Chapter One: An Addition to the Family-A New Super...Goth?
Notes: Since this is my first story to post on I went with an OC, hope you don't mind! She's a pretty likable character though, at least I hope so...anyway it's Emi Hanako and Aya Hoshino! Warning: This is a yuri story, that means girl x girl, don't like don't read. For everyone else, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gals! or any of the characters in the show, but I do own Emi Hanako
"So you see I was minding my own business walking home last night when all the sudden this huge pack of wolves started chasing me for no reason! I ran and ran trying to get away as their jaws snapped together right behind me. I was running out of energy and they were gaining fast-" Ran acted out her story as she told it in an exaggerated tone, running in place and glancing behind her.
"Kotobuki!" Naka-teach shouted, "You want to tell me the real reason you didn't do your homework?" His eyebrow twitched in agitation.
"I was watching TV." The answered bluntly. The classroom door slid open and closed behind the teacher.
"Ah, Miss Hanako." Naka-teach said as the turned around. "You finally made it back, being late on your first day back doesn't look good." He was angry, and it showed; but he did not direct the front of his anger on the other.
"Yes, sir." She said in a voice that was feminine yet deep. "It won't happen again." She bowed politely to her teacher, but she was not in uniform. She wore a slightly baggy pair of black jeans held up by a tight belt and a black t-shirt with plaid patches. Her hair was a natural crimson with dyed black tips, down to her shoulders in the front and short and spiked in the back. Her eyes were a deep green. Her voice did not seem to match her appearance.
Ran looked at the girl with astonishment, she had been gone for quite some time and missed a lot of class, she was gone before Aya even started. Ran had just guessed that she had dropped out. But she looked almost exactly the same as Ran remembered. She had lost weight though, now she was thin and looked very athletic. She was slightly taller than Ran and quite pale. "So she's back huh? I wonder where she was all this time..." Ran said out loud to herself as she took her seat, glad to have Naka-teach out of her hair.
"Everybody, you remember Miss Emi Hanako." Naka-teach finally re-introduced her to the class. She bowed politely again to the class and took her seat by the back window, proceeding to stare into the courtyard for the remainder of class. Whispers filled the room and Emi could hear her name whispered here and there. She sighed and shrugged it off, knowing exactly what everyone was saying to each other. Ran did as usual and fell asleep as the lecture began.
---After School---
Ran had to stay for study hall with Naka-teach. Miyu and Aya decided to wait for her at the library. The lights were dim and it smelled like moldy paper, as most libraries do. They sat at a long table, the opposite end of Emi, sitting with a pile of books with quite a pissed off look on her face. "Say, Miyu..." Aya spoke softly, trying to keep her voice low.
"Yes?" Miyu answered, getting the hint to speak quietly.
"Who is she?" Aya asked in curiosity, "I mean, I know her name but is she someone that used to go here? I've been hearing rumors." She admitted.
"Yes, Hanako-chan used to go here until just a little before you moved in┘Miyu has been hearing rumors too, but I don't know her well enough to judge their accuracy."
"I hope not..." Aya sighed, "Maybe Ran will know." They spent the rest of the hour in silence, every once in a while peering up at the girl across the table as the surface bounced with a THUMP. Emi was slamming her fist onto the tabletop, obviously angry at something dealing with the pile of books beside her. Aya normally would have helped out, but she wanted to know if the rumors she had heard were true first.
The trio met outside Naka-teach's class and Aya did not hesitate to ask, her curiosity taking over. "Ran...do you know if the rumors about Hanako-chan are true?" They began walking toward the school exit as they talked, the bright hall lights a nice change from the dreary library.
"I haven't heard any rumors, and I don't know her very well...but shoot." She said with a questioning tone. "What did you hear?"
"Maybe you would have heard them if you didn't fall asleep as soon as class started." She said in a flat tone. "I heard that she was in juvi all this time, but everyone had a different reason." The dark haired girl said with a bit of worry. Ran thought for a moment, she had never really even held a conversation with Emi before, let alone know anything about her past.
"Let's go ask bro, there should be something about it in the police box right?" She answered holding up a pink nailed finger.
"We're going to see Miyu's Yamato?" She laced her fingers together with a smile, a shine in her eyes as they finally stepped out into the sun. The sky was blue and full of fluffy white clouds. The day was brisk, it was autumn and the leaves were falling off of the trees in shades of red and yellow.
---At the Police Box---
Outside the city was bustling, couples passing arm in arm. "You had better appreciate this, Ran, I'm not really supposed to show those to just anyone." Yamato said as Ran scanned the files for a picture of the 'suspect'.
"Ran Kotobuki is not 'just anyone'!" Ran challenged waving a finger with a long pink nail. She sat with her boots up on the table, reading through the file as it sat on her legs. "Found it, her name is Emi Hanako, as we already know. She was arrested for assault and battery...there are pics of the victims, it's a bit gruesome." She slid the file to the others with a look of disgust on her face.
"Oh, his face..." Aya covered her mouth with disgust.
"Yeah, him and two other guys were sent to the hospital." Ran sighed, "She must have gotten way carried." (carried away-for those of you who have forgotten 'gal speak')
"But if you look at her other records it's like she's perfect...Miyu is confused." She added as she pointed to another page.
"She's right, look at her school records." Aya added.
"That's enough guys, you don't need to get involved any further." Yamato demanded.
"Fine, bro., whatever..." Ran tossed the file to her brother and planted her feet back on the ground. She snapped for the others to follow as she made her way back out into the sunny city.
"See you later, Yamato." Miyu turned with a smile and a wave as they left, blowing him a kiss. His face grew bright red with an embarrassed smile.
---On The Train Home---
Aya waved to Ran and Miyu as they stepped out of the shuttle, taking a seat next to a hooded figure with headphone cables streaming from the hidden face. After a moment the figure's hand rose and pulled the buds from it's ears with a tug in the cables. The doors closed and the shuttle began to move through the tunnels, starting slowly and gaining speed. The yellow lights of the tunnel making it a bit hard to see. "Damn batteries, I finally get to listen to music again and the bastard dies on me..." The voice was familiar, Aya immediately became tense, but did not move as to not seem rude. Emi pulled her hood down with a sigh, tucking the MP3 player into her hoodie pocket. As she looked at Aya a small smile crept across her face and she spoke. "You're Aya Hoshino correct?" She asked hopefully. Aya was a bit startled and struggled to answer.
"Y-yes. Y-you're Emi Hanako r-r-right, you just j-joined our class today?" She did her best to hold back her nervousness, but it failed. Emi raised an eyebrow, but laughed it off before she spoke again.
"Yes, It's nice to meet you." She said with a crooked smile, it was not something she could control. Truth be told she was a bit nervous. "I guess I'm actually lucky then." She held out her hand, which Aya shook cautiously. "I kind of had a favor to ask, since you're the top in our class..." Her face got more serious, and Aya noticed a silver shine in Emi's mouth as she spoke. It was a tongue barbell, but it did not seem to impair her speech.
"Y-yes? What is it?" She answered with an awkward smile, not able to look away from the unnatural shine. Emi obviously noticed, as she giggled a bit at Aya's expression.
"Would you mind helping me study up on everything that I've missed, I've fallen pretty far behind. I could pay you for your time..." Aya's face turned to that of shock and fear, thinking back on the pictures she saw at the police box. Emi noticed this and sighed, her tone changed to something more sad. She looked away and raised her voice so Aya could still hear her. "You know what...forget it...I don't want to make you uncomfortable. You've obviously heard those rumors, and by the look of it you either really believe or know they're true." She crossed her legs and leaned her head back into crossed arms. Her green eyes were closed and it looked a bit like she was holding back tears. Aya frowned and looked at the floor of the slowing train, she still had quite some time on her way home. The shuttle stopped and the doors opened again, people piled on and off in mob of pushing and shoving. They were lucky they boarded early.
"You see, Ran's family is full of cops and when we heard the rumors we couldn't help but check the police box to see if they were true. Of course if they weren't we were going to clear your name, but the face of that man...it was just so..." She covered her mouth again as she had when she looked at the picture.
"So you don't know the story then, you saw the file and the pictures?" She opened her eyes, looking at Aya from the corner. "You didn't get to see my report?"
"Yeah, is there something to it?" Aya raised her hands up in defense as she saw Emi raise an eyebrow. "I mean, of course you must have had a reason...would you mind telling me?" She asked curiously, Emi didn't seem like the type of person the rumors made her out to be, her other records showed that there must have been an explanation for such a change. Aya was still not quite convinced of her guiltiness. Emi leaned foreword in her seat, looking at the dark haired gal beside her. She sighed before beginning her story.
"This friend of mine, Aiko, was walking home one night by herself. She was passing in front of my work when those three guys walked over and started messing with her. She wasn't the type of person to retaliate, and they started grabbing her and pushing her around. I came out to see what was going on and they turned their attention to me, I had the need to protect myself and even more to protect Aiko. I wouldn't lose that fight..." She clenched her fist.
"Oh, so you did it to save your friend?" Aya repeated. "Sounds like Ran, but you got pretty carried huh?"
"Carried?" Emi repeated in confusion, a bit of a laugh escaping. "Oh, that's right. I saw you with Ran, I guess that makes you one of the Super Gals." She said with a smile. "To answer your question though...yeah, I guess I did."
"What about your friend?" Aya asked. Emi's face turned to what seemed like she was trying to hide sadness, Aya understood that she did not like to show much hurtful emotion.
"I haven't gotten to talk to her yet..." Emi admitted with a saddened smile, it was not crooked like the real one. Aya decided this was a good time to change the subject.
"I'll help you with your homework." She said with a smile. "As soon as I really started talking to you, I got the feeling I had the wrong idea before. I'm sorry to judge so quickly..." She said with a bit of a sadder tone.
"You're only human, hun." Emi answered, regaining her joyful tone. "Thanks a lot, I'll give you my address now if you don't mind stopping by tomorrow?" She said hopefully.
"Okay, that's fine, I'll give you my cell number too." She reached into her bag for a piece of paper and a pen. They exchanged information.
"I really do appreciate it." Emi smiled genuinely, her whole person seemed to change when she did. Aya flushed a bit, Emi turned out to be the kind of person she admired. She was a lot like Ran really, but not as loud and eccentric. "Are you okay? Hoshino-chan?" She asked in confusion.
"Oh, yes." Aya nodded, "I'm fine. You can call me Aya, okay?" She said with an embarrassed smile. The train pulled to a screeching halt. Emi stood up as the doors opened. "Oh? Are you going?" It was a stupid question she knew, but it came out anyway. Truthfully she felt a bit of sadness, but did not know why.
"I was planning on it, but it is getting dark┘how far do you have to go, Aya-chan?" She sat her bag on the seat she had been sitting in, a thoughtful smile on her face.
"Oh, not too far. Another few stops." She smiled.
"I couldn't make you walk home alone, by now it's dark." She said as she glanced to her watch, it was only about six but it was late fall and the sun set early.
"Actually, the walk home can be a bit scary...but I couldn't make you-"
"If I offer then you're not 'making' me do anything." She held a finger up to Aya's mouth as she interrupted. Aya nodded up and down. She didn't know why, but she felt she wanted to get to know Emi better. Her heart was beating a bit fast, but she couldn't figure that out either.
The walk to Aya's house was dark and a bit cold. Aya only wore her light yellow sweater. They didn't talk much, listening to the sounds of the suburbs at night; it was much more soothing than the city. They looked up to the stars as they walked side by side. Emi noticed Aya's teeth chattering beside her and unzipped her hoodie. She hung it over the other's shoulders as the gal still looked foreword. Aya blushed and slid her arms into the sleeves of the black hoodie, looking up to Emi's face as it redirected itself to the stars. -She's beautiful.- She said silently to herself. The sleeves were long and it was still warm as she zipped it up. She wanted to protest at first but she knew Emi would just say something to refuse; besides, it was oversized and much warmer than her own sweater. "I'm sorry it's so big, I haven't gotten a chance to get new cloths yet."
"A-actually, it's quite comfortable." She admitted, putting her hands into the low pockets, the ends of the long sleeves folding over. She looked at the girl again, now more of her body exposed without the jacket, she felt kind of bad since Emi was in short sleeves. The t-shirt was too big though, the short sleeves ran down below her elbows and the bottom reached below her butt. It was hard to see the curves of her body, but it was easy to tell she was a woman. Emi looked at Aya from the corner of her eyes, looking her up and down with a bit of a grin. She was hiding just how cold she was.
Flirtatiousness was just a part of Emi's personality, and Aya didn't seem to be pushing her away. She was genuinely kind though, not trying to toy with anyone's emotions. She was the type of person to offer a walk home and a warm jacket to just about anyone. "This is it." Aya said with a tired grin. She slid the jacket off and handed it back to it's owner as she stepped inside. "Be careful on your way back and thank you so much for walking me home, Hanako-san."
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Emi answered with a smile as she pulled her jacket back on. Aya watched her go down the stairs, at the bottom Emi turned with a wave, "Anytime, Aya-chan, good night." Aya smiled and waved, closing the door. Emi sang to herself on her walk back to the station, a song she had remembered from her old band. It was a song about the stars, the only slow song they had ever written. She laughed at herself for having such memories.
---The Next Day at School---
"What? You sat next to her on the train?" Miyu repeated what Aya had said with a bit of shock. The other blond and brunette student hovering over her as well.
"Yeah," Aya began to answer, "It turns out she was protecting someone when she get arrested." She spoke lowly as not to spread everything around the school. She thought it okay to tell her friends.
"Sounds like Ran..." Miyu said with a smile. "Maybe we got the wrong idea about her." The other two students shrugged, not knowing Ran like the others do they thought of her more as a flunk with a violence issue. Aya left out the walk home, knowing the others would probably not understand.
"I MADE IT!!!" Ran called as she slid into class, just barely making the bell. Emi stepped through the door seconds later, quietly taking her seat at the back of class. Her cloths were similar to the ones she wore the day before, a bit too big and mostly black. Ran and Naka-teach went through the same routine as always, a long detailed description of why she couldn't do her homework, a loud yell, and a blunt answer. The four girls glanced to Emi in the back, Ran looked at them in confusion.
They spent lunch in the courtyard, surrounded by the colorful leaves. They sat at a dark wooden table. Aya explained what had happened to Ran. "Oh really? I guess the rumors were wrong in a way after all..." She sighed. "You can't judge someone without getting to know them first, that's an ironclad rule for gals" She added with a thumbs up. "With what you said...it sounds like we have an excuse to go shopping today! Invite her to come along with us after school!" Ran's smile grew, anything gave her a good reason to go shopping.
"You're right, it's Friday isn't it?" She thought for a moment, "I'm supposed to go over and help her study today though..."
"You're going over her house? Aya, you just met her yesterday...are you sure that's a good idea?"Miyu asked, even if she was protecting someone Emi had still gotten carried away and sent those boys to the hospital.
"Maybe she could come shopping with us first and you guys can get to know her. Would that make you guys feel better?" Aya understood that her friends were worried about her and was happy to see they cared so much.
"I think that's a great idea, you said you were going over her house so do you have her number?" Ran asked, pausing a moment before continuing, "Since we're at lunch you can call her now instead of springing it on her last second after school."
"Yeah, good idea." Aya said as she dug through her purse for her phone. She pulled out the pink cell and searched through her contacts for Emi's number. It only rang once before she answered.
"Hello?" The familiar voice said from the other side. She sounded like she didn't recognize the number.
"Emi-san, this is Aya." It was strange, Emi sounded more like a woman over the phone. "I remember yesterday you said you hadn't gotten a chance to get new cloths...I was talking with Ran and Miyu and they asked if you wanted to go shopping after school? It's Friday so we could still study after we're finished."
"Oh? Uh, that sounds like fun...but I'm not really good in groups...and won't you guys want to go into different stores than me?" Ran and Miyu listened in, putting their ears up to Aya's.
"That's no problem!" Ran took the phone, "It'll just be the four of us and we can help you pick out some new cloths. We can go into any store you want."
"R-ran?" She stuttered, "Well, alright, and we'll go into any store you want too."
"Alright, sounds great! Here's Aya!" She said with a victorious smirk.
"Haha, sorry about that. Ran doesn't have the best manners." Aya said with a chuckle.
"It's no problem, I look foreword to it." He laughed, "I'll meet you at Hachi after school."
---In Shibuya---
After Ran's time with Naka-teach they arrived by Hachi, the red dog statue. Emi was waiting, a stick of chocolate pocky hanging from her mouth. She waved to the trio as they approached. She offered the pocky to everyone, Ran taking most of the box for herself. Emi had never really explored Shibuya before, she mostly hung by Aya's side in silence as they went into the stores for makeup and nail products, but she enjoyed herself none-the-less with the group of fun-loving gals. Once they had a few bags they almost forced Emi to choose a store.
It was already starting to get dark, it was about four thirty. The sky matched the leaves that littered the ground by the trees along the sidewalk. The stopped for a moment outside to watch the sun and drink some juice. The music inside the gothic store was j-rock and the lights were dim. Emi blended in but the other three stood out like barbies in the dead doll isle. She rummaged through the racks, unsure of what size to buy. The other girls looked around the strange store, examining the strange cloths. "Wow, that's a lot of cloths." Aya said in a surprised tone, standing behind Emi who held cloths over her forearms.
"Yeah, I do have to get a whole wardrobe..." She sighed, shopping wasn't really her thing but it was necessary. "Besides, my parents sent me some cash for my birthday."
"Your birthday?" She repeated curiously. "When is it?"
"Tomorrow." She replied with a smile.
"Tomorrow? Why didn't you say anything?" She said in a slightly worried tone, her hand over her mouth.
"I, uh, didn't think you would care?" She answered with a questioning tone, looking up to Aya's face. "Was I supposed to?" Ran broke in holding a pile of shirts.
"I may not know a bunch about the goth thing but I know a lot about fashion, try these on." She dug through the stack of cloths Emi had picked out and discarded some to the side, shoving the rest and the shirts into her arms. "We may be super gals but we can make you into a super...goth?" Ran raised an eyebrow. Emi chuckled.
"Thanks guys, give me a few minuets to try these on." She said as she stepped into the dressing room and closed the door. The others put the discarded cloths back where they belonged. Aya looked around quickly, searching through the small store for something she thought Emi would like. She asked Ran and Miyu to help her out, they thought of a devious plot. Emi stepped out wearing a white form fitting long sleeved shirt beneath a black short sleeved band t-shirt and a pair of slightly baggy black cargo pants. "Miyu thinks it looks great." She smiled, clapping her hands together.
"See, I told you." Ran held up a pink nailed finger. "You look great, the GL guys are gonna be all over you." They were distracting her from Aya, who was at the cashier.
"Uh, thanks guys." Emi said with an embarrassed smile, looking around for Aya. "Where did she go?" She glanced to her sides, she was nowhere to be seen.
"I think she got crowded and stepped outside." Miyu lied. Emi nodded and stepped back into the dressing room, emerging again in her old cloths. She made her way to the cashier, glancing outside at the trio. They were laughing at something.
"Well I guess that's it! I'm broke!" Ran said with a disappointed smile as Emi emerged from the store. The sun had almost completely set over the busy city as they made their way to the train station, sitting all together until Ran and Miyu stepped off with a wave. The doors closed and the train began to move foreword again as the new passengers took their seats.
"I hope that wasn't too much chaos for you, or too boring..." Aya said with an embarrassed flush.
"Huh? No, not at all!" Emi smiled, putting her arm around Aya playfully, "I had a good time and you guys were a big help." Aya's heart sped up. She smiled brightly, "There's just a bit more I need to buy now." She said with a sigh as she pulled her arm back.
"Oh? I'm glad you had a good time." Aya said with a genuine smile, she had had a great day with her friends, even planned something a bit unexpected. She yawned, they had walked around a lot more than usual without many breaks. She leaned her head on Emi's shoulder tiredly. The other girl gave a crooked smile with a soft blush. She put her arm over Aya's shoulders again, holding her close. Emi combed her fingers through Aya's dark hair and spoke quietly, "I'll walk you home again if you want, Aya-chan. Since it's already getting late, we can study tomorrow."
"That sounds like a good idea, but I need to stay home for the repair men. Can you come around four?" Aya looked up, her head still resting on the other girl's shoulder. She blushed a bit. Emi nodded her head up and down.
"Four is fine." She looked away with a bit of a frown, -Don't fall for her, Emi.- She told herself silently. "Are you okay?" Aya asked with a bit of worry.
"Oh, I'm fine." She turned back with a fake smile. Aya could tell the difference, her smile was straight and her eyes looked different. Had she really been paying that much attention? And why did she feel sad? Why was her heart beating so fast?
"Okay, we'll start with English." She said with a tired smile. -Don't forget about Otohata!- She told herself. -And she's a girl! I shouldn't even have to remind myself!- She scolded herself internally.
"Aya-chan..." Emi let her voice trail off, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable if it can be avoided, but I think it may be one of your 'ironclad rules' for friends not to hold secrets from each other..." She sighed, -It's too late.- She admitted to herself, all that was missing was pigtails. Aya nodded her head up and down,
"Ran says that one a lot." She answered with a curious smile, "So what is it?" Emi removed her arm from the gal's shoulders. Aya frowned.
"Well, the girl in my story...she was...more than just a friend." She admitted quickly, bracing herself for emotional impact. She paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction. Nothing. "I just wanted to say that you shouldn't try to get too close to me┘you probably think it's gross or weird, but I don't like keeping things from people that I care about." She finally looked Aya back in the face; she couldn't determine her thoughts. "I think stuff like that is better heard from me than through the grapevine...I can understand if-" Her sentence was cut off by long-nailed finger over her mouth, like she had done to Aya the night before.
"Never judge somebody based on petty things like race, gender, orientation, or religion." She paused and looked back to Emi's surprised face. "That's an ironclad rule for gals!" She said, tilting her head a bit with a smile. Her smile faded though as she asked another question, "Do you still care about her? I mean THAT way?" She pushed dark locks behind her ear. -That's none of my business...what am I doing-
Emi was a bit taken back by the question and took a few seconds to answer, "I don't know, I haven't seen or talked to her in a long time. She never called or visited." She looked away at the last part, looking at Aya from the corner of her eye, "Besides, I think I may like someone else. I've met some people since I went back to school." The shuttle screeched to a stop and the doors opened, people pouring in and out.
"Really? Who?" She asked with her smile returning, a shine in her eyes.
"Not telling..." Emi answered with a playful wink.
But you just said-"
"I said that it was one of YOUR rules, I just wanted to be honest." That crooked smile coming back as the poked Aya's nose gently with her finger. "I'll give you three guesses though, I won't lie if your right." She sighed and leaned back into her hands, her fingers laced behind her head. She glanced at Aya, thoughtfulness painted on her face.
"I don't know what kind of girls you like though, maybe..Ran?" It was a simple first guess, all the guys in Shibuya were after Ran so maybe all the girls were too.
"Ran isn't bad, but not really my type." Emi admitted, "Two more." She held up two fingers. The train stopped and the doors opened, Emi stood up and offered Aya a hand. As Aya took it and stood, Emi reached for her bags, Aya did the favor a carrying one of the two. Emi would have to carry them home. Emi slung her bag over her shoulder as they stepped through the exit.
"Miyu." Aya guessed as they stepped off, "It's someone I know right?" She was curious, but hoped that Miyu was not the correct answer.
'Nope, not Miyu." She paused, "I think you may know her." She said in a fake unsure voice. It was dark as they stepped out into the suburban street. The only light now coming from the street lamps. They didn't talk much on the way to Aya's home, Aya deep in thought, trying to figure out a good third guess. She had guessed two gals, maybe it was someone who wasn't a gal. But she didn't really know any non-gals either, Shibuya was full of them. A chill ran down her spine and her teeth chattered. Emi smiled, sliding her jacket off again and holding it out to make it easy for Aya to slide into the long sleeves. Aya zipped up the long jacket and hugged it close with a flush. She felt her cheeks get warm, -I hope she can't tell...-
They stood on Aya's porch in the darkness, the only light being that streaming from the windows. ''I think that I've decided on my final guess..." Aya said with a hopeful sigh, "You can't laugh at me if I'm wrong though." Emi nodded, agreeing to her terms. Aya laughed, "But I'm not going to tell you until tomorrow." She added as she opened the door behind her.
"But the suspense may kill me." Emi joked as she walked backwards down the stairs and into the shadows.
"I guess that if you don't show up tomorrow I'll know why then." Aya said jokingly with a matching smile. Emi laughed from the bottom of the stairs turning face Aya again, "Goodnight." She waved. Aya smiled and closed the door. She leaned on the back of it.
"Goodnight." She said in a low voice, holding a small box to her chest. 'I hope you like it." She realized she was still wearing Emi's jacket. -It's so comfortable I forgot to take it off!-
---4 p.m. at Aya's House---
Emi nervously knocked on Aya's door, the colorful evening sky behind her. Her house was much bigger than it appeared at night. Aya came to the door quickly, opening it with a smile plastered on her face. She was wearing a white sweater and a jean skirt with pink leg warmers to her knees, her hair pulled un in a half-do with pigtails on top and the rest of her hair down across her back. -Ah! Pigtails!- Emi thought happily, she didn't know why but she had a huge thing for girls with pigtails. She blushed a bit, hoping Aya wouldn't notice.
"Come in!" Aya said happily. She stepped aside and let Emi in, the house was beautiful and extremely clean. Paintings lined the white walls. Emi looked around in awe, it was much bigger than her own small apartment. "The family room is all set up." She said spinning to face the gothic girl and leading her into the next room, grabbing her hand and tugging. The room was very brightly lit. There was a loveseat and a three seated couch, both the same dark green suede. Aya let Emi enter the room first and glance around. She was confused at the lack of books and other learning materials.
Ran and Miyu jumped up from behind the couch with a yell, "Happy Birthday!" The three of them said at once. Emi blushed, not used to so much attention. She put on a crooked smile as the girls stuck a pointy party hat on her head. Ran ran out to the kitchen and returned a moment later with a cake in her hands. It was chocolate and mint, black and green, Emi's favorite colors as they gathered from shopping the day before.
"Aya and Miyu both got you presents, but I was broke so I baked you a cake!" She sat it on the glass table that rested between the couches and began to cut it as Miyu and Aya pulled out their gifts. She opened Miyu's first, the larger box. She pulled out a black jacket with a skull and crossbones on the front.
"Miyu noticed you didn't get one yesterday so she went back and bought it this morning." She said with a smile. Emi smiled and slid it on to check the size, it was perfect, something to expect from a seasoned shopping gal.
"Hope you like it, I helped her pick it out!" Ran broke in. Emi grabbed both of the gals in a hug. They all laughed, Aya the most, out of jealousy.
"Thanks gals, I like it a lot. She let them go and turned to Aya, "You guys really didnt have to do all this." She said as she untied the perfect bow from the top of the box.
"We wanted too, you're our new friend aren't you?" Aya said in an embarrassed tone as Emi opened the box. It was a necklace, a cross made of nails, strung together with bronze rope, hanging off of a thin chain. "Do you like it?" She asked hopefully in a low tone.
"Wow..." Emi smiled at Aya and took her in more of an embrace than a hug. "Thank you all so much." She let her go and took a piece of Ran's cake. She smiled with delight, "Wow it's good!"
"Thank Aya, it was her idea. We would have planned more if we had known before yesterday." Ran said with a smile. "Now let's get to karaoke!" She called, holding up a mic and pointing to the karaoke machine. She handed the mic to Emi and switched on the TV. Emi's face lit up, "This brings back memories..." She said with a smile.
"Memories?" Miyu asked curiously.
"Me and Aiko had a band. I was the vocalist, believe it or not." She said with a shy smile.
"Really?" Aya said in a joyful tone. Emi selected a song and took a drink of water. Her deep feminine voice was great for singing, it was smooth and she kept in key. The trio watched in awe. She didn't dance as she sang, she would be too embarrassed to do it without a proper audience. Ran and Miyu left after everyone had had enough, Aya and Emi really did need to start studying. As expected by her school records she caught on pretty quickly to most of the material. They worked on vocabulary and spelling mostly. They finally stopped studying around ten, a yawn escaping Aya's lips. "I asked my parents this morning if it would be okay for you to stay over, that is if you want to." She said hopefully.
"Are you sure, I mean remember what I said about-" Aya put her finger over Emi's lips.
"Do you want to know my third guess?" She asked with a smile. Emi nodded up and down. "Promise not to laugh if I'm wrong?" Emi nodded again. Aya looked around, knowing very well that her parents had gone out to not interrupt the party. They were strict, but trusted their daughter. Aya leaned up to Emi's face, letting her lips hover over the other's. Emi could feel Aya's shallow breath. She closed her eyes and pressed their lips together. Aya's lips were soft, like silk on Emi's. She opened her eyes as she pulled away a few seconds later, leaving Emi speechless.
"Aya-chan." She said after moments of embarrassed silence between the two of them. "You guessed right."
Notes: So that's it for chapter one! Don't you love how I ended it with the first kiss? Some drama unfolds in the second chapter when Rei Otohata and Yuya Aso show up, as well as Aiko. What will happen with Aya and Rei? Emi and Aiko? And is there any way for Emi to fix it? You can't miss the plot of the century to get everything the way it's supposed to be! And of course one of Ran's famous speeches of justice. Things are getting a bit crazy and I hope I can get it to you soon! Please send me some feedback, but no flames! (also, if you don't mind igoring some stange symbols I may have missed, the word document thing I have can't be transferred onto the website so I have to put everything into a notepad document and it throws everything out of whack...I would appreciate if you catch something big to let me know, thanks a lot for bearing with me and my idiotic computer...)