Maverick

2. More Than Just a Girl -- And a Promise


"Hi, I'm Akiko."

Taji Akiko looked at her reflection in the mirror, and repeated the line once again. She was getting ready for her first day of high school. On the surface, it seemed as thought little had changed – her father still hated her, her mother continued disregarding her existence, and her brothers persisted in teasing her. This, despite all her efforts at winning their approval: excellence in aikido and report cards with strings of As.

Shohoku High School's gates were large and imposing. Akiko found her way, miraculously, into her classroom.

Her skirt was torn. Her nose was bloody. Her eyes were angry and fierce. Blood ran down from a cut near her lip. She didn't care, and neither did he. "Spunky, aren't you?" He would regret it, she promised herself, launching a counterattack and landing a kick squarely on his lower jaw.

He had not expected it – not from a girl. Mitsui clutched his jaw and forced himself to refrain from wincing in pain. This prize was proving to be a little hard to get. He had not expected a roundhouse kick from a girl. She would yield, he promised himself.

Her first day at high school had ended, and Taji Akiko walked home, and made a wrong turn into a deserted street. Bad choice.

"She's just a girl. Year One too. Scrawny. Let's go."

Mitsui was mistaken. Year Ones used to fights with brothers were not chickenfeed.

Akiko was against the wall, and an ill-fitting brick pressed into her back as she was mercilessly pushed against it. Mitsui laughed, making obvious the gap where his two front teeth should have been. His nose had stopped bleeding, but the dark red stain made him look sinister. His left hand started downward from his grip around her throat.

And suddenly, she smiled.

Mitsui dropped her to the ground, more out of surprise that of actual intent. She smiled at him. She lay there on the ground, unmoving. Still smiling.

"Let's go. She's not worth it," an impatient gang member urged, stomping out the last of a cigarette. "Playtime's over, Mitsui."

Mitsui put his mouth near her ear, and whispered, "I'll be back, I promise."

Akiko glared at him, thinking, "brave words from a gangster who had got hit by a girl." She smiled at their backs as they left the alley.

A smile could be so powerful, so unarming. She knew that from experience; her three brothers did not quite know what to make of it when she smiled despite a bloody nose or bruised lip. But her smile, to her, had another meaning. I'll get back at you when you least expect it. And that will satisfy me.

"I promise too. And this time, you're paying." She was a maverick. Definitely. You didn't know what she would do next.

Author's Notes:
I'm in the midst of examinations right now, so bear with me! ^__^ I'll try to update, but they'll come few and far between. Sorry... Anyway, as usual, hope to see reviews! *grin* Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter!

Now, on to the replies. Due to time constraints, I shan't endeavor to type out all the names of the reviewers, so I'll be giving a general reply to your comments/questions/etc. Sorry, I won't be so evil the next time ^__^ (updating during hectic study periods comes at a price) Well, Mitsui will be the main SD character featured here, so you can expect a lot more of him. I don't know about the others... maybe the occasional appearance or something! I'm guessing that you're probably nodding to yourself, and thinking you know where this fic is going... sorry for the all-too-typical beginning - I hope to add a twist or two in future. But I won't be making a complicated plot, since I've said already that this is going to be short. Kinda like a breather while my brain rests from cranking out chapters for my long fics! ^__^ Thanks again to all reviewers! I really appreciate the time you took to read and review! ^__^ Arigatou gozaimasu! Thank you for the encouragement, support and comments. (Oh, and one more thing - I don't write corny stuff... at least, not yet. *grin*)

till next time!

~rurouni