Ikuko sighed. Once again she was walking with her best friend, Ryoko, and Seiichiro. She didn't mind walking with Seiichiro, in fact, she rather liked him as much as a normal friend. Ikuko just couldn't seem to let go of the fact that, now that her two friends were dating, she would be the third wheel, the outcast. She missed the days when she and Ryoko would walk together alone, but she just had to accept that the only way she and Ryoko would be alone was when Ryoko would visit her house, or vice versa.
"KOISO RYOKO! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"
In turn, each of the small group of three sighed. Kuroda's sudden outbursts were becoming ritual now. It happened so often that no one was surprised anymore, including Ikuko, the quiet, timid girl who was friends with the martial arts expert - not to mention one of the two girls who could hold their own in any fight against any number of boys.
"Kuroda, why can't you just be quiet?" Ryoko mumbled. "And let me go!" Glancing to the commotion, Ikuko saw that it was the same scene that had been recurring every day since Kuroda first met Ryoko. Ikuko looked at Seiichiro, but he had the same clueless look he always had.
Funny, Ikuko remembered when she was absolutely terrified of that boy. She wasn't the only one - when he first transferred, everyone was complaining about nightmares involving that Kitano boy and his devilish, demonic facial structure. Though she would never say it out loud, she was glad Ryoko met up with Seiichiro. Not only did Ryoko calm down immensely, Ikuko now had a group of friends that she would never in her dreams believe she would have.
Seiichiro, the boy with the face of the devil, but the heart of an angel, was so extremely misunderstood that she couldn't understood why he was always so cheerful and calm about everything. Ikuno, the other girl who rivals Ryoko in fighting skill, who's a little scary in her own right. She wasn't like Seiichiro - she really was scary enough to match her cold eyes and indifferent expressions. Takehisa, the blonde boy who was the self proclaimed little brother to Seiichiro. Another violent driven boy.
Then there was Kuroda and his nameless pair of cronies who were always trailing behind him. Kuroda was an outspoken boy, eccentric, and very violent, though also a coward. She couldn't understand why he was so attracted to Ryoko, when she clearly had no interest whatsoever in him. It was obvious Ryoko didn't like Kuroda, and yet he was always there, making sure she was okay, constantly reminding her of his love for her, willing to die to protect her - though she didn't need anyone's protection, and he probably would die trying to protect her, literally.
Ikuko sighed again. What she wouldn't give to have someone care about her like that. She wasn't as pretty as Ryoko, nor was she as outgoing. Her hair was short; some people called it the pixie cut. She was shorter than Ryoko, making her the shortest one in their group. She wasn't strong, couldn't protect herself if she tried, and she really didn't understand the whole fighting thing. What was the point in fighting? Was it really just to prove how strong you were? These boys took fighting so seriously, and yet it seemed rather pointless.
Kuroda was yelling something incoherent as Ryoko quickly dealt the daily face kick in attempt to shut him up and leave her alone. Ikuko glanced at Seiichiro to see how he felt about his girlfriend always being bugged by a boy like Kuroda, but Seiichiro just stood there, with his clueless expression, obviously not at all worried. Why should he be worried? He and Ryoko loved each other. Sure they were only in their first year of high school, but they really and truly loved each other. Ikuko could see them growing old together, getting married, going to the same college, having a family.
Ikuko couldn't picture any of that for herself. Of course, they were only in their first year of high school, and she needed to pay as much attention to her work than worrying about if she'll ever find love. Sure she would. After she graduates from high school and moves on to college, she might be lucky enough to fall in love with a boy she happened to be partnered with, or a tutor, or even a professor. Yeah. She could certainly see herself falling in love with a college professor.
Ryoko tugged on Ikuko's arm, signaling that the ruckus finally ended, and they could now head off to class. Ikuko had been daydreaming about her college professor that she hadn't been paying much more attention to the commotion between her friends, but now that it was all over, she was able to pull herself back into reality. Kuroda and his cronies were gone, and the three of them were now heading to class.
Finally lunch time had arrived. Ikuko was starving, and she couldn't wait another second to dig into her lunch that her mother had made for her. There were only a few things missing: the drink that she had to go buy from the cafeteria, and Ryoko. Her friend had gone off to be with Seiichiro for the lunch period, leaving Ikuko alone. She didn't mind it, however. She would be alone most of lunch anyway considering she had to walk all the way to the cafeteria to buy her drink.
Taking her lunch with her, Ikuko made the long walk to the drink vender. She was happily enjoying her leisurely walk, not running into any trouble, looking forward to eating her meal.
Of course, lately, peace didn't last long for her. In fact, Kuroda had shown up a tad bit later than usual, she had started to become worried. He grabbed her arms and brought his face dangerously close to hers, going beyond the invasion of personal space.
"Koiso Ryoko friend #A!" Surprisingly, he wasn't shouting as loud as usual. "Where is she? She's with him, isn't she? Please tell me it isn't true! They're doing unnatural things! I just know it! Oh, why? What does she see in him?" The usual nonsense spewing from his mouth. "Koiso Ryoko friend #A, what's the secret? How can I make her fall in love with me?"
Ikuko sighed, for about the fifth time already, and swatted his hands off her arms. She wasn't outgoing, emotional, easily angered, nor did she even care about Kuroda's lack of self confidence, but to be completely honest, she was getting tired of being referred to Ryoko's friend #A. All this time she'd been so intimidated by Kuroda and the other thugs, but not right now. He had grabbed her and, even though he ought to know her name, he still refuses to call her by it. She had repeatedly told him her name, but for some reason he didn't seem to think he important enough to know her name.
Making a weird grunting noise, she swatted Kuroda's hands off her. Kuroda stepped back, a question plain on his face. One of his cronies said something about respecting her seniors, but she couldn't care less what they thought. They were just as bad as Kuroda.
"Listen, meathead," she said quietly. There was no point in yelling at this brainless ape, he wouldn't get the message. She's yelled at him countless times, and now she's had enough. She just wants to get to the cafeteria so she had enough time to eat her lunch. It was bad enough that she was ditched again, she didn't want to spend her lunch with these idiots. "Ryoko is having lunch with her boyfriend." Yep, there's that stupid angry raise of his eyebrows. "She doesn't like you, not even remotely enough to want to be acquaintances with you. Move on. Find someone else."
She pushed passed him, but he grabbed her. His anger was evident on his face, and it almost made Ikuko afraid, but not quite. The students around them were whispering about her living expectancy. She could hear them, they weren't exactly being discreet about it. She didn't care. Before Kuroda could say another word, she said her last bit.
"And my name is Ikuko, not Koiso Ryoko friend #A." She pulled her arm out of his grasp, which was surprisingly easy considering how weak she was compared to him. He was tall, and muscular to boot. Definitely a mindless ape. She couldn't stand him. She didn't want to be friends with him. She could handle Seiichiro and Takehisa, and even Ikuno, but not this monkey.
Without another word, and blatantly ignoring Kuroda's cronies yelling something else about respecting her seniors, and who the hell did she think she was talking to?
She knew exactly who she was talking to, and she decided to take his shit no longer.
