XX A/N XX

I can't stay away from this category, it seems. Here's my newest work, a longfic this time and different genre from what I usually post. Hope you all enjoy this new story, and forgive the poor and disjointed opening; it's kind of hard to make a good introduction when everyone already knows the characters and events, not to mention how many people there is to keep track of. A/N at the bottom regarding the third section.

X

Satoshi Mochida wasn't a morning person. Who was? So when his alarm clock clicked over to 6 AM and started its annoying wailing, the high school student groaned but didn't move. It was his intention to get a few more moments of warmth and comfort.

Unfortunately for him, his alarm clock had succeeded in waking another member of the household who was a morning person.

"Big Brother!" A younger looking girl barreled in from the adjacent room, still in pajamas, and with a flying leap landed upon him like a cannonball.

"Ack!" Satoshi jerked up at the blow. "Yuka!" He groaned at the receding aching where her knees had dug into his stomach. His childish little sister just laughed at his misfortune and climbed off before snatching the covers away from him.

"Time to get up, Big Brother!" She told him before getting a running start for the bathroom.

"Yuka..." He sighed but smiled and pushed himself up. He couldn't be mad at someone so happy. Standing up to stretch, he glanced at the calendar on his desk: October 26th. "26th..." He yawned, trying to smooth his out his hair. There was something about today he should be remembering... "Hmm." Next to his clock, the display on his cell phone lit up to inform him he'd received a message in spite of the hour.

"Who?" He picked it up and flipped it open. Beneath the text icon was the name 'Shinozaki'. The name of his friend and class representative reminded him what was significant about this day: it was the day before his school's culture festive. Tomorrow, the classes of Kisaragi Academy would turn their classrooms into attractions to outdo each other. Ayumi Shinozaki had been determined that Class 2-9 would outdo every class in the Academy, Junior and Highschool. And Satoshi had allowed himself to be volunteered to help set things up today along with his other seven friends. "Right..." He yawned again.

The message was short and simple: 'Good morning, Mochida. Could you please make sure Kishinuma comes to school today? Thank you.'

"Yoshiki?" Satoshi wondered at the mention of his blond friend. He did have a habit of skipping school every now and then, and a bit of a bad reputation, but he could be trusted with what his friends asked of him. Shinozaki must not have thought so if she'd sent the request though.

"What's that?" Yuka returned stuck her head in to see.

"My Class Rep." Satoshi explained as he closed the phone. "She wants me to make sure Yoshiki comes to school today because we're supposed to stay after and prepare for the culture festival." Yuka had never met Yoshiki, but she knew he was one of Satoshi's two best friends.

"What?" Yuka asked, sounding hurt. Normally, Satoshi would walk her to school. He always had, with a few exceptions. Although Yuka had whined on every one of those occasions. Having turned 14 just last month, she should've been beyond such things. But neither Satoshi or their parents could bring themselves to stop her.

"I'll make it up to you later." He promised, tussling her hair. She crossed her arms and pouted before going to her room. With a resigned but amused sigh, Satoshi got ready for his day, knowing his morning walk would be longer. He skipped a shower for a short wash up and changed into his school uniform: Gray pants and a white button up shirt. A gray Gakuran jacket hung in his closet beside the rest of his uniform, but it was an optional part of the dress code he often chose to ignore. He grabbed up his school bag and headed downstairs.

"I'm leaving early." He called to his parents as he passed by the kitchen where his family was eating breakfast. It wasn't the first time he'd done such, so his parents didn't give more than a brief nod to show they heard. "I'll be staying afterschool too." That was a first, though.

"Ok." His mother gave a verbal answer this time. "Don't come home too late."

"I won't." Satoshi promised as he headed for the front door.

"Big Brother." He stopped as Yuka came out of the kitchen, wearing the long blue smock that was the Junior High uniform for girls. "Here." She held out a piece of toast for him.

"Thanks." He smiled and took it from her. "I'll make it up to you later." He repeated, seeing she still seemed upset he wouldn't be able to walk her to school today.

"Okay!" She brightened up at the idea. "Have a good day, Big Brother!"

"I will." He nodded and left the house, heading for the older, more decrypt part of town where Yoshiki lived. As he did so, yawning and taking a bite of toast, he wondered if his class rep was trying to rush everyone else in their group of friends to school to help for such an important event.

X

The answer was no, but all of them were going through their own mornings. Satoshi's other best friend lived not too far across town, a girl. While Satoshi was already out of the door, she hadn't even bothered changing out of her yellow pajamas yet. Instead, she was busy cleaning and sprucing up her room and checking the progress she'd made doing the exact same thing just last night.

Until her mother intervened, anyway.

"Naomi Nakashima!" Cup of coffee in hand, the brunette woman stared at her almost identical daughter and then at the clock in her room. "It's almost 6:30. You'll be late for school! What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." For so early in the morning, she seemed unusually excited, enough to where she didn't notice the sternness in her mother's voice. "I don't want my room to be a mess when Seiko arrives." At the mention of the girl, Ms. Nakashima's gaze softened a bit. She wasn't surprised it was something related to her daughter's best friend; she'd been so excited about the sleepover they were having tonight for a while now.

But school was more important than a sleepover, no matter what the girls might think.

"Your room is clean enough." She told her. "Now get ready for school." She pointed to her daughter's school uniform- a tan sailor uniform and blue skirt - hung neatly by her dresser. "If you're late, you can forget about the sleepover." That was a bluff- Naomi's mother was actually quite looking forward to meeting this Seiko girl her daughter was friends with- she talked about her all the time, almost as much as that boy Satoshi she was also friends with. But it had the required affect, and her daughter promised to be dressed and downstairs soon.

True to her word, Naomi was downstairs two minutes, and her mother returned to her amiable self. "So you're really excited about this sleepover." She commented.

"Yeah." Naomi smiled. "A sleepover is one of the only things we haven't gone before." Naomi and her peppy friend of several years had done probably hundreds of things like having two hour phone conversations or going shopping. They were nearly inseparable in public, and to an outside observer they might've appeared as more then friends, but really Seiko was just a very enthusiastic person and Naomi tolerated it. But in the few years they'd best friends, a sleepover had never been done. That was supposed to change tonight.

She could hardly contain her excitement, and she was sure Seiko, probably the liveliest person in Japan, wasn't even bothering to hide her excitement. In fact, Naomi wondered just what the atmosphere at the Shinohara household was at that moment.

X

The answer was quite active. Of the houses six occupants: one male adult, two female teens, and three younger children, all were rising and preparing for the day at just the same time. This normal routine was turned eccentric when Seiko, one of the teenage girls, entered the children's rooms and proceeded to rush them out of bed with well placed tickle attacks, filling the house with shrill laughter even this early in the morning.

The other teen, smiling and watching the festivities, moved to the kitchen and started preparing food, joined soon after by Seiko. The whole family poured into the kitchen for the merry affair that was breakfast a few minutes later.

"Good morning, Miyu!" The smallest of the children, a little girl, chirped to the girl that had become like a second big sister to them.

"Good morning, Aya." She replied just as cheerfully.

"Breakfast will be ready soon!" Seiko declared as it was a event on par with winning the lottery. And no less then two minutes later, the table was filled.

The younger children were up, dressed, and eating. But the two girls that had made that possible had yet to get dressed themselves. So with the rest of the houses occupants eating, they rushed to take care of that. As students of Kisaragi High, their uniform was the regular sailor's shirt and skirt. That left only their hair to be done and they'd be ready for the day.

There was a brief silence as Seiko and Miyu quickly styled their hair into their preferred styles: curls and pigtails respectively. These different styles were the only reason they could be told apart at a distance, since both of their hair had a coppery color to it.

The similarity wasn't all that surprising, seeing as the two girls were cousins. Together they were the force that helped run the house, and had been for close to two years now. Originally, it had just been Seiko and her younger siblings in the home with their parents, with Seiko filling the role of second care taker. That had come to a end with the disappearance of their mother, and for a time Seiko had assumed her role all by herself, managing okay for the first few weeks.

Then the first year of high school had been about to start, and with it the worry Seiko would be swamped in responsibility. That was about the time Miyu had come to visit, intending to stay a few weeks and help out. In the end, she'd decided to stay longer because of how much she enjoyed caring for the three younger members of the household, and Seiko had some of the nicest people Miyu had ever met as friends. Her own relationship with her parents had been frosty at best, so they hadn't really cared. In truth, Miyu enjoyed being in a household with people who appreciated her, and Seiko was always glad to have a close friend at hand to blab to- which is what they were doing now.

"Are you sure you'll be fine for the night?" Seiko was asking.

"Certain." Miyu nodded. "We'll be fine here. You should just focus on having fun. Naomi have been planning this sleepover for weeks, haven't you?" Her cousin had been talking about this evening's sleepover at her best friend's for ages now. Part of the reason it was possible was her cousin had agreed to watch the house and Seiko's siblings overnight. She'd been overjoyed, but her mother hen instincts kept her just a little grounded on the issue.

"Oh yes!" Seiko confirmed. "Weeks of planning. Weeks of recon. Weeks of scheming. And the day has finally come!" She brandished her hair curler the way a general might've his sword when commanding troops. "I'll finally get to be inside her house! A chance to plant my flag!"

"Is that all you'll be doing?" Miyu nudged her with her elbow. It was no secret, to her at least, that Seiko's feelings for her best friend were a little more than just that even though she insisted otherwise.

"Maybe." Seiko said mysteriously. "All sorts of opportunities may arise!" She sounded absolutely excited as the prospect of finding all those possibilities out. "Thank you for volunteering to hold down the fort, I'd never get a chance like this otherwise!" She leaned towards her cousin with a knowing smirk. "I'll return the favor one day." She winked. Her cousin didn't respond, but seemed to smile a little as she daydreamed.

As much as the pair wanted to stand and imagine, there was work to be done. Seiko's dad had to leave early for work, leaving it the girls' responsibility that the younger members of the family got to school. And after that they had to get to school as well. But there'd be plenty of time to talk there too, and with their friends- today's preparations and tomorrow's event were important to all of them.

X

One of the orchestrators of that event was the Class Rep. The other, also a girl, was in the bathroom of her home brushing her short brown hair with one hand and talking into her cell phone with the other. The person on the other end was none other then Shinozaki, questioning her compatriot on her own responsibilities in the affair.

"Yes, they're all done." The girl was promising. "I can't wait to show them to everyone later!" The items in question were meant for the girls, and she was hoping they all would like them. But she was also interested in hearing what the boys in their group of friends thought about them, though there was one person in particular who she's was eager to hear comment.

"That's great, Suzumoto." Shinozaki sounded relieved. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

"Thanks." She smiled at the compliment. As a avid and popular member of Kisaragi's Drama Club, Shinozaki had sought for help and expertise on crafting the necessary clothing for their event at the Cultural Festival, and she'd been more than happy to help. She was sure all her friends would love them, and hopefully a good amount of the school as well. "I'll see you at school." She hung the phone up and checked the time, noting she should be heading out the door soon.

Finishing up her hair, she headed into her room, empty aside from a bed and a few stacked boxes, grabbed up her schoolbag, and headed downstairs. "Mom? Dad?" She called through the mostly empty house.

"Mayu?" Her mother called back, and she found her in the kitchen packing dishes.

"I'm going to school." Mayu told her. A weary smile came on her mothers face.

"Ok, have a nice day." She nodded.

"Is dad still here?" Mayu normally said goodbye to both her parents in the morning, but her mother sighed and shook her head.

"No, he left early for the office again. He has a lot to take care of before he transfers."

"Oh." There was just a fraction of a second where Mayu's happy expression seemed to falter before she perked back up. "Ok then! I'm off to school."

"Have a great day." Her mother repeated as Mayu left the house. Down on the sidewalk, she pulled our her phone and called the name at the very top of her contact list.

X

The recipient of her call, a black haired youth, was in his own home sitting at the kitchen table with his parents. Yet the setting lacked the hospitality one would normally associate with such a scene. Rather, the air seemed bleak. Not exactly hostility, more along the lines of indifference. The boy didn't interact with or even face his parents, and vise versa. It was all quiet, at least until the youth's phone began to ring and he pulled it out.

"I'm going to school." He stood quickly and made for the door, schoolbag in hand. As soon as he was outside, he answered.

"Good morning, Shige-nii!" The bright, happy voice chirped immediately, making him smile slightly.

"Good morning, Mayu." He returned the greeting. Mayu was the only one who called him that. To anyone else, he preferred to be called Morishige. But he had no qualms about his best friend giving him a nickname. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. Thanks for asking!" Mayu's immerse popularity at school probably came from the fact she was so cheery and trustworthy with everyone. It was kind of surprising he was such good friends with her; he was virtually the opposite: a quiet and unsociable type. But they got along surprisingly well, and Morishige had to admit having her as a friend made life much less dull. "How are you?" She went on.

"Fine." Morishige answered. "I'm heading to school now."

"Great!" Mayu really could be happy about anything. "I can't wait till later today. I have something for the Culture Festival to show everyone, and I'm hoping they'll all like it."

"I'm sure everyone will love it, Mayu." Morishige assured her. "In fact, I know everyone will. Nobody's ever hated anything you've ever made." His complement made her giggle.

"Thanks, Shige-nii." She told him. "You haven't forgotten we're staying after school to help set up for tomorrow, right?" She asked, turning serious. Mayu was a happy person, but she was very down to earth of serious matters. Truthfully, Morishige loathed physical work like the kind they'd all be doing this afternoon. But since it was Mayu asking him...

"Of course I remember."

"Okay!" Mayu went back to her regular mood. "I'll see you at school, Shig-nii."

"I'll see you there, Mayu. Goodbye." He tucked the phone back in his pocket and continued walking, a slight smile on his lips.

X

Meanwhile, Satoshi was just then reaching the two-story apartments where Yoshiki lived. The neighborhood wasn't too pretty, being in the older part of the city, and it did have a bit of a crime problem, but it was the only place Yoshiki could live with his earnings- he sustained himself. It was quite a feat for a high school student.

"Oi!" Just as he approached the building, he heard a voice call down to him. He glanced up to see his best friend waving at him. Satoshi waved back and waited till Yoshiki came down onto the street. Unlike Satoshi, Yoshiki chose to wear the jacket with his uniform. "Always gotta follow me around?" He didn't say it in a mean way, just a joke since Satoshi could be surprisingly forceful about getting his friend to school sometimes. "Why would I skip today?" He punched Satoshi on the shoulder and the two started walking.

"I didn't think you would." Satoshi defended. "I only came this morning before Shinozaki asked me to."

"Shinozaki asked you?" Yoshiki repeated, looking confused and sounding a little offended.

"Yeah." Satoshi flipped open his phone to show his friend the text. "I wouldn't worry about it." He assured Yoshiki. "She's been talking about the Culture Festival for weeks now. I bet she's woke up all the others too."

"I guess. Shinozaki is REALLY scary when she wants something." Yoshiki admitted. "And she does want this to go off without a hitch." He sighed. "Still..." He mumbled to the side. "So if you knew I was going to come today anyway, why did you come all the way out here to walk with me? Doesn't your sister whine when you do this?"

"Yeah." Satoshi confessed. "But Shinozaki did ask me, and she'll probably check once we get there."

"You really need to learn to say no to women." Yoshiki laughed and elbowed Satoshi in the side, a gesture which was returned. "Otherwise they're going to run you into the ground after school."

"They'll do it to you too." Satoshi warned. Yoshiki just shrugged.

"Are you sure you didn't come here just to avoid Shinohara's cousin?" Yoshiki asked. At the mere mention of the name, both males glanced around defensively. Both Shinohara girls had a reputation as eccentric trouble makers who got their thrills messing with their small band of friends. And Miyu seemed to have a certain fondness for bothering Satoshi, to the boy's often embarrassment or occasional horror.

"I just came because Shinozaki asked me." He defended, and Yoshiki rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He gave his friend a slap on the back and they headed off to school.

XX A/N XX

Those of you knowledgeable of the Corpse Party franchise's many official adaptions probably started having horrific flashbacks during the third section. Rest assured, I am borrowing the character and the character only. Adding additional people to the group for the charm is a good way to mix the story up, and better a official character than an OC. Besides, she's probably the only halfway decent idea that adaption had, and least offensive. Those of you wondering what I'm rambling about, consult the wikia.

Other then that, this AU will have a few influences from the game's official manga adaption, which had much more humor and shipping in it. What other changes there are... you'll have to wait and see.