"Mom! I'm home!" Misao yelled when she'd opened the door. It took a while
but she finally got a reply when she entered the kitchen.
"Oh hi honey!" Her mother said in a cheery voice. To her surprise Misao saw that her mother was actually cooking a meal for her and her sisters. She also noticed her mom was in an awfully good mood. Misao sat down at the table and started doing her homework right away; she never wanted to think of school in the weekend. Misao stiffened as her mother hummed a song.
What the hell happened to her?
"Um mom? Where are Suzume-chan and Ayame-chan?" She asked not having seen or heard the girls when she came home.
"They're out with your grandfather." Her mother replied in the same voice as before. Misao's eyes widened.
"Jiya was here?!" Misao exclaimed. Her grandfather came to visit them only a few times a month and Misao loved to spend time with him. Her grandfather had been there for her when her father had passed away and her mother went slightly insane. He had helped her get over the death of her father and helped her mother to get on the right path again. Misao was very grateful to him and did anything for him. He was also the only one of what was left of her family that fully approved of her skateboarding.
"He went for a walk in the park with your sisters, you might be able to join them if you leave now." Her mother said to her and then continued humming.
Misao gave her mom one last look, took her skateboard and was of to the park, where she was meeting Sano and the rest anyway.
It took Misao about ten minutes to reach the park and she was lucky to find Okina and her two sisters in the front of it.
"Jiya!!" Misao yelled from afar and she saw the old man looking up.
"Misao-chan!" He yelled in the same tone as her and was ready to give her a very tight hug.
"Jiya.my breath..." Misao could nearly breathe in the tight embrace, but Okina let her go soon enough.
"You seem to have grown again since I last saw you!" He said while looking Misao over.
"Jiya you know that's impossible, you say it every time!" Misao looked at Suzume and Ayame and smiled at them "You two make sure Jiya doesn't bother young ladies ok?"
"Ok oneesan!" They said simultaneously and giggled. Then they took Okina's hand and dragged him to an ice cream stand. "Buy us some ice cream jiya!"
Misao smiled and figured she had to be exactly the same when she was young. Then she looked at her watch and saw it was time to go meet Sano. She put her skateboard on the ground and was of towards the skate park.
When she arrived there all three of her friends were already present as were Kamatari and his gang. Sano's face showed that he was very angry and Misao wondered what could be that bad.
"Hey Sano! Katsu, Yahiko!" She called from a distance and got some not too enthusiast replies.
"Wow guys whatever did I do wrong?" She asked, thinking they were mad at her.
"It's not you Misao. Look." Yahiko said and pointed towards Kamatari and his friends. There was a tall man, seemingly wrapped in bondages, and a lady talking to them. Misao didn't understand immediately.
"They have a manager, and sponsor." Katsu said coolly, he seeming to be the one who thought it not to be a big deal. Sano, on the other hand, seemed to be fuming.
"Those bastards. Do they really think they can win the contest that way? I'll show em." Sano gritted his teeth and flipped up his skateboard, then he sat down on a bench.
"I'll do anything to win that contest so we'd better start practicing everyday from now on, there'll be no excuse for not showing up ok?" He really seemed to mean it and the three left over members looked at each other not knowing how to react.
"Sano, they'll have much better material then us, and a manager who pays for it, they might get their own skate park. That guy is really rich as far as I know. Maybe we should just forget about the contest for once." Yahiko said, obviously discouraged by the facts. Misao didn't knew what she was hearing, not once in the 5 years they had been skating together they had given up, not once! Why was it that now the others had a manager and 'better' materials they should not participate?
"Damn Yahiko what are you thinking? Are we just giving up because they are being sponsored? We'll show them what we're made of and that we don't need sponsors to win!" Misao tried to encourage the others again.
"Misao you don't understand." Sano started. "This contest isn't just a contest, if we win, we might go pro." Misao's eyes widened.
"Pro? Like in professional? Why didn't you say so?" Misao wasn't sure this was for real or if she was just hearing things.
"I didn't want to get you all nervous before the contest. But now we can forget it.a sponsored team is probably more likely to go pro then a bunch of street kids." Sano seemed to have lost all hope and was looking at the ground. Again Misao didn't agree with them.
"I don't know what's gotten into you guys, but I'm going to participate in that contest. I don't care if I'll have to do it by myself, but I'm not letting this chance slip away! If we don't participate it's like we've given up already, we can not let those pimps get away with the first price can we?" She said in a raised voice and gestured towards the 6 people who weren't standing too far away from them. They had obviously heard her and Kamatari came walking towards them, followed by the three others. Sano stood up immediately and stood in front of the others.
"What's wrong Sano? Afraid you're going to loose?" Kamatari started in a mocking voice. "I'd be too if I was in your place, seeing as we have a sponsor and all. Mister Shishio is prepared to give us the best material there is available at the moment, but that's not all! He's also making us a private skate park! I think you're very right in not participating, it'd be a waste of your time." Kamatari turned his back them and nodded to his friends. He was ready to leave but Sano stopped him.
"Kamatari! I promise you you won't win that contest! I'll see to that personally, even if you have your 'sponsor' we still have better skills! And you can't buy skills!" Sano had turned back into his confident self and Misao was relieved he was willing to compete again. Kamatari turned around at Sano's words and gave him a smile.
"I know you can't buy skills, Sano dear, but people are easily bought." With that he turned around and left together with his friends and the one he had called Shishio.
"He's going to buy the jury? That's impossible! That guy can't possibly be that rich!" Sano said but got an opposite reaction from Yahiko.
"In fact Sano he is. But I don't think he'll be able to buy the jury for the finals, that'd be a fortune! We still have a lot of chance to make it that far and then all we have to do is beat Kamatari." He tried to sound positive but all of them were looking at it the other way.
"Oh and um Misao? Did I ever mention that the winner's prize is $4000?" Sano said casually as if it was no big deal.
"Four thousand dollar?!" Misao repeated not sure if Sano was playing pranks with her.
"Yes Misao four thousand dollar, that's a thousand each." Sano said and stood up. "So if we wanna win it, we better start practicing!"
Misao still didn't really believe Sano but she took her skateboard and tried to skate the tension of of her. After a couple hours they stopped and each of them went home for dinner. On the way home Misao only thought about what she would do with the money if they won. Little did she know her plans would have to be altered later on.
"Oh hi honey!" Her mother said in a cheery voice. To her surprise Misao saw that her mother was actually cooking a meal for her and her sisters. She also noticed her mom was in an awfully good mood. Misao sat down at the table and started doing her homework right away; she never wanted to think of school in the weekend. Misao stiffened as her mother hummed a song.
What the hell happened to her?
"Um mom? Where are Suzume-chan and Ayame-chan?" She asked not having seen or heard the girls when she came home.
"They're out with your grandfather." Her mother replied in the same voice as before. Misao's eyes widened.
"Jiya was here?!" Misao exclaimed. Her grandfather came to visit them only a few times a month and Misao loved to spend time with him. Her grandfather had been there for her when her father had passed away and her mother went slightly insane. He had helped her get over the death of her father and helped her mother to get on the right path again. Misao was very grateful to him and did anything for him. He was also the only one of what was left of her family that fully approved of her skateboarding.
"He went for a walk in the park with your sisters, you might be able to join them if you leave now." Her mother said to her and then continued humming.
Misao gave her mom one last look, took her skateboard and was of to the park, where she was meeting Sano and the rest anyway.
It took Misao about ten minutes to reach the park and she was lucky to find Okina and her two sisters in the front of it.
"Jiya!!" Misao yelled from afar and she saw the old man looking up.
"Misao-chan!" He yelled in the same tone as her and was ready to give her a very tight hug.
"Jiya.my breath..." Misao could nearly breathe in the tight embrace, but Okina let her go soon enough.
"You seem to have grown again since I last saw you!" He said while looking Misao over.
"Jiya you know that's impossible, you say it every time!" Misao looked at Suzume and Ayame and smiled at them "You two make sure Jiya doesn't bother young ladies ok?"
"Ok oneesan!" They said simultaneously and giggled. Then they took Okina's hand and dragged him to an ice cream stand. "Buy us some ice cream jiya!"
Misao smiled and figured she had to be exactly the same when she was young. Then she looked at her watch and saw it was time to go meet Sano. She put her skateboard on the ground and was of towards the skate park.
When she arrived there all three of her friends were already present as were Kamatari and his gang. Sano's face showed that he was very angry and Misao wondered what could be that bad.
"Hey Sano! Katsu, Yahiko!" She called from a distance and got some not too enthusiast replies.
"Wow guys whatever did I do wrong?" She asked, thinking they were mad at her.
"It's not you Misao. Look." Yahiko said and pointed towards Kamatari and his friends. There was a tall man, seemingly wrapped in bondages, and a lady talking to them. Misao didn't understand immediately.
"They have a manager, and sponsor." Katsu said coolly, he seeming to be the one who thought it not to be a big deal. Sano, on the other hand, seemed to be fuming.
"Those bastards. Do they really think they can win the contest that way? I'll show em." Sano gritted his teeth and flipped up his skateboard, then he sat down on a bench.
"I'll do anything to win that contest so we'd better start practicing everyday from now on, there'll be no excuse for not showing up ok?" He really seemed to mean it and the three left over members looked at each other not knowing how to react.
"Sano, they'll have much better material then us, and a manager who pays for it, they might get their own skate park. That guy is really rich as far as I know. Maybe we should just forget about the contest for once." Yahiko said, obviously discouraged by the facts. Misao didn't knew what she was hearing, not once in the 5 years they had been skating together they had given up, not once! Why was it that now the others had a manager and 'better' materials they should not participate?
"Damn Yahiko what are you thinking? Are we just giving up because they are being sponsored? We'll show them what we're made of and that we don't need sponsors to win!" Misao tried to encourage the others again.
"Misao you don't understand." Sano started. "This contest isn't just a contest, if we win, we might go pro." Misao's eyes widened.
"Pro? Like in professional? Why didn't you say so?" Misao wasn't sure this was for real or if she was just hearing things.
"I didn't want to get you all nervous before the contest. But now we can forget it.a sponsored team is probably more likely to go pro then a bunch of street kids." Sano seemed to have lost all hope and was looking at the ground. Again Misao didn't agree with them.
"I don't know what's gotten into you guys, but I'm going to participate in that contest. I don't care if I'll have to do it by myself, but I'm not letting this chance slip away! If we don't participate it's like we've given up already, we can not let those pimps get away with the first price can we?" She said in a raised voice and gestured towards the 6 people who weren't standing too far away from them. They had obviously heard her and Kamatari came walking towards them, followed by the three others. Sano stood up immediately and stood in front of the others.
"What's wrong Sano? Afraid you're going to loose?" Kamatari started in a mocking voice. "I'd be too if I was in your place, seeing as we have a sponsor and all. Mister Shishio is prepared to give us the best material there is available at the moment, but that's not all! He's also making us a private skate park! I think you're very right in not participating, it'd be a waste of your time." Kamatari turned his back them and nodded to his friends. He was ready to leave but Sano stopped him.
"Kamatari! I promise you you won't win that contest! I'll see to that personally, even if you have your 'sponsor' we still have better skills! And you can't buy skills!" Sano had turned back into his confident self and Misao was relieved he was willing to compete again. Kamatari turned around at Sano's words and gave him a smile.
"I know you can't buy skills, Sano dear, but people are easily bought." With that he turned around and left together with his friends and the one he had called Shishio.
"He's going to buy the jury? That's impossible! That guy can't possibly be that rich!" Sano said but got an opposite reaction from Yahiko.
"In fact Sano he is. But I don't think he'll be able to buy the jury for the finals, that'd be a fortune! We still have a lot of chance to make it that far and then all we have to do is beat Kamatari." He tried to sound positive but all of them were looking at it the other way.
"Oh and um Misao? Did I ever mention that the winner's prize is $4000?" Sano said casually as if it was no big deal.
"Four thousand dollar?!" Misao repeated not sure if Sano was playing pranks with her.
"Yes Misao four thousand dollar, that's a thousand each." Sano said and stood up. "So if we wanna win it, we better start practicing!"
Misao still didn't really believe Sano but she took her skateboard and tried to skate the tension of of her. After a couple hours they stopped and each of them went home for dinner. On the way home Misao only thought about what she would do with the money if they won. Little did she know her plans would have to be altered later on.