// Author's Note: Yay! This story is still alive! I don't really have much of an excuse for not writing... other than the fact that I'm on summer holiday and trying to avoid most school-related things! XD. But I'm still working on this story, and still intend to see it through to the end. Thank you so much for all the reviews I've gotten. If anything, they were the things that really pushed me to continue. I feel terrible for making everyone wait this long... I really have no excuse, so I'll just say I'm really, really sorry!

This chapter was dragging on so much, so I decided to cut it off after a certain point and split it into two parts. So in the last chapter, when I said that there will be three chapters dedicated to Sacchun, there will now be four! Sacchun fans may rejoice. Okay, so a little about the chapter itself. Just to recap a bit, since it's been a while, Sacchun's parents are coming to visit to discuss something with their daughter. Something which they apparently discussed way back at around Christmas time, and that something has made Sacchun dread their arrival. Honestly, I think she's being a bit of a drama queen in this chapter, since they're not that bad, but still, Sacchun's just being a pessmist. xD. Okay, I'll stop keeping you from the chapter. Enjoy! End Author's Note //

Chapter 37: Meeting the 'Rents : Part 1

"Um... Well..." Joe stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. He felt the heat of the afternoon sun strong on his back as he stood with Sacchun on the sports field.

"So... will you?" Sacchun asked. Her friend looked at her rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Me, though? Do you really think I'd be the best choice?"

Sacchun cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? C'mon Joe! I'm sure you'd do a good job."

"I'm no actor, Sacchun!"

Sacchun sighed. "So you won't, then...?" she asked with a defeated sigh. She turned around and let out several soft, sad sighs.

"I ... I didn't say I wouldn't, though..." Joe said hastily. Sacchun's mouth curved into a crafty smirk that Joe did not notice. That one always works.

"But..." he started. "Why me? Surely there are tons of other people who'd do a way better job than me! I mean... Meg! Or Lloyd, even!"

Sacchun continued to walk ahead, the grass brushing against her bare ankles. "Well..." she began to explain, "Lloyd is busy with his own things, y'know? Meg... She's not in the best state right now."

"What if she tells your parents the truth? That I'm not really your --"

Sacchun interrupted him. "Nah, she won't... She'll keep to herself, I doubt she really cares that my parents are coming down." she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Okay, but... What about Carl?" Joe asked, changing the subject. The black-haired girl looked back at him.

"...Carl?"

"He is your boyfriend, you know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing this favor for you."

She turned around and continued to walk on ahead, not saying a word for a few seconds. "Well... Y'know how it is. They're my parents. They're not the ..." she paused, searching for a good definition. " ... the best parents in the world. They can be a bit ..." she paused again. "...cooky? Yeah, cooky. They can be a bit cooky."

Joe laughed. "So? All parents are cooky sometimes. I mean, there was this one time, my mom had this box of hamburgers and - "

"It's just that," she cut him off again. "You and I, we've been friends for ... heck, since forever! I'd just feel more comfortable if it was you, okay?" Sacchun seemed to have difficulty stringing her sentences together, and seemed rather flustered.

"I guess I see your point." Joe said quietly. His heart was beating abnormally loudly, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"So you'll do it?" Sacchun spun around eagerly again, walking backwards while facing Joe.

Joe smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it."

Before Sacchun could stop herself, she had thrown her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks." she whispered. She suddenly realised what she was doing and let go of the flustered boy.

"Um... yeah... No problem..." he said bashfully, his face beet red.

Sacchun felt her face growing hot as well, and quickfully took control of the situation again. "Oh, come on! Like you can't be hugged by your childhood friend without getting all embarassed! Jeez, grow up!" she said playfully, turning around and walking forward, so Joe couldn't see that, she too, was blushing.

---

That Friday, Sacchun couldn't help but feel distracted during last period. In just a few short hours, her parents would be disembarking from their plane and meeting Sacchun and Joe at the airport. It wasn't too far away, and Ray, who had recently acquired his drivers' license, offered to drive them there. At the moment, however, they were in the middle of a Biology class. They were dissecting frogs today, something which required at least some concentration - unfortunately for Sacchun, who was paired with Joe, her mind was elsewhere.

"Whoa, Sacchun, careful with that thing! You almost cut its leg off!" Joe grabbed her hand holding the scalpel and steered it away from the dissection tray. Sacchun snapped back to reality.

"Joe... Why are you holding my hand...?" she asked, an eyebrow cocked. Joe quickly let go of her hand.

"I was trying to keep you from amputating this poor frog's leg!" Joe explained.

"I'd never hurt poor froggy-poo!" Sacchun stuck out her tongue.

He chuckled. "Okay, I'm using the scalpel from now on."

"Aw..."

A couple of tables behind them, Katie and Nina, who were also partnered, were having similar problems.

"Katiiiie!" Nina squealed. "You nearly sliced her head off with that thing!"

"I did not!" Katie argued fiercely, aggressively stabbing the foam lining of the dissection tray. Nina stared at the scalpel, then at Katie.

"Okay, fine, I was being a bit ... rough." Katie admitted uncomfortably.

Nina took the scalpel out of the foam and started cutting at the frog's stomach again. "What's got your knickers in a knot, anyway?"

"Nina, I hope you are aware how stupid that sounded... Anyway, It's just... Guh, those two!" she jerked her thumb in the direction of Joe and Sacchun's table.

"So the Jealousy fairy has finally decided to pay you a visit? Fun..." The pink-haired girl remarked, keeping her eyes on the frog.

Katie stuck out her tongue. "I'm not jealous! Just a bit upset. I mean, Joe used to be all over me! Now he's all 'Mleh nyeh Sacchun, Oooh, let's go make out...'" she imitated them making out with each other.

"...They've really made out?"

"Well no, but you get my point! Isn't it like the golden rule of relationships that If a girl has marked her territory, others should back off or risk having their heads bitten off?!"

Nina giggled. "You make us sound like a barbaric pack of wolves."

"Okay, look. I am a woman of high calibur, right?" the orange-haired girl asked. Nina nodded her head absently. "Right. Exactly. So I deserve to be appreciated! I mean, Joe should want to show me off to all his friends and family like some beautiful trophy."

"Right, yeah." her friend agreed.

Katie looked desperately at her. "So? Does he not appreciate me? If he did, he wouldn't be shacking up with stupid Sacchun."

"...They've really shacked up together?"

"Well no, but you get my point!"

"How's it going, ladies?" asked Parsley Frampton, their Biology teacher. He examined their barely-cut frog and their blank paper. "... I see." he said, after one collective glance around their table.

"Yeah..." Katie chuckled nervously.

"Just remember, you'll have to come back and finish it after school if you don't finish now."

Nina smiled. "...D-Don't worry, sir, we're almost... uh..."

"Less chatting, more working." he said, in a very typical teacher-esque manner.

"Right..." the girls said. He left their table, and they didn't say a word until they were sure he wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Okay," Nina started, brushing her bright hair out of her face. "The next special occasion that's coming up, why don't you do something special with him? A romantic date or a killer present or something." she suggested, still focused on dissecting the frog in front of them.

"What special occasion, though? I mean... Well... There always is our six month anniversary this month, that ... could ..." she paused and slowed down. "...work."

Her eyes went wide and gleamed with inspiration. "Our six month anniversary! That's perfect!"

"Wow, six months, huh?" Nina asked, finally putting down the scalpel looking up at her friend's face of sheer determination.

"It's perfect!" she squealed.

"You're ready to do the whole six-month thing, then?" Nina asked excitedly. "Ooooh."

"Well of course, Nina. I'm a woman, you know." Katie said proudly, picking up the scalpel and cutting off blobs of fat inside the frog.

"Good luck, then!" Nina said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to hear about your date."

"Yeah." Katie said, a broad smile in place. She turned her head to look over at Joe and Sacchun, who were already washing out their dissection tray. She saw Sacchun flick a bit of water at him, and he flicked some back at her. Both were smiling broadly, and Katie's own smile quickly wilted and was replaced with a scowl. Growling, Katie didn't even realise she was probing the frog with the scalpel, harder and harder, until...

SPLAT.

"...Aaaaagh! Katie!!" Nina shrieked, wiping what seemed to be a weird juice out of her eyes. Katie looked down at the poor frog and saw its head cleanly sliced off.

"...Eheheh... Sorry!" she said, rushing off to get a napkin for her friend.

---

"RAAAAAAAAAAY!" Sacchun shrieked, after slamming into the window for the third time. "Slow down, dammit! We're going to be early as it is, no need for speed!"

The rugged boy chuckled nervously. "Eheheh, sorry about that, Sacchun... I'm still not used to this thing."

Sacchun rubbed her head and adjusted her seat belt. "Just... be careful... I'd like to be in one piece when my parents get off their plane." She was sitting in the back seat of Ray's blue Nissan, and Joe was in the passenger seat. Ray was admittedly new at driving, and it showed. His reckless and competetive nature showed very clearly as he sped through traffic lights and honked at cars that were too slow for his liking.

"Jeez, man, you sure you know where you're going?" Joe asked his friend, his eyebrow raised. Though he had only been to the airport a few times in his life, he didn't remember the road they were on.

"Yeah!" Ray scoffed, "Of course I do. I mean, I think I do..."

"Raaaay!"

Ray glanced into his mirror at Sacchun's distressed face. "I'm just kidding, Sacchun! I know where I'm going. Jeez, is it your time of month or something?"

"No! My heart is beating enough without the help of your reckless driving!"

The brunette stopped at the red light. "That bad, huh? Don't worry, I know what it's like to have crazy parents. Oh man, one time -"

"Ray, with all due respect, now isn't the time for stories..."

Joe gave Ray a wry smile. "Best not to stress the girl out."

"I was just trying to distract her..." Ray mumbled.

Okay, Sacchun thought to herself. Time to distract yourself. Find something that won't make you think of mom and dad... Um... Fluffy rainbow unicorns! That works... La la la, fluffy rainbow unicorns, fluffy rainbow unicorns... Grah! It's not working! Oh man, this weekend is going to be hell!

Her internal monologue was interrupted by Ray's deep voice. "Hey, uh, is it okay if we stop for tacos or something on the way back? 'Cause I'm kinda hun--"

"DAMMIT RAY, WE ARE NOT STOPPING FOR TACOS, NOW KEEP DRIVING OR START PRAYING TO THE GODDESS THAT I DON'T KILL YOU."

"Do what she says, dude, it's for the best." Joe advised.

"Y-Yes ma'am..." said their driver in a rather small voice, as the light turned to green and he continued on.

As Ray drove down the slope into the airport's underground parking lot, Sacchun felt as if a big knot had been tied between her two intestines. There's no need to be afraid. Your parents won't scare your friends off and ruin your reputation. There's no need to be afraid. Your parents won't scare your friends off and ruin your reputation... she repeated to herself in her mind as Ray parked the car.

"Where'd you get this dent from?" Joe was asking Ray as he got out of the car.

"You know how it is... You get really caught up in the speed and then out of no where another car just happens to pop out at you and... This is the result!" Ray said, gesturing to the dent right below his right car light. "Anyway, Sacchun, what time is it?"

"Time?" Sacchun got out of the car with difficulty, feeling that her legs had been turned to lead. "Time. Right. It's half past four. We have fifteen minutes till their plane gets here." Fifteen minutes... Fifteen minutes... Sacchun heard her own voice echo in her head.

"Well, let's go on up then." Joe said, walking toward the elevator ahead of them that would take them up to the airport itself."Best not to keep Mr. and Mrs. Yachiko waiting."

"Joe, before they arrive..." Sacchun said, when they got into the elevator. Joe pushed the tiny square button with a black '1' painted on it, and it lit up.

"Yeah?"

"...Promise me." she looked up at him. "Promise me, you'll still be my friend even after you meet my mom."

"Why wouldn't I be your friend? C'mon, Sacchun, all our parents are crazy sometimes, we all understand!"

Sacchun would have laughed if her stomach allowed her. "No.. Trust me, you don't."

Joe was curious as to what it was about Sacchun's parents that made her so upset that they were coming to visit. Until now, Joe was assuming that her dad was probably a very old-fashioned guy who didn't really understand the times around him, and her mom was the type of talkative mom who would constantly ask embarassing questions, or tell embarassing stories. That's practically how his parents were, he couldn't understand what it was about her parents that really stressed her out more than anything in the world.

"Alright, alright, I promise." he told her. He didn't think they were going to be that bad, not compared to his parents - but he was sure that no matter what, nothing could get in the way of the solid friendship he had built with Sacchun over the years that they had known each other. Sacchun felt the knot in her stomach loosen a bit. A faint ding came from the elevator's ceiling, and the metal doors opened, revealing the busy terminal. After being in the underground parking lot, the white walls and large sky-windows of the terminal were blinding.

"Maybe there's a restaurant or something here..." Ray mumbled to himself. Sacchun silenced him with a sharp glare. "...I'm hungry!"

They continued walking, ignoring a commotion that was caused by a girl with blonde hair in two pigtails who was apparently shouting at an old man who had eccentric Einstein-esque hair.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT MY DRESS?!"

"I needed to make room for the cheese...!" whimpered the old geezer.

Sacchun walked ahead, Joe and Ray behind her, ignoring and blocking out the noise and commotions of the airport. They walked by several gift shops and browsed at the goods that were on display through the transparent glass. As they passed a book shop, they saw a girl with long, dark, blue-tinted hair with a light blue bow pressing her face on the glass and staring at the books with great interest. A security guard was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am... If you're going to buy something, go inside the shop instead of dirtying our windows..."

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry!" she said, flustered.

"Wow..." Ray commented, "Lotsa odd people you find at these airports, huh?" he asked conversationally. Sacchun continued walking ahead without paying attention to either of the boys behind her.

'Flight number 203 from Citrus City is now landing...' the loud, almost mechanical voice said, through the speakers of the terminal. Others who were waiting for that particular flight rushed off, including the girl who was at the book shop.

They arrived at the area where people who were arriving would come in from, and took a seat on one of the leather-covered benches on the side of the wall. Sacchun had her legs and arms crossed, and was tapping her arm impatiently.

"Calm down..." Joe said calmly to her. "No use stressing yourself out anymore than you already are..."

"I know, I know..." she replied, checking her watch. There plane was probably landing at this very moment. Any minute now, They would emerge from the doors at the far end of the room. The area around the doors were roped off, to give the arrivals room to bring their luggage through. Around the roped area were many relatives and friends, some holding up signs or chatting away happily.

Joe and Ray were talking about soccer, but Sacchun was barely paying attention, her eyes focused on the doors. Her heart continued to beat loudly.

The doors finally opened for the first time. An eccentric asian woman with long black hair and bangs that were dyed-red walked out, looking extremely annoyed. Behind her, a spiky-haired redhead who looked as if he had had the time of his life bounced after her. He leapt into the arms of his girlfriend, the blue-haired girl they had seen earlier.

"Are those two your parents?" Ray asked earnestly.

"Talk about a dumb question." Joe answered in Sacchun's place. Ray grumbled.

Sacchun got up to go stand with everyone arouned the roped area, and Joe and Ray got up to follow her. They made their way to the front, to get a better look at the arrivals. Still, no sign of her parents. When a good chunk of the crowd had abated, Sacchun was feeling almost hopeful that they had missed their flight or changed their mind.

Her hope was promptly crushed as the doors swung open once again...

// Post-Chapter Author's Note: Right... Sorry about it being kind of short, but as I mentioned above, I really split this chapter into two parts. Part 2 is coming soon! Now to answer a few questions you may have. Why did she choose Joe for whatever it is she's doing? Well, as she mentioned in this chapter, it's more a comfort thing than a thing about who's best at it. Joe's been her best friend since forever, and she really would feel best with him doing whatever she asked him. Secondly, what the hell did she ask him?! ... You'll just have to wait and find out.

I know, I'm terrible! XD See you next chapter! End Post-Chapter Author's Note//