Different

By Cassandra

Heya, I'm back with a new chapter. I don't really like it very much, I don't know why. It just feels so incomplete…

Anyway, my original Starlights who are also featured in most of my other Starlights fics are here in this story: Aoi and Kira Kou. Just telling you.

I don't own anything. Believe me. Just Kira and Aoi. Nothing more.

Chapter II

The Family and Friends

A spotlight hit her as an audience, blurred by dark shadows, clapped and cheered for her and her alone.

A smile parted her lips as she bowed to the crowed and wallowed at the applause that filled her ears.

There was a mike right in front of her and she knew right then that this was her dream.

She was a singer on a stage and people loved her.

Her hand tightened on the mike on the stand and, closing her eyes to feel the moment, broke into a song that reached the heavens in their praise.

Her head fell back as she hit a certain high note and the spotlight blinded her for a moment and a dizzy sensation made her fall backwards suddenly. The world of cheers and music that she was in suddenly faded into white and a smart of pain in the head shattered her euphoria.

She found herself blinking and staring up at a white ceiling with nothing but her poster of Niyama Shiho smiling at her. A sharp, distant bark of a dog joggled her further and drilled reality into her head.

She groaned and slowly sat up, wincing at the slight dizziness she encountered at the motion.

She fell off her bed again. 

Her sleepy blue eyes encountered her bedside alarm clock and that just about pulled another groan out of her mouth.

The clock read 10:00. Who in her right mind would be awake at 10:00 on a Saturday morning?

Definitely not Seiya Kou.

She crawled back on top of her bed and pulled a blanket over her sleepy form to block out the evil glare of the sun.

"Kou Kou! Are you up?"

She curled in deeper into her blanket and decided to ignore her mother's call.
Her mother always wanted her up early in the morning on weekends to help her with breakfast, but of course, Seiya being the lazy girl she was, would never wake up before noon.

Just as she thought she was going to get back to her concert of dreams, the next worst thing happened. Her phone rang.

She glared at the offending object that stood in all its glory on her bedside table beside the alarm clock. It continued on ringing as she debated whether or not to answer it. What could be so important?

But then she caught sight of her caller ID and knew that she had to answer.

With a yawn and a stretch, she turned the phone on and spoke into the receiver.

"Aoi, you better have a good reason for doing this."

"Good morning sunshine!" A sweet, feminine voice greeted over the phone, grating unpleasantly on Seiya's ear. "My goodness Seiya, you're still asleep?"

Seiya groaned. "I hate you. I soooo hate you. You suck…"

"Seiya, a little less shut eye won't hurt you. I bet you've been sleeping for more then ten hours anyway."

"What do you want?" The raven-haired girl snapped grouchily as she settled back on her bed and closed her eyes. Her head throbbed.

"Well, Kira and I are going to watch a movie today and I was wondering if you'd like to come along." The one called Aoi said.

Despite her irritation, Seiya managed a smirk as she heard the somewhat strange proposal that came from her long-time friend. "Are you sure you would want me there? I mean, third wheel, also known as chaperone? And with the two of you kissing and groping and being all lovey-dovey in there…"

"Seiya!"

Seiya chuckled as she could almost envision her reserved and sweet friend blushing to the roots of her blond hair at her teasing.

"It's not funny!"

"Aoi-chan I was just kidding!" Seiya immediately amended. It made her guilty when he teased her sometimes. Maybe it was because the girl couldn't be imagined to even hurt anyone much less defending herself. She was very protective of Aoi no matter how much she teased her.

"Mou!" The girl on the phone sulked. "When will you stop teasing me about Kira?"

"When all your beautiful golden hair gets shaved off and even then I'd still love you."

"Come on Seiya-chan, please? You won't be left out I promise you."

"Promises were meant to be broken, Aoi-chan."

"Taiki would be coming too."

That last sentence quickly made her snap out of her sluggishness and she practically screamed into the phone, "You're kidding! The hermit agreed to creep out of his lair?"

Aoi sighed at her reaction. "Louder Seiya, I could still hear in my other ear."

"No really. You're serious?" Seiya was probably out of bed now. "Taiki-baby's coming along with us to watch a movie?"

Aoi giggled at Seiya's special endearment for the other member of their group. "Yes Seiya. He agreed to come along because he misses us."

"Woohoo!" Seiya whooped and made for her closet to get her towel. "The group's all complete! I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

"Kou Kou?"

Seiya winced and froze at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Does that mean you're coming?"

"Absolutely!" Seiya answered immediately.

"Great, Kira and I will be outside in about—forty minutes?"

"Make it an hour."

"All right. I swear Seiya, if you weren't best friends with Taiki and I didn't know you, I would think you two were in a long distance relationship or something."

"Hush up you, I never thought you'd end up with a head case like Kira."

"Seiya!"

"All right, all right, I'll quit it! See ya in an hour."

"And where do you think you're going young lady?"

Seiya winced and turned around slowly. She smiled her most winning smile as she faced the only one who could slow her down.

Her long brown hair was up in a twist as she stood with poise by the kitchen door. Blue eyes identical to Seiya's stared at her disapprovingly and Seiya fidgeted underneath the directness. The thin lines of her lips were one in a non-expression.

She stood with confidence and her apron was her brand of authority. Seiya was powerless against her.

She was Seiya Ayame, her Kaa-san.

"Kaa-san, uh, I was just going to the mall to watch a movie with Aoi, Kira and Taiki. Could I go now?"

Her mother's eyes flashed and she almost flinched. Uh oh.

"Yes you may." There was a sudden movement and the next thing Seiya knew, she was being dragged towards the dining table. "After you eat breakfast!" Her mother declared as if Seiya just won a grand prize.

"Kaaa-saaan!" Seiya whined. "But Kira and Aoi are coming in five minutes!"

"Then the two of them could join us too if they wish."

"But Kaaaaa-saaan!!"

Against her will, she was plopped down on her seat on the table where she found a plate of pancakes before her. She sighed sadly and picked up her fork to dig in. It wouldn't do any good to argue with her mother anyway.

"So, where are you going today Kou Kou?"

Seiya looked up to find her father smiling at her as he cut his pancakes into little bite-sized pieces.

Seiya Kojiro was tall and slender with raven black hair and merry purple eyes. His rebellious black hair needed trimming and he had glasses over his eyes.  Out of the two parents, Kojiro was the laid-back one. He was always smiling and very lenient with his children. He was an astronomer and he spent most of his time in the observatory he worked in.

He spent whatever free time he had with his family and Seiya loved him very much.

"I'm going to watch a movie with my friends, 'Tou-san."

"Is Taiki coming with you?"

Seiya smiled with her mouth over her fork. "After so many centuries!"

Kojiro chuckled in amusement.

Seiya's best friend is particularly close to her father for they had the same interests. Taiki was very smart and was very capable of having an intelligent conversation even when he was just very young. He and Kojiro used to talk a lot about almost anything under the sun when he came over frequently. Taiki's father died when he was very young and he looked up to Kojiro as a father figure.

Nowadays, Taiki was busy with his studies for he sought a scholarship in the United Kingdom after he graduated from high school.

"It has been so long since he has been around hasn't it?"
Before Seiya could answer, a slight thump and a snore made them forget their conversation.

"Niichan!" Another occupant of the table screamed in disgust as milk dripped into the table.

It was Seiya's ten- year- old brother, Maru.

The boy with short brown hair and violet eyes still in his pajamas jumped three feet from the table, holding his plate of pancakes as he glared at the source of his outburst.

A head of black hair with a short ponytail was down on the table, hitting a bowl of milk and cereal in its wake.

Kojiro sighed and went about breaking the sleeping spell as Seiya continued to eat her breakfast.

Her older brother, Ken, always fell asleep on the table during breakfast anyway.

She turned her head when she heard and sensed the chair beside her being moved to be sat on.

Maru had taken the seat beside her and began to eat his food once more, his sharp stare still fixed on the head of his annoying elder brother. If his stare were a laser, Ken's head would have had holes.

Seiya grinned at her little brother and chirped in her most cheerful voice. "Ohayo Maru-chan! Whatcha doing?"

Something seemed to snap in the ten-year-old when he heard the words "Maru-chan". His glare then found a new target and it upped in power to full. If anything, Maru hated the infernal nickname.

"Stop calling me 'Maru-chan'!"

"Why? Aoi's not here anyway? What are you embarrassed about?"

Seiya couldn't have said anything worse. His annoyed expression quickly paled then settled on a deep, embarrassed blush at the mention of Seiya's friend. Obviously, the boy had a crush on Aoi.

Seiya knew his buttons and he reacted with expected results.

"Shut up! Kaa-san! Nee-chan's picking on me again!"

"Aww! Idn't 'e adorable!" The "loving" nee-chan squealed as she pinched her brother's cheeks and trapped him in a vicious noogie.

Maru screamed for his Kaa-san.

"Ken, wake up."

"Kagkyuu, you so pweedy…"

Kojiro sweat dropped.

Ken drooled.

"KAA-SAAN!!"

"I love you Maru-chan!!"
Seiya all but suffocated Maru in a big hug.

Seiya Ayame sighed, tired. She watched her family as she stood in the entrance of the dining room. Being the stricter one of the pair of parents, the task of keeping the family in line fell on her shoulders. More often than not, it was not an easy job.

"They are such a handful!"

She complained under her breath.

The doorbell rang and Seiya rushed to open it. What greeted her on the other side of the door was Aoi, wearing her sunny smile as she usually did.

"Ready to go?"

Seiya frowned at the smiling girl and murmured sullenly. "You're late."

Aoi blinked at this, but her wonderment quickly turned to slight exasperation as she sighed and shook her head. "Really Seiya, it's just a little over eleven." Something behind Seiya quickly caught Aoi's attention, making the blond smile sunnily. "Oh hi Maru, how are you?" She greeted, beaming at once.

Seiya turned just in time to see her brother's face turn into a nice shade of red at Aoi's attention. She hid her amusement as Maru tried to stutter a response was mostly unsuccessful.

"Uh…h-hi."

"I'll see you later, Maru." Seiya waved at her brother as she ushered her overly attractive friend out into the street. She sighed as she closed the door behind her. She looked at Aoi warily and asked, "You do know that my brother has a crush on you don't you?"

Aoi smiled in response as she walked on ahead. "Of course."

"Good." Seiya sighed. "That way I wouldn't have to tell you to act like nothing has happened."

"Seiya, you are such a responsible big sister. Always looking out for her little brother." Aoi smiled in appreciation at her taller friend who fell in step beside her.

Seiya let out a bark of laughter and made a "shush" gesture with her finger over her lips. "Don't ever tell him that I stalk him okay? He'd feel soooo embarrassed!"

Aoi laughed then noticed what her friend was wearing. "Oh Seiya, you are so cute whatever you wear."

Seiya was wearing a pair of big mouth brown flares that made a puddle over her shoes. Her yellow spaghetti-strap shirt that showed a little of her flat stomach was under a slim red jacket. Her trademark red backwards cap that fell over her pony-tailed hair finished the ensemble.

"Why thank you." Seiya smiled back, flashing the famous ego and a wink. "But come on Aoi! I bet Kira's drooling all over you in that outfit!"

Sure enough, any guy alive would have wished they were her boy friend if they just saw her.

Aoi Kou was petite with a shapely figure. Her hair was straight, blond and long. Her blue-green eyes shone whenever she smiled or laughed.

Aoi had been Seiya's friend ever since she entered junior high. You couldn't possibly compare Aoi to Seiya for the two were as different as night and day. When Seiya was loud, she was quiet. Seiya's sort of a tomboy; she's a girly girl all the way. While Seiya was wild, Aoi was reserved.

Today, Aoi was wearing fitted white pants that flared down her calves under a light blue halter-top. Her long blond hair was down with only a white wide headband. Three silver bangles were around both her wrists.

"I'm drooling over who in what outfit?"

Seiya and Aoi quickly turned to find themselves in front of a silver BMW with the red-haired driver smirking at them.

Seiya sighed as the driver stepped out of the car. "Oh please. Like you'd drool over someone else, Kira?"

The red-haired driver let out a chuckle and proceeded to look at Aoi, who immediately blushed of course. He didn't say anything else in response to Seiya's jibe and opened the car door.

"Aoi-chan." He murmured as he held it open for her.

Seiya rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the guy she called Kira steal a kiss from Aoi and close the door behind her. She didn't have to look at Aoi to know that the girl was probably blushing to the roots of her hair by now.

"Don't I get to have my door open too?" Seiya asked sarcastically.

Kira raised her a thin eyebrow, his gray eyes crinkling in amusement. "Why Seiya, you could open a car door on your own now couldn't you?" He stepped away to go back to the driver's seat.

"Insufferable git." Seiya growled and asked for the umpteenth time why she even allowed their relationship.

Kira Kou was Aoi's boy friend and together they made up the dreamiest couple this side of the planet.

Kira was tall and handsome with long wavy yet curly red hair and penetrating gray eyes.

He came to Seiya and Aoi's school during freshman year. He had been every girl's dream: rich, sophisticated, smart, dashing, and single. He seemed pretty happy with all the attention until his eyes fell on the sweet and innocent Aoi. Soon, he went out of his way to always be with her. If anything, the charming red head had fallen.

Of course, this didn't bode very well with Seiya, whom was very protective of her friend. Kira had to go through all sorts of things to prove himself until Aoi interfered and told Seiya to stop. Kira was then subjected into a long courtship that lasted a year and a half before Aoi finally said 'yes'.

Seiya had to admit; the guy was worthy of Aoi. She had seen his perseverance and his seriousness, but that still didn't make her like him that much. She still thought Kira had to much of an ego and his rich-boy upbringing still drove her up the wall. Add the fact that his mere presence turned her friend into mush also didn't help much.

"Really Kira, and you call yourself a gentleman." A voice quipped when one of the backdoors of the car was opened to admit Seiya in.

Seiya didn't lose a beat and all but dived in to give the speaker a great big hug.

"Taiki!!! I missed you!"

Sure enough, Seiya had her arms in a bear hug around a very surprised Taiki Kou.

When the surprise subsided, Taiki wrapped his arms around his best friend. "I missed you too Seiya." He murmured.

"What have you been doing all this time?" Seiya asked as she separated herself from Taiki's taller frame.

Taiki shrugged as she sat back on the leather interior of the car and said, "The usual."

"Studying." The other three occupants of the car chorused.

Kira sighed from the front and connected his gray gaze with Taiki's purple one through the rear-view mirror for a moment before looking ahead. "Taiki, don't you get tired from all the studying?"

"Not really. Anyway, I don't want to talk about that right now. I'm with you guys. So, what has been keeping you busy?"

Kira and Aoi began telling him about what has been happening in school for the past few weeks and Seiya sat back and listened, not really in the mood to talk about things.

There has only been one thing that has been bothering her for the past week: her encounter with Yaten Kou.

Their conversation has made her curious about the popular and yet mysterious boy.

He seemed so alone.

"Hey Taiki, have you ever talked to Yaten Kou?" Seiya asked out of the blue.

All conversation in the car ceased at the sound of the name. Obviously, it was one subject none of them ever talked about before.

"Once or twice." Taiki admitted, looking at Seiya with puzzlement in his eyes. "Why?"

"Do you know if he has any friends?"

"If he has any, I sure don't see him with them." Taiki answered.

"The guy's a loner, Seiya." Kira contributed. "I've seen him around. He doesn't talk to anybody unless he really needs to."

Aoi twisted around in her seat to look at Seiya curiously. "Why are you asking, Seiya?"

"Well," Seiya began. "I just sort-of had an encounter with him the other day."

"And?"

"Nothing really." Seiya sighed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She looked out the window. "I just find him so lonely, that's all."

Silence fell over the car.

"Are you saying you have a crush on Yaten Kou?" Kira said, breaking the ice. He rolled his eyes. "Oh no, not another fan girl!"

"Shut up Kira!" Seiya yelled, making everyone in the car wince.

"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON YATEN KOU!"

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