Title: Tortured Soul Chapter 1: Meetings
Author: Who else? ::giggles:: Miss Elf Toshiba and Sailor Eclipse
E-mail: SailorEclipse@sailormoonfan.com (You can reach us both here...) Disclaimerz:
Elf: This is another story I had started but deleted after I decided it was sucky. But after a dream I had last night (after two bowls of popcorn, two fudgesicles, and almost two dozen cookies..not to mention only God knows how many bottles of water.), I got the idea to re-vamp the story layout, so this is it. This is a romance story between Ryo Sanada and Gabriella (Brie: pronounced BREE) Stoker. So..I know this is a short disclaimer, but on with the story!! Peace out!!
Sailor Eclipse: LaLaLaLaaaaa! Can you tell I'm bored? Well, this is the first RW fanfic I've done in a longggg, lonnnggg, time, although Elfy here is writing most of the first chapter, you'll probably see more of my writing techniques later on... ::yawnies:: Besides we have an entire sleepy-over for two days to work on this fic...in b/t watching Fushigi Yugi and Sailor Moon Stars ((HAHAHAH! I got to see my boy Seiya in live animated action...and about the rest of my fics, I'll write the next chapter ASAP...after I get my damn pooter back!!! Mwhahahh!!!)) Oh yeah...and I have a couple of pics of Sasa-chan up, so e-mail me with your comments and stuff if you want to see it!!! Mwhahah! Double-edged Sword...!
Tortured Soul
~~The Past~~
"Look what you did, you little sneaking bitch. This is what happens when you sneak around!" Gabriella Stoker's father slapped her across the face, sending her flying across the room. Her head cracked against the light blue wall and pain shot through her head as she fell to her knees. She covered her face with her small palms. She didn't want to experience the everyday reality again. She just wanted to be a normal 10 year old- not a prisoner in her own home.
"But, daddy, I didn't do it!" Gabriella wailed through her sobs. She was about 4'2" with long, mid-back length hair, the colour of midnight, speckled with stars. Her big, innocent silver-gray eyes had seen to much violence in her short ten years.
"Don't you lie to me, you little bastard!!" her enraged and drunk father picked her up by the collar of her flannel nightgown and tossed her like a rag doll across the room. Fortunately, it was that moment that her mother choose to walk through the door.
"GABBIE!" she lunged for her daughter before she made contact with the wall again. Thankfully, she caught her in the nick of time, grabbing ahold of her shirt sleeve and clutching her protectively in her warm, soft arms. "Sherman?! What in the name of the gods are you doing?!"
"I'm teaching that little shit a lesson. That's what." Sherman Stoker slurred, attempting to walk towards them, but instead, stumbling to the floor.
"For what?!" demanded Laure, Gabriella's mom.
"She lied to me!" slurred Sherman again.
"I didn't mommy, I swear!" Gabriella sobbed into her mother's embrace, knowing for the time being she was safe there.
"It's ok, baby, it's ok. Shh..now.." she coaxed her daughter, rubbing her back as if she was a young child, awoken from a scary dream.
"Don't try to defend her!" Sherman stumbled towards them and Laure pulled her daughter away from him, pushing her into another room, not wanting her to witness the next series of events. Sherman reached out and grabbed his wife by the neck, yanking her upwards as Gabriella sobbed from around the corner of the door.
"Let go of ME!" Laure Stokes tried to get away before her husband hurt her. But to no avail. Sherman threw her down and started to repeatedly kick her. Gabbie sobbed even harder and fell to her knees, behind the protection of another room.
"NOO!! MOMMY!!" Gabriella tried to get up but her chest felt like it was going to rip open. She choked on her tears and tried to move, but she just couldn't.
"SHUT THE FUCKIN' HELL UP YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Sherman shuffled over to his daughter, leaning for support against the doorframe and proceeded to kick her. "That'll teach you not to lie to me." he said before storming out the house, probably in search of another bar, his usual domicile.
"Mommy.." Gabriella moaned around the blood that was running down her lips.
"Oh gods, baby! Stay right there! Mommy'll be right back." Frightened for her only child's well-being, Laure got packed as fast as she could, both for herself and for Gabriella.
~~Hospital~~
"Will you tell us again what happened?" an orderly asked Laure. She held a small clipboard in one hand and a pen in another. She sported a pair of oval-shaped glasses and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun. Her face was serious, showing her true professionalism.
"Ok, she was riding her bike and hit a bump in the road and fell off," Laure answered, knowing that if she revealed the truth, once again, she and her daughter would be in even greater danger than before.
The doctor, an older, thin, balding man, came out of the pale yellow room where her daughter lay. "There's no permanent damage except for a scar she will carry for the rest of her life on her forehead."
~~Five years later~~
"MOM!! I'm home! I aced the pop geography and biology tests!!" Now fifteen years old, Gabriella Stoker ran into her home, dropping her booksack by the door, clutching two pieces of paper. Both had scrawled on them red "A's".
"That's my girl!" Laure patted her daughter on the head. Gabriella's hair was now down to the back of her knees and almost always in a braid or pulled up. She had grown to about 5'2" in the past five years since they had left America for Japan.
"Can I have some money for the arcade? Please?" Gabriella flashed her mother the puppy-dog eyes.
"Oh, all right! Here's six hundred yen! Go have some fun!" Laure succumbed into her daughter's plead, pulling out the slips of money from her pocket.
"Arigoto!" Gabriella thanked her and bolted out of the house.
Laure peeked out of the kitchen window from which she watched her only daughter run out into the yard. 'Dear gods,' she prayed, 'please keep my baby safe. Please.'
~~On the street~~
'..screaming/ For mercy and love, hope and for God, redemption and damnation, for death and for life..' Gabriella thought of the new song/poem she had written the night before when she was awoken by the familiar nightmares. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the boy that walk right into her until she was on the ground.
"OW! That hurt!" she brushed her bangs out of her face to see what she had bumped into..and was surprised to meet a who with a pair of beautiful tiger blue eyes looking at her. "Uh..hi?"
"Are you alright?" the guy asked standing up and offering his hand to help her. She took it, blushing a little bit. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"You look familiar yourself. Where do you go to school? I go to Han' a High." Gabriella quickly fixed her bangs so that they covered the scar. She didn't want anyone to see it- not even herself. It was a constant reminder of her past life. Now she had started a new life- WITHOUT her father. Gabriella apprehensively bit her lower lip. She was nervous about him; it was one of those feelings. The one where she got the feeling of it was meant to happen...as if meeting this guy was a part of destiny. "I'm a Sophomore," she continued, trying not to stutter over her words.
"Oh really? I thought you looked familiar! I'm Ryo Sanada, I'm a junior." he shook her hand firmly. Gabriella felt goose bumps form across her arms.
"I'm Gabriella Stoker." She gave him her semi-famous joker's spade grin. "I didn't recognize you without your four friends."
"Oh you must mean Kento, Sage, Sai, and Rowen. I'm supposed to meet them at Kento's family's restaurant. Would you like to come with me? You can get to know them better." Ryo grinned at this young angel with the long mid-night coloured braid and silver eyes. She was adorable.
"Are you sure? I mean I don't wanna impose or anything.." Gabriella glanced at Ryo. Was he interested? Was he flirting with her, smiling that cute dimpled grin? She had the feeling she should go with him...just to see if anything would happen.
"I'm sure. Besides, Sage needs a new flirt victim," Ryo joked, ducking Gabriella's playful punch.
"Hn, I'll go, as long as he doesn't try anything besides a little flirting!" she laughed.
"Ok, no prob. Let's go." Ryo held out his hand to her and she took it, blushing slightly as their fingers intertwined. Butterflies filled her stomach. Kame, she loved this feeling.
~~The Restaunt~~
"HEY RYO!!" Kento's boisterous voice carried over the din of the noisy restaurant. He waved Ryo and Gabriella over to the table.
"Hey, Ryo...who's ya friend?" Sage asked as he eyed the young girl. Gabriella decided to take his bait.
"I am Gabriella Stoker. Sophomore at Han' a high, gentlemen," she replied exaggerating a mock bow that had the boys laughing.
"Hiya, Brie, I'm Kento Rei Faun." the ash headed boy said with a friendly smile, "Welcome to my family's restaurant."
"Hey, Gabriella. I'm Rowen Hashibia." the blue haired boy said.
"Hello, I'm Sai Mouri." said the brunette with the English accent.
"And I'm Sage Date." the blonde was already trying to flirt with her. Gabriella grinned in spite of herself, batting her eyelashes. Ryo couldn't help but feel a little jealous at Sage's attempt to flirt.
"You don't mind if I can ya 'Brie' do ya?" Kento asked her.
"Nope, not at all!" the newly dubbed 'Brie' answered.
"'Kay, just making sure." Brie and Ryo sat down. Brie sat in between Ryo and Sai with Sage flirting with her from across the table.
"Well, where are y'all from?" she asked to make small talk.
Kento replied, "I'm from Yokohama, but was originally born in China. Wicked, huh?" he said with a wink.
Sage countered, "I was born in Miyagi, and my family runs the local dojo, if you would like to come try out for a class, you're welcome to."
Ryo said, "Yamanashi, in the middle of a forest. I lived there up until now. I moved to Tokyo for high school."
Sai answered, "I'm originally from England, but I now live here in Yamaguchi."
Rowen said, "I was born in Osaka Fu. What about you?"
"Well, I was..uh..born in the States, in Kansas. I moved here, to Tokyo, when I was around ten." She suddenly had a flashback to another night of pain and suffering.
Flashback~~
"NO!! DADDY STOP!! PLEASE!!" a six year old Brie screamed.
"WHY THE HELL SHOULD I ?!" her drunken dad asked.
"You're HURTING me!! Please stop!" she shouted, through her tears. She felt someone pick her up and toss her across the room. Then there was the blessed darkness. No more pain. The feeling of absolute black nothingness.
~~End Flashback
'Ryo! Do you see that?!' Cye asked his best friend, telepathically. It was almost as if Brie had dazed out. Her eyes were shut tightly. All five boys were surprised to see a solitary tear roll down her cheek.
Ryo saw her mouth 'Please stop..please no!'
"Brie, BRIE! Snap outta it!" Kento shook her shoulders gently and was surprised to see nothing but fear and confusion in her silver-gray eyes. "Are you ok?"
"I..uh..yea..I think so..I was just remembering a dream I had last night, that's all." she quickly schooled her features into a smiling mask. "So, Kento, how's the rice and gravy today?" The five startled boys shot each other shocked looks at her swift change of character.
"It's pretty good. But you should try the Chinese chicken, that's the special of the day!" Kento went back into his joking manner, relieving Brie. "Ok! Then that's what I'll have!" an enthusiastic Brie exclaimed. The rest of the clan ordered their food, Kento ordering enough to feed a small army.
"Soooo...Brie, you have a boyfriend....?" Kento asked, staring directly at Ryo with a mischievous grin. He knew his friend obviously had the hots for this new chick. He saw how he stared at her in P.E., the only class he had with her. He noticed the way he would always mouth 'Hi' when he saw her in the hall. He saw how his eyes tracked her every move as she walked, as she talked, as she smiled, as she ate, jumped, skipped, laughed...everything...he wanted her...BAD. His mischievous grin now turned into an evil one as he laughed behind his Cheshire cat smile.
"Umm..." Brie didn't know what to make of Kento's last remark. Was he hitting on her too? Were these guys a bunch of psychopathic flirtatious perverts? "Ummm...why?" she asked, still in a bit of a daze.
'NO! NO! NO!' Ryo mouthed, shaking his arms and his head.
"Because..." Kento said suspenseful.... "Because...I have a friend that has the serious hots for ya!" His gaze still stared Ryo straight in the face, hoping Brie would get a hint. Ryo hit his head against the table. Kento knew Ryo would kill him. Hell, all the rest of the clan knew it, too.
'You're dead,' Sai mouthed to his best friend as Ryo continued to beat his head against the table and the oh-so-naive Brie just scratched her head in confusion. Everyone else stared at Kento in amazement. He was going to die.
'Nice knowing you, Kento,' Rowen mouthed, shaking his head. Thankfully, to avoid sheer terror and disaster, Kento's dad showed up with the food. He looked a bit concerned about Ryo's psychiatric problem at the moment (he was still banging his head against the table) but served the food. Kento dug in quickly, munching down as if he was starving. This could be his last meal. The rest of the clan ate like normal people, using chopsticks instead of hands.
"Mhmmm," Brie said, in between servings of chicken. "Pretty good! My compliments to the chef!" Finally, realizing that Brie had no idea that he liked her, Ryo stopped banging his head against the table (in addition to getting strange glances from the other customers) and began to timidly eat his chicken; he didn't want to look like a baka in front of the girl of his dreams. After everyone finished (Kento finished first, of course..) they decided to head to Fuhurata Game and Crown Fruits Parlor to catch up on the gaming world.
~~Game Parlor~~
"MWHAHAHA! Level 54!! You'll never beat THIS high score," Kento yelled at no one in particular. "Got to hit Yuminachi with the special attack...DAMN!!!!!!" Kento punched the video game a couple of time and with an added kick, it nearly shook apart. "But...Mwhaha...5,980,995 points. No one can beat this score," he added defiantly. The screen immediately flashed to the high scores and cued Kento to enter his initials- KRF. His initials appeared...second place....? Kento was in a rage. "WHO THE HELL IS SSS?!"
A waitress with a white apron and pink trimming scurried by, just in time to hear Kento bitch about someone having a higher score than him. "I'm SSS," she said, trying to balance a tray of chocolate shakes in one hand and a pen in her mouth as she slipped a pad of orders into her apron's pocket. "Sasami Sakura Satono, at your service."
"How the hell did you get a higher score than me??? You're a GIRL!!!" Kento snapped.
"Beat the entire game- got to level 65 and beat the minion Subokonion. Got a couple of thousand extra points for that..." she said, the pen still in her mouth as she finally got the pad in her pocket. She pulled the pen out of her mouth with her free hand and put it in the pocket with the notebook.
"But you're a girl!!!" Kento whined.
"Yeah, and you're a guy. I can see the difference," Sasami said, walking off to the table she had to serve the chocolate shakes to, placing them in front of a teenage couple. "Figures....stupid sexist pig..." she muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Kento yelled at Sasami, stomping over to where she was taking another order. Sasami ignored him, finishing scribbling down what they wanted.
"I SAID, 'STUPID SEXIST PIG!'" she repeated, flipping her shoulder-length golden hair at him as she stomped off. "So what are YOU going to do about it?" she said, walking through a door that read, EMPLOYEES ONLY. Brie walked up to Kento.
"Hey, who were you yelling at, Kento-chan?" Brie asked curiously, returning from an intense racing game against Ryo and Cye.
"Some brat named Sasami Satono..." he muttered angrily.
"WHAT?! She's not a brat! She's one of my best friends!" screeched Brie.
"Dunno how you could get mixed up with some figure like that," Kento mumbled.
"What are you guys yelling about?" Rowen came up looking confused.
"What are you implying? She was the one who stood up for me when other kids called me names like 'orphan' and 'bastard'. That's how I got mixed up with her!" Brie turned to run out of the Parlor but a hand on her arm restrained her from running. She turned back around to see Kento with shock in his eyes for the second time that day. She stared back defiantly trying to hide the tears that threatened to burst forth, again.
"Gods, Brie, I never knew. If I had I wouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." Kento looked down and in that second saw why Ryo had fallen for this angel. She had as much fire and stubbornness as his best friend in her body and soul.
"Yea..I guess I can, but can you apologize to her for me?"
"WHAT?! Are you kidding? Apologize to someone who called me a 'sexist pig'? I think not!"
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Rowen had to shout to be heard over Brie's laughter.
"She didn't..She couldn't..a 'sexist pig'!" Brie had to hold on to Rowen to keep herself from falling down from laughing so hard.
"Damn right I did!" Sasami came up behind Kento and took a look at her friend. "Hey, Brie-chan! You want something to eat? I can get your order ASAP..." she bribed.
"Nah, just ate...Um..." Brie said, not wanting to piss off either Kento or Sasami. "Um..." She struggled to find the words. "Why exactly did you call him a 'sexist pig?'"
"Well this little asswipe started bitching 'cos I got the high score and it was probably his life dream to get the high score...some aspirations, but probably the only thing he's good at, the fat ass baka..." Sasami said non-chalantly.
"WHAT?!" Kento was fuming. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Brie and Rowen were both sweating in annoyance.
"Sasa-chan, calm down...." she said, trying to coax her friend.
"Kento-chan, calm down...." Rowen said, also trying to calm his enraged amigo.
"NO- YOU HEARD ME, YOU FAT ASS BAKA! OR DO YOU NEED YOUR HEARING CHECKED!? YOU'D BETTA STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND OR MY FOOT IS GONNA BE STUCK UP YOUR ASS!" Sasami yelled, attracting attention from most of the customers, including Ryo, Sai, and Sage. Brie and Ryo switched their attention to each other.
"Hey Ryo-chan!" Brie exclaimed, waving at him.
"Heyyyyy....Brie!" Ryo walked towards Brie, a cute smile spread across his dimpled face.
"What are we? Chopped Liver?" Sage asked sarcastically. Sasami and Kento both got that weird psychotic look across their faces. They both edged over to their respective comrade, Sasami to Brie and Kento to Ryo, right behind them, and in unison, pushed them together so that they stumbled into each other's arms.
"Ryo-chan....." Brie started, blushing furiously as she stood in his arms and her arms were wrapped around his.
"Brie-chan....." Ryo started too, turning red. It was then that they both realized their arms were wrapped around each other. Unsure of if the other was okay with it, they both pulled their arms away and walked away from each other slowly.
"Hehehehehehe!" Kento and Sasami laughed psychotically together.
"Sasa-chan..." Brie started slowly as if talking to a small child, "Why did you do that?"
"Well, you see.." Sasami started only to glance over to Kento to see what he was saying. Suddenly, she got butterflies in her stomach. Ignoring them, she turned back to Brie. "I..uh..you see..I tripped! Yea! That's it!! I tripped." she grinned in spite of herself.
"You..tripped? Sorry, Sasa-chan, I ain't buying it." Brie started to walked towards Sasami. At the same time, Sasami started backing away from her friend.
Meanwhile..
"Kento..why the Hell did you do that?! You just embarrassed me in front of nearly the entire Parlor. I will tell Brie-chan I lo-like her when I'm ready. Okay?! Not before." Ryo was nearly raging at his best friend.
"Well..Ryo-chan..you see..it was to good to pass up. Sasami and I just HAD to take the opportuinity when it presented itself, ok?" Kento started backing away from his nearly exploding friend. He turned and ran right into Sasami.
"One word, guys..RUN!" Ryo and Brie said in unison. They started after their so-called friends only to be stopped by Sage and Rowen.
"Hey! You just bumped into me!" Kento exclaimed. "Aren't you going to say you're sorry?!"
"Hey, you bumped into me! YOU should be the one apologizing!" Sasami screeched.
They continued to argue, until they heard Sage say, "Don't they make the cutest couple?!"
"SAY WHAT?!" They turned to Sage, fuming, who in turn, made a run for it.
To Be Continued...In Chapter 2... Elf: **In Melodramatic Announcer Voice** Will Ryo profess his undying love for Brie? Will Kento and Sasami ever stop fighting? Will Sage ever get a week-long girlfriend? Or will Sasami and Kento get to him first? Find out in the exciting chapter of "Tortured Soul"!
Eclipse: **hits Elf upside the head** She has problems...serious problems... **whines as Elf hit her with the blanket** Um, remember to send some feedback, guys! Don't make me strangle you for some input!! **menacing look Sasami would probably give...**
Elf: **is dreaming about Ryo...comes back to reality** Hey, is it my turn?
Eclipse: Maybe... ^_^()
Elf: Bye for now!
Eclipse: Ja Ne! *^_^*
Author: Who else? ::giggles:: Miss Elf Toshiba and Sailor Eclipse
E-mail: SailorEclipse@sailormoonfan.com (You can reach us both here...) Disclaimerz:
Elf: This is another story I had started but deleted after I decided it was sucky. But after a dream I had last night (after two bowls of popcorn, two fudgesicles, and almost two dozen cookies..not to mention only God knows how many bottles of water.), I got the idea to re-vamp the story layout, so this is it. This is a romance story between Ryo Sanada and Gabriella (Brie: pronounced BREE) Stoker. So..I know this is a short disclaimer, but on with the story!! Peace out!!
Sailor Eclipse: LaLaLaLaaaaa! Can you tell I'm bored? Well, this is the first RW fanfic I've done in a longggg, lonnnggg, time, although Elfy here is writing most of the first chapter, you'll probably see more of my writing techniques later on... ::yawnies:: Besides we have an entire sleepy-over for two days to work on this fic...in b/t watching Fushigi Yugi and Sailor Moon Stars ((HAHAHAH! I got to see my boy Seiya in live animated action...and about the rest of my fics, I'll write the next chapter ASAP...after I get my damn pooter back!!! Mwhahahh!!!)) Oh yeah...and I have a couple of pics of Sasa-chan up, so e-mail me with your comments and stuff if you want to see it!!! Mwhahah! Double-edged Sword...!
Tortured Soul
~~The Past~~
"Look what you did, you little sneaking bitch. This is what happens when you sneak around!" Gabriella Stoker's father slapped her across the face, sending her flying across the room. Her head cracked against the light blue wall and pain shot through her head as she fell to her knees. She covered her face with her small palms. She didn't want to experience the everyday reality again. She just wanted to be a normal 10 year old- not a prisoner in her own home.
"But, daddy, I didn't do it!" Gabriella wailed through her sobs. She was about 4'2" with long, mid-back length hair, the colour of midnight, speckled with stars. Her big, innocent silver-gray eyes had seen to much violence in her short ten years.
"Don't you lie to me, you little bastard!!" her enraged and drunk father picked her up by the collar of her flannel nightgown and tossed her like a rag doll across the room. Fortunately, it was that moment that her mother choose to walk through the door.
"GABBIE!" she lunged for her daughter before she made contact with the wall again. Thankfully, she caught her in the nick of time, grabbing ahold of her shirt sleeve and clutching her protectively in her warm, soft arms. "Sherman?! What in the name of the gods are you doing?!"
"I'm teaching that little shit a lesson. That's what." Sherman Stoker slurred, attempting to walk towards them, but instead, stumbling to the floor.
"For what?!" demanded Laure, Gabriella's mom.
"She lied to me!" slurred Sherman again.
"I didn't mommy, I swear!" Gabriella sobbed into her mother's embrace, knowing for the time being she was safe there.
"It's ok, baby, it's ok. Shh..now.." she coaxed her daughter, rubbing her back as if she was a young child, awoken from a scary dream.
"Don't try to defend her!" Sherman stumbled towards them and Laure pulled her daughter away from him, pushing her into another room, not wanting her to witness the next series of events. Sherman reached out and grabbed his wife by the neck, yanking her upwards as Gabriella sobbed from around the corner of the door.
"Let go of ME!" Laure Stokes tried to get away before her husband hurt her. But to no avail. Sherman threw her down and started to repeatedly kick her. Gabbie sobbed even harder and fell to her knees, behind the protection of another room.
"NOO!! MOMMY!!" Gabriella tried to get up but her chest felt like it was going to rip open. She choked on her tears and tried to move, but she just couldn't.
"SHUT THE FUCKIN' HELL UP YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Sherman shuffled over to his daughter, leaning for support against the doorframe and proceeded to kick her. "That'll teach you not to lie to me." he said before storming out the house, probably in search of another bar, his usual domicile.
"Mommy.." Gabriella moaned around the blood that was running down her lips.
"Oh gods, baby! Stay right there! Mommy'll be right back." Frightened for her only child's well-being, Laure got packed as fast as she could, both for herself and for Gabriella.
~~Hospital~~
"Will you tell us again what happened?" an orderly asked Laure. She held a small clipboard in one hand and a pen in another. She sported a pair of oval-shaped glasses and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun. Her face was serious, showing her true professionalism.
"Ok, she was riding her bike and hit a bump in the road and fell off," Laure answered, knowing that if she revealed the truth, once again, she and her daughter would be in even greater danger than before.
The doctor, an older, thin, balding man, came out of the pale yellow room where her daughter lay. "There's no permanent damage except for a scar she will carry for the rest of her life on her forehead."
~~Five years later~~
"MOM!! I'm home! I aced the pop geography and biology tests!!" Now fifteen years old, Gabriella Stoker ran into her home, dropping her booksack by the door, clutching two pieces of paper. Both had scrawled on them red "A's".
"That's my girl!" Laure patted her daughter on the head. Gabriella's hair was now down to the back of her knees and almost always in a braid or pulled up. She had grown to about 5'2" in the past five years since they had left America for Japan.
"Can I have some money for the arcade? Please?" Gabriella flashed her mother the puppy-dog eyes.
"Oh, all right! Here's six hundred yen! Go have some fun!" Laure succumbed into her daughter's plead, pulling out the slips of money from her pocket.
"Arigoto!" Gabriella thanked her and bolted out of the house.
Laure peeked out of the kitchen window from which she watched her only daughter run out into the yard. 'Dear gods,' she prayed, 'please keep my baby safe. Please.'
~~On the street~~
'..screaming/ For mercy and love, hope and for God, redemption and damnation, for death and for life..' Gabriella thought of the new song/poem she had written the night before when she was awoken by the familiar nightmares. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the boy that walk right into her until she was on the ground.
"OW! That hurt!" she brushed her bangs out of her face to see what she had bumped into..and was surprised to meet a who with a pair of beautiful tiger blue eyes looking at her. "Uh..hi?"
"Are you alright?" the guy asked standing up and offering his hand to help her. She took it, blushing a little bit. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"You look familiar yourself. Where do you go to school? I go to Han' a High." Gabriella quickly fixed her bangs so that they covered the scar. She didn't want anyone to see it- not even herself. It was a constant reminder of her past life. Now she had started a new life- WITHOUT her father. Gabriella apprehensively bit her lower lip. She was nervous about him; it was one of those feelings. The one where she got the feeling of it was meant to happen...as if meeting this guy was a part of destiny. "I'm a Sophomore," she continued, trying not to stutter over her words.
"Oh really? I thought you looked familiar! I'm Ryo Sanada, I'm a junior." he shook her hand firmly. Gabriella felt goose bumps form across her arms.
"I'm Gabriella Stoker." She gave him her semi-famous joker's spade grin. "I didn't recognize you without your four friends."
"Oh you must mean Kento, Sage, Sai, and Rowen. I'm supposed to meet them at Kento's family's restaurant. Would you like to come with me? You can get to know them better." Ryo grinned at this young angel with the long mid-night coloured braid and silver eyes. She was adorable.
"Are you sure? I mean I don't wanna impose or anything.." Gabriella glanced at Ryo. Was he interested? Was he flirting with her, smiling that cute dimpled grin? She had the feeling she should go with him...just to see if anything would happen.
"I'm sure. Besides, Sage needs a new flirt victim," Ryo joked, ducking Gabriella's playful punch.
"Hn, I'll go, as long as he doesn't try anything besides a little flirting!" she laughed.
"Ok, no prob. Let's go." Ryo held out his hand to her and she took it, blushing slightly as their fingers intertwined. Butterflies filled her stomach. Kame, she loved this feeling.
~~The Restaunt~~
"HEY RYO!!" Kento's boisterous voice carried over the din of the noisy restaurant. He waved Ryo and Gabriella over to the table.
"Hey, Ryo...who's ya friend?" Sage asked as he eyed the young girl. Gabriella decided to take his bait.
"I am Gabriella Stoker. Sophomore at Han' a high, gentlemen," she replied exaggerating a mock bow that had the boys laughing.
"Hiya, Brie, I'm Kento Rei Faun." the ash headed boy said with a friendly smile, "Welcome to my family's restaurant."
"Hey, Gabriella. I'm Rowen Hashibia." the blue haired boy said.
"Hello, I'm Sai Mouri." said the brunette with the English accent.
"And I'm Sage Date." the blonde was already trying to flirt with her. Gabriella grinned in spite of herself, batting her eyelashes. Ryo couldn't help but feel a little jealous at Sage's attempt to flirt.
"You don't mind if I can ya 'Brie' do ya?" Kento asked her.
"Nope, not at all!" the newly dubbed 'Brie' answered.
"'Kay, just making sure." Brie and Ryo sat down. Brie sat in between Ryo and Sai with Sage flirting with her from across the table.
"Well, where are y'all from?" she asked to make small talk.
Kento replied, "I'm from Yokohama, but was originally born in China. Wicked, huh?" he said with a wink.
Sage countered, "I was born in Miyagi, and my family runs the local dojo, if you would like to come try out for a class, you're welcome to."
Ryo said, "Yamanashi, in the middle of a forest. I lived there up until now. I moved to Tokyo for high school."
Sai answered, "I'm originally from England, but I now live here in Yamaguchi."
Rowen said, "I was born in Osaka Fu. What about you?"
"Well, I was..uh..born in the States, in Kansas. I moved here, to Tokyo, when I was around ten." She suddenly had a flashback to another night of pain and suffering.
Flashback~~
"NO!! DADDY STOP!! PLEASE!!" a six year old Brie screamed.
"WHY THE HELL SHOULD I ?!" her drunken dad asked.
"You're HURTING me!! Please stop!" she shouted, through her tears. She felt someone pick her up and toss her across the room. Then there was the blessed darkness. No more pain. The feeling of absolute black nothingness.
~~End Flashback
'Ryo! Do you see that?!' Cye asked his best friend, telepathically. It was almost as if Brie had dazed out. Her eyes were shut tightly. All five boys were surprised to see a solitary tear roll down her cheek.
Ryo saw her mouth 'Please stop..please no!'
"Brie, BRIE! Snap outta it!" Kento shook her shoulders gently and was surprised to see nothing but fear and confusion in her silver-gray eyes. "Are you ok?"
"I..uh..yea..I think so..I was just remembering a dream I had last night, that's all." she quickly schooled her features into a smiling mask. "So, Kento, how's the rice and gravy today?" The five startled boys shot each other shocked looks at her swift change of character.
"It's pretty good. But you should try the Chinese chicken, that's the special of the day!" Kento went back into his joking manner, relieving Brie. "Ok! Then that's what I'll have!" an enthusiastic Brie exclaimed. The rest of the clan ordered their food, Kento ordering enough to feed a small army.
"Soooo...Brie, you have a boyfriend....?" Kento asked, staring directly at Ryo with a mischievous grin. He knew his friend obviously had the hots for this new chick. He saw how he stared at her in P.E., the only class he had with her. He noticed the way he would always mouth 'Hi' when he saw her in the hall. He saw how his eyes tracked her every move as she walked, as she talked, as she smiled, as she ate, jumped, skipped, laughed...everything...he wanted her...BAD. His mischievous grin now turned into an evil one as he laughed behind his Cheshire cat smile.
"Umm..." Brie didn't know what to make of Kento's last remark. Was he hitting on her too? Were these guys a bunch of psychopathic flirtatious perverts? "Ummm...why?" she asked, still in a bit of a daze.
'NO! NO! NO!' Ryo mouthed, shaking his arms and his head.
"Because..." Kento said suspenseful.... "Because...I have a friend that has the serious hots for ya!" His gaze still stared Ryo straight in the face, hoping Brie would get a hint. Ryo hit his head against the table. Kento knew Ryo would kill him. Hell, all the rest of the clan knew it, too.
'You're dead,' Sai mouthed to his best friend as Ryo continued to beat his head against the table and the oh-so-naive Brie just scratched her head in confusion. Everyone else stared at Kento in amazement. He was going to die.
'Nice knowing you, Kento,' Rowen mouthed, shaking his head. Thankfully, to avoid sheer terror and disaster, Kento's dad showed up with the food. He looked a bit concerned about Ryo's psychiatric problem at the moment (he was still banging his head against the table) but served the food. Kento dug in quickly, munching down as if he was starving. This could be his last meal. The rest of the clan ate like normal people, using chopsticks instead of hands.
"Mhmmm," Brie said, in between servings of chicken. "Pretty good! My compliments to the chef!" Finally, realizing that Brie had no idea that he liked her, Ryo stopped banging his head against the table (in addition to getting strange glances from the other customers) and began to timidly eat his chicken; he didn't want to look like a baka in front of the girl of his dreams. After everyone finished (Kento finished first, of course..) they decided to head to Fuhurata Game and Crown Fruits Parlor to catch up on the gaming world.
~~Game Parlor~~
"MWHAHAHA! Level 54!! You'll never beat THIS high score," Kento yelled at no one in particular. "Got to hit Yuminachi with the special attack...DAMN!!!!!!" Kento punched the video game a couple of time and with an added kick, it nearly shook apart. "But...Mwhaha...5,980,995 points. No one can beat this score," he added defiantly. The screen immediately flashed to the high scores and cued Kento to enter his initials- KRF. His initials appeared...second place....? Kento was in a rage. "WHO THE HELL IS SSS?!"
A waitress with a white apron and pink trimming scurried by, just in time to hear Kento bitch about someone having a higher score than him. "I'm SSS," she said, trying to balance a tray of chocolate shakes in one hand and a pen in her mouth as she slipped a pad of orders into her apron's pocket. "Sasami Sakura Satono, at your service."
"How the hell did you get a higher score than me??? You're a GIRL!!!" Kento snapped.
"Beat the entire game- got to level 65 and beat the minion Subokonion. Got a couple of thousand extra points for that..." she said, the pen still in her mouth as she finally got the pad in her pocket. She pulled the pen out of her mouth with her free hand and put it in the pocket with the notebook.
"But you're a girl!!!" Kento whined.
"Yeah, and you're a guy. I can see the difference," Sasami said, walking off to the table she had to serve the chocolate shakes to, placing them in front of a teenage couple. "Figures....stupid sexist pig..." she muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Kento yelled at Sasami, stomping over to where she was taking another order. Sasami ignored him, finishing scribbling down what they wanted.
"I SAID, 'STUPID SEXIST PIG!'" she repeated, flipping her shoulder-length golden hair at him as she stomped off. "So what are YOU going to do about it?" she said, walking through a door that read, EMPLOYEES ONLY. Brie walked up to Kento.
"Hey, who were you yelling at, Kento-chan?" Brie asked curiously, returning from an intense racing game against Ryo and Cye.
"Some brat named Sasami Satono..." he muttered angrily.
"WHAT?! She's not a brat! She's one of my best friends!" screeched Brie.
"Dunno how you could get mixed up with some figure like that," Kento mumbled.
"What are you guys yelling about?" Rowen came up looking confused.
"What are you implying? She was the one who stood up for me when other kids called me names like 'orphan' and 'bastard'. That's how I got mixed up with her!" Brie turned to run out of the Parlor but a hand on her arm restrained her from running. She turned back around to see Kento with shock in his eyes for the second time that day. She stared back defiantly trying to hide the tears that threatened to burst forth, again.
"Gods, Brie, I never knew. If I had I wouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." Kento looked down and in that second saw why Ryo had fallen for this angel. She had as much fire and stubbornness as his best friend in her body and soul.
"Yea..I guess I can, but can you apologize to her for me?"
"WHAT?! Are you kidding? Apologize to someone who called me a 'sexist pig'? I think not!"
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Rowen had to shout to be heard over Brie's laughter.
"She didn't..She couldn't..a 'sexist pig'!" Brie had to hold on to Rowen to keep herself from falling down from laughing so hard.
"Damn right I did!" Sasami came up behind Kento and took a look at her friend. "Hey, Brie-chan! You want something to eat? I can get your order ASAP..." she bribed.
"Nah, just ate...Um..." Brie said, not wanting to piss off either Kento or Sasami. "Um..." She struggled to find the words. "Why exactly did you call him a 'sexist pig?'"
"Well this little asswipe started bitching 'cos I got the high score and it was probably his life dream to get the high score...some aspirations, but probably the only thing he's good at, the fat ass baka..." Sasami said non-chalantly.
"WHAT?!" Kento was fuming. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Brie and Rowen were both sweating in annoyance.
"Sasa-chan, calm down...." she said, trying to coax her friend.
"Kento-chan, calm down...." Rowen said, also trying to calm his enraged amigo.
"NO- YOU HEARD ME, YOU FAT ASS BAKA! OR DO YOU NEED YOUR HEARING CHECKED!? YOU'D BETTA STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND OR MY FOOT IS GONNA BE STUCK UP YOUR ASS!" Sasami yelled, attracting attention from most of the customers, including Ryo, Sai, and Sage. Brie and Ryo switched their attention to each other.
"Hey Ryo-chan!" Brie exclaimed, waving at him.
"Heyyyyy....Brie!" Ryo walked towards Brie, a cute smile spread across his dimpled face.
"What are we? Chopped Liver?" Sage asked sarcastically. Sasami and Kento both got that weird psychotic look across their faces. They both edged over to their respective comrade, Sasami to Brie and Kento to Ryo, right behind them, and in unison, pushed them together so that they stumbled into each other's arms.
"Ryo-chan....." Brie started, blushing furiously as she stood in his arms and her arms were wrapped around his.
"Brie-chan....." Ryo started too, turning red. It was then that they both realized their arms were wrapped around each other. Unsure of if the other was okay with it, they both pulled their arms away and walked away from each other slowly.
"Hehehehehehe!" Kento and Sasami laughed psychotically together.
"Sasa-chan..." Brie started slowly as if talking to a small child, "Why did you do that?"
"Well, you see.." Sasami started only to glance over to Kento to see what he was saying. Suddenly, she got butterflies in her stomach. Ignoring them, she turned back to Brie. "I..uh..you see..I tripped! Yea! That's it!! I tripped." she grinned in spite of herself.
"You..tripped? Sorry, Sasa-chan, I ain't buying it." Brie started to walked towards Sasami. At the same time, Sasami started backing away from her friend.
Meanwhile..
"Kento..why the Hell did you do that?! You just embarrassed me in front of nearly the entire Parlor. I will tell Brie-chan I lo-like her when I'm ready. Okay?! Not before." Ryo was nearly raging at his best friend.
"Well..Ryo-chan..you see..it was to good to pass up. Sasami and I just HAD to take the opportuinity when it presented itself, ok?" Kento started backing away from his nearly exploding friend. He turned and ran right into Sasami.
"One word, guys..RUN!" Ryo and Brie said in unison. They started after their so-called friends only to be stopped by Sage and Rowen.
"Hey! You just bumped into me!" Kento exclaimed. "Aren't you going to say you're sorry?!"
"Hey, you bumped into me! YOU should be the one apologizing!" Sasami screeched.
They continued to argue, until they heard Sage say, "Don't they make the cutest couple?!"
"SAY WHAT?!" They turned to Sage, fuming, who in turn, made a run for it.
To Be Continued...In Chapter 2... Elf: **In Melodramatic Announcer Voice** Will Ryo profess his undying love for Brie? Will Kento and Sasami ever stop fighting? Will Sage ever get a week-long girlfriend? Or will Sasami and Kento get to him first? Find out in the exciting chapter of "Tortured Soul"!
Eclipse: **hits Elf upside the head** She has problems...serious problems... **whines as Elf hit her with the blanket** Um, remember to send some feedback, guys! Don't make me strangle you for some input!! **menacing look Sasami would probably give...**
Elf: **is dreaming about Ryo...comes back to reality** Hey, is it my turn?
Eclipse: Maybe... ^_^()
Elf: Bye for now!
Eclipse: Ja Ne! *^_^*
