Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Azumanga Daioh. Although I did buy the DVDs. In fact, I first saw the show quite a while back when a friend loaned me the full collection. IT WAS AWESOME! XD (But you know that, of course.) So one day I saw the boxed set for sale and I bought it for myself. Yay! But you know what? It was the five disc thinpack set, stripped of all the extras. Boo Hoo. Why does ADV do that? Those little guidebook inserts in the original set were so cool and so were the animated menus. Well, a friend hooked me up with a full set of the insert booklets, so I'll stop crying now.

The first thing I want to do is thank everyone who has been sending in their reviews! Those really make my day, thank you so very much!

Also, I have a question for you. In chapter five, I did Kimura's puppet show from hell and Kaorin's weird parents. It sparked an idea with me about Kaorin getting a very hard time from Kimura. However, Osaka has kept me pretty busy and I haven't pursued it yet. So I leave it up to you. Shall I bring Kaorin back for another cry-fest? Or should I leave her alone? Let the votes begin!

Warning: I think it is time to reiterate my Shoujo-Ai warning, as this is the chapter where things start to heat up. Shoujo-Ai means girl plus girl romantic relationships. There is gonna be some of this and that...


Chapter Seven - What I Like About You


Tomo enjoyed the morning breeze. Actually, it was past noon already, she had slept in so late. She was reclining lengthwise on a bench swing that was padded with a colorful flower pattern cloth. Overhead, a matching awning shielded her from whatever may come from above, be it rain, ultraviolet radiation, or bird poops. At the moment, none of those things seemed to pose any imminent danger.

The Kasuga family didn't really have that big of a back yard, although what little they did have they made the most of. The small patio held this swing and a circular table with two chairs. Beyond the edge of the patio flooring was a gravel area which had three slender bamboo trees growing up against the back of the building behind them and row of flower planters to the sides.

The wall of the building itself had been fancifully painted with animals frolicking on a grassy hillside. Several different animals, but mostly rabbits. The rabbit in the foreground was wearing a pink embroidered hat. Otherwise, the rest of the animals looked normal, if perhaps a bit happy. All of the painting was done quite nicely, clearly not simply painted on by children. The three bamboo trees against that wall added to the illusion of the hillside and Tomo discovered that if she unfocused her eyes a little it did look like a large open area.

The illusion was only broken when you took in the surroundings. Or letting your gaze wander up the hillside to the painted blue and white sky, which gave way to the faded brick wall about five meters up.

The back door slid open and Ayumu wandered out. She was carrying a pitcher of juice and a couple glasses. Pouring one for Tomo, she sat in one of the two chairs.

"So who painted all that on the wall?" Tomo asked.

"Oh, we did that when we first moved here," she said, while pouring a drink for herself. "My dad did it and a couple of the background painters from the theater helped him. Or maybe he helped them, however it went. Anyhow my mom loves rabbits and so they made this for her. And it kinda makes the yard seem like more than it really is."

The breeze made the slender bamboo trees sway ever so slightly and Tomo sighed, "It really is relaxing."

"Yeah it is. I fall asleep on the toilet sometimes because you can see it from there," Osaka affirmed. "You can also see it from the laundry room or that kitchen window. It really helps make it seem bigger, since a lot of houses are jammed in pretty close. I couldn't believe how tight packed houses were when we moved here from Osaka."

"Is it really that different?" Tomo asked.

"Nah, not really I guess. It just depends on the neighborhood. Like Chiyo-chan's home is on a huge piece of property. This one sits against that building. It's the same in Osaka in places too, I imagine. But we lived out on the edge of town and near hills, like that one," she indicated the painting on the wall.

"So, why did you move to a more crowded city?"

"That was my parents work. See, after his first big success with his Aquarian Dreams play in Osaka, they were invited to come play in Tokyo on a much larger stage. They were able to buy into a partnership with the theater, so now they are here to stay." Ayumu took a drink of her juice. "I was scared of moving at first, but I love it here now."

Tomo tilted her head to look at the girl. Osaka gave her a warm yet kind of spacey smile. Tomo smiled at her and drank her juice. But she spit it out again when Osaka suddenly asked, "Now that we have slept together, does that mean I'm not a virgin anymore?"

Choking, Tomo sat up quickly. After coughing for a moment she managed to say, "No Osaka, that is not what it means. Sleeping together and... sleeping together are two different things. All we did was sleep!"

She noticed Osaka was grinning at her. "Yeah, I know that. Ya ok? Ya need some life support or mouth to mouth?"

"You dingbat," Tomo laughed. "You could have killed me with a wisecrack like that. I coughed juice up my nose."

"Death by strawberry juice," Osaka solemnly intoned. "That would be an embarrassin' obituary." She handed Tomo a packet of tissues to mop up the juice drops.

Tomo shook her head as she wiped a few drops off the big shirt she was wearing. Last night had given her some worries about Osaka. Ayumu had led her into the bedroom and Tomo was really starting to get concerned. When Ayumu climbed into bed and invited Tomo to join her, she had reluctantly agreed. Ayumu snuggled up to her as if she was her favorite teddy bear and within minutes had fallen asleep.

She had been relieved. She was afraid she was going to spend the night playing "don't touch me there!" with Osaka and it had actually turned out ok. Well except for when she woke up and found Osaka's hand draped over her chest. Still, it hadn't bothered her so she just went back to sleep.


Yomi had never seen a clock tick so slowly in her life.

Today she had an actual date with Kagura. They had talked on the phone last night, agreeing to meet up around 2:30 after Kagura's swim team practice let out. Then they would go see a movie and get something to eat. Dinner and a movie might have seemed rather predictable, but for Yomi it was very exciting.

On the phone, Kagura had seemed pretty excited too. Also, she had said she had some news she wanted to tell her in person. That made Yomi a little nervous, but Kagura insisted it was some good news, nothing to worry about.

Yomi had spent the morning finishing her homework, most of which she had not done last night. Then she took a long hot shower. Afterwards came the choosing of the clothes. Black skirt with stockings, of course. But picking out the right top was a lot harder. Finally she settled on a cream colored blouse that had two rows of small red roses embroidered down the front on either side of the buttons.

She had briefly toyed with the idea of wearing her matching set of red lace underwear and bra today, if only to make herself feel a bit more attractive in her own mind. However, the choice of the light blouse meant a white bra instead unless she wanted it to show through, no thank you.

As the time approached to get going, Yomi suddenly made up her mind on perfume. She normally didn't use much, but today was a special occasion. As such, she got out a small bottle of very nice perfume that her father had bought for her on her birthday. It was called "Warm Days/Cold Nights" and smelled heavenly. It might be a bit expensive, but what better time to use it than today?

A few quick spritzes of the fragrance and Yomi felt ready to go. She picked up her purse and after checking the contents for the hundredth time today, she set off. She felt a tingle of excitement rush through her body as she stepped out the door. This was for real. This was her first true date of her own choosing in her life. She didn't count that one set-up date her parents put her on, nor did all the times going out with Tomo count either. Those had just been two friends out together. This was different. Kagura had an interest in Yomi, a romantic interest. Yomi felt it too. She felt herself attracted to Kagura in a way she never would have imagined.

The breeze blew her hair as she reached the sidewalk and she knew she was stepping into a new chapter of her life.


Tomo looked at Osaka with curiosity. She knew that something was wrong with all this and she didn't feel comfortable just letting things drag on. She knew deep down that it was unfair to Osaka and she really didn't want to see her get hurt by all this. But in that selfish corner of her mind, she knew she had never had anyone confess their love for her before and that was just too hard to let go of that easily, regardless of the fact that it was all built on a misunderstanding.

She asked, "So Ayumu. What... what is it that you like about me? I mean, I hear you talk in front of everyone that you know my feelings, but... what do you feel? What makes you think you are in love with me?"

Osaka suddenly got very serious, "I understand completely. You have put your heart and soul on the line for me. You are having doubts of my love for you since I have not given any proper display of affection. Very well then, I will explain myself so that you may understand."

"Umm, no that isn't exactly what I meant, but ok," Tomo agreed.

"First of all, I want you to know that I do love you very much. I now realize that it started with you being such a good friend to me since I moved to Tokyo. I... I never had any real friends in Osaka, not really. There were a couple girls who lived near me and we would play together sometimes, but mostly I stayed at home with only my brothers to be with.

"Ya see, it may come as a surprise to you, but some people think I am kinda weird," Osaka confessed.

Tomo suppressed a smile while she replied, "Really? No way."

"Yeah, it's true." Osaka nodded her head vigorously. "Sometimes people tell me that I am slow or spacey. And sometimes I ask weird questions. The truth is I can't help it if I am just more curious about some stuff. It all gets me to wonderin about everything. I think that is why Chiyo-chan and I are so much alike. Some days I think we are exactly the same, like some kinda twins or somethin. Always wantin to know new things."

"Well, curiosity is a good thing most of the time. You do come up with some interesting ideas to talk about, I admit."

Osaka slid off her chair to kneel beside Tomo, putting her head in her lap. "See? That's what I mean. You understand me more. Or at least you put up with me. Not like those girls I was tellin you about from Osaka. They would sometimes let me play with them at home, but when we got to school, they had their own friends. Then they wouldn't sit with me or nothing. Maybe I embarrassed them too much, ya know, to be seen talking to me. I dunno. I never really had any good friends until I came to Tokyo."

Tomo began feeling self-conscious and kinda bad for Osaka, so she gently laid her hand on Osaka's head, stroking her silky dark hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about that."

Ayumu slid her arms around Tomo's waist. "That's why I love all of you. You, Koyomi, Sakaki, even Kagura too now. Chiyo-chan most of all though. But I mean love in the friend way for them. Because even if I am the strange one, you all still invite me to eat lunch with you and walk with me to the vending machines and stuff like that. Or like when Chiyo-chan invited all her best friends to her house and then to her summer home. Nobody never asked me to go on a trip before!

"Plus you all help me out whenever I am in trouble, or just do nice things for me. Like when Sakaki pulled me outta that ditch last week, or when you got my shoes out of the tree."

"Yeah, but that is what friendship is about. I don't know if that's a definition of love," Tomo observed.

"I know, but I'm just saying it started with the friendship. And you're right, that is what friends do for each other. But I have never had a guy go out of his way to do nothing nice like that for me. Well, except last month when that guy with glasses... what's his name, Ohyama helped me look for my pen in the closet."

"Ok, I know what you mean but I'm just concerned that you might be confusing friendship with lo-" Tomo stopped abruptly. "Wait a minute. I just heard Ohyama and closet in the same sentence. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. He was just lending a hand when I lost my pen in the coat closet."

Tomo sat up, "And? Start from the start."

Osaka sighed and rolled her eyes. "Good grief. It was nothin'. He was just very helpful to me. I was puttin up that blue jacket of mine in the coat closet when I had bumped into him. I was lookin for a silver pen I had put in my shirt pocket but I had lost it. He helped me."

"Helped you how?" Tomo asked.

"Well, I couldn't find it nowheres. So he searched in both of my pockets on my shirt. Then he said maybe I had missed the pocket and dropped it inside the shirt, so he checked all over to see if he could feel it stuck anywhere in there. Oh, and first he slid the door shut tight so if the pen fell out it wouldn't roll out the door."

"He did, did he?"

"Yep, I hafta say, he really tried his best to find that darn pen, even though it got awful hot in there after a while."

"That bastard. When I get to school Monday, he is going to be the Mayor of Deadville."

"A Mayor? I didn't know he was runnin for any offices ever since he ran for student council. Hey, can I vote for him too?"

"Oh yeah, Ayumu. I'll even punch his ballot for you," the wildcat snarled.

"Hooray!" Osaka yelled with both hands raised up high. "I've always wanted to vote for somethin!"


Yomi sat on the swiveling stool at the long counter of the coffee house. Behind her were the rows of tables by the windows. Kagura was perched on her own chair, but she kept hopping off to wave her arms in the air while she talked. The brunette smiled at her girlfriend's hyperactive body language.

News of the upcoming swim competition was all Kagura could talk about. She was totally excited about it and ready to start today, it seemed. Yomi voiced her confidence in her.

"So," Kagura asked, "Do you think you might want to come to a swim meet or two? Just the local ones of course. They won't be here at our own school, naturally, but over at Kaedesco High School. At least the first round of placements and eliminations. If I am still in it after that, well, they get held in different places."

"Sure. With your enthusiasm, how could I resist?" Yomi smiled. "It actually sounds like a lot of fun. I'll come join your cheering section."

Kagura grinned and grabbed Yomi's hand, "This is the best year ever! I don't want to jinx it, but MAN! This is the best year ever!"

Yomi couldn't help but laugh with Kagura's energetic attitude. "Well, do you still want to go to that movie today, or would you rather save it for another time? We could just go to the park and talk or maybe go shopping. Whatever you're feeling like."

"Aw no, let's not miss the movie! It's a killer! I am totally ready for some action packed mayhem."

When they got to the theater, Kagura hit the concession stand immediately, loading up on snacks of all kinds and a giant size drink. She was stuffing a few of her purchases in her pockets because she didn't have enough hands to carry it all. Yomi stood in shock watching all this and didn't even hear the clerk ask for her order until they said it a second time. She ordered a medium size diet soda and small package of licorice drops.

"Oh man, is that all you are getting? Crap, now I feel bad for buying all this stuff."

Yomi shook her head, "No, don't worry about it. It won't bother me," she said, noticing the rich fake-buttery smell wafting from the extra-large popcorn bag.

Kagura looked around at the people passing by on their way down the hall. "I must seem like some kinda horse getting all this food. I'm sorry. Are you really ok with just that?"

"Yeah. You know, I heard that natural licorice is fifty times sweeter than sugar and it has less calories, so it's not as fattening."

Kagura shook her head as they entered the room and looked around for seats. "If there is one thing I am determined to do, it is to cure you of this delusion of yours. Look, there are lots of free seats in the back row, take one over there on the left."

"Don't you want to sit more toward the middle?" Yomi asked.

"Not today," Kagura said mischievously.

The girls took their seats and Kagura unloaded a lot of her stuff on the armrest and onto her light jacket which she spread across the seat beside her. "Damn, this floor is so sticky it's gross," Kagura complained. "They ought to just make these chairs out of that waterproof fake leather so they can come in here and wash the place down with a fire hose and then spray disinfectant all over everything. It would look cooler and be a lot cleaner. People are such slobs."

Some young grade school kids were fighting over seats about eight rows up, so Kagura flung a round chocolate covered caramel at them. "Jeez, I hope their not gonna be yelling through the whole movie." One kid looked around rubbing the side of his head while another kid next to him bent over and picked up something. He inspected it briefly before brushing it against his shirt and then popping it into his mouth.

"So you think licorice is way sweeter than sugar? Huh, I never heard that before. Ooo, I had this licorice tea once that was pretty good. Have you ever tried that?"

Yomi slowly peeled her gaze away from the cluster of children and looked at Kagura. "Licorice tea? Yes, I actually do like that. Except for the one in a can you sometimes find in vending machines. That stuff tastes awful. The best type is the kind you make at home."

"Almost all tea is best that way," Kagura agreed, stretching in her seat. She turned her gaze to look up and down Yomi. "You look really great today. I wish maybe I should have dressed a little better." She reached up to touch the end of one of Yomi's brown curls.

"You... you look really good too, Kagura," Yomi stuttered, feeling her face burn. It was obvious Kagura could see the sudden color change because her smile got bigger.

The auditorium lights began to dim and the noise of the talking people quieted down as well. Kagura leaned close to Yomi's ear and whispered to her, "This is why I wanted to sit in the back row," and she kissed her neck lightly. Then she returned back to a relaxed position in her seat and took a drink of her giant-sized soda. "You really are beautiful today. Thanks for coming with me." Yomi could see Kagura's pure white smile in the darkness.

A trailer for some scary movie appeared on the screen. Kagura groaned, "For crying out loud, what kind of absolute moron would pay money to go see Jack Came Back - From the Grave? I hate those lame-ass zombie movies," and she threw handfuls of popcorn at the screen.


Osaka pulled on Tomo's sleeve. "C'mon. Let's go do somethin!"

"Like what?" Tomo asked, enjoying the fact that Osaka's pulling made the bench swing sway back and forth.

"I dunno. Oh! Let's go see a movie! There is this scary zombie movie that just started this weekend."

Tomo sat up, "Yay! I LOVE zombie movies!" Then she fell back onto the bench dejected. "But... the money..."

Osaka looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I got some money still. Not much but a little. And I could ask my dad, maybe he'll give us some."

"Yeah?" Tomo looked up with a ray of hope. "Ya think? Cause that would be so awesome!"

"Yay! A movie!" Osaka cried out as she ran into the house. Unfortunately she had earlier closed the sliding glass door, so she bounced off and landed on her butt. "Ow."

At last Tomo got up from her new favorite swinging sofa and helped Osaka to her feet. "Maybe I'll go in with you. Are you ok?"

"Oh, just hurt my butt. Wanna kiss it and make it better?"

Tomo slid the door open and pushed Osaka inside. "Come on, ya smartass."

The two girls were laughing as they entered the living room. Both of Osaka's parents were in here, Mrs. Kasuga reading a newspaper and Mr. Kasuga was channel surfing with the TV remote. He looked up and smiled at the two. "Hello girls, what has you two in such good spirits this afternoon?"

Seeing Osaka's parents today had been a weird experience for Tomo. Last night, he had been a samurai and she a geisha. Today, all make-up had been removed and both were dressed in casual clothing. He still had amazingly long hair, tied back in an incredible ponytail. However, the ponytail was tied low on the back of his head near his neck, not on the very top like it was yesterday. He wore comfortable slacks and a simple blue short sleeved shirt.

Mrs. Kasuga also looked very different from her kimono-clad, white-face-painted appearance of last night. In fact, Tomo hadn't been sure it was the same person at all until Osaka said so. She had a very quiet beauty about her and she too had long hair, although it wasn't in a ponytail, nor was it as long as her husband's. She wore a very slim pair of blue jeans and a black tee shirt that said in English "Hooters".

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that Tomo found this Hooters shirt to be rather ironic. She had already noticed that she herself could probably give Osaka's mom a run for her money in the breast department. Apparently most of what she had seen last night in the geisha costume must have been padding or "stage props" one might say, to give the outfit a few more curves. Tomo thought, And this woman has given birth to three children? No wonder Osaka and her kid brother are small for their age. They must have starved as babies.)

Osaka came right to the point, "Could I have some money? We was thinkin of goin to see a movie or something." Tomo thought what a disaster that approach would be at her own home and was surprised to see Osaka's dad pull out his wallet without any further question.

"You really should still have some of your own money left, but here is two thousand yen. I know that won't get you too far, but it should cover movie tickets and a couple treats."

"Yay! Thanks dad!" and she gave him a hug and took the money.

Mrs. Kasuga said, "Ayumu dear, go get your purse and put the money in there. Also, you might want to change those clothes before you go out."

Osaka said, "Come on Tomo, lets get ready," while running off down the hall.

However, as Tomo followed her, she heard a rustle of newspaper and heard Osaka's mom say, "Miss Takino? A moment please?" She turned to see both parents looking at her. She glanced down the hall at where Ayumu had disappeared and felt suddenly quite alone.

"This is only because we are concerned," Mrs. Kasuga said to Tomo. Then she looked at her husband and said, "I really think you should give her another."

Mr. Kasuga nodded to his wife and said, "Come here Miss Takino." Tomo stepped closer and he pulled another two thousand yen bill out of his wallet. "This is just for... emergency money. Like if you... uh..."

"If you girls suddenly need a taxi ride home, or if Ayumu loses her purse and her money, that sort of thing," Mrs. Kasuga finished for him.

"Yes, exactly. If there is an unexpected emergency. And if you don't object, would you mind holding onto it?"

"In case Ayumu loses her purse," Mrs. Kasuga repeated.

Tomo looked at the crisp 2000 yen bill, with the Shureimon gate on the right side. It reminded her of their recent class trip to Okinawa. She carefully folded the bill in half, then in half again. "Ok, thanks." She gave a quick and nervous bow.

"No, thank you, Miss Takino. We... we just want to make sure Ayumu has a good time and gets home safely," Mr. Kasuga explained.

Without saying anything else, Tomo turned down the hall to Osaka's room. The fingers of her right hand felt the edges of the paper bill in her pocket. What was that all about? It kinda makes sense. After all, Osaka has been known to get lost before. She also remembered times when Osaka would lose important things because she left it behind somewhere or on a bus. Like her umbrella or her bookbag, or even a purse.

But... but... we just want to make sure Ayumu has a good time... Are they... bribing me to go on a date with Osaka? Tomo wondered.

Images flashed in her mind of stupid TV shows she had seen where well-meaning parents would bribe someone to go out on a date with their child for whatever reason. Osaka is a third year high school student who has never had a date before. She just said it herself, that she's never had a boy do anything nice for her. And her parent's did take to accepting the fact that Osaka was dating a girl without even batting an eye. Are they that convinced she's not getting a date unless we hire some girl to go out with her?

Tomo's stomach churned at the possible problems this could mean. It's nicer to think that Osaka's parents are kind and well meaning, but... Tomo didn't have much experience with that kind of parenting. Maybe she had become a little cynical, she thought. Maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt. But doubt doesn't exist without a reason, a little voice in her turning stomach told her.

She slid open the bedroom door to see Osaka dressed only in her underwear standing in the middle of the room trying to pull on a pair of pants. Her feet were tangled in the pants legs as she tugged with both hands, which sent her crashing to the floor face forward. Face on the ground and butt in the air, she moaned "Ow, that hurt."

Tomo came over to help her to her feet, then sat her on the edge of the bed before retrieving the pants. Osaka seemed to be unharmed in this latest mishap. Although as Tomo handed her the pants, Osaka suddenly became aware of how little she was wearing. "Oops," she said while turning a little reddish. "Well, the upshot of all this is that now you know out of the two of us, you have the biggest boobs by far."

"Like I didn't know that before," Tomo joked, trying to lift her own tension. She found the top Osaka had been planning to put on and brought that to her, while making it clear she was "averting her gaze".

Why am I such a bitter person inside, that I always assume other people have hidden motives? Why can't I just accept the idea that those strangers, her parents, just want to do right by their daughter?

Both girls got ready quickly and walked out to the bus stop. They caught the first bus that was heading to the movie theater.


About 20 minutes into the movie, Yomi reached over and touched Kagura's hand. With a smile, the athlete extended her fingers and Yomi intertwined hers with them. She enjoyed the soft sensation of Kagura's hand over hers, and pulled their joined hands to rest on her lap.

The movie was about half over when Kagura began kissing Yomi's neck again. She felt hot shivers run down her body each time her girlfriend's lips met her skin. Kagura spoke softly to Yomi. "Do you know what I like about you? Do you?"

Yomi shook her head nervously, looking around to see if anyone could see them.

"Would you like to know?" Kagura asked in a quiet voice, burrowing deep into Yomi's hair to kiss the back of her neck. Yomi suppressed a little squeak.

Kagura continued slowly, "I'll tell you. It's everything about you. From the way you look to the way you think. I like the way you walk and the way you talk." She punctuated each statement with a hint of a kiss on her hair or cheek. "I like your sense of humor and your serious attitude about important things. Sometimes I want to wrap my arms around you and never let you go."

The brunette squeezed Kagura's hand in her own. Her entire body tingled with something that could have been either panic or excitement, she wasn't sure either way. She summoned enough courage to turn her head toward one of Kagura's kisses so that their lips met briefly.

"I like the way you are shy around me in moments like this, but totally self-confident at school. I like the way you look and the way you smell. I like..." Kagura paused.

Yomi was having a hard time keeping her breath, and she looked at Kagura. It seemed the girl was looking almost bashful for a moment.

"I like the way you dress," she said, pressing their joined hands onto Yomi's leg. With her hand being on top, she extended her fingers for a moment, and then curled them closed around Yomi's hand again. With the motion, her fingertips slid along Yomi's thigh, pulling the hem of her skirt up a couple centimeters. "Honestly, you have no idea how sexy those stockings are. The way the skirt and the stockings almost meet, but not quite."

Kagura pulled back into her seat again and took a couple deep breaths. "Wow. I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot or something, but I just can't explain all the things I like about you in a few words."

Yomi surprised them both when she leaned over the armrest "I think you're doing a pretty good job of it," and kissed Kagura long and slow.


The theater to which the two girls were traveling was located in a small shopping mall. They were both surprised to run into a friend of their's upon arrival.

Osaka said, "Miss Sakaki! What are you doin here today? Are you shoppin?"

Sakaki fidgeted with a blue paper bag she was carrying and nodded. "What are you two shopping for?"

"Nothing. We just came to see a movie in the theater," Tomo replied, pointing over her shoulder.

Sakaki smiled, "Ah, that sounds like fun. A movie with a friend. Well, you two have fun."

Osaka suddenly seemed full of energy. "Miss Sakaki! You should come with us! Yeah! That would be lots of fun! Don'tcha think, Tomo?"

Tomo agreed immediately. Having someone else along made this trip seem less like a date and more like a bunch of friends going out to see a movie. The hardest part would be convincing Sakaki to come along.

Sakaki wavered, "Oh, I don't know. I..."

"Have you got somewhere important to go?" Osaka asked.

"Um, no, but..."

"Then it's decided!" Tomo declared, thinking that would end it.

"Have ya not got enough money? 'Cuz I can just barely cover all of us if ya don't," Osaka said.

"No, that's not it. I can pay for it. I just... haven't been to a movie in a while. What kind of movie are you going to go see?"

Osaka started to say, "Well, it's this guy who comes back from the gr-" but Tomo cut her off.

"It's a romantic tragedy drama. It's about this guy who has come back... from a long trip. His name is Jack, see, and yeah, he has been gone a long time."

Sakaki mused, "Jack, huh? That sounds like an American name."

"Yeah, he's this American guy. He wanted to be a transfer student to Japan, because... well, who doesn't? But it didn't go so good for him. He got... uh... "

"Ripped apart," said Osaka with a happy smile.

Tomo clamped her hand over Osaka's mouth, "Ripped... Away! Yes, he was ripped away from his friends and loved ones. Now he has come back seeking reven- I mean, seeking to be reunited with those he has missed. And it's like all tragic and sad because he has missed them so much, ya know. A lotta catching up to do."

"Oh, I see," the tall girl replied.

"Yeah," Tomo went on, "and it's romantic too. There is this one girl he really has it bad for. It just kills him to think about how much he misses her. So he is dead set on getting back to her right away."

Sakaki smiled at the girls, "That sounds like an interesting movie."

Tomo gave her the thumbs up, "Oh yeah, it's a very uplifting story. Maybe not as uplifting as your bra, but then what is?"

"Ain't much can compete with that," Osaka agreed with a muffled mumble from behind Tomo's hand as she slowly turned blue.

"Oops, oxygen!" Tomo said, releasing Osaka's face. The space cadet gasped for a moment and clung to Tomo for balance as the world did a few quick spins just for her. "So, are you coming?"

"Mm," Sakaki gave an affirmative nod.

"Oh, good. It'll be like a triple date," Osaka said, having regained her breath.

"How's that?" Sakaki wondered.

"Tomo and I are out on a date to go see a movie," Osaka explained. "So with you along by yourself, it's not a double date, I guess you call it a triple date, right?"

"No, I don't think that's what you call it," Tomo said.

"Oh, I don't want to be in the way," Sakaki stopped in her tracks. "I didn't know..."

"No, no, it's ok," Tomo insisted, grabbing Sakaki's elbow and pulling her toward the theater. "You can sit in the middle and you have to stay to the very end. You'll have a blast, I promise."

The three girls got in line for the movie, unaware that Yomi and Kagura were inside watching a different film.


A/N -

Kansai accents: Yes, Osaka's parents do speak with a Kansai accent somewhat similar to hers. However, they are both trained stage actors, so they can turn it on and off, so to speak. Mostly, I get tired of droppin "g's" off the end of words and inserting double negatives, so I only bother coloring Osaka's speech in writing. Plus I hope to convey the fact that her parents are surprisingly well educated and polite in their manner of speaking, which is not exactly what one might have expected of Osaka's family.

Yomi's heavenly perfume: Do you recognize the name of that fragrance? "Warm Days" and "Cold Nights" are the names of two fanfics by LtStorm. I really like those stories and when you put the names together, doesn't it sound like a cool name for a perfume? I couldn't resist that little insert. grin

Shirt pockets on school uniforms: Yes, as far as I can see there aren't any shirt pockets on the girl's blue sailor suit (seifuku) uniforms. If that seeming continuity error troubles you, I can make up an explanation. Osaka must have had messed up her school uniform the day before and couldn't get it washed/repaired by class time. Japanese students do sometimes come to school in civvies if they have a temporary problem with the uniform (like its ripped or whatever) as long as they get it fixed and they don't make a habit of it. I can't imagine Yukari really caring enough to send Osaka home.

So that day Osaka showed up in a blue skirt and white shirt (with pockets). That is also why she was hanging up a blue jacket; she only wore it so that her ensemble would match school colors. I hope that helps. But you can still hate Ohyama for what he did.


Next chapter coming soon!

Chapter Eight - It's an all out zombie attack! Oh Yes! Jack is back and he is seeking his revenge! And he's got a blender with your name on it!

The theme song plays: Jack came back, you thought he was a goner, but...

Okay, okay, you already know that's a bunch of BS. Let's try this again.


Chapter Eight - Love is Everywhere!

Has the love bug bitten Chiyo-chan too? Someone certainly seems to think so. But why is Sakaki the last one to know?!

Also, Tomo finally realizes time is running out to make her confession to Yomi. But can she do it?