Please read this: Thank you for tolerating me with my one-week absences. I've been busy for a while now so most people know that I'm not going to post for sometime. I've also been behind on my story. I wanted to finish writing the story up to now, but there's a lot of stuff that's been occupying me. So I know that there maybe this one time when I haven't updated for about two weeks. N E ways, you don't want to hear me talk any more. Here ya go.
Chapter 5: Preparations
"Okay class, since we're learning about America, we're going to take a one week field trip to California."
The class started to get loud, but then the teacher settled them down.
"Okay, we have it all figured out on what we are going to do while we're there. I'm going to tell you what we're doing to do when we get there. Um…Miss Rowe, did you live in California?"
"Yes, sir. I lived there."
"Where in California?"
"In a place called Pacifica."
"Oh really? Have you ever gone to San Francisco?"
"Sometimes yes." (Used to me true about me, but then I moved. I still live in California though.)
"That's great, we're going to San Francisco one day. Maybe if you know your way around, you can be our guide."
"I'll try to do my best, teacher."
"Excuse me, when are we going to America?" asked another student.
"In two weeks. I'll give you the permission slips today. I need them back by the end of this week."
He started passing out the permission slips at lunch and Kazuko looked at hers and placed her slip face down. Riku was walking towards her.
"This is going to be exciting! Don't you think, Kazuko?" Riku asked.
"Riku…you're saying my name again…I don't think I want to go."
"Why don't you want to?"
"I left my friends behind when I came here."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't say good-bye to them when I left. I bet they think that I ditched them or something."
"That's mean! Why would you go without saying good-bye to your friends?"
"They weren't really me friends. I was popular with the guys since I came from Japan and all. Most of them even asked me out. That's why they always wanted to hang out with me so they can have a better reputation."
"Did you do anything about that?"
"Not really…I didn't care."
"Did you ever want to go out with any of the guys?"
"No…I wasn't attracted to any of those people. I have only have one person," she whispered.
"Are you talking about Satoshi?" she whispered back since Satoshi was sitting next to her.
"You know it."
"Let's go talk over at my desk," Riku said.
Riku sat down at her seat and Kazuko sat on the desk.
"Hey! St. White's Day is coming up! Wouldn't it be nice if you received a white ribbon from Satoshi?" Riku asked.
"That would be great," she said in a non-enthusiastic tone, "I didn't think you would remember about the white ribbon thing, though."
"Me? Why not?"
"Two years ago, you didn't care about anything to do with love, now you're with Daisuke."
"Hey, that was long ago."
"Are you wishing to get a white ribbon from him?"
Riku blushed and looked the other way. She nodded her head a while after. Kazuko flanked and smirked at her and when Riku turned around to look at her, she said,
"W-What's the matter?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just in my own thoughts right now."
Riku glared at Kazuko when she looked to the chalkboard still smirking.
"I don't want to lose you guys. You, Daisuke, and Satoshi have been my only friends my whole life," Kazuko randomly said.
"What are you trying to do? Change the subject?"
"Well you don't want to stay talking about St. White's Day right?"
"Yeah, I guess. Are you saying we're the first friends you made?"
"Sort of. I felt like I can tell you guys anything. I consider those friends."
A picture of the three birds once again appeared in her head. She stared into space when she saw that picture.
"Chisato?" Riku asked.
"Oh…I'm sorry. The birds came to my head again. Why can't I figure out that next bird?"
"Why are you thinking about birds anyways?"
"…I don't know. But I consider it to be a vision. I wonder what those birds mean anyways?"
Riku shrugged her shoulders and the bell rang after a while.
The committee people started working on the St. White's Day festival that was in three days and they started getting the materials for their decorations. Kazuko didn't join the Festival Committee this time. She decided to join the basketball club, but not at the moment.
"Kazuko…" Satoshi said as they were walking home.
"Satoshi…what did I say about calling me by that name?"
"Never mind that. I was thinking about that dream that you said you had."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember that last bird?"
"No…I don't know still."
"That bird is a clue to what I'm trying to figure out."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you when you tell me that last bird."
"Damn it, Satoshi."
Satoshi smiled and looked at Kazuko.
"Why do you always try to piss me off?"
"I don't try to."
"Yes you do!" she raised her voice standing in front of Satoshi. They were only about a block away from his apartment. She looked up to him (Satoshi is only a little bit taller than her.) and she stared at him.
"What would make you say that?"
"You say all these things that makes me mad or yell at you."
"Not all the time. Besides, it's not like you get really mad at me that you don't want to talk to me anymore."
Kazuko sighed and smirked at Satoshi, "Yeah but you still say things like that. I always have to yell at you."
"But you're not really mad at me when I say things like that, are you?"
"…No…How could I?"
Kazuko spontaneously hugged Satoshi and he put his arms around her.
"Um…Kazuko, why are you-?"
"I felt like it…do you mind?" she said in a non-rude tone.
"Okay then."
"St. White's Day is in two days. Do you want to go on where we left off from two years ago?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"That's true."
"Hey…last year, did you do anything?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because…I'm curious."
"That I might like someone else?"
"So? Is it wrong to be concerned for a friend?"
"I guess not. No…you're the only one I like. I didn't do anything last year on St. White's Day."
"I like you too, Satoshi; and I remember that I told you that before. It was funny because two years ago, we were just friends. We went out on St. White's Day to make the girls jealous."
"I remember that."
Satoshi's cell phone rang and Kazuko let go of him so he could answer it; she leaned on the was that was near them. It was his father and he hung up the phone once he was done talking to him.
"Hey, what was that about? Did you get another warning from Dark?"
"No…my father wants me to go to a party with him."
"Really? Can I come?"
"I don't think you can."
"Oh come on! I can be your girlfriend and if I'm there, you'd actually know somebody instead of standing in a corner be yourself."
"…Sigh…you do have a point. Alright then, You have to dress…I'll pick you up at your house at seven. I don't know your new address, can you give it to me?"
"Sure and thank you for letting me come."
After Kazuko gave Satoshi her address, she got on her bike and rode to her house. Satoshi picked Kazuko up at the time he said. He got to her house and he rang to doorbell. Kazuko opened the door and she saw Satoshi who was wearing a black suit with the front of his hair parted in the middle. He wasn't wearing his glasses.
"Wow…you look nice, Satoshi."
"You do too, Kazuko."
Kazuko put half of her hair up in a clip on the back. She wore lip-gloss that made her lips shiny. She had a one-piece dark blue dress that had one strap around her right shoulder and the dress went down to her ankles.
Satoshi held out his arm. Kazuko nodded and took his arm. They walked to the lime that was parked in the front of her house. Kazuko went in and then Satoshi sat in afterwards. They got to the party before his foster dad came. Once they both walked through the door, Kazuko had her arm around Satoshi's arm.
"Oh look! It's Commander Hiwatari," said one person.
"Can you believe it? He's only 16 and for two years now, he's been trying to catch Dark."
"Mr. Hiwatari is pretty handsome for his age."
"Who is that woman with him?"
"She's beautiful."
"She's probably Hiwatari's girlfriend or an acquaintance."
Satoshi walked to a place where there weren't a lot of people.
"Satoshi…is this all you do during parties, stand around and watch other people dance?"
"Well there's nothing much to do."
"Well since I'm here, let's dance," she said while pulling Satoshi's arm, but he was restraining.
"I don't want to."
"Why not? You don't know how to dance?"
"I know how to-"
"Then let's go! Come on, I don't want to stand around doing nothing like what you always do!"
"Then go dance with someone else."
"But you're the only one I'd want to dance with. Besides, you're the only good-looking one out of the guys here."
Satoshi sighed and walked with Kazuko to the dance floor. Satoshi knew how to ballroom dance and when they were dancing across the dance floor, they were getting spectators from all over the building. There were other couples dancing, too.
"Look at Mr. Hiwatari and his partner dance. They're really good."
"I wonder if they take classes together. They look like professional dancers."
"Satoshi…we're getting a lot of fans," Kazuko said while they were dancing. She didn't turn her head to face him because they were still dancing.
"You surprised me…I didn't know you could dance like this."
"Well the same goes for you. You don't look like a parson who could dance."
"What do you mean a person like me?"
"Well, you're really quiet at school. People would think that you don't do any of these social things."
"Satoshi…" said a distant voice.
They looked around and say commissioner Hiwatari.
"Who's that?" Kazuko asked.
"My step-father."
They left the dance floor and walked up to him.
"Hello, father."
"Satoshi, nice to see you again. Who is this with you?"
"This is my girlfriend, Chisato."
"Geez, this is the first time in a long time that he's actually called me Chisato," Kazuko thought.
"Oh, so you have a girlfriend now? Nice to meet you, Chisato."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Mr. Hiwatari."
"Satoshi, can I have a word with you?"
Satoshi nodded and look at Kazuko.
"Wait here for a couple minutes."
"Okay then."
Satoshi and his step-dad walked through another room while Kazuko was leaning near the door they went through.
"Isn't it beautiful, Satoshi? The Sakura painting makes you fool like you're actually there. The warning letter says Dark will steal it tomorrow night. You have been trying to catch Dark for two years already. If you don't want to lose your life, you need to capture Dark before he steals all of the Hikari's artworks."
"I'll try to do my best."
Satoshi walked back outside to meet with Kazuko and they went back and dropped off Kazuko.
"I liked this night, Satoshi. Will, see you tomorrow," she said. She kissed him on the cheek and went into her house. Satoshi touched the side of the cheek that Kazuko kissed and looked at Kazuko. He left after Kazuko went inside her house.
They next night, Satoshi informed Kazuko about the warning letter and she made her way to the museum before Dark.
"I see that you're stealing again. Did you get over the fact of what Satoshi said?"
"I got over that I while ago thank you."
"Well, that's good. I thought that you weren't gonna show up for a while now."
"Well, I did show up didn't I? Now, let's go see who's the better thief."
End of Chapter 5