutely good. It's inverse is also not true: not everything that
is old is bad.
"It would do to remember that the physical laws that brought
forth this industrial revolution were discovered over 300 years ago."
the teacher said.
"I also don't believe in the superiority of the Japanese culture.
Which I'm sure will surprise you," the teacher said.
Right on, Akane thought.
"The purpose of these classes is to become citizens of the world.
You will learn French and English while you are here. These are the
two most important languages in the international world. You will also
learn the customs of many different countries. When you are finished,
your specialty will be etiquette and protocol,"
"Like C-3PO?" someone blurted out. It took a moment for Akane
to recognize it as her own voice.
The room was filled with laughter; and the teacher turned an
ice cold glare towards her.
Aw, crumbs.

Akane sat against the wall and let out a long sigh. Way to go,
she thought. She hadn't even made it an hour without screwing up.
She can't believe she'd said that. She didn't even like those
movies. Well, except for the third one. She loved the way Leia looked
in that metal bikini; she saw that movie five times when it was at
the theater.
She heard the door squeak open; she hopped to her feet. The girls
shuffled out, most of them avoiding eye contact. Akiko was one of the
last out; she walked over to Akane.
"She wants to see you," Akiko said.
"Did she seem angry?" Akane asked.
"Can't really tell," Akiko said.
"What's her name, by the way?" Akane said.
"Shimizu-san,"

"Shimizu-sama?"
The teacher looked up from her book, and gave Akane a
disapproving
glance.
"Akane-chan, please sit," Shimizu-sensei said.
Akane sat down on the nearest cushion. To say that she was
nervous would be an understatement.
"I'm sorry about-" Akane started.
Shimizu-sensei shook her head in disappointment. "Speaking out
of turn is always inappropriate; even when apologizing."
Akane hunched her shoulders and sighed.
"I took a look at the money-order you paid with," Shimizu-sensei
said. "I noticed it had your own signature on it. Not that of one of
your parents. I'm curious about that."
Akane waited a moment, Shimizu nodded her head for her to speak.
"I couldn't ask my parents to pay for this. It's not their fault
I have no manners," Akane said.
"Is it only manners you seek?" Shimizu-sensei said.
"I want to be a better person, frankly," Akane said. "I've heard
there's more to life than dating, parties, and soccer games. I'd
like to know if that's true."
"I believe you were apologizing for something when you came in
here, Akane-chan," Shimizu-sensei said.
Was she even listening?
"Yes, that's true," Akane said. "I'm sorry about speaking out in
class. It was intended as a joke; I'm sorry I disrupted the class.
I just couldn't control myself."
Shimizu-san nodded. "We come here to become civilized. It is the
purpose of this class to teach us to act against our instincts."
Akane felt something odd stir in her; she imagined she smelt a
whiff of lavender in the air.
"I hope you will do well in the future to repress these impulses,
Akane-chan. I look forward to seeing how you progress. You are
dismissed."

-> -> ->

Yuki couldn't believe what she'd seen. It couldn't possibly be
true. Akane, her strong healthy Akane, going into a charm school?
She walked home, slouched in misery. Akane hadn't been gone even
a month yet, and she'd changed so much. It's amazing what you missed
when you didn't see someone on schooldays.
She got home and threw her bag onto the kitchen table in a surly
manner. Her mother was cutting carrots and watching one of those
stupid
game shows on a portable TV.
"Hey honey, how was school?" Mom asked.
"It was almost adequate," Yuki said.
"Well, if school wasn't trying, people would never want to
graduate out of it," Mom said.
Ah, more homespun wisdom. Days like these, she just couldn't get
enough of it.
"Mom," Yuki started. Best just to say it. "Can I go to charm
school?"
Her mom gave a hearty laugh. Then she saw her daughter's eyes.
"Oh, you're serious," she said, starting to blush.
"What's so funny about that?" Yuki fumed.
"It's just, dear, you really don't seem the type," Mom said.
"Isn't that why people go to charm school?" Yuki said.
"Don't you want to do something with your life, Yuki? Why would
you want to settle for just having a rich husband?" Mom said.
"That's the farthest thing from my mind. You can trust me on
that." Yuki said.
"The answer's no, Yuki," Mom said.
"All right then, I'll ask dad," Yuki said.
"Go ahead. He needs a good laugh."

Yuki looked at the bookshelf and let out a sigh. It was
impossible
to get cultured in this house. Her parents owned nothing but spy and
mystery novels. There weren't even trashy romance novels with
inaccurate historical settings.
She sat down in her father's leather armchair and sighed. What
was culture anyway? So many people kept gushing on about the rich
Japanese culture. Was it really anything more than dressing up in
Kimonos in August and launching little boats in the river?
What made something cultural? She supposed culture would be the
good aspects of one's society. For instance, the desire to conquer
Asia would not be a part of Japanese culture. Well, at least not
anymore.
And that was just the problem. Who decided what was worthy of
cultural preservation? Was The Tale of Heike (gods, she hated that
book) really more culturally significant than Urusei Yatsura?
All right, now that she'd abolished all preset standards, she
could decide on her own standards. For instance, anything with blue
catlike robots in it was bad. Everything that could be played with a
joystick was good. Except for centipede; that game really pissed her
off. Wait, that was played with one of those rolly-things... what
did her geek cousin it? Yeah, a trackball. Trackballs aren't good...
well, except when you use them to move those three little shields
around on the Macross.
Yuki shook her head, as if to unclutter her thoughts. She was
getting off the point. Culture was all around her. Therefore if she
wanted to become cultured, she simply had to observe. She could read
the trashy spy and suspense novels... or she could watch television.
Yes! That was it. She checked her watch; yes, a Jidaigeki program
usually started around this time of day. Her father liked those, but
she didn't. She really wasn't interested in Japanese historical
dramas...
Ah, stories set in old Japan. That could be... cultural; to the
others. Okay, maybe she could give a shot. Perhaps she'd learn
something.
She walked over and flicked on the TV then flopped back down on
her father's armchair.
She gave the show ten minutes. The acting was on par with a
sentai
show. She'd gotten accustomed to it when the samurai and his captive
(a woman, who Yuki was sure would fall in love with him by the end
of the hour) went to meet the Samurai's shogun. In one of the long
shots during their conversation, Yuki saw that the shogun was wearing
a digital watch.
It was a whole five minutes before she managed to quiet her
spasms of laughter.

-> -> ->

Yuki found herself wandering the halls of Hoshi's All-Girl School
long after everyone had gone home. These halls, so often echoing with
the sounds of myriad footsteps and voices, were unearthly silent at
this hour. The only thing Yuki heard were her soft footsteps and the
blood rushing in her eyes. Naturally she felt on edge.
She found an open window in the middle of the floor. She stood
there, chin resting on fist, for a immeasurably long time. She
breathed in deeply; she loved the smell of freshly mown grass.
As she stared out into the utter blue sky, she felt as if she
were in a dream. She'd experienced this before, maybe half-a-dozen
times before. It was like she existed in an eternal moment, outside
of time. She was able to look back at everything she had done,
everything she had been, and somehow it made sense to her. Everything
locked into place, and she had an odd, hazy confidence that her life
was going in the right direction.
Yuki was so deep in this haze, that she didn't notice the
music until after she'd been listening to it for a minute. She
probably
wouldn't have noticed the music if wasn't so obviously being played by
an amateur.
Yuki didn't bother to follow the music, because she knew there
was only one place it could be coming from. When she reached the music
room, she was stunned to see Akane sitting at the piano. Perhaps, she
thought, this a dream after all.
No, it couldn't be. Akane was wearing a school uniform that she
didn't recognize. In her dreams, Akane always still went to Hoshi's.
"S...Sempai?" Yuki said uncertainly.
Akane stopped and turned around on the bench. From her confused
glance, Yuki suspected it took Akane a minute to remember who she was.
"Yuki? What are you doing here? Everyone else has gone home,"
Akane said.
"I was taking a test. I was sick last week and had to make it
up,"
Yuki said. "Can I take it the headmistress relented? Are you back with
us?" Yuki asked.
She didn't know why she bothered; somehow, deep down, she knew
Akane wasn't supposed to be here.
"No, I, just..." Akane blushed.
Yuki looked past her and saw a first-timers piano book on the
stand above the keyboard. It even had Hello Kitty in the page corners
holding up a sign with the page number.
Akane slammed her palms down on the keyboard, the discordant
notes finally shook Yuki out of her haze. She went over and sat down
on the bench next to Akane. She tingled being so close to Akane;
especially since she hadn't seen her, outside of her dreams and a
couple of times on the street, for almost a month.
"I... I don't know why I bothered," Akane said, embarrassed.
It was the first time Yuki had ever seen her embarrassed. It
didn't
even occur to her that Akane COULD be embarrassed.
"I guess I'm just not musical," Akane said.
"Oh come on, we're all musical," Yuki said.
"I just don't have the talent," Akane said.
"Music doesn't come from the mind, Akane, it comes from the soul.
You're telling me that someone with a beautiful soul like yours can't
create beautiful music?" Yuki asked.
"What makes you think I have a beautiful soul?" Akane asked.
Yuki felt sweat pooling up in her armpits. This was it, this was
the moment. She'd tell Akane how she felt about her. Certainly Akane
couldn't refuse such a heartfelt confession-
"How's Komatsu, by the way?" Akane asked.
Yuki felt like she'd been stabbed through the heart. There was a
gleam in Akane's eyes that she did not at all like. Perhaps Yuki was
wrong about her having a beautiful soul.
"Uh... Why do you ask?" Yuki said.
"He's always babbling on about you two. He makes it sound like
you have one of the all-time great romances," Akane said with a smile.
There was no malice in the smile, Yuki noted. Was Akane... Wait,
Akane thought that she was straight, that she was in love with
Komatsu.
So Akane meets with this girl that used to have a crush on her, after
she's "recovered". They meet in the music room on this beautiful
spring
afternoon, one false word and they end up on the floor, with their
hands all over each other. Suddenly Akane is the other woman...
Yuki felt warmness rush into her chest; Akane had been trying to
keep her honest--keep her from doing something she considered a
mistake. She did have a beautiful soul; the most beautiful Yuki had
ever seen.
"I... I don't know how it's going to end up," Yuki said.
"Remember, patience and understanding are the keystones of any
good relationship. And communication; patience, understanding and
communication. Oh! And affection, we can't forget..." Akane trailed
off, her face in a strange frown.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Yuki pulled a kazoo
out of her bag. "As I was saying, the hardest part is to find the
right instrument."
She played the Galaxy Express 999 theme on her kazoo. Akane's
expression changed, but remained equally puzzled.

-> -> ->

At approximately six minutes before five, Manami came in to get
her porn. Akane ducked under the counter to retrieve the brown-paper
wrapped parcel.
"That's a pretty eclectic collection," Akane said. "Conventional,
yaoi AND yuri. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Manami scowled. "I'm trying to figure out something, and Kurumi
refused to help."
Akane stared at her cousin for several moments in silence. A
quarter of her wanted to know what Manami was talking about; the
other three-quarters were convinced she would never sleep well again
if she did.
"Look, if your dad or teacher's discover you have those, don't
tell them where you got. Not only will I lose this job, but my parents
and the school will know I was working," Akane said.
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Manami said. She then blushed
a deep violet.

As Akane walked to charm school, she felt the urge to whistle.
The crushing depression was gone. The worst part of it had been how
helpless she'd felt. Once she realized that she wasn't helpless, that
all that she needed to get anything, ANYTHING was to keep plugging
away until she succeeded.
Akane realized, now, that nothing was beyond her reach.
That's when she tripped down the train platform's stairs.

After class broke up Akane went up to Shimizu-sensei. (she
stopped
calling her sama after Shimizu informed her that it made her sound
like a smart-ass.)
"Sensei, I was wondering if I could have a word," Akane said.
"You may have several, Akane-chan," sensei said.
Now who was the smart-ass?
"I had a question about etiquette. We haven't gotten around to
it yet, but I was wondering... How does a lady go about asking someone
out on a date?" Akane said.
Sensei tutted. "You should know by now, Akane-chan, that a lady
does not ask, she waits to be asked."
Akane let out a long sigh. "Swell."

"Ah good afternoon Yuki," the vendor said. "What can I get you
today?"
"Hmmm," Yuki said, looking over the selection. "Some cake,
perhaps?"
"Oooh," the vendor said, miming pain. "Broken heart?"
"With perception like that, you should be a psychiatrist," Yuki
said with a smile.
"I got a nice white cake with lemon frosting. It's a bit summery
for this early in the season, but you're probably getting sick of
those earthy chocolate cakes," the vendor said.
"I'll take a coupla slices of that," Yuki said.
While the vendor was wrapping up the cake, Yuki looked out the
window. She saw Akane coming down the street.
Yuki unbuttoned the first two buttons of her blouse. The vendor
gave her an odd look.
"I'll be right back," Yuki said. The bell tinkled as she ran
out the door.
Yuki started to walk nonchalantly down the sidewalk towards
Akane.
When she got to about half the distance, she noticed that Akane's hair
had a white silk ribbon tied in it. Yuki felt herself flush, it made
Akane look so sophisticated and cool...
"Hey sempai," Yuki called out.
Akane noticed her for the first time. Yuki was happy to see that
Akane recognized her right away this time.
"Oh, Yuki, hi," Akane said, a little nervously. "Uh, what're
you doing in this part of town?"
"I was visiting my grandma," Yuki said. That's what she'd been
doing when she saw Akane go into charm school a couple of weeks ago.
"Oh," Akane said, still nervous.
What could she possible be so nervous about, Yuki asked? Was this
nervousness around something you had a crush on? Yuki felt a spike of
elation, which quickly ebbed. Akane was probably worried about Yuki
seeing her going into her charm school. It might ruin her reputation;
of course, why did she care what the Hoshi girls thought about her
now?
"Oh, hey, you might catch cold," Akane said. She reached forward
and buttoned up Yuki's blouse. "You'd better be careful about that,
there are some dirty old men around here."
Yuki felt all gooey inside. The touching, the tenderness, how
she'd dream of that... But she also felt a little disappointed; it
wasn't the reaction she'd been looking for.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to ask where you go every
afternoon," Kazuya said.
Akane stuck her tongue out at him and threw her bookbag on the
kitchen table.
"If you really want to know, why don't you just read my mind?"
Akane said.
"One day I'm going to get past that mental block of yours,"
Kazuya
said and walked into the living room.
Akane noticed that there was a note scrawled on the notepad next
to the telephone.

Madoka-chan called, 3:32.

Akane scowled; he had the nerve to call her that. Madoka gave
him all that attention and treated him so nice, just because he was
a little boy. Let's see how much she liked him when he was a shiftless
teenager.
Akane punched in Madoka's number, which she'd known by heart
long before she called it on a routine basis.
After a couple of rings, the angelic voice of Madoka said
"Hello?"
"Ah, Madoka, I just got your message. What's up?" Akane asked.
"Oh, I was wondering if you were free Friday night?" Akane said.
"I'm free after five, why do you ask?" Akane asked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to a movie," Ayukawa
said.
Akane jittered so much that she almost dropped the phone. "Just
the two of us?" Akane asked.
"Well we can invite the rest of the gang along, if you like, but
I like it when it's just the two of us sometimes," Madoka said.
"Oh, sure, yeah, that's great...er, fine. What time, then?"
Akane said.
"Why don't you come here around 6. The movie theatre I want to
visit is closer to my house than yours," Madoka said.
"Swell," Akane said, and proceeded to feel all gooey inside.

-> -> ->

Late Friday afternoon. The man in the crab-suit was reading.
Komatsu flipped through the pages on his clipboard and paced
nervously.
"We should've started with something smaller, I just know it,"
Komatsu said. "What was I thinking, shooting the battle between the
ronin and the Giant Crab of Ondos first?!"
Hatta flipped the page with his giant claw. Komatsu noted that
he had remarkable dexterity with it. "Calm down. We always do the big
stuff first, then we can relax and film all the easy scenes."
"Yeah, but forty-seven samurai fighting a big crab?" Komatsu
said.
"Yeah, but we're going to do it five at a time. It's just like
Star Wars; you have this giant intergalactic war-"
"Intra-galactic," Komatsu noted.
"What?" Hatta said, confused.
"Intergalactic suggests that the war spanned more than one
galaxy. There was only in one galaxy in the movies," Komatsu said.
"Yeah, but they were outside the galaxy at the end of the second
movie," Hatta said.
"That's still a far way from being in another galaxy. And they
could've been in one of the spiral arms. You know that we can see
most of our own galaxy in the sky," Komatsu said.
"We're getting off the point. So there's this big... galactic
war, yeah? But we never see more than ten stormtroopers on screen at
any given time, right?" Hatta said.
"Yeah, but Lucas never had them fighting a big crab," Komatsu
said.
"Don't be so sure, he's still got six movies to go," Hatta said.
"Seiji?" a perky voice said.
Komatsu looked over, and a lot of her nervousness faded away.
There's something about a beautiful woman, especially one in a white
robe wearing a tiara, that made him feel at peace.
"Wow Yuki, you look gorgeous!" Komatsu said.
The flush in Yuki's cheeks stood out against the white of her
robe.
"Hmmph," Hatta said. "A robe and a tiara doesn't a princess make.
She's still a peasant."
Yuki just smiled. "Interesting book, Hatta?"
Hatta grunted.
"How much of it have you got colored in?" Yuki asked, ratcheting
the smile up a notch.
Hatta mumbled something. Komatsu was pretty sure he heard the
word "whore".

-> -> ->

Akane danced around her room, not caring how foolish she must
look. She'd sing, if she knew of some song that was as blissful as
she felt.
As she danced around, she pulled off her clothes and threw them
all around. It was a vivacious, disorganized strip-tease. She
considered
humping the bedpost to complete the effect.
She danced over to her closet and looked at the array of clothes
hanging there. Everything seemed just so...ordinary. Nothing befitted
such an important occasion in her life. The only thing that seemed
appropriate was her charm school kimono, and that would look odd.
Then she noticed the outfit she'd worn on the first day of
school,
the one Madoka had admired. The one that her parents didn't know
about,
and wouldn't let her leave the house in.
She'd have to sneak out the back way.

-> -> ->

"All right, places everyone. Let's make this one count," Komatsu
said. One of the Hoshi girls held the clapper up in front of the
camera and clapped it.
"Action!"
Komatsu slowly panned the camera across the field. The dark
clouds on the horizon made the shot perfect. Even if there was a
screw-up, he was going to cut this pan in somehow.
Komatsu made a chopping motion with his right-hand, not taking
his eye out of the view finder. The Hoshi girls in Samurai armor
started shouting and ran across the field, against the pan of the
camera.
"All right, cut, that was perfect!" Komatsu said. "Change
helmets, and get ready to run in the other direction."
"Where did you guys get all this samurai stuff anyway?" the girl
with the clapper asked. Komatsu remembered Yuki calling her Kaori.
"Hatta's family were samurai before the Meiji restoration,"
Komatsu said.
"And his parents are okay with this?" Kaori asked.
"This will be our little secret," Komatsu said. "Hatta, get
ready to menace the princess,"
"With pleasure," Hatta said, saluting with his right claw.
Hatta and Yuki took their position, as did the Hoshi girls, with
their helmets swapped.
"All right guys, this is the money shot, let's make this one
count," Komatsu said. He needed a new catchphrase. "Er, let's make
history!"
Kaori held the clapper in front of the camera. Komatsu noticed
that she'd written "money shot" instead of the correct scene number.
"Action!"
Hatta clawed at Yuki, who let out a scream. Slow pan over to
reveal the five ronin running at her, screaming ad-libbed battle
slogans. They proceeded to beat on the crab with their plastic swords.
Komatsu again noticed how cool the dark clouds in the sky made the
scene look.
"There's something oddly familiar about this," Kaori whispered to
Komatsu.

-> -> ->

The movie had been boring. Akane had wanted to enjoy every
moment of this "date", but she just couldn't take this much syrupy
melodrama. Twenty minutes in, she felt herself drifting off. By
the half-hour mark, she was completely asleep.
When she woke up later, the movie was still going on. The back
of her blouse was drenched in sweat, but she felt remarkable
refreshed.
She worried what Madoka wouldn't be pleased with her falling asleep...
She turned to see that Madoka was fast asleep in the seat next
to her. Her face was so peaceful when she was sleeping. It looked
exactly as she'd always imagined it.
Akane felt a surge of bliss. She'd gotten what she wanted, if
only for this moment. She and Madoka had slept next to each other.
In a short while, Madoka would awake, and that peaceful expression
would disappear. But just for this moment, Akane would stand guard
while her love slept.

-> -> ->

Around eleven, after the rest of the family had gone to bed,
Manami sat in the living room, nervous. She'd been working on a
jigsaw puzzle all night, but hadn't manage to get more a dozen pieces
together.
This was the time she'd been waiting for. This is the time that
she'd finally do it. Or do herself, rather. She couldn't imagine the
panic attack she'd have when this involved another person.
She turned out the light and walked up the stairs to her room.
The window was open and the shades were open. She wondered if she
should close the window: she didn't know how loud the noises she
might make could be. But the breeze was soothing, especially to
someone as flushed and sweaty as she was.
She drew the shades and locked the door. She turned down her
bed and pulled off her clothes. She considered putting her pajamas
on; and decided that if she was too shy to sleep in the nude then
maybe she shouldn't be doing this.
She slid under the covers, took off her glasses and turned off
the light. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She could
hear her heart beating, it drowned out the blood rushing in her ears.
Maybe she could just go to sleep, and forget all about this.
Part of her wanted to do that; but another part wanted to follow
through. She didn't want to fear this anymore, this was part of her;
it was part of what made her human. This was something, unlike the
Power, that she shared with everyone else on Earth. It was something
that made her feel like she belonged.
She thought about what she had to do... The manga hadn't been
much help at all. They gave a vague description of what to do, but
left out all the details.
Manami let out a sigh. The first cavewoman who discovered this
didn't need a manual to tell her what to do. You knew you were doing
it "right" if it felt good.
Manami reached down and touched herself. It took a while before
she felt something other than self-consciousness.
She'd hated Kurumi for not being more forthcoming; but she'd
been right. The best part was figuring these things out for herself.
That night, Manami felt things she'd never felt before. She'd
felt small stirrings before, but this was opening the floodgates.
It felt so good, but in a strange sticky way. She felt herself losing
control, but she liked it. It was like being on a roller-coaster.
When it was over, she lost control of her muscles and assumed
a position she'd often seen in the manga, her legs bent, back arched,
a moan escaping her mouth.
It was amazing how calm and relaxed she felt. She couldn't
remember feeling like this since... She couldn't remember ever feeling
this peaceful or right, even as she drifted off to sleep each night.
She slid into slumber, more content than she had ever felt
before.

As the night wore on, the cover of dark clouds became thicker.
But Manami slept peacefully in her bed, oblivious to what was
happening
high above her.
At three minutes after four on that spring morning a flash of
lightning jumped across the sky, and the apartment shook with a rumble
of thunder.

End Part 2