Chapter 1: New Neighbours and An Old Friend or Two.

Hana's POV

I was walking down the road when I saw her. Her red hair was waving like her hand in the wind as she called me over from outside the school gates. She had been standing outside our next door neighbours' house with a taped up brown box in her hands, but as soon as she saw me, the box was dropped and she was beckoning me forward using actions and words. I knew that the house had been empty for years, since the owners had died in a car accident. So I worked out that they must have moved in.

"Hana-chan? Nagisa Hana-chan? Is that you?"

"Ami-chan? Hinote Ami-chan? Is that you? I blinked my green eyes and stared at her. Was it really Ami-chan? After all this time. Her next words brought me back to reality with a bump.

"Hana-chan! So you remember me?

"Ami-chan! Of course I remember you; you were also at that English course down at Tokyo too. Your parents never let me have your new contact details. I thought I would never see you again."

I yelled back in astonishment remembering the day we had first met. It was down in Tokyo and we had become firm friends, but before the course had finished; her parents had taken her away to England to test if the course had worked. That had been only 2 years ago but now I look back on it seems more like 200. I couldn't believe that she was living next door to me!

I ran inside my own house, deposited my bag in its usual spot (the middle of the floor) and ran upstairs to get changed out of my tight, itchy uniform. 5 minutes later I was outside and hugging my long lost friend, having traded my school stuff for a tracksuit I often used for jogging. When we drew apart, I noticed at necklace with a bright red, orange and yellow feather on it. It was beautiful!

"Ami-chan, where did you get that necklace?" I asked in awe, "It looks like a feather from a phoenix but they don't exist?" now my tone was uncertain.

"It is from the only phoenix in the world. I went to see it last year and I was able to pluck a feather and make it into a necklace. It was cool. But what were sad was the turtles. One of the smaller ones was dying because her shell had come off. So I took and made a necklace out of it for you. They were going to throw it out anyway." She answered me.

I was amazed and very grateful for her thought. I loved turtles.

"Oh Ami-chan!" I cried out in joy, "Thank you! Where is it? Can I see it?"

"Of course you can see it. I'll go and get it." She replied and went of to get it.

Just as she left to go inside, 2 familiar figures rounded the corner. Presumably thy had seen the removal van because they can sped up from a walk to a run and within minutes has arrived out side Ami-chan's house just in time to bump into her and knock the box and cookies out of her hands. I dived for the box and caught it just in time while the cookies were also caught – in the mouth of my other friends which I could now see were Koneko and Vicki. Koneko's streaked hair had leaped out of her twin buns and was now covered in crumps as well as over her face meanwhile Vicki's sky blue hair, the same colour as her eyes, was generally all over her face as she struggled to say something around the cookie in her mouth. Ami-chan got up off the floor I gave her the box back. She looked inside but didn't give me it back.

One awkward silence later, I decided to introduce everyone as they seemed incapable of doing it themselves.

"Ami-chan, this is Koneko-chan and Vicki-chan. I had hoped you would have met them in better circumstances but never mind." I turned to Koneko and Vicki who were just getting up. "First things first. Guys this Ami-chan."

"We know!" they chorused back. I ignored them and carried on talking.

"Vicki, what were trying to say while you had the cookie in your mouth?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to check you were coming to the karaoke tonight." Vicki's reply wasn't what I had expected, neither was how she said it but I didn't say anything about it.

"Max-kun's is gonna be there!" said Koneko in a suggestive tone of voice.

I wanted to tell her to shut up but I had a better plan. Revenge.

"Rei-kun's is gonna be there!" I replied triumphantly. Koneko gave me a slight growl but I took no notice and turned my attention to the necklace.

"Ami-chan, can I have my necklace back yet?

"Oh sorry," she handed it back to my as she replied to me and here voice reflected her words. I opened the box and saw the most beautiful necklace that I had ever seen in my entire life. It was ever better than Ami-chan's.

"I'll help you put it on," came Ami-chan's voice from behind me. "Oh and by the way. Your brown roots are showing through your died hair. Nice colour though. Purple, that's this season's colour, right?" I could tell she was joking so I just turned around and asked her a question.

"Ami-chan, do you want to come to the karaoke tonight?"

"Hana-chan, you know she can't. We don't have enough tickets." I saw Ami-chan's face fall but I had the ace of hearts up my sleeve. Well, actually, it was another ticket but what the hell. I took it out and held it up for all to see. Everyone gasped and with a laugh I said,

"Ami-chan, you shall go to the ball. Well the karaoke at least." Then everyone laughed. As we headed in the direction of the karaoke bar, Ami asked me about who else was going to be there.

"I know there's 2 guys called Max-kun and Rei-kun but who else?" she asked.

"So you know about Mizikura Max-kun and Kon Rei-kun. The other boys are Kinomiya Takao-kun, Ikari Kyouju-kun and Hiwatari Kai-kun. Oh, and Tachibana Hiromi-chan will be there too." I answered and then took a deep breath.

"Did you say Kai? Hiwatari Kai?" she stopped in her tracks as she said it in hr surprised tone of voice I could remember so well.

"Yes, I did." I said it slowly so she could take it in better. But then her face brightened up and she finally started walking up the street. As we caught up with her she asked me,

"So what sort of songs can you sing at this karaoke?