The Long Bus Ride

Ayako felt her headache grow. She was surrounded by problematic people. Hanamichi and Ryota in front of her and Haruko. Hikoichi was sitting behind her and bombarding Kogure with tons of questions. Jin and Kiyota sat across from Hanamichi and Ryota. Hanamichi and Kiyota were bickering. Sakuragi's guntai sat at the back of the bus and were talking quietly but laughing loudly at god knows what.

Rukawa stepped on the bus.

"Ohayou gozaimasu!" came a cheerful call as Miyuki stuck her head out from behind Rukawa.

"Kitsune, why are you here?!" Hanamichi demanded.

Rukawa sighed and dumped his bag on the rack above the seats.

"How dare you ignore the tensai!"

'Great, the trouble is just beginning.'

"Hey, help me put mine up there too."

.

Kaede took her bag and put it up too.

Miyuki looked at the fuming redheaded boy, 'So he's the Sakuragi Hanamichi that oniisan talked about so much.'

"Miyuki-chan why-" Kiyota began.

Sakuragi cut him, "Who are you?"

"Huyuno Miyuki. Doozo."

"I'm…"

"I know," she said with a grin, "Tensai Rebound King Sakuragi Hanamichi-san."

"You know me?" he asked sounding shocked.

"Of course I know you. How can anyone not know you! You've been on the papers and I heard you're very talented. 1st month in basketball and you get to play in the starring line. That's why I think the name Tensai Rebound King Sakuragi Hanamichi really suits you."

"…"

"Baka," Rukawa stated.

"Miyuki-chan how can you say that to him?" Kiyota asked.

"Muhahahaha. You're very wise," Hanamichi said draping an arm over her shoulders, "you are the tensai's friend."

'This guy is cute,' Miyuki thought and said, "Really you're willing to be my friend Tensai Rebound King Sakuragi Hanamichi-san?"

"Of course. Just call me Hanamichi."

She smiled, "Hai."

"So why did you come with Rukawa?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, why did you come with that guy?" Kiyota probed.

She eyed Ayako and then the nervous looking Haruko and replied, "This guy, is my oniisan."

"Nani?!!" everyone but Ayako said looking stunned.

"Your response doesn't have to be so big. I know, we don't look alike, because I'm much better looking than him and all."

"Yeah, you're hot!" came a cry from the back.

She laughed.

"Bakas," Kaede said.

"Don't worry I'll still be friends with you even if you are the stupid kitsune's sister," Hanamichi said.

"Hai? Arigatou Hana-kun."

.

Rika got onto the bus behind her brother.

"You're pretty late Akira," Miyuki said.

"Why are you here smiley?!" Hanamichi demanded.

"Sorry for being late. Why am I here? Same reason you're here, Hanamichi."

She look Rukawa who has already fallen asleep listening to his discman and then at the redhead, her brother talked about and sighed. She stepped around Akira to the empty seat behind Kiyota.

"Rika-chan you're…"

Akira took the spot beside her.

"Why are you sitting beside Rika-chan? Get up. Go sit over there!" Kiyota demanded, "I'm sitting there."

"I would but my imouto made me promise to sit beside her before we got here."

'Like I want to sit beside any of these weird freaks here.'

Kiyota looked at her brother and said, "O-Onii-san?"

'Baka.'

Snickering from the back, "That's what Sakuragi called Gori, when he found out Haruko was Gori's sister."

"You're Sendoh-san's sister?" a guy with a notebook asked.

"Yes," she said, 'didn't oniisan just say it? Pay attention.'

"Muhahahaha, smiley you got a sister, too?" the redheaded weirdo said.

"Baka," Rika said.

"Is that surprising?" Akira asked.

"Who are you calling a baka, little girl?" the redhead asked.

"You. Who else?"

"Teme?!? You sound just like that kitsune."

"Sit down!" the wavy brown hair girl scolded.

'Kitsune? Who's that?'

"May I start the bus now?" the bus driver asked.

"Yep. We're all aboard!" Miyuki called.

.

Rukawa was getting annoyed. Even with his head phones on he could hear Sakuragi's guntai singing, 99 bottles of beer on the wall right now they were at, 87 bottles. Ryota was grilling his sister about Ayako's likes and dislikes. Kiyota who was behind him was talking non-stop to Rika. It was obvious he liked that abusive, violent girl. Talk about queer taste. Sakuragi was talking loudly and laughing that obnoxious laugh of his.

Rukawa frowned, 'Why am I stuck with these bothersome people? They're so nosy I can't even sleep. Unforgivable.'

.

"2 bottles of beer on the wall, 2 bottles of beer. You take one down and pass it around, 1 bottle of beer on the wall. 1 bottle of beer on the wall, 1 bottle of beer. You take one down and pass it around, no more bottle of beer on the wall!" Sakuragi's guntai cried in a squeaking voice that was hi-pitch enough to break glasses.

"Lets go again," Anozumi said.

"99 bottles of beer on the-"

"Stop singing 99 bottle so beer on the wall!!" Ayako demanded.

"…"

"Scary…" Sauichiro said.

"I know. Let's play I spy," Yuji said.

"I want to go first!" Yohei said, "hmmm, I spy with my eyes something that is red."

"Sakuragi's head!" Yuji cried.

"No. But close."

"Sakuragi's big, bald head!" Anozumi said.

"Teme!" Hanamichi said getting up as Kogure and Ryota tried to hold him back.

"Miyuki do something," Ayako said.

Miyuki smiled, "Why me? Use your fan."

"Because you're good at dealing with people like them!" Ayako shouted over the threats, "and I forgot my fan."

Miyuki snickered, "I see. Fine."

'Troublesome people are her specialty,' Ayako thought.

.

Sakuragi's guntai looked at her.

"Do you want to play I spy with us too?" Sauichiro asked.

Miyuki laughed, "Actually, I do but later. First lets talk business."

They looked at her, "Huh?"

She produced a stack of pictures taken with her instant Polaroid camera, "You guys help me sell these pictures and we'll split the profit. Since there's 5 of us, 20% each. You guys pay for the film paper of course. After all, if you'll go and sell it for a quarter or something and I won't make a profit."

"I got a question," Yuji said, "they're just pictures of us. Who would want to buy it?"

Miyuki tsked, "I don't know about others but oniisan's pictures are worth a lot. I only sell it to 3 girls but I've made enough money from them to pay for this trip. And who knows how many other crazy fans or enemies they have. I'm sure everyone has fans or enemies. People might use it for dart practise, voodoo usages, kissing it, who knows what else."

"True. I'm sure there are some ski bunnies that would want Sendoh, or Rukawa's picture," Yohei said.

"And I'm sure Sakuragi and the wild monkey over there is going to piss off some people. We can sell it to them, to vent their anger," Anozumi said snickering quite evilly.

"But those might not be the most pricey pictures," Miyuki said whipping out Ayako, Rika and Haruko's pictures, "these are. You can sell Ayako's pictures to Ryota, Rika's pictures to Kiyota, and…"

"And Haruko's picture to Sakuragi," Yuji finished.

"Nope. I'm selling these pictures to you guys. 1000 yen each."

"Nani?! We're not buying it!" Sauichiro said.

"Are you sure? Hanamichi's about to break free from Kogure and Ryota-san. These pictures can be used for blackmailing purposes and to save you one heck of a headache. I just decided to increase the price to 1500 yen each."

"Miyuki-chan, you're so pretty and kind-hearted you won't do this to us, will you?" Yohei asked.

"1500 yen," she said firmly, "come on, you guys can get it back fast. You can sell a picture of Ayako to Ryota for 2000 yen and that's 400 yen each already."

"…"

"Ooooh, Hana-kun is 10 seconds away from breaking free," she said.

"DEAL!" they said, "one each!"

.

"So Sendoh what color does Rika like?"

Sendoh raised an eyebrow, "Why? Are you thinking about buying her flowers? Or something more intimate?"

"More intimate?" Kiyota asked.

"Yeah. You know, like lingerie," he said.

Kiyota blushed.

"I'll kill you," Rika muttered under her breath so only he could hear.

He smiled, "Her favorite color is blue, she hates flowers but you can get her a cactus. It suits her don't you think? She's prickly like one, ne?"

"Noooo," Kiyota protested, "she's lovely like a flower."

Sendoh resisted the urge to laugh, 'My sister a flower? You got to be kidding me. Love is blind.'

"Muhahahahaha," Hanamichi laughed, "wild monkey got a crush on someone!"

"You got a crush on someone too!" Kiyota retorted, "and who are you calling monkey, you redheaded, brainless ape!"

"Teme?! Monkey!"

"Calm down," Kogure said.

"Kiyota, you should ignore him," Jin said.

"But sempai he started it!"

'With those 2 here I don't have to worry about boredom.'

"You're too loud," Rika said.

"Hana-kun, please don't fight," Haruko said.

"Sumimasen Rika-chan."

"Hai, Haruko-chan."

Sendoh shook his head and smiled, 'They're suddenly so docile. Woman are definitely terrifying, powerful creatures. They can subdue you without moving a finger.'

.

"Are we there yet?" Sakuragi's guntai asked.

"NO!" Ayako cried.

5 seconds later, "Are we there yet?"

"If you ask one more time…" Ayako threatened.

"Are we there yet?"

Ayako groaned.

"You for better stop annoying Aya-chan!" Ryota cried.

"You shouldn't yell at them," Miyuki said from her seat, "it's good that they're annoying the driver. It'll make him drive quicker."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Jin asked.

"I'm likely to die from popping a blood vessel before we get there," Ayako said.

"I'm sure it's not dangerous for us. If he hits someone we're less likely to die. After all we're in the bigger vehicle."

"Only you can think of such logic," Jin said.

"I need to pee," Sauichiro said.

Sendoh began whistling.

"Stop it!" Sauichiro cried.

"Ewww," the rest of the gundai said and jumped away.

Ayako snickered and began whistling too.

"Anou…I got a bottle if you want it," Kogure said.

That got a lot of snickering

"Yeah, it's not good to hold it in," Hikoichi said.

"DRIVER STOP!" Sauichiro cried.

.

Ryota, Kiyota and Hanamichi thought to themselves, 'This is going to be great! Me and her alone. Ok, not alone yet. But I only need to figure out how to get rid of the others, and then I can be alone with her…'

.

Sendoh, Miyuki and Hikoichi were thinking, 'This is so interesting. So many things to note. This will be fun.'

.

While Rika and Rukawa were thinking, 'This is the longest and most annoying ride, ever! And then I got to spend a 5 days with these do'ahos. Why did I agree to come?'

End of The Long Bus Ride