Disclaimer: Anything appearing here that has previously appeared in any other form does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended.
AN: Hope you all like this. Happy reading and please review.
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Kiss Me Twice, Girl1: The bell had just sounded at Eitoku Academy, signaling the end of yet another class period and the beginning of lunch. A steady stream of chattering students filtered through the double glass doors of the cafeteria, and within minutes the lunch area was filled.
From a small corner table, one girl stood and began making her way to the other side of the cafeteria. Tamiko Kei was, admittedly, nervous. It wasn't everyday a student had to confer with the rulers of Eitoku, F4…and those who did, rarely came away from it unscathed.
F4.
Kei gulped. She was only halfway to their reserved table space but already she could feel her heart beating as if attempting to smash its way out of her ribcage. Her two hands, holding a sheaf of printed paper, were moist as she clutch them to her chest as if they would serve as a shield. She would have willingly, gladly, avoided F4 for all her student terms here at the college and even after, but circumstances were against her. Her legs carried her closer and closer to the danger zone.
F4.
They were within her sight now, sitting at their owned table, talking amongst themselves. There was Doumyouji Tsukasa, the leader of the group, whose fiery temper and limited patience was infamous at the college. Students who even tried a little of his patience received the ever dreaded 'red note'. His hair was in its trademark 'pineapple' do; a ridiculous imitation of a lion's mane…not that anyone would have dared say so. Aside from that, he was extremely handsome, with chiseled features and dark brows that furrowed over his eyes. Kei knew, one caustic look from those eyes and she was a dead girl. She made a note to avoid looking into his eyes if possible.
Beside him was Hanazawa Rui, who rarely spoke a word at all. And yet, when he did, every word had to be noted and obeyed, not only because he was one of F4, but also because his quietly enigmatic personality exuded an aura of expectancy. He was one of the four kings at Eitoku, and Hanazawa knew that very well. Having had experienced a small dose of his persona in her junior year, Kei might say that he was the least precarious member of the group…but even then, she wouldn't try him.
On the other side of the table, side by side, sat the two reputed playboys of the group. Nishikado Soujiro, with his glass spectacles, one arm dangling over the back of the chair. The most courteous of the group, he was one of his father's best representative in both society events and business functions and his face appeared time and time again in the papers. But Kei had heard, that despite the gentlemanly way of dress and speech, the straight-back, proud-faced player of F4 had laid more ladies than Casanova and dumped each one within a week. But even then, he couldn't compete with Akira.
Mimasaka Akira. The last of the four lounged in his seat, knees tipping the chair back on two legs, teasing gravity with a cheeky smile on his face. His longish hair fell about his charismatic features that had bought so many girls to throw themselves at him. He was said to have his own way of dealing with his enemies; he played by way of women. His carefree, confident and flirtatious manner had been craftily incorporated into everything he did and he killed hearts and spirits, purely by charm. Kei was exceedingly terrified of him and yet, he was the one she needed to see.
Taking a deep breath, Kei approached the table and bowed her head, waiting for the breath of silence that meant they had noticed she was there. When it came, she lifted her head and drew a shaky smile. "I'm sorry to disturb you," she began, noting the squeaky voice coming from her mouth was definitely not her own. She turned to face Akira. "Mimasaka, because you weren't present at our last history lesson, Roi-sensei asked me to give you this."
She handed over the papers in her hand, feeling the heat rise through her neck as he move slightly from his position of staring at her with nonchalant eyes to take the papers from her. He began to glance through the first bundled booklet, making her jump slightly when he spoke again.
"Why didn't he just give it to me at our next lesson?" he asked with a smile that suggested perhaps it was because Kei herself had wanted to approach him. She could feel a vehement blush exploding through her cheeks.
"It was because some research needs to be done before the next class," she explained, drawing in a deep breath in hope that it would cool her cheeks. "Also, if you've noticed on the second page of the booklet, it's a paired assignment. I'm…I'm your partner."
Soujiro could hold it no longer; he allowed a small chuckle to escape. He could see that this slim, cutesy girl was plainly terrified of being within ten feet of them. For goodness sake, she had flushed when Akira smiled at her. If he knew his friend as well as he thought he did, the poor thing would be scarred for life by the end of the project. Even Tsukasa was grinning at the absurdity of the situation.
Rui however, kept a more composed front. He gestured towards the other booklet that Akira was now engrossed in. "I suppose that was the last essay you had to do?" She nodded. "How did you go, Akira?"
"Ninety-four percent," the boy drawled in his reply. He dropped the documents back onto the table and resumed balancing the chair on two legs, this time with a proud smile. "No one can beat the keeper of time, the master of all histories, the genius of things gone by…me." He lifted his arms in the air as an exaggerated sign of acceptance to his own brilliance. Raising his eyebrows at Kei, he asked, "How bout you?"
Kei swallowed. She was dead, very much so. She couldn't risk not answering, that would mean offending him, but if she did… "Ninety-five percent."
The two floating legs of the chair hit the floor with a smack as Tsukasa and Soujiro erupted in guffaws. This time, even Rui smiled.
"You were saying, Akira?"
The playboy was staring at her, eyes narrowly questioning. Then he broke into an engaging smile.
"That's alright. At least I was beaten by a pretty girl."
She hated this. He was obviously, too obviously, flirting with her and she had no idea what to do. It wasn't that she was completely new to the game of flirting, but this was Akira! Mimasaka Akira of F4! Something– no, everything about him left her completely clueless as how to react. She was suddenly helpless, and helpless was not a situation she liked to be in. Her fear of F4 reached new heights and she bowed her head as not to see the grins that were directed at her now as the other three returned to watch Akira play her like a cat with a toy.
"I'll be going now…" she murmured, her voice barely audible. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned away, to scurry back across the cafeteria, back across to her friends and her comfort zone. But he stopped her, calling out with laughter in his voice.
"I'll meet you after classes tomorrow to discuss the assignment."
"Yes, Akira," she replied and scampered for her life, leaving the four boys staring after her, smiles lingering on their lips. Soujiro was the first to comment, turning to his friend with raised eyebrows and a wide grin.
"Mimasaka Akira, by the time you guys are done with this assignment, you would've killed her."
"No, I wouldn't," Akira drawled, perfectly aware that he would. His heart was one of a bully's, if truth be told, because after all the girls who fell for his charms, here was one who couldn't even respond to them…and he was liking it. She was so plainly afraid of him that playing her would be…amusing, to say the least. "Oh, by the way, do any of you know who she is? She says she's from my history class but I've never seen her before."
"Maybe she just moved here," Tsukasa suggested, popping a slab of meat into his mouth and chewing it roughly. "I have no idea who she is either."
"Her name's Tamiko Kei and she's been here since we were here," Rui inputted. His voice bore no tone of exasperation; he knew his friends well enough to know that they paid little attention to anyone. "She was in our history class last semester, Akira, but this semester, the class got too big so they split it in two. She's not in mine so she must be in yours."
Akira glanced down at the booklets in front of him. "Looks like it doesn't it? Well, well… then Kei and I are going to have some fun…" He caught Soujiro's eye and the two of them began to laugh.
Tsukasa rolled his eyes. "She's just like a little girl, Akira. She doesn't seem your type."
"Hey, Mimasaka Akira can be any type," Akira shot back, a look of mock hurt crossing his face. His friend's only reply was another expressive roll of his eyes. "Fine…I'll leave the little girl alone. You're right. She's not really my type after all."
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AN: Well, how goes it? Please review!