Lucky Legacy
Chapter Six
Sick Day
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There were three things in the world Patricia Kimberly Martin hated with all the fire and fury of a thousand burning suns. The first two involved badly handled anime dubs and a certain series of badly written vampire books. They were easy enough to avoid provided she didn't wander into the wrong chat room. Unfortunately, her least favorite thing was-
"Ah…AAAAHHHCHOOOOO!!!"
As I was saying, her least favorite thing was harder to avoid since-
"Ah…ACHOO!!"
Her least favorite thing was-
"Ah…"
Getting sick.
"CHOO!"
Patty pulled her thick bathrobe around her shoulders while she fumbled around for another tissue. Her expression darkened when her hand flattened the empty box of tissues and she tossed it behind the couch in disgust.
"Sniff…sthupid tithues…" She squeaked out through a thick tongue and clogged nose. Patty contemplated getting up and fetching another box from the cupboard but her stuffy head made it hard to care about anything as mundane as tissues. If her thermometer was to be believed (Patty had her doubts about his true loyalties) her fever had slipped a few degrees from when she took it the night before but the heat still made her a bit dizzy and out of touch. In fact it took a few whistle blasts from the kettle to get her attention and let her know her tea was hot.
"Alright, alright…" Patty mumbled to her irate appliance, reluctantly prying herself away from the wonderfully soft sofa. "Hold your horses…" Patty shuffled listlessly across the carpet and to the kitchen, knocking the kettle off the heat and onto the counter. The kettle whistled feebly for a few more seconds before dying out (to the relief of Patty's throbbing head).
As mentioned before, Patty absolutely loathed being sick. She hated runny noses that needed blowing every few minutes. She hated high fevers and the hot, sticky sweat that would later leave her chilly. She hated the cocktail of pain killers and decongestants that made her drowsy and loopier that usual. Most of all, Patty hated being grounded; totally chained to her house instead of out with her friends.
But as much as it sucked, Patty was stuck until her fever went down. Truth be told, she would rather be sick at home than at school because at home…
Patty hastily set her tea to brew and then made her way over to what Hiyori reverently referred to as the "Wall of One Thousand Joys." From floor to ceiling, Patty's collection of anime and manga in three different languages Patty allowed herself a small smile when she saw that it was barely half past nine. If she was going to be in bed all day…
Patty closed her eyes, stuck out her hand and randomly grabbed a DVD. "Ahh…Tamers…" Patty popped the case open, grabbing her tea from the counter. "Well, this day suddenly got more interesting."
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"Yu-chan! Over here!"
Yutaka had barely taken two steps inside the train before Hiyori called out to her, waving a little to get her attention. Yutaka nodded in her direction but suddenly frowned at the sight of Hiyori sitting alone in the back of the train. Yutaka hesitated, checking the schedule on the side of the door to be absolutely sure that they had passed her stop before heading back to sit by Hiyori.
"Hey, Hiyori-chan…" Yutaka greeted sliding into a seat usually occupied by Patty. "Um…is Patty-chan coming to school today?"
Hiyori shook her head. "I'm not sure. I didn't see her at the train station today and she hasn't been answering my calls." Hiyori frowned at her cell phone before flipping it shut with an angry snap.
"Well…maybe she had a doctor's appointment today or something." Yutaka offered helpfully
"Maybe…but she didn't mention anything about it yesterday when we were doing our homework…"
"Ah…well…you know how Patty-chan can get." Yutaka laughed nervously.
"Oh…right…"
Two weeks earlier
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey Patty." Hiyori said, sipping on her soda. "I was about to head over to your place to see if you wanted to do something today."
"Ooh…yeah…uh, actually I'm kinda busy today…" Patty said over something that sounded like an oboe tuning up.
"Oh, that's okay." Hiyori said. "You have some errands to run or something?"
"Heh…If by errands, you mean the second act of The Man of La Mancha then yes. I have lots of errands to run."
"The Man of a La Wha? I didn't know there was a play like that showing around here."
"Oh, it's not. The closest performance was in Sydney so-"
"ACK!!" Hiyori nearly swallowed her straw in surprise. "Wait…ack…Sydney, Australia?!"
"Yep. That's the closest Sydney I know of." Patty said nonchalantly.
"What are you doing in Sydney?!"
"Uh…hello? The Man of La Mancha? Didn't I just explain that? Dad had a few days away from the office so he flew me down to catch a late performance."
"I know that! It's just-"
"Oh, intermission's over! I'll call you tonight!"
"But-"
Click.
Present Day
"Yeah…knowing Patty-chan, she could be in Brazil for all we know." Yutaka giggled.
"No…Carnival isn't until February next year…" Hiyori said seriously. "Hmm…she probably had an appointment to take care of or something…"
"I'm sure everything's fine." Yutaka said serenely. "We'll ask if Minami-chan's heard anything from Patty-chan."
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"Ah…ah…AH-CHOO!"
Miki Iwasaki handed her daughter another tissue before taking the thermometer out of her mouth. "Hmm…101.3." she said sympathetically looking back at a bedridden Minami. "Well, that settles it; you're not going to school today."
Minami shook her head, sitting up a little bit. "No…I'm fine mom. Really, I…I…I…" Minami's face scrunched up again and before she could sneeze, her mother muffled it with another tissue.
"You'll be fine, Minami." Miki said, dropping the used tissue in a bin by the door. "It's only Friday and if you rest up this weekend, you'll be fine by Monday."
"But…" Minami shifted under the covers uncomfortably.
"Oh don't fuss about it, Minami." Miki said, gently laying her daughter back down and tucking her in. "You need your rest if you want to get better." Miki leaned over Minami to draw her blinds shut. "Just go back to sleep and I'll bring up some soup for you later, kay?"
Minami sighed weakly and reluctantly settled back under the covers. "Okay…" Her mother shot her a comforting smile before softly closing the door behind her.
Though her mother was probably right in her needing sleep, Minami found that she unable to fall asleep. She was hot and clammy and despite the fact that most kids her age would have relished a three day weekend, Minami had always been happier at school.
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"Hey…isn't that Minami-chan's stop?" Hiyori looked up as the train pulled past the station.
Yutaka sat up, a small frown creasing her forehead. She leaned forward to get a look at the people crowding around the door then stood and craned her neck to get a better look. Hiyori watched her bounce a few times on the balls of her feet, straining to see over the crowd before coming to a rest a little softly.
"I…I don't think Minami-chan is here today…" Yutaka said, quietly sitting back down.
"Huh…well that's odd." Hiyori thoughtfully nibbled on the end of her pen. "It's funny enough for Patty to be out but to have Minami-chan absent too?"
"Yeah…Minami-chan's never missed school before." Yutaka said in a small voice, staring blankly at her bookbag.
"Oh…well, I'm sure it's fine." Hiyori said, gently patting Yutaka's shoulder. "I'm sure Minami-chan has a good reason to miss school."
"Really?" Yutaka said hopefully.
"Yeah! Even if it's a little bug or something, Minami will be fine." Hiyori said.
"Heh…I guess so." Yutaka said, visibly cheering up
"But Yu-chan…" Hiyori suddenly became serious. "While our friends are missing, school still marches on. We have to do our best to remember everything and take good notes so that we can catch them up when they come back on Monday!"
"Right!" Yutaka said, matching Hiyori's determined look.
"It's our duty as their classmates, nay, as their friends to ensure that no girl gets left behind!" Coincidently, the train turned east and the sun glinted off the edge of Hiyori's glasses, making for a lovely dramatic effect while simultaneously blinding the unfortunate man seated across the aisle from them.
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"Well I guess I'll see you tonight…" Kuroi spoke into the phone with an impish grin. "Okay…okay…bye then!" Kuroi closed her phone and turned to Hiyori. "Now then, you needed somthing Tamura?"
"Oh…yes ma'am. I just wanted to ask if you had received a call from Minami or Patty today." Hiyori said.
"A call? Oh, they weren't here today, were they?" Kuroi said as if she just noticed it.
"Uh…no ma'am." Hiyori said sheepishly. Please try and act like a responsible teacher!
"They may have…to be honest I haven't checked my messages today!" Kuroi shrugged with a laugh. "I'll go to the teacher's lounge and I'll get back to you after lunch, kay?"
"Okay, thank you sensei." Hiyori said, making her way back to her desk.
"What did she say?" Yutaka asked, scooting over to Hiyori's desk.
"She hasn't checked her messages yet." Hiyori said dryly, taking her lunch out of her bag. "She said she'd get back to us after lunch…"
Yutaka nodded, glumly taking her lunch out of her bag. "Come to think of it, didn't Minami-chan and Patty-chan help the drama club move their costumes from storage the day before yesterday?"
"Huh…" Hiyori sipped thoughtfully on her drink. "I guess so…wait! Didn't rain the other day?!"
"I hear Miyako-san from 2-B and Hikari-chan from 2-D are sick today too." Yutaka said. "Aren't they members of the drama club?"
"Among other clubs…I guess they must have been out in the cold for too long." Hiyori said. "I wonder if-"
SHHUNK! SMACK! THUD!
It happened so fast, Yutaka almost missed it; in the span of the briefest moment, the door to the classroom swiftly and silently slid open. Before Yutaka could look to see who it was, a small black and white sketchbook shot out like bolt of lightning and pegged Hiyori in the side of the head. With a startled "ACK!" Hiyori teetered and fell out of her seat (all the while clutching her left hand against her chest like a mother clutching her child.) It took a few seconds to realize Hiyori had fallen out of her chair and before she could do anything to help, another girl had vaulted several unoccupied desks and landed in Hiyori's chair, casually leaning back as she addressed the stricken girl on the ground.
"Heloooo, Hiyorin!" Yasaka Ko said, leaning over to get a better look at her thoroughly distressed junior. "Almost caught it that time…alllmost." Ko shrugged her shoulders, turning her attention to Yutaka who was staring at this strange girl like green and covered in jellyfish.
"Oh, you're Hiyori's friend…ah…Yukata, right?" Ko said, snapping her fingers. "No, no, no…Yu…Yubaba?"
"Umm…actually it's-"
"Ah, I'll call you Yu. That way, I'm partially right, no matter what." Ko looked back down at Hiyori. "How long you gonna stay on the floor there, Tamura?"
"S-sorry sempai." Hiyori mumbled, hoisting herself off the floor.
"Right…aaanyway, I took a look at your latest sketches and I definitely see promise!"
"Oh! So you like it?"
"Definitely." Ko said. "I think you're really on to something there."
Hiyori sighed, leaning against the wall. "I hope so. I'm so excited to finally have an original idea for a story. Drawing doujin is fun, but I really want to create something that's mine you know?"
"Definitely." Ko nodded sagely. "Especially since Super Shojo Samurai is coming to a-" Ko looked back at Yutaka, cocking her head to the side a grin slowly spreading on her face. "Ohhhh…"
Yutaka suddenly felt embarrassed under Ko's less than innocent gaze. "Umm…yes, sempai?"
Ko turned back to Hiyori, never once losing her grin. "Princess Yukiko?"
Hiyori suddenly went pale. "Uh…well…i-it's n-n-not a total translation…b-but-" Before Hiyori could finish, Ko had reached across the table and took Yutaka's hands.
"Your Majesty…" Ko said, bowing deeply and brushing her lips across Yutaka's knuckles. "It is an honor to finally meet you."
"Uh…Hiyori-chan?" Yutaka looked to Hiyori for help but she was too busy dying of embarrassment to be of any assistance.
"I am truly blessed to be in the presence of the real life Yukiko." Ko went on a tad dramatically. "The inspiration of Super Shojo Samurai 3-5 after brave Makoto was enlisted by the daimyo as her bodyguard. Your story of forbidden love has touched my hear-HEY!"
Hiyori, who had gotten over her utter humiliation in time to salvage what was left of her dignity swiftly clamped a hand over Ko's mouth, pulling her back a few meters in order to whisper frantically in her ear. This left Yutaka feeling embarrassed and thoroughly confused while the members of the manga club argued in hushed tones.
Yutaka turned glumly back to her lunch. At least if Minami-chan were there, they could have shared their usual confused glance and awkward laugh at their friends' behavior. Being locked out of the loop was easier if you weren't the only one.
"Well, I guess I'm off then." Ko came back to the table, brushing her sleeves off. "I'll let you two finish your lunch. Remember, the meeting is cancelled today Hiyorin. Kensuke and Ichiro are out sick and they were going to lead practicum…" Ko sighed.
"Let me guess; drama club?" Hiyori asked.
"Well yeah…how did you…"
"Minami-chan and Patty-chan were helping them move props on Wednesday." Yutaka said, happy to be back in the conversation.
"But on Wednesday it was rain…ing…" Ko's face went blank before contorting with rage. "Those…bastards were moving props… in the… rain…for another club…and now they're skipping…my…club meeting because they…got…SICK?!?" Ko punched her hand with a savage grin on her face. "Just…WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK I AM!!!!" Without another word, Ko dashed out of the room, slamming the door as she left.
"Well…she was…nice" Yutaka said uneasily.
"Yeah, that's Ko-sempai for you…" Hiyori sighed.
"It's funny…what did she mean by forbidden love?"
"That's a great idea, Yu-chan; we should go visit our friends tomorrow." Hiyori said as if she hadn't heard Yutaka's question.
"Uh…okay…" Yutaka said uneasily. "We'll do that…"but what did Ko-sempai mean when she said-"
"So considerate; always thinking of your friends." Hiyori rambled on, packing the remains of her lunch back in her bag.
"Well thanks but that still doesn't answer my-"
"Oh, hey Kuroi-sensei!" Hiyori said a little louder than strictly necessary. "Let's go talk…about stuff…at your desk…over there…"
"Oh…well…okay…" Yutaka said, thoroughly confused.
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LUCKY CHANNEL!!!
Patty: HIYA-Luckies!
Hiyori: I don't get it, what are we doing here?
Patty: Well, sometimes it's common to have a short blurb at the end of the chapter with the characters talking about the next show
Hiyori: Yeah…but I don't see how well that translates in word form…
Patty: What do you mean?
Hiyori: I mean Yutaka and Minami are sitting right here next to us and you wouldn't know unless they said something
Yutaka: Hi!
Minami: Hello everyone
Hiyori: See?
Patty: Oh don't question it; just read the cue cards
Hiyori: Fine…okay due to outstanding technical difficulties-
Patty: The author's laptop broke! In half!
Hiyori: The updates have been slow-
Patty: More like stopped dead.
Hiyori: Right. But thanks to a kick ass extended warranty, the author has managed to get back on track.
Patty: The show goes on! Thanks for hanging in there!
Minami: Well…on to other things. This chapter introduced Yasaka Ko, Hiyori's senior and head of the manga club
Yutaka: Fans of the anime probably didn't recognize her since she was only in the manga and games
Ko: It was totally political! I was too real for their commercial…anime…junk! I could've been in the show if I wanted to!
Hiyori: Oh dear, there she goes
Yutaka: Uhh…well now I'll announce the results of the Lucky Legacy Gaiden poll
Minami: A few weeks back, we asked you to vote for which of the older girls you wanted to see a chapter of first
Yutaka: And the poll closes…now! And the results are in! A whopping 75% in favor of Konata onee-chan and Kagami-san!
Konata: Flawless victory!
Yutaka: Next is Kusakabe and Misrashi-san with 25% of the votes
Misao: I guess we're just background characters after all…
Ayano: Oh there there Misa-chan
Yutaka: And last…well…this is kind of embarrassing
Miyuki: WHAAAAAAT?! What the hell do you mean Tsukasa and I didn't get any votes?!?!
Hiyori: Uh…Miyuki-san, we're still…
Miyuki: I GIVE MY BEST YEARS TO THIS CRUMMY PRODUCTION AND I DON'T EVEN GET A PERFUNCTORY GAIDEN CHAPTER?!?! DID I JUST GET PUT ON A BUS TO FRANCE AND FORGOTTEN ABOUT?!?!
Patty: Miyuki-san! The cameras! We're still-
Miyuki: Even the bleeding scenery characters get chapters and I-
Minami: Miyuki-san! We're still rolling!
Miyuki:…oh…
Kagami: I can smell the tabloid nightmare already
Yutaka: Like I was saying, you'll all get your gaiden chapters…it's just nee-san and Kagami get theirs first
Miyuki: Oh…oh well thank you all for including us…that was very kind of you.
Tsukasa: Yuki-chan, we still didn't get any votes…
Miyuki: Trying to leash my rage, Tsukasa…trying to leash my rage…
Patty: Well on that exceedingly awkward note we'll just wrap this up by saying thanks for sticking with us! See you next week!
BYE-NEE!!!
…
…
"They'd better leave a damn review…"
"Miyuki-san!"
