Chapter 1
Lonely Summer Days
Ran stared out the window of the police box. Miyu was fawning over her brother again. As much as she loved Miyu, Ran was kind of getting sick of having to spend their summer at the police box with her brother.
"Oh Yamato," Miyu started again. Ran nearly jumped out of her seat before Miyu could finish. "What's wrong, Ran?"
"Nothing. I think I'm going to go practice my Para Para."
"Have fun."
Ran felt saddened as she left. Miyu didn't seem to care anymore about her. Just about her dumb, stupid brother. She kicked a can across the street before she bent down and picked it up.
For a moment she just held the can in her hand. Picking up garbage? That was something Miyu or Aya would do, not her. She sighed heavily as she dropped the can into a trashcan.
Aya got sent off to study in America for the summer, which left Ran with just Miyu. As she walked the streets she noticed that she hadn't seen Rei or Second Place in a while. "I wonder where they could be."
"Behind you?" Rei said in his usual slightly annoyed voice.
Ran spun around and smacked right into Second Place. "Ran! Hey! Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
The two boys stared at her in disbelief. Normally she would have round kicked them, or punched them, or SOMETHING! She didn't even seem to care.
"Ran? Are you sure you're all right?"
"You didn't do anything stupid like that dumb sticker picture game again, did you?"
"No. And I'm fine."
Second Place went to put his hand against her forehead, but she grabbed it and twisted it behind his back. "Don't touch me!"
"Ow, ow. Okay Ran. I'm sorry!"
Ran dropped his wrist and just stared at him in shock before she turned and ran away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yuuya turned to Rei. "What just happened?"
"She didn't kill you did she?"
"Come on Rei! Be serious. I think something's really wrong."
Rei sighed, "Fine. Okay, yes. Something's wrong, but we don't care. Do we?" Yuuya didn't answer, he was looking in the direction Ran took off in. "Do we Yuuya?"
"Huh?"
Rei sighed. "I don't even know why I try sometimes. Look, let's go see her brother in the police box. It's not far from here. Maybe he'll know what's going on."
The two boys slowly walked to the police box. Yuuya couldn't forget the look on Ran's face. She looked.but she couldn't have been.could she? Was that it? Was she scared?
"We're here." Rei said as they approached the door.
Even from outside Rei and Yuuya could hear Miyu fawning all over Yamato.
"Problem solved. That's what's wrong," Rei said pointing at the door. "Those two would gross anyone out."
"Yes. All right Rei." Yuuya just couldn't believe that was the reason she was so upset. "I'll catch up with you later, all right?"
Rei looked at Yuuya with a slight bit of anger in his eyes. "Promise me you're not going to go after her."
"I promise I will not follow Ran. I'm going to go find Aya."
Rei nodded before walking off. At least he had gotten away for another half hour or so without Ran trying to drain his saving account.
Yuuya slowly walked alone to Aya's house. When he got to the door he knocked and was met by a middle-aged woman. "Good day ma'am. Is Aya at home?"
She looked him up and down, then feeling there was no threat from this boy she said, "Aya is out of the country. She's studying in America over the holiday."
Yuuya nodded, "Thank you ma'am. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
The woman nodded back and then went back inside.
Very slowly this was all starting to make sense. Miyu was caught up in her love life and Aya was gone completely. As Yuuya walked back towards Shibuya he talked aloud to himself.
"So Miyu's being totally gross with her boyfriend who just happens to be Ran's older brother. And then her other best friend got shipped out of the country by her family, and Ran probably has no way to get a hold of her. That means that Ran's. All alone."
Ran stared out the window of the police box. Miyu was fawning over her brother again. As much as she loved Miyu, Ran was kind of getting sick of having to spend their summer at the police box with her brother.
"Oh Yamato," Miyu started again. Ran nearly jumped out of her seat before Miyu could finish. "What's wrong, Ran?"
"Nothing. I think I'm going to go practice my Para Para."
"Have fun."
Ran felt saddened as she left. Miyu didn't seem to care anymore about her. Just about her dumb, stupid brother. She kicked a can across the street before she bent down and picked it up.
For a moment she just held the can in her hand. Picking up garbage? That was something Miyu or Aya would do, not her. She sighed heavily as she dropped the can into a trashcan.
Aya got sent off to study in America for the summer, which left Ran with just Miyu. As she walked the streets she noticed that she hadn't seen Rei or Second Place in a while. "I wonder where they could be."
"Behind you?" Rei said in his usual slightly annoyed voice.
Ran spun around and smacked right into Second Place. "Ran! Hey! Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
The two boys stared at her in disbelief. Normally she would have round kicked them, or punched them, or SOMETHING! She didn't even seem to care.
"Ran? Are you sure you're all right?"
"You didn't do anything stupid like that dumb sticker picture game again, did you?"
"No. And I'm fine."
Second Place went to put his hand against her forehead, but she grabbed it and twisted it behind his back. "Don't touch me!"
"Ow, ow. Okay Ran. I'm sorry!"
Ran dropped his wrist and just stared at him in shock before she turned and ran away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yuuya turned to Rei. "What just happened?"
"She didn't kill you did she?"
"Come on Rei! Be serious. I think something's really wrong."
Rei sighed, "Fine. Okay, yes. Something's wrong, but we don't care. Do we?" Yuuya didn't answer, he was looking in the direction Ran took off in. "Do we Yuuya?"
"Huh?"
Rei sighed. "I don't even know why I try sometimes. Look, let's go see her brother in the police box. It's not far from here. Maybe he'll know what's going on."
The two boys slowly walked to the police box. Yuuya couldn't forget the look on Ran's face. She looked.but she couldn't have been.could she? Was that it? Was she scared?
"We're here." Rei said as they approached the door.
Even from outside Rei and Yuuya could hear Miyu fawning all over Yamato.
"Problem solved. That's what's wrong," Rei said pointing at the door. "Those two would gross anyone out."
"Yes. All right Rei." Yuuya just couldn't believe that was the reason she was so upset. "I'll catch up with you later, all right?"
Rei looked at Yuuya with a slight bit of anger in his eyes. "Promise me you're not going to go after her."
"I promise I will not follow Ran. I'm going to go find Aya."
Rei nodded before walking off. At least he had gotten away for another half hour or so without Ran trying to drain his saving account.
Yuuya slowly walked alone to Aya's house. When he got to the door he knocked and was met by a middle-aged woman. "Good day ma'am. Is Aya at home?"
She looked him up and down, then feeling there was no threat from this boy she said, "Aya is out of the country. She's studying in America over the holiday."
Yuuya nodded, "Thank you ma'am. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
The woman nodded back and then went back inside.
Very slowly this was all starting to make sense. Miyu was caught up in her love life and Aya was gone completely. As Yuuya walked back towards Shibuya he talked aloud to himself.
"So Miyu's being totally gross with her boyfriend who just happens to be Ran's older brother. And then her other best friend got shipped out of the country by her family, and Ran probably has no way to get a hold of her. That means that Ran's. All alone."