13DaL: ...Hi readers. Nothing to see here...I'm still writing the backstory...
Miu: If you feel so useless why don't you let me ghost write?
Natsu: Don't. She can't even spell her own name.
Honoka: Easy. B-I-G B-
13DaL: OKAY! Miu...would you mind if you wrote just a little bit? Until I can pick up the pieces?
Miu: YAAAAY!
Natsu: Oh, God...
Chapter 11:
It was a seemingly normal evening, with the clouds parted to reveal a pavement of silver moonshine and two girls. Under a streetlight, our newest disciple, Honoka Shirahama, of Ryouzanpaku stares unknowingly into the hidden face of her new found adversary, the misleadingly demure Ryouko Tachibana. Will Honoka's first date with Natsu Tanimoto end in disaster?
"But you dropped this!" Honoka ran after the girl who had amazingly long, glittering navy coloured hair. I wish mine looked like that, Honoka thought despondently, holding up the small sharp Swiss knife that had fallen from her jacket. Honoka followed her around the corner into a dark alley and stopped by the one entry point. She felt goosebumps go up and down her shoulders underneath her-correction-Miu's sweater. The alley was darker the deeper one went and she could only make out a grey trashcan half illuminated by both the moon and the streetlight back down where she had began to run by the coffee shop. Honoka shook her head vehemently. She's disappeared without a trace. She must have been in a real hurry, she turned around once again and briefly glanced up to the sky. Honoka could have sworn she had seen something dancing aloofly in the shadows.
"Hmm," Ryouko folded her arms, partly against the cold weather and snorted. "I didn't think she'd be stupid enough to go in there either."
Her companion on the roof of the old, abandoned warehouse adjacent to the alley looked down at the small, teenage girl who was running back up the street towards most of the light. Back to safety. His eyes were trained on her receding back before he answered.
"Should I reassemble the men?"
Ryouko nodded. "I guess I'll bring the party to her, what do you think," she lifted her head to meet the brown doe-eyes of the slightly taller boy beside her. He was wearing a black hood with a red dragon on the back. Ryouko leaned against the railings. "I'm curious to hear what you think, leader of the Mashibikis, Hirota Usagi."
Hirota Usagi blinked twice before staring absentmindedly up at the sky. "I'm not allowed to think," he mumbled, moving away from Ryouko to call the subordinates still waiting in the alley.
...
"I'm back!' Honoka threw open the doors to the Karaoke Klub once again.
She immediately rushed forwards when she saw Kenichi being attacked by his supposedly best friend. Honoka slid her hands around Natsu's waist and pulled him back from Kenichi, who was currently in a headlock specializing in death in twenty minutes. Kenichi's face was currently blue.
"N-Natsu!" Honoka yanked him away, "D-don't kill my brother!"
"Dammit, I told you to stop singing!" Natsu yelled at Kenichi.
"Quit choking me!" Kenichi shouted back. What a violent guy.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else!" Miu threw herself between both their thrashing bodies. "Like the Arcade."
Are you insane? Honoka wanted to yell. Natsu was a complete competitive freak when it came to games. If she didn't let him win at least one Othello game against her, he would either accuse her of cheating or try to set fire to her set, that was a gift from Kenichi for her 15th birthday.
"Okay Miu," Kenichi smiled joyfully.
Woah, all she has to do is open her mouth and he forgets all the bad stuff that happened to him seconds before, Honoka sweat dropped, what amazing power!
A little later, Kenichi, Miu, Honoka and Tanimoto were already across the street in the Arcade, which was brightly lit and an entire building that was as high as a skyscraper. There was another karaoke machine-Honoka pulled the group away from it tactfully-and a foosball table. Miu instantly ran towards the bowling alley with Kenichi on her heels. Honoka was just about to follow when she noticed Tanimoto slumped in a booth by himself, looking jadedly at his watch.
"You bored?" Honoka queried, sitting in the booth behind him.
"I've got better places to be than here with these fools," Natsu replied imperiously.
Honoka climbed her seat and looked over into Tanimoto's booth. "Does that mean you don't want to spend time with me either?"
Natsu hesitated.
"I figured, since I always play Othello with you at your house, it would be nice if we got out together and actually had some fun. Kenichi and Miu..." she trailed off. Before she finished, Honoka touched the top of Tanimoto's hair lightly with a smile on her face. "Hey, Natsu, remember when I used to num-num your head?"
"That was especially annoying," Natsu said quietly. This kid used to bite me like I was a piece of fucking candy.
Honoka smiled beatifically. "It was a sign of affection."
"I'd rather you showed it in a less violent painful fashion thanks."
"Would you rather I kissed you, Nacchi?"
There was a definite pause.
"Hey, Hermit!" Takeda the puncher slid into the seat opposite Tanimoto with a giant ice cream sundae and a dessert spoon. He obliviously began to scoop spoonfuls and devour them whole. Honoka broke eye contact to stare at Takeda strangely.
"Have we met?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah," Takeda said between spoonfuls. "I'm Takeda...you remember me, right? One of Kenichi's friends? Saved you from Loki too."
Honoka didn't remember seeing him there. But she did recall encountering someone who looked like Takeda at the old Shinpaku Alliance headquarters whenever Nacchi took her there when he had training.
"Was I interrupting something?" he inquired finally, gesturing at Tanimoto and Honoka's faces, that were in close proximity of each other with his spoon. "Jeez...you move any closer you guys are gonna kiss. Or is that the whole point, eh, eh, eh?" he nudged Tanimoto in the ribs with a wink. "Hitting on Kenichi's beautiful little sister, you dog, you!"
Tanimoto glared at him.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
"Sheesh," Takeda bristled. "Cool it, Hermit. I just came over to say hi to Kenichi and Honey."
"I'll go get them," Honoka volunteered, sliding out of the booth and past the archway that led into the bowling alley which smelt strongly of sweaty shoes and bowling pins. The floor was slick with linoleum and it shone brightly as Honoka walked across it towards the last aisle, where Kenichi was still nursing a wound from standing behind Miu and cheering her on.
"...well you knew already," Honoka overheard her saying, "I always react like that when someone is behind me, Ken-chan."
Without her knowledge though, Honoka was surrounded from all sides by tall men that had been disguised as bowlers. Now though, they had put on their sunglasses and clenched their fists in a neat unbreakable circle. No way, not here Honoka cried inwardly in desperation, of all nights it had to be this one? She had accidentally let her guard down whilst watching Miu and Kenichi. I really hope they don't notice.
But with Miu Fuurinji around, it was near impossible.
"Kenichi...!" Miu followed him warily, trying to restrain him before he did something stupid. "Slow down."
"Shirahama. isn't it?' the girl from before appeared miraculously behind the men. There was a defined gap as she strode into the circle. "I've been waiting a long time for you."
"I'm the one you're looking for," Kenichi protested, blocking his sister from Ryouko's eyesight. Honoka closed her eyes and felt the room swerve. Oh no...
"You are not Honoka. I'm after the girl," Ryouko shook her head. "Unless...you are Ryouzanpaku's disciple too?"
"But I..." Kenichi turned and looked down at his sibling. She avoided his eye guiltily. He looked at Miu and pouted. "Miu...how could you?"
"Ken-chan, I-"
"All LIES!" Kenichi turned on his heel and ran, wailing loudly. Miu followed in hot pursuit shouting after him. Honoka sweat dropped.
"He's feeling like he isn't that special at all," she presumed. "That does it! Whoever you are, you've upset my big brother and I must help his lowered self esteem by defeating you!"
Ryouko smiled. "And how do you expect to fight me and over 100 men?"
"Err..."
Miu: Do you think that was okay?
13DaL: ...
Miu: 13DaL...13DaL? Was it okay?
13DaL:What do you mean was that 'okay'? Hurry up and write more!