Duel Masters – Heart on my Sleeve
Red Butterfly: Thank you very much your information! It is indeed a great help ;p I look forward to those episodes XD And as for shortness…mweh, I dun mind!
Taitofan: Pyuuuu, dun get used to it, Kyou's a bit messed up over love and life, so naturally he will start to bounce between things and possibly have a break down. Or two. Or three. Hey, he might just don a skirt and start singing showtunes with a crewcut.
Okay, that's NOT an image I needed right now o.o
Battygirl: I am touched by your concern for my soul. I must wonder however (because writing this now seems sort of pointless) why you continued to read if it upset you so. And my dear, I have written many stories like this, and because they are stories, they are fiction, and fiction does not exist except in the minds of fangirl/boys such as yourself…I strongly suggest you take a step back and realise Kyou isn't real. I can only apologise when it comes to…ah, finding me and wringing my gay neck – I do not have a chandelier, those are reserved for people who have more money than sense and a nice high roof :) and hell is spelt with two 'l's. Flame once by all means, but multiple flaming on the first chapter is a bit…pathetic. At least show me you bothered to read on and then complain. -pets head and watches her snap at the hand- nn;; hee
Oh dear. This has led me to perverted thoughts. Naughty thoughts. -blushes deeply- Very naughty, perverted thoughts. I might have to draw this one and set it up nicely…-giggles like the fangirl she obviously is-
And this chapter is probably too slow and too silly, but suddenly Rakka wanted out. So there o.o
Chapter Four: Sucker for punishment
Damn. She was running late.
Rakka hopped off her bike halfway down the street, running and slowing to a walk with practised ease. It was not that she ever meant to be late; it was that somehow, something always stopped her. Grabbing the chain from her knapsack she locked up the trusty mess of pipes and wheels and darted inside the shop to get ready for her shift. Seto was already behind the corner, and poking his tongue out her the older boy gestured to the boxes.
"New shipment."
"Ugh."
Holidays were no fun for Rakka. Apart from her schedule being stepped up a notch to make way for all that free time, she had to factor in work as well, and nothing ever seemed to go right. Her muscles ached, her throat was on fire, and what she needed was fresh air and a nice drink, not a stuffy shop.
As much as she loved everything about her job, when you need a day off, you need a day off. Jamming her bag behind the counter she moved over to the boxes and found a strange sense of satisfaction that for once someone had got the order right. Grabbing the store's only blade she opened the box with much practised ease and started to unload.
This was good, clean work. Gave her time to think.
Methodically moving up and down the shelves, Rakka started to hum, going over the song she had learnt the few hours before. The object was not to sing the words now; it was to get the tune right, to hit each note to make sure next rehearsal she'd get it right. Telling herself it was just nerves was crazy; it wasn't. She was being pushed too hard for this stupid production and it wasn't fair.
Bah. The note was off. Going back to the box she concentrated on the tune again, hitting each note and trying to hold it, not trying to actually do the tune anymore. High note, high note, who can hit the high note, she mused and tried again.
"Ahhhhhhhhh" A pause. Higher this time. "Ahhhh-" A wad of paper bounced off her head.
"Shut up."
Rolling her eyes Rakka stood and walked to the end of the aisle and stared at the taller boy with a ferocious glare. Then, with great care, she moved back to the box and continued her work.
Rakka had not come to live with her aunt and uncle for any reason other than education was better here than back in the proverbial old country. Private schools yes, okay, she could handle the snottiness, the bitterness and the anger that filled the walls with its' own stink. But the ownership thing her aunt had over her annoyed her no end. Rakka was not an A-grade student, no. But she had a voice. When not worried by others, she had a presence. She was good on stage.
And so, when the school wanted to put on a performance, Rakka had been hand picked as one of the leads, forced to sing and dance like a circus freak. All the fun had gone out of the young girl, who had only wanted to play in the school's band, but her guitar was now neglected and sitting in a corner in her room, slowly gathering dust.
She was a performer.
Just another member of the McKenzie family.
Rakka bit her lip and in a particularly vicious way shoved the latest copies of Witchblade on the shelves. From the cover the heroine smiled smugly while presenting her cleavage to the viewer in what was supposed to be a sexy way. Rakka saw it as a personal insult and an obvious cry for attention.
"Wow." Came a voice. "Uhh, that's impressive."
"It's cheap shlock." Rakka snapped, her fury venting. "Skin is so passé now, and the character is slipping in quality. It's degenerated into soft-core pornography now."
"Well…I suppose a lot of people buy it."
"They do, but I doubt it's for the story. They always feel so cheap." Rakka grabbed another lot. "If the character was real, she'd probably lead a very miserable life, be alone and probably die in her apartment talking to her twenty or so cats." Pausing, she looked up at the customer. "Did you know that the body actually adjusts itself for the climate? That, in cold weather, should a girl wear a short skirt, fat will be taken to the parts of the body exposed to keep the muscles warm?"
"That's gross in a cool way."
"Yea-" Rakka stopped, eyes widening, realising who she was talking to. Her heart started to pound and she twitched her shoulders irritably, angry at herself for being so open. The youth from yesterday was back and looking amazedly at the books on sale; and it really felt like the icing on the cake as far as bad days went. As a rule she was fairly easy going, but recently with all the pushing and the shoving…she'd been disagreeable…Oh well. She'd felt horrible once he'd left, because he seemed so desperate, but after those comments…well, there was a reason for everything. Looking for a point of conversation, she glanced up again and took the plunge. "Going to buy Love Hina?"
"…Actually, when I came in, I saw how many books were in the series and thought better of it. There are like, nine of them…that's crazy."
"Fourteen actually." He gasped. "Yeah, crazy huh? Amazing someone could draw so much. Negima is probably more your style since it's his latest and the girls are a plenty and often without a stitch of clothing." Did she imagine him blush? "Also less volumes."
"I, uh, sure. I'm not actually into all of that."
Now it was Rakka's turn to blush. "Sorry. I'm just so used to being asked for recommendations. Well…there's also the humour aspect of it. And Negi-chan is very cute. Uhhh, from a girl's opinion." She could never remember names. The boy was very individual, she'd never seen a head of hair that wild before, but his name eluded her. "…Uhh, there are lots more you know." The blush continued to grow, some tiny internal voice screaming 'OH MY GOD YOU'RE TALKING TO A BOOOOOOOOY!!!!'
"Rakka, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Hey, freak boy, you gonna buy something?!" Came the yell from up front.
"Maybe if you stop staring at me!" The youth called back.
"Screw you pal!" Came the yell back. Seto returned to reading 2000AD.
"I apologise for Seto's behaviour." Came the mumbled apology.
"He's not a patch on the chick from yesterday. You been demoted?"
"No. Just got in late."
"Oh."
Rakka felt the heat start to rise again. The boy was talking to her and she didn't know why. He'd been rather nasty the day before, but now he seemed a bit nicer. Guys. Huh.
"Look…I don't say this often, but I'm sorry."
"Pardon?"
"From yesterday?"
"Yes, yes, I know, it's just…" Rakka couldn't help but smile. Okay, her face was bright red, but she didn't care. "It's very nice of you. Thank you…but my behaviour was inexcusable. I'm just not used to it. Um. All-girls school."
"Whoa."
"You're telling me. The males of the species are quite a worry, mister…uhhh…I'm sorry…names never seem to click with me…" Her voice died away as did her self confidence, her mind spinning away into the bleakness of inexperience.
Okay, said the mental voice. He's quite cute when he's not scowling, or being nasty or just plain…whatever. Now, by saying what you've just said, you've revealed that not only are you a ditz, he's not worth the trouble. This is the only chap who's bothered to look at you and not at your chest in this be-damned shop, and you've blown it.
"Oh drat."
"What?" The youth cocked an eyebrow.
Thaaaaaaaaats right. Go ahead. Spill it all out. You've already dug your own grave, let's get the matching gravestone and what have you. Lilies are good.
"I have no idea how to talk to people. And worse still…I suppose you might say that I'm not exactly how to talk properly either. I sound posh but I'm really not."
"Whatever."
Nice work. Verbal diarrhoea looks good in a girl.
"Sorry?" came the squeak.
The boy looked mystified. "For what?"
"For being stupid?"
"You're weird." He started to walk away.
Turning back herself, Rakka stared at the box and felt flustered. Why was he annoying her so? And why the heck was she apologising? Why in hell was she acting in this way, and so happily screwing herself over?
"Hey, Rakka?"
She looked up and around.
Standing there, the guy grinned. It was a very different smile to the ones she saw in ever day life, one filled with menace and cruelty…but also a wicked sense of humour. Hands on his hips, he was the complete bad boy package she mused to herself. Now he's going to insult me or something again, and I'll be expected to either blow up again or act all sobby or even fawn over him.
"My name is Kyoushiro." He said. "Got it?"
Oh. She blinked in surprise and watched him leave. And that was that.
to be continued.
OMG classic cliché, bad boy meets good girl. Bad Plink. Good thing nothing is as it seems. Rakka is such a space case…and the whole singing thing will come into it later. It's not some sort of popidol thing or whatever, it's just a talent quest. I think. I lost my notes XD
Bai and what have you ;p have cookies, and enjoi the new year XD
