Title. Downwards

Part. two / -

Part Title. Mapping Out Mazes

Authour. ~sushisama~ (sbolce@esper.com)
Warnings and Disclaimer. Check the first part.  I'm too lazy to write it again.

Notes. Yaya, another part!  Aren't you all just so happy?  *being sarcastic*  I'm writing this part instead of working on my art website, so it's a bit rushed and not very planned out.  Sorry if it sucks.  I'll re-write later, if you all want me to.  Read and review, please!

/ thoughts /     [ dreams ]     ( flashbacks )

::*~~*::

            Tasuki sat on his new bed, which he had finally got around to making up after putting all his other stuff away, and tuned his acoustic guitar.  It wasn't all that out of tune, he was just looking for something to do.  The school day was almost over, and then he could hang out with Kouji all afternoon.  Kouji had promised to take him around the school and show him where everything is, help him get settled in and all.
            After the red-head was satisfied with the tuning, he started to play a song that he had made up about three months ago.  It was one of his many accomplishments as a musician.  He wrote music for the guitar, bass, and piano, and wrote his own lyrics.  Music had become his life ever since he was old enough to play the viola(which was age four).
            His family was known for its artistic ability.  A lot of them were painters or writers, including most of his sisters.  His mother was a modern artist, and though Tasuki was not fond of 'modern' art, he thought his mother's stuff wasn't half bad.  Kamau, his eldest sister(out of five), one of the few members of the family that did not pursue a life of art.  She actually wanted to become... Tasuki shuddered at the thought – a lawyer.  In some way, he just found the idea a betrayal to the family name.  Maybe it was because lawyers were strict and had to follow guidelines, whereas artists were free of thought and product.  Whatever it was, he just wasn't fond of the idea of a lawyer in the family.
            Though she was the exact opposite of her brother, Kamau and Tasuki got along the best out of the family.  They were like best friends and they could tell each other anything.  Tasuki wasn't a very secretive person, but the few secrets he did have only Kamau would ever know about.  And vice versa. 
            Being in a family full of freelance artists and only a single parent, Tasuki wondered again how his mother could have possibly gotten him here.  She had saved some money from his home-schooling last year, but not nearly enough for this.  He would have to ask Kamau whenever she would call(which would probably be soon, to check on how his trip had gone). 
            / Suzaku Southern University, / he thought, still strumming away on his guitar, / what a great looking place.  Man, this place is huge.  The food isn't have bad, either... /  Tasuki smirked, remembering lunch.  He had mooched a lot of food off of people, swearing he'd pay them back(though he knew he wouldn't).  The conversations at the table ranged from perverse to just simply immature.  A real table of teenage boys.  He hadn't been at one of those in over a year.  Though he hated to admit it, Tasuki actually had missed going to an actual school with people during his time of home school.
            "Whatcha playin'?" someone spoke up, ripping Tasuki from his thoughts.
            "Eh?"  He stopped playing and looked up to see the over-so-genki face of Kouji.
            "Whatcha playin'?" Kouji repeated his question.
            "Nothin' really, just my own song," Tasuki answered, starting to play again.
            "So you write your own music, too?" the blue-head asked, looking somewhat impressed.
            "Yeah, my own songs, too."  Tasuki shrugged.  "I just really like music, I guess."
            "Oooh," Kouji said in wonder.  "You gonna be a musician when you get outta school?"
            "Most likely, I can't see myself doing much else."
            Kouji nodded.  "So, what school did you come from?" he asked, changing the subject.
            "Home school."
            "Really?  Wow.  Is it as easy as I've heard it is?"
            Tasuki shrugged again.  "I thought it was medium.  Easy at some things, hard at others.  Depends on who teaches you, too.  My sister had to help me, 'cause my mom never really finished school."
            "Ah.  Home school for all your life?"
            "Just a year."
            Kouji cocked an eyebrow.  "A year?  Why'd you go from school to home back to school?"
            "The school I came from before then was...  let's just say I didn't like it too much, all right?"
            "Did somethin' bad happen there?  Someone get shot?"
            Tasuki just played his guitar, not really wanting to discuss his reasons for leaving Windhollow.
            Kouji eventually got the hint when Tasuki wouldn't answer him.  "Oh... okay, never mind then.  Um, want me to show you around the school now?"
            Tasuki was more than grateful for the change in subject.  "Yeah, that'd be great.  One second."  He got up off his bed and placed the guitar back into its case, latching it afterwards and sliding it under his bed to join his bass.  He stood up straight and faced Kouji.  "Okay, ready."

            The school really was like a castle.  It seemed to go on forever and ever.  Kouji had first showed Tasuki where all of his classes were and short cuts to get there if ever he was running late.  He also showed Tasuki the instrument storage room, feeling that Tasuki would appreciate knowing where it was.  In the room was a grand piano, stringed instruments, brass, percussion, and the like.  Thought Tasuki had not taken a band class, he knew he would be back here almost every day and was thankful that Kouji had showed it to him.
            After that, Kouji led him through the courtyards and gardens, which was where most people hung out after classes were over.  He saw a lot of couples together, too, just cuddling with one another.  Tasuki wasn't very fond of public displays of affection and scrounged his nose at the sight.
            The blue-head stopped near a garden wall, looking around for a second.  He then nodded to Tasuki and climbed through a nearly invisible hole in the wall.  Tasuki raised an eyebrow before shrugging, checking if anyone was around, and then crawling in after his roommate.
            Tasuki looked around once he was through the hole.  "I didn't know this place had a hedge maze."
            "Most people don't," Kouji informed him, taking a seat on a nearby bench.  "It's the weirdest maze on earth, I swear."
            "Why's that?" Tasuki asked in a curious voice.
            "There's no entrance or exit.  There's only one way I know of to get in, and that's through the various holes all over the place.  I've been trying to map the place out, but it's really hard when you don't know the dimensions or anything."
            "Is the school so boring that you have to map out hardly known mazes to pass the time?" Tasuki asked in a jokingly manner.
            "Nah, I just like solving puzzles," Kouji answered with a smirk.  "'Sides, this is where the gang meets every now and again."
            "I see.  Say, did you have to do any 'initiation' or whatever to get in?"
            "Yup."  He flicked one of the dangling earrings he wore.  "Had to steal this from a teacher."
            Tasuki raised an eyebrow.  "Wouldn't she notice you wearing it?"
            The blue-head snickered.  "Of course!  But she retired last year, so I started wearing them once she was gone.  'Sides, I think she knew it was me, anyway.  She just knew she couldn't do anything about it."
            "Do you guys normally steal things from teachers?"
            "Nah, they just gave me that 'cause Eiken thought I was being too confident in myself.  Normally we play small pranks on the students or steal something small.  We don't bug a lot of teachers in fear of getting caught."
            "But if a student caught you with something you stole from them," Tasuki began, taking a seat next to Kouji, "and they told, wouldn't you get in trouble, still?"
            "If they want their stuff back, they just ask.  We may be thieves, but we can't afford getting in trouble."  He then grinned.  "But, that's only if they figure out who stole it and where it is.  No evidence, we don't worry about it."
            "What do you think I'll have to do?"
            "Probably just steal something from one of the preps," Kouji answered with a shrug.  "Nothing I'm sure you can't handle?"
            "Shouldn't be too hard.  Preps are normally oblivious to the world around them.  They wouldn't notice it until someone said something about it."  He chuckled.
            "True, true," Kouji said, snickering a little himself.
            They found another hole to sneak out of and left the maze once the coast was clear.  Just as Tasuki was stepping out, however, his pant leg got caught on a stick in the wall.  He had to yank it free, tearing it a little, and making him stumble back and hit someone.  At first he thought it was Kouji he had hit, but just as he was turning around and apologizing, he came face-to-face with a person that seemed more genki than Kouji.
            "Oh, hey, there, no da!" the blue mohawked teen squeaked.  "Didn't mean to hit you, no da.  Wasn't looking where I was going, trying to get pictures, no da."  He held up a camera that dangled around his neck.  "School newspaper, no da.  Haven't seen you before.  You new, no da?"
            Tasuki stared at the strange kid for a second, wondering why in the world anyone would want to say 'no da' that many times.  It was somewhat irritating.  / And he looks like a cat, too. /
            "Yo, Chichiri, where'd you pop up from?" Kouji asked, standing beside his roommate.
            "Over near the field, no da.  I was getting some nice pics of the football team, no da, until Nakago told me to go away, no da."  Chichiri frowned.  "He's not very nice."  Smile.  "But Tamahome didn't mind, no da!  He actually let me take pictures, no da."  Chichiri nodded.
            "Nakago's just stingy, is all.  Don't pay attention to 'im, he's not worth the trouble."  Kouji grinned.  "You get any pictures of the cheerleaders?"
            "No, no da."
            Kouji frowned.  "Aww.  Well, are you going to?  I'll pay you..."
            Chichiri seemed to consider it for a second.  "Well, if I didn't do it for you last year, no da, why would I do it this year?"
            "Meanie."
            Chichiri grinned and turned his attention back to Tasuki.  "So, who are you, no da?"
            "Tasuki.  Just got 'ere today."  He extended his hand, to which Chichiri took and shook.
            "My name's Chichiri, no da.  Chief editor and photographer of the school newspaper, no da.  Where'd you come from?"
            "East of here.  Around Windhollow."
            "Ohh, them, no da."  Chichiri nodded.  "They've been our rival school for generations, no da.  Even my dad played against them, no da."
            Tasuki shrugged.  "I wouldn't be familiar.  I don't go to football games."
            "In general, they're our rival," Kouji spoke up.  "Even the Mountain Pack has to worry about them."
            "Oh, I wanted to ask you, no da," Chichiri said, turning to Kouji, "are you guys planning anything big yet?  You guys always start the year with a pop!, no da."
            "I wouldn't tell you anyway, you know," Kouji said in a cocky voice, crossing his arms.  "Wouldn't want it getting out before we can do anything.  That would just spoil the fun!"
            "Well, I'll be there to interview the victims, then, no da."
            Kouji's eyes wondered off and he spotted some cheerleaders coming back from practice.  "Teehee, I'll be right back.  Gotta go congratulate the new squad members, right?"  He straightens the collar of his straight and grinned, wandering off to the females, leaving Chichiri with Tasuki.
            "Not going to join him, no da?" Chichiri asked.  "Great way to meet new people, no da; flirt and rejection."
            Tasuki shook his head.  "Not my type," he admitted, turning his gaze from his friend(who was, indeed, flirting and getting rejected) to Chichiri.  "'Sides, I don't like to just randomly pick out someone and flirt, you know?  I'm more personal than that."
            Chichiri nodded in understanding.  "It's funny to watch them fail, though, isn't it, no da?"
            Tasuki smirked.  "Hell yeah."
            There was an awkward silence, to which neither one of them knew what to say.  Then Chichiri spoke up.  "Why'd you leave Windhollow, no da?  From all I've heard, it's a great place, no da."
            Tasuki was started to wish this subject would stop coming up.  "Just.. people suck there."
            "That's not much of a reason to leave, no da."
            Tasuki was silent.  He tapped his foot, silently pleading Kouji would quit his flirting so they could get back to the tour.  After all, didn't lunch start soon?
            "Sorry, no da," Chichiri spoke up, his head hung a little.  "Didn't know it was a touchy subject, no da."
            "That's all right," Tasuki replied.  "As you said, you didn't know."  He shrugged it off.  "So, what classes do you have?"
            "Creative writing, Trig, lit, no da, the usual for sophomores."  He fiddled with the camera around his neck.  "You're a sophomore, right, Tasuki, no da?"
            "Right."  They fell silent again, running out of things to say once more.  Kouji came pounding over then, smiling.
            "Not completely rejected, no da?" Chichiri asked with a curious smile.
            "Oh, I was shot down on the spot.  It's just that one of them give me two bucks just to go away.  Wa-hoo, snakes for me!"  He grinned.
            Tasuki burst out laughing.  "That's not much to be proud of, you know.  When girls have to pay you just to go away."  He started to laugh harder.
            Kouji shrugged, obviously not offended by his new friend's observation.  "Gotta get money some how, right?"  He looked down at his watch.  "Hey, speaking of food, it's time for dinner.  Want to sit with us today, Chichiri?"
            Chichiri's grin was still as genki as before.  "Sure!  The other newspaper people aren't fun to talk to anyway, no da."
            "Any more you need to show me, Kouji?" Tasuki asked.
            "After dinner.  Some of the spots are only cool at night, anyway."
            "All right, then off to dinner we go!"  Tasuki started to head off.
            "Er, hey, roomy!" Kouji shouted after him.
            "Hmm?" Tasuki looked over his shoulder at the blue head.
            Kouji and Chichiri both pointed in the direction opposite the one Tasuki was going.  "Mass hall is that way, no da."
            "...I knew that," Tasuki weakly defended, turning to walk in the direction they were pointing.

I finally got around to typing this up.  Go me.  *-.o*  Next part will be the dinner.  We get to meet more people!  Yaya!  Bruu.
And I apologize if Chichiri was somewhat ooc.  I'll work on that.  *-.-()*  And did I add too many 'no da's?  If so, I can go back and correct them.  Just yell at me.

Anyway, time for shout-outs.
[To laly-- I'm going to follow them, but not as closely as just particular characters.  *o.-*  Got any suggestions for pranks?  ^^;  The horror stuffs won't be coming in for a while.  But it will get there, I put it in that genre for a reason.]
[To -- We'll learn a little bit more about why Tasuki is where he is and why later on, around the first time I bring in Kamau.  And you'll get to know where the money for the school came from, too.  Don't worry, it all comes in due time!  ^-^  Don't worry, it won't be a TasukixChichiri fic.  For one, I don't even like that couple, and two, I already had a coupling for Tasuki in mind.  ^_~  They'll probably just become good friends, is all.  Don't worry!]
Thanks for the reviews, guys.  ^^
Keep on reviewing.  Suggestions are always welcome.