Chapter 7: She's Back
Julius and Miki were walking to the courtyard for lunch break when students started running past them, heading towards the opposite direction.
"What's going on?" Miki asked, wondering what was up in the gym, considering everyone was heading there.
"I don't know," mumbled Julius.
"Hey, Mina! What's going on?" Miki asked the blond girl as she, Ami, Serena, Makoto, and Rei hurried past them.
"Everyone's saying a girl challenged the whole boys' basketball team to a game and she's kicking their butts!" Mina exclaimed excitedly and followed her friends to the gym.
"Hey Jul, let's go check it out," Miki suggested.
"No thanks. I'll pass," Julius said in a mumble as he shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking to the courtyard
Miki sighed and then frowned. "Julius man! Let's go! Now! I'm sick and tired of you acting all dopey! Just get over it! She'll show up soon!" He grabbed Julius's arm. Then he lowered his voice. "Man, I'm only doing this because I'm your friend. Seriously, moping around, worrying isn't going to do anything.
Julius stared at Miki, surprised that his best friend would yell at him. Then he lowered his eyes. "Okay, I guess. Let's check out what's happening. And thanks Miki." Julius smiled. "That helped a lot."
"All right. Now let's get going. The game could already be done by now!" Miki exclaimed and the two ran to the gym, being the only ones left in the hall.
The two reached the gym and found the doorways packed with students. Miki yelled above the cheering. "Student Council officers coming through! Make room!" The crowd cleared a pathway and the two friends hurried to the front of the throng.
"Okay, so what's the score?" Miki asked Ami who was standing next to them with Taiki, Mina, Yaten, Seiya, Serena, Rei, and Makoto.
"Joey only told me that it was in the girl's favor," Ami said, looking at them.
"Who's the girl that challenged the basketball-" Julius stopped short when he saw the girl.
Miki looked at Julius to see what had caught his attention so much that he stopped talking and stared open-mouthed when he saw the attractive sister of Julius. "Utena?!"
Utena was dressed in her uniform shorts and a white T-shirt. Her long hair was in a ponytail with a few strands, that had come loose out of the rubber band at the beginning of the game, framing her face. She was everywhere on the court as she went head to head against the boys' basketball team. It was apparent that the basketball team wasn't as good as her, even though there were five of them and one of her. The rest of the team shouted comments and helping remarks.
Utena dribbled fast and she had fast hands and feet. She dribbled the basketball under her legs, switching hands, keeping the rhythm as she looked for an opening. Suddenly, as the ball was passed back to her right hand, Utena jumped up and shot the basketball off her fingers. Standing behind the three-point line, she frowned in concentration as the ball left her fingers. The whole team watched as the basketball flew up into a high arc and came down through the hoop. There was nothing but the swoosh of the net.
The crowd cheered as Utena smirked and then applauded her opponents, who were all bummed that they had lost to a not just single person, but much more of a humiliation, a lone girl. She went over to the team who had gathered to the side and were standing with their hand son their hips, frowning, not having liked the outcome. The team captain was talking to them and some of them actually lost their frowns and were nodding their heads in agreement to the captain's words. Utena said, "You guys are really good. Thanks for the game," as she shook the team captain's hand.
"Yeah, thanks. Maybe you should try out for the team sometime," the captain suggested with a grin.
"I'll consider it, but I'm on the archery team and the martial arts team so I don't know if I'll have time," Utena said. "But I'll look into it."
"My name's Kaneda Suou by the way. So you're Utena, Julius Tenjou's younger sister?"
"Yeah, that's me. Are you a friend of his?"
"Yeah. Well, good game. Later." The captain waved to her as he jogged after his team to the locker room.
Utena smiled to herself and went over to the bleachers where she had left her jacket. As she pulled it on, the crowds of her friends came over to and were congratulating her on her victory over the basketball team.
Utena grinned at what Makoto was saying, not noticing the two guys that were standing behind her. Utena turned around to head over to the courtyard but stopped short when she saw them. Her face turned into a frown and she walked over to them.
"Utena, where have you been?! I was really worried about you!" Julius exclaimed in a low voice so that no one else could hear.
"Julius, what I do is none of your busy. You're just my older brother. That's it. Not my guardian or mentor, or whatever else you think you are," Utena said firmly and then pulled the rubber band out of her hair and her hair down her back. She ran a hand through her hair.
"What?" Julius asked, confused at what she was saying.
"I don't want you interfering with my racing life okay? I have enough to deal with without your speeches about it being too dangerous." Utena said in the same low tone.
"But Utena, it is dangerous. You shouldn't be doing that!" Julius argued. Miki just stood next to Julius and listened uncomfortably to their conversation, which was turning very quickly into an argument.
"I don't care what you think. I'll do what I want whenever I want." Utena said, her tone turning icy. "And the person who gave me the Silver Star necklace told me I had the choice of joining in the races but frankly, I don't care what happens in the races. Good luck on making it to the top." Utena walked towards the courtyard. As she reached the door, a person entered the gym and Utena glared at him but kept walking towards her destination. The person stood in the doorway so Utena had to stop when she reached him.
"Miss Utena, I'd like to speak to you," Touga Kiryuu said.
"Can't. Gotta go eat lunch," Utena said simply. "Now move."
Touga nodded his head and moved clear of the doorway. As Utena passed him he said, "Then, maybe we can get together sometime for lunch."
Utena stopped. She whirled around and stalked back to him. "Let me get one thing straight with you," Utena growled. "I'm not interested in you and I never will be. Got it?" Without waiting for an answer, she stalked away.
Touga watched her walk away and then shook his head with a smile and said to himself, "A beautiful angel with an attitude. Much more to my liking."
Julius and Miki were walking to the courtyard for lunch break when students started running past them, heading towards the opposite direction.
"What's going on?" Miki asked, wondering what was up in the gym, considering everyone was heading there.
"I don't know," mumbled Julius.
"Hey, Mina! What's going on?" Miki asked the blond girl as she, Ami, Serena, Makoto, and Rei hurried past them.
"Everyone's saying a girl challenged the whole boys' basketball team to a game and she's kicking their butts!" Mina exclaimed excitedly and followed her friends to the gym.
"Hey Jul, let's go check it out," Miki suggested.
"No thanks. I'll pass," Julius said in a mumble as he shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking to the courtyard
Miki sighed and then frowned. "Julius man! Let's go! Now! I'm sick and tired of you acting all dopey! Just get over it! She'll show up soon!" He grabbed Julius's arm. Then he lowered his voice. "Man, I'm only doing this because I'm your friend. Seriously, moping around, worrying isn't going to do anything.
Julius stared at Miki, surprised that his best friend would yell at him. Then he lowered his eyes. "Okay, I guess. Let's check out what's happening. And thanks Miki." Julius smiled. "That helped a lot."
"All right. Now let's get going. The game could already be done by now!" Miki exclaimed and the two ran to the gym, being the only ones left in the hall.
The two reached the gym and found the doorways packed with students. Miki yelled above the cheering. "Student Council officers coming through! Make room!" The crowd cleared a pathway and the two friends hurried to the front of the throng.
"Okay, so what's the score?" Miki asked Ami who was standing next to them with Taiki, Mina, Yaten, Seiya, Serena, Rei, and Makoto.
"Joey only told me that it was in the girl's favor," Ami said, looking at them.
"Who's the girl that challenged the basketball-" Julius stopped short when he saw the girl.
Miki looked at Julius to see what had caught his attention so much that he stopped talking and stared open-mouthed when he saw the attractive sister of Julius. "Utena?!"
Utena was dressed in her uniform shorts and a white T-shirt. Her long hair was in a ponytail with a few strands, that had come loose out of the rubber band at the beginning of the game, framing her face. She was everywhere on the court as she went head to head against the boys' basketball team. It was apparent that the basketball team wasn't as good as her, even though there were five of them and one of her. The rest of the team shouted comments and helping remarks.
Utena dribbled fast and she had fast hands and feet. She dribbled the basketball under her legs, switching hands, keeping the rhythm as she looked for an opening. Suddenly, as the ball was passed back to her right hand, Utena jumped up and shot the basketball off her fingers. Standing behind the three-point line, she frowned in concentration as the ball left her fingers. The whole team watched as the basketball flew up into a high arc and came down through the hoop. There was nothing but the swoosh of the net.
The crowd cheered as Utena smirked and then applauded her opponents, who were all bummed that they had lost to a not just single person, but much more of a humiliation, a lone girl. She went over to the team who had gathered to the side and were standing with their hand son their hips, frowning, not having liked the outcome. The team captain was talking to them and some of them actually lost their frowns and were nodding their heads in agreement to the captain's words. Utena said, "You guys are really good. Thanks for the game," as she shook the team captain's hand.
"Yeah, thanks. Maybe you should try out for the team sometime," the captain suggested with a grin.
"I'll consider it, but I'm on the archery team and the martial arts team so I don't know if I'll have time," Utena said. "But I'll look into it."
"My name's Kaneda Suou by the way. So you're Utena, Julius Tenjou's younger sister?"
"Yeah, that's me. Are you a friend of his?"
"Yeah. Well, good game. Later." The captain waved to her as he jogged after his team to the locker room.
Utena smiled to herself and went over to the bleachers where she had left her jacket. As she pulled it on, the crowds of her friends came over to and were congratulating her on her victory over the basketball team.
Utena grinned at what Makoto was saying, not noticing the two guys that were standing behind her. Utena turned around to head over to the courtyard but stopped short when she saw them. Her face turned into a frown and she walked over to them.
"Utena, where have you been?! I was really worried about you!" Julius exclaimed in a low voice so that no one else could hear.
"Julius, what I do is none of your busy. You're just my older brother. That's it. Not my guardian or mentor, or whatever else you think you are," Utena said firmly and then pulled the rubber band out of her hair and her hair down her back. She ran a hand through her hair.
"What?" Julius asked, confused at what she was saying.
"I don't want you interfering with my racing life okay? I have enough to deal with without your speeches about it being too dangerous." Utena said in the same low tone.
"But Utena, it is dangerous. You shouldn't be doing that!" Julius argued. Miki just stood next to Julius and listened uncomfortably to their conversation, which was turning very quickly into an argument.
"I don't care what you think. I'll do what I want whenever I want." Utena said, her tone turning icy. "And the person who gave me the Silver Star necklace told me I had the choice of joining in the races but frankly, I don't care what happens in the races. Good luck on making it to the top." Utena walked towards the courtyard. As she reached the door, a person entered the gym and Utena glared at him but kept walking towards her destination. The person stood in the doorway so Utena had to stop when she reached him.
"Miss Utena, I'd like to speak to you," Touga Kiryuu said.
"Can't. Gotta go eat lunch," Utena said simply. "Now move."
Touga nodded his head and moved clear of the doorway. As Utena passed him he said, "Then, maybe we can get together sometime for lunch."
Utena stopped. She whirled around and stalked back to him. "Let me get one thing straight with you," Utena growled. "I'm not interested in you and I never will be. Got it?" Without waiting for an answer, she stalked away.
Touga watched her walk away and then shook his head with a smile and said to himself, "A beautiful angel with an attitude. Much more to my liking."