Yaya

"Practice is over!"

The heat of the sun beat down, hot and hard, on my shoulders as I drained the last of my water. Sweat slid down my temples and forehead, and I wiped it away with the back of my hand, breathing heavily. I knelt by the water cooler, refilling my empty bottle, taking a swig as I packed up the rest of my track equipment into my bag.

"You guys go on ahead!" I called to my teammates, most of whom were waiting ahead for me, chattering amongst themselves.

"'Kay! See you, Yaya-chan!"

"Later!" I waved vigorously, and returned to packing.

Not a single flurry of air, not a shift of feet on the high school running track gave me a single notion that I was not alone. I only lifted my bright yellow water bottle and poured it over my head, sighing in relief as the icy water slid in droplets down my neon pink sports bra and matching track shorts.

"YAAHHH!" A pair of hands shot out from behind me and grabbed my sides. I shrieked, squirming wildly and attempting to kick my unknown attacker.

The hands released me, and the sound of a familiar pink-haired girl laughing hysterically made me whirl around in shock and embarrassment. "HOLY—Amu, what the heck was that for?! I swear I almost peed my in my shorts!" I whacked my friend's arm, glaring at her.

"S-sorry!" Amu choked, her topaz eyes filled with tears as she huddled over in an attempt to keep herself from dying of extreme laughter. (She did not sound sorry whatsoever.) Rima stood nearby, her evil grin a very obvious pointer as to whose idea the scare had been.

"Geez, guys," I whined. "As if I wasn't already tired and stressed from finals! You really had to do that?"

Amu stopped laughing abruptly, staring at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You—you—" she sputtered.

I cocked my head to the side, smiling innocently. "Yes?"

"Why aren't you—you're not referring to yourself in third person! And you're actually worried about finals!" She pressed her palm to my forehead, as if trying to check for a fever. "Are you feeling well?"

I giggled, brushing her hand away. "I've been talking this way for a while, Amu."

"Wait, what? How did I not notice?! What is going on? Yaya, are you pranking me?"

Rima grinned evilly again, crossing her arms and covering the baby blue of her lacy summer dress. "She's hanging out with Kairi too much."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks and spluttered, "Of course we hang out all the time! We're totes best friends, you know!"

Oh, come on, Yaya," Rima teased, elbowing me, and I squirmed away, protesting. "Admit it, you like him!"

"I do not like him! We're just friends!" I insisted, already knowing they saw right through me. "He's a good guy!"

"Yeah, you would know." Rima raised her eyebrows suggestively, smirking. Amu snickered alongside her.

And that was the moment I decided that Amu and Rima would look wonderful drenched in water. One minute the bottle was in my hand, and the next water was splashing onto my friends' t-shirts. My two female best friends squealed and started yelling at me at the exact same time.

"YAYA! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

And the next moment I decided that now would be a very good time to flee for my life.

Laughing hysterically, I sprinted from the track and across the grass, snatching up my bag from the side of the track and running towards the safety of the high school like Hell was after my blood. And it might as well have been, seeing as two rather angry girls were cackling hysterically behind me as if they were bloodthirsty psychopaths that had recently escaped from an asylum.

The world flew past in a spring-green blur as I fled, laughter bubbling up from my throat as their footsteps faded in the distance behind me. The ground changed from hard-packed dirt to trimmed grass to pavement to tile and back, and I continued running.

I was thinking it was a good thing that I'm a fast runner when I turned back to taunt them and ran smack into somebody's chest and knocked the person over, my entire body lifting from the ground as I plowed them down.

"Oof!" My face smashed right into a chest and the smell of lilacs and soft wool filled my nose as I gripped the front of a familiar off-white sweater.

"Ow…" I groaned, lifting myself up. My limbs throbbed painfully. "Gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you over." I struggled to my feet and shook my head, disoriented, and peered down at the unsuspecting victim. "Oh! Hey, Nagi! Sorry!"

The tall boy laughed and leapt to his feet gracefully, brushing his long violet hair back from his face. "It's all right, Yaya. May I ask why exactly you were running? Oh. It's you."

Rima and Amu had just appeared, panting and out of breath, sweat pouring down their reddened faces. Apparently Hell didn't get a lot of exercise.

"Hey, Nagi," Amu wheezed, hands on her knees.

Rima, however, seemed to have realized that her dress was crinkled and her low-heeled, dark brown sandals were now scuffed. She did not seem to remember, however, that she needed to refill her lungs with air, as she appeared to have stopped breathing. Judging by the fact her face had grown redder (who would've thought that was possible?) and the fact that she suddenly found her shoes very interesting, Nagihiko's appearance seemed to be taking a heavy toll on her.

"Hey, Amu." He grinned, ruffling her hair, towering over all three of us. His eyes flicked to Rima, and I saw a light flush appear on his pale cheeks. "Hey, Rima."

She flushed and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "What?" She snapped.

Nagihiko sighed. "Nice to see you, too."

"Soooo," I said brightly, breaking the suddenly awkward silence, "Whatcha doing here, Nagi?"

He blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "What? Oh." He hefted the duffel bag he was carrying over his shoulder. "Basketball practice. We just got out, and I thought I might get some ice cream at that new place at the mall."

"OH! ICE CREAM!" I gasped, suddenly excited, and grabbed Nagihiko's arms, leaping up and down. "I want ice cream! Are they any good? Do you have any money? Will you buy me some? I like ice cream! I'm hungry!"

Nagihiko laughed and managed to pry my hands off his arms, setting them back down by my sides firmly. "Calm down, Yaya. Hey, why don't we all go?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah, let's go. We were leaving, anyways."

"So you weren't trying to prank me?" I sniffed haughtily.

Rima shrugged, slowly recovering as her cheeks faded back to their normal pallor. "We were actually just searching for our guardian characters."

"You lost them?" I asked. "How can you lose a little floating person that follows you everywhere you go and never shuts up?"

"I'm not really sure, exactly. They just seem to run off all the time for whatever reason. They're really giggly, lately. I wonder…" Amu pondered. "Do you think maybe they're hiding something?"

"Probably," Nagihiko said thoughtfully. "Mine are acting up as well. Perhaps it's some weird phase?"

Rima snickered. "I know what's up with KusuKusu. I caught her all dressed up and trying to sneak out with Rhythm. I've gotta say, I never thought she was even into guys."

I waved an impatient hand, huffing. "Yes, yes, we all get it. Our guardian characters are in love. We can tease them when we find them. I want ice cream!"

Somewhere close by, several tiny guardian characters are attempting to keep from giggling too loudly as they watched a blushing Rima and Nagihiko argue with each other as a bemused Amu tried to keep the peace, toying nervously with her black tutu and her frilly hot pink tank top. Yaya appeared, dressed in her normal clothes and bouncing excitedly, sending the long white ribbons on her floaty white blouse flying.

"Wow, Yaya hasn't changed one bit," Ran sighed. "I thought maybe she would've matured a bit. I mean just look at her!"

Miki tutted. "Ran, don't make assumptions. I've seen her. She's become very rational and responsible. You just can't let any sweets anywhere near her." The blue-haired character looked the group up and down. "Although, none of their styles has really changed, huh?"

Rhythm looked at her strangely. "You've gotta be kidding. That's what you notice? I, personally, see a cry for help. Don't you see the blushing and arguing? They can't even flirt with each other!"

"I don't want to see my Riri-tan so unhappy," KusuKusu pouted. "Not when I'm happy." She grinned at Rhythm, who winked at her.

Miki groaned. "No PDA, please!"

Ran laughed awkwardly. "Um, can we focus on the task at hand? Please?"

"Fine, fine."

Ran sighed. "Anyways, I think it's obvious from watching these guys we have not one, but two relationships to set up. It's not just Yaya and Kairi anymore, but Rima and Nagihiko!" She giggled happily. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Su, who had been busy playing with a ladybug off to the side, finally looked up. "What about Amu~desu?"

Ran waved her hand dismissively. "Ikuto and Tadase are already on the case. One of them will win her heart without our help."

"Yeah, but Ikuto's been gone for years now. He doesn't visit very often…" Su trailed off. "Doesn't that rule him out, desu?" She thought to herself. "Well, that doesn't matter. Amu loves him anyway. Wait a second! Then why are we including Tadase? I'm confused …"

The other guardian characters were already soaring off to put their first plan into action.

"Wait for me, desu!"

"Mm!" I said happily, shoving the rest of my Triple Decker Super Sweet Ice Cream Bomb (extra large with fudge syrup and nuts!) in my mouth as my friends watched me half in horror and half in respect. "This is so good! Can I get another?"

A trickle of sweat dripped down Nagihiko's temple. He pushed away his cup of French vanilla ice cream and I snatched it up, swallowing the remnants in a couple bites. "That's your third. Aren't you full?"

The sweet shop was empty except for us, which made no sense because it was May, just before spring break, and on a Friday night. The rest of the mall was fairly crowded, as well, many familiar teenage faces laughing and talking as they shopped and browsed the many high-end clothing shops I could never afford because I bought too much candy. I could've sworn there were more people, but they all seemed to disappear after I finished my first Triple Decker Super Sweet Ice Cream Bomb (extra large with fudge syrup and nuts!)

It was a nice sweet shop, with gleaming tile floors, shining counters and countless types of candy lining the walls in clear "barrels" and scoops; you could watch as fresh ice cream, finely spun cotton candy, buttery caramel, and elegant truffles being made and put on display.

"Hey, don't judge me," I said through a mouthful of ice cream. "Rima, are you—?"

I didn't finish and shut up quick as Rima gave me a frightening glare and pulled her rainbow cake batter ice cream closer to her. I swallowed hard. "Amu, are you done with yours?" She nodded, looking slightly fearful, and pushed her strawberry frozen yogurt toward me.

I lifted my spoon, ready to dig in, but the tinkle of a bell caused me to look up. And then, for some strange reason, blush madly, put down my spoon, and hurriedly put on my yellow hoodie to cover up any stains.

Tadase walked through the door, smiling softly next to a laughing Kukai with his arm around a snickering Utau. Behind them was Kairi, pushing up his glasses with one hand, the other shoved in his gray hoodie pocket. I couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong with me, but I my throat had gone extremely dry. I barely noticed the sudden appearance of the many giggling guardian characters that had shown up along with the four.

"Hey, guys!" Amu called cheerfully. "What took you so long?"

"Utau got held up at the set of her new music video. Turns out that someone on the set blabbed to the paparazzi that she was here, so we had to sneak her out of there without being seen."

Tadase nodded. "It was lucky for us that Kairi showed up and distracted them. Otherwise we would never have made it out of there without them catching us."

Utau chuckled. "It was pretty funny, actually. He came running out of nowhere, waving his arms like a maniac and yelling something about sweets, danger, and something to do with money and health."

Kukai grinned over his shoulder at Kairi. "We think he was running to convince us the dangers of buying over expensive sweets that are dangerous because of some scientific evidence and whatnot."

Kairi blushed. "Actually, I—" He saw me and stopped. "Oh. Hi, Yaya." He smiled, and I nodded mutely, suddenly wanting to cry and smile back at the same time as a balloon expanded inside my chest. "As I was saying," Kairi continued, "I was… err, trying to get here to restrain, um, you, Yaya."

My eyes went wide. "What? Why?" Did he think I ate too many sweets? Did he think I was a pig? Was he coming to scold me like a parent? Did he think of himself as my dad or brother or something? WAIT A SECOND! Why do I care?!

"Well…" He cleared his throat, and I suddenly found my feet very interesting. "I was just, um, studying for the biology final, and I went to get a snack, and when I got back, I saw my textbook was flipped to a page on hyperglycemia… and I read it, and I got worried, and you eat so much sugar, and I got kind of paranoid, because you obviously have none of the causes of hyperglycemia, and when I found out that you were getting ice cream…" I couldn't read his voice. What did he mean? And why was I worrying? "And I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt yourself."

At this I looked up. "You wanted to make sure I was safe?"

He nodded. "Oh! But don't worry! I've calmed down, and I know you're safe." A relieved smile split his face.

I wanted to cry and smile again, so I only nodded and motioned for him to sit down. Rima and Utau snickered. I shot them a dirty look, sticking my tongue out at Nagihiko and Kukai, who were trying—and failing—not to smile. Amu and Tadase only sat there, looking confused.

"What's so funny?" Amu asked, starting to smile. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing. Everyone else is just feeling a little cockamamie because of the large quantities of sugar they have consumed." They all stopped laughing and stared at me. "What?"

"…You really do spend too much time with Kairi," Rima said, shaking her head.

I blushed, and Kairi sputtered, "What?! You say that like that's a bad thing!"

A small, baby-like guardian character floated over to another pretty character with rich purple hair wearing a delicate pink kimono. "You'd think that it would at least be obvious to Yaya what she was feeling."

Temari nodded. "It's not like Kairi isn't trying to tell her. It's slightly sad how he follows her everywhere and blushes and stutters whenever she is around, and yet she has never noticed."

"True, that." Rhythm floated around the two. "It's almost as bad as Nagi and Rima-tan."

"Don't worry! Don't worry!" Ran cheered. "We can get them all together!"

Beads of sweats dripped simultaneously down the three other characters. "Since when did we interfere in their love lives?"

A tiny prince with lilac hair glided over. "Since they've started growing up, of course." He put his fists on his hips, glaring down at them all. "Everyone can see they're not going to be kids for much longer. It won't be long before they don't need us anymore."

Rhythm raised an eyebrow. "And that's cause for messing in their relationships?"

"Directing them to face their emotions and getting them to act on them will also make them happier in the long run. Who else is going to make them happier? It's obvious they're not going to go anywhere without our help. They're going to feel regret and sadness if we don't stop it."

"Who's to say they won't figure it out themselves?" Rhythm asked. The rest stared at him incredulously. "Oh… I see your point."

"Exactly." Miki nodded. "You can say this is our last chance to help them find their would-be-selves. Except, you know, romantically. After we disappear, it will be too late."

The evening slowly spread across the sky, soft oranges and yellows flaring around the sun setting in the west. Midnight blue and deep purple flooded in from the east, intermingling with the rosy sunset, wispy clouds colored egg-shell white. The sun turned the tall buildings of the city black with mellow gold edging.

"It's so pretty…." I said in awe, watching as the oranges and yellows slowly faded and the sun inched out from the sky, flooding the world in hues of purple, blue, pink. Sounds of agreement rose around me as we all stood facing the west.

Kukai and Utau both had early starts for the next day, and they left first, Tadase tagging along (well, more like Kukai dragged him along by the arm against his protesting that he didn't live anywhere near Kukai or Utau.)

Nagihiko sighed. "I wish I could stay, but I have dance practice early tomorrow. I need to get home. And then I have to get a present for Tadase." He grinned sheepishly. "I might have accidentally forgotten his birthday."

My eyes widened. "Tadase's birthday? Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! It's in, like, two days! I haven't gotten him anything yet!"

"Thank goodness. I thought I was the only one!" Nagihiko sighed in relief.

Amu laughed. "That's okay, Yaya. I haven't had the time, so I was planning on going shopping tomorrow for something. Do you guys want to come?"

"Hey, I have an idea." Rima's eyes twinkled, and I backed away a little. Whenever she got that look in her eyes, it was usually when she was planning something. And that was not usually a good thing. "Why don't we throw him a surprise party?" Oh, thank goodness, it wasn't something dangerous, I thought. "We can hold it at his house. It'll be fun!"

I nodded excitedly. "That would be so cool! We just have to get permission from his parents or somebody so we can hold it there!"

"Permission? To plan a party in his house?" Rima asked, confused as if she had never heard of such a thing.

Amu chuckled. "That would be cool. Let's all get together and plan it. How about right here?"

"I'll text everyone!" I said excitedly. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"If no one minds, I need to get home," Kairi said timidly behind me. I nearly jumped. I had forgotten he was there.

Amu nodded. "I gotta go, too. Rima, let's walk home."

"You shouldn't walk home alone, just in case," Nagihiko said hopefully. "I can walk you home." Meaning, he was using this opportunity to hang around Rima.

"I guess…" Rima said, trying her best not to look like she was about to faint.

The three walked off, Nagi and Rima immediately beginning to bicker while Amu sighed in exasperation.

"See you tomorrow, guys!" They didn't notice me. Those two seem to forget everything around them when they're together. It's totes cute, but it's kinda dangerous when they argue, because often people get hurt in the crossfire.

Speaking of scary things, I realized I was alone with Kairi. My heart began to pound and my cheeks grew warm. "Um, so I should get home." I couldn't look him in the eye. What was wrong with me?

"Let me walk you home." I looked up. "You shouldn't walk home alone, it might not be safe." His eyes were unreadable.

"S-sure," I stuttered. I started walking in the direction of my house without bothering to see if he was following.

"Hey, wait up!" He caught up to me, slipping his hand into mine. My breath caught, and I turned red, hoping he hadn't noticed.

Of course, he did. "Are you okay? Dear God, are you feeling well?" He pulled me to a stop and turned me toward him. His eyes met mine, full of concern, and my legs felt weak.

"Y-yes," I said, suddenly glad it was dark. "I'm fine."

The back of his hand felt my forehead. I swayed, felling rather dizzy. "You don't seem all right. Maybe you're feeling sick?"

"N-no…" He cupped my cheek gently, leaning in closer. I couldn't breathe. What the heck was going on? "Kairi?" I asked breathlessly.

He frowned. "Your face is hot…" He drew back, and I my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. Without warning, he knelt, sliding an arm underneath my legs and scooping my up into his arms like a bride. "I better get you home and into bed. I think you may be ill."

"No, it's okay," I protested weakly. "You don't have to carry me, I can walk…"

"I'm not taking any chances." He started walking. "I just hope you don't get me sick," He teased, and I laughed, unable to speak anymore.

Was it just me, or did he just hold me a bit tighter?

The walk home, normally about twenty minutes, felt closer to around an hour. I could only try desperately to control my body, which had decided to go crazy. I had a really bad idea about what exactly I was feeling.

Finally, finally, my house rose into view, lights shining from the living room. I could faintly hear the television running, which, thankfully, most likely meant that my parents were not in the living room. The position I was in would probably drive my mother to asking me embarrassing questions like whether or not we were going out, or when she could expect grandchildren, while my dad would fuss and worry over the fact that I was growing up to fast and that he needed to lock me in a chastity belt or something. All before my suspected "boyfriend"—WHICH HE WAS NOT!—could leave. Kairi shifted me closer to him, leaning me against his chest as he ascended the porch steps and rang the doorbell.

My younger brother Tsubasa appeared at the door, and I sighed in relief. His eyes widened, and let Kairi in. "Hi, Kairi. Whatcha doing with Onee-san?"

"She's sick, Tsubasa," Kairi informed him. "I'm going to put her to bed, okay?"

Tsubasa nodded happily, motioning upstairs and sucking on a lollipop that looked suspiciously like it had come from my secret candy stash in my room.

Kairi carried me upstairs as set me down on the bed, pulling me into a sitting position and pulling off my sneakers. Despite my efforts, I went red again as he slid off my hoodie and socks and pulled open a drawer, only to reveal a my rather embarrassing junk drawer, mostly filled with feminine items such as lacy undergarments my mother had bought me in the hopes that I would eventually wear them someday (I wasn't planning on it.) A pink tinge flooded his cheeks, and he hurriedly closed the drawer and opened another, sighing in relief and pulling out a nightgown.

"Do you think you can dress yourself while I get some stuff ready?" He asked.

I nodded silently, and he smiled, getting to his feet and closing the door behind him. Noises started coming from the bathroom next to my bedroom. I hurriedly pulled off my clothes, tossing my shirt, shorts and hoodie into my hamper.

I was wearing only yellow and white striped boy shorts when Kairi knocked on my door again. "Are you done dressing?"

I hurriedly threw on my floaty pink nightgown and sat back down on the bed. "Y-yes," I called out, straightening my clothes.

The door opened. "Since I'm not quite sure what illness you have, I decided it would be best just to keep you cool, and maybe—" He stopped, staring at me. His eyes widened. "Uhh…"

I looked down at myself confused, and felt my face grow even hotter. The thin fabric, while thankfully covering my breasts fully, did not conceal my underwear very well, the hem just hitting mid-thigh and letting the stripes poke through. I gulped and slid under the red covers, pulling them up over my head. "You don't have to do this," I mumbled, my voice muffled by my sheets.

He gently pulled the covers back. "Of course I do. You're my best friend, and I care about you." He placed a washcloth on my forehead that smelled faintly of green tea. "Here. Drink this.'

I sat up and he held a cup of tea to my lips. The taste was unfamiliar, a mix that tasted slightly like cloves, honey, and oranges. Once the cup was empty, he pressed me back onto the bed and lifted the covers up to my chest. I smiled up at him, feeling the balloon expand even further in my chest as I watched his face. His sea green eyes met mine, and they sparkled as he smiled. My own eyes fluttered shut, and while my breathing did not calm and my heart kept stuttering, I felt peaceful and happy.

As the world of dreams pulled me under and confused my mind, and I was unsure of what was real and what was not, I just barely felt a feathery whisper of breath across my lips, and a soft touch of a kiss ghosted across my mouth. I felt a finger twine around a lock of my hair. "Good night, Yaya," A voice whispered in my ear.

The world filled with oceanic twilight, and I was gone.

Just for a second, close your eyes and listen.

It is 1987 in Osaka, Japan. You stand in the courtyard of Seiyo Academy. Seiyo has become a famous school known for its high test scores and the scholarship program with an uncanny ability to pick the students that become famous.

Nighttime has fallen; the sky is dark, a smattering of stars just visible beneath thick grey clouds that reflect the moon's silvery glow. Lying in wait behind a bush, you rub a small gold key around your neck, knowing what is to come.

You are dressed in lordly Renaissance clothes: red tunic, white leggings, a long sword. She is coming, and you must help her, no matter what the cost, or she will die.

Every hair on your body raises. You get to your feet, crouching, ready to strike, and step out of the shadows and into the light, knowing it is not safe in darkness. Not where you'd be vulnerable to the monster's influence.

You are Tsukasa Amakawa, and you are the first King.