A/N: Took a break from IRE. I figured since school is starting in a little under two weeks, and I'm going back to Chicago in exactly a week, I should stop updating IRE like a mofo and actually work on this. Since this is more my baby. Kinda.
I've actually had the first part of this for a while. It wasn't until this past week that I finally got around to writing more. Sorry I fail at updating - I had a bad spring quarter and then Otakon came and then I got into Sailor Moon and I don't even like Kanako so it was hard to update. But now I'm back! I will hopefully update more often, but no guarantees. I don't play the guarantee game.
To make up for how long it took me to write this, this chapter is 5, 081 words. as well as 14 pages in Word when using 12pt Verdana. Probably the longest chapter I've ever written. Ever. So yayyy!
To the three that have reviewed, I appreciate the love wholeheartedly and hope you guys continue to review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't waste your time with lawsuits - I don't own Princess Nine.
Just Pretend
Daddy's little girl falls for a bad boy. Desperate to be with him, she drops her label as a good girl and lets her other side gradually take over. Can the Kisaragi girls bring their shortstop back to reality before she loses herself to a few tubes of lipstick and a green wig?
Chapter 2 – Stranger Danger
For the girls of Kisaragi High, arguably the most amazing feeling of the week, aside from hearing the bell at the end of last period, was ending afternoon baseball practice on a Friday. The week had been long, and all of the girls were ready to pack up their baseball gear, put away their uniforms, and go home for the weekend. Granted, practice would continue, but it was a wondrous weight lifted off of all of their shoulders to know that school was not their priority the next few days.
For Kanako Mita, school was always a priority. She always felt as if her homework constantly piled up on her, every day, weekday or weekend. Perhaps it was the spooks and scares of being the school Valedictorian. Perhaps she was just paranoid. Either way, she knew she could not let the weekend get to her, and she was not about to let it come close to doing so.
Of course, studying alone becomes less and less fun by the day when you have friends all around you. She walked up to the team captain, figuring she'd be the safest bet to be her study partner for the night. There was never a night when Ryo Hayakawa was homework free, and there was never a night where Ryo Hayakawa was not stressing out over it. Smiling, Kanako held her books up to her chest and approached the pitcher. "Hey, Ryo?"
The captain spun around, cheerfully facing her fellow teammate. "Oh, hey, Kanako! What's up?"
"Are you, by any chance, busy tonight?" Kanako inquired. "I figured maybe we could have a study group tonight." She held up the giant book in front of her, the word Physics written on the cover in big, bold letters. "I have a lot of Physics homework to do, and I think it'd be a good idea if we worked together." She disregarded the fact that Ryo was not even in her class, let alone in Physics, but figured the answer would be yes anyway. Ryo never turned down an offer to bond with her teammates.
That assumption, however, was shattered like glass when Ryo's cheerful smile turned apologetic. "Oh, I'd love to, Kanako, but I promised my mom I'd help her out with the bar tonight. That's a lot of work on its own, and I don't even know Physics."
Kanako's head turned downwards. "Oh, I see… Do you think anyone else would be free enough to study with me?"
"Hmm, let's see…" Ryo pondered, her finger to her lips, her eyes to the ceiling. "I guess you could ask Mao or Izumi. I'd say Koharu or Hikaru would be fun to study with, but I think they're considering homework 'Part B' tonight."
Kanako tilted her head. "'Part B'?"
Ryo nodded. "Yeah, something like that. According to Hikaru, on Friday nights, you can't have 'Part B' without 'Part A'."
"Oh my God! Did I really hear you say that, Ryo?"
The two girls turned around to see the rest of the group standing by the doorframe, holding in their mysterious laughter. Hikaru was leaning against the wall, shaking her head at Ryo's statement.
Ryoraised an eyebrow. "Umm…I guess so? Isn't that how it goes? You can't have 'Part B' without 'Part A'?" She inquired, bringing on more giggles from the centerfielder and a smack to the head by Izumi.
Hikaru threw herself into a giggle fit. "No, no, Ryo. You're saying it wrong." She stepped in front of the group to get closer to Ryo and Kanako. "The phrase isn't 'you can't have part b without part a'. It's 'you can't have part B without a partaaaaaaay!" She ended the phrase with a cheer and a dance to the sounds of clapping and whistling in the background by Yoko, Seira, and Koharu. "Man! I've been so ready for tonight!"
"I know! I'm so ready to mingle and dance!" Yoko exclaimed. "And we get to dress up, which will be so nice!"
"Ugh! I'm excited to finally relax and let loose!" Seira announced, swishing her hair a bit to the side. "I feel like this entire week has stacked up against me. I need a little fun in my life."
"Hey, Hikaru! You wanna meet in my dorm to pick outfits and do makeup before we head over?"
"Hell, yeah, Yoko! I need to figure out what exactly I feel like wearing. I can't tell if I feel like a purple or a green tonight."
"Sounds great! Koharu, what about you?"
"Eh, I'm stickin' to the good old-fashioned black and white tonight, so I don't need the fashion help. I may stop by anyway though, just for shits and giggles."
"Yoko, do you mind helping me with my makeup tonight? I kind of wanna surprise Soshi."
"Mao, anything to help a couple in need!"
"Excuse me?"
Everyone stopped their conversations to turn to Kanako, who genuinely looked confused. "What exactly is going on tonight that everyone is attending?" She asked, her eyebrows shifted in too many directions.
"There's a party at a club downtown. All the high school kids are goin'. Kisaragi, Rinkai, you name it," Koharu explained. "And we're all headin' down tonight too. Figure it should be fun, right?"
"Yeah, but shouldn't you all be avoiding staying out all night?" Ryo asked, slightly worried. "We all have practice tomorrow, bright and early as usual."
"You just aren't observant, are you?" Izumi scoffed. "Party night is every Friday night. They've all been out partying every Friday night for the past God knows how many weeks. It's been a tradition for a while." She ignored Ryo's eye rolling as she grabbed her bag. "I, however, am planning on passing this week. I have quite a bit of Calculus that I would like to get out of the way as soon as possible."
"Oh, then, would you like to join me tonight, Izumi?" Kanako asked, holding up her book once again. "I'm not planning on going to this party either, and it'd be cool to have someone to study with."
Izumi thought about Kanako's request until the bold word on the front of her book shined in her eyes. "Oh, God," she sighed in sheer disgust, "not when that infernal subject is involved. I was planning on procrastinating on that." She turned to the other girls. "Yoko, may I borrow your closet again? I'll skip Calculus tonight. Takanawa isn't that important to me."
"Yeah, I'm sure I have something," Yoko responded, still locked in a conversation about eye shadow with Hikaru.
Feeling bad, Mao turned to Kanako. "Unfortunately, Soshi really wants to go to this club, and we haven't had a legitimate date yet…"
Kanako stopped her. "It's okay, Mao. I understand."
Hikaru put her hand on Kanako's sulking shoulder. "Hey, why don't you come with us tonight? I'm sure you don't really have that much homework."
Kanako shook her head. "Thanks for your offer, Hikaru, but I really can't afford to slip up on any of my classes." She grabbed her bag, slipping the physics textbook back into it.
"Really?" Yoko started, "You're valedictorian of our school. You can afford to skip one tiny night of homework for a little fun for once."
"This isn't really about homework," Seira stepped in. "Clearly, her father has everything to do with her not partying with us." The other girls groaned in realization.
Kanako, however, shook her head. "No, really, Seira, I have a lot of homework."
"I'm sure it's no different from the rest of our workloads," Seira rebutted. "You overreact to every single workload you get because your father brought you up on studying hardcore instead of having fun with your life."
"That's not –"
"Actually, Kanako, she does have a point," Hikaru sided with Seira. "You kind of do listen to everything your dad says."
"Really," Seira started again, "you don't have to let your dad run your life like this! It's not healthy!"
Kanako found it hard to defend herself. In a way, they were right. She did everything her father told her. He did, in a way, run her life. However, what was she to do? Go against him and end up being kicked out, with nothing to protect her or comfort her? With her father in that type of power, there was next to nothing Kanako could do.
She felt a small arm pull her into a side hug. "Don't listen to them, Kanako," Koharu comforted. "There's nothin' wrong with havin' your dad control your life. I mean, my dad runs my life, and look how I'm brought up. And I still love my dad."
"Koharu, that's different," Seira stepped in. "You're dad's not a total jackass like Principal Mita is."
"Yeah, guplet," Hikaru chimed in, "You're dad sounds pretty cool, the way you talk about him."
"Well," Ryo started, "He was kind of mean when I last saw him…"
Koharu gave Ryo a slightly bewildered and disgusted look. "Dudes, seriously," she turned to everyone else, "my dad's the coolest dad out there. I don't give a fuck how awesome your dads are. I mean, yeah, he basically kicked me out of the house…to play baseball. To have fun rather than just sittin' around weavin' blankets and shit."
Unfortunately, Koharu's argument was not helping Kanako's situation. If anything, it was making the situation worse.
"Seriously, he called me last night," the centerfielder continued, "askin' how things were goin'. I told him school was going well, and he asked if I had a boyfriend. I told him no, and he told me not to call him until I got some." She wove her hands around her in a swift movement. "Face it, my dad's the fuckin' best."
Hikaru giggled. "Well, there'll be a lot of Rinkai High boys there tonight, so you should be able to call your dad tomorrow!" She winked at the short girl, receiving a slight smile and an eye roll in return.
Seira turned to Kanako. "Seriously, Kanako, you don't get to do this often. Just ditch Physics just once and come have a good time with us tonight." She was not doing much, but there was a lingering pleading look in the red head's eyes. Kanako could not get past it.
The other girls had the same insistent look in their eyes, with Hikaru's being the most exaggerated. "Rinkai High boys, Kanako," the first baseman egged on. "Rinkai Hiiiiiigh…"
Kanako stood there, the begging eyes of everyone else slowly starting to bite away at her perseverance. Despite how much she wanted to work on her schoolwork, keep her title, and please her father, she saw the points the other girls made. She never had that many chances to hang out with the girls in this way. She had never been to a club or any truly interesting place downtown. She had never danced with a boy the way the others were intending. The week had been long and hard on everyone, and she realized she did need a bit of a break from the work, the stress, and, most importantly, the dreams every night.
Eventually, she gave in. "Alright. I'll try my best to go."
The girls cheered, jumping around and high fiving. "Yes! I'm so excited!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Kanako's finally hangin' out on the fun side of town!"
"You're welcome to come over to my place to pick your outfit, Kanako!" Nene encouraged.
"I'll figure it out, Nene, thanks," Kanako responded.
"Well, we should head on out. Gotta get ready for tonight!" Koharu stated, leading the rest of the team out of the clubhouse.
They all conversed amongst themselves about the random things involving them and the night ahead of them. Kanako tried to find regret in this decision. She found many, but it was too late. She looked up at the setting sun, hoping the night would go well and nothing would change after the party was over.
She faced the mirror, holding a pale pink dress up to her chest, with worry in her eyes. Kanako had a mere half an hour before Nene arrived and her mind was filled with doubt and regret. She should have turned down the party, should have just stayed home and studied her physics notes. Instead, she agreed to attend an unknown party and set herself completely out of her element. And for what? A chance to be with the other girls in a situation other than school or baseball practice? A chance to "live a little"? As much as she wanted both, Kanako wondered if all of it was worth going out in the dark of the night and partying.
She sighed heavily before removing the frock from its hanger. There was no turning back now. Her mind lingered on Hikaru's last plea – the boys attending. Surely, she was not interested in those Rinkai High boys like Hikaru was, but if there were going to be any others, possibly bulkier and more aggressive boys… No. Kanako shook her head in disgust. She could not possibly be looking forward to see those brutes. Not at all.
A ring went through the house, causing Kanako to panic slightly as she quickly fixed her hair in a white ribbon. She threw on a pair of white, Mary-Jane-esque heels, grabbed her bag and quickly made her way down the stairs to meet up with Nene.
"Oh, Kanako, you look so gorgeous!" Nene squealed in excitement, causing Kanako's cheeks to match the color of her elegant dress. The short stop wore a pale pink dress, belted at the waist with a white silk ribbon, with a square neckline and long puffed sleeves. The skirt went about a centimeter or two below the knee and every hem had small white lace around it. Kanako did not have many dresses in her closet, she never was one for fancy parties, but she felt as if this dress was pretty enough to gain the appreciation of her teammates.
"There's just one problem…"
Kanako looked up in confusion. She had done everything perfectly to make herself look nice for the party. With what could Nene possibly have an issue? "What is it?"
"You're…uh…a little overdressed," Nene replied, causing a gasp to come from Kanako's mouth as she got up from the living room couch. Nene was donning a pale pink, sequined tank top, with a stark white miniskirt and a pair of lace up white pumps. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail with a white ribbon, and she had many lavish accessories. "It should be no big deal, though," Nene reassured. "We'll just be twins and things will be okay!"
Kanako's bewildered expression did not leave her face. Twins? With Nene in that outfit?
Nene grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the door. "Come on! Let's go to the party and meet up with the other girls!" she happily exclaimed.
As she was being pulled away from the comfort of her own home, Kanako yelled goodbye to her dad and started to severely wonder into what she had gotten herself.
By the time Sebastian's car arrived at the club, Kanako was not worried about the party. She was dead set on wanting to go back home. This was not her scene – she did not understand why she was there, why the team was there, why she was even asked to join. The other girls knew her better than this. When they stepped out of the vehicle, Kanako understood Nene's concern – she was way too overdressed for the occasion. Most of the girls were barely wearing clothes, let alone a fancy dress.
They got in with ease, the bass blaring all around them. Fear overcame the timid bookworm as they walked deeper into the madness to find the other girls. Strobe lights flickered all around the dark room as couples made the walls move with their gyrations. Suddenly, a familiar face popped up from the crowd.
"Well, well, look who finally showed up!" Hikaru happily exclaimed. "Kanako Mita's livin' the party life tonight!" The first baseman was clad in a dark green tube dress, defined at the waist with a black belt, a large, dark green, beaded necklace, and a pair of black sling-back heels. Her hair was in her signature style, but her makeup was done a lot more dramatically than normal. "Glad to see ya, here, Kanako!" she enthused, harshly patting the shy girl on the back.
"Oh my God, Kanako's here?" Yoko asked out of nowhere, fixing her yellow halter dress as she walked toward the other girls.
"No way. Daddy's girl actually showed up?" inquired Seira from behind her.
Kanako blushed at the girls' reactions. "Well, you guys asked me to come, so here I am…" she meekly replied. "Though, I will say, this party is completely different than what I imagined it would be."
Yoko's violet eyes scanned the shortstop's body with much disappointment. "I can tell it's different – you're dressed like my grandmother."
"Well, I didn't expect it to be so casual," Kanako defended herself, her gaze shifted in Seira's direction as the redhead donned her typical tight blue shirt and jeans combination.
"If it'll make you feel better," Hikaru started, pushing the smaller girl closer to the dance floor, "we would've criticized you if you wore your typical overalls instead as well."
Kanako rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Hikaru."
"Kanako!" Koharu shouted from behind a handful of couples. She and Izumi were dancing with two indistinguishable men; the smaller girl wearing a black tank top and white shorts, and the taller donning a navy blue halter dress. "Glad to see ya here! Go grab a man and dance with us!"
Kanako was a bit speechless, though she couldn't tell if it was because of the prospect of dancing with a stranger or the image before her of Koharu Hotta wearing heels. Nevertheless, Kanako turned down the center fielder's offer. "That's okay; I'll just…dance over here with the girls…"
"Pshh, that's no fun. Just go ask a guy to dance," Hikaru encouraged, pushing the short stop toward the random party goers. "There's one of the Rinkai guys. Go get 'im!" With that, she disappeared, leaving Kanako by herself to tackle the obstacle before her.
Kanako timidly walked toward the Rinkai high group, and nervously asked one to dance with her. Of course, as the room was loud as it was, her requests fell deaf on all ears. By the time she got to her fifth "Excuse me," the boys had moved on, in attempt to find someone able to grab their attention. Spirits fallen, Kanako realized she should have never accepted their offer. What was worse than feeling alone in a room full of people? She wanted to leave as quickly as possible when Nene showed up beside her.
"Kana, dear, don't worry," Nene supported, "you'll be able to dance with a boy tonight. Rinkai High boys aren't everything."
"Nene, is it really that imperative that I dance with anyone here?" Kanako asked in near anger. "This entire place is intimidating. I can't stay here any longer!"
Seira came up behind her, placing a strong hand on her shoulder. "All due respect, your outfit isn't helping your attitude. Come on!" With the aid of Nene, she pushed Kanako through the crowd, toward the back of the club. Kanako protested, unaware of what Seira was going to do. In all her past fantasies, Seira could do anything and everything, a thought that never ceased to frighten the small girl.
The three ended up in the club's restroom, Yoko and Hikaru already standing before the mirror with a pair of scissors and a makeup bag. Kanako was brutally pushed toward the mirror and the two before her took control of the situation.
"Wait," Kanako started, her fears catching up to her once again. "Hikaru, Yoko, what are you –"
"Making your stay here more enjoyable," Hikaru replied, slowly tightening her grip on Kanako's arm. "You're a beautiful girl, but you kinda look like a mom tonight. That's not gonna get any guys our age."
Despite Kanako's protests, Yoko and Hikaru took full advantage of her outfit, forcing her arms out of the puffed sleeves, discarding her glasses, messing up her hair, and removing the length on her dress. She screamed and argued in objection, but neither girl was backing down from her pleas. It was like they knew what they were doing, whether it fit Kanako's style or not.
Seira re-entered the room. "Geez, guys, you said you'd give her a makeover, not rape her. If this gets out to the public, her dad will –" Seira could not continue as she saw Kanako's new look. The shortstop's hair was teased out a lot more than normal. Her eyes were lined in black; her lips lacquered in a pale pink to match the dress. The long, puffy sleeves were pulled back and tied in a bow, leaving her shoulders completely bare. Her once knee-length skirt was cut to about mid-thigh, giving her an overall sexier look. Seira also did not care whether it fit Kanako's style as she gave the girl a satisfied look. "Shit, well done, guys. She's not perfect but at least a lot better than Mom-ako was."
"Now, wait, guys," Kanako turned to them, horror in her eyes, "is this really even necessary? I don't even look like myself!"
Hikaru grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the door. "Stop giving that face and accept this! Now, go get yourself a man!"
In a matter of seconds, Kanako was pushed back out onto the dance floor. Hikaru still had her glasses in her possession, so the shy shortstop only saw flashing lights and moving walls before her. She heard nothing but muddled song lyrics, throbbing bass, the occasional cat calls, which she only assumed were from Koharu or one of the girls. She stood lost, stranded in the middle of the dance floor, unsure of what to do, to whom to talk, where anyone was, and, ultimately, why she was still there.
"Well, well," a dark, husky voice came from behind her, "If it isn't little Mita from the girly team, trying to play with the big kids."
Kanako turned to face the stranger behind her, eyes widening at the sight of who it was. Before her stood Yano, team captain and pitcher of the Hori Private Baseball team, the man who had been haunting her for so many days and nights. He was the one person who Kanako fully expected to be at this party, and yet she was shocked that he even took the time to notice her. Despite her new "look," it was not as if she was the prettiest girl on the team. Then again, he had noticed her before. Upon hearing his hearty yet creepy laughter, she recoiled, wrapping her arms around herself to cover her exposed body.
"You should probably head home if you don't have thick enough skin to face a strapping man like me," Yano told her with laughter. "I'm probably the nicest guy you'll meet here. Why don't you head on home to daddy, little one?" He started to walk away in attempt to rejoin the dancing crowd when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down at the blushing girl in confusion.
Kanako looked up at him, fear in her eyes, a heavy blush on her cheeks. "Um…" she started, nervously, "would you…" She held her hand before the man before her, shaking like a leaf. She did not know why she was doing this. Nothing about this made sense in anyone else's mind. Hell, this did not remotely make sense in her mind. What was she doing? Why him? Why?
"…care to dance with me?"
Yano was completely puzzled and bewildered by the request that he couldn't even laugh at the girl for trying. Of all the girls on the team, little bookish Kanako Mita was the one to approach him, to ask him for a dance, to even remotely interact with him. He stared into those large olive green eyes, seeing, to his surprise, nothing but genuine want for him to accept her offer. He looked behind him, making sure the rest of his team was not around before turning back to the small girl with a grin.
He took her hand and took her further into the sea of dancing pairs as the next song began to play. As she smiled at his acceptance, he moved her hand to his hips and his to hers, pulling her closer to him. The two started off slowly, simply swaying their hips left to right. She looked into his visible eye trying to gauge the real emotion coming from the brute when the music pace quickened. With the pace hastened their movements, an action Kanako was not expecting, but went with anyway. Out of nowhere, she was like every other girl, her hips hitting his in circular motion as he pulled her even closer to him. The grin on his face never left as the song went on and on.
The lyrics sang things of danger and someone being dangerous. Kanako could not argue with the music. She knew how dangerous Yano really was.
By the middle of the song, Kanako stopped caring about being in danger and leaned her face closer to his. She knew she was being stupid and careless. She knew this was wrong. The only thing that confused her, more than why she was doing it at all, was why he leaned into her in response.
Before the song ended, the two pushed through the crowds and found themselves in the alley near the club. Yano had Kanako pushed up against the wall, both hands on her shoulders. His eyes, hidden and visible, hungrily glazed over her trembling figure as he moved closer to her face. "Daddy's little girl's tryin' to break free of her good girl shell? Tryin' to play with the big boys now, eh?"
Kanako continued to shake in fear, but instead of screaming to get the girls to help get the brute off of her, she closed her eyes and tilted back her head. She stood there, letting the large man take full advantage of her submission, attacking her mouth with his own. The kiss was not gentle, not sweet, but very rough. Her body was forced up against the wall by his left hand. His tongue invaded her mouth, intensifying the kiss and amplifying the passion exchanged between the two. His right hand found its way to her thigh, roughly massaging anything uncovered in the area. Kanako did nothing to stop the taller man from committing his actions. Instead, she used her free arm and slowly pulled Yano closer to her, closing any and all gaps between the two. For the first night in the month of March, she did not feel cold. For the first time that night, she did not feel alone.
A scream was heard from inside the club, and suddenly, all of the Hori private boys ran outside. Seira's angry yelling could be heard from the alley as she berated the Hori catcher for attempting to touch Nene. To Kanako's questionable dismay, Yano let her go and rushed to the aid of his teammates. He turned once more to her. "Catch ya later, little Mita," he said with a grin. From the distance, she could see him wink from the shadow of his eye before he rushed off to the others.
Puzzled and amazed, Kanako stood against the wall, shaking once again. She wasn't sure of what to make of the situation. She just kissed the pitcher of Hori Private. She let him have his way with her. She let him invade every typical personal bubble she had. On a normal day, she would never let this happen. With a normal boy, she would never let this happen. With Yano, she let this happen.
Nene caught up to her, glad that she was safe. "Kanako, it's so late! We should get you back home! I'm sure your father is going to be so worried!"
Kanako nodded, making her way to the white car on the curb. The entire night, she had her regrets. When she looked in the mirror, she regretted saying yes to the girls. When she saw Nene's outfit, she regretted wearing that dress. When she arrived at the club, she regretted not turning back. When the girls tore up her dress and changed her entire image into the typical party girl look, she regretted not leaving as soon as possible.
She slipped her arms back into her sleeves, fixed her hair, removed her makeup, and reapplied her glasses by the time she got back home. When she got to her room to go to sleep, she thought of Yano's wink, Yano's touch, Yano's smile. By then, she regretted nothing.