High School Reunion
Part 1- I Must Not Chase The Boys...
It is September 12th, a Tuesday. The first day of the school year at Hibiya High School. The entrance ceremony for the first year students is being held in the auditorium. In the front row, on the right, sat three boys. Two looked almost exactly alike and the other had brown hair. Two rows behind those boys, were two girls, one blond and one brunette. On left side, in the front row, sat two girls accompanied by five boys. The principal was giving her speech and welcoming the new students. In the process, thanking all the upperclassman who helped with the preparations. That was basically the first day. Short and sweet.
The second day was different... The three boys from the right row, the five boys from the left row, and the girls from both sides, were all in the same homeroom class. As far as they knew anyway. The teacher, Mr. Umeda, was taking role. "Katou, Jeri?" he called, looked up from the role sheet, and saw the girl stand up.
"I am Katou, Jeri." she continued to state which junior high school she came from and so forth. This girl has short, brown hair, with a half side swept ponytail on the right side of her head and brown eyes. She was also wearing the school uniform. As soon as she was done, she sat down again.
"Kanbara, Takuya?" Mr. Umeda questioned and looked up. Seeing the kid stand, like he was important as some girls swooned.
"I am Kanbara, Takuya." he, like all the other students, listed important things about himself and sat down. He has unruly brown hair, quite short, and brown eyes.
"Kimura, Kouichi?" Mr. Umeda went on with the role.
"I am Kimura, Kouichi." the boy stood up and almost every girl in the room sighed. He has short, unruly, black hair and dark, sapphire blue eyes. He did the same as Chiaki, and sat down again.
Mr. Umeda went on with the role. The next person is called upon. "McCoy, Alice?"
"I am McCoy, Alice." the girl stood up and stated her information. She is quite beautiful in most guys eyes. Pale blond hair, in pigtails, and ice blue eyes. She sat down and the next person on the role was called on.
"Minamoto, Kouji?" Mr. Umeda looked up and saw him stand. Only three girls didn't swoon as he stood.
"I am Minamoto, Kouji." came his cool, unsteady and nearly careless tone. This boy has long black hair in a pony that runs down his white neck and dark, sapphire blue eyes. He only released the minimal amount of important information before sitting down.
Mr. Umeda didn't really mind this and kept going down the role. It was quite uneventful until he reached two names with same surname. "Orimoto, Zena?" he called.
A brunette girl stood up. "I am Orimoto, Zena." whistles were flying around the room. The girl who had stood up has short, brown hair, and piercing violet eyes. "I came here from Italy. I was born in Rome, Italy." and she sat back down. Most of the class looked surprised.
"Orimoto, Zoe?" Mr. Umeda called, ignoring the students and continuing.
The blond behind Zena stood up. "I am Orimoto, Zoe." the whistles flew again. Kouji, Kouichi and Takuya looked at her in surprise. "I was born here in Japan, and raised mostly in Italy. I was recently living here in Japan, but moved back to Italy. I came back from Italy." and she sat down.
There were only three more people on the role sheet and then homeroom was over. The students got their schedules and headed off to first period. It turned out that Zoe, Zena, Kouji, Kouichi and Takuya all had the same classes except for electives.
At Lunch...
Zoe and Zena received a whole lot of greetings from the upperclassman males. The other guys just watched and either took notes or cried inwardly. The girls were sitting with a few upperclassman guys and a few girls. "It's hard to believe you two girls are first years..." one with brown hair said, surprised by the girls' maturity.
"Thank you." they replied in unison.
"So, are you two sisters or...?" the blond guy asked.
"No, we're cousins." Zoe answered, closing her eyes and shaking her head.
"But a lot of people think we should be..." Zena chuckled and turned towards Zoe. "Right, Z?"
"Yeah. We were born on the same day, but our mothers are sisters-in-law." Zoe informed the upperclassman. They all looked quite surprised.
"It must be fun on your birthday then." one of the girls asked with a warm smile.
"Yes, it gets quite interesting." they answered in unison again.
"Hey Tai! Hey Matt!" another upperclassman came to the table with Kouji, Kouichi and Takuya behind him. All the students seated turned to the newcomer.
"Hey J.P.! What's up?" the one called Tai asked the newcomer.
"I want you to meet my friends, Kouji, Kouichi and Takuya. They're first years this year." J.P. informed the upperclassman as he sat down with them. He looked over at the two girls and almost started to drool.
"It's nice to meet you, senpai." Kouichi bowed his head.
The upperclassman chuckled at this. "You don't have to bow your head." Tai told him politely.
"I'm Ishida, Matt. It's nice to meet first years, and be able to give you advice." Matt, the blond, kindly motioned the boys, who were still standing, to join them.
"Oh yeah! Almost forgot. J.P., this is Zoe and Zena Orimoto. They're also first years." one girl informed the teen of the other new arrivals.
J.P. turned his head to the girls, eyes wide in shock, after hearing their names. "Orimoto!?"
"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Shibayama-senpai." they greeted in unison. This creeped the others out a little.
"How do you two do that!?" Tai exclaimed, serious ly though.
"Well, we told you didn't we?" Zena started.
"We were born on the exact same day..." Zoe continued.
"At the same exact time..." Zena kept going.
"But our mothers are different people and siblings by law." they finished in unison. And giggled afterwards.
"Whoa, really!?" J.P. was about to flip out.
"Yes, really." they answered him in unison again.
"You weren't here for that." one of the girls aimed at J.P.
"Well, sorry for being late, Sora. Geez." J.P. dived into his lunch again.
"Hey, Mimi, Zoe, Zena, wanna go get some ice cream with me?" Sora asked the other girls. Zoe and Zena nodded.
"Yeah, let's go and girl talk!" Mimi declared and they headed off with their trash to the vending machines.
All the guys sweat dropped and returned to their lunch. Matt started small talk with Kouji and Kouichi about music. Takuya, J.P., and Tai small talked about girls and stars. And of course, about soccer. The girls talked about the guys over their ice cream.
After Lunch in fifth period Science...
Science class is the most interesting period for these teenagers. "The ones who are grouped together for their first project are as follows: Group 1: Kimura, Kanamori, Nanba, and Wong. Group 2: Minamoto, Orimoto, Zoe, Akiyama, and McCoy. Group 3: Katou, Matsuki, Orimoto, Zena, and Kanbara. Group 4: Kitagawa, Shiota, Suzushima, and Takeuchi." Mrs. Ashiya went on, The students got together in their groups. Their first project was to get to know each other. The girls sat on the right side of the tables facing the boys on the left side.
Group 1: "My name is Nanba, Hana." Nanba informed the three who already knew this.
"My name is Kanamori, Chiaki." more already stated information.
"I'm Wong, Henry." another stupid introduction.
"And I'm Kimura, Kouichi." the final blow. After the introductions, they talked a little about themselves and got into small talk.
Group 2: "I am McCoy, Alice." the blond, known as Alice, started introductions.
"Orimoto, Zoe here." Zoe was willing to try and make her introduction fun.
"My name is Akiyama, Ryo." the third, second to last introduction.
"Minamoto, Kouji." that was all he said. He sat quietly, watching the other three talk away.
Group 3: "I'm Katou, Jeri." first in a short line of boring statements.
"Orimoto, Zena here." Zena was trying the same thing as Zoe.
"I'm Matsuki, Takato." this boy looked at Jeri then looked away for a second and looked back at her. Almost as if to regain himself.
Just one more to go... "And I'm Kanbara, Takuya." final blow initiated. Ready for lift off.
Group 4: "I'm Suzushima, Tohru." this one is a girl, yes. She was quite pretty too. In their eyes at least. Medium brown hair, glasses, and grey eyes. Also not from their homeroom class.
"I'm Takeuchi, Hibari." another girl not from their homeroom and also quite pretty in their eyes as well. Long brown hair, lots of make up, and light teal eyes.
"I-I'm Kitagawa, Kenta." he stuttered. He's Takato's friend.
"And I'm Shiota, Kazu. It's nice to meet some decent ladies around these parts." he started to flirt with them. Another one of Takato's friends.
The introductions took about twenty minutes of class time. A student came to the door and gave Mrs. Ashiya a slip of paper. She read it and then got the classes attention. "Students, I need your attention please!" and all talking ceased. The students turned to face their sensei. "I need Orimoto, Zoe and Orimoto, Zena to take this slip with you to the principal's office. It says to bring all your books too." the class was stunned. The girls only smirked, grabbed their belongings, headed towards the sensei, Zena received the slip from Mrs. Ashiya, and they slipped out the door. Whispers went around the classroom.
Main Office...
The girls arrived at the main office. "May I help you?" the secretary, Mrs. Ryuushin, asked them.
"Yes, we're here to see Ms. Kaori." they answered in unison, Zena handing Mrs. Ryuushin the slip of paper.
"Oh, right this way Orimoto." Mrs. Ryuushin gave back the paper and led them to Ms. Kaori's door. She knocked on the door. "Ms. Tsukio, the Orimoto girls are here." she called through the door.
"Let them in please." came the voice of the principal from behind the door.
"Go ahead, girls." Mrs. Ryuushin headed back to her desk as the girls entered the office, closing the door behind them.
"Zoe!? Zena!?" there was a girl in front of Ms. Tsukio's desk with a messenger bag on her shoulder and a uniform in her hands.
"Hey Rika!" they greeted in unison. Ms. Tsukio just laughed.
"I take it, you two will take her around the school and catch up huh?" Ms. Tsukio asked the girls for confirmation.
"Yes!" they chimed and then headed out the door with Rika.
Around the school, near the refectory...
"This is the refectory." Zoe and Zena informed Rika in unison for about the twentieth time.
"Stop that! It's creeping me out." Rika looked a little embarrassed. They all giggled afterwards.
"So Rika, how did you get your mom to agree to let you come to this school?" Zena asked, curiosity clearly winning.
"Well, I guess she just gave in to the pressure because grandma was supporting me." Rika admitted, not sure if that was the right thing to say.
"Well, you have the same schedule as we do..." Zoe trailed off, staring at Rika's paper schedule.
"Yeah, where are our classes?" Rika asked in a "I-would-like-to-know-now-please" sort of tone.
"We can show you that tomorrow, since we'll have all day." Zena said, just excited to see her friend.
"You're not gonna like our classmates that much..." Zoe trailed off again, still staring at the paper schedule.
"Why?" Rika questioned the blond's serious thinking.
"Well..." Zena started.
"Ryo is in all of our classes except electives..." Zoe finished. Rika's eyes widened.
"Ryo!? As in Akiyama, Ryo!?" Rika wasn't too happy about this.
"Yeah... I figured you weren't gonna like that part." Zena stated.
"But, Jeri, Alice, Henry and Takato are in our classes too." Zoe added the happy-ish part.
"But so are Kazu and Kenta." Zoe finished with the other unhappy part.
"Joy. Dumb and Dumber." Rika said with a sour look. Zoe and Zena just giggled.
They took their time showing Rika around, and it was time to leave. The release bell rang trough out the whole school. The girls were walking with Rika when they bumped into Alice, Jeri, Sora, and Mimi. The girls turned around after one of the guys said something. Alice and Jeri were extremely surprised to see Rika. Sora and Mimi called and waved at Zoe and Zena, motioning them to come over.
"Come on, Rika!" they said in unison, dragging Rika with them.
They reached the mix of their classmates and upperclassman. 'Well, if it isn't Zoe and Zena Orimoto." Tai said, in a short humorous tone. They all giggled.
"Hey Tai." they chimed in unison, their trademark.
Takuya looked at the two. "Why did you two have to go to the principal's office?" he asked out of the blue. The upperclassman looked surprised to hear this.
"You had to go t the principal's office!?" all the upperclassman questioned in complete shock.
"Yeah, but it was only because she wanted us to show Rika around the school cause it's her first day." they explained in unison. Everyone calmed down.
"Well, it's been a long time Rika." Ryo greeted the "Digimon Queen". He took her hand and kissed the back of it. All the other girls squealed and Rika reddened.
"Stop that!" Rika yelled and jerked her hand away from him.
"Still as spunky as ever I see." Ryo laughed. Rika huffed.
"It's so good to see you again Rika." Jeri smiled sweetly and waved.
"Yes, a wonderful thing to see you again Rika." Alice added.
"It's been too long Rika." Henry stated and waved with a smile.
"Yeah, tell me about!" Takato exclaimed.
"You're still crazier then catfish." Kazu used his favorite phrase that he came up with himself.
"Well, at least she's smart!" Kenta added, only to prove a point.
The two started to bicker and everyone laughed at them. "OH! That's right!" Zoe had just remembered she hadn't introduced anyone else.
"Rika, this is Takenouchi, Sora..." she motioned towards the girl who had called them over. She smiled and waved.
"This one is Tachikawa, Mimi..." Zena introduced the other girl that was there.
"Hi there!" Mimi greeted and stuck her hand in the air.
"This is Kamiya, Tai. He's the captain of the soccer team." Zoe explained and motioned towards Tai.
"It's nice to meet you." he smiled.
"And this one is Ishida, Matt. He's known as the heart-throb of the school." Zena smiled and presented Matt.
"Now Zena, you don't believe that do you!?" Takuya exclaimed. Matt just smiled and sweat dropped along with Kouji and Kouichi.
"Well, I can see it!" Zena yelled her reply to Takuya's question.
"The last one is Shibayama, J.P." Zoe kept on with the introductions.
"It's nice to meet you." J.P. gave a lopsided smile.
"And the other three, including the one who yelled at me, are our classmates as well. Kanbara, Takuya." Zena pointed to Takuya, who was sighing.
"Kimura, Kouichi is the one with the shorter black hair..." Zoe started.
"And Minamoto, Kouji is the one with the longer black hair." Zena finished and they presented the two. Kouichi smiled, while Kouji just nodded.
"Well, I have soccer practice. Takuya, come on, I'll help you get on the team!" Tai called to Takuya and he followed.
"Matt, are you coming over tomorrow?" Sora asked as she grabbed her things.
"Yeah, as long as you come to my band's practice session the day after." Matt bargained with his girlfriend.
"Oh alright." Sora gave in and headed back into the building. Mimi joined her.
Everyone else headed home their separate ways.
The days were all similar after that. Go to school, eat lunch together as a group, sit through the boring classes, ignore the stupid people, meet after the final bell, and then head home. It was all the same. Rika had become even better friends with Zoe and Zena, as well as Kouji. Zoe and Kouji became close. Zena and Takuya became close as well. The girls always hung out every weekend, unless they had exams or relatives in town. Or if they had to visit relatives out of town. Kouichi joined the basketball team, which J.P., Kazu and Kenta were on. Kouji joined the track team with Ryo. Takuya and Takato were also able to join Tai on the soccer team. Jeri joined Mimi in the cooking club. Sora and Alice were in the same club as well, Drama. Zena was the only one on the cheerleading team. Zoe got a spot on the dancing team for halftime shows as well as the volleyball team with Rika.
It was all peaceful for the first year. The next year was the upperclassman's last year. They had to deal with Prom, Homecoming and Graduation. At Homecoming, Matt went with Mimi and Tai went with Sora. Matt and Sora are an on and off couple. When Prom came, Sora went with Matt, Mimi went with a guy named Joe, and Tai went with a girl named Chisame. J.P. went a friend of his who wasn't really gonna go but went because J.P. really wanted to go. Mimi went to Sora's house to prepare for Prom. Zoe and Zena joined to help them. Tai and Matt were preparing together as well.
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so misunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
Sora had on a long, spaghetti strap dress, with a slit up the right leg to mid thigh. It was her favorite color, red. Mimi was wearing a tube top, pink dress. The bottom is kind of short in the front, allowing you to see the bottom of the back from the front. They both were wearing silver high heels. Their hair wasn't done in a special way or anything. They couldn't really do much with their hair anyways. As soon as they had their corsages on, courtesy of Zoe and Zena, they were out the door and off to the prom.
They say I'll understand it all in good time
But age ain't nothin' but a number in my mind
Goin' crazy with this push me pull me
Caught between wrong and right
Zoe and Zena headed home. After midnight, they were asleep. The girls had gone to school the next day and a lot of things had happened at the prom. Fights, drinking, after parties, and so on. But the group was still together. Nothing bad happened to the couples the previous night. Zoe and Zena were happy to hear that. A few more days to graduation. The preparation made it seem like the days were cut in half. And before they knew it, it was graduation day. Zoe and Zena attended the graduation. Rika was busy with her mother, Jeri was also busy visiting relatives that day. Alice was sick. Ryo had a few things going on at home. Henry was busy watching his siblings. Takato had to help at his family's bread shop. Kouji, Kouichi and Takuya were the only others to make it to the graduation ceremony.
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of this story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
That summer was when things started getting quite interesting. Zoe an Kouji were going to movies together with Zena and Takuya. Zena had always wanted to date Takuya, and Zoe wanted to help her out. They had "double-dates", but Zoe wasn't really dating Kouji. She just needed someone to come with her and Takuya also wanted him to come along. This happened often over the summer.
The next year of school started and there wasn't much to tell. During that first half of the year, Zoe became friends with a new girl named Aimi. She also found herself attracted to this boy named Orihara, Kisuke. She would talk with him during lunch and sit with him and his friends. Although, she knew her friend Aimi liked him, she wasn't too serious with her relationship with him. She truthfully liked someone else. But she was stubborn, and wouldn't tell anyone who it was.
I Started writing down my deepest secrets
Seven days a week of truth and fantasy
Got the feelin' that the way life is
Got to be prepared for changes
After Winter break, they started studying for exams. Zoe, Zena, Rika, Alice, Jeri and Aimi would gather at one of their houses and have a study group. The guys would do the same. After the exams were over, it was time to get ready for Prom and Graduation. Prom was quite fun for them. The girls all went shopping together for their dresses. Each giving each other's opinion to the one trying on a dress.
Won't someone tell me what is happenin' to me
Why am I so misunderstood
Why can't they see?
Now I'm caught between the devil and the angel
That I used to be
A week passed and it was two days before Prom. Rika was going with Ryo, Takuya was going with Zena, Kouichi was asked to go with Aimi by Zoe. Takato had built up the courage to ask Jeri to go with him. Kazu and Kenta were going as friends. Henry asked Alice to go with him. Kisuke was going with his brother, and Zoe asked Kouji to go with her as a friend.
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of this story is I got no choice
I must not chase
The two days before Prom were so uneventful it wasn't even funny. The classes were boring and no one was willing to do any work. They were too anxious for Prom. So here we are, hours before the start of Prom. At Rika's house. All the girls were there, getting ready for the night of their lives.
I wanna go left when they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl their kissin' good night
The moral of this story is I got no choice
I must not chase the boys
"Alice! You look so pretty! Henry is going to love you!" Jeri exclaimed, only half dressed.
"Well, Takato won't be able to look at you Jeri. I mean, without blushing, that is." Zena commented as Jeri pulled the top of her dress up and over her shoulders.
"Yeah, really." Zoe added.
"Well, I don't know if Kisuke will be able to look at you without blushing either, Zoe." Rika stated.
"Takuya will be the same way..." Zoe added, sweat dropping.
"Tonight is going to be very fun!" Aimi exclaimed and all the girls laughed together.
As soon as they were ready, they headed out the door to the limo that was waiting outside. Courtesy of Rika's mother, Makino. Makino and Rika's grandmother waved at the back of the limo as they headed for the school.
They can try to make me write a thousand lies
But that won't ever change the way I feel inside
They've got their opinions but I just don't care
Cause that's not what I wanna hear
The girls' limo arrived at the school, the red carpet was awaiting them. All the other students got the red carpet treatment as well, so it was only natural. The first out of the limo was Jeri. Takato stepped up and offered his arm. She took it gleefully and they strolled down the red carpet and into the refectory. Next out was Aimi. Kouichi offered his arm like Takato did and she accepted it gratefully. They walked into the refectory together and took a seat at a table. The next one is Alice. Henry followed the example of Takato and Kouichi and did the same. Alice smiled and took his arm. And they went off. Next is Zena. Takuya followed form and they went in together. Rika got out next, and Ryo almost lost his balance. He was that surprised. He regained himself and followed the examples of his friends. And they headed in together. The last one out was Zoe, who earned quite a look of astonishment from everyone when she exited the limo. Kouji almost didn't greet her like he was supposed to. He offered his arm and she happily took it. And they were the last of that bunch to stroll up the carpet and into the refectory.
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not chase the boys
I, I must, I must not... chase... the boys
Upon entering, all the guys that saw Zoe were like dogs, panting, tongues hanging out and drooling all over the place. Earning Zoe a glare from every girl who was with the guys who were drooling. Kouji led her to the table Kouichi and the others were at. Kisuke and his brother joined them.
"Hey Zoe, want to dance?" he asked her proudly.
"Sure." she accepted, smiled back at Kouji, and left for the dance floor with Kisuke.
"Hey, Aimi! You wanna dance too?" Kisuke's brother, Orihara, Akio, asked.
"Sure why not." Aimi agreed and looked to Kouichi. "Is that alright with you?" she asked, concerned he would think ill of her.
"Go ahead, I don't mind." Kouichi said politely. And with that, she took off with him. Kouji looked to his twin.
"I don't know how you can be so nice..." he was a little sarcastic. "She's your date after all..."
"Well, you let Zoe go didn't you?" Kouichi shot back.
"Good point." Kouji said nothing afterwards, just watched the people on the dance floor.
I wanna give in to the woman in me
I wanna be someone they don't want me to be
The moral of this story is I got not choice
I must not chase
Rika and Ryo were slow dancing. Takato was dancing with Jeri, Alice was sitting with Henry, Takuya and Zena were slow dancing as well. Kouji and Kouichi were still sitting down without the girls. Zoe was with Kisuke, who was wanting to go to the next level. And Aimi was with Akio who was taking it nice and slow.
I wanna go left when they tell me go right
Don't wanna be the little girl their kissin' good night
The moral of this story is I got no choice
I must not chase... The boys
Jeri's dress is long, and light green. She had her hair in the usual, every day style. Alice's dress is short, to her knees, fat spaghetti straps, and a light sky, almost baby, blue color. Her hair is down tonight. Zena's dress is also long, and a dark pink color. She can't really do much with her hair so short. Rika's dress is very gorgeous. It's long, black and dark grey. Her hair is in it's usual fashion. Zoe, lastly, is in a dress with different shades of lavender. There are two slits up the front to her mid thigh. A spiky choker around her neck, silver bracelet on her left upper arm, a bracelet with a cross hanging off the chain on her left wrist, two silver bracelets on her right wrist, and a ring on her right index finger. Cross earrings on, fishnets to her mid lower legs, and a pair of short, tie-up boots on as well. And she was having a blast.
Kouji's night would have been relatively quiet, but he saw something he didn't want to see, and wished he hadn't seen. As we all know, Kisuke wants to take his relationship with Zoe to the next level, right? But Zoe didn't want to. Every time he tried to kiss her, she pulled away or turned around. It was getting on his nerves too. They stopped dancing, got some punch, and headed towards the dance floor again but didn't start dancing. Instead, Kisuke dragged Zoe over to a wall. Aimi, Akio, Rika, Kouichi and Zena were watching this. Kouichi nudged at Kouji.
"Hey..." he said, pointing over towards Zoe and Kisuke on the wall. "Look at that."
Kouji looked over and saw this. "What is he doing?"
"I think... he wants to kiss her." Kouichi said gravely. He knew this would upset his twin. He didn't want to tell him either, but if Kisuke got violent, Kouji would probably be the only one who could do anything.
"..." Kouji didn't reply and just kept watching, waiting for her idiot boyfriend to do something stupid. 'I dare him' he thought.
Zena was watching over Takuya's shoulder. Her eyes widened as she watched too. "Takuya..." she started "Takuya, look!" Takuya followed her gaze and saw the two against the wall. His eyes widened.
"If Kouji sees this..." he started "Let's just hope he doesn't do anything stupid."
Aimi and Akio were watching together. "What do you think will happen if he forces her to kiss him?" Akio asked Aimi without looking at her and still watching his brother and Zoe.
"Well..." Aimi started, also not looking at him. "If Kouji can see him, let's just hope he doesn't do that." she finished, sighing inwardly. 'It'll save him a few bruises and maybe a broken nose...' she thought wearily.
Rika was dancing with Ryo, but also keeping an eye on Kisuke. 'If he does anything to hurt her or even forces her to do anything...' she thought, furrowing her eyebrows in fury, and gripping onto Ryo's shoulders. 'He's not even going to be able to walk tomorrow!'
And then it came. Kisuke was with Zoe. "What is it, Kisuke?" Zoe asked, eyeing her surroundings. Hopefully one of her friends could see her. He was staring into her eyes. A wicked smile spread across his face.
"I want..." he started and closed his eyes, waiting for her to question him.
"You want what?" she asked, a little afraid of what he wanted from her.
"I want..." he repeated "To kiss you." he finished and opened his eyes to meet her horrified face.
"I don't think tonight is the right night..." she stuttered, looking down at the floor.
"But I do." he protested against her.
"But.. I don't want to yet." she refused to kiss him. This angered him a little. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them up against the wall. Her eyes widened at his actions and started to water. "What are you...?"
Everyone who was watching, their eyes widened in either anger or fear. Angry because that was like holding her hostage. Afraid because of what could happen next. Kouji furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, ready to get up and punch him out if he made another stupid move. Kouichi saw this and sighed. Rika wanted charge over there immediately, but stopped knowing Ryo would stop her. Aimi and Zena were clutching onto the boys they were with, with anticipation of what was going to happen next between the two.
"What are you doing Kisuke!?" Zoe almost wanted to shout but couldn't.
"I will kiss you tonight. Right now." and he came towards her face, closing his eyes and puckering his lips out towards her.
'No...' she thought, squeezed her eyes shut and turned her away from him.
That was the only signal Kouji needed from her to get up out of his seat and stomp over toward the two. Zoe still had her eyes shut, so she didn't know he was coming. Zena and Aimi saw him coming. "Oh, here comes Kouji..." they both said, not knowing they said it at the same time. Takuya and Akio nodded at their statements as well. Rika also squeezed Ryo's shoulder when she saw Kouji heading over.
"Rika, why are you squeezing my shoulder like that?" he asked, and followed her gaze. "Oh, never mind..." as soon as he saw that, he knew she wouldn't reply and just bared with the pain, knowing it was just going to get worse.
Kisuke opened his eyes and saw her head turned. "Oh, come now, a kiss can't be that bad can it?" he asked, acting as if he was hurt.
"It is." Kouji answered sternly. Zoe heard his voice, especially the anger in it, and her eyes shot open. A small smile of relief tugged at her lips.
"Well, this doesn't concern you, now does it?" Kisuke asked sarcastically, Zoe looked at him.
"It does, because I'm her date, or did you forget that?" Kouji questioned Kisuke, voice dripping with venom. The fact that he called himself her "Date" was enough to make her happy. But just a little.
"Even so, she's my girlfriend, so back off! You were just lucky because my brother didn't have anyone else to go with. I would have told him to ask that Aimi out, but Zoe had already asked your brother to do so. So I had to come with him. And she really wanted you to come tonight. So you shouldn't even be talking! In fact, if it weren't for my brother not having a date, you and your brother wouldn't even be here right now!" Kisuke was almost yelling and, to Zoe, sounded like he putting some of the blame on her.
"Don't even bring my brother into this!" Kouji kept his voice low and calm, but clearly showed anger in only his voice and on his face.
"Yeah, Kouichi is my friend and so is Aimi!" Zoe started, which startled the boys a little and caused them to look back at her. "You can't blame me because you didn't take action sooner!"
"But I wasn't bla-" she cut him off.
"Yes, you were! I could tell by the way you said everything!" she tried to pry herself from his wrist hold, only causing him to grip her harder. "Ow! Stop! That hurts!"
"I'm not blaming you alright!?" Kisuke, now angered by her accusations, yelled at her, but no one else could hear him through the music, except the ones who were very close, like, let's say, Kouji.
"Don't yell at her." Kouji sternly let the venom drip off his tongue. He grabbed onto Kisuke's wrist.
"You let me go!" Kisuke yelled back at Kouji.
"Only if you let her go." Kouji wasn't letting his grip falter, he was actually tightening it.
"Fat chance!" Kisuke tightened his grip on Zoe's wrist and she yelped again.
"Let me go!" she yelled in his ear and gritted her teeth in pain. She shut her eyes, knowing Kouji might do something and her wrist was throbbing badly. She squeezed her eyes tighter and they started to water again.
"I said let her go!" Kouji yelled. Finally, getting serious, seeing her in pain.
"And I said, fat chance!" Kisuke yelled back, wincing a little at the throbbing of his own wrist, from the tight grip Kouji had on it.
"..." Kouji looked over to Zoe and saw the tears in her eyes. This angered him even more. He brought his other hand up to Kisuke's and grabbed his fingers, pulling them off of Zoe.
"What are you...?" Kisuke stared dumbly at Kouji's hand as he pulled his own fingers off of Zoe, releasing his hold on Zoe. Astonished he would even let his own guard down, he couldn't help but just watch.
"Kouji..." Zoe opened her eyes as soon as Kisuke's grip faltered, and slowly withered away on her right side. She looked at Kouji, bewildered and thankful.
"W-wait a minute!" Kisuke was going to say something, but Kouji grabbed his other wrist and did the same thing again. This time, his grip was even tighter than it was on his other hand. Kisuke whimpered and winced.
"..." Zoe couldn't say anything. She just shook her wrist a little and hid her arms behind her back, away from Kisuke's grip. As soon as Kisuke's right arm dropped to his side, Kouji grabbed Zoe's upper left arm and pulled her away from the wall and towards the table with him.
They left Kisuke there, still trying to figure out what had just happened. Zoe and Kouji were sitting back at the table with Kouichi. Rika and Ryo joined them soon after the song ended. The rest of the group joined a little later as well. The last few hours of the Prom were uneventful, except for the talks of the incident with Kisuke being explained by Zoe, while Kouji just sat there. After the students were told they had to leave school grounds, Kisuke had finally regained himself enough to talk with Zoe again. He came after her just as she was going to get into the limo that had brought her and the girls there.
"Zoe!" he called after her. She stopped in mid step and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Her eyes widened.
"Kisuke..." that was all she could mutter before the others stuck their heads out the door to see who it was.
"Listen, Zoe... I'm sorry about tonight." Kisuke apologized and actually looked sincere.
"Are you that scared of Kouji?" Rika asked, emphasizing 'that'.
"A bit I guess. I've heard of what he can do..." Kisuke admitted, looking down at the pavement.
"Kisuke..." Zoe started, looking away from him and back at the limo. "I don't think our relationship is working out between us..."
"Yeah, I don't think so either." Kisuke had surprised the rest of the girls as well as Zoe.
"Well, at least we see eye to eye. Friends?" Zoe asked and held out her hand for a truce.
"Yeah, friends." Kisuke agreed and shook her hand. "Have fun tonight at your sleep over at Rika's place!" he yelled at her while he turned to run and catch up with his brother.
"Thanks!" She yelled back and got in the limo.
And that was the end of the relationship between Zoe and Kisuke. They remained friends after Prom. The next big event is Graduation. Hope they can make it through this with out any bmps on the road. They had one whole week of school before they got off and had the week after to prepare for Graduation.
The week passed, and the whole gang, as seniors, got off the next week and the week after, on Monday, they had their Graduation Ceremony. Everything went fine for the week in between the release and the actual Graduation. But then, things went a little awry. Three days before Graduation, Zoe's parents had something disturbing to tell her at dinner.
"Zoe..." her father started. "I know your graduation is in three days but..."
"We're moving dear." her mother finished for her father.
"When?" Zoe asked, not really caring.
"We're not sure. We're going to be getting a call from my boss soon. He'll tell us when we have to move." her father explained. This caused her to look up from her food a little worried.
"I just hope it's not before graduation..." Zoe said lowly and returned to devouring her food.
After that, Zoe had packing to do and people to see. Her parents hadn't received the call yet. Zoe was relieved. Then, Graduation day came. It's 6:30 a.m. and Zoe is getting ready, as well as all her friends. She fixed her hair and bolted down stairs. "Bye mom! Bye dad! See you at the ceremony!" she yelled and slipped out the door. Her mother came into the hallway and looked at the door with a smile. Then the phone rang.
Zoe got to the auditorium, where the ceremony would take place. She walked into the door that had "Private Personnel Only" on it. Every graduate-to-be was in there. She walked over to her group of friends and greeted them with an energetic smile. "Hey!" she called.
"Hey Zoe!" Jeri greeted.
"Good Morning, Zoe." Alice smiled and waved.
"Hey!" Rika replied.
"Morning Zoe!" Takuya greeted and put his hand in the air.
Zena came rushing up from behind and attacked her cousin. "Morning Cousin dear!" she calmly spoke into Zoe's ear. Zoe only smiled back.
"Hello Zoe, how was your morning?" Kouichi asked.
"The usual!" Zoe replied, still smiling.
"That's good." Kouji spoke from behind Kouichi. Looked like he was fixing his hair or something.
"Morning Kouji." Zoe greeted him with a warm smile. He stood up straight and looked her in the eye.
"Morning." he simply said 'morning'. (What kind of crush says that!?)
A teacher came through the door and announced that it was time for them to line up and get ready to present themselves. So they did, lined up in ABC order and by the type of diploma they were getting (Like Top of Class and things like that.). And just minutes later, they had to go out to accept their diplomas and be off. As they walked out, the parents in the audience, as well as fellow students, were applauding or crying. Hours passed and the ceremony kept on. Soon, all the students had gone up and they were announcing the farewells and the principal came up to give her speech.
After graduation, all the students were invited to a party. Here we are now, with the gang, discussing the matter of this party. "I think this'll be fun! A Graduation party!" Zena said dreamily.
"Yeah, Zena's right!" Jeri agreed. The guys just nodded their heads.
Zoe's parents came up to the group. "Mom, dad..." Zoe was a little surprised.
"Can we talk with you for second dear?" her mother asked.
"Sure." she turned towards her friends. "Give me a sec, kay?"
She walked away from the group a little with her parents. "What's up?" she asked.
"We need to leave for the airport right now dear. I'm sorry, we just got the call right after you left this morning." her father explained and her face looked like she had just seen a ghost.
She turned around and muttered "okay..." very quietly. She walked over to Zena and pulled her aside.
"What's wrong Zoe?" she questioned in a small voice.
"I... have to leave..." she started, choking back tears. "For Italy... right now. Tell them for me, please?" she begged Zena. She nodded her head in understanding. Zoe then turned and left without another word.
"Where's she going?" Takuya asked out of curiosity.
"Zoe is moving back to Italy... right now." Zena spoke gravely, nearly about to cry. Seeing this, Takuya held her.
Everyone's face dropped. No one said a word. To Kouichi, it looked like Kouji's face was almost that of a robots. No expression in particular, abysmal eyes (isn't that the usual Kouji?). Exactly four years from that day, Zoe returned to Japan, unknowing to her male friends. She had contacted Zena, Rika, Alice, and Jeri before returning stating that she had something she wanted to talk with them about. Also, she had sent something for them in the mail and they would get it soon enough. The girls waited for her at the airport, with out their boyfriends knowing, with their gifts in had. As soon as Zoe stepped up to the baggage claim, the girls found her.
"Zoe!" Zena yelled while running up to her to engulf her in a bear hug.
"Hey guys!" Zoe called with a smile. "I see you got the gifts."
"Yeah, what are they for, exactly?" Jeri asked.
"Well, Jeri, they're a proposal." she answered as she grabbed her bags and headed for the car rental desk.
"A proposal for what?" Rika questioned, g wanting Zoe to go into to further detail.
"Well, for a band." She plainly stated like it was no big deal.
As soon as Zoe successfully rented a car, she followed the girls to a karaoke bar nearby. "You're a record dealer, right Zena?" she asked her cousin slyly.
"Yeah and?" she said sarcastically.
"Well, how about it?" Zoe said with wide eyes. "We can show you our abilities right here and right now."
The girls looked around and realized that Zoe had dragged them into a karaoke bar. "Alright, show me what you've got." Zena put them to the challenge.
"We'll sing songs of your choice." Zoe told Zena and she nodded in agreement.
"Okay." and the clerk gave them a room number and key. The girls headed to their room, Zena ordered the songs while the girls ordered drinks.
"Okay, first is Jeri. I want you to sing... Angelus by Hitomi Shimatani!" Zena squealed and pointed to Jeri. Jeri sighed and got up.
"Wait! Put on the earrings." Zoe pleaded. Jeri sighed again and put the earrings on.
She got up on the mini stage that is provided b in every room.
"dareka no tame nagasua NAMIDA
irino youni hoo ni tsutau
sore wo "yowasa" to kakusanai de
"yasashisa" to ukeirete
kokyuu sae mo wasure saseru
hitomi no naka ni mitsuketa sora
taiyou dake ga kagayaiteru nani wo sagashi tsudukeru?
kagami wo mitsume chikatta ano hi
anata ni ha kitto mieteta
jibun no senaka ni mo tsubasa ga aru to
anata ga kawari sekai ga kawaru
yume ni todoke ai no honoo
yura yura shinkirou koete
sora ni ha HIKARI daichi ni mizu wo
sono kokoro ni tsuyosa wo
mirai he tadoritsuku ANGELUS
nozomi ga moshi kanau no nara kaze ni naru koto erabu deshou
mayoi wo suteta anata no hane watashi no kaze wo tsukamu
takanaru mune to osoreru kimochi
itami ga mazari au kako wo
furikiretara soko ni genshoku no niji
ichibyou goto ni sekai wo kaeru
kizami dashita ai no kodou
JIRI JIRI moeagaru negai
umi yori fukai mihatenu yume wo
oimotomeru tsuyosa ga
yami wo terashite yuku ANGELUS
"hashiri tsudukeru nara, tobitateru hazu..."
anata ga kawari sekai ga kawaru
yume ni todoke ai no honoo
yura yura shinkirou koete
sora ni ha HIKARI daichi ni mizu wo
sono kokoro ni tsuyosa wo
mirai he tadoritsuku ANGELUS
jounetsu no kakera wo te ni shite"
Jeri sang her heart out.
Everyone in the room applauded. "Okay, Jeri definitely has a spot in this band." Zena declared. "Next is Alice singing... Houkiboshi by Youhna!"
Alice put her earrings on and got up on the stage.
"yozora o miage hitori houkiboshi o mita no
isshun de hajikete wa kiete shimatta kedo
anata no koto omou to mune ga itaku naru no
ima sugu aitai yo dakedo sora wa tobenai kara
moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
sora kakenuke tonde iku, donna
ashita ga kite mo ko no omoi wa tsuyoi
dakara houkiboshi zutto kowarenai yo
ame ga futte iyada to boyaiteita toki ni
anata ga itta koto ima demo oboeteru
ame no ato no yozora wa kirei ni hoshi ga deru
sore o kangaeru to ame mo suki ni nareru yo ne to
moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
afureru hikari furasu yo itsumo
kanashii toki yozora miru anata ga
egao ni naru youni motto kagayakitai
anata wa itsumo hitori nanika to tatakatteru
soba ni iru koto shika atashi ni wa dekinai kedo
moshi atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
sora kakenuke tonde iku kitto
kanarazu todoku ko no isshun no hikari de
anata no IMA terashi sora o megurou
atashi ga houkiboshi ni nareta naraba
kitto soba ni ite ageru, donna toki mo"
Alice too, sang her best. And everyone applauded again. "Alice can be on the team too!" Zena declared. So far, Zoe's plan was going the way she wanted it to.
"Next is Rika singing... Evolution by Ayumi Hamasaki!" Zena cheered, excited about the outcome that was sure to come.
Rika already had her earrings on and got up on the stage with her eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. 'Why do I have to prove myself!?' she thought.
"Sou da ne bokura atarashii jidai o
Mukaeta mitai de kiseki teki kamo ne
Nido to wa chotto ajiwaenai yo ne
Mou ichido omoidashite
Kono hoshi ni umaretsuita hi
Kitto nanda ka ureshikute
Kitto nanda ka setsunakute
Bokura wa naite itan da
Wow yeah, wow yeah, wow wow yeah.
Genjitsu wa uragiru mono de handansae
Ayamaru kara ne soko ni aru kachi wa
Sono me de chanto mikiwamete ite ne
Jibun no mono sashi de
Konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
Dakedo nanto ka susundette
Dakara nanto ka koko ni tatte
Bokura wa kyou o okutteru
Wow yeah, wow yeah, wow yeah
Konna hoshi ni umaretsuita yo
Nanda ka totemo ureshikute
Nanda ka totemo setsunakute
Ooki na koe de nakinagara
Wow yeah, wow yeah, wow wow yeah
Konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
Dakedo kimi ni deaeta yo
Konna hoshi ni umaretsuita yo
Dakara kimi ni deaeta yo
Kono hoshi ni umaretsuita hi
Kitto nanda ka ureshikute
Kitto nanda ka setsunakute
Bokura wa naite itan da
Wow yeah, wow yeah, wow wow yeah
Konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
Dakedo nanto ka susundette
Dakara nanto ka koko ni tatte
Bokura wa kyou o okutteru
Wow yeah, wow yeah, wow wow yeah"
Rika immediately got off the stage after revealing her singing voice to her friends. They were clapping, which was expected.
"Alright Zoe, we know Rika has a place, but are you fit to be the leader?" Zena challenged. "You'll be singing... Moon Clock by w-inds.!" Zena laughed.
Zoe smirked, put on her earrings and her bracelet, and stepped up to the plate.
"Kakeashi de kawari yuku jidai no nami ha
(The wave of time where everything will change at a run)
Hayasugide tomadoi wo kakusenai
(Couldn't cover the puzzlement because it is too fast)
Daremo ga yakusokusareta ashita wo sagashite
(Looking for the tomorrow which everyone has been promised)
Taisetsu na nanika wo wasuretetane
(I have been forgetting something important, haven't I)
Kono hoshi de kagirareta deai kara
(In this planet encounters are limited, so)
Kasanatta guuzen koete
(Overcome piled up coincidences)
Kimi ga ima koko ni iru soredakede
(You are here now Just that)
Ashitahe to tobidaseruyo
(Makes me able to fly towards tomorrow)
---
Tsuki akari ga oshieta Kimi to meguriau toki
(Moonlight taught The moment when I meet you)
Motome au inryoku ni subete wo kakete
(I bet everything on the wanted gravitation)
Kagayaku yoru ha itsumo futari no jikan tomete
(The shining night always stop the time of the two of us)
Seijaku ga kono ai wo mimamoruyo
(Stillness protect this love)
---
Me no mae ni aru tobira Akerarenakute
(I couldn't open the door in front of my eyes)
Shinjitsu mo miushinaisouna toki
(Even when I'm about to lose the truth)
Nandomo yuuki wo kureta Kimi no tame ni
(For you who give me courage many times)
Itsuno hi ka kitto yume wo okuruyo
(Some day I will definitely give you the dream)
Hitotsu jutsu kieteyuku machi akari
(The street lamps are going off one by one)
Samayotta kaze ha kawari
(The wondering wind changes)
Musubareta kizuna ha eien ni
(The tied up bond is forever)
Yorisotte hikaridasu
(Cuddling close together and shining)
---
Tsuki no kodou ga kisamu Kimi to miru monogatari
(I engrave moon's signs The story that I see with you)
Owaranai michi nori ni futari wo nosete
(In an unfinished journey that the two of us take)
Ugokidashita seiza ha yoru no owari wo tsugete
(The moving out constellation tells us the night is off(
Atarashii sekai he to michibikuyo
(Leads me to the new world)
-–-
Tsuki akari ga oshieta Kimi to meguriau toki
(Moonlight taught The moment when I meet you)
Motome au inryoku ni subete wo kakete
(I bet everything on the wanted gravitation)
Kagayaku yoru ha itsumo futari no jikan tomete
(The shining night always stop the time of the two of us)
Seijaku ga kono ai wo mimamoruyo
(Stillness protect this love)
---
Tsuki no kodou ga kisamu Kimi to miru monogatari
(I engrave moon's signs The story that I see with you)
Owaranai michi nori ni futari wo nosete
(In an unfinished journey that the two of us take)
Ugokidashita seiza ha yoru no owari wo tsugete
(The moving out constellation tells us the night is off(
Atarashii sekai he to michibikuyo
(Leads me to the new world)"
Zoe sang and sat down. The others were astonished that she sang a song that is originally sang by a guy. "Wow, Zoe... I didn't think you'd go through with that." Zena admitted.
"Well, I like that song anyways." Zoe stated with a smile. "So, do we have a deal?"
"Yeah. What are you guys gonna call yourselves?" Zena asked gleefully.
"Well, since I made these crosses for all of us, I figured 'The Crystal Crosses' or 'The Crystal Cross' what do you think guys?" Zoe stated her opinion and waited for the response.
"Wait, you have on a bracelet too." Jeri just noticed the bracelet with the attached ring on Zoe's left gloved hand.
"Yeah, my mom made the jewelry and is currently working on your bracelets in Italy. She said she'd send them over once they were finished.?" Zoe explained.
"So, we'll all get one too?" Alice asked.
"Yep. They're real crystal too and authentic. Nothing else like them." Zoe boasted at her genius.
"Okay, your ego is growing too big." Zena poked at Zoe's head.
"Well, how are we gonna keep this a secret from the guys!?" Rika questioned, a little worried about the safety of their private life.
"Well, we can edit music videos, right Zena?" Zoe turned to her cousin for a brief moment.
"Yeah, why?" Zena was curious about her ideas.
"Well, I don't want the guys to know either, so we won't film our faces in the videos, nor will we use each others' full names. We'll go by initial." Zoe explained part of her little plan to them.
"Alright, that works for me." Rika said, relieved.
"Yeah, if Takato knew I was a star, he'd flip." Jeri laughed nervously.
"I'm not too sure what Henry would do if he found out..." Alice pondered and then shrugged it off.
"In the music videos, we won't dress like ourselves either. And with the editing, give our bodies a color outlining. Like, say, a light power around our bodies. Our power." Zoe explained another part.
The girls all nodded and she continued. "Also, we'll only wear our earrings in music videos, and our hair will be up and out of viewers sight. This is so no one knows who we are. If you want to, you can wear your jewelry in public, but hopefully no one will notice."
The girls nodded again signaling her to continue. "And finally, for public events, we could wear masks, and hide our hair wearing wigs. Other people don't have to know. Only Zena should know who we truly are. No one else."
The girls all agreed, left the karaoke bar, and headed for a costume store. After buying a few masks and wigs, they left for Zena's workplace. "Before we enter..." Zena turned to the girls before they entered the building. "Do you really want to do this?"
"Yes, we want to do this." they all answered in unison.
After that, they went into the building, got their contract and became "The Crystal Crosses". Everyone went crazy for their first single, "Anna Ni Issho Datta No Ni". After a few months, their first album "Distance" came out as well as the video for their first single. A year later, two weeks before graduation anniversary, the girls and guys got a letter in the mail. It was for their Five Year High School Reunion Party...
Thank you, thank you! Cliff-hanger! I hate them too. The songs I used are not mine! Not! The name of this part, "I Must Not Chase The Boys..." is the name of the song I used in the middle of this part. It is sang by Play, a Swedish girl group. I used it because this part of the story shows how none of their relationships with the guys weren't really getting anywhere, they had to stay 'innocent'. The next song I put in here is owned by Hitomi Shimatani, and is used as an opening song for the anime Inu Yasha. The next song I've used before. Houkiboshi by Youhna is owned by Youhna and is the used as the second ending song for the anime Bleach. The song after that is owned solely by Ayumi Hamasaki. It is not used in an anime series, but I just like the song. The sixth song I used in this part of the story was Moon Clock by w-inds.. I know, not many of you know who this band is... probably. They're a group consisting of three guys and the lead singer has a very high falsetto... Although, Moon Clock is not their first single, it is on their first single, Forever Memories. I do not own this song nor do I own this band. Though I wish I owned Ryohei... anywho! The last song I used was Anna Ni Issho Datta No Ni by See-Saw. It is a very good song that I recently got addicted to. Used as an ending, not sure which, for Gundam Seed anime. Thank you again. I shant not force thou to R&R but I wish thou wouldst hatsen thou pace. If thou wish to R&R that is. No pressure!
Ciao! Sayonara! Matta ashita!