Hey everyone, EveryNever here! Welcome to my first fanfic and the first chapter in A Gal's Life. Just as a little beginning note to you guys, I have only watched the first season of Gals! (episodes 1-26) so my fic won't involve anything that happened in the series after those episodes. Yeah, I have read some summaries for what happens in the second season but I don't believe those summaries really do the series justice, so this is the way its going to be.
Disclaimer: Don't own Gals! Never have, never will.
And now with out further ado….
Chapter 1: Hot Days, Hateful Ceilings, and Aya's Outer Space Adventure
Had summer days always been like this? It was so hot and dry, that any water that even dared to go within a foot of the burning cement seemed to nearly burst into flames. Pretty much everyone was affected by this heat. Shibuya was moving in slow motion and not many were on this usually busy city's streets today. Mothers with their children's fingers, sticky from melted ice cream locked in their sweaty hands tried their best to get inside, someplace with air conditioning, but seemed to have lost the strength to do so. The children barely spoke, too overheated to even complain. A lone dog whined, its fur bringing too much discomfort to stand, as it searched for what little shade might be left in this desolate city.
"HACHIIIIII!" Ran whimpered as she slowly dragged herself over to her stone companion. "What am I supposed to do Hachi! You and your master probably had days like this, where the heat was just too much! Tell me what to do or I'll die! I will really roll over and die! Do you want that Hachi? No you don't, you're my only real friend in the world aren't you. I NEED SOME FOOD AND WATER DAMMIT! HELP ME HACHI!"
Miyu sighed as she watched her friend's pathetic monologue from a safe distance, "Ran, what is Miyu supposed to do with you? You wouldn't happen to have a bit of money on you to treat our little spoiled princess here to a meal would you Aya?"
"No, sorry but I'm broke now, I just spent the last of my money getting a couple records I've been wanting." Aya shook her head as she watched Shibuya's #1 Gal attract the attention of more and more of the few people still on the streets.
"Was it the records you liked, or the guy that was selling them to you?" Miyu teased her friend, elbowing her playfully.
Aya blushed even redder in the summer heat. "I umm.. well, you see-"
Aya's nervous stuttering was interrupted by Ran's wild screaming. She had finally managed to crawl up to Hachiko and had flung her arms around the stone dog. As we already know; today was a VERY hot day and guess what happens to stone statues on hot days? Yeah, they get VERY hot too, as Ran has probably learned by now.
"OWWWW!" Ran screeched. "Hachi you traitor! Even you have turned against me!"
As she crumpled, utterly defeated, to the ground, her puddle of tears started sizzling on the sidewalk like a bunch of fried eggs.
"We really need to do something to stop Ran from causing anymore of a ruckus." Aya said hastily trying to change the subject.
"Oh! Look its Otohata and Second Place!" Miyu pointed to the two fashionably dressed guys sipping a couple sodas on a park bench nearby.
Before either of the girls could head over to ask for help the cheerful, blonde haired one glanced over toward the commotion going on over by the statue of Hachiko. As soon as he saw what (or should I say, who) was the center of attention he was immediately on his feet hurrying toward the scene.
"Ran! What's wrong!" Yuuya hovered over her, concerned.
"Second Place? ... Second Place! You're just the guy I've wanted to see! I'm saved!" Ran's unfathomable depression had just vanished in an instant and was replaced with an ever-widening Cheshire cat grin.
"I-I am?" Yuuya stuttered, eyes widening in surprise. "Really Ran? I'm so-"
As he started smile she again started to speak, "Buy me some food and a few drinks will you? I'm starving, what about you? I'm so happy you came along when I was so hungry like this Second Place. Come on, there's no time to waste, there's so much food just waiting to be eaten out there!"
Without giving him any time to protest, she dragged him and his wallet over to the nearest restaurant. Yuuya's smile had all but been completely replaced with a look of disappointment. As he was dragged past his friend Rei, still calmly sipping his drink on the bench, all he got was a look from his friend that he knew from many past experiences meant, "What were you expecting idiot?"
"Mmmm!" Ran gulped down her food like there would be no tomorrow. "This has got to be one of the best hamburgers I've ever tasted! I owe you one Second Place."
"I'm glad you're feeling better Ran." Yuuya gave her a smile; his spirits had again lifted just because he was near her. "You looked like you were about to die out there."
As he finished talking Yuuya couldn't help but look at Ran. Everything about her seemed so amazing to him. She seemed more like a goddess than a human. He knew her long, slender legs were stretched lazily out under the table because (he blushed) her sandal kept lightly brushing against his shin. Her clothes were top notch, as always, he knew her short-sleeved, pink turtleneck and jean skirt were probably in the height of fashion at the moment, but the main thing that he cared about wasn't the fashion, it was just the fact that they looked so darn cute on her! No matter what she says, pale skin suits her, and he was glad she can never seem to get a tan. Today her hair was let down, with her curls just touching her bare shoulders as her red streak glimmered in the sunlight. 'Only a couple bites more until she finishes her food.' He half thought to himself as he watched her fork as it traveled from her plate to her mouth. His gaze stopped on her ruby red lips. The lipstick she had on looked really nice today. Mesmerized, he watched the two lips move, up and down, up and down. It was as if those lips were hypnotizing him, putting under a some sort of hazy spell, he couldn't get his eyes to wander away, he was entranced. He was-
"I SAID SECOND PLACE! HELLO! ANYONE HOME!" Yuuya just realized Ran was nearly screaming at him and jumped up in surprise banging his knee against the merciless, metal table.
"AH!" Yuuya grimaced and bit his lip as the traces of a bruise were already making themselves known on that same knee. As his mind came all the way back to reality with this unwelcome present of pain, Yuuya suddenly realized this table had the curious eyes of nearly half of the restaurant, while the other half studiously eyed their food or the wall or anywhere that wasn't anywhere near where he and Ran sat.
"You all right Second Place? I don't think it's a good idea to duke it out with the table because I'm pretty sure you'd lose." Ran laughed as she watched her friend try to gain what was left of his mauled dignity, completely oblivious to the stares aimed at her from the other tables. This was what she liked best about the guy sitting across from her. He could always seem to make her laugh without trying to, no matter how down she had been feeling before. His little "bunny dance" was something that would get her on the floor laughing anytime she thought of it. Her depressing talk with Hachi and the summer heat were all but forgotten as she noticed him sinking lower and lower into his seat. With a grin she decided to finally break the heavy silence that seemed to be absolutely killing #2. "Are you going to finish that?" She pointed her fork to the nearly untouched remains of Yuuya's burger.
"Um… y-yeah! Help yourself Ran." He half laughed, half sighed as the atmosphere in the restaurant nearly returned to normal thanks to her. Still unable to calm down his frenzied nerves Yuuya jerked out of his seat like an unmanned pogo stick. "I'll go and pay the bill while you finished the rest of that."
He gave her a quick smile and started walking with sporadic steps towards the front of the restaurant, not even getting halfway to his destination before one of his drunken steps landed his already damaged knee straight against the table of a booth occupied by a pleasant looking elderly couple. Hopping on his undamaged leg, Yuuya held his throbbing appendage with one hand while trying to mop up the coffee that spilled all over the food of the old man with a napkin he grabbed from the table with his other hand, all the while apologizing to that poor guy whose lunch he'd completely ruined and the woman who by the look on her face he guessed he had very likely nearly scared to death. If there was a shovel around, Yuuya knew he would use it to dig a hole right through the floor of this restaurant, then he would crawl in it and never face the light of day again, living on the table scraps people who pitied him would throw down to who they now called the "crazy boy in the hole who nearly killed (whatever that lady's name was)." Sadly, Yuuya did not have a shovel and he knew that even if he did manage to dig himself a hole, Ran would drag him out of it, if only so he would pay for her food.
Ran who was watching poor Second Place while finishing the last of his food was having the time of her life, laughing and inhaling hamburger at the same time. She never thought she would get this much enjoyment out of someone's pain and utter embarrassment as much as she was now.
"It's just too hot to do anything these days." Rei muttered to himself while he still lounged on the bench sipping the last of his drink. "I don't know how Yuuya does it, running after that crazy girl all around Shibuya in this heat." All he could do was sigh as he watched his friend get dragged off by Ran.
"Otohata." he turned his head to see Aya walk slowly towards him. "G-good afternoon."
"Oh, hello Hoshino." Rei nonchalantly replied as he threw his drink into a trashcan next to her. "I think the heat is getting to you, your face is all red. Sit down here if you want, part of this bench is in the shade."
"T-thanks, I will." Aya blushed an even deeper shade of crimson.
And then, there was silence. Every few seconds Aya would glance at Rei as she sat on the bench, then quickly look away. Her companion just relaxed, gazing into space. Even though Aya felt tense and nervous, she also felt amazingly content just being near the one she loved. Soon, though, the silent moments were broken by a yell.
"RAN! I'M SORRY I'M LATE, DON'T BE ANGRY!" Tatsukitchi zoomed past the sitting couple, (well, now one of them wasn't exactly sitting) sprinting towards the stone dog like his life depended on it. "I NEVER MEANT TO BE... Ran?" he stopped, looked around and found his girlfriend nowhere in sight. "Oh no! She must have gotten mad and left! Ran, baby, I'm so sorry!"
Miyu (who was relaxing on the other side of the park, trying to give Rei and Aya some alone time) could only watch as yet another crowd of people gathered around Hachiko in the sweltering heat to watch this guy make a fool of himself.
"Tatsukitchi!" the voice stopped the Monkey Boy's bubble of apologies in their tracks as he spun around to the voice.
"Ran is that you?" he stared ecstatic at the girl rushing over to him. "So you didn't leave after all I'm so glad I-"
"Ran Kotobuki has arrived!" ignoring his apologies she went on, "What the hell were you just doing?"
"You just got here?" he sighed with relief.
"God, I was only a little late. Now get me some food will you? I'm so hungry!"
"And with that, another man's cash goes down Ran's bottomless stomach." Miyu sighed as she watched Ran drag Tatsukitchi this time to the cafe next to the one she went to with Second Place. "Well, it looks like Miyu is no longer needed here so she will go visit Yamato in his police box!" she smiled a quaint little smile and walked to where the love of her life was waiting.
"Now, now Ran…" Tatsuki pleaded with everything he had. "Do you have to order this much baby girl? You know I'd do anything for you but my wallet isn't exactly bursting with yen and I don't think I can pay for all that"
"Come on Monkey Boy. I'm your girlfriend, find some way to pay for this or what good are you to me?" Ran was nearly drooling over a few burgers that had passed by their table.
He sighed and took a whinier tone, "Ran, sometimes I think you love food more than you care about me! How about this?" He again completely changed tones, this time to something a little more, well, suggestive. "I'll get you anything you want and in return you give me a kiss."
"This isn't a subsidate, you perv." She gave him a light punch and then turned to the waitress softly clearing her throat who had been patiently, extremely annoyed but still patiently waiting. "I'll have everything on this side of the menu here, and all the appetizers down to here!"
"Yes Miss, your order will be here soon." And with that the waitress sped off with an almost inhuman speed, free of her annoying customers.
As soon as their waitress high tailed it away from their table Tatsuki leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, putting on an endless grin, "The Gods of para para and love have each brought me their amazing gifts I will always, always treasure. My Ran, you are what the Gods of love have given and I love, love, love you! And today.…" he paused for dramatic effect and leaned even further towards Ran as his elbow was poked by her fork, "the Gods of para para gave another gift to my undeserving self, that of course cannot rival you but is still something I just can't help but ook with joy over! What I have been…." Tasuki trailed off, noticing his girlfriend wasn't listening to him at all. "Ran?" He sighed giving up as his head made the long journey back to rest on the between his elbows at his side of the table. This important news would have to wait no matter how much he wanted to tell his Ran-pyon.
Free of her duties as customer, Ran had leaned back against the fluffy, bouncy softness that was the back of her booth, half listening to Monkey Boy go on about something about Gods. Had he found himself a religion? She bet he had joined some cult worshipping para para and monkeys. As she stretched out her feet and put her arms behind her head she found herself with a clear view of the ceiling. As most all who know her know, Ran has an attention span that's not even half the length of the skirts she wears and after Tasukitchi had gone into about a sentence of is ill-fated speech Ran's mind was far away. It wasn't anything special, but she found it somehow relaxing to run her gaze over the cracks in the peeling beige paint above her. She wasn't much of a deep thinker, but Ran couldn't help but wonder how many other people had been here before her, in this very same spot. Then her mind wandered to what foods they must have eaten. They might have eaten foods that this restaurant doesn't serve now! Some type of delicious burger or pasta dish that she would never get to try!
"DAMN THOSE LUCKY BASTARDS!" Ran jumped up and yelled at the ceiling with a vengeance.
"Ran sweets, what's the matter?" Tatsuki ookied to her side, trying in vain to understand and calm her sudden animosity towards a seemingly harmless and defenseless ceiling
Completely unwilling to be soothed Ran turned tail and started stomping with gargantuan steps towards the exit. A befuddled Tatsuki went to follow but was stopped in his tracks by a hand roughly yanking the back of his shirt.
No, it's not that she wasn't a nice girl. She seemed like your average, fun loving gal somewhere in her twenties or so. Her looks didn't leave much room for criticism, with her thin, nicely curved body, and her nut brown, silky hair that brushed lightly against her back in her neat ponytail as she walked, leaving her bangs to aggressively settle themselves along her petite forehead. Maybe she had gotten in a fight with her boyfriend, maybe it was her "time of the month", or maybe she just couldn't stand waiting on idiotic customers like this dark skinned excuse for a monkey she had clenched in her talons. Well, whatever it was, Tatsukitchi would most likely never know. All he had time to process in that brain of his was that this waitress had completely snapped.
With a malicious glint in her bedraggled eyes she slowly spoke, "Sir, I believe you still have a bill to pay."
Tatsuki could only nod in complete fear for his soul, when he hastily counted up the money he believed he was giving to the devil's reincarnation, though suddenly he stopped short.
"What seems to be the problem sir?" the murderous glint had spread from her eyes to her taunt smile giving her the look of a lion about to pounce for the kill.
"Well, it's pretty funny actually." The Monkey Boy hopped from foot to foot as he gave an attempt at a cheery laugh. "I don't seem to have enough money to pay for this, ook ook. Isn't that the craziest thing?" As his eyes slowly traveled back to her face his laughter dried up like a lone ice cube on Mars at the height of August. "Are there any dirty plates around here?" he started praying for life as she took a chilling step toward him…
As Aya sat on the bench next to Rei, she felt more and more at peace in the silence they shared. All thoughts of making a conversation were long gone as a dreamy smile crept onto her lips, accenting the light blush that never left her cheeks.
It was about this moment that Monkey Boy decided to make his entrance and about this moment where Aya's blissful reverie ended. As Tatsuki shot by them, late for his date with Ran, his yell brought Aya straight back into reality with a bang. Like an echo to the previous yell, Aya screamed herself, leaping into the air and the crashing into something before tumbling down, down, down, like a runaway log on a tilted ice rink. Suddenly, in a mess of tangled limbs, Aya came to a stop.
"You okay?"
"Y-yes, I'm alright, I'm perfectly fine." Aya smiled weakly and tried unsuccessfully to banish the light-headedness that had come just after she had landed back on Earth. Yeah, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had jumped all the way through the Earth's atmosphere and circled the planet once before falling back down on her side of the bench. Wait… this wasn't the bench…
"Then will you kindly get off me now?"
Aya's head snapped down to see, not a bench, but Rei Otohata instead. When she jumped off the bench she must have locked onto Rei and sent him tumbling with her down the small, grassy hill on the other side of their seat. His hair was a mess, full of grass and leaves, and his clothes looked like that had been used in place of paper in an origami class. She embarrassedly noted she was probably in a similar condition, but suddenly discovered something even more unsettling. She was lying on top of, no, nearly straddling her current crush next to one of the most traveled paths in the park. She flew up, again, to what she believed must have been the depths of outer space and then flew back down landing a couple feet away from Rei in a matter of seconds.
"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to do that! When Tatsukitchi came by and yelled like that I was just so…" Aya rambled, teary eyed until Rei finally spoke.
"It's fine Hoshino, it's fine. Like you said, you didn't do it on purpose, so don't worry about it." Rei looked at Aya with an expression the girl couldn't even begin to fathom.
For a few moments they both stared at each other in complete silence. Aya found herself lost in those unreadable eyes of his. It was as if his unrelenting stare could freeze her very soul while melting it into butter at the same time. A nearby snicker brought her back to reality this time and she realized where she was and what this must look like. She jumped to her feet, her cheeks an even deeper crimson.
"Ah, um, I'm really sorry about this. I-I have to go, I promised Miyu I would do something for her, yeah." She again rambled on while hurriedly backing away. "Well… goodbye!" with that, she dashed off, now oblivious to this day's never-ending waves of heat.
"Something for Yamazaki, huh." Rei watched her retreating figure with that same expression, now sitting up. He grabbed a seemingly unused napkin that was flitting around on the grass next to him in the weak breeze, beginning to fan himself with it. "Everyone seems to have so much energy these days. How they all can sprint around in this heat is still completely beyond my comprehension."
"Achoo!"
"Are you okay Miyu? Are you coming down with a cold? Maybe you should go home early and rest!"
"Miyu is feeling perfectly fine Yamato. This is the first time Miyu sneezed all day. Besides, even if Miyu was sick, being here with you would be the best medicine." She smiled happily in the silence that followed, as she watched her now flustered officer shuffle through some of his papers.
"Reiiiiiiii."
The napkin he was currently using to lazily fan himself stopped for a moment in mid-swing as he heard the unmistakable, whiney voice coming straight from behind him, but started up fanning again as quickly as it had stopped. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen this coming. As he turned around to face that overemotional, romantic sop of a friend of his, his fan never stopped again. Instead, he nearly couldn't help but laugh, which is something Rei Otohata never, EVER does. Yuuya was staring down at Rei (who still hadn't moved an inch since his 'close encounter' with Aya) with a look only a dejected puppy could ever quite master. A waterfall of tears cascaded down his cheeks, but evaporated in this undying heat before they could even reach the ground. Just below his self-made sauna was a knee that looked pretty close to the size of Mount Everest, spouting all the colors of the rainbow. In his trembling, clenched fist, he was strangling a napkin that seemed to have absorbed some unknowing innocent's lunch and then whatever they had already had for breakfast along with it. The laugh Rei managed to hold in, but he couldn't hide the bemused smile that took hold of his face.
"Reiiiiiii." Yuuya's countenance seemed to grow more pitiful by the second, if that was even possible. "They were all staring like I was some kind crazy drunkard… and… and that woman nearly died… and the coffee…" He suddenly stopped, and started walking slowly towards his friend and leaned down until he was nearly swapped by the fanning napkin. In a final spurt of energy, he finished his story, "And Ran… she…", with that, he slumped to the ground, resting his head against Rei's leaf-covered back, whimpering.
"So, let me get this straight," Rei sighed and got to his feet, heading toward his motorcycle close by, while dragging his bedraggled friend along with him, "You got drunk, so you nearly killed Ran with coffee." He looked back at his friend who was off in his 'the-world-is-ending-because-I-did-something-idiotic -like-I-always-do-in-front-of-Ran -that-I-think-will-make-her-hate-me-but-she-most-likely-forgot-about-it-four-seconds-later stage', as Rei likes to call it, and had most likely not heard a word he had said or even noticed how closely Rei now resembles a bush.
"I'll ask again later if I feel particularly insane at that moment." He sighed again as he nearly threw the limp Yuuya onto his motorcycle before getting on himself. "Well, on the bright side, if I get charged as an accomplice to an attempted murder of an unbelievably annoying kogal at least I'll know who to blame."
And that's the end of chapter one! Yay! You know what I would love? I would love love love reviews! As I already said before, this is my first fanfiction work, so I have no idea what the readers (you) will think of my writing style. Tell me how I'm doing so I can improve and make the next chapter more interesting to all of you out there. Flamers welcome as long as they give me some constructrive criticism!
I hope you'll stay tuned for chapter two, here's a teaser for ya.
An excerpt from Chapter 2: When Study Sessions Go Horribly Wrong…
The room was soon quiet again, except for the turning of a page or an occasional moaning noise from Ran. Aya had moved on to her English homework and placed her math homework in her now quite large "finished pile". Miyu was concentrating her history reading. She had her tongue sticking out, barely touching her top lip, as it always did when she was thinking hard; the harder she thought, the further her tongue stuck out. Ran watched that tongue a lot during exams; it always gave her a good laugh. Ran herself hadn't even started a single assignment, like her friends had noted earlier. There was still one week left until school started up again, so she could still put it off for a little while longer until her parents got into the picture. Now, she stole another glance at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed and Ran Kotobuki had had enough. She glanced at her two homework-absorbed friends, smirked, and decided on a different tactic.
