Chapter 44: Azumanga Daioh VIII
Opening Theme: Shining Days (Mai-HiME)
The first event had started and it was the 100 meter race. With Yuri missing class 1-3 had to have someone fill in for their missing classmate. After much debating that could have easily been considered yelling Kaori knelt with the other runners.
'Don't worry Sakaki-san I'll win in your place,' Kaori thought to herself. 'Then you'll fall in love with me and we'll live happily ever after!' She went into one of her fantasies. It consisted of her running so fast that everyone else hadn't even left the starting block by the time she finished. Yuri had just arrived to see the victory.
"Kaorin you ran in my place?" Yuri asked in shock.
"Yes I just had to look good for you Sakaki-san," Kaori said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you Kaorin," Yuri said grabbing ahold of Kaori's hand.
Kaori had a goofy smile on her face from her dream world. She snapped out of it however when the starting gun went off. Kaori took off after the other runners and ran as fast as she could. She passed the person right in front of her and caught up to the next person. Kaori closed her eyes and grunted as she gave it everything she had.
"And that's the race!" the announcer called making Kaori stop running. She glanced up to see the results. Out of all six classes she had come in fourth place. Kaori walked over to her class looking very dejected. She slumped to the ground with tears in her eyes.
"Hey it's okay Kaori-san," Chiyo said trying to cheer her up. "You tried your best!"
"Yeah at least you kept us out of last place," Tomo said.
"Tomo you aren't helping!" Koyomi shouted.
"Hey!" someone called from behind them. The group turned to see Keiko. "I thought that Sakaki was going to be in the 100 meter race!"
"She was but she is missing and we had to have a substitute for her," Koyomi explained.
"Man I was hoping for a challenge not a freebie," Keiko moaned to herself. "I mean come on this girl is no Sakaki how could you let her run in her place?"
"Hey take that back!" Koyomi said.
"Yeah only I can make comments like that and have it not be hurtful!" Tomo said earning her a funny look from her childhood friend.
Kaori let out a sob before rushing away from the group and out of sight.
"Kaorin-san wait!" Chiyo called.
"It's okay," a girl with short black hair said rushing after her. "I'll talk to her."
- Inoue Chihiro, 15 Years Old, Student at Azumanga High School -
The group stared after Chihiro for a moment before Koyomi and Tomo turned to find Keiko already almost to her own class.
"How could she say something like that?" Tomo asked.
"Like you're one to talk," Koyomi said.
Chihiro found Kaori sitting under a tree on the side of the school. She walked over and sat down next to her friend. "Are you okay Kaorin?" she asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No," Kaori sobbed. "I let everyone down, the class, my friends and even Sakaki-san. I should have known I couldn't do it."
"So what if you aren't as fast as Sakaki-san?" Chihiro asked. "I don't think she'd be disappointed in you after all you tried your best."
"But it wasn't good enough!" Kaori cried out burying her face in her knees. Chihiro wrapped Kaori in a hug and let her cry her emotions out.
Yuri rang the doorbell to Chiyo's house frantically. She had to get help for Rein. If Winry could help she had to find her as soon as possible. A very annoyed Winry opened the gate a few minutes later and looked up at Yuri.
"Oh Yuri, what did you need I'm kind of busy," Winry said.
"Rein's in trouble and she said you could help!" Yuri said frantically. They had to hurry.
"What!?" Winry shouted in shock. "I'll be there in a moment!" She said running back into the house. Winry got to her room and looked down at what she had been working on for the last few weeks. She wasn't sure if it would work but hey, it needed a test drive anyway.
Rein leapt back as Aki swung his frying pan downwards to hit her. Rein then had to leap to the left as Tamaki swung at her with his tonfa. Rein rolled away from the two and tossed several of her cards at them. The two dodge only for Rein to pull out a transmutation circle and slam her hands down onto it. "Lay Off!" Rein called as the cards split into multiple cards and shot out towards the two pirates slicing them a bit.
"Dammit!" Tamaki shouted taking a swing at Rein who hopped over the railing and heading down stairs.
Rein ran down the hall and looked over her shoulder to see that the two had followed her down. Rein slid to a stop at the end of the hallway and turned to face the two. They had made it to the center of the hall when Rein placed her hand on a previously placed transmutation circle and caused a chain reaction from placed Alkahestry circles down the hall. They all shot out several cards slicing the two up even more. Rein then placed her portable circle down and placed her hands on it. "Carousel's Layoff!" Rein shouted as the cards all changed direction and shot back at the two pirates.
Hanabi sighed as she watched several students, including Ayumu running around trying to find objects. It was a game called scavenger hunt and Hanabi really wanted to play it. Suddenly Ayumu ran up to Hanabi and grabbed her wrist. "What's wrong Ayumu?" Hanabi asked.
"Come with me Hanabi!" Ayumu said pulling Hanabi to her feet and leading her over the finish line. "I came in first," Ayumu said sounding kind of surprised.
"Wait what?" Hanabi asked confused as to what was going on. Ayumu handed Hanabi the sheet of paper that was in her hand. Hanabi read it and it said 'A Unique Friend'.
"I found what I needed to find," Ayumu told her making Hanabi smile.
"Thanks Ayumu," Hanabi said.
The two walked over to Yukari's class and Chiyo ran up to the two. "You did great Ayumu-san," Chiyo told her before turning to Hanabi. "So how did you like participating in the sports festival?"
"I didn't do much but it was fun for what I did," Hanabi admitted.
"Yeah you should have done something more," Tomo said walking over. "Like used your rubber powers to do something impressive!"
"Don't start Tomo," Koyomi told her.
"I mean it Yomi," Tomo said. "It would be awesome if something amazing happened." No sooner had Tomo said those words that the bottom floors of the school building suddenly exploded sending glass flying out of the windows. "Um… I know I said I wanted something amazing to happen but I didn't mean this."
"Just shut up Tomo," Koyomi said.
Raid stood by Mikoto watching the explosions go off. "Yes if we can't find it by searching the school why not just take the whole place down," Raid said with a smile. Suddenly someone appeared by his side. It was a girl in a black ninja suit. She wore a mash that covered the bottom half of her face showing her blonde hair tied back into a pony tail and her red eyes.
- Kiara, Age Unknown, Assassin of the Raid Pirates -
"Sir, the charges went off like you planed," Kiara said falling to one knee. "What are your next orders?"
"Meet up with our spy and see if there are any useful pawns to add to our crew would you?" Raid asked her. "Oh and while you are at it," Raid turned to Mikoto and smirked. "If you find any of this girl's old crewmates, kill them!"
"At your word," Kiara said vanishing.
"Come Mikoto," Raid said walking forward. "Let us find our objective."
"Yes captain," Mikoto said trotting along behind him.
Tamaki rushed out of the barrage of cards much to Rein's shock. She didn't have time to dodge as Tamaki swung his tonfa at Rein connecting with her left cheek knocking her off her feet and causing her to spin and fall on her stomach.
"That was a cheap trick," Tamaki said stepping on her ankle causing Rein to cry out in pain. "I'll be sure to break your limbs before I finish you."
"Come now Tamaki," Aki said walking up to his crew mate with his frying pan over his shoulder. "We shouldn't hurt her too badly. After all her price will go down when we sell her." Rein's eyes widened as she heard this. They planned to sell her to someone?
"I won't let you!" someone shouted. As Tamaki and Aki turned to see who it was the two were knocked off their feet and sent flying down an adjacent hallway. Rein sat up to find Winry and Yuri standing in front of her. Winry had wearing a pair of weird gloves on her hands and smiling. "I'm glad we made it in time."
"Winry what are those?" Rein asked pointing at the gloves.
"These are the prototype of my very own weapon," Winry told her helping Rein stand back up. "I needed to give them a test drive anyway so why not now?"
"That's a good, nice, and very grand idea," Rein told her drawing a hand full of cards as the two turned towards the two pirates that had risen back to their feet. "Because we are in for a fight, battle and all out brawl."
"Everyone evacuate the school!" Minamo called out as she helped the rest of the teachers clear out the students, all but one.
"Wait a minute my class still hasn't won yet!" Yukari shouted.
"Give it a rest Yukari!" Minamo shouted. "We need to get our students to safety!" Minamo turned away from her high school friend to find Keiko staring at the building with a blank expression on her face. "Kagura!" Minamo called running up to her.
"Kurosawa-sensei," Keiko said turning towards the woman.
"Let's get out of here before anymore explosions go off," Minamo said before a few kunai pierced the ground in front of her causing her to step back a few steps.
"You seem good a directing people," Kiara said landing in front of her. "I think captain Raid would like you on our crew."
"Captain Raid?" Minamo asked in confusion.
"That's right so please don't fight back and come quietly," Kiara said drawing another kunai.
Minamo was about to make a run for it but soon remembered Keiko. She couldn't leave her behind. She seemed to be scared stiff after all. Minamo noticed a soccer ball rolling by her feet. 'Who left out sport equipment?' she found herself thinking. It didn't really matter to her at this point as she brought her leg back and brought it forwards to kick the ball into Kiara. Shocked at the retaliation Tiara was knocked back.
Minamo took this time to run passed the down girl and grab onto Keiko's wrist. "Come on Kagura let's go!" Minamo said as she began to pull her away from the school. Or at least she tried. Try as she might she couldn't get Keiko to move. "Kagura what's wrong?" Minamo asked.
Keiko pulled Minamo in and pulled her arm behind her back making Minamo wince in pain. "I'm not going anywhere," Keiko said. "And neither are you Kurosawa-sensei."
"Kagura what are you doing?" Minamo asked slowly.
"You don't get it?" Kiara asked standing up. "She's one of us." Minamo's eyes widened in shock and grief. "She was never your student she was just helping us gather information all this time. Whatever we caught you know so let's get going Keiko."
"Sure thing, Kiara," Keiko said with a nod.
Ending Theme: Kimi ga Sora Datte (Mai-HiME)
