"Beautiful Disaster"

Chapter 8

I'm longing for love and the logical…

But he's only happy hysterical…

I'm waiting for some kind of miracle…

Waiting so long…

Keiko picked up her hand and began to sort her five cards. "Boring and uneventful," she lied. The truth was that she couldn't put her experiences at this strange place into words and even if she could, something inside of her begged not to say anything about what was going on.

She supposed it was Shizuru's fault, and perhaps she was worried that her roommates would react in the same way as her guardian. It seemed that in her world any male and female above twelve conversing were assumed lovers.

Botan lay a discarded card down. "You're not telling the truth- something had to have happened. You can't go a day without activity." She replied, straightening out her hand.

Keiko suddenly remembered Botan's unusual happening today and felt herself becoming eager to hear her side. "Let's see…as I said, I went to the student council meeting, and then I made Yusuke walk me to my dorm. That's really about it, but what about you?"

Botan blushed and looked straight into her hand. Yukina put a hand on her shoulder, looking over in a rather motherly fashion. "Botan-san, what's wrong?"

The blue-haired girl kept her eyes on her cards, sorting them feverishly. "Oh, um…I was, you know, having trouble with carrying my books after Literature class, and I fell right on this poor second year boy, and I felt horrible about it and kept apologizing, but he assured me he was fine and picked up my books, and then I really looked up at him, and…"

"Did you stare?" Keiko asked, smiling behind her cards.

"Heavens no! I just, well, looked, and…"

"And what?" Keiko pushed.

"It was Minamino-kun!" Botan answered, just a little louder.

"What did you do?" Yukina and Keiko asked in unison.

"I remember that I was so flustered and embarrassed about the whole ordeal that I took my books from him and ran the other way. I was almost tardy, but I do believe it was worth it to distance myself from him." Botan looked down at the cards. "Are we playing, or talking? "She commented, giggling.

"I'd rather talk now," said Keiko, tossing her hand on the deck.

Her two roommates put their hands on the bed as well, Botan cleaning up the mess on the bed and putting the deck back in the box. Setting the box aside, Botan turned to Keiko.

"You said he was in your study hall, Keiko-chan…do you know how he felt?" she asked. "I hope he wasn't too annoyed with me."

"Oh, no, he had some minor back pains, but he didn't seem to mind so much." Keiko replied, leaving out how…strange his voice had sounded.

"Exotic looks, too."

She could hear Kurama's voice ringing in her ears and the tone brought a chill up her spine. She winced, looking down.

"Something wrong, Keiko?" said Botan.

Keiko looked up. "Oh, nothing's wrong at all, I was just musing…" Should she tell her? Would it please Botan? "He said you had very exotic looks."

Her roommate scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Exotic…? I suppose that's a compliment."

Keiko told herself she would say no more, thinking that Kurama, if he was considering Botan, would not want her to…go into detail. More importantly, his words still rung in her ears, and now they were so worn that it was simply a noise.

The room was quiet for a long time and finally Yukina got up to do some studying. Botan took out her books and did the same. All of Keiko's work was done, so she sat on her bed, trying to come up with ideas for her campaign while being haunted by the whole Kurama-Botan scenario.

The slogan, she supposed, would be the hardest thing to invent.

Don't be slow…vote Keiko?

Get a grip of yourself, she thought, that's just plain stupid.

She'll give you a plethora…vote Yukimura?

Keiko doubted that a good deal of the freshman class knew the meaning of the word "plethora", but it had a nice ring. Of course her name had to be hard to rhyme.

She'll give you the best, vote Keiko for prez?

No, no, abbreviations like that aren't serious enough. The rhythm was horrid as well. Her plethora line was clearly the best, but it was simply too complex. She could probably do without the slogan to begin with.

"Keiko?"

She jumped and looked over to Botan, who was suddenly sitting next to Yukina. "Hm?"

"Well, Keiko-san, we're not sure if you'll take this idea, but we thought of a cute poster idea for your campaign," said Yukina.

"Really? Can I see it?" Keiko asked.

Botan held up a piece of paper with a quick sketch of Keiko holding a big bowl and a large spoon. A few words on the spoon read "More soda selection in the Café". She noticed the words floating around the paper Keiko now- "She'll cook what you want- Keiko for President".

Keiko smiled. "It's cute. But why cooking, and what's the Café?"

"You said your parents ran a restaurant," said Yukina.

"And I found out yesterday that there's a café in the basement where you can get snacks and meals on the weekends. I went there- it's very cool, but there isn't much soda." Botan added.

"We could probably go to the art room on Sunday and draw and color them, but it would take a long time," Yukina suggested.

"You know…" Keiko began, "It wouldn't take as long if I recruited some helpers."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Coloring?" They asked, in perfect unison the next day's study hall.

Keiko nodded and tried to block a laugh. They stared at her as though she were a peculiar specimen under the microscope.

"You're kidding, right?" said Yusuke, nodding in hope that would be his answer.

She shook her head. "It's for my campaign posters. It benefits a good cause, really! Don't you think I'd be a responsible class president?"

"Who's there? Just your roommates?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah. Just Botan, Yukina, and me!" She gave the boys an encouraging smile that she didn't receive back.

Kurama began to whisper something to himself and Yusuke raised a brow. Something was surprising them, but what?

"Yuu-san is kind, don't be fooled,"

Oh, that was right. They apparently were acquainted with Yukina. Had she not told them of her second roommate?

"I remember now: You guys know Yukina, don't you? See? It'll be a great way to see her again."

Kurama was already convinced and took out a textbook. Yusuke stood scowling before her, the next warrior in the ring. What could she say to make him do it?

Keiko thought for a minute, looking down at her math homework. She didn't have the slightest clue what would make him agree to something. Then again, maybe she did.

Nothing.

Keiko sighed and fiddled with a pencil. There had to be something he wanted…food. Yes, that was ingenious! Kazuma never passed up a good meal.

"I'll give you my serving of ramen for the rest of the week if you go, Yusuke," She said.

He looked slightly more interested. "On two conditions,"

"Yes?"

"The first is that no one hears about this,"

What was with men and their pride? "And the second?" Keiko asked, remembering the first condition.

He gave a slight smile. "I want two weeks worth of your ramen,"

Keiko nodded in agreement. It was only food, after all. "Pleasure doing business with you,"

She could see his mind stirring with the thought of all those noodles in his possession and smiled. She felt all-powerful, making these alliances. Keiko felt now as if the class president title was almost within her grasp.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

She opened the door into the art room on Sunday morning, accompanied by Botan and Yukina, who were trailing behind her. Keiko flipped on the lights, one by one, to illuminate the small room. Satisfied, they trekked further inside.

Yukina had an art class and quickly remembered where to find the large poster board. Botan also took an art class and found the pencils and coloring pencils in another drawer. She gave Yukina a pencil and the second year girl immediately began drawing the posters.

She sat next to Keiko. "Do you really think we're going to get much done with one person doing all the drawing?" Botan asked.

Keiko looked at her roommate, wide-eyed. "You have a point, but are we any good at drawing?"

Botan shrugged. "We'll find out."

They picked up two pencils and two sheets of poster board and got to work. Keiko knew she wasn't much of an artist, but her self-portrait wasn't too horrible for a silly campaign poster. Botan, next to her, was smiling and laughing as she drew a much better version of Keiko.

"You're really talented," said Keiko, staring more closely at the poster.

"Oh, no, I'm not," Botan answered, "There are a plenty of better students in the art program,"

Keiko sighed and went back to her poster, which wasn't coming along quite as well. She finished her head and hat and began to draw her neck.

There was a knock on the door and Keiko began to get up, but she saw Yukina walking for the door. The short girl opened it and ducked behind, peering her head out cutely. Her eyes widened and she broke into a big smile. "Yuu-kun, Shuu-kun! What a pleasant surprise!"

Yusuke forced a smile as Kurama greeted Yukina. "We've been recruited by Keiko for the job of coloring," he said.

"Well right this way, Prince of the Castle," Yukina responded, leading the boys to some spots across from the three ladies. Botan saw Kurama being escorted and hid her head behind an upright poster.

Keiko laughed, turning to her. "You know he didn't mind your incident at all,"

Botan sighed and hunched over. "It doesn't change that I'm embarrassed,"

The conversation died from that moment and Keiko moved her lips into a pout. She wasn't sure how to act with so many people surrounding her. She'd only had one or two peers at all of her parties, and now…four.

Botan put the poster board down and simply focused both of her eyes on the table and her drawing. She drew feverishly, occasionally glancing at Yusuke, who seemed slightly amused. "Is she always this crazy?" He asked Keiko.

Keiko looked up from her own poster. "No," she answered flatly.

He looked at her as though he didn't believe her, but didn't say anything. No one but Yukina seemed to be in a good mood.

A few moments later, Keiko and her roommates were done with their sketches and handed off the posters to Yusuke and Kurama, Keiko taking the last. Botan and Yukina took out two more sheets of poster board and the cycle began. A sudden silence swept the art room as well.

It seemed to last for hours: Constant coloring, drawing, handing off, but no conversation, no talking, no laughing. Yukina was lost in her own world of art, Botan was trying to do anything but make eye contact with Kurama, who gave her a few long stares now and then. Yusuke seemed to be muttering curses to himself, while Keiko observed them all in quick glances.

It had only been forty-five minutes, however, when the peace ended.

Yusuke looked up from his current poster to Keiko. "You know…" he began, "You haven't bribed me yet to vote for you."

Keiko glanced at him, finding the statement peculiar. "Should I have to bribe you? Aren't we friends?"

"I'm too lazy to vote," he said, "But if I get something for the deed, I'll do it,"

Keiko sighed. "And what is it that you want?"

Yusuke smirked at her, putting down his colored pencil. "How about one free pass for blowing up your skirt?"

I should have seen that coming, Keiko thought, picking up a colored pencil and hurling it in his direction, where it hit the middle of his forehead and bounced off under the table. He sat froze for a minute, but then went under the table to retrieve the pencil.

"Is that how you want to play?" He asked mockingly, holding the pencil as though it were a machine gun. "Well, I can play that way too, sister!" Yusuke hurled the pink pencil in her direction and took out a whole box of colored pencils, getting ready to fire them at Keiko.

She was laughing now, at the delight of it all, throwing pencils back and forth, while the other three in attendance sat and laughed. It didn't take long for them to pick up their own boxes of pencils and make it a five-way Pencil War, pinks and greens and oranges and blacks flying across the tables and bodies diving in the fray to retrieve their ammo. Five minutes into the war, Yusuke made alliances that he used just for one cheap shot at his "ally", which resulted in a boatload of pencils thrown at his head. For a small time, Keiko lay in between the tables, picking up lost ammo and hurling them from her spot on the floor. Everyone attacked everyone, sometimes picking favorite victims to continuously bombard, and then they decided to stop. This was at the point where they probably had five hundred pencil dents in their foreheads.

Keiko looked down at the posters, a goofy smile still on her face. "Do you think they're okay?" she asked.

Kurama examined the poster he had just finished coloring when the war started and held it up, laughing. Dots and dashes of various colors were scattered across the page. "I think it's rather artistic," he said.

"I agree," Botan added, "People will think you have a creative mind, Keiko,"

"But what about the other posters?" questioned Yukina. "They don't have the marks on them,"

Keiko laughed, bringing over the posters finished before the Pencil War. She put them in spots on the boys' table. "Well, who wants some target practice for the next Pencil War?"

Little did she know, the next Pencil War was only two short minutes away.

With another one hundred dents in each of their foreheads, the newly formed group walked down the hallway to the female dormitories. It was safe to say that after trying to murder one another with sharp colored pencils that each was satisfied.

Keiko observed that Yusuke was smiling, truly smiling when he announced to the hall, "That…was…the most fun…I have had in a long time!"

The rest of the group nodded eagerly in agreement. "I mean," said Yusuke, "What other time can I chuck a million pencils at Kurama's head without getting yelled at by some crazy-ass teacher?" Kurama looked slightly annoyed at the last part of the sentence.

"Yeah," added Botan, "I think I know my way around the school a little better from hanging up the posters,"

All of them being new to the school, they nodded once again. "Next weekend we should get a pass and go into town," Yukina suggested.

"What's in the town?" Keiko asked.

"Who knows?" said Botan, "But we'll soon find out, ne?"

"I'm all for that," The group said, in slight unison. There was a small silence.

"I suppose we're some sort of posse now," Kurama mused.

"If we all agree on it," said Yukina. "Don't friends need rules?"

"Like having to vote for friends in school elections?" Keiko asked, teasingly.

"Hey! I'm voting for you after that hella good party!" retorted Yusuke.

"The only real rule is always support and trust," Botan said to the others. The group fell silent again, for reasons Keiko couldn't explain to herself. Was this a hard idea for Yusuke and Kurama, perhaps? But…Yukina wasn't saying anything either, and Botan had trailed off. Keiko realized she also wasn't speaking a word.

Trust. Was it a hard concept for all of them to trust others? Maybe they were worried that the others would betray their trust. Keiko didn't know which, or both, but she knew something concerning that word bothered her. She didn't want it to. She could trust them…couldn't she?

Was it the former, support? She always tried her best to give a shoulder for tears, and while sometimes it wasn't enough, she was trying. Were they all weak? Was there something they all hid? Possibly. Keiko hadn't told anyone about her parents yet. Maybe they had secrets too, just as dark as hers. Maybe, she thought, shuddering, maybe even darker.

She wanted to speak, but her voice box shut off. She pushed her words out and they came. "Well…obviously those are odd concepts for us all, ne? Maybe we couldn't do it before, but we can do it now."

They exchanged glances between one another nervously, but that faded soon. Keiko noticed they had stopped, right by their dormitory door.

"Yup," said Botan, with an ear-to-ear grin, "We're a quintet now!"

Kurama smiled at her. "Agreed,"

Yukina nodded, "Just what we all need!" Keiko and Yusuke gave out "hmm"s in agreement.

Botan opened the door. "I guess this is goodnight," she said.

"Until dinner," Kurama added, the same tone when he remarked about Botan's "exotic looks". Keiko shuddered.

"Yes," She whispered, ushering in Keiko and Yukina and then shutting the door quickly. Botan speedily walked into the bathroom, closing the door with a slam.

Keiko and Yukina exchanged looks. "I'm not so sure this newborn quintet will last for long," Keiko commented.

Yukina shook her head. "Trust me: We'll do anything to keep it alive, for our own sake,"

Keiko cocked her head in confusion. "Who's 'we'?"

"All of us," said Yukina, "We all have a desperate air around us,"

"You really think so?"

Yukina nodded. "Some not as strong as others, but it's still present,"

Keiko gave a confused smile. Whether Yukina was correct or crazy, she knew it was going to take a lot more than a few Pencil Wars to hold the budding friendships together.

End Chapter 8

Katie's Note: The wait won't happen again. Blame writer's block, laziness, Christmas fics, and more laziness.

As for my personal opinion on this chapter, it was a fun one to write, from the Pencil Wars to Keiko and Yukina's observation that they are all desperate. It truly was very fun. Quality, I don't know, it's not wonderful but it's not horrible. And at this point, I really don't care: I'm just happy I finished the chapter before I left for Florida. I didn't want to delay another week.

So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and Happy anything else you might celebrate.

Until my next update…WHAT? Federer didn't get Sportsman of the Year? And lost out to a player on the Pure Evil Patriots? This calls for desperate measures! Gather an army to attack Foxborough! I will have revenge!