The New Edition
Chapter Six: Broken Windows and Gucci
By: Winter Peacecraft-Yuy
With additional help from: Meilin Rae, Trowa'sgal2004, and MiMeQ
Disclaimer: Trowa'sgal2004: "Ronin Warriors and co. are © of Sunrise and Bandai entertainment. Rekino Sanada, Hana Rai-Utano, Ameko Amaya Kazeno, Josephine Rei Faun, and all of the other characters that you do not recognize belong to MiMe, Meilin, Winter, and myself."

I didn't have to retype that! HAHA! I copied and pasted!

*~*

When Hana and Rekino got back to their apartment, they went into the living room. Hana was the first to notice the broken window. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Hana ran straight to the window that was broken. Rekino wasn't too far behind.

Rekino was standing there, in the living room with Hana, looking like she was about to die. "I ... can ... not ... believe ... that someone ... broke ... our window." She looked at Hana, who was acting rather suspiciously.

Hana was bent over a fifty-dollar bill, reading what was written on it. She read it aloud. "Sorry about the window. Here's some money for it." Hana snorted. "Yeah. Whatever!" She stuck the fifty in her back pocket.

Rekino snorted this time. "Uh, yeah! Right! Give it, Hana. Remember, I fix things in this house, except beds, which seem to be your specialty. Now, hand it over so that I can go tomorrow and buy another window." Rekino held out her hand, and Hana reluctantly handed over the money.

Hana sighed. "I guess that you're right. But that doesn't explain the broken window ... Wait. What's that box on the couch?" Hana diverted her gaze from Rekino to the long box on the couch.

Rekino looked up at the ceiling. "Give me strength to kill whatever is in that box." She looked at Hana, who was examining the box carefully. "It has to be for you. I don't get shit like that. And my stalkers at least know not to break in the window. Ha ... Ha," Rekino said dryly. She walked over to sit by Hana, on the other side of the box.

Hana carefully slid the rope off of the box. She lifted up the lid and gasped. "Oh, my gosh, Rekino. Look!" She threw the lid away so that Rekino could see. In the box lay a dozen red roses. There was a small card amidst the roses, and Hana picked it up. She read it aloud. "'To Hana: I hope that this brightens your day, and I hope that it will brighten our night.' How sweet! It's from Sage!" Hana smiled at Rekino.

"Well, I hope that he knows not to freakin' break in again or I will rip his testes off," Rekino said angrily. "But the flowers are beautiful," Rekino said with a smile. She grabbed Hana's arm and pulled her up as she stood. "Go get that vase that's shaped like a rose in your room and dump out those ugly fake flowers, so we can put your roses in it."

Hana smiled. "That's a great idea, Rekino. I think that I will do that. Be right back." Hana left the roses in the living room with Rekino as she went upstairs to get the vase. Hana ran into her room and looked around. Something didn't feel right. "Something's out of place in here. What is it?" Hana looked at her bed at the stuffed animals. "It's not them." Before her gaze could find something else in the room, Hana saw another box on her bed. "Hmm. What is this?"

Hana walked over to the box and picked it up. "Well, I know that it isn't another box of flowers. It's too small." Hana held up the box, which fit in the palm of her hand. "That's weird." Hana pulled the string that was tied around the box. It got caught in a knot, and Hana sighed. "Sage, you don't know very much about wrapping," she whispered to herself.

When Hana finally got the string off of the box, she pulled the top off of it. Inside, she found another note. "'Go to this place and tell her that Sage sent you.'" Hana smiled. The card was to the Gucci store that was downtown. Hana looked at herself in the mirror. "I am absolutely glowing! This is so much fun!" Hana grabbed the vase that was on her bureau and then headed back downstairs.

Rekino was waiting for Hana when she returned. "What in the hell were you doing for so long?" Rekino asked. Hana held up the card and grinned. "Is that ... Gucci?" Rekino asked with her eyebrows raised. Hana nodded. "Damn girl. That's some serious money right there."

"I know. Isn't it great?! I love it!" Hana twirled around, making herself sick. "Okay, gotta stop." She held onto the couch for support after stopping. "That's not safe. Okay, Rekino, you have to help me plan for this now! I've gotta do something with my hair and everything for tomorrow night! Don't just stand there! Get to crackin'! Go get some magazines or something so we can look!"

*~*

Hana and Rekino spent the rest of the night looking through magazines, trying to decide how to do Hana's hair for her date the next night. What they forgot was that Hana also had a meeting with Ryo that same day. However, Ryo hadn't forgotten. He was busy sitting up making a list of questions to ask Hana. He was in his study reading them to himself.

"'One, What is your raven-haired friend's name? Two, How old is she? Three, When did you meet her? Four, How did you meet her? Five, How did you two become such good friends? Six, Why was she not at the Omelet Shoppe at first? Seven, How did she get into the dining area without me noticing? Eight, Do any of my friends know her? Nine, from where do I know her? Ten, Did you lie on any of these questions?' I think that should do it. Now, I need to go back and re-interview Mia, because I think that she was lying, and plus, I didn't have numbers six through ten. Hmm. I wonder if she'll be honest this time around. Maybe she just needs some persuading ... Maybe that will work."

Ryo jumped out of his chair and ran upstairs to the room that he shared with his lover, Mia. When he got there, he noticed that she was lying very still in the bed. It wasn't like her to go to bed early ... "What time is it?" Ryo whispered to himself. He leaned over the bed and squinted at the alarm clock. "Two in the morning!" Ryo said. He immediately covered his mouth. "Man, I need to sleep. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Ryo sat on the bed and slipped his shoes off. Quietly, he removed the rest of his clothing down to his boxers. He smiled to himself, knowing that in the morning, he would be cussing up a storm for not putting on pajamas, but he didn't care. He put his notebook down on the nightstand, after recovering it from the floor, where he had dropped it while removing his shoes.

Mia felt him lie down, but did not say a word. She remained motionless. Earlier, she had spied on him. It was not a pretty sight. She knew that not knowing who Rekino really was killed him. He couldn't stand to not know something. However, she had promised Rekino not to reveal her true identity, and Mia vowed to keep that promise.

*~*

The next morning, Hana and Rekino were wide-awake (which was not true at first for Rekino). Hana was about to go to the nail shop with Rekino when the phone rang. Hana smiled at Rekino and ran to get it. When she got there, she nervously answered the phone.

"Hello?" Hana asked in a sexy voice. However, it wasn't the person that she was expecting. "Oh. Ryo. Hi." Hana looked at Rekino and motioned for her to come inside. "What's up?" Her sexy voice had gone away, and now she was back to being nervous.

"Hana, I just wanted to remind you to meet me at five today. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Ryo sounded like he hadn't slept in days, but his voice was sweeter than ever. "I don't want you to forget that this is very important to me. I want you to meet me at the courtyard at the college today at five."

Hana grimaced. That didn't leave her very much time to get home and meet with Sage for her date. "Umm, Ryo, I kind of have plans tonight. Can't we reschedule? I mean, it's not like it's so important that you have to see me right away, is it?" Hana asked hopefully. "I mean, is that even what you told me before? I don't think that it is."

Ryo sounded annoyed. "I don't care what I told you before. I want you to meet me at the college courtyard at five today! And it is that important to me, so if you would please take the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me, I would greatly appreciate it!" With that said, Ryo hung up on Hana, leaving her standing there with a decision to make.

"What am I going to do, Rekino?" Hana looked to her long time friend for advice. "That was Ryo. I have to meet him at five today! What do I do? If I stand him up, he might come looking for me! And you know what he would find! Exactly what he's looking for!" Hana started to bite her nails, a nervous habit that she picked up during situations like this one.

Rekino walked over to Hana, pulling her hand out of her mouth. "Quit that. It's not healthy. Let's go and get everything ready for tonight. You'll just look really good for your meeting with Ryo. That's all I know to tell you."

"I guess that's how I'll have to do it if I want to go on this date," Hana said. "Thanks, Rekino. I couldn't do this without you." Hana hugged her friend as they went out the door of their apartment.

When they reached the parking lot, Hana decided that it would be best to take her car, since Ryo would recognize Rekino's from the Omelet Shoppe. They hopped into her green Ford Explorer Sport and drove off toward the nail shop downtown.

On the way, Rekino talked about how beautiful Hana was going to look that night. "Your hair is going to be perfect, and the French manicure will look so nice after your tanning session ... and then we can buy a dress at that store. I know that it will be a little much, but it's worth it."

Hana turned to Rekino quickly before returning her gaze to the road. "Rekino, calm down. Besides, I look beautiful in everything, so if it's too expensive, I'll go to another store and buy something else. It's simple."

*~*

Mia was standing around the corner with a cup of coffee for Ryo. She had only heard the first part of the conversation, but that was enough. She had blocked out the rest. Mia sat down in the hall and placed the cup on the floor. She put her head in her hands and stood up, keeping her composure in the main part of the house. She ran upstairs and into her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

Softly, she spoke to herself, "How can he do this to me? I can't believe him ... or Hana, for that matter. All of those times that he told me that he loved me ... they were lies ... lies to get to Hana. I should have known. But ... Hana ... my friend ... how could she do this to me? She and I are supposed to be friends!" Mia walked over to the bed and sat down on it.

She continued to talk to herself. "I will show them all! He wants to meet Hana, he can meet her, but I'll be there watching..." Mia stood up and walked over to her closet. "Now, what can I wear ... something that blends in with everyone else, so that they can't see me..."

*~*

Hana and Rekino pulled up at Nails by L.A. when the crowd was leaving. Hana smiled. "Perfect timing. That's great. I think that I'll tan first then." They got out of the blonde's SUV and walked in. Hana waved to L.A., a long time friend of hers. "I'm going to tan first, like I did last time. Rekino's going to get her nails done while I'm doing that." Hana pushed Rekino into the chair in front of L.A., who smiled and nodded. Hana went into the back of the building, where the tanning bed was located.

She smiled when she went into the room. There were new designs on the walls, of course painted by L.A. himself. Hana closed and locked the door behind her. She pulled off her shoes and socks, and then her pants. Her shirt came next. She debated for a moment before removing her swimsuit top. She left the bottoms on.

Hana opened the top of the tanning bed and climbed in. She reached beside her and grabbed the goggles that would protect her eyes and then turned on the tanning bed for twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, Rekino was getting her manicure ... and loving it. Of course, Hana was paying for this. She always did. That's why Rekino loved it so much. She was getting the royal treatment and not paying a cent for it. This brought a smile to her face.

*~*

After the encounter with Kento the night before, Rowen had gone home early. Cye wasn't too happy about that, but Rowen couldn't keep his mind on his friends. He was too preoccupied with thinking about that raven-haired girl. He spent most of the night thinking about who she could be. When Sage got home, Rowen decided to ask him.

Sage looked at Rowen suspiciously. He thought for a moment and then said, "Did Ryo ask you to ask me this?" Sage plopped down on the couch, staring at Rowen, who was in his favorite chair. "I'm not sure who she is."

Rowen looked at Sage and raised his eyebrows. "Ryo? Why would he ask me to ask you? That's insane. I haven't talked to Ryo since the Omelet Shoppe. No, Ryo didn't ask me to ask you about her. Why would you say that?"

Sage stared at Rowen, trying to read him. Rowen wasn't a good liar, so Sage could tell if he did happen to be lying. "Okay. Rowen, I don't know who she is, but I do have a suspicion. I think that she is someone that Ryo knew a long time ago, but I don't know. Hana won't tell me anything, so I'm not sure." Sage looked at Rowen. He seemed to buy it, so Sage left it at that.

After that, Rowen went to bed, but he was still restless about that girl. If Sage didn't know, then he would have to find out for himself. Rowen had left Sage alone in the living room. Sage had a date the next night with Hana, but in his heart, Rowen kind of wished that Sage could stick around and help him find out who the girl was. "Maybe I'm just being selfish," Rowen thought as he drifted off to sleep.

*~*

The next morning, Sage woke up early and took a quick shower. He made breakfast for himself and Rowen and then left. "It's time to pull out my magic card. I have to go and buy some new cologne. Maybe Hana will be in the mood tonight for a little love." Sage thought about what he had just said as he jumped into his green Eclipse and drove off. "But if not, then that's okay. I picture this relationship lasting a while." He put in a CD and let the songs take over from there.

*~*

Hana had just finished tanning and putting her clothes back on when there was a knock on the door. It was Rekino. She was finished with her nails, so she had come to check on Hana. "Hey, girl, you're gonna want to get comfortable. L.A.'s got a huge crowd out there," Rekino said.

Hana sighed. "Of course," she muttered. "Oh well. That's okay. I saw a new magazine that I wanted to read. I'll just occupy myself with that." Hana followed Rekino out of the back and walked into the waiting area. They sat on the black leather sofa and both picked up a magazine.

"What time is it?" Rekino asked. She looked around for a clock, but didn't see one. "L.A.'s clock must have died." Hana didn't respond. She was preoccupied with the magazine. Rekino nudged her. "What time is it, Hana?"

Hana looked down at her watch. "Almost ten. Why didn't you just look at L.A.'s clock?" Hana looked around, but didn't see the clock. "Oh, never mind. Don't worry about it. Look at this article."

The girls sat there for about thirty minutes before L.A. could get to Hana. He motioned for Hana to come up, so she put down the magazine reluctantly and walked to the chair in front of him. They talked for a while as he did her nails.

When Hana finished, it was ten forty-five, so she and Rekino went to the mall to get some lunch from a new restaurant that they hadn't tried yet. They had to wait about twenty minutes for their table, but they found that it was well worth it. The grilled chicken that they ordered hit the spot, and they were ready to finish shopping. When they left the restaurant, it was twelve thirty, so most of their day had gone. Hana had only four and a half hours before she had to meet Ryo, so they figured that they had better hurry.

Hana drove quickly to the Gucci store. They got there at twelve forty-five, so she had made good time. She and Rekino walked in and immediately felt out of place. Hana whispered, "I don't think that this place is right for me."

Before Rekino could respond, a young salesperson came over to them. She smiled sweetly and asked politely, "Is there anything that I can help you find?" She looked at Hana and Rekino for a moment and then smiled again. "I'll just be at the counter if you need anything."

Hana spoke before the girl could leave. "Yes, actually, there is something that you can help us with. You see, I received this card." Hana pulled out the card from her purse and showed it to the girl. "I was told to tell you that Sage sent me."

The girl's face lit up. "Of course! You must be Hana! Sage is such a sweet man. He shops here all the time, but this is the first time that he's done something like this. You should feel special. I think that he really likes you." She smiled at Hana and Rekino. "Right this way please." Before she went too far, she stopped. "Oh, I'm so sorry. What was your name?" she asked Rekino.

"That's okay. It's Rekino." Rekino didn't say anything else, and neither did the girl, so they all continued.

They got to the back of the store before the girl said anything more. "Okay, here we are. I'll go and get your things." She left Hana and Rekino alone and left in the direction of the registers.

Hana looked at Rekino. "What is going on? I haven't even said anything about what I want or anything like that." Rekino shrugged. "Well, I think that this place is just a little pushy." Hana stopped when the girl returned with a dress and a jewelry box.

"This should fit you well. Sage picked it out for you. If you want, you may use the dressing room right there." She pointed out the dressing room for Hana.

Hana smiled and took the dress into the room and tried it on. It was solid black except for a small rose design on the spaghetti straps. It was a v-neck dress that came down to her knees, and it fit her perfectly. Hana smiled as she walked out and back over to the girl and Rekino.

The girl smiled. "It looks wonderful. I think that Sage did well. Do you like it?" Hana nodded. "Good. Now, here are the earrings, bracelet and necklace that he picked out to go with it."

The girl opened the box to reveal a silver chain that held a small rose charm and a silver bracelet that was decorated with small roses to match. The earrings were silver as well, and roses dangled from the small strands. The girl helped Hana put them on.

Hana smiled. "I love this. It's wonderful. Now, how much is all of this?" she asked politely.

The girl smiled. "The dress is seven hundred and ninety-nine dollars, and the jewelry is, all together, five hundred. Oh, plus tax." She looked at Hana, whose face had dropped.

Hana looked at her. "I'm sorry. I can't take it. That costs too much for me. I don't think that I can even afford an earring." She was about to take the jewelry off, but the girl stopped her.

"Ma'am, Sage paid for all of this. It doesn't cost you anything." She smiled at Hana. "Would you like to see the shoes that he picked out?" Before Hana could answer, the girl walked away.

Hana's mouth dropped, and she looked at Rekino. "Damn, I got me a good one this time, didn't I?" Rekino nodded. "Shh. Here she comes. Look natural." Hana smiled when the girl reached them with the shoe box.

"I think that you will find these to your liking." She opened the shoebox and took the shoes out. They were black, open toed, three-inch high heels. They were delicately embroidered with a black rose design that you could barely see. The girl handed them to Hana. "I think that they will fit you just right. From today, I've seen that he has a talent for this sort of thing."

Hana took the shoes lovingly into her hands and put them on. The straps closed just above her ankle, and, the girl was right, they fit perfectly. Hana smiled. "Thank you so much."

"No problem. Come back anytime," the girl said politely. "Would you like to wear everything out, or would you like to change back into your clothes?"

Hana smiled. "I think that I'll wear this out. Will you get me a bag to put my other stuff in, please?" The girl nodded and then left. Hana turned to Rekino. "Oh, my gosh! This is so freaking cool. I love this!"

Rekino smiled. "Damn, girl. I would have thought that you were used to being pampered by guys by now. It just seems like you always get the good ones who spend hugangulous amounts of money on you. Do they not?" Hana shook her head. "Well, then we need to look them up and kick their asses! This is so much better than them! This is freaking Gucci!"

Hana looked at Rekino. "Umm, Rekino, what is hugangulous?"

Rekino looked at Hana. "Oh, that's like a combination of humongous and gargantuous. That's all." Hana laughed with Rekino for a moment.

The girls both returned to normal when they saw the salesperson returning. She had a medium sized bag for Hana's other clothes. She walked up to the two friends slowly. "Here you are." She handed the bag to Hana, who went back into the dressing room and threw her old clothes in the bag. When Hana returned, she put her shoes in the bag as well.

Hana smiled at the salesperson. "I really appreciate all of your help. Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to tell all of my friends about this place ... but not about Sage," Hana laughed.

Rekino and Hana were about to leave when the salesperson stopped them. "Oh! I almost forgot. I was told to give you this, too. You have an appointment here at one forty-five. It's for your hair and makeup. Also compliments of Sage." She handed Hana a card. "Thank you both for coming in today."

The two girls smiled at her and waved as they left. When they were safely out of her hearing and seeing range, Rekino stopped Hana. "Oh, my God! That's so cool. You were going to go there anyway. Mane Attraction, right?" Hana nodded. "That's great. Sage is a really sweet person, Hana. I'm glad that he picked you to treat like a queen and not some slut off of the street."

Hana smiled. "Me too! Now let's go. We've only got fifteen minutes! It's one thirty already! And that's a good fifteen or twenty minute drive going ten over the limit. We need to hustle." Rekino nodded in agreement, and they walked to Hana's SUV quickly.

They got in and took the highway to the beauty shop. Hana was driving like a bat out of hell to get there, and luckily, the girls didn't get pulled over. It took them fourteen minutes to get there, but they got there on time. Hana smiled at Rekino as they parked and got out.

Rekino looked at her. "You need your hair and makeup done. You didn't really fix anything this morning." Hana playfully hit her. "Just kidding. You really don't need this, but okay."

They walked into the store together and were immediately met. The woman, whom Hana knew personally, was named Denise. She led them to the back of the shop and allowed Hana to change into something different. She didn't want to mess up the dress.

When Hana was ready, the woman washed and dried her hair and then rolled Hana's hair. As her hair was curling, the woman brought the makeup artist over to Hana, and she did her makeup. By that time, her hair was ready, and they let her go back to the back to change.

When Hana had finished, she came out to reveal herself to everyone. She walked over to Denise and gave her a hug. "Thanks a lot. I really love coming here. And thank Ginger, too, for my makeup. I know that she isn't here anymore." Hana released Denise and hugged Rekino. "Are you ready?" she asked as she released Rekino.

Rekino nodded. "Yeah. It's only three fifteen right now, so you have a few hours before you have to meet Ryo, so let's go home and go over some things really quickly before you have to go." Hana nodded and smiled as she got in her SUV with Rekino.

"I completely agree." Hana cranked the Explorer Sport and backed out of the parking lot. She got onto the highway and then turned to Rekino. "It'll take about thirty minutes to get home, so let's listen to a CD instead of the radio." Rekino nodded, and Hana put in one of her burnt CDs and cranked up the volume on the techno music.

*~*

Ryo was sitting at the table, eating a mid-afternoon snack with Mia, when he noticed that she hadn't said a word to him all day. "What's wrong, sweetie? You have hardly spoken to me all day. Did I do something to you to make you angry?" He smiled at her.

Mia smiled back. It was a forced smile, but she hoped that he wouldn't notice. "No, darling. I'm just not feeling well today. That's all." She looked back down at her food, which she had barely touched. "I have a really bad headache. That's what's wrong with me." She looked back up at Ryo. "Really."

Ryo smiled. "Okay, sweetie. Just making sure." He looked down at the notebook that was in his lap and reviewed the ten questions again. He had to make sure that they weren't too obvious. He didn't want anyone to know his purpose yet.

Mia stared at Ryo. He's been looking at that damn notebook all day. I can't believe him. He acts as if nothing is going on. How could he do that? I'll show him. I will be there, making sure that nothing goes on. Oh, I have a headache, all right. And its name is RYO! She stood up and walked into the kitchen. She slammed her dishes down in the sink. Quickly, she thought of something to cover up the noise. "Oops! Everything's okay, Ryo. I accidentally dropped the dishes. Don't worry!" she called into the dining room.

Ryo looked toward the kitchen. "Okay!" he called back. God! Can't she just keep it down? Doesn't she know that this is important? She's so clumsy. Ryo looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Give me strength. He looked back down and continued studying his questions.

Mia was watching him from the corner. She quietly returned to the kitchen and sighed. After gathering her composure, she went back upstairs to her room. When she was safely locked in, she let herself cry. "He doesn't love me anymore..." she cried.

*~*

Hana and Rekino had gotten home at three forty-five, as planned. They walked up the stairs of the apartment complex to find that Amaya and Josephine had let themselves into their apartment. Rekino sighed at this discovery, but she didn't mind. In this situation, actually, she was happy that they were there. She could at least talk to all of them at once.

"Okay, since everyone is here, we all need to have another meeting. I mean, I know that Mia isn't here, but she can't exactly be called and come over, so we'll do this without her. Okay, everyone listen. Hana is about to go to a meeting with Ryo, so I thought that we should talk ... you know, cover the last few things about stuff like this. I knew that he would do this. He's determined. We just have to make sure that he doesn't find out right now." Rekino took a seat on the couch beside Hana, and Josephine and Amaya took the two easy chairs.

Hana smiled at them. She knew that it would take Rekino forever to get to the point. She took the time that Rekino was using to sit to compliment Amaya, who was also dressed up for her date. "You look nice, Amaya. I hope that you have a good time tonight."

Amaya smiled. "Thank you, Hana. I love your dress and your hair and makeup. You look nice as well."

Before they could continue, Rekino was ready to start again. "Okay, down to business. Hana, you know not to say anything about me. I mean, don't mention my name or anything like that. Don't even acknowledge the fact that I exist on this planet. He can't know anything ... not even that you have a friend that looks like me ... or he'll piece it all together and figure it out. Does everyone understand?" When everyone nodded, Rekino smiled. "Good. Now, Hana, I hope that you have your list in your purse. Remember, nothing can be said, not even to Sage."

Hana crossed her arms. "Fine. I get it. I get it. It's always the blondes that spill the beans. I just want to tell you this much, Rekino. It sure won't be me that tells anyone that you're Ryo's sister. I couldn't live with you after that. You'd be a raging bitch."

Rekino looked at Hana and threw her a smirk. "Ha ha. Like I'm not right now. Anyways, that's good, but not good enough. I know that all of you will be trying her hardest to not tell my secret, but I would just feel more comfortable if you don't even talk about it to anyone outside of us five girls. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying that one of the guys might go and tell Ryo, but I just don't want everyone to keep finding out."

Josephine finally spoke for the first time that night. "Okay, we get it, Rekino. We aren't going to tell anyone. Now, listen, there's like a special coming on, and our cable is messed up. Do you mind if I watch it here? I mean, you'll be working on your paper, right? So nobody else will be here. Come on, Rekino. Please! It's on Orlando Bloom..."

That caught everyone's attention. Hana's especially. "OOH! Break me off a piece of that! Give me some Orlando Bloom any day. Mmm Mmm GOOD!" Hana was now dancing around like a maniac, so everyone decided to ignore her.

Rekino looked at Josephine. "Yeah, Jo. You can watch it over here. As a matter of fact, I'll watch it with you. That way ... umm ... you won't feel lonely. Yeah. That's it. I'll keep you company."

Josephine looked at Rekino. She just shook her head. "Right. Whatever." She turned the TV on and started to flip channels when a preview for the special came on. "OH ... MY ... GOODNESS! LOOK! THERE HE IS! OH GRACIOUS! LOOK AT THAT!"

All of the girls immediately ran over to huddle around the TV to get a good look at his body. Hana was the first to speak ... after the commercial had gone off. "Scrum-diddly-umptious! Yum Yum!" All of the girls nodded in agreement.

While the girls were busy drooling over Orlando Bloom, Hana almost forgot about her meeting with Ryo. She looked at the clock on the wall. It read four forty. It was time for her to go if she wanted to get there on time.

Rekino turned away from Josephine and Amaya. "What's wrong, Hana? Why aren't you still having fun talking about sexy Orlando? 'Cause he is sexy!" Rekino walked over to Hana. "Are you okay? Normally, I'm the one that stops talking about sexy guys and gets serious."

Hana smiled at Rekino. "Yeah, that's true, but there's a small problem. I have to go. I don't have time to talk about sexy guys right now. And Rekino, for the first time, I'm a little scared to go and talk to Ryo. I'm afraid that he will find something out. Not because I'll tell him - because I won't - but because he can read me ... like down into my soul. I think that he can tell when I'm lying and when I'm not."

Rekino looked at Hana, who seemed to be genuine about this. She hugged Hana. "Look Hana, I know that you'll try your best to not say anything or do anything that might be suspicious." As Rekino released Hana, she smiled. "Hana, don't worry about anything. If you do happen to get into a situation, then you can just use your date with Sage as an excuse to get out of there. Don't forget that. I wouldn't want you to be late after all of this trouble that he went to."

Hana nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I know where you're coming from with that. Don't worry. I'll be back soon. Maybe he just wants some help in picking something out for Mia. She is kind of hard to shop for, you know?" Hana gave Rekino a hug and then said her goodbyes to Josephine and Amaya. She grabbed her keys off of the table in the hallway and walked out the front door. She checked her hair again in the reflection of the glass window before walking downstairs and getting in her SUV to head for the college.