A/N Hey everyone! This chapter is like…MONTHS late. I have So much to do and write, and school isn't helping at all. But, at least this chapter got out! Please Read and Review! Tell me what you think!
" Ooooh! That's a nice one! Hm, that one's too skinny! Eh, too much clothing! Not enough skin!" Shigure commented on females they were passing by on the street. Mai was currently driving and he was in the passenger seat while Thao and the masked girl sat in the back.
"HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS!" Shigure practically screamed while pressing his face to the window trying to get a better look.
"Will you QUIT IT! Damn two for making me stop the damn car! Now we have to drag the pervert along with us!" Mai screamed and accused the two girls in the back and Shigure while pulling him back down into his seat by the collar of his kimono. He pouted and muttered that she never let him have any fun.
Mai turned back to the road and scowled as she tried concentrating on driving. This was one of her first times driving a Muggle vehicle for she had always traveled by broomstick or Floo powder. Her dad didn't really want her to drive a Muggle vehicle since two summers ago. Hey, it wasn't her fault! It was that damn old lady's! She should have been watching the road! Anyone could have run her over!
Suddenly Shigure regained his energy and excitedly turned around in his seat to address the masked girl who leaned back slightly.
"So, are you excited? I know I am! This is our first time in England! We could travel together! Travel buddies! It'll be so wonderful, me, you, tea, a great view, and high school girls!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"You aren't going anywhere by yourself! It's either you come with us or you don't and stay home!" Thao finally spoke up.
"Well, I won't be alone! She'll come with me!" Shigure said defiantly pointing at the masked girl who looked oblivious to what was going on. She was staring wide eyed with amazement at the buildings and the people walking by, as if she had never seen this before.
/What is this place? Where did the huts go? The village/
Mai didn't see her, seeing as how she was concentrating on the road. When the masked girl finally got her attention, she asked again.
"What do you mean? Village? Huts? Those times are way over! You must be living in Feudal Japan or something because I don't remember there being any huts in London," Mai replied.
/Well, I've heard of them…at least I think I have…I don't remember/
Mai didn't see her again, so when she gave the girl her attention, she ignored her for a moment and turned to Shigure.
"Shigure, you have a license, right?"
Shigure closed his eyes, paused, and smiled.
"Of course I do," he replied opening his dark eyes.
"Then what was the pause for?" Thao asked dryly.
The car swerved dangerously as Mai and Shigure switched places, their bodies in a tangle. When they finally got to their designated spots, Mai was now sitting in the front, twisted around in her seat, much like Shigure was.
" Ok, so what do you remember?" Mai asked seriously.
/I don't remember seeing any tall huts like these…I…just…know about them…/
Mai and Thao looked at her weirdly before stealing a glance at each other.
" So…What you're saying is…that you know what they look like…but you've never actually seen them?" Mai asked, trying to put her words together.
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, contemplating on what Mai had said before nodding rapidly.
" That's…odd," Thao commented.
" So, you don't remember anything else? Nothing at all?"
The masked girl shook her head again.
" Damn…"
The car swerved dangerously and the girls grabbed their seats and held on for dear life as Shigure cackled madly.
" SHIGURE!"
" LAND!" screamed Thao as she jumped out of the vehicle and kissed the ground-literally. Ignoring the looks she was getting from passersby, she turned her attention to the other occupants of the vehicle who were getting out.
Mai got out, holding a hand over her heart and breathing heavily. The masked girl got out shakily, leaning on Mai for support. And that damn Shigure got out, humming as if he hadn't a care in the world.
" How can you be so calm!" Thao screamed at him.
" That was fun! Next time we go somewhere, I'm driving!"
" You are not! You almost got us killed!"
" You're lucky we got away from those damn cops!"
Mai and Thao were busy screaming obscenities at Shigure while he tried to defend himself, leaving the masked girl to give a feeble attempt at calming them down.
" Well, well! Look at the time! I must be going now! I have to meet my editor in an hour at a local café! See you later!" Shigure said merrily, leaving the three girls by themselves.
" Come back here you coward! Mii isn't here! You left your editor in Japan you retard!" Mai yelled at his retreating back. ( Mii is the name of his editor) She sighed and turned to look at Thao who looked like Christmas had come early. Quirking an eyebrow, she turned to look at what she was looking at. She groaned.
" Not Forever 21! Come on!"
.: Scene Change :.
" Oh my gosh! This one! You have to try this one on! It'll look splendid with your…erm…mask!"
" Um, no thanks. I think we've got it covered," Thao said trying to get the overly boisterous saleswoman away from them. She was currently shoving clothes from their hangers under their noses.
" Oh! What about this one?" the woman said again, quickly regaining her disposition.
" Um, no. Like she said before, I think we have it covered! Thanks…Mona," Mai said reading the woman's nametag.
Ignoring Mona's pout, they went around the store to browse for anything that would catch their eye. Mai headed to the pants and jeans section while Thao and the masked girl went to look at tops.
Thao looked over at Mai to see what she had found so far and wasn't surprised to see her carrying many black pants and jeans.
She led the girls along the racks lined up at the wall and observed her findings. She made noncommittal noises as she gazed at each one. The girl next to her just glanced at her before directing her gaze back to the wall.
" Hey Thao! Find anything yet?" came Mai's voice from over the aisle racks.
" Nah, not yet!" she answered back. She let out an 'Ah' when she found a pink top that she thought was adorable. She admired it before asking the girl what she thought of it.
/ It's nice, I like it/
Thao squealed just as Mai came over to check out their findings. When she saw the chosen item, she rolled her eyes.
" Thao, the forever girly – girl," she muttered.
"Hey, your one to talk! You're…Mai, the forever…punky…sporty chick!" Thao retorted looking her friend up and down. Mai laughed and glanced at the other girl.
" And you…are…The Mysterious Masked Maverick!" Thao and Mai said together after sizing the, now dubbed, The Mysterious Masked Maverick. The all both burst into a fit of giggles at their assumption while their masked companion just shook her head, but behind her mask, she was smiling.
..:Scene Change:..
"Huh… I never knew that penguins could get shipped over in planes… You'd think that they'd go by boat, eh?" Thao said, breaking the silence.
"Well, maybe they did go by boat. Do you just assume that a plane took them?" Mai said.
"Uh, erm, well, uh, DAMMIT, MAI! CAN'T A GIRL BREAK A SILENCE WITHOUT THINKING, AND NOT HAVE HER FRIEND SCREW IT UP!" Thao screamed.
Everyone turned to stare at Thao's outburst.
"Um, nothing to see here, folks! This girl," she pointed at Thao, "is just a little…" Mai twirled her finger around her own head, earning a "Hey!" from said girl. The audience shrugged it off and continued on their trip.
They were currently at one of the local zoos; examining the animals they happened by, currently the penguins.
After a little shouting match between Mai and Thao, both girls settled down to mumbling incoherent words, turned away from the other.
" This is just great! Now the whole damn zoo thinks I'm some nut all because someone had to correct my attempt at a damn silence breaker!"
" Well you succeeded on breaking the silence," muttered Mai.
Thao just glared at her before turning to the masked girl to help back her up…only, she wasn't there.
" Mai…?"
" What?" grumbled Mai, still a little angry.
" Please tell me you sent our masked maverick to the snack line because you were oh–so hungry after our little shouting match," Thao said quickly, her words jumbled together.
Mai finally turned around to look to the center vacant spot between her and Thao. She stood wide eyed at the spot, then to Thao, and then back to the spot, before returning her gaze once again, to Thao.
" Um…" was all she had to say before Thao took off running in the opposite direction. She sighed before taking off after her.
Thao stopped at a crowd of people.
She had run out of breath calling for the girl and running the whole time looking. Mai stopped alongside her a moment later, gasping for air. As soon as she straightened, she inquired her companion as to what the crowd was for. Thao replied that she didn't know when a loud snarl came from before the crowd. The crowd gasped dramatically and then there were some shouts.
" What is this?"
" I dunno, oh wait! It says… 'Tiger Pen'. ' Come and view the magnificent tigers from blah blah blah…We are welcoming the new addition to our group, a charming white Bengal tiger'. Wow, if that's the case, what's everyone so worried about?"
Mai shrugged. She turned to a random person, and asked, " What's going on?"
The man she tapped turned to look at her briefly before craning his neck to get a better look at whatever the crowd was gawking at. Mai and Thao couldn't see a thing; several people were towering above them.
" The new white Bengal tiger was being put on for show but then it just went downhill from there," he craned his neck again before continuing, " The tiger went crazy and then some odd girl somehow got into the territory and calmed the thing down.
" The guards started going mad, saying that if she got hurt, it was their necks. But the girl just stayed there petting the thing and whenever the guards try to get in, the beast just kind of roars at them. Now the guards are at a loss at what to do. They've been trying to get that crazy girl out of there for about twenty minutes. But the lass won't budge; she just sits there petting that thing."
As soon as he was finished with his recount of the story, Thao and Mai rushed forward to the front of the fence. From their part of the fence, was a mini canyon and on the other side of that lay the territory of the tigers. Sitting there surrounded by tigers was none other than…
" The Mysterious Masked Maverick!" screamed Thao. Mai snickered before realizing how serious the situation was. She cursed. Why did her fun always have to be ruined, she thought as Thao rushed forward.
" Come on," Thao ushered Mai toward the entrance of the gate leading to the Tigers' Pen. There they were met by the hostile security guards, officials, zookeeper, and the manager.
" I'm sorry miss but we cannot allow you through. This is restricted ground for our visitors, for their safety," one of the guards said blocking their path. Thao happened to be the one he was talking to.
" Yeah, well a lot of good that did! Looks like your little plan failed! Now if you would let us in, we'd be happy to take the tigers out of harms way!" Thao shouted pointing over the guards shoulder towards the pen. She glared at him, hoping to burn a hole through his thick skull.
" Um, Thao, " Mai said weakly.
" What?" Thao snapped.
" Don't you mean get the girl out of harms way?"
" Oh…right…Yes! We would be ecstatic if you let us through to retrieve the young lady that is currently being held captive by your zoo's animals!"
" You know the young lass?" another security guard asked, his tranquilizer gun sitting on his shoulder, ready to use if the time came.
" Yes! She is my…cousin!" Thao lied.
Suddenly, a tall scrawny man made his way toward the two girls after he heard this. He looked down at them and sniffed, his goatee twitching as if he thought they were mere trash.
" That…girl…is yours?" he said in an annoyingly nasally voice.
Mai and Thao glared at him, immediately disapproving of this greasy haired excuse of a man.
" Yes, she is our friend. I would appreciate it if you would not speak of her in that tone, sir." Mai said coldly stepping forward.
" Your little friend is on restricted ground" he was cut off by Thao.
" Yes, but your security failed to see that no one trespassed!"
The security guards shifted uncomfortably at this.
" – I could press charges against you and your little friend over there for it-" Mai stepped forward with her fist clenched and her face contorted in anger, " -and for assault."
The two girls and obnoxious manager continued exchanging glares. If looks could kill, this man would be dead and buried deep into the earth, with a rock as a tombstone before you could say 'Oh look, there's the Minister of Magic dancing around in the nude!' Ew, that's really gross! Best not ponder on that thought…anyway…
A sudden loud 'roar' was heard from within the pen and all figures turned their wild gazes toward the noise.
It seemed as though some of the guards were getting desperate and tried to approach the tigers and the girl. Apparently she did not notice as she was too busy lounging on the belly of one tiger and petting the new white Bengal tiger without a care in the world.
Mai and Thao shoved the arrogant manager into his guards and ran into the pen. They went as far as they could go before the tigers went forward, thinking them a threat. The manager also tried to come forward to give the girls a piece if his mind but couldn't get past the angry tigers who were circling him dangerously.
Thao and Mai looked apprehensive. Who could blame them? I mean, who wouldn't be when you got two vicious looking tigers circling you and giving you the evil eye? Ha, I'd piss my pants, but luckily they had someone to help them other than brain dead loser guards with useless tranquilizer guns (which I might add, they were not using) and a scrawny, greasy haired individual who called himself the manager of this sorry excuse of a zoo. (No offense to the zoos in England!)
The masked girl stood and petted the tigers that were threatening her two new friends and once again sat herself down and fawned over the 'cute' tigers. Mai and Thao gave each other a side long glance and sat down next to her cautiously, the tigers nudging them down next to her after they gathered they were not a threat.
" So how did you get in here?" Mai asked while carefully eyeing the tiger that was nuzzling her knee.
/ I saw these poor animals held in captivity, so I decided to help them. But then a man closed the door on me, so I could not get out. Was it bad/
" Well, yes. It was a dangerous feat to accomplish, not to mention the fact that nobody was allowed in here due to rabid, meat-eating tigers," Thao said casually.
" And the fact that these animals belong to the damn zoo," muttered Mai giving the manager an evil look.
The two modern girls watched in amusement as their new friend scooped up a tiny tiger cub and cuddled it. But their amusement turned into sorrow as they watched her nuzzle it against the side of her mask, not really feeling it. The tiny cub licked the side of her mask and purred, laying itself in her lap. They quickly masked up their feelings when she turned happy eyes upon them and her eyes smiled. They smiled back, though the look of pity in their eyes.
She must have seen it for she signed to them about it.
/ What's wrong/
Thao and Mai looked at each other for the millionth time that day. They both reassured her that nothing was wrong, although they knew she could see right through it. She didn't push them to tell her though, which was a good thing.
" We really should be going," Thao said after a couple moments. The masked girl snapped to attention.
/ Do we have to/
" Yeah, afraid we do," Mai sighed. " We can't exactly stay here in the tiger's pen at the zoo forever. And besides, we still have to find Shigure's retarded self, and my dad and Hoa will be expecting us home."
The masked girl nodded sadly and petted the sleeping cub in her lap. Picking it up slowly, she put it next to its mother. Standing, they started to leave when a tug on their clothes stopped them. The tigers had a portion of clothing in their jaws.
" Guys, you know we can't stay," Thao said petting the mane of one.
The masked girl nodded and then bent down to nuzzle the tiger that was holding her captive. She petted it in reassurance and then motioned for the other two girls to make their leave. The tigers let go, watching them go with sadness, some whimpering in protest.
" Bye," whispered Mai as they were exiting the gate. Thao waved cheerlessly and the masked girl never looked back.
They got home without worry, after searching the city for Shigure and finding him in an old pub, flirting with the waitress. After many arguments and whining on Shigure's part, they left.
All in all they had a wonderful day. But what the next day had in store for them was even more eventful than the next…
A/N How was it? Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you all for all those who DID review!
