"A Different Kind of Love" (Chapter 1 – Doushite?)

THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED 10-18-08

UPDATES 10-17-08: Okay, so I know I haven't updated this story in a LOONNGGGG time, and I doubt people are still actually reading this, but lately I've been wanting to finish up this fanfic once and for all. Especially considering how I would feel if a story I liked never had an ending, and I had already put too much work in the first 4 chapters to just give up on it.

After rereading this story, I noticed how embarrassingly inaccurate and totally WRONG my Japanese was back then. A lot of the Japanese phrases don't even make sense! So I got rid of most of them, and added a little more punctuation where necessary. There is still some Japanese phrases in here, so PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know if they are wrong! Translations are found in the parenthesis (?).

I also changed the title from "The Past Has No Place in My Heart" to "A Different Kind of Love" because I felt that the previous title didn't suit the new direction that I wanted this fanfic to take. The entire story has been slightly revamped, but the pre-existing chapters haven't been changed much, since the real changes are in the later parts of the story that I haven't uploaded. I still recommend that you reread the updated version of the old chapters to avoid confusion.

I will be editing and finishing the rest of the story soon. Also, comments, questions and suggestions are welcomed. Please don't be a butthole though.

- Lots of love, Crissie

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SUPERGALS!


LIGHT

"Mmmmm…" Sunshine shone brightly on the bed of a beautiful young girl. Her name was Aya Hoshino. She flickered her eyes and opened them slowly, not fully awake yet, until her alarm went off. 9:00 am: time to wake up.

"Oh yeah," She remembered as she sat up "I'm going out with Ran and the others today." With her head still ringing, she tumbled into the shower and took a long, hot bath.

"I can't wait! It's been so long since we've been out together."

Final exams had just ended and now the top gals of Shibuya were ready to rock and roll. A nice outfit, comfy shoes, and a cute bag that held all her GAL essentials. She even found all of her accessories right where she expected them to be.

"This is going to be great!" she told herself happily as she headed outside and fetched a cab to take her to the rendezvous.


"Who the hell isn't here yet?!" demanded a whiny, booming voice, which undeniably belonged to only one person: The self-proclaimed ruler of Shibuya, Ran Kotobuki. Though the teena was pretty, she had a terrible temper and it was often best to do things her way. Unless of course, you want a high-heeled boot in your face.

"Ran! Don't be so noisy! We're in public for crying out loud. People can hear you!" a pretty young blonde told her, as she looked around the entrance to the mall, searching for the familiar faces in question.

"Put a sock in it Miyu! I don't want to wait and you know it." Ran stubbornly replied with her tongue sticking out. Miyu couldn't help but giggle each time Ran did that. Her immaturity was just as pleasant sometimes as it was annoying.

"I think we're all here… Wait, where's Aya? We're missing Aya." Yuuya said.

"And Tatsuki." Ran added.

Yuuya scowled. Tatsuki Kuroi wasn't exactly his favourite person in the world. It wasn't because of anything that Tatsuki had done to Yuuya, but because Yuuya was jealous of him. The 2nd place magazine Grand Prix winner had been crushing on Ran much longer than Tatsuki, but the "monkey-boy" had won Ran's heart so simply, that it was quite painstaking compared to Yuuya's numerous failed attempts (most of them unwittingly foiled by Ran herself) at wooing Shibuya's queen. But just as Tatsuki was oblivious to Yuuya's hostile feelings toward him, Ran was completely unaware that Yuuya Asou had fallen madly in love with her.

"How long is this going to take?" a cool, smooth and irritated voice demanded.

Rei Otohata wasn't the type who enjoyed going out, and the fact that he is usually forced into having fun, doesn't make him an agreeable person most of the time. He thinks talk is pointless, yet when he does speak, you'll probably wish he hadn't. He always maintains a cool and calm presence (to the point of being emotionless), but only because he doesn't care about things enough to let it bother him. Yet despite all his less-than-desirable personality traits, he had looks that were to would die for (as shown and told in every teenage magazine), had won 1st prize in a Grand Prix contest and has hundreds of fan girls taking every possible opportunity to ambush him for his autograph. If anything, his "Cool As A Cucumber" persona just added even more spice to his hot plate.

"How long are we going to keep standing here doing nothing?" he repeated, still annoyed "I still can't believe I let you talk me into this stupid gimmick, Yuuya."

Ran's face started to look equally annoyed at Rei, and upon seeing this, Yuuya immediately replied:

"Calm down Rei! I'm sure they'll be here soon. Loosen up a bit! You'll have fun this time, I promise!"

At that, Rei gave his friend a look that told him this definitely wasn't the case. Yuuya knew that in Rei's P.O.V. (point of view), anything that involved Ran Kotobuki was either pointless or troublesome. But before he could say anything, a yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them and Aya stepped out.

"Aya-chan! You made it!" Ran said in a cheerful tone "Let's go then!"

"Wait Ran, aren't you going to wait for Tatsuki?" Miyu reminded her.

"Neh? Oh yeah, he'll just have to catch up with us then. I'm sure he knows that he can't keep me waiting. C'mon, we don't have all day!" Ran replied cheerfully as she led the way into the mall. No one argued. They knew it would be pointless anyway.


The mall was pretty crowded, with teenagers, families and children going in all sorts of directions. You probably couldn't even walk one floor without bumping into someone at least a couple of times. But the girls were pretty used to it. This kind of energy could only be found in a lively place like Shibuya, and that's why they loved it. There was always something exciting going on, always something cute to buy and always a reason to celebrate. A total GAL paradise!

About 15 minutes later, they found Tatsuki on the 3rd floor, fumbling around like a lost kid. And a few more shops afterward, everyone heard a loud growl.

"Geez, I'm starving!" Ran commented, placing her hand on her stomach, as everyone (except Rei) laughed. What else was new?

As they headed for the nearest Ramen restaurant, Miyu bumped into a somewhat tall young lady and fell onto the floor.

"Gomen nasai! I wasn't looking where I was going..." Miyu apologized as she tried to get up when suddenly the tall girl reached her hand out to help her. (Sorry)

"Iie, It was my fault. Daijoubu?" she asked. (No, it was my fault. Are you okay?)

"Eli-san?" Rei asked in a rather shocked voice. The girl looked up and asked in the same surprised tone: "Rei-kun?"

Everyone looked back and forth between the two and decided that they'd better continue the chitchat INSIDE the restaurant (Ran's furious stomach growling was getting embarrassing).

When they were inside, Aya and Ran ordered the gang some food while Yuuya and Miyu asked how the two knew each other.

"Rei-kun and I were friends back when we were little. We went to a prep school in Osaka together and we were pretty close." Elile said, sliding her arm around Rei's. "But it seems like I've missed a lot these past few years. How've you been Otohata-kun?"

Before Rei could open his mouth, Yuuya answered for him: "He's the Grand Prize winner of this popular magazine contest and that made him some sort of celebrity with girls. But for reasons unknown to the rest of us, he hates the attention and usually spends most of his time hiding from female terrorists bent on getting in his pants!" Yuuya chuckled.

Rei glared at him. But Elile didn't seem to notice.

"Wow, a magazine contest? That sounds incredible! So you're a chick magnet now, eh? Hahaha… My little Aipon is all grown up!" the girl commented jokingly.

Aya glanced at Rei and saw that he had blushed slightly at the other girl's comment. Aya then quickly looked away from him. To see Rei show emotion is pretty rare, and to see him embarrassed was well thought to be impossible – at least until now.

"She even has a pet name for him!" Aya thought to herself "I wonder what she means to Rei? He certainly means a lot to her. But Rei never said anything about… Well of course he wouldn't say anything about that. He'd probably just tell me that it isn't any of my business. And it really isn't any of my business. So why do I feel this way? Something about it doesn't feel right. I don't feel right…"

Aya felt a strange burning down in her stomach, but knew that it wasn't hunger. It felt thicker, stronger, wilder, and even angrier… Anger? She shook her head, trying to shake the feeling away. But as she looked up and saw her friends still hung on the mystery girl's every word, she felt her angriness carving onto her face.

"This is ridiculous." She thought and decided to try and steer the conversation away from this unwelcome stranger. "Ran-" she started to say, but before she could get to the next word – Ran herself interrupted, asking:

"Sorede, onamaewa nandesuka?" (So, what's your name?)

The girl smiled and replied "Elile Tsukino, demo, you can call me Eli-san."

"What a pretty name!" Miyu smiled "I think I've heard it before… Oh yeah! The Chairman of this big boating business has the same last name as you I think…"

"William Tsukino? Yes, well he's my father, actually…" Elile replied modestly.

"MASAKA!! (NO KIDDING!!) So your family has like millions of dollars?! And you're like an heiress? Like Paris Hilton?!" Ran asked, her mouth full of sushi, hanging open in awe.

Aya remained quiet for the rest of the evening while everyone else was too interested in Elile to notice - everyone except Rei. He saw that Aya had distanced herself from the rest of the group and he knew the reason why. But now didn't seem like the time to test that theory.


At the end of the day, Ran yawned saying: "Maa gee, the day's over already! And just when I was getting to know you Eli-san! I hope we see each other again!" she added hopefully.

Aya's face lit up. "That's right! We're never going to see her again. At least not for a long time... Long enough that perhaps by then, me and Rei would be so rock solid that Elile wouldn't bother us the least bit when she comes back." Despite being ashamed of how wrong she was feeling, Aya couldn't help but be happy that Elile was finally leaving.

"I'm really sorry that we have to say goodbye so soon," Elile replied "I was enjoying this so much… Getting new friends, hanging out in Shibuya, seeing Rei again after all these years..."

Aya's thinning cord of patience snapped.

"We have to go now, Ran! We have school in the morning. And I want to go home and study." Everyone looked at Aya with surprised faces.

"But Aya," Miyu said "We don't have school tomorrow, and there's nothing to study because finals just ended. Besides, you yourself told us that you hated studying. Why do you wanna leave so soon?"

"Oh! That's right… Well," Aya stammered "I guess I'm just tired Miyu, the stress from the finals are still hanging over me… And report cards will be coming out soon too. So I guess it's all just wearing me out or something…"

Everyone agreed and said a considerable amount of goodbyes and goodnights to each other before actually parting ways.

As the six started to walk away, Elile called out to them:

"Sayonara, Ran, Miyu, Aya!"

"Goodnight!" Miyu and Ran called back in unison.

"Shizukani!" (Shut up!) Aya muttered under her breath. Rei, who was beside her, heard it and looked at her. She didn't look back. But now he was sure: Aya was jealous.


"Jealous?! Me?! I am so sure! As if I'm jealous! I'm not! Why should I be jealous of her?! Tell me WHY!"

Aya was in her room now, pacing back and forth nervously. Her feelings mixed and boiled as if they were cooking in a saucepan. She never thought that she'd get so jealous, especially considering how well she'd been dealing with her insecurities lately.

I mean, it's not like she'd never pictured Rei wanting another girl. In fact, it's impossible not to when the boy you're in love with has hundreds of groupies that would risk getting murdered, tortured and trampled on by fellow fans just to see him ink some paper – or skin.

But Aya had never felt the same way around Rei's fans the way she felt – and acted – tonight with Elile. There was an undeniable connection between her and Rei. But what kind of connection?

"Why the hell am I so worried about this?!" she thought angrily to herself "They're childhood friends for crying out loud, not the next effing Romeo and Juliet!"

She stopped in the middle of her room and sighed.

"Besides, Elile won't even be around anymore. So I should just stop thinking about her… Stop thinking about her!"

Aya collapsed to her bed, exhausted. She just couldn't convince herself that everything would go back to the way it used to. Dread was making her stomach queasy.

"I have to sleep now… I'm so tired..." And before she could finish her sentence, she was already fast asleep.


"Ohio!" (Good Morning!)

Aya woke up feeling unusually good. The weekend had passed pretty well and now it was time for school – the one place she knew she wouldn't find Elile. She showered, put on her best uniform and styled her hair. She was in a good mood. And soon it was off to school…

There was seemed to be more hustle and bustle in Hounan High school than usual. Something felt different, but Aya dismissed it as paranoia. Nothing would get in the way of her Elile-free day. Besides, it was probably just a new club, new teacher, new Meisho Daichi bag, a new hottie at school, or something like that. No big deal.

When she finally spotted Ran and Miyu, they were busy chatting excitedly with their friends Satsuki and Rie.

"Ran! Miyu! Ohio!" she calls.

"Aya-chan!" Ran says, "We have good news! Koko ni kinasai! (Come here!)"

Ran motions for Aya to come towards them and when she does, she utterly regrets it.

"Aya-chan, look who's here!"

"Hoshino-san! Hisashiburi! (Long time no see!)" a cheerful voice called out. Crap.

"Elile-san! Doushite anata wa koko ni desu ka? (Why are you here?)"

Ran slapped Aya on her back "She's studying here! Apparently, she transferred a few days ago. That's why she was in Shibuya. Isn't that great?!"

Aya didn't answer, but bowed her head instead, causing her long black hair to fall on either sides of her face, hiding her hurt-covered eyes.

Miyu glanced at her friend "Aya, naniga mondai desu ka?? (what's the matter?)"

Aya quickly looked up "E? Umm, I'm fine. I'm r-really glad to see you again Elile-san. So, will you really be studying here from now on?"

"No, it's only temporary." Elile replied "I'm only in town for a few weeks because I'm going to be participating in an upcoming ice skating competition."

Miyu beamed "That's right Aya! Turns out that Tsukino-chan here is an amazing competitive figure skater! She'll be competing in the Indigo Ice Show at MoonGAL mall in about 2-3 weeks."

"Isn't that a one-day only show? Then why are you staying here so long?" Aya tried her best not to show the true feelings behind that question.

"Well the skating program that I have to attend in order to participate is stationed here in Shibuya. And all figure skaters have to have some sort of "official" practice on the rink where the competition is held so that we can kind of get used to it and synchronize our routine according to the size and shape of the ice. Plus my dad doesn't want me to abandon my studies, so he enrolled me for a temporary spot in this school's honour class! Although I'll be a bit busy with training, I'm sure I can find time for us to go out. Especially now that we're in the same honour class together!" Elile smiled at her.

"Ah I see… I can understand if you're too busy to hang out with us, Eli-san. Don't feel as though you're obligated to spend time with us." Aya said, smiling back. "Please."

"Nonsense! I don't feel obligated at all. I really enjoy hanging out with you guys! Oh, and speaking of hanging out, Ran wants us all to go out later. You know, to celebrate my transferring here? I know it's already obvious, but you should come!"

Aya didn't want to have to endure another outing with Elile. "D-demo, I have lots of homework. You know, honour class and all... So I don't think I can go... S-sumimasen. (But… Sorry.)"

Ran slapped her hand on the wall "Geez, Aya will you give yourself a rest?! Studying all the time makes you do crazy things, you know. Besides, the top rule of GALS is not to get a good education, but to have fun, and stick with your friends when they need you. And I NEED you to come celebrate with us!"

"The only reason why you don't think a good education is important is because no matter how good the education is, you still don't learn a thing." Miyu commented sarcastically.

"After all," Ran continued, ignoring Miyu "Otohata-kun and 2nd place are coming too..."

She trailed off suggestively, knowing that if there was one thing that could turn the tables, it would be Rei. Aya pretended to think real hard. But she already knew how she felt. The fact that Rei was coming just made her not want to go even more.

"Naruhodo… I see… Demo iie (But no), I'm not going Ran, that's that."

"Awww, c'mon Aya!" Ran cried out furiously "You can't just ditch me for textbooks and Naka-teach's A+ stamps!" Ran's face immediately turned sad, as she decided to switch tactics "Onegai... Tomodachi... (Please… buddy…) For ME?"

Miyu gave Ran another sarcastic look, then turned to Aya. "Surely you're not going to fall for this little baffoon's lousy acting, now are you?" Miyu gave her a reassuring smile "If you really don't want to go … Sore dewa, watashi wa kamaimasen." (Then, it's okay with me.)

Aya looked at Ran. She couldn't stand the thought of seeing Rei and Elile together again, but neither could she help her natural warm-hearted tendencies. She unwillingly remembered all the things Ran had done for her, what she would have become if her friend hadn't stepped in to save her, and realized sadly that if Ran didn't get her way, her conscience would. It just wasn't fair for her to bring everyone else down, just because she was feeling oversensitive.

"Alright, I'll go." Aya couldn't help but smile reluctantly. At least her friends still wanted her around, despite their fixation on Elile. "I am a SuperGal after all, and we should never back out from anything that the group decides on."

"Yatta!" Ran cheered. As she turned to Miyu, she said "I guess my acting isn't that lousy after all." She stuck her tongue out and suddenly remembered "Oh yeah. Miyu, I called Yamato a while ago and he said he's coming with us too. Geez, it's not like my stupid brother doesn't spend enough time thinking about you!"

"Hontou?" (Really?) Miyu exclaimed instantly looking happier "Arigatou Ran!" (Thank you Ran!)

"Yeah yeah, you can shower me with praise later! It's not like I'd really leave him out anyways." Ran said smugly as she leaned against the wall, raising her palms to support the back of her head.

"Now I can't wait 'till school's over! I can just imagine how much fun this is gonna be with all of us there!" Miyu replied as she smiled brightly at the thought of seeing her boyfriend soon.

"It's not really Yamato who's going to be left out this time…" Aya thought sadly "Demo, doushite watashi ga desu ka?" (But, why does it have to be me?)

"Doushite..."


Well that's the end of Chapter 1 everyone! I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what I'm doing wrong so I can write a bit better in the upcoming Chappies! PS I know MoonGal Mall is the cheesiest name ever, but I made it up a long time ago and I just decided to stick with it LOL. I will be uploading the 2nd Chapter soon, and make sure to watch out for the "THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED ?-?-?" sign at the top of the page to make sure that it's the new one.

Don't forget to review!

- Crissie