Booyah! Greetings and welcome to my official 3rd fic!
Yes, as you have read in the summary, it is a crossover. But the category for the thing I'm crossing it with doesn't exist. So, I'm keeping it a secret to you. If you get where I'm going at, read the author's notes way down below before reviewing.
BTW : text in italics are the character's thoughts
Well, make sure you R&R, but most of all, enjoy!
Chapter 1 : Nervous
Friday July 13th 2001 ; 07:47 AM.
Everything in Kagura's head was just dandy. Today was the last of the 1st term exams. Math at that, the one subject that she sucked the most at. To make it even better, it was a Friday the 13th! There was no doubt in her mind that she was gonna botch it up, even though she studied like a nutcase last night. Because of this, she didn't catch much sleep.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stepped in her shoes. It was very unlike her to skip breakfast, but she was so nervous that she couldn't get a single bite through her throat if she tried. She grabbed her suitcase, made sure she got everything and held the case over her shoulder.
"Mom! Dad! I'm leaving now! See ya later!"
"Okay sweetheart. Good luck with the test!" she heard her mother call out for her, just before she pulled the front door shut behind her.
She stood on the porch right in front of the door. She inhaled deeply and looked up to sky.
"At least the weather is nice."
Summers in Japan can be a really hot experience, expecially when you live in Tokyo. Today was no exception, hardly any clouds, and the ones that were there were as white as snow. A scorching sun peeped up from above the buildings and radiated her face. This early in the morning, and already temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees celsius. Great effects on the thinking capability of a person.
Kagura walked through the busy streets with her suitcase still flung over her left shoulder. For once, there was only one thing going through her mind. That damn math exam!
Why do we even need that? I know I'm not going to need something like math the way I'm going.
Kagura was a devoted member of the swim team, and she figured she might as well do something in that direction. She was no good at school anyway, except for P.E. of course, the only one rivalling her being Sakaki. But she never liked the idea of being a drop-out, because it's her policy to never give up. She had to get through this somehow. The exam today wasn't the deciding one, but she at least had to try her best!
The worries were slowly eating her up inside, but in the back of her head, she got a feeling of joy. When this was over, it would be summer vacation. A whole month of relaxing, chilling out, going to Chiyo's summerhouse perhaps, and...studying...
Crap! Mid-term exams! Will they ever get off my back?!
But oh the irony, because just when she thought that, she was apparently jumped from behind with a loud cheer, almost making her lose her ballance. There was no doubt who this person was, who else could it be!
"Hiya busty one! How's it going?"
She was right.
"Dammit Tomo! Will you stop doing that? I could have fallen down!"
Tomo clinged her arms around her slightly taller friend. "Fallen? You? The athletic wonder can't even handle little ol' me?" she teased.
"I tried to stop her but she was gone before I knew it" a voice sounded behind them.
Kagura and Tomo looked behind to see Yomi marching up as calm as usual. "Now you know what I go through every morning."
"Ah, Yomi-san, good morning!" Kagura smiled as she elbowed Tomo off her.
"Morning Kagura-san. Are you ready for the test?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I studied really hard, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm gonna mess it up" she chuckled. To this, Tomo started laughing out loud obnoxiously.
"Poor, poor Kagura. Don't you know what day it is today? It's Friday the 13th! Everything is going to go wrong today, and you went through all that trouble."
She started poking Kagura on the cheek.
"No matter how hard you try, it's not gonna work today. Which means that you pretty much wasted a whole night. I feel sorry for you."
Annoyed, Kagura knocked Tomo's hand away. "Maybe for you Takino! I bet you didn't do anything last night. You're going to fail, that's for sure. I, however, at least tried. You knucklehead!"
Tomo took a step back shocked. "Knucklehead?! Me?! Remember which one of us got the highest score on the English test last year?"
"One point Tomo! That was only one freakin' point!"
"So? I still got a higher score than you, it doesn't matter how many points difference! Stupid! Stupid!"
"Oh it so does. You just got lucky, that's all! Today I'm totally going to cream you, just you watch!"
"Haha! Sure, whatever, stupid!"
"Shut up you numbnut!!!"
Yomi walked past the bickering duo with a sigh. Maybe it was best to leave these two here. That would save her a headache, and she could miss that today.
"Stop arguing you two. I'm leaving you here."
Having finally made it in school, Kagura, Tomo and Yomi walked into the classroom. Sakaki was already sitting at her bench and was silently looking outside, no sign of stress whatsoever. Meanwhile, Osaka and Chiyo were having a discussion about jellyfish, and if they actually used them to make jelly. A conversation that may have been a little bit too much for Chiyo to handle.
"Good morning everyone!" Tomo broke up the relative silence in the classroom with a big smile.
"Oh, good morning!" Chiyo sparkled. "You guys ready for the test?"
"Sure I am!" Tomo cried out.
"Easy for you to say Tomo" Yomi grunted. "You barely did anything for it. But then again you don't really care do you?"
"Hey, it's almost summer break! What do you expect of me?" she snarled back.
"Maybe work a little before relaxing? You're gonna be doing this schoolyear again if you keep this up."
Tomo wanted to say something really mean back, but just shrugged instead. "Friday the 13th, unlucky day. There's really no point see?"
"Again with that superstition crap? Stop using it as an excuse to slack off!" Kagura responded.
Then, Osaka joined the conversation. "Don't you think it's really weird that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day? Maybe something really bad happened on one of those days, and they've been believing it ever since."
"Maybe something with a black cat? They say a black cat brings bad luck" Chiyo added.
Sakaki sat silently at her desk, overhearing the conversation. She glanced at her hand, that was once again in bandages and her eyes widened.
"It couldn't be..." she murmured softly.
Kagura sighed. "I already had a run in with a black cat. A Wildcat!"
Tomo grinned and gave a peace sign.
"Well, the number 13 is an unlucky number on it's own, but I don't know why Friday" said Yomi.
"It's funny, but usually, a Friday the 13th is a lucky day for me. Maybe I have a chance today!" Osaka announced with a hopeful smile.
"You think?" Tomo and Kagura said in unison.
"I see, the bad luck has a reversed effect on Osaka. That's one of her few powers!" Tomo said as if she made the discovery of the century.
"I wish I had that. You think you're going to pass?" said Kagura in full admiration.
"Well, we'll see!"
Yomi marched up to her desk and got her equipment ready. "They're both so gullible..."
A few minutes and a few pointless conversation later, the homeroom teacher Yukari busted through the sliding doors. With an irritated face, she stomped towards her desk and slammed the pile of exam documents on it. She stood there with one hand supporting on the desk, and the other one placed on her side. Suddenly, her agitated expression turned into an evil, ominous smile. Everyone already knew what this meant, but noone said a word.
"Heehee. I bet you're all very excited that summer break is starting, but you know what? I never go out without a bang!" she smirked while cracking her knuckles. "I hope you all studied, and studied hard, because man oh man, you're going to need it."
In a matter of seconds, several heads landed on the desk in front of them with small bangs. One of them, was Kagura, who feared this moment the worst. Yukari sure was a sadistic witch sometimes.
"That pretty much erases all hope for some students in my class, such as..." she paused and diverted her gaze to Tomo. Tomo at her turn just smiled and waved.
"Yes, you Takino, you're screwed! Anyway, let's not waste any time and get started. I suppose you prefer the short pain after all."
The whole class sweatdropped.
Yukari sure wasn't kidding. This test was as hard as nails! Every minute, there was at least one sigh that filled up the silence. Kagura sat with her hand in her hair, ticking the edge of her pen against her fingers.
Okay, let's see here. Keep it cool Kagura
Tomo was chewing the end of her pen. So far, most of the stuff she wrote down was complete nonsense that she made up on the spot in order not to deliver a test that was completely blank. There were some things she knew, but those were just minorities. Osaka was simply staring at her paper, and sometimes gested to writing something down, but pulled back again each time. Yomi, Chiyo and Sakaki didn't seem to be having too many problems, but they felt that it was still pretty hard, and Chiyo probably wasn't going to get a straight hundred this time. After a few minutes, Kagura's face suddenly shone.
Wait, of course! I know this!
She started scribbling at a fast pace, feeling content of herself that she managed to remember this. After that, the next obstacle was the next math problem, and she once again started thinking deeply. But then, she felt something odd. A small rumble, hardly noticeable, made her look up. She looked around to see if anyone else noticed, but they were all glued to their exams. All except Tomo, who looked up as well.
Kagura looked at her and moved her mouth without making any sound. "Did you just feel that?"
Tomo nodded slightly, and then looked up startled when Yukari's voice roared through the classroom.
"Takino! Kagura! Keep your eyes on your paper! One more time and you can hand it in immediately!"
"Y-y-yes ma'm! Sorry ma'm" they both stuttered.
Kagura decided to make nothing of it and returned her glance at her paper. Not even a minute later, it happened again. This time it was noticebly bigger, and was accompanied with a slight grumble. Kagura once again looked up and saw that this time, she wasn't the only one who felt it.
"Did anyone else feel that?" a voice of a boy sounded.
"A quake!" another responded.
Yukari however wasn't impressed by the tremor. "Hush! It's just a small one, don't get all excited about it! Just keep your mouths shut and keep working!" she disciplined.
Her words weren't even cold yet, when a terrifying roar emerged from the ground. Only a fraction of a second later, the classroom started shaking violently. The rumbling sound gradually got louder, and pens and other equipment tumbled to the ground.
"Oh crap! Everyone under your desks, and don't even think about peeking!" Yukari yelled, before diving down under her own desk.
The rest followed her in this and seeked shelter under their respective desks. The wooden legs clattered and trembled against the flooring, and the whole room was filled with a constant rattling from the shaking desks and windows. To some, it seemed like the end of the world, but as fast as it came, it went. After about 8 seconds, the tremor died down and everything went quiet again.
Everyone crawled from under their desks, including Yukari who was brushing herself off.
"Well, that wasn't so bad now was it? Nice little diversion, now get back to work. You can start chattering when you're done."
"Wow, straight to the point!" Yomi commented.
After another hour, everyone had turned in their papers. The topic afterwards mostly wasn't about the exams for once, but about the scary experience they just went through.
"Oh man, that one was kinda big huh?" said Tomo while sitting on Kagura's desk.
"Meh, there have been worse. This one was probably a small one compared to others" the sporty girl replied.
"Hmm, suppose you're right. So, how did it go?"
Tomo changed to a subject that Kagura didn't really like to talk about. "Ehm...ehh well...it was okay I guess."
"Liar" Tomo grinned.
"Okay, it was pretty bad. You?"
"I killed it, what did you think? It's what I call Tomo math, it only makes sense to me! What about you guys?" she turned to Yomi, Osaka, Sakaki and Chiyo.
"I had a blackout..." Osaka wailed.
"Pretty good" was Yomi's answer.
"Okay" Sakaki answered, short but sweet.
"Well, it was pretty hard, but I guess I did fine" was of course Chiyo's reply.
"So, what did you think about the earthquake, pretty thrilling huh?" Tomo once again reverted the subject.
"You sure are optimistic, and was that supposted to be a pun?" said Yomi.
"That was scary! I couldn't focus at all afterwards!" Osaka responded.
"Like you could focus to begin with. But yeah, it was probably just a Shindo 3, maybe 4. Nothing too bad. But I gotta say it surprised me."
As the six discussed the happening, Yukari was making sure she got every copy. After that, she really didn't feel like staying.
"Okidoki. I'm going to show you that I'm not a heartless wench and let you go for the day. Enjoy your summer break!"
Yukari's announcement was received with a loud cheering by the whole class. And everyone began storming out of the classroom.
"Yo, Yukari-sensei!" Tomo stuck out her hand as she approached her. "The six of us are going out this evening to celebrate!"
"Oh really? What are YOU celebrating Tomo-chan? Your imminent failure?" she grinned in response.
Yukari expected her to be angry or agitated, but instead she was still laughing. "Haha, sensei, you've got a million of 'em. I meant to ask you if you wanted to come along too. And bring Nyamo-chan too!"
"Students going out with their teacher? What's going on here? Sure I'll be there, so I can make sure you kids don't start drinking" she smiled.
"Aww geez sensei, you're no fun. I'm having regrets asking you already!"
"Too late!" she cried out. "Where and when?"
"City center, 9 PM"
"Gotcha! I'll go get Nyamo and tell her. Now get out of here, all of you!"
12:36 PM
The girls had stopped to get something to eat before moving on. By now, they've all had phonecalls from their parents regarding the earthquake earlier. Typical worried parent phonecalls. Are you alright? Nothing dropped on your head right? Were you scared? And so on. They were about to move on afterwards, but they were halted by a voice calling out for them from behind.
"Ah, wait up! Wait for me!"
Running towards them from the end of the street was their ex-classmate Kaorin, eager to catch up with the group, and most particular, Sakaki. She hit her brakes right in front of them and panted heavily.
"I...saw you...go out a while ago. I finally...caught up" she said between gasps.
"Ah, Kaorin-chan! Did they set you free too? How did it go?"Yomi asked.
"Te...terrible!" she caught her breath again. "Not the exam, but that Kimura was gawking at me the entire time! It was seriously freaking me out! Say, did you guys feel that earthquake?"
"Well duh!" Tomo reacted. "The whole room was shaking, how could we have missed that?"
"When the quake started, Kimura, he..." she muttered.
"He what?" Chiyo asked suspiciously.
"He...he shouted 'Don't worry Kaorin, I will save you!' all over the class!"
The group remained silent at this, that must have been really awkward.
"I don't know what's worse, the earthquake or that comment" she wailed with tears flowing down her face like waterfalls.
"Poor you" Kagura chuckled.
"Tell you what. We're going out this evening to celebrate the end of the term. Wanna come too?" Tomo patted her on the shoulder.
Kaorin gave a thoughtful look, then pulled Tomo in and whispered in her ear.
"Is Sakaki-san coming too?"
"Well, yeah!"
"I'm in!" she yelled.
"Great! Awesome! We meet at the city center at 9 PM. Don't be late!" Tomo smiled.
"Are you kidding? Of course I won't be late! Not when Sak...err I mean... It's been while since I've gone out!" she laughed blushing. "Well, gotta go now, see ya this evening!"
She ran off the opposite way and waved them goodbye. The others stood there a bit baffled.
"Strange girl huh?" Kagura lisped.
They all nodded in unison.
As soon as she made it across the corner, Kaorin slammed her head in the palm of her hand.
Stupid! Stupid! I almost blurted that out in front of her. I got to watch out what I'm saying! That was so embarrassing.
She grumbled a bit and started walking again.
Darn, it's just becoming a bit too much for me. What the hell am I going to do? I can't just go on like this, I'm going crazy! But wait!
Her face slowly started to cheer up again.
We're all going out tonight. Maybe I should... Oh who am I kidding. I'm too much of a chicken for that. What if she doesn't...
She shook her head.
No, I gotta get myself together! This is too much of an opportunity to pass up. I just have to think of the words to say! That's it!
Her face now beaming, she already started to gather her courage.
Tonight! I'm going to do it tonight! I'm finally going to tell Sakaki-san how I feel! I'm going to turn this unlucky day into the day of truth! Just you wait, Sakaki-san. This will be the best day of my life...I hope...
With that, she continued to march home.
06:22 PM
Kagura just had an argument with her parents. When she told them that her exam didn't exactly go smoothly, they were more than a little bit upset. It wasn't the first one that she probably was going to fail either. Kagura let herself fall on her bed. She understood that her parents were angry, it's what most parents tend to do. But accusing her of not even trying? She was trying her best! She started studying at 2 PM and stopped at 3 AM, but it still didn't do her any good. She felt sad on the inside, but comforted herself in knowing that she really tried. Now if only her parents realised that. She looked at the time on her alarm clock. She still had about two hours until she had to leave. But for now, she didn't really feel like moving.
If only I was as smart as Chiyo-chan, or Yomi-san, or Sakaki-san. Then I wouldn't be letting my parents down like this...
She hadn't really had the stomach to ask them if she was allowed to go out yet. But, she was determined to. She had no intention of staying at home while all her friends were having fun. She sat straight and headed towards her closet to look for something a bit more casual to wear. She flicked through her clothes and found a Slayer T-shirt she hadn't worn in quite a while. She grinned and took it out.
The others aren't gonna believe their eyes when they see me in this. I bet they don't know I listen to some of the heavier stuff once in a while.
She nodded and threw it on her bed. Next, she grabbed a pair of regular jeans, her belt, and took out her black sneakers. She then made her way to the bathroom to get ready.
06:41 PM
Tomo had once again snuck inside Yomi's room through the window. She was already good to go, so she decided to leave together with her.
"So, what are your big plans?" Yomi asked, looking up from the book she was reading.
"Oh, nothing really, just hang out, get a couple of drinks, have a few laughs, annoy people" the smaller one sitting on the bed responded.
"You're not annoying me tonight! I feel like having some fun just like you, so keep me out of it okay? Annoy Yukari-sensei instead." The spectacled one chuckled.
"Well I can't promise you anything, but I'll try. Shouldn't you get ready? Like, put on something decent?"
Yomi glanced at her with venomous eyes. "What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Nothing, it's just not really appropriate for going out is all."
Yomi pulled her gaze away from Tomo and to her own clothes. "Maybe you're right... But I'm not changing when you're in my room."
Tomo rolled her eyes and gave a small snicker. "Pfff, oh come on. We've had P.E. and even swimming together. It's not like I've never seen you in your underwear before."
Yomi knew she was right, but she still didn't really feel comfortable with it. Her complexes have run deeper lately because she has gained some weight when she last checked. Those damn Korean barbeques!
"Okay fine, but turn around" she sighed.
"Man, so prudish. What's up with you, it's like you've gained weight again" Tomo laughed while turning around.
From behind her back, she could hear Yomi choking softly. Tomo understood and grinned.
"Oh so you did huh? Letting yourself go again lately? Constant battle with the scale huh? I understand, someone like you can't possibly resis.." Tomo's taunts were cut off with a surprise shoe to the head.
07:05 PM
Osaka was killing time by surfing the internet. She was looking up some information about earthquakes, because that's what intrigued her at that moment. The one that occured today made her think of the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. In Osaka, that quake was senseable as a 4 on the Shindo scale. The one today wasn't as powerful if she remembered right, but it was still pretty close.
I wonder... if that one was the real one, or just a foreshock...
She pondered about this, but then got track of the time again. She still had to go to Chiyo's place to pick her up, because she didn't want to go alone in the evening. Osaka flung open a window to let some of the cooling air inside, and got dressed.
08:00 PM
Kagura was all set, and if everything went right, Sakaki would be waiting for her just a block away. Now she just to get out of the house succesfully. She walked down the stairs and motioned towards the door.
"Where are you going?" a voice sounded behind her.
Kagura turned around and faced her mom, who caught her sneaking out.
"Me and my friends are going out for the end of the term" she answered bluntly.
"I see, and you didn't bother telling me?" her mother responded sharp.
"Well, seeing you were so pissed and would have just said no, no, I didn't!"
"In that case missy, you can just stay here for the rest of the night. That will teach you to keep things from me."
Kagura clenched her fist and started snarling at her. "You're kidding right? No way am I staying here while the others are having fun!"
"You should have thought of that in the first place!" her mom now yelled.
"You know what? Forget it! I don't need your permission! I'm going anyway! Just try to stop me!"
"I am your mother, and as long as you live in this house, you will do as I say, understood?"
Kagura turned around and reached for the knob, turned it and opened it.
"Hey! What did I just say! You'd better not leave here if you know what's good for you!"
Kagura turned her head angrily and shouted out loud enough for the neighbours to hear."
"DROP DEAD!!!"
She then slammed the door shut behind her loudly and ran up to the street, leaving her mother behind speechless.
As she marched towards where Sakaki was waiting for her, tears were welling up in her eyes.
Now I've done it. I just had to go there. Why couldn't I just keep my big yap shut! My mom is never gonna let me in the house again now. I'm sorry...
Kagura wiped the tears away. She wanted to keep this to herself, and she didn't want anyone else to see she was crying. Just around the corner of the street she was in, Sakaki was waiting, leaning against the concrete fence. She met up with her and made their way to the city, where they had appointed to meet eachother.
Wata: There ya go! First chapter of my newest project! Just wanted to try something else for a change. Some personal struggles here and there, but believe me, this is just the very beginning, a prologue if you will. Like I said, it's a crossover with something that I'm still keeping a secret, but if the story so far rang a bell to you, please do not spoil it in the reviews.
Tomo : Us again? How many stories could you come up with that involve us?
Wata: Believe me, you have no idea. Stay tuned for the next one!