Hi, Hiruka here. Here's a GAL fanfic that i thought of. Hope you likeit and please review :)

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With her head held high, she walked into the mist. Her friends were close by her side, providing the comfort needed, which was her source of power. However, with one of them lost to them because of a memory spell, she will do anything to gain her friend back. The three continued to walk through the mist, awaiting the new world before them.

"OH MY GOD! THAT WAS THE BEST!"

"NAMIKO!" Nami shuddered behind her book as her mother's voice boomed from below.

Chapter 1: New TownNew School Nami's new way of life

"Sorry mom!" Nami placed her book on her bed and ran downstairs. Downstairs was dark except for in the kitchen. The smell of jasmine tea filled Nami's nose, leading her towards her mother. As she arrived closer to the sweet smell of flower and water, her mother tapped her head.

"I was going to bring it upstairs, but since you caused such a scene with that screaming…"

"Aw, come on mom," Nami pleaded, her eyes sparkling and a smile on her face, "I start school tomorrow and having a nice cup of hot, sweet, jasmine tea would be the perfect remedy to put me right to sleep and will keep me quiet when I read my books." Her mother rolled her eyes, but caved in. Nami stole the cup greedily and began to carefully sip the tea. It smoothly slid down her throat with a warm feeling growing in her stomach.

"Come to think of it," her mother began, "When I was out shopping I picked up a magazine for you." The tea suddenly slipped down Nami's wrong pipe and she began to cough.

"A *cough* magazine?" she asked, "Mom, I never go near the stuff. They *cough* bore me to no end."

"But Namiko, this is a magazine about how teenage girls are living their lives nowadays." Nami took another sip.

"What sort of lifestyle, exactly?" She looked over as she saw her mom pull out a blue magazine with the words "GALS!" written in pink bubble letters. On the cover was a model with freakishly long blonde hair, long earrings, a belly shirt, mini-skirt, and platform sandals. Nami's eyes widen with curiosity.

"Wow" she said. Her mom leaned over her shoulder.

"I know, I know." She took the magazine from Nami's hands and placed it on the table. "When I was in Shibuya, the lifestyle of a gal was just starting."

"So were you ever a gal?" Her mother laughed and placed her finger on her lips.

"I'll tell you once you're deep into your own gal-hood."

"I don't know if I could," Nami stated, staring at the outfit and shoes, "It looks dangerous."

"Well, be prepared for school tomorrow, 'cause it's going to be full of gals!" Nami sighed as she kissed her mother goodnight and headed up to her room, leaving the magazine on the table. Once she closed the door, she crawled into bed, thinking of nothing but cute outfits and platform shoes.

The next morning, Nami's mom knocked on her door calling her name. Nami slowly opened her eyes and noticed her Hounan High school uniform: a white button down with a green tie, a green pleaded skirt, and a green blazer with the Hounan crest. Nami yawned and rolled out of bed, heading towards the bathroom to wash her face. On her way there, she could smell breakfast cooking under her nose.

Yummy! Nami thought and she splashed water on her face. As she reached for a towel, the image of a gal appeared in her mind. Oh yeah, Mom said something about them being at my school. Nami threw the towel in the hamper, walked back to her room, and put on her uniform. Once it was on, she looked at her reflection in her body-length mirror. She looked pretty cool, her long brown hair spilled down her back while a few strands fell over her shoulders.

"I look pretty…normal? I dunno…wait, my socks." Nami quickly ran to her sock draw and pulled out a pair of black knee-high socks and pushed her feet into them. She looked at her reflection one last time before leaving her room and smiled. "Well, new school, new start!"

"Namiko!" her mom called, "You're gonna be late if you keep dawdling like that!"

"Shoot!" Nami sprinted downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table. "Breakfast please!" While she shoved down some breakfast down, her mom sat across from her, resting her hand in the palm of her hand with a worried look on her face.

"Mom," Nami said after a while, food spilling out of her mouth as she spoke, "Are you okay?" Her mother sighed.

"I just worry about you, Namiko." Nami paused during her eating, resting her rice bowl onto the table. That's right, she thought, At my last school, there was that incident. Nami looked at her mom and smiled.

"Don't worry, mom," she said, "New town, new school, new life. I'll be fine."

"I believe that, truly," Her mother replied, "I'm more worried about you within the cliques of your fellow students."

"Look, it'll be fine." Nami placed her chopsticks on the table. "Sure, I had trouble with my former friends in the past, but that's not gonna stop me from starting anew again." Her mother smiled and nodded.

"You're right." She looked at the kitchen clock. "Oh, by the way, you're late." Nami choked on her drink and sprinted towards the door. She threw on her black school shoes and grabbed her Hounan bag.

"My lunch better be in here, or I'll be on time and starve."

"It's in there, now go!" Nami kissed her mom good-bye and ran towards the train station. Luckily, she caught the train she was to take and waited a few stops until she shoved her way towards the exit.

"Phew," she said, "Looks like I might make it." She looked at her watch and her eyes grew in size. "OH GOD, I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" Nami began to sprint towards her school. By the time she saw the gates, she ran faster, praying that it didn't close until she was safely behind them. Just a little more…

PoKa!!!!!

Nami fell backward, surprised that she ran into something when she thought nothing was there. Her lower back began to throb in pain and her legs were burning from the running.

"Sorry," said a person across from her, "Really, I am but—GOD I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" Nami opened her eyes and noticed that whoever was talking to her was already in the building. Wow, whoever that was, they were fast. Suddenly, a man was about to close the school gates when he noticed Nami and asked, "Are you coming in?" Nami nodded and ran onward to her class.

Hounan was like her last school: Large and full of fellow high school students gossiping about the latest news. She thought that everyone would be in the same uniform, but many of both guys and girls were wearing different color sweaters and many of the girls wore loose socks. Is this even allowed? Nami began to guide herself towards her class and noticed that most of the girls had died hair, loose socks, and long finger-nails. They sorta look like the gals in the GAL magazine that mom showed me…Wait, didn't mom say that there'd be gals here? Nami slid open the door to her classroom and held her breath. Everyone's eyes fell on her and for a moment, she wanted to runaway, but then everyone went back to their own discussions. Nami noticed that most of the desks were already filled with other people.

Where're am I gonna sit if they're all taken? She thought when her eyes fell onto a desk by the window. It seemed vacant since there were no books inside the desk and no bag on the side. Nami approached her desk, her back facing the others, and as she began to unload her stuff, she heard people whispering about her desk choice.

"Hey, that girl's taking Aya's desk."

"Well, it makes sense since Aya's in the college prep class."

"But it still sorta feels weird that an outsider is taking her seat."

"It's doesn't matter, it's just a seat. Aya's still Aya and that's all that matters." Nami felt her chest tighten as she bit her lower lip. Five minutes haven't passed and already she's the talk of the class.

"Nice way to start off the year," She mumbled to herself. Suddenly, a teacher entered the room with a depressed look on his face as he headed towards his desk.

"Settle down everyone." Slowly, everyone began to quiet down except for the laughter of one girl with a red streak in her strawberry-blond hair. "That includes you, Kotobuki." The girl faced the teacher and scratched her head.

"Sorry, Naka-sen." The teacher sighed.

"Let's try to do more work this year, Kotobuki. No more being late to class or not doing your homework, right?"

"Of course!"

"Good." Naka-sen straightened himself out and introduced himself to the class.

"Good morning, All of you remember me from last year, but for the new student in the class, I'm Nakanishi-sensei." He looked at Nami who felt a shock go through her body. Shoot! She thought.

"Tsukiyomi Nami, please stand." Nami really didn't want to, but she felt that if she wanted to start anew, she'd have to do what the teacher asked of her. With shaky hands, she pushed herself off from her desk and stood up. Many of the kids began to whisper among one another and the teacher had to quiet them down.

"Tsukiyomi is transferring in from another school, so please treat her well." He signaled her to sit down and Nami's long day began. Every class dragged onwards until lunch, in which Nami sat at her desk and ate alone. She had a book out on her desk and began to read it intensely, blocking out the world around her and entering the world within the pages before her. Suddenly, time began to fly by and her lunch was over and her long, boring classes continued.

By the time the final bell rang, Nami felt relieved that her academic day was over and she could head on home. As she quickly gathered her books, she noticed a girl enter the classroom with long black hair running towards Kotobuki and the others.

"Aya!" they all screamed.

So she's the girl who used to sit here, Nami thought.

"Oh guys, how I missed you all."

"We missed you too," said a girl with bright blond hair and a pink sweater, "This class isn't the same without you."

"Yeah," said another blond-haired girl wearing the school blazer, "This new girl took your desk and it's sorta weird that it's not you sitting there."

"It really is," replied another one with short brown hair. Nami sighed. Sorry that I'm new here. I guess you'll have to deal with it. She quickly gathered her things and left the school. She was about to head on home when she realized that she wanted to check out the bookstores in Shibuya. Since she had finished all of the books at home and the book in her bag was one she'd already read, a new would be nice for her to have. With a small smile, Nami took the train to Shibuya and was surprised by how many people came here. Everywhere she looked was crowded with people and school kids just hanging out with each other.

That's nice, she thought as she saw the statue of a red dog. She recognized it immediately as the famous Hachiko dog who waited forever for his master to return. Nami couldn't help but to walk towards it and to pay her respects. It must have taken a lot of willpower to wait forever for his master. Nami placed a hand on the cool statue, admiring its beauty when a familiar voice grabbed her attention.

"Hey, you're the girl I crashed into this morning!" Nami turned around and saw Kotobuki with her bag swung over her shoulder and her free hand on her hip. "Sorry about that. I couldn't have Naka-sen upset with me again for my lateness."

"Ran," said the blond one, "That's Tsukiyomi-san, the new girl." Nami felt the urge to run away. She never thought that people from her school would hang out here, especially on a weekday.

"Even better," Ran said, "I'd rather crash into a fellow classmate than any other person, really."

"Well, Naka-sen is really gonna be on you tail this year," the blond girl replied.

"I know, I know. Don't be such a worry wart, Miyu." Miyu sighed. Nami saw Aya looking at her and then at her friends, back and forth as if picking whether to hang with the new kid or stick with the old. Finally, she gave Nami a kind smile and said, "So how do you like our school so far?" Nami stared blankly at her for a second before realizing she was making small talk with her.

"Oh," Nami said, "Umm…It's okay, I guess. I mean, it's been only one day."

"Well, let me say that with this girl in your class, you're gonna have lots of entertainment." Aya pointed to Ran, who gritted her teeth and glared at her.

"What's that suppose to mean, Aya?" Aya giggled.

"I'm just saying that my class will never be as interesting as last year when you would share all of your late stories."

"That's true," Miyu replied. She then looked at Nami and said, "This girl will come in late or not do her homework and have some crazy story behind it. And what makes it so interesting is that she says it straight as if it really happened."

"Well," Ran said, "It is a gift. I'm able to come up with the best stories."

"Oh Ran," Aya said.

"Ran, really," Miyu said at the same time. Nami bit her lips together, feeling a little awkward of being the odd-one out in this group.

"Well, I can't wait to hear them," she finally said, "But I do have to get going and-"

"Actually," Aya interrupted, "We were gonna look for some new accessories in Shibuya, do you wanna join?"

"I really don't-"

"Sure you should come," Ran said, placing her arm through Nami's, "Since you're new here, you should explore Shibuya a little. And having the great Kotobuki Ran guiding you through is a special privilege."

"The great Kotobuki Ran?" Nami repeated, confused of what Ran was saying. Ran dropped her arm and jumped onto the Hachiko statue with the dog between her legs. She struck a pose and gave a big smile.

"I'm number one in Shibuya, the world's greatest gal, Kotobuki Ran!"

"Number one gal?" Nami repeated. Suddenly, the magazine image returned in her mind and she gasped. "So you're a gal?"

"Of course," Ran replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So you wear funky clothes and platform shoes?" Ran laughed.

"Those are the essential fashion-wear of a gal."

"I must admit, I'm impressed."

"What do you mean by that?" Miyu asked.

"My mom showed me this magazine of gals and I couldn't help but applaud those who can walk in those shoes and wear those clothes."

"It's not that difficult to wear, really," Aya said, "You get your own sense of style and you create a gal of your own."

"That sounds pretty cool." Nami said, happy that she wasn't lying to fit in. She was impressed by the clothes and shoes. In a way, she began to feel the urge to try some on herself. Calm down, Nami, she thought, Don't wanna get your hopes too high about them or about this gal stuff. As cool as it sounds, you've gotta keep your guard up.

"So?" Ran said, pulling Nami out of her thoughts, "Come with us while we go shopping. Maybe you'll pick something up and can wear it to school."

"But isn't wearing accessories not allowed?" Nami asked, feeling a little stupid in asking.

"Technically, no," Miyu answered, "but since every girl there does it, the teachers don't really complain."

"That's right," Ran shouted, "Now let go and-" a sudden loud grumble filled the streets, causing Nami to look around.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Ran's stomach," Aya answered, pointing at Ran, who had suddenly fainted over Hachiko. Nami stared at her in amazement.

"How can one girl have a grumble that loud," she muttered.

"No one has the faintest idea," Miyu answered, causing Nami to jump a little. Miyu giggled and walked towards Ran. "Ran, we can pick up food on the way, but let's hit the stores or all of the good stuff will be gone." Nami watched as Miyu and Aya drag Ran away from Hachiko and towards a Takoyaki stand, where Ran devoured five helpings and offered none to the others.

"That is one big appetite," Nami commented. Ran ate the last takoyaki before replying, "A great gal must have a great appetite. Don't be stingy. That's an ironclad rule for gals!"

"Ironclad rule? There're actual rules to be a gal?"

"Not really," Aya answered, "but Ran is so famous not only in Shibuya, but for gals nationwide. Magazine writers write down her ironclad rules and publishes them for all to see."

"Last year, a girl from Hokkaido came to Shibuya just to become her disciple," Miyu added. Nami was too amazed to speak. Out of all the people she had met in the past, this group was the most entertaining bar none.

"Enough chat of the past," Ran shouted, "Let's go get some accessories!" With a proud march, Ran headed towards the ¥100 store with Aya and Miyu following close behind. Nami kept a distance, lost into her own mind about whether to ditch them or still hang with them.

Normally when I go to a new school, I'm not given such a welcome, even if it was an accident.

"Hey, Tsukiyomi!" Nami snapped out of her mind and found herself staring at Ran.

"Wow, you space out a lot, just like Aya."

"That's mean of you, Ran!" Aya screamed.

"Sorry," Nami said, "I was just lost in thought."

"Well, if you stay in your mind the whole time you're gonna miss the present. Now…" Ran grabbed a blue polka-dotted bracelet along with silver bangles and placed them on Nami's wrists.

"Which one do you like better?"

[Tsukiyomi residents]

"I'm back!" Nami shouted as she took off her shoes at the door.

"Welcome back," she replied, "How did it go today?" Nami sprinted towards the kitchen and told her about school, Shibuya, and hanging out with a group of people shopping for accessories.

"My my my," she said, "Sounds like you were busy." Nami nodded. "You can't even stop smiling." Nami laughed and shook her head.

"I've not been smiling all day."

"But it's a good thing. It shows that you're breaking your old tradition." Nami shrugged, raising her wrists in the air. As her right arm moved, there was a jingle sound. Nami saw a wide grin grow on her mother's face as she asked, "Are those the bracelets you chose?" Nami stared at them and nodded.

"I think the fact that you get more bracelets for the same price as one plastic one is a good one, especially if you chose these bangles."

"Well I'm happy for you."

"Me too!" Nami quickly ran upstairs and began to tackle her homework.

The next day of school was just like the day before. When she entered the classroom, no one paid any attention to her, including Ran and Miyu.

I thought that it would be too good to be true. With a sigh, Nami headed towards her desk, plopping her bag on its surface. Soon after, Naka-sen walked in and her second long day began. Throughout the day, Nami's eyes kept on wandering over to Ran and Miyu, wondering if they would look at her back, hoping that they hadn't already forgotten her. By the time the bell rang for lunch, Nami decided to give up. When the final school bell rang, She slipped out of the classroom and headed towards the exit. As she walked, she heard someone calling her name. When she turned around, she saw Aya running towards her, waving her arm in the air. Nami felt her heart flip a little with joy.

"Hey," Aya said, catching her breath, placing her hands on her knees for support, "I thought that was you."

"You were right," Nami replied, not really knowing what else to say. Aya finally caught her breath and stood up straight.

"We were gonna head on over to Palm tree and do our homework there. Why don't you join us?" Nami stared at Aya's smile, happy that someone remembered her.

"Sure," Nami said, "I'd love to."

"Great. Ran and Miyu should be coming out any minute, unless Ran is already caught for not doing her homework."

"Does Kotobuki-san always not do her homework?" Aya nodded.

"The only time Ran will ever do her work is if her allowance is on the line, which can be frequent sometimes. Oh, there they are." Aya waved her arm in the air and Ran waved back, running towards them with Miyu close behind.

Breaking the old tradition, huh? Nami thought, Maybe I can break it. Here. With these people…well, maybe I should wait until I know them better. Can't make assumptions that we're friends until later.

"HEY!" Nami jumped at the sound of Ran's loud voice. "Man, if you keep spacing out like that, time's gonna fly right by you."

"Sorry," Nami said, her heart still startled by Ran's voice.

"So, shall we get going?" Miyu asked. With a nod, the four of them headed towards Palm Tree.

While they traveled, Nami listened to Ran speak about the cutest boots that she just had to buy, then she began complaining about how her father doesn't give her enough allowance money, then onto how she really doesn't want to be a police officer.

"So my dad then said, 'Ran, if you wish to make it in this world, you should follow your destiny of being a police officer.' Then I said, 'No way, pops. My destiny is to be a gal and live every moment.' Besides, being a cop is so not my thing."

"Yeah, especially when you do something to help people and get all passionate without knowing it," Miyu pointed out. Ran pouted, swinging her bag over her shoulder and not speaking.

"So Tsukiyomi-san," Aya said, changing topics, "What do you like to do?"

"Me?" Aya nodded. "Well, I love reading books."

"Really? So do I." Nami couldn't help but smile. "What books are you into?"

"Well, fantasy is my thing. Although I must confess, sometimes, if there isn't a good book out, I'd just pick up a manga."

"Mangas are the only things that Ran reads," Miyu added in.

"Of course," Ran said, "Why read more books when you're already really smart now?"

"But some books aren't just for learning, Kotobuki-san," Nami replied, "Fantasy books are basically mangas without any pictures and are detailed with many things. That's what the imagination's for, right?" Ran stared at her for a moment and thought about it.

"Yeah," she finally said, "but I'd still never pick up a book." Nami sighed.

"Well, here we are," Miyu announced, raising her hand behind her. "Tsukiyomi-san, this is Palm Tree. I also work part-time here." Nami smiled as she saw the little café shop with its stain-glass door, its pink paint, the columns, it looked like a cool place to hang out.

"But…" Nami began to say aloud, "Isn't this…in the middle of nowhere?"

"We thought so too," Aya answered, "But a lot of people come here just for this place. Of course, when school lets out, not many people come here except us and more of our friends." Nami nodded and swallowed hard.

They've got MORE friends? Wow, is there even room for me to fit in?

"Well then," Miyu began to walk towards the door, "Shall we?" Nami followed close behind and when Miyu opened the door, she saw tables set up on her left, a counter on her right with a tall man in dark sunglasses behind it, wiping down a glass in his hand. When they entered, he looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Gill-man," Ran shouted. The man's smile disappeared and he placed the glass on the counter.

"You know, I've got a name you know."

"But Towa-rin says that we can call you that while she's away. You wouldn't wanna upset her, now would you?"

"Towa-rin?" Nami repeated.

"Towa-san is the owner of Palm Tree," Aya answered, "She's traveling for a bit, but she'll be back soon to take over."

"In the mean time," Miyu continued, "her high school buddy is helping her out while she's away." Name placed a finger on her cheek.

"Why does he look so familiar?"

"That's because he's Detective Kudoh in the 'Odaiba Cop' series." Nami's jaw fell to the ground and the man before her rubbed the back of his head.

"That's true," he said, "But we don't have a shooting for another while, so I'm helping out Towa-chan in my spare time."

"That's really nice of you," Nami replied. The four of them soon grabbed a table and began to do their school work. Nami was glad that Aya was there because there were some things that she didn't understand. Ran, on the other hand, was busy goofing off and Miyu was yelling at her, trying to persuade her to do something.

"Man, Ran, you're just gonna end up taking supplementary classes again. Is that something you really want?"

"Like hell I wanna waste my Shibuya time stuck in school."

"THEN DO SOME WORK!" Miyu shouted, causing Ran to fall out of her chair. Nami couldn't help but laugh. Suddenly, her phone began to ring, interrupting the yelling process between Miyu and Ran.

"Hi mom."

"Hey Namiko. You still hanging out with the girls from yesterday?"

"Yeah, they're helping me with my homework. You want me to head on home?"

"Well, only if you want dinner. If you're planning on eating with the girls, then that's okay too."

"Nah, I'll come home…Alright, see you then." Nami closed her phone and looked at the three. "Sorry, I gotta go."

"That's alright," Miyu said, "We're almost done here anyway." Nami began to pack her things into her bag. Once she zipped it shut, she rose and said, "Thank you for inviting me to tag along again. I really enjoyed it."

"Well of course we'd invite you," Ran said, "That's what classmates do, right?" Nami felt her heart stop, but she placed a smile on her face.

"Well, thanks just the same. I'll be going now." As quickly as she could, Nami ran out the door and began to head towards the train station.

Classmates…that's right. I've gotta remember that. Friends don't just develop over two days. It takes time. As Nami continued to run, an old memory began to creep into her mind.

"Just because we just met, doesn't mean that we're not friends. Friendship is something you know from the start, and I think that we're gonna be best friends, Nami-chan."

Nami felt a pain in her heart as another memory began to creep in.

"Come on, we're best friends. You can do this. I've got your back."

Nami began to run faster, trying to prevent any more thoughts to enter her mind. Unfortunately, no matter how fast her legs could carry her, they still came.

"Wow, thanks, Nami-chan. You're such a good friend."

"Don't worry. If you just follow my plan, it'll work."

"Friends always do what the other wants, right?"

PoKa!!!!!!

Nami suddenly found herself on the ground again, rubbing her back again from falling down. The memories had stopped coming in, which was a relief.

"Sorry. Didn't see you there," said a masculine voice. Nami looked up and saw a pair of grey eyes staring down at her. His hair was pitch black and blocking out the setting sun from her eyes. After what felt like minutes of staring, he extended a hand and helped her on her feet.

"That's okay," she replied, "I wasn't paying attention." She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at the ground, noticing her bag had fallen against a tree. She ran towards it to pick it up, but once she pulled on the straps, she heard a snapping sound and one slipped through her fingers, which lead to the bag falling again.

"Oh man," she whispered, "How am I gonna carry my books home now?"

"Is everything alright?" Asked the guy. Nami turned around and smiled.

"My bag just broke that's all." She heard his footsteps approaching her.

"Here." The guy sat down on the ground and began to take out her books from her bag.

"Hey, what're you-"

"I'm switching bags with you."

"What? Why?"

"You looked like you were in a hurry. It'll be easier to carry your stuff when you've got two secure straps rather than one."

"But that'll be unfair to you." He chuckled.

"I'm in no hurry." Nami gave up as she watched him carefully placing her books into his black bag. It reminded her of Ran's bag in a way. He definitely went to a private school, that's for sure. He had a dark blue uniform, both coat and pants, with gold buttons on the jacket. She saw his white button collar peaking at the top. I wonder what school he goes to. Finally, he finished transferring the books and handed her his bag.

"There you go." She took it and stared down at it, not knowing what to say except for, "Thank you."

"No problem." He took a hold of her broken bag and stood up. "Good luck at getting where you need to go." And with that, he left. Nami still sat there by the tree, holding the straps of the bag really tightly.

Who was that guy?

The week flew by and Nami was pleased that no memories from her past had stalked her mind. For Wednesday and Thursday, everyone was busy doing other things, so Nami wasn't so devastated when they didn't ask her to hang out with them again. However, at school, they haven't seen to recognize her. Finally, when the bell rang ending the day, Nami gathered her courage and headed over towards Ran and Miyu.

"H-Hey guys," she said. Ran and Miyu turned around and smiled.

"Hey, Tsukiyomi-san," Miyu replied. She turned to two other girls and pointed, "This is Satsuki and Rie." The two said hi.

"I'm Tsukiyomi Nami. Nice to meet you."

"Anyway, we were about to head on into Shibuya. Wanna come?" Ran asked everyone.

"Sorry, Ran," Satsuki said, "I promised my folks that I'd help out with some house stuff."

"And I promised to help," Rie replied.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped then." She then looked over at Nami. "You're obviously in, right?" Nami nodded and Ran jumped on her desk.

"Alright! Lets head on into Shibuya! Life!" Ran suddenly struck a pose. Soon after, a fan came falling down on her, causing her to fall.

"Kotobuki," Naka-sen said, "How many times have I told you not to stand on the desk!"

"Sorry, Naka-sen, but it's the start of the weekend. I'm just excited."

"THEN GET EXCITED WHEN YOU"RE OUT OF SCHOOL!" He screamed. Ran quickly grabbed her stuff, then Miyu and Nami's arms, and dragged them while sprinting out of the school. Aya was waiting by the gate, surprised by their sudden entrance.

"Damn that Naka-sen," Ran began as they arrived in Shibuya, "Why does he have to dampen my mood when the weekend comes?"

"It's not like he wants to dampen the mood, but rather that he just wants you off the desk," Miyu answered.

"Well we're in Shibuya now," Ran said, "and as long as we're on my turf, everything's gonna turn out great!"

"There's Ran and her positive attitude," Aya said.

"She never gives it away," Miyu added. Nami just stared at Ran, wondering how this girl stays so happy. I hope I can learn from her. At least if things don't work out, I'll get something good out of it.

"Hey, isn't that Tsukiyomi Nami?" A voice said loudly. Nami froze, hoping that it was her imagination or a memory rather than a real voice.

"Yeah, what's she doing here?"

"I thought that after the incident at school she'd be far out of Japan."

"Well, since she's freakishly-close to her mom, they probably pulled some strings and created a new cover."

"I wonder how SHE'S gonna feel knowing that her ex-best friend is back."

"I know, I can't believe she would do that to her. And they were so close."

"I know…" The voices faded and all Nami could hear was the beating of her heart pounding in her ears. She had wanted to start things anew here, try to gain new friends without anything about her past getting in the way. However, it seems to be that it was all around her. Her eyes wandered on over to Aya, Miyu, and Ran, who were all looking at where the voices had left. Nami noticed that Ran was no longer goofing around. Her eyes had changed and they just glared in the direction of the voices. Nami felt her heart sink, knowing that probably the best thing for her to do is to leave. She took one step back until a Ran's voice stopped her.

"Dumbasses." She said, "Thinking that just because they see someone that they can start bringing up the past. If I ever see them in my Shibuya again, I'll make sure that they won't return."

"That's horrible," Miyu added, "Not everyone wants to be reminded of the past, especially if they did something that they regretted doing." Nami stared at the ground, looking at her black shoes and the ground beneath them.

"Obviously, they've got boring lives." Everyone looked at Aya. "People like them live off of other people who've had difficulties in their lives. That way, they've got something interesting to talk about after school." She turned to Nami with a kind smile on her face. "If they live on gossip and the past, then they'll never have the fun that everyone should have."

"Hoshino-san…"

"That's right." Nami looked at Miyu. "Life as a gal is way more fun that living on gossip. It helps you through the bad stuff."

"Yamazaki-san…"

"You're right." Nami looked up at Ran, who was suddenly standing on Hachiko. "You both are. Living on gossip is no life at all, and being a gal is too much fun to pass up." She jumped down and wrapped her arm around Nami's shoulder.

"Obviously, you've got something big on your mind. No prob, you don't have to tell us now. But you know, if you ever wanna tell us, you can. Talking to your friends helps lessen the suffering." Nami didn't know what to say. She just stared at the ground again, feeling that she should say something.

"You know," She began, "I don't have the best of luck when it comes to friendships, so I don't know when one wants me to hang with them or not." She looked up at the three. "I guess I sorta lost my trust in friendship."

"But you want to though, right?" Ran asked. "Trust in friendship again?" Nami nodded. "Then stick with us 'cause we will knock that trust back into friendship…plus we want you here." Nami couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks. Can I ask you a favor though?"

"Sure thing!"

"Can you three teach me how to live life as a gal?" Nami noticed Ran's eyes beginning to sparkle.

"Of course! And with the Great Kotobuki Ran to guide you, you'll be in the group that contains the greatest gals of Japan!"

"Thanks!"

"Well, first off, lets get you platform shoes," Miyu suggested,, "Then we'll get you some gal clothes that you can mix and match with."

"And then there're the nails," Aya added, "You need press-on nails. Of course they don't have to be as long as Ran's, but they look great."

"And then to celebrate," Ran concluded, "We'll have a Kara-Mara to celebrate our new friend! Right, Nami?" Nami was surprised that Ran had called her by her first name, but she smiled big and nodded.

"Then let's hit the shoe store!" Ran, Miyu, and Aya began to walk ahead. Nami followed close behind, thinking, I guess it is possible to start anew…I really wonder what fun is gonna be in my future.