Yah, yah. I don't own Azumanga Daioh. I did create all them there boys, although I based them off of a scene in the show itself. If you care, they're the five boys who object to the girl's opinions of Kimura-sensei in episode four.

Ah, but you probably don't. Either way, enjoy!

As always, reviews provide delicious, delicious food for fanfiction writers. Not nearly as delicious as, say, ice cream, but delicious in a metaphorical sense. Ego-fattening reviews. Yeah.

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Marion walked down the street, the same trek he'd been undertaking for the past year and then some. His friends were grouping together some distance away from the school, same as they'd been doing since they were merely freshmen. Routine.

Today, however, was different.

"So, who'd you get?"

Naturally. Boys are boys, after all, and the next morning, each was curious to figure out which of the girls his compatriots would be shooting for. That's just how they are, after all. Curious children, taking their first steps towards becoming men.

Marion looked at his friends and grinned. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled little slip of paper, and held it out for them.

Kagura.

"Kagura! You lucky dog, she's a hottie!" cried out Ken.

"Eheh, it's not like there were any girls in that group who were repulsive, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so, but still! Tanned, cute, athletic, you're a lucky son of a-"

"Let's stop it there."

Of course, it didn't.

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By the time the boys had arrived at school, all manner of lewd discussion had quieted down, lest they embarrass themselves in front of their targets. Marion, for one, was pretty glad of it.

He looked around for Kagura, wondering where she was. Yukari's class always started late, after all, and so he could at least start a conversation with her about... anything, really.

I've got to earn her trust before the day's out, right? She won't go out with me if she thinks that she doesn't know me, so I'll just have to forge a friendship as quickly as possible. To think it would work any other way is silly.

Ah! There she is, sitting with that girl... Ayumu? Kasuga? Osaka? I wonder who got her?

Sho walked up, said something to the two girls, and Osaka got up and went off with him.

No way. It's not that easy.

Marion felt the urge to yell, "Look out! He's a pedo! Peeeedo!" but immediately thought better of it.

Sho's just handed me an opportunity!

He walked up to Kagura, grinning calmly, trying to hide his nervousness. She didn't notice him, of course. She was busy staring after Osaka and Sho. "So, Kagura..." started Marion.

"Ah? Yes, what do you want?"

"Eheh, it seems that our friends over there are trying to elope, or something."

"Yeah... weird."

"You wanna go do some entirely friendly eavesdropping?"

"Mm... Okay. Osaka probably wouldn't notice anyway."

The two stood up and crept closer to Osaka and Sho, trying to look inconspicuous.

"So anyway, we should spark up a conversation here, just so that those two don't notice us sneaking up on them."

"Yeah, yeah," replied the tanned girl. "You're... ah, who are you, again?"

Great start.

"I'm Mar-" started Marion, but he stopped himself when he heard his friend speak.

"So," started Sho, "would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Sho, you fool!

"Hmm... Yeah, alrigh', why not?" answered Osaka.

It's not that easy. No way is it that easy.

Kagura stared, shocked.

Marion stared, shocked.

Sho stared, shocked.

Osaka smiled back at Sho.

Marion looked towards his girl, and figured that he'd best not fall behind right now. "I'm Marion."

"Ah. Wait, isn't that a girl's name? At the very least... it's not very Japanese."

"Erm... You see, my parents... they were obsessed with 'American Culture'. I don't know what it was with them, but they got completely bonkers over the land across the Pacific. They ate American food whenever possible. They learned random phrases in English and started inserting them into their Japanese for some reason that I can't really fathom. Hell, they watch American cartoons and movies too, but only in the original English with Japanese subtitles. My house is filled with like, Superman posters and Looney Tunes stuff. It's really bizzare. You'd think that it'd be cute, but after a while it just becomes obsessive and... I'm actually afraid to have my friends over now."

"Wait, what's that have to do with your name?"

"I'm getting there. Anyway, they really did like those old cowboy movies. You know, the Wild Wild West. The American dream. Rough and tumble cowboys, right? Well, when my mom was pregnant, they decided to name me after a cowboy. The best of the best, apparently. Someone really huge, really important. John Wayne, manliest of men."

"John Wayne isn't exactly Marion, you know."

"Working on it. Anyway, the problem is that they decided to take it even farther. They found out that John Wayne was simply a stage name, and they decided that their son needed to be true to the American spirit, so they did a little bit of research. They found John's real name: Marion."

Why'd I tell her all that? What the hell's wrong with me?

"Wow. That's really... I'm sorry about asking... I didn't mean to open up any thing like that."

"Oh, don't worry too much... Just call me Minoru, please."

"Okay... Minoru." Kagura grinned at him.

Ah! That smile! It's so... I should tell her... Strike while the iron is hot, right Genji?

"Kagura, would yo-" started Marion, but he was interrupted once again.

The door slammed open. "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! CLASS STARTS NOW!" cried Yukari, and that was the end of that.

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Marion only halfway paid attention to Yukari's lecture, thinking about his current situation.

Well, she doesn't seem to dislike me at all, so that's a good start. Then again, I just spilled out the agonies of my entire existence to her, so maybe she was simply being sympathetic. I'll try again at lunch. Yeah, lunch will be the time to ask her. I'll just walk up and say it straight, like Sho.

His gaze settled on his friend, sitting in front of Osaka. Sho noticed him glancing over, grinned, and gave him a thumbs up. Osaka looked over, grinned, and flashed a peace sign.

Showy bastard.

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P.E. came and went, but Kagura was too focused on anything for Marion to make his attempt. Then the lunch bell rang, and he hardened his resolve to ask her out.

He headed for the school building, wandering the halls. He saw Genji walk past him, carrying a little boom-box and humming a tune. He passed by Osaka and Sho, who continued to grin at him. Tomo was also there, simply hanging around, although she seemed to be following Genji from a distance. Lastly, he passed by Ken, standing outside Kimura's classroom. Finally he arrived at Yukari's classroom.

Kagura usually ate in Yukari's classroom, despite the fact that everyone had Kimura after lunch. It was understandable. He turned the corner to Yukari's classroom and saw Kagura sitting there, eating lunch. She was going at a hell of a clip, but she was definitely eating lunch.

With Sakaki.

Damn! Damn damn damn damn! What am I gonna do? The two of them are there together... They'll bolster each other! How am I supposed to ask her out when the other one will be giving me that dirty glare the whole time? What do I do?

Somewhere in the background, a church bell rang out a deep, haunting tone.

Oh, that's a terrific omen. Thanks.

A hand clapped on his shoulder. "Hey there, Marion!" It was Ryu. "So, I see that our two are there together, having lunch. So then, what do you say that we try to approach them together? If they support each other, then we will also support each other, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay!"

"Stand or fall, success or failure, we do it together!"

"Yeah!"

"We'll show that bastard Sho that he won't be the only one to get a girl today!"

"Yeah! Let's get them!"

"Let's rock!"

Strangely enough, it seemed as if, to commemorate their unity, someone had started to play a very energetic piece of music, the sort of thing that comes in just as the heroic final battle begins, with accompanying explosions and laser-blasts.

Let's hope that there aren't too many explosions.

The two boys turned to the pair of girls and were surprised by what they saw. "They're gone!" they cried in unison.

"Split up?" asked Ryu.

"Yeah. Good luck."

"Did you see where they went?"

"Not in the slightest."

Marion turned and walked out the door, and saw another girl standing by Yukari's classroom. That Kaori girl... "Hey, Kaori!" he shouted. "Have you seen Kagura anywhere? I need to ask her something."

"Oh, she headed that way." answered Kaori, pointing in the direction that Genji had been heading. Marion could hear strange music coming from that direction. "By the by, where'd your friend Ryu get off to?"

"Oh, over the other way, I suppose." he answered, walking towards Kagura and the bizzare beat.

"Thanks!" she answered.

Marion saw Kagura standing and watching Genji's... display. He wasn't sure exactly what his friend had been thinking, but at least it was interesting. Still, he had something more important to do than watch his friend make a fool of himself.

"Kagura!" he shouted.

"Ah, Marion! What do you want?" she asked. "Ack! Sorry! Minoru, Minoru! I'm sorry!"

"I... I was just wondering if you woul-" he started.

He was cut off by Tomo, screaming and running down the hallway like a bat out of hell, or a panicked Tomo Takino, which was a considerable amount more frantic. Hot on her tail was Yomi, shouting several things. There was a lot, but amongst it Marion clearly heard, "Tomo Takino! You had best run! If I catch you, I'm going to break every single bone in your body! Afterwards, I'm going to get a medical degree, mend all of your bones and then BREAK THEM ALL AGAIN!"

"Erm, sorry, but I'd better go try to help Tomo," said Kagura, racing after her friends.

Marion stood in the hallway, looking lost and confused, but not looking nearly as lost and confused as Ken was, several steps behind him.

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Kimura's class took far too long to finish for Marion's tastes, although he usually admired the honest teacher. The bell rang, and Marion decided that it was now or never! The day was over, after all, and this was his last chance.

He ran up to her, intercepting her before she could group up with her friends and summon up their piercing glares of disapproval. "Kagura, I have to ask you this! Please listen to me!"

"Ah! What is it, Mari- er, Minoru?

"I was just wondering... if you would like to be... er... that is... if you would want to be my... well, not mine... to be... a couple?"

"Ahm. Minoru..."

"Yes?"

"It's a sweet gesture, really... but how much do you actually know about me?"

"Ah... I know that you're... um... athletic... And fairly kind... and... ah..."

"Exactly. You can't forge relationships in a day, you know."

"Tell that to Osaka and Sho."

"Yeah, Osaka and Tomo are... exceptions."

"I see... Thanks anyway."

"Don't take it hard or anything, you're a nice guy, I guess. It just doesn't work that way. At least we're friends now, right? I mean, before, I just knew you as that guy who looked kind of like Miss Kurosawa."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Gah! Is that a touchy subject too? I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Ah, don't worry about it."

Marion walked out of the school, towards the dumpster where he and his friends usually met up before heading home. He paused for a second in the hallway as something struck him.

Tomo?

He looked over to the group of girls who'd been their "target" and couldn't help but notice that none of them seemed sad, or confused, or... well, they all seemed cheerful enough. It was strange. The girls split and went their separate ways, to their separate homes.

He walked towards the dumpster and noticed that Ken was already there.

"Hey. How'd it go?" he asked.

"Eh. You?"

"Nnh."

"Oh."

"You hear anything about Genji or Ryu?"

"No, I haven't. I still can't believe that it came together like that for Sho."

"Speak of the devil... is that Sho?" Marion said, pointing towards their friend.

"Yeah, I think so... but that's not the way home. He's going in an entirely different direction."

"You don't think that he's headed somewhere with that Osaka girl, do you?"

"Bastard."

"Agreed."

"Nnngh... Hey... is that you guys?" asked the dumpster.

"Waugh!" shouted Ken and Marion, horrified.

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Author's Notes: So that's the day as it went for Marion. Is it typical for his four friends? Did their days go better or worse? Who knows? We'll find out in the later chapters.