Note: Everyone is between the ages of 16 and 17.
Chapter 1"Sayonara Asuka, until we met again" shouted Saint Tail
"I'll catch you next time for sure Saint Tail" Asuka Jr. furiously yelled her, as she disappeared in a cloud of rosy pink smoke, in the clear night sky
"Dammit, she got away again," cursed Asuka Jr.
The next day
"Still haven't caught Saint Tail, have you Asuka? Or are you just lousy at being detective" teased Meimi Haneoka, just as soon Asuka walked into the school gate.
"Watch your mouth Haneoka," snarled Asuka
"You're never going to catch Saint Tail, are you? Taunted Meimi
"Why you, Han"
"Stop it both of you" the teacher yelled at Meimi and Asuka.
"You both get detention after school. Now go and sit down!" continued the teacher.
"Okay class, I am Ms Ikusawa and I will your home class teacher for this year. I will be teaching P.E and Drama this year." Ms Ikusawa was talking in a very boring voice that was like she was reciting a speech. She made the whole class want to go to sleep. Ms Ikusawa was wearing a denim skirt that was too short and a thin orange top that was two sizes too big with a purple scarf around her neck. The worst outfit to wear in winter and a total fashion disaster.
Suddenly the PA crackled into life and the announcer said
"All students please take note that the upcoming Valentine Dance is coming up and all money will be given to the local charity. And this year during the dance we will be having a contest on the best dancers in the school. There will be a surprise prize for the winner/s. Entry forms are available from your home class teachers and you can be entered as a pair or by yourself. And good luck to everyone."
"Are you going to go?"Everyone asking each other the same question
"SILENCE!" yelled Ms Ikusawa. "All students in my class will go and to the Valentines dance and enter the contest. You will get a grade for entering the contest, and making an effort. You are all dismissed to go to your next class. And I will be pairing all of you myself. Oh and Asuka and Meimi don't forget you have detention after school today."
In the hallway, outside of the classroom
"Who are you going to take to the dance Asuka? Or you don't have anyone to take." Meimi asked Asuka teasingly.
"I...Hey, why should I tell you Haneoka? It's not like I should discuss my personal matters to you. And how about you Haneoka, have someone asked you yet? Or are you too ugly to be asked to the dance?" Asuka shot back at Meimi.
"Why aren't you at your next class or do you two want to get another detention?" interrupted Ms Ikusawa, whose head was poking out of the classroom with a frown.
"Uh...no Ms Ikusawa we were just going to go," said Meimi.
"Then go and I expect you two to be on time for detention this afternoon." Ms Ikusawa
"Yes Ms Ikusawa" Meimi and Asuka chanted as they quickly sprinted to their next class.
Lunchtime
"Hey what do you think of our teacher Meimi? asked Mimori Seira
Mimori Seira is Meimi's best friend since they were born. Seira is also a nun in training and the same age as Meimi but Meimi is older by a couple of months. Seira's birthday is 13th of May and Meimi's birthday is the 11th of October.
Hey, what's up? Takamiya Rina asked as she approached the table where Meimi and Seira were sitting.
Takamiya Rina is a new student at St. Paulia High School which is the school that Meimi and Seira attended and recently been part of Meimi and Seira's group. Rina's birthday is the 13th of January. Her birthday had just passed some weeks ago as school started on the 1st of January this year.
"Oh just talking about our new home class teacher, who is very mean and has a very bad fashion sense."
"Poor you I have a very cute guy teacher his name is Mr Goto and he is very nice and today he is wearing a blue polo shirt that looks really good on him.
"Are you serious? Shrieked Meimi
"Yea, of course I am"
"You have all the luck, must be my bad luck day or something because I have detention after school" Meimi said gloomy.
"With Asuka?" asked Rina
"Who else?" replied Seira
"I wish I was in detention with Asuka! He is so cute especially with his beautiful green eyes."
"Who cares, I don't care if he's the last guy on the whole planet! He's still Asuka the same know it all idiot that I known since junior high." Saying each word louder than the last one.
"I predict you will fall in love with him before the graduation," Rina foretold
"No I won't, never will I fall in love with him! Anyway, when are you going to do the test for your driver's license Rina?
"I don't know, how about you?" asked Rina
"Tomorrow, do you want to come with me?
"Can't my grandparents are coming over." Just then, the bell rang ending lunch
As Meimi went to Drama room for the last two periods, she saw Ms Ikusawa handing out a pile of paper to each student in the class.
"Okay class, the papers that I just handed out was this year's play's script. And the play we are going to perform is one of the greatest love story ever. Can anyone guess the name of the play without looking at the script?"
"Cupid and Psyche?" Asuka called out. Meimi was surprised to see him because she didn't notice him when she came into the room.
"Nope, it's Romeo and Juliet ! Any volunteers to play Romeo?"
No one wanted to play the lead role because it was a very boring story since the whole class read the tale in English.
"Well then, Asuka and Meimi you can play the lead roles instead of serving your detention after school."
Meimi couldn't believe her luck, could this day get any worse!
-After school, while Asuka was with his dad talking-
As soon as Meimi got home, she went and changed her clothes she went to the local swimming pool and swam with all her strength. Trying to get rid of all her anger to Asuka, Ms Ikusawa and the play. Romeo and Juliet, a tragic love story, there's no such thing as love thought Meimi. All she thought of the times she was at the side of her best friends when they were crying because of their boyfriend had dumped them or had cheated on them. All love with an opposite gender does is get you hurt, broken heart and makes you think that you aren't good enough for them.
When Meimi got exhausted she got dressed and called her dad to pick her up. When she saw her dad he was with her mom, who was riding in the shotgun, both looking very weary sitting in the new car that her father had just recently bought.
Her father was a middle age, strong man with a couple of grey streaks in his hair. He was also a magician in his youth but now worked as a forensic scientist to aid the town. But occasionally taught Meimi magic tricks to entertain her.
Her mom was a middle age woman who went to the gym on a regular basis, she didn't have any grey hair. But had a few winkles on her forehead, even though she was a normal housewife with a loving family that includes her husband, Meimi's dad and Meimi.
"What's the matter mom, dad you look very tired?" Asked Meimi in a worried tone.
"We have something to tell you Meimi, but we wouldn't tell you until we get home," Meimi's mom told her in a happy tone but with a forced smile on her face.
What could so important that her mom and dad had to tell her at home but not in the car, pondered Meimi. When they got home, her parents ushered Meimi to the family room and sat her down on one of the chairs that her parents bought a few years ago. It was blue with cute pictures of Blue bear and Babu and was chosen by Meimi herself.
"Meimi, take a deep breath. I have bad news and they are that I have developed breast cancer," her mom told her calmly.
"We have decided that your mom will go to America and try to find a cure while you will be going to Tokyo and you will be living with another friend of ours. Your mum will be going to America in tomorrow morning, but I will stay here with you for another two weeks and then I will leave to join your mom, whilst you will go to Tokyo as I said before," her father told her at the same time trying not to cry.
For a moment there, Meimi was speechless, and then her sixteen-year-old brain registered what her father had said.
"What? How long had you known? Why wasn't I told? Why aren't I am going with you mum?" outraged that she was excluded from such important information, her eyes brimming with tears with disbelief that her mum had breast cancer.
"Meimi, I don't want to worry you that was why I didn't tell you all this," her mum told her with sad eyes. "Your dad wanted to tell you but I forbade him to do that. I saw a lump on my breast a couple of months ago and got it examined by a doctor. I was only told about a month. I don't want you to come with me because you have school and I wanted your dad to care for you when he insisted that he wanted to care for me while I find a cure for my cancer."
-Meimi's room-
It was bedtime and Meimi was still in shock that her own mother had cancer, she was lying on her king-sized bed with images of Lovely White while thinking of dinner that she had just ate. Dinner used to be merry and full of conversation in the Haneoka household of everyone in the family, gossip and news. However, today it was so soundless that you could hear a pin drop. As a schoolgirl by day and a thief by night she used to go to the church that Seira worked at after dinner and see if there is any work to be done. Now she didn't feel like it since she had known about her mother's condition.
During the conversation she, her mum and her father had after her swim at the local swimming pool, she had promised her mum that she will continued with her studies no matter what happened to her mum and that she would behave and got to Tokyo and stay there for seven months. Meimi intended to behave while her mother was away and determined to make her proud. Her goals was to learn another language, Meimi is extremely smart for her age besides Japanese and English which everyone in Japan is required to learn to speak and read she could also speak Cantonese which her mother could speak and read. The language she had chosen to learn next was Italian. She had pulled out a small piece of paper out of her favourite hat.
"Meimi aren't you going to sleep, it's late," her mum asked while Meimi was lost in her thoughts. Her mother had walked into her room and now was leaning against her bedroom doorframe.
"I'm going to sleep now," replied Meimi with that Meimi stomped to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
After Meimi had brushed her teeth, she climbed into bed and was reaching for the recent manga book she was reading 'Cardcaptors Sakura: Master of Clow', which was also her favourite book so far when...
"Meimi?" Her mum said sternly, had surprised her so much that she dropped the book she was holding. It turned out that her mother never left her room while Meimi was brushing her teeth.
"Mum! You scared me!" Meimi said sourly because her mother was watching her the whole time. Then just remembered that her mother was leaving the following morning. "Okay, okay mum I will go to bed,"
With that, Meimi's mum closed the light and left Meimi's room. After her mum had left the room, Meimi curled in her bed and wept until she fell into a deep sleep because that she might never see her mother again.
-The next morning-
Last night Asuka had apologised to his father and agreed to go to Tokyo when his father went on retreat, but that was all yesterday. Today, Asuka is going to take his driver's license exam, when he got there he saw Meimi looking very unhappy which was a truly rare sight as that he had never seen Meimi look cheerless. However, he must be wrong because in a blink of an eye she looked so happy that you would have thought that she had won the lottery, Meimi walked gracefully with her head held high and disappeared into the building. Oh shit! Asuka thought to himself Meimi must be having her driver's license test today as well, of all days as well. There's bound to be another argument between them today.
Confidently, Asuka walked with big steps into the building, knowing that today was his lucky day because that was written in his horoscope. He had a hot babe as his instructor who had long, brown hair and baby blue eyes. She was slender and tall definitely was taller then him and was older than him, but other then that she was the type that he would ask out.
Suddenly his instructor, whose name was Samantha aka Sam appeared with Meimi next to her.
"Mr Asuka this is Miss Meimi, I will be testing both of you together. Now if you both just come this way, we can begin," said Sam
Chapter 1 End