A/N: Wow.... *looks at last update* Sheesh, been awhile, eh? Miss me? Well, in summary, I ended up my school year with over a 3.5 GPA (yay for studying!), no boyfriend (alas, unrequited love ;_;), my Dad is walking again!! YAY!!!!, and a lazy summer (Hooray!)! Ah, I've still been busy and I had forgotten about this story until the very kind review from Steve Jester. Also, regards to chichi the windrider who reviewed again! Thank you for your patience! It means so much to me that people have been waiting on me, and here I am taking forever!! I can't apologize enough for how long this took!! I'm so, so sorry!!!! Well, let's see how my writing abilities held out for ssooo many months that I've been gone! I'm thinking about three to four parts for this, so bear with me and suggestions are always welcome!! (Steve Jester, I especially like yours! That's an excellent idea and I may use that later on.)
Same disclaimers apply and everything, so please review and let me know how you like the new arc! *bows* Thank you for the continued support! Reviewing makes me work harder and better and constructive criticism is warmly appreciated as well. How else am I going to get better at this, right? ^_~ Sorry for the long wait and enjoy!
The door opened hesitantly as Motoko stepped inside, her strict green eyes scanning across the coffee shop, searching the faces of the people who seemed to blend in with the soft jazz music and gentle odor of coffee beans.
"Aoyama." She immediately directed her attention towards her left, where a man with azure hair and thick glasses motioned her over to the booth he was sitting at. She made her way though the thick air and moving people to where he was seated and she hesitantly sat in front of him.
"You're Kido Jyou?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as her right hand still lingering over her practice sword as she put it down next to her.
"Hai, that would be me. I'm glad you got my message, Aoyama-san" he told her, taking a long sip of his coffee.
"Motoko is fine, Kido-san. Sora tells me you're a good friend of her, Taichi and Yamato. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?" Wordlessly, Jyou pulled a several pieces of crumpled, folded paper out of his jacket and he held it out in front of him. Raising her eyebrows, Motoko reached out and took it from him, opening it slowly. She cast a hesitant glance towards Jyou who simply nodded. For a few moments she scanned over the letter and as time wore on, she continued deeper into the pages, beads of sweat and frustration furrowed on her forehead. Finally, she reached a line that made her eyes widen considerably. "F-First love never dies..." she read aloud, her true voice lost somewhere within her throat.
"She is still in love with Yamato, Motoko. She's returning to Japan tomorrow with her family, and she's transferring into your class." Motoko folded the paper back up and placed it on the table, her eyes unfocused and hazy as she stared out into the sunny spring day.
"But it means nothing if he doesn't love her... I don't think Yamato still has feelings for her..."
"Have you even met Mimi before, Motoko? She's sincere, honest, beautiful, intelligent and very kind to others. It'd be hard for anyone to turn down-"
"So what is it that you're saying?" Motoko demanded.
"I'm here to warn you, Aoyama. It'd be hard for any man to forget. Because first love-"
"-'never seems to last forever but is always remembered'? Or some kind of sentimental crap like that?!"
"Exactly." A lump formed in her throat, and she removed her hand from the table which had suddenly gone cold. "Aoyama, you're a nice person, but Yamato and Mimi had a long relationship that lasted several years. It only ended because Mimi moved away-"
"But didn't she love you?"
"... When Yamato cut off communication with her, she came to me... and I was so happy. I mean, I had loved Mimi since childhood... so naturally, I returned her feelings."
"You're a weak man to give into a woman like that" Motoko told him abruptly.
"It's none of your business" he growled, his tone changing quickly. Motoko snarled and gathered his things together.
"Where are you going?"
"Home. I have a date tonight and I intend to enjoy myself. I'm not concerned with the silly, tired feelings of a fickle woman. I appreciate your honest intentions, but it seems to me you need to analyze yourself before you tell me what I should do."
'Life is good...' Strumming on the strings of his guitar, Yamato sat against the back of his bed on the floor, sighing heavily as his fingers unfolded into another chord.
"Oi! Yamato! You have a visitor!!" his father called out. Yamato glanced up from his guitar and checked the clock quickly.
'Motoko? But our date isn't for another two hours...' He set his guitar down on the floor and crossed through the apartment with a smile on his face.
"Motoko, I didn't think that we were supposed to meet until-" Frozen. His body. His mind. His blood completely ran cold as a young woman looked up from her tea cup.
"Yamato..." her melodic voice seeped out as she stood up from the couch, setting her tea cup down. "It's... It's been awhile..."
"M-Mimi?" he uttered, still in severe shock. "Wh-What in the world are you doing here?"
"Neh, you look... almost scared. Yamato, are you alright?" Mimi asked as she approached him, her chocolate brown hair tumbling down her shoulders.
"N-No, no... I'm just so surprised! I didn't think... You just... ah... Y-You must've seen Jyou already I suppose. I'll bet he was so ha-"
"I broke up with Jyou."
"W-What?" Mr. Ishida noted the look on Mimi's face and he added one plus one, determining the complicated answer.
"Y-Yamato, I have errands to run! Please tell Motoko-chan I said hello when she comes over for your date." Mimi's face twisted in what seemed to be horror.
"You're seeing someone else?" Mimi asked him, horribly surprised as Mr. Ishida walked out of the door. "So... So soon?"
"Yeah... I met her this year. Her name is Aoyama Motoko... we're very close, Mimi." She quickly masked over her surprise and smiled brilliantly.
"Congratulations, Yamato! You must be so happy!! I can't believe you met another girl, that's absolutely wonderful! The girl who captured your heart must be something special. You know, I'd like to meet her in fact! It's alright if I stick around to see her, isn't it?"
"Well-"
"Good! I thought so!"
"She sent me a letter too! Can you believe it? She's still in love with Yamato after all this time... Poor Jyou... how did he take it?" Sora sighed.
"Hmph, that weakling? He follows a woman around like a lost puppy for a year and then she breaks up with him for an old boyfriend. He didn't completely show it, but you can tell it takes a toll on him. But... something just seems amiss about all of this" Motoko told her, wrapping the phone cord around her finger.
"Hm... it seems like something Mimi would do though. I'll have to go see her sometime tomorrow. I imagine she'll look for Yamato first."
"You think so?"
"Naturally. She didn't come all the way from America just to idly chat with me. She's here to get a boyfriend, and you know how other girls are about him." Motoko shuddered at the thought of his fan club and how they would amass against her during the last trimester for dating Yamato. The last trimester...
"Neh, Sora, have you though any about college?"
"Ugh, I'm living and breathing college here! My Mom is really adamant about me going to a good college. She even told me to try for Tokyo U! TOKYO U!!"
"What's wrong with Tokyo U?"
"What's wrong with it?! The problem is that it's an absolutely perfect school! I mean I could land a fabulous job just by waving around a degree from there!"
"... I'm thinking of applying there" Motoko told her. "Naru-sempai and Urashima went there. Urashima applied... what was it? Four times? Five? I can't remember..."
"Five times? Sheesh, that's dedication."
'The only reason Urashima went there was so he could meet the girl from his childhood. He was so determined to see her again that he faced embarrassment and disappointment... but he still tried. He had people like me in his way to stop him... and he conquered. Then he found Naru-sempai and the two are married... he didn't let anyone else get in his way. Not me, not Kitsune, not my sister, and not his... Isn't that the kind of focus I should have? Is that the kind of dedication I'll need to ward off this Tachikawa girl?'
"Oi! Motoko!"
"E-Eh?"
"Have you been listening at all? Did you space out or something?"
"I... I suppose so, please excuse me. I'm listening now." Motoko glanced over at her picture of the Hinata Inn residents on her wall and she grinned. "Go ahead."
Yamato opened the bathroom door slowly, peering out into the hallway as he clutched the towel around his waist tightly.
"Okay... I don't see her that way... If I make a break for it, I can run past the doorway to the living room and make it to my bedroom... okay..." Yamato whispered to himself. "One... two... three!" Yamato slung open the bathroom door and clung to the thick towel as he dripped all the way across the hallway, past the living room and to his bedroom at the end of the hallway. Opening and slamming the door behind him, Yamato leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
'Embarrassment avoided...'
"Oi, Yamato, is this her?" Yamato reluctantly dragged his gaze from the floor and nearly cried out loud when he saw Mimi sitting on his bed looking at the picture on the bed-side table.
"M-Mimi! Out! I'm indecent!!" Mimi looked up from the picture and blushed lightly.
"I-I'll say... what a chest, Yamato... have you been working out?"
"T-That doesn't matter!" Yamato exclaimed, his face horribly red. "OUT!" Within seconds, Mimi was flung outside his door, the picture still in her hands and a frown on her face.
"This will be harder than I thought..." she muttered, peering down at the picture. Mimi made a face as she stared down at the young woman within it, smiling gently with long black hair and sharp green eyes. "She looks rather shrewd... how disappointing." A thin smile spread across her fair features as she peered up at the living room clock (which read 5:04) and smiled. "My plan is proceeding nicely though... Knowing how long Yamato spends preparing for his dates, I'll have plenty of time to speak with Aoyama-san." Right on the mark, the doorbell rang and Mimi heard a confused curse from behind Yamato's door. "Don't worry, I'll get the door!"
"6:04!? What the hell?! The living room clock said-" Yamato's voice trailed off and he growled in a way that made Mimi grin widely. "DAMMIT MIMI!!"
"You'd better not come out of your room just yet, Aoyama-san may get the wrong idea if you look like you've just come out of the shower" Mimi chuckled as she changed the living room clock forward to the true time. As she approached the door, she put on another layer of lipstick and flipped her curly hair back dramatically. Plastering a wide smile on her face, she opened the door and found a befuddled Motoko.
"... W-Who the hell-"
"Oh! You must be Aoyama-san! Please, please come in! Yamato lost track of time when I came over. I've been studying abroad for several years you see and I've just come back to catch up-"
"You're Tachikawa-san then?"
"Oh you know of me? I hope Yamato has spoken fondly of me-"
"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Motoko asked her, lowering her voice considerably.
"E-Excuse me?"
"You hooked in Kido-san to either make Yamato jealous or to make yourself feel more important, and then you drop him like a simple toy. But of course, that alone can't satisfy your volatile disposition, because you come slithering back here expecting Yamato to welcome you with open arms! What sort of nonsense is aroused in that twisted heart of yours?"
"H-How dare you speak to me like that! I have more dignity than that, Aoyama-san! Just what is it you're suggesting about me?"
"You're a cruel, selfish bi-"
"Motoko!" The two quarreling women turned towards the object of their affections who stood in the doorway, surprisingly pressed and neat in less than five minutes.
"Yamato? Y-You're ready so soon?" Mimi stuttered, embarrassed that things didn't accelerate the way she had planned.
"Well yeah, you held on to my picture of Motoko, so I couldn't idle over it as much as I do before a date" Yamato chuckled with a wink. Motoko flushed lightly and chuckled.
"You're not really that desperate are you?" Motoko asked him.
"When you look like that I just might be. You look beautiful as always."
"Always a charmer... you're so embarrassing..."
"You know you like it, Motoko. You'd be upset if I hadn't said anything" Yamato told her, ruffling her hair playfully.
"You wish..." she growled, blushing heavily. As the two continued their daily routine of flirting shamelessly, Mimi relaxed considerably and stared tiredly at the couple.
'They're perfectly in love... they're okay with showing innocent affection for one another. Did Yamato really just forget me and move on? No... NO! I can't give up! Somewhere inside there, I know he still cares for me! I won't lose to a sweaty kendo girl! Don't think you've won just yet, Motoko Aoyama! The school year begins again Monday, and there I will have my first victory...'
"I'm going to bury that woman in her own ego... just you watch me..." Motoko muttered angrily, clutching her kendo sword.
"Ah... Busu, as much as I support your relationship with Yamato, I don't think it's a good idea to necessarily beat the living crap out of Mimi" Daisuke chuckled nervously as Motoko sent him death glares.
"I happen to agree with him, sensei. It's not in your code of honor to attack someone so defenseless" Iori provided.
"She's cruel, unethical and a demon! How can attacking her with truth and justice be... unjustified?! There's got to be a way to defeat her!"
"So, play at her own game then. You don't have to use your sword to solve all of your problems, Oba-chan" Daisuke scoffed. As Motoko rounded the corner with her younger classmates and towards the school, she pondered this thought.
"Play at her own game? What kind of scum do you think I am?! I'm not going to stoop to her level, Motomiya!"
"He does have a point, sensei... This sort of method could be useful."
"But it's dishonorable to drop to such levels! I absolutely refuse!"
"AHEM! MOTOKO AOYAMA!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed from the school gates. The three students stopped walking as three new girls stood side by side, their hands on their hips. "Girls! Ready!"
"YES!" Motoko exchanged looks with the two boys standing next to her, and then was horrified beyond words as they began to... chant and dance.
"L-O-V-E! We-Love-Yama! Yama! Yama! La-la-la-la-la-love! La-la-la-la-la-love!" Watching their demonstration of hopeless admiration, Motoko simply stared, mouth hung open and eyes unblinking.
"Good work girls, we've established ourselves to our rival" a coy voice stated from behind them.
"P-President Motoko!" they exclaimed, saluting. The girl that stepped forward had long brown hair and sneaky brown eyes that seemed to reek of high-maintenance.
"You must be Aoyama Motoko then. Well, I am Minagawa Motoko, President and Founder of the New Prince Yamato Fan club."
"I'm Vice President Minami Kinosita!"
"Member 1, Miho Yamagisi!"
"And Member 2, Mai Goto!"
"We're not going to let you steal our beloved Yamato from us! Mark my words, Aoyama! An ugly girl like you can never beat our love and devotion!" Motoko snarled at the cross girl in front of her and she pulled out her kendo sword.
"Saying such things to your upperclassman are unforgivable I'm afraid. And such a fan club is rude and inconsiderate of Yamato's character! I will convict you and your harsh words, Minagawa! FEEL MY WRATH! NI NO TACHI!!!" In a single sweep of her sword, the four fan girls were sent flying off towards the school, flailing everywhere.
"Whew, short fuse today, eh?"
"Utter another word Motomiya and you're next!" Motoko growled, marching off towards class.
"Hm, something tells me that she's not exactly in the best position to match wits with Mimi-sempai today. If she lets a few fan girls get to her like that, she'll be suspended before the day is over."
"Hn, Busu is a big girl. She can take care of herself."
"Yeah, and also very inexperienced in dealing with this sort of thing..."
"Whatever, she'll be fine" Daisuke sighed, waving Iori off as he walked into the school yard, humming the Prince Yamato theme song. Iori bit his lower lip and brooded, convinced that his sensei had indeed spun a tangled web from which she could not escape.
A/N: Gosh that was hard _ I feel like it's been so long since I've worked on this! If it's not up to my usual standard, then please pardon my lack of dedication. I'm going to work harder and harder to get better, so don't worry! The Prince Yamato Fan Club is of course from Fruits Basket (my favorite show ^_^) who are actually the Prince Yuki Fan Club. They are ah... some of the more interesting characters in this show ^_^ Please leave me a constructive review and wait patiently for the next chapter! THANK YOU!! ^___^