MY PAIN

** Pls read the previous chapter and review before proceeding any further, thanks, and pls comment :-)***

ZOE

Oh God, why the hell is Akira here?

I felt an arm plop onto my shoulders, and I couldn't help it but stiffen. Was it Rukawa?

I looked up and saw Reena's face. I blew a sigh of relief.

"ano… Akira, what're you doing here?" I asked.

"Practice was cancelled, coach got locked in." Huh… not the… I looked up at him, "the high strung and uptight general?" I asked.

Akira smiled… in fact he always smiles… in fact, I can never imagine him NOT smile… ever since the plane touched down and we met him and his dad, I never even saw him frown… if there was an award for someone smiling he'd win the 'I, 24/7 smile a lot' trophy. Must be hard on the cheek muscles…

"You really shouldn't call him that Zoe-chan." I looked to my right and saw Hikoichi speaking. I had to laugh. The first time all of us moved in the new 'mansion'—if you could call it that—Uekusa, Hikoichi, Fukuda and Koshino, helped Akira with his stuff. Akira told me that he had lots of stuff at home, and when I saw his boxes those lots of stuff were mainly certificates, medals, awards and trophies—lots, and lots of trophies. And of course, who am I to forget THE hair gel—about… oh maybe… 700 gallons of it. And fishing stuff… fishing stuff—who has time for that? The coach dropped by at that time, telling all of them to practice and stop moving stuff into the house. I politely asked him if he was a military man, mainly because of the way he acted—or maybe he's on some kind of medication… In a case I didn't know it was taboo to ask the 'sensei' that, but it was funny to see him turn about 13 shades of purple that day, and veins kept popping up his fore head and neck.

"Z-chan, maybe you should take this outside, people are beginning to stare."

I looked around. People were staring. I looked at the sidelines and saw that most of the Rukawa pep squad were staring, and all of the, what I presume is the basketball players were staring. And I looked around at the people surrounding me—Sakuragi, putting on a curious expression on his face, Haruko as well, and then there was Miyagi and Ayako, both putting on expressions of concern and panic, they probably know, and then Rukawa. Was it my imagination, or was he going to…well, kiss me? Stupid! Rukawa was in his usual warmth, 50 degrees below zero.

I glanced at Reena, then at Akira—"Step-bro, let's go outside, shall we?"

"step-bro? are they brother and sister?"

"can't be, they're last names are different…"

"dodo, she said step not half!"

I heard the whispers around me spread like wildfire, I had my purpose in calling Akira step bro.

I took his wrist and dragged him outside, suddenly I heard yells.

"Hey, I'm coming with you!" oh no, not Reena!

"Me too, tensai has to protect Trouvel!" not you too Sakuragi.

"ano… I'll come too!" Haruko?

"Miyagi we'll stay here and integrate the first years and upper classmen."—Thank you Ayako!

"… baka…" Rukawa?

I suddenly heard the sliding door close at the entrance of the gym. The afternoon sun was beating down my face, the heat grueling. I turned to my back and all from the office—save Ayako and Miyagi—were behind my back. Haruko looking worried, Sakuragi looking more worried… and Rukawa—doesn't he ever show the least bit emotion? And Ree…

I wouldn't mind them, I looked up at Sendoh, and his friends, still at his side.

"Practice was cancelled…" I let the sentence trail off, hoping for them to elaborate.

"Uh yeah, someone locked up the gym from the outside… with the coach still inside." Koshino said, then grinned at Fukuda.

Fukuda looking ornery, "Accidentally Koshino, accidentally locked in the coach…"

"Yeah that's right, accidentally, but then again, who here has the long standing grudge against the coach, ne?" Koshino then jabbed Fukuda in the ribs.

I laughed as I saw them. Even on the first day, they were like this… brothers—in with camaraderie. Reminds me of Andrew, Angel, Ady and Apollo—"Hey guys, stop that, Sendoh hasn't said a word and you know that we're here because of his errand." Hikoichi—the peacemaker, very much like Andrew.

The first day I saw them and was introduced by my stepfather and Sendoh, they seemed uneasy, Koshino broke the silence back then by asking me about my brothers. That was the time I felt my heart break and I could easily see the other guys tense up, Sendoh must've forgotten to tell him. I easily answered him back in saying that they just decided to stay back in the states. I turned around and walked up to my room… hoping they didn't see me cry. The lot were invited to dinner after, care of maman, and there Koshino apologized, and I asked them to just call me Zoe.

"Zoe, your mom told me to fetch you and tell you we're going to have a family dinner." My head snapped up to finish my reverie. Dinner? Just the four of us? I couldn't do that, I never had to do that before with them!

"Your mom hinted it so much that you used to cook with your brothers when both of your parents were out on a trip, so they, my dad and your mom, concurred that you should cook it, Furanso no style." I looked up, he has to be kidding right? Didn't they see that I only came here for my father? That I only intended to be a mother's daughter, not his sister, not their daughter? I hid it well, probably, not letting them see… but my mother should know, we can never be a family!

****NOTES***
Last line kinda rhymed, didn't it? Yes I know that I just split the chappy 5 into two. Pls read it, I made some slight changes.

Ok, so whoever of you read this, you've probably been speculating from the start that Sendoh was the Akira I was talking about. In a case, it's revealed… he is Zoe's brother… anyway, been muddling up a bit, I don't know if anyone would like this chapt.—neways email me for comments, suggestions, violent reactions at celeste@wildside.ph .