"So why are you here now?"
It was lunch break finally. Lori had immediately pulled her chair next to Makotos desk, so they could talk while they had lunch.
Makoto munched thoughtfully.
"I'm not that sure, actually. Dad and…grandfather had this fight, and the next thing I know dad asks me if I would like to move to Japan. I wasn't very excited."
He frowned, remembering his father's face, still flushed after the fight, but determinate.
"Hmm. Weird," Lori commented.
"Yes. Weird!" Another voice piped up suddenly. Loris face turned bright red, clashing horribly with her green hair.
"What was that?" Makoto asked. A small spirit dressed in cap and bells emerged behind Lori.
"Nothing," Lori said, seemingly trying to pretend there was no strange spirits making monkey sounds behind her back.
Makoto stared her and the spirit for a while.
Lori, if possible, turned redder.
"Lori, that spirit…" Loris eyes widened in surprise.
"You can see him?" she asked, excitement replacing her previous embarrassment.
Makoto smiled slightly. "I have been able to see ghosts and stuff since I was a kid."
"So you're a shaman too?"
"No. I don't…I just see ghosts. Dad doesn't want me to present it around, for obvious reasons. My…grandfather hates everything abnormal."
"That's so stupid!" Lori exclaimed. A couple of students looked at them curiously and she lowered her head looking abashed.
"That's just my grandfather," Makoto shrugged, "What can you do? But it's not like I pretend that ghosts doesn't exist."
"Still…I hate people like that…My former headmaster didn't believe in ghosts," Lori grumbled, absentmindedly petting the little spirit's head. It purred and giggled.
"That reminds me, why are you here? It's your turn to tell."
Lori grinned.
" I kind of…wrecked part of my school. Completely."
"What?"
Loris grin turned sheepish.
"Yeah, and dad suggested that I would be transferred elsewhere, instead of lawsuits. So I was sent here, since I speak pretty good Japanese. I guess they wanted to send me as far away as possible. You see, I've just got Dooley here, and I wasn't that used to his powers yet, since he's a poltergeist…"
Makoto was laughing so hard at the end of the story, (Something he hadn't done since he left America.) that he didn't notice the sleepy blond boy heading towards them until he was standing there.
"…And then Dooley started making faces behind him, and I started laughing, and of course he thought I was laughing at him, and-"
"Hi."
Lori stopped and turned to look at the blond boy curiously and surprised. Makoto just raised his eyebrows.
Blondie smiled lazily to Makoto.
"What's your name?"
"The teacher said it, remember? " Makoto retorted, irritated that the boy was intruding in the middle of the story.
"I didn't hear it." The boy smile widened. He had brown eyes, Makoto noticed. Very brown eyes. Then he mentally slapped himself for thinking about that.
"I'm Oyamada Makoto," he introduced himself. Blonde boy grinned, still examining Makoto with interest, that made him feel uncomfortable.
"You know, you remind me of someone."
"A-ha." Matako didn't really know what to say to that.
"My name is Asakura Hana. Nice to meet you. You're funny," the boy smiled.
"Really? You're the first one to think so."
"I think you're funny, " Lori interrupted loyally. Blonde boy, Hana, seemed to notice her now the first time. He turned to leave.
"See you later, Makoto-kun," he waved happily.
What the-? Makoto-kun?!"Well that was weird," Lori said, successfully interrupting Makotos thoughts about throwing his empty lunchbox after Hana.
"You think so? Because calling me Makoto-kun, when we just met seems a little weird to me too."
"Not just that. I've never heard him talk a word to anyone."
"Really? He didn't seem to have any problems just now," Makato grumbled.
"Seriously. That was creepy. He's creepy," Lori shivered.
"Says the girl who destroyed every toilet in her former school," Makato smirked, amused.
"Hey! I said it was that poltergeist!"
"Sure, blame the poor ghost, that helps. Shame on you Lori!"
"Don't make me come over there, young man!"
Makoto laughed again. "I'm so scared!"
The next thing he knew Lori had dumped her half-empty lunchbox on his head.
"I'm hoo-ome!" Hana took off his shoes and stepped inside.
"Welcome home, Hana-kun. Did you have a nice day at school? You look happy," Tamao smiled, walking past him carrying a laundry basket.
"Yes. I met a new person. I think he would be a great friend. And he looked a lot like this person in one of dad's photos," Hana answered, not bothering to hide his excitement.
"Really? Maybe I should get the photo-album, so we can have a look at that photo."
Hana smiled. Tamao-san was so great!
"I'd like that. Where's Ruy?"
A tender smile crossed Tamao´s lips.
"In the kitchen, of course. You go there, I'll bring that photo-album."
"All right!"
They parted, and Hana headed towards kitchen.
Sure enough, familiar humming could be heard from the kitchen. Ruy was inside, cooking and listening radio. He was wearing a pink apron and smiled when he saw Hana. Light wrinkles around his eyes deepened and his pompadour pounced excitedly.
"Hana-kun! How nice, I was just making dinner! Your father called, they're coming tomorrow."
"That's great," Hana said, stealing a cookie. His spirit ally, a foreign ghost-knight named Valiant floated through the wall.
"Sir Hana, I sensed that you're home!" Valiant said pompously. Valiant had ended up in Japan when his sword had been sold to a local museum. Hana had heard about the haunting sword and persuaded Valiant to be his spirit ally.
"Hi, Valiant," Hana smiled, "What have you been up to?"
"Tokagero tried to teach him to play cards," Ruy informed from the sink where he was washing the salad.
"I had no desire to take part on a gambling game Sir Hana," Valiant exclaimed, aggrieved.
"Oh, really," Tokagero, said, appearing through the wall. "What about the money you owe me, knight boy? You've better pay, or…"
Valiant looked embarrassed.
"I swear Sir Hana, I didn't mean to…" Hana just laughed and waved his hand reassuringly.
"Calm down Valiant, I don't mind if you play with the others." Valiant looked embarrassed.
"So…The money you owe?" Tokagero asked.
"Not now!" Valiant hissed.
"Does that mean that you don't want the money you won from Ponchi and Conchi?"
"I never said that."
TBC
All fixed now, thanks to Falcon Strife. :)
Poltergeist: a spirit or ghost that manifests by moving and influencing inanimate objects. I thought it would fit. Besides, I have a soft spot for poltergeists. (Damn you, Rowling!)
Review?