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Feels Like Home

Chapter Five

She Encounters New (And Wonderful) Friends

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To be honest, Riku didn't particularly like drama. It was Risa who wanted to be the star. Riku was just as happy, maybe happier working behind the scenes, but, being the kind person that she was, she had agreed to accompany Risa to her drama club.

And that was why, as she shoved her feet into her trainers for Gym, she was grumbling under her breath. She put her foot on the bench near where she had folded up her clothes.

A girl Riku didn't know so well was changing next to her. She watched Riku fearfully as Riku battled viciously with her shoelaces. "…Riku?"

Frowning, Riku looked her up and down. She had chin-length hair like her own but it was in a slightly different style. Riku studied her face, trying to place her finger on the girl's identity. "I'm sorry," she said politely. "What was your name again?"

"Miyuki Sawamura!" said Miyuki, beaming. But then her expression hardened. "Why were you muttering, Riku? Are you OK?"

Yeah, perfect, thought Riku. My sister only ever so suddenly decided to go to drama club and conveniently forgot to tell me until the last minute. "I'm fine, Miyuki," Riku replied with a cold smile. "Absolutely fine."

Grinning in relief, Miyuki went off to join her friends. Riku watched her; Miyuki definitely wasn't the brightest in her class. She tied her hair back roughly and went outside the changing rooms and onto the field to join the other girls.

The Gym teacher smiled grimly. "Right girls, to start this term off we'll do your favourite – cross-country!" The whole group groaned; cross-country was terrible in this weather, although the girls would have groaned just as loudly if the weather had been hot and shining. Only Riku, right at the back smiled to herself. Running was one of the things she was good at.

"No fear though, girls. The boys will have to run with us!" Excited chatter broke out this time. Usually boys did Gym separately to the girls, so a lot of the giggliest girls, well, giggled.

Despite her smile, Riku sighed. Cross-country was her favourite sport, but her legs ached so much from karate that part of her was worried she would collapse.

That and the fact that Daisuke and Dark would be running, too.

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"Harada, that's wonderful!" The teacher smiled as she studied the Risa's painting of "Objects that Portray Oneself". "You've captured the banana so well."

Risa lifted her brush from the paper. "Actually, Miss, it's a flower."

"Oh." Turning slightly pink, the woman turned away to look at someone else's work. "My mistake."

Risa was blushing as well. She washed her brush and dipped it in green, trying hard not to notice that everyone was watching her. This was hard as she was sitting on the table in the middle of the room. "It can't get any worse than this," she muttered, then bit her tongue. How many movies had she watched where the character who said that was always proven wrong?

The student beside her pointed at the flower with the end of their paintbrush. "That's a flower?"

Why oh why didn't she think before she acted? "Of course it's a flower," she said desperately. "See? Here's the stalk and the leaves." She drew them on to prove her point.

But Krad just smirked. "Now it looks like a banana on a stick."

"No it doesn't…" Risa's eyes were watering. No-one had ever been this mean to her before – not counting Riku. Why was Krad so nasty?

"Hikari, don't annoy Miss Harada." The only one Krad would listen to spoke up from Risa's other side.

Risa smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Mr Hiwatari." Satoshi had saved her from that bewitching devil, Krad, she thought dramatically. He wasn't so bad after all!

No wait. What had she said before? She was going after Dark Mousy! What was she doing?

Satoshi didn't reply. Instead, he carried on painting, his brush sweeping elegantly across the paper and his blue eyes following it. Peering gingerly over his shoulder, Risa gasped.

It was amazing; a white marble statue of an angel holding a vase. Its hair fell like carved ribbons and its sad, stony gaze watched as water poured from the mouth of the vase into the pool at its feet. It wore some linen material that looked like the feathers coming from its back. "It's beautiful," Risa whispered.

Satoshi's expression remained as still as his fountain.

"Oh please," Krad remarked scornfully.

Risa looked hurt in Satoshi's place. "It really is beautiful," she told him. Krad just rolled his eyes.

But later on in the lesson, when Risa had painted a lot more than just a flower, she stole a look at Krad's own picture.

She was quite surprised. Another angel greeted her, this one flying across the sky with golden tinted wings outspread. A flame of gold-coloured hair trailed from its head, and if it was real and she was close enough Risa expected his eyes to be gold too. Krad's brush danced furiously, lighting up the background with white and yellow and more gold, and when she looked at him she noticed how much he was concentrating.

When he wasn't being his normal, cruel self he looked just like the angel in his painting.

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The teacher held a whistle to her mouth. "Ready girls? On your marks, get set…"

The shrill cry of the whistle filled the air, and the girls were off. Riku, finding that she wasn't in the least tired, ran with the spirit of a bird that had escaped its cage. Running was her favourite thing to do because it gave her a clear mind; not to mention it was good for you. And there really was nothing like the crisp autumn air in the morning.

It wasn't long before she was at the front of the girls. They had to go a long way, so the sprinters were pacing themselves. Of course, Riku was good at both, and so her jogging seemed like running to the weaker girls.

The course was once around the field, which was a little bigger than a football pitch, and around the athletics track to the finish line. About halfway around the field, though, Riku heard the thud of shoes.

For a split-second she couldn't figure out why, as she had gone past all the girls ages ago, but she soon remembered – precisely as the first owner of the thudding shoes sped past her. Her eyes widened.

Not purple hair!

Dark gave her a dazzling grin as he sped past her, not at all out of breath. A couple other boys ran past too, struggling to keep up. Careful not to slow down, Riku grinded her teeth. Idiots, she thought stubbornly. They'll just be too tired to run the whole thing.

"M-Miss Harada…" Riku glanced behind her and saw Daisuke, who was easily catching up. Was she really that slow?

When they were running level with each other, she replied, "Hey Niwa. Do they always run that fast?" She indicated to the boys ahead of them.

"Oh, yeah," Daisuke somehow managed to sigh whilst he was running. "It's Dark's fault really. All the boys who play sport look up to him, since he plays in all the teams himself. He wears them out, on purpose."

All that did was confirm Riku's thoughts of what a jerk he was. "Won't they get tired, running that fast?"

Daisuke looked shocked. "No," he said. "Should they be?" Then he ran ahead.

In return Riku gave him a glare. "Of course they should," she murmured. In her old school she had overtaken all of the boys on the first lap, but at this school the boys were overtaking her even when she'd had a head start!

"I'll beat them all by the end of this," she continued. Her glare moved to Dark and his telltale violet hair. "And he's first!" That didn't make any sense, as Dark was the furthest away, but it made Riku feel better.

Ignoring all warnings and advice the teacher had given them, Riku sped up. Her trainers pounded the soft grass in time with her thudding heart, and her face flushed from the wind. But she wasn't giving up that easily!

In no time at all she overtook Daisuke and his worried shouts, and soon she'd be overtaking the other boys. But when she reached the athletic track her legs felt like lead, her breathing was hoarse and her cheeks were burning.

And yet, her stubborn thoughts of winning spurred her on. Nothing could stop her. She put everything she had into the last stretch of the course and sprinted down the track. The few boys who were still running strong practically stopped in disbelief, or jumped out of the way in fear of their lives.

Her chocolate eyes aiming for Dark's head, her ears deaf to the gasps and cheers, her legs screaming for a rest, her mind pushing the screams out; Riku ran and ran and ran. Her head was so dizzy she thought she'd explode. But she could make it, she could win, she was almost there! Just a little further… a little… just a little…

…almost there.

Her foot caught on something and she slipped, and Riku blacked out.

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"Riku's in the nurse's office?"

Satoshi wondered briefly if he should calm the girl with dirty brown hair down, but he could see that Risa was beyond that.

Her eyes were glassy with tears. "Is she all right? Mr Hiwatari, please tell me! Is she alright?"

"I was only told to inform you, Miss Harada. Go see your sister for yourself." The new addition to his class was so tiring.

Risa sniffed and nodded. "Tell the next teacher for me," she said before she walked down the hall. At the bottom she hesitated. "Um, where's the nurse's office?"

He should have been irritated, but Satoshi Hiwatari didn't get irritated. "I'll show you."

The nurse's office was halfway across the school – ages away. He didn't particularly want to come with her, but he couldn't leave her either. The hallways all looked the same, so she'd get lost.

Risa was smiling sweetly. She'd be missing whatever lesson was next (as if she'd know what it was), which was a good thing. It probably wasn't for Satoshi, but he didn't mind. At least, he looked like he didn't mind. He looked like he didn't mind a lot of things.

But mysterious boys were one of Risa's favourite things. Who knew what lay behind his mask or the high walls built around his heart? Hopefully she would, when she got him to open up.

And being Risa, she was positive that she could do that.

"So Mr Hiwatari," she said cheerfully. A little conversation never killed anyone, and she'd get closer to him and being the hero of opening up hearts. "What's your favourite TV program?"

As usual, Satoshi's expression didn't even flicker. "I don't watch TV."

Any other girl would be crushed by his short answer, but not Risa. "Really? It's great, Mr Hiwatari, you're missing so much. You can get all sorts of things on there, like cartoons and films." Romantic films, she added in her head. And dramatic soap operas. "And you can get news programs, you know, and those shows where they talk about wildlife and health and history."

"Documentaries," Satoshi replied.

"That's right! Do you watch those, Mr Hiwatari?"

"No."

Risa looked puzzled. "So what do you watch?"

It was as if he'd never answered her in the first place. For some reason she didn't seem to believe that anyone could not watch TV. "I don't watch TV," he repeated.

"Oh, OK," Had she given up already? "…What about books? You read books don't you?"

"…Yes." Spoke too soon.

"Really!" This time her eyes were wide in happiness. "What sort of books?"

"Books on my father's work."

That wasn't quite what Risa had been hoping for. "Uh… Oh. Oh I know! Do you have any hobbies, Mr Hiwatari?"

Satoshi frowned slightly. Didn't anything stop this girl talking? She barely knew him, yet here she was trying to start a conversation when he obviously didn't want to talk. He hadn't met a lot of girls like her (especially when the only girls he met just giggled and went red, which actually sounded a lot like Risa).

After what seemed like hours to Satoshi they reached the office, which was in fact a very obvious room since it had a big red cross on it. Risa, to Satoshi's concealed disappointment, didn't share the same view of the journey. "No way! We're already here. Thanks for taking me, Mr Hiwatari!" She smiled her sweet smile again. "It was fun, right?"

"Yes." Satoshi almost had to force a smile in return for hers. "It was 'fun'."

The door clicked shut and Satoshi retraced his steps to the classroom, trying to forget their stupid, pointless conversation. Of course, it wasn't really that stupid and it wasn't at all pointless, and that was why he was trying to forget it.

No-one had ever talked to him like that before.

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Risa sat down on the chair by the nurse's bed, surrounded by a thick curtain. Under the snow white covers lay Riku, her eyes closed, her cheeks still red and a face towel soaked with water on her forehead. The nurse came to stand next to her. "She hasn't got a fever," she said. Her eyes were a soft brown colour and her blonde hair was tied back. "She's just hot. She must have really worn herself out to collapse like that."

"She collapsed?" cried Risa anxiously. "Why?"

The nurse was watching Riku, but now she walked over and removed the towel. "She's waking up now," she said softly. She left the enclosed area, wiping her hands on her apron. "Why don't you ask her?"

Risa peered over at her sister. "Riku?" she whispered.

Eyelids flickered, revealing Riku's brown eyes. "What… where am I…?" her voice was smaller than Risa's whisper. She caught sight of her sister, and tried to push herself up. "Risa…?"

"Riku!" In one second, Risa was hugging her like there was no tomorrow. "You're alright!"

"Of course I'm alright." Riku pushed away Risa by her shoulders. "What are you – what am I doing here?"

"You collapsed," Risa said simply; and everything that happened in Gym flooded back into Riku's head. "Why did you collapse?" Suddenly, she gasped. "You haven't got amnesia, have you?"

Riku looked away guiltily. "No, I remember perfectly," she replied. "I was running and I started to run too fast, that's all. I was near the end, and I tripped over something and fell. That's probably when I collapsed."

"Miss Harada!" The door burst open and the worried redhead rushed in. "Are you OK? You fainted so suddenly."

"I'm fine, look." Riku pointed to herself. "See? Everything is a-OK."

"What a relief," Daisuke told her, sighing as he sat on her bed.

Risa was smiling. "Niwa, it's so kind of you to come and see my sister."

Daisuke went a slight shade of pink, but had no time to answer as the door burst open again, and this time two people rushed in. "Riku!"

Riku's eyes blinked. "Miyuki?" Then they widened (and so did Risa's). "Mousy? What are you two–?"

"We came to see you of course!" cried Miyuki, interrupting her and managing to speak before Dark did. "I was so worried when I saw you fall over, Riku, and then when you didn't' get up… I thought… I thought…" Miyuki started to cry. To comfort her, Dark started to pat her back, but Miyuki brushed it off. "I knew something was wrong!" she said triumphantly, the tears apparently gone.

"Something was wrong, Riku?" exclaimed Risa.

Riku cut her off before she went any further. "No, I'm fine."

"Riku, I'm sorry." Dark surprised everyone by becoming very sincere. "I didn't realise your competitive spirit was stubborn as well." Riku's eyes flashed. "If I had, I wouldn't have run so fast so you could catch up."

"Just what are you–?" This time Risa cut her off, and shushed her. Riku was not at all happy to see Risa watching him in what looked like admiration.

"Let me make it up to you," Dark finished.

Riku folded her arms crossly. "No way."

"Are you mad, Riku?" Miyuki cut in. "He's rich! Didn't you see his jewellery at the last Spring Dance?"

"There's a Spring Dance!"

A glare came her way from Riku. "Risa, be quiet."

Dark was more interested, however, in Miyuki's comment. "Ah Miyuki, you noticed?"

Daisuke frowned at Dark. "Miss Sawamura," he said, turning to Miyuki. "He didn't wear that much jewellery. Dark, what rumour have you spread this time?"

"I haven't been rumours! Why so suspicious, Daisuke?"

Riku decided to interrupt such a pointless argument. "Mousy, it's not your fault," she said slowly. It certainly was his fault! "So you don't have to make it up to me. Now everyone, please go away."

"Not at all subtle, is she?" Dark grinned. He was the first to leave (because Miyuki pushed him), then Miyuki and Daisuke followed.

As Riku lay down with her back to the opening, Risa paused at the curtain. "Are you still coming drama, Riku?" she asked. When nothing but a muffled noise answered, she added with a smile, "I'll take that as a yes."

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Risa pulled Riku along by her arm. "I know you still feel sleepy, Riku, but you promised you'd come with me! You promised!"

"I did no such thing." Riku yawned when she'd said this. "I just agreed because I'm nice."

"And that's why you're the best sister in the world!" The shininess of the teeth in Risa's smile was blinding as she spun around to hug her.

When Risa was safely the other way around, Riku muttered, "It's so scary when she does that."

"What was that, Riku?"

"Nothing…"

At the door to the drama studio, two girls were waiting for them. One girl had long blonde hair tied up in ponytail and sad eyes, and the other had her dark hair in two plaits. "What took you so long, Risa?" said the girl with plaits.

"I had to get my sister," Risa replied. "Riku, this is Menou Kurashina and Ritsuko Fukuda, two girls from my class. Menou hasn't come before either." She indicated who was who. The blonde, it appeared, was Menou and the other was Ritsuko. "Girls, this is my twin sister, Riku Harada."

"How do you do?" said Menou in a quiet and polite voice, bowing at the same time. Riku liked her already.

Ritsuko looked from Risa to Riku. "Wow, you really do look alike! That's so cool!"

"We're not alike at all," Riku protested. Why did everyone have to point out that they looked the same? I wish I hadn't come, she thought. Right now, she could have been playing hockey with Miyuki.

The drama studio was bigger than an average classroom. It was long curtains that reached the floor and was wide enough to go all the way around the room. They could be used like stage curtains, and the room even had spotlights on the ceiling to match. These could be controlled from the room next door, which had a window of glass in the adjoining wall so you could see out.

Risa loved it. "Wow, Riku, look! Isn't it amazing?"

"Uh huh, yeah. Amazing, Risa." But Risa didn't hear the sarcasm in her voice; the only thing she heard was Ritsuko agreeing with her.

There were already students there, mostly girls but a few boys as well. Among them was, to Risa's delight, Dark. "Come on, Riku," she said, obviously very anxious to go. "Let's go talk to him!" Riku very impolitely said no.

"I'll go with you, Risa!" Ritsuko offered, and Risa agreed at once. Riku watched the two girls walk over and try to charm him. They probably couldn't see, but Dark was pleased just to see them try. He really was incredibly conceited.

"I pity those poor girls," said Menou suddenly. "They try so hard…"

Riku smiled. "And he doesn't notice them? Too right, Menou."

Menou smiled as well. "What a shame," she added. "Niwa isn't here."

"Niwa comes to drama?" Riku asked in surprise, but Menou shook her head.

"No. It's just that if he was here, Dark wouldn't be so carefree. It's the same if Hiwatari and Hikari are near him, as well."

"Hiwatari…? Hikari?" Riku thought back a little. "Oh right; Satoshi Hiwatari and Krad Hikari, I'll remember that. You're right though." She watched Dark as he looked up and called her name (which she replied to with a glare). "Normally, he treats his admirers quite badly."

"How strange." Menou was also watching Dark. "He shows an interest in you, Riku."

Riku jumped a foot in the air. "W-What?" she exclaimed. "That… that's ridiculous! That guy is just some creep who's full of himself and thinks that everyone loves him! Menou, don't scare me like that."

Menou blinked at her. "Don't you think he is good-looking like all the other girls do?"

The drama class started then anyway, so Riku didn't get to reply. Not that she needed to, with such a horrified expression on her face. "OK, class," said a crisp voice. A woman walked out of the door to the lightings room – the drama teacher. "No, no, you won't need chairs; today we're going straight into the activity."

Riku and Risa shared sideways glances, although one was of suspicion and the other of excitement.

"The activity may take the whole hour," the teacher explained. "You may use speech and as much room as you like, but you must ask me if you want to use any big props. Now, get into groups of four."

That was easy. Risa and Ritsuko joined Riku and Menou from the other side of the room. Dark, Riku noticed, went with one of his friends who asked two girls to join them (and they of course said yes). She turned to Risa, who was watching more obviously, as was Ritsuko. Menou, however, was staring at Riku herself. "What is it?" Riku whispered, and realised that Menou had caught her watching Dark. How could she be so stupid? Don't watch him, she told herself. Menou just shook her head.

"The scenario is a dark forest, and one of you is walking either home or to a place of your decision. What happens next is up to you. Understand?" There were a few mumbles, confirming her statement. "Off you go!"

"'Off you go'? That's a bit weird," said Riku quietly.

"She is a weird teacher," Menou replied.

The group wandered over to a corner, where Risa questioned immediately, "Can I be the girl walking home?"

Riku sighed, but Ritsuko just said, "Sure. Then Menou and I will be beautiful witches who lure you into a trap, but you escape." Menou nodded in agreement. "What about you, Riku?"

"I don't mind," Riku told her. "I'll be anything as long as I don't say much." That would draw as little attention to her as possible.

"Something that doesn't talk much in a forest…" Ritsuko paused for thought. "How about a squirrel?" Riku imagined herself as a squirrel, complete with ears and a bushy tail, and shook her head quickly.

"Water doesn't talk much," Risa suggested, but no-one liked that idea. How on earth could Riku act out water without making a fool of herself?

Menou came up with the most intelligent idea. "Riku could be a tree, swaying in the wind. They always have a few people acting like trees in plays." Riku didn't like the sound of that.

"Yeah! That's great. So Riku's the tree that I come to, and that's when you two start talking in a mysterious way to get me to come over." Risa smiled as everything came together.

"Wait, I don't want to be a tree!" Riku protested, but the other three girls started discussing what their lines were. Ritsuko and Menou stood behind the curtain and Risa stood in a starting position a little away from them.

Noticing that Riku hadn't moved, Risa hissed, "Riku! Get into position."

"Risa, I'm not being a tree!" Riku stamped her foot down for effect. Why weren't they listening to her? They were doing it on purpose, she was sure of it!

The curtain was pulled back to allow the two behind to look out. "Why didn't you say so?" Ritsuko questioned her.

"Yes," Menou added. "Come be a witch with us."

Riku smiled. The girls at this school, when they weren't chasing after Dark, weren't that bad after all.

The four managed to practise their part together enough times to know what they were doing by the time the teacher called them back. Everyone grabbed a chair and sat as an audience in front of an open space for performers, because the teacher wouldn't let them go home until they had all performed their plays.

"Miss Fukuda," she said. "Will you please go first?"

"Yes, Miss." Ritsuko stood up and beckoned the others to take their places. As she went behind the velvet curtain, Riku groaned; why did they have to go first?

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Ha ha ha ha! Cliffhanger! Well, I guess it wasn't a very good cliffhanger, but I'm sure you want to know what they did in their plays. I didn't want to just skip through them, you see.

Besides, if I'd continued any longer I'd have wrote too many pages. I'm trying to keep to 10 pages of size 12 Arial, including double spaces, but this chapter has already become just over 11… Whoops. I'm sure you readers won't mind though!

I'm sure it's because the nurse's room scene took up more room than I intended. In fact, at first I hadn't planned it at all! But it came to me as I was writing and I thought, "why not?"

Space also disappears when I do a lot of speech, but if I don't do much speech, like in the last chapter, I don't use up enough! It's very infuriating.

Anyway, next chapter will be the plays. And something else. See you next chapter!

--KK