Chapter One: Just One of Those Days…
The mid-range scream of a stressed female teen echoed the neighborhood. "GOD DARN IT I'M GOING TO BE LATE! OH, SHINMYOU-SENSEI IS GOING TO HAVE MY HEAD!" Rushing around her room, the teen quickly dressed and groomed for school while loading up her supplies. "Man, WHY do we have to have Band Club practice at 7 a.m. on a SATURDAY! Isn't it bad enough that school starts at 8?" Ready for school, the girl fled her house and ran down the street en route to her school.
I can't believe I overslept aGAIN! Tarento's going to LOVE this, his rival being late to practice once again so HE has a chance to practice. Not like he needs iIITT! Failing to watch where she's going, the girl tripped over something, sending her schoolbag, instrument case, and herself skidding down the sidewalk.
"Nice going, Bakafurai!" a male voice laughed above her. She sat up, glaring at him and brushing her mid-back length brown hair behind her ears.
"The name is BATAfurai, Katsuya," Batafurai said, glaring at him.
"Whatever, Bakafurai," he shot back, blowing smoke at her from his cigarette. "What's with the suitcase?"
Gathering her things, she replied, "It's a CLARINET case, Baka. I have band practice, and I'm going to be late!"
"Well, why are you sitting here rambling like the baka you are, then?"
Batafurai looked at him, dark brown eyes filled with rage. "I'm NOT!" She then ran off towards her school.
He laughed to himself, looking down at the silver cuff around his left wrist. Just wait until lunch, Bakafurai...
Batafurai smiled between classes later that day. "I am SO glad I made it on time," she said to her friend, Taiga.
"So am I, Batafurai. What kind of rehersal is it if my rival isn't right there messing up?" a boy asked. Batafurai turned around and found herself face to face with Tarento.
"One, I don't mess up, you do. Second, I wouldn't be talking, Mr. Slipped-Into-Practice-With-Me."
Taiga sighed, rolling light blue eyes in exasperation. "Could you two spend ONE DAY not fighting over BAND?"
"Nope," they answered in unison.
"I'm surprised EITHER of them know the MEANING of the word 'fight,'" Katsuya shot out, walking up to the group.
Batafurai watched Tarento tense as he replied evenly, "Go away, Katsuya."
"Aw, what's the matter? Is widdle Tarento getting SCARED?" Katsuya taunted.
Angered, Batafurai jumped between the two guys. "Leave him ALONE, Katsuya. NOW!"
He turned to her. "I think your little boyfriend can fight his own battles, Bakafurai."
Tarento moved out from behind Batafurai, gently shoving her to the side. "She is NOT my girlfriend, and you know her name is Batafurai. Now get out of here before I get angry."
"Attention students. Kaika Tarento and Conner, Katsuya, you are needed in the office immediately. Thank you," was heard across the intercom.
Tarento shook his head, eyes closed "Well, what have you done now, Katsuya?"
"Wouldn't you like to know. I think the real question is what have YOU done to get called to the office, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes," Katsuya retorted as they made their way to the office.
Batafurai watchedthemleave, smiling at Tarento's back. Taiga sighed again, then said in a lowered voice, "Just tell him, Bata-chan, you're not kidding anyone."
"Not anytime soon, Tai-chan. When I'm ready for cold, hard rejection, I'll tell him."
As she pulled her relucant friend along, Batafurai said, "Come ON, On-chan…it's not THAT BAD…"
Onbin tried to stand her ground, but was literally dragged behind her taller friend. "You keep thinking that, Bata-chan. Gym is the worst class EVER, ESPECIALLY when we have to play football…" She then stopped with such force, it nearly pulled Batafurai to the ground
.
"DANG, girl, give a girl a little warnin' before the stops if you're not going to use the brake lights!" Looking up, Batafurai saw why her friend had stopped cold. Maxwell Spencer was walking up to them, carrying a backpack.
Onbin muttered, "Go away, Max…please let me be…" Batafurai just shook her head.
"Hey Onbin-san, Batafurai-san," Max said, ignoring Batafurai's command of "Bata-chan." "I'm moving, so I won't see you guys around after today."
Onbin stood rigid, not making eye contact with Max and folded her arms across her chest. "Point being, Spencer-san?"
"Well, I just wanted to say goodbye…you know…"
"If you're refering to us as friends, you are mistaken. At the most, I'm just the girl you insisted on talking to every day."
Batafurai glared at Onbin, smacking her upside her dark brown haired head. "Well, Max, good luck wherever you go. From BOTH of us…"
He smiled. "Thanks, Bata-chan. Sanayora!" He turned, and left.
Onbin immediately smacked Batafurai. "And WHAT was up with the, 'From both of us,' crap?"
"Come ON, On-chan! What is NOT to like about Max? He's cute, funny, nice…"
"Your obsession with the opposite sex is SERIOUSLY degrading…"
"Your obsession with telling off the opposite sex is seriously strange." Joining her classmates on the field, Batafurai mentally added, If only I knew WHY On-chan is so harsh to guys…something is seriously wrong there…
With school being over for the day, Batafurai walked home with her friends. Riki, Annai, and Tonbo, locked in another argument, were making quite a scene ahead of them. Onbin and Taiga, quiet as ever, stayed back, prefering to not be part of the mess. Hatsu was amazing Batafurai with her ability to apply makeup while walking. Shuzika, the oldest of the group, stuck back farther still, reading a rather large novel. None of them had seen Tarento since he was called to the office.
Bored with Hatsu's handiwork, Batafurai walked back to Shuzika. "Why are you STILL reading, Shuzi-kun?"
"I'm bored and it's fun. You know you do this more often than I do, Bata-chan," he replied, not even looking up.
"That's not the point. I thought you'd at least be HALF excited to meet Miyabita and Otome…"
"They're yours and Tonbo's friends, not mine. You know I'm not fond of meeting new people."
"…You're making it VERY hard to strike up a conversation…And they're from Osanaiko High. That'sacross town, for crying out loud, not across the Pacific!"
"Leave the poor guy ALONE, Bakafurai!" Riki yelled, flicking her rather long green braid over her shoulder. She had apparently grown bored with the argument.
"Don't tell me what to do. AND GET MY NAME RIGHT FOR ONCE!" Batafurai screamed. Startled, Shuzika dropped his book and raised his hazel eyes upward rather quickly.
"Could you give me a LITTLE warning next time you decide to impersonate a sonic boom?" he asked, obviously annoyed at this point.
Before she could reply, Batafurai walked straight into Onbin. "You SERIOUSLY need break-lights, Onbin…" she muttered, rubbing her sore nose. Seeing the look of horror on the smaller brunette's face, she added, "What's wrong?"
Onbin merely pointed to the sky. Batafurai, after calling to the rest of her friends, looked up. A large light was growing above them.
Two girls, one with sky blue hair (streaked in purple) and dark purple eyes, the other with navy blue hair and orange eyes, ran up to them. "…Um…would one of you clue us in?" the orange-eyed one asked.
Tonbo grabbed the orange-eyed girl's chin, raising it so she could see the sky. "Miya-chan, your guess is as good as mine on this one."
The other girl, now a little worried, also looked up. Her eyes widened in horror. "WHAT is THAT?"
Batafurai shook her head, stepping back. "Otome…if my guess is right…things are going to get VERY ugly…"
Annai groaned, glaring at her. "Batafurai, your dream isn't real, so quit whining about it."
Hatsu sighed. "As much as it PAINS me to admit that I was wrong, it does seem she was right…I only hope she was wrong about the carnage that follows…"
The large light grew, enveloping the teenagers. Although they screamed in fear for their lives, nothing saved them.
As quickly as they had been absorbed into the light, they were dropped most undignifiedly in the middle of a park.
Carefulling pulling herself to her feet, Hatsu shot out, "That was NOT fun! NOW I've got a grass stain on my BUTT! You owe me big time for that, Little-Miss-Dream!"
"ENOUGH! We'll spar this out later if you're so set on it!" Tonbo yelled back at her. By now, the entire group was standing. "Now, will SOMEONE tell me where the HECK we are?"
"Your guess is as good as mine..." Taiga said, looking around. Nothing looked familiar to them.
Onbin, looking to Batafurai, asked, "So, what happens next?"
Batafurai shook her head. "This part's different…I never saw this place before…Something seems VERY wrong, though…"
As if on cue, a roar that frightened every one of them erupted from behind them. They nervously turned, finding themselves face-to-face with the most hidious creature they had ever seen.
EDITED JULY 20, 2005; Added some Katsuya scenes, along with the gym scene and fixed some errors.
Cultural Notes: In Japan, what Americans call "soccer," they call "football." If they want to refer to America's idea of "football," they call it "American football." So, Onbin and Batafurai were going to play that sport in gym where you kick the black-and-white ball into a net, NOT score touchdowns with a pigskin. Also, one's family name is listed before their given name in Japan. For example, Conner Katsuya is Katsuya Conner in America.