Hey,
Here's the 6th Chapter.
Some things go down, Class 2-S gets introduced, and the plot moves forward.
So it's whatever.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Majikoi.
...
-Start-
...
"MIYAKO!"
Naruto watched on as Momoyo and Yamato lunged forward, restraining the bluenette as she continued to struggle in their grasps, desperately trying to reach Chris.
"HOW DARE YOU!" she said, "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!"
Yamato grunted as Miyako flailed about, leaving most of the restraining to his big sis as she simply held Miyako back with one hand, preventing her from moving an inch.
"You have no idea what this place means to us!" said Miyako, "Demolishing this building? Who do you think you are!?"
Chris held up her hands, not wishing for a fight. "Miyako…" started Chris, "Just let me explain…"
Her attempt at civility wasn't working as Miyako slumped down, her head hanging as she gave up her feeble attempt at escape.. "This is why I didn't want her to join us," mumbled Miyako, "JUST GO AWAY! There's no way we'll let you be our friend…"
"MIYAKO!"
Naruto and the rest of them watched in silence as Yamato embraced the distraught girl, Momoyo stepping back as Yamato took over. "Calm down," he started, "Don't say another word."
Miyako grasped at Yamato, clinging onto him as a life line. "Yamato…" she started, her voice cracking, "She insulted this place! She rejected it!" she said, her grip tightening. "I… I can't forgive her…"
Yamato gave the girl a soft smile and rubbed her back in slow manner. "It's alright, Miyako..." he started, "It's alright…"
Naruto gave a soft smile at the rather touching scene, one that was hidden behind his book.
Chris took a step back, her hand held tight to her chest. "Wh-What is this?" she asked, "What is everyone all worked up about? I only said what was right."
Moro gave her an unbelieving look. "Chris…" he started, "You still believe what you said was right?"
The confused girl gave him a look and nodded. "Y-Yeah," she said, a slight stutter in her voice.
Moro gave her an unfeeling smile. "Well then," he started, "It's game over for you… I guess this is goodbye." He said while shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you couldn't be our friend after all. Too bad! I guess we can still talk at school. Take care, and see ya."
Naruto had to hold in his snickering, finding the boys passive aggressiveness to be amusing. I think Moro is seriously pissed off at her. Well... I suppose she did just insult them…
Chris held an arm out, her expression confused. "Wait!" she started. "At least tell me why you're doing this!" she asked as Yukie cowered in the back, surprised at all the hostility that was being shown.
Momoyo leaned back, resting against a nearby wall, her neutral gaze coming to land on the foreign and ignorant girl. "Well Kuri," she started, giving Chris her own nickname. "We hang out here because it's fun," she said, looking the Chris in the eyes. "and we don't have any intentions of stopping."
Chris gave her an uneasy look. "Wait," she started. "I was just…" She never got finish as Naruto finally got involved, putting his book down as he spoke up.
"Chris…" he said, getting everyone's attention. He gave her a light smile, an action that clashed with his next few words. "Simply put, I think you're the one who's in the wrong here."
Chris gave him a look that was mixed with confusion and outrage. "I'm wrong?" she asked. "Every other person would agree with me!" she said, taking one step forward. "What's so wrong about what I said!?"
It wasn't Naruto who explained, but rather Yamato as he took over. "You like 'Justice,' but if you go too far, you'll only ruin the peace…" he explained, giving her a critical gaze. "This is a good opportunity to learn from your mistake."
Chris whirled on Yamato, a fierce and stern look in her eyes. "I don't want to hear this from someone as petty and deceptive like you," she declared.
Yamato pocketed his hands and barely gave her a glance. "I'm petty, I'm dishonest, and I'm unfair?" he questioned. "Those are all compliments to me," he stated, not noticing the approving look Naruto was giving him.
Those who can accept themselves for who they really are… Those are the type of people who will continue to move onward, always looking forward to the future.
Chris held a defiant look on her face as Yukie stepped forward, poking her fingers together as she spoke. "Umm…" she started. "I sincerely apologize for interrupting, but… Is it possible for us to get along?"
Naruto waved his hand around, getting everyone's attention as he locked eyes with Yukie, the conversation shifting. "Yukie-tan… You're a pretty smart girl, aren't you?" he asked, getting a 'huh' in response. Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't have to keep apologizing."
Gakuto nodded, agreeing with Naruto on this matter. "He's right, you're too subservient," he said, closing one eye as he glanced at her, "and if you do it a lot, it'll get really awkward." His explanation left Yukie stuttering, her words a incomprehensible mess.
Chris sighed and shrugged her shoulders, trying to relieve some of the stress that had built up. "What is all this…" she started. "I don't understand at all."
Naruto scoffed. "What do you mean you don't understand?" he stated. "You must be pretty stupid to not realize that they're talking about friendship." He explained, getting Chris to turn to him with an annoyed expression on her face.
"S-Stupid!?" she repeated.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. How troublesome…
"Alright," he started, "let me ask you something. Name one thing that's important to you."
Chris gave the other blonde a confused look. "Important? Hmm…" she started, giving his question some thought. "It's definitely the stuffed animals my father gave me."
Naruto gave her a slight sneer. "Stuffed animals?" he started. "That shit's childish and completely useless. Just throw that crap away. Better yet, why don't you just burn them."
The Kazama Family watched on in awe as Naruto, the person who they were quickly coming to know as a rather chill and laid back person, completely tear her down. They watched as Chris grew red in the face, a dark look in her eyes as she glared at Naruto. "HOW DARE YOU!" she screeched.
Naruto's face returned to normal as he shrugged. "I was just imitating have you were acting, Chris." He explained, giving her a searching gaze. "You still don't get it?" he asked, leaving Chris to shake her head, a slight glare still on her face.
Naruto stood from his seat and motioned to the room around him, pointing to each person of the Kazama Family. "Your stuffed animals mean as much to you as this place means to them." He ignored the startled look on her face as he continued to speak. "I may not have known them for long, but I can tell that this place means a lot to them." He sat back down, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back. "Everyone has things that are important to them. Don't go around insulting them unless you're willing to pay the consequences."
Chris looked around with a shocked expression on her face before it turned remorseful, finally realizing the meaning behind her words, the insult born of her actions.
Gakuto kept his face blank as he gazed at her, as if he was judging her worth, wondering if she was worth all the trouble that she brought.
Miyako glanced away, averting her eyes away from the blonde girl, her fist clenched tight.
Yamato looked on with a neutral look, not revealing anything as he watched the situation play out, plans already being formulated in his head.
Moro gave her a look of concealed contempt, already upset with her, clearly not wanting to be near her at the moment.
Kazuko looked lost, though she did give Chris a look of pity since she was barely following the situation to begin with.
Momoyo just crossed her arms and stared at nothing in general, waiting for something- anything to happen.
"So that's it," started Chris as she clutched her hands together, "It was that important to you guys, and I…" Chris trailed off for but a moment. "My anger just then must have been what Miyako felt earlier…"
Bowing before them, she apologized. "Shiina Miyako… Everyone… I apologize. Please forgive me." she exclaimed, her voice remorseful.
Naruto cracked open an eye just in time to witness Yukie step forward, drawing all the attention to her. "E-Excuse me!" she said. "I'm sorry as well! But I still want to be with you guys!" she stated, bowing before them all.
Chris stood from her bow as she eyed the socially inept girl, understanding what intentions her actions held. "That's right," she said, turning to face the Kazama Family. "I promise I'll never speak like that again." she said, her hands clasped together as if she was praying. "So please… Let me remain as well."
Naruto watched on with one eye open as Yukie and Chris stood on one side of the room, and on the opposite side, stood the entire Kazama Family minus Capt.
Let's see what happens now…
Just then, the door burst open as Capt came charging in, a plastic bag in one as he smiled and laughed. "Wassss uuuup!" he cried out. "It's Kazama sushi time! All I have is egg, but eat up! Eat up!"
He suddenly stopped and blinked, now noticing the intense atmosphere as all but Naruto and Momoyo gave him varying looks of surprised stupor. "The heck?" he asked. "What just happened here?"
Naruto smiled to himself when Capt glanced around the room before focusing onto Yamato. "That's not fair Yamato!" he cried out, closing the gap between himself and his tactician. Placing his hands on the smaller boy's shoulders, he started to shake him like a ragdoll. "While I was gone you guys were doing something fun and youthful, weren't you!?" Capt started to cry crocodile tears. "Let me play too!"
Naruto slightly grimaced at that. Did he really have to say youthful… Guy-Sensei really did ruin that word for me...
Yamato weakly chuckled. "Um… What happened was…" he started, soon explaining to Capt what the problem was.
...
-10 minutes later-
…
Soon, they were all sitting around eating the sushi that Capt had brought for them, snacking on it as they conversed. Capt nodded as he quickly swallowed, giving a thumbs up. "So that's what happened." he started, "Then, if they apologized, it's settled." he said.
Momoyo gave Capt an easy going look. "That's pretty lenient of you, leader." she said, snacking on her own egg sushi.
Capt shrugged before eating more sushi, speaking with his mouth full. "This was bound to happen at least once. It's no problem at all."
Off to the side, Wanko happily ate her own food as she added her own two cents to the conversation. "Capts not used to acting serious." she muttered, picking up another piece of sushi with chopsticks. She glanced down at the food for a second. "But really, this is all egg…"
Miyako gloomily ate her own food, sulking off in her own little corner.
Yamato sighed and picked up a piece of sushi, holding it out for her. "Come on Miyako, stop sulking." He moved to feed her. "Here, open up."
Naruto watched as Yamato fed the girl, Miyako opening her mouth as she provocatively ate the offered piece of Sushi. That's erotic…
"Do you feel better?" asked Yamato.
Miyako held her head in her hands, small hearts floating besides her. "I will be if you keep feeding me."
Yamato turned away, a flat look on his face. "Alright, you're good." he said, ignoring her pleading 'nooo' as she begged for more food.
Yukie and Chris, who were sitting besides each other, watched as the Kazama interacted. They gave each other a glance.
"I guess we both got in trouble today." said Chris.
Yukie nodded her head. "Let's not repeat our mistakes in the future."
Together, they laughed and chuckled, finding humor from their mistakes.
Naruto lightly elbowed Yamato, getting his attention before nodding his head towards the two girls. A small smile grew on Yamato's face as he viewed the scene. "It looks like they're going to do just fine…" said the brown haired boy.
Naruto chuckled as he stole a piece of Sushi off the brown haired boy's plate. "Yeah," he said, popping the piece of food into his mouth, "I suppose so."
Yamato felt his eyebrow twitch. "That was my piece of sushi you asshole." he growled out.
Naruto blinked and swallowed. "What sushi?" he asked, looking around all confused like, feigning ignorance. "I don't see any sushi on your plate."
Yamato glanced down to find all of his food gone. He glanced up and found all of his friends glancing away as they ate his food. Damn it… He thought as Momoyo gave Yamato a teasing grin, her stolen piece of sushi still in her chopsticks.
Yukie chuckled as she stood up. "I'll go make some tea." she declared, moving across the room only to stop at a framed photo. "Huh?" she said, picking up the photo. "Is this photo from when you guys were kids?"
Yamato nodded, still sulking about his lost food. "Yup." he muttered, "That's the seven of us."
Chris stood up and walked over to Yukie, also wanting to see the photo. "Wow, you can still tell who's who." she said, her eyes gazing over the younger Kazama Family, he gaze lingering on the small Yamato.
Yukie noticed something in the background of the photo. "That's a tall flower." she mentioned, getting Kazuko to nod her head.
"Fufufu…" started the redhead, "It's an Agave Plant." she declared.
Chris covered her mouth in thought as she looked down, loudly whispering her words so Wanko could hear her. "If the dog knows about it, then there must be something important about this flower…" I wonder if it eats people…
Kazuko glowered at Chris. "For all your talk of Honor, you're pretty rude, aren't you."
Yamato sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "If I remember correctly, It went sort of like this…" he said, delving into the story.
...
-Flashback-
…
The 5 of them gathered around Reiko as they gazed up at the tall plant.
"Agave… Plant?"
A younger and more beautiful Reiko nodded and rubbed the young Kazuko's head affectionately. "That's right." she started, "I can't believe such a rare plant is in this empty lot."
A young Capt stared up in awe, his eyes bright with delight. "So, It's rare? Awesome!"
The young Yamato rubbed his chin in thought. "I see…" he started, "So this is the century plant… The flower that only blooms once every few decades…"
Reiko sweatdropped and glanced down at the young boy. "Yamato-chan… are you really in elementary school?" she asked.
As his friends watched on in disbelief as Yamato hit on the much older woman. "Fufu. If I was in High School, I would already be seducing you. It's too bad, Reiko-san." he said, his arrogance overflowing.
...
-Interruption #1-
…
Chris and Yukie were slouched over in a corner, holding their sides as they quietly chuckled at the image of a young Yamato hitting on a much older woman.
Miyako glanced away. "Yamato was in a little phase back then." she said.
Matsukaze, the cell phone horse strap, spoke up. "Yamato is so cool!"
Yukie tried to hold in her laughter. "Stop it… Matsukaze…" she wheezed out.
"If you wanna laugh, just laugh!" raged Yamato.
Naruto crinkled his eyes up in thought as he hid his face in the safety of his book. I should write a book about this. A young man who has his love spurned, and in return, rejects the rest of the world as it is. Overtime, through his many mistakes and errors, he comes to feel emotions once more…
Momoyo gave Naruto a strange glance as he pulled out a notepad and a pencil, scribbling notes of some sort into.
...
-Resume Flashback-
…
A young Momoyo ran up to her friends. "I just checked with my gramps. The last time this thing flowered was fifty years ago," she said, "and it's supposed to flower again the day after tomorrow."
Kazuko, being a much more innocent and easily tormented child- her generation labelling her as the cry baby, waved her hands up and down in joy. "The day after tomorrow! So excited! So excited!" she exclaimed.
Young Moro held up a finger as a thought came to mind. "Let's all take a picture with it." he suggested.
Young Gakuto nodded, a grin on his face. "Sounds great!"
Yamato looked to his left and noticed someone watching them. He leaned in and whispered to Capt. "Hey… That little pest Shiina is looking at us again."
Capt looked over and noticed what Yamato was talking about, seeing a young Miyako peek around the corner. "Hm?" he hummed in thought.
...
-Interruption #2-
…
Chris leveled a glare at Yamato. "That little pest Shiina?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Moro was the one to explain it.
"Back then," he started, "Miyako got picked on quite a bit for various reasons."
Chris took action, grabbing Yamato by his jacket. "How dare you, Yamato!" she snarled, ready to beat him up..
Yamato held up his hands in defeat. "Wait, it's all settled! It's all in the past!" he pleaded.
Naruto paused for a brief moment, another thought coming to mind. Ah, this is perfect. Our young MC saves a damsel in distress, yet wants nothing to do with her. A paradoxical situation… Should bring in quite a crowd...
Momoyo watched as Naruto resumed and in fact increased the speed of his note taking. What is he writing? Blackmail over Yamato? I wonder...
...
-Resume Flashback-
…
Capt took a step forward. "Hey, Shiina, do you need something?" he asked. This startled the quiet girl as she fled the area, leaving Capt to scratch his head in confusion. "The heck?" he questioned.
Yamato snickered. "I think she likes you, Capt." he teased.
Capt spun to face Yamato, an angry look on his face. "Don't screw with me!" he huffed out, looking away. "Girls are too much trouble."
Yamato gave a smug smirk. "Humph… How childish…"
Kazuko, still looking up at the Agave Plant, kept repeating herself. "The day after tomorrow…" she whispered.
….
-That Night-
…
Yamato sat home alone as he watched TV, the news mentioning something about a hurricane.
"Due to the hurricane, the Kanto Region will be hit with strong winds and rains…" said the weather reporter.
The phone rang and Yamato got up to answer it, leaving the TV. "Hello, Naoe Household." he said.
He blinked when Capts voice came through. "Oh hey Yamato! We're going to take care of the Agave Plant."
Yamato scratched the back of his head. "Is that you, Capt? But there's a hurricane..."
"It's because of the hurricane that we're going!" said Capt, cutting off his friend. "That flower is all alone out there. If we don't help it now, it won't bloom for another 50 years!"
Yamato sighed, his resolve folding. "I guess we should protect this little piece of happiness from any peril…"
"Can you please stop talking like an anime character?" pleaded Capt.
And so, that night, they all met up to help the Agave Plant survive the hurricane.
"Hurry up! The plant might fall over." declared Momoyo as she rushed forward, an excited smile on her face.
Yamato followed after her, pulling down on the hood of his rain coat. "You're having fun aren't you, Nee-san."
He paused for a moment when thunder cracked above and he heard a nearby cry. He spun to find a figure sitting nearby, her hands covered over her head. "Who's that…"
As he drew closer, he found out it was the person who he was just making fun of that day. "Shiina?" he said in surprise.
She looked up in fright as Yamato pointed down at her. "What are you doing out in this weather!?" he asked.
"Everyone was excited about the Agave flowers." she started, "But then the storm came, so I…" she said, trailing off.
Yamato looked surprised. "Did you come to take care of the plant!?" he asked.
Gakuto, who was walking nearby with a ladder in hand, turned to yell at her. "Well this isn't your problem, so hurry up and go home!" he stated.
Miyako looked down, dejected. "But…"
Capt grit his teeth and looked over his shoulder. "Fine, you can help! The more hands the better. Hurry!"
Yamato and Miyako looked at Capt in surprise before Yamato helped her up. "Fine then." he said, "Don't worry, if anything comes flying at you, we'll protect you… Or at least Nee-san will."
Miyako nodded, her eyes never wavering from Yamato's face.
"Alright, let's do it!" declared Capt.
They worked together as one to help keep the Agave Plant safe. Covering it from the intense wind and rain with bags, tying support beams to it's base, and adding mounds of mud near its base.
It was all they could do, and so after an hour out in the stormy weather, they all returned home.
...
-Two days later-
…
The six of them stood there with Reiko as they gazed upon the blooming Agave Plant.
"It's flowered…" whispered Yamato.
Kazuko, who was riding on Gakuto's shoulders, swung her arms and feet in excitement. "Wooow, so this only happens once every 50 years." she said, awe in her voice.
Gakuto gave her an irritated look. "Hey, stop moving so much, little girl."
Momoyo tilted her head and gave the plant a curious gaze. "Hmmm." she said as she hummed in thought. "In all honesty, these flowers are ugly."
Yamato took a step back in shock. "She said it! I was thinking that too, but I didn't want to say it!"
Reiko pushed both Moro and Yamato forward. "Well, come on and let's take a picture." she said.
As Capt was walking forward, he noticed Miyako once again watching them from behind a corner.
He smiled and waved his arms at her, inviting her over. "Hey you, come over here!"
She shied away as Yamato yelled out "What!"
Capt tsked and pointed at Yamato. "She's probably scared of you, Yamato. You bring her over." he ordered.
Yamato gave him a betrayed look. "For real!?" he asked.
Capt nodded. "For real…"
Yamato grumbled but followed orders, running over to Miyako and grabbing her hand. "Hey, you should come join us. It'll be an awesome picture."
Miyako didn't have much chance to protest, but did little to pull away, allowing him to drag her into the group photo.
Reiko smiled and turned on her camera. "Here it goes…" she said. "Say cheese!"
Wanko took the front, throwing a fist out as she smiled.
Beside her, Capt dabbed, unknowingly creating a trend for future years to come.
In the back row, Moro simply smiled for the picture.
Miyako stood in between Moro and Yamato, her eyes looking off to the side, a blank look on her face.
Yamato was looking to his left as his big sis, Momoyo, drew him in close, a smile on her face.
Gakuto, the tallest of them all, easily stood out as he smiled and laughed.
Reiko took the photo, and the rest was history.
...
-End Flashback-
…
"And that's the end." said Yamato as he placed the picture frame back into its original spot.
Chris smiled. "I see, so that's the story behind this photo."
Moro chuckled and rubbed his neck. "And soon after that, Miyako became one of our friends too." he said.
Miyako tilted her head downwards, depression setting in. "Pest…" she started. "I'll get depressed if you remind me too much about the past though…" she said.
Yamato gulped, a guilty expression on his face. "Urgh…" he said, before shaking his head away from those thoughts. "Anyways," he started, "We were planning to see it flower again 50 years later."
Yukie looked surprised. "The Agave Plant is still in that empty lot?" she asked.
Yamato shook his head no. "Unfortunately, that empty lot no longer exists."
Yukie looked down, missing how everyone shared a glance. "Oh, I see…"
Yamato continued onwards. "However," he said, motioning for everyone to follow him.
Naruto stood up from his spot to bring up the rear, having stopped taking notes for future books.. A group of friends bound by a promise… Sounds familiar…
They exited and arrived at the backside of the building. There was a small section cleared and protected, a small plant growing. Yamato gestured towards the plant. "We planted an Agave right behind this building!" he said.
Moro placed a hand on his hip as he sighed. "The roots were such a hassle…"
Naruto walked up to Yukie and Chris, peering in between them to view the plant.
Chris smiled. "I see..." she started, "So that's why this building is so important."
Yukie clasped her hands and closed her eyes. "50 years… What a heartwarming story." she said, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
Matsukaze had these words to say. "How magnificent!"
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, an easy going smile on his face. "How inspiring…" he said.
"Mayuuchi!"
"Chris!"
"Naruto!"
The three of them turned to face Capt as rubbed his nose, a grin on his face. The rest of the Kazama Family stood behind him, each with a smile on their face, though Momoyo's was rather like a small smirk.
"You'll watch this flower bloom with us, right?" asked Capt. "It'll be in another 40 years though."
Chris and Yukie felt grins grow on their faces.
"Yup!"
"Can't wait!"
They took a step forward only to realize that Naruto never responded. They turned back, and along with the Kazama Family, they watched Naruto as he stood with his back to them, his head cranked back as he watched the sky, leaves fluttering in the wind.
No one knew what he was thinking, but they all heard him as he spoke, his words like a whisper in the wind, carrying an unknown emotion with it.
"When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."
No knew what these words meant, what sort of philosophy they held, but they were shocked to see Naruto turn around to face them, a nostalgic smile on his face, a tired look in his eyes.
Momoyo couldn't help but notice one fact. He looks so… Broken… Defeated…
In an instant, the nostalgic look was gone and he was back to his easy going smile. "Mah, sorry about that." said the blonde, walking forward. "I often find myself getting more and more lost on the road of life these days." explained Naruto.
He walked up to Capt and held out his fist, making the boy blink as he looked down at it. He looked up a second later and grinned.
"Alright!" he said, bumping his own fist into Naruto's. "Welcome to the family!"
Naruto grinned.
"Glad to be here."
...
-Introducing Class 2-S -
...
The school was repaired in record time over the weekend, showing just how effective the Kuki Conglomerate could be. At the start of the new week, things were already kicking off with a bang, at least for one unfortunate soul that was.
Ikurou Fukumoto was many things. Known as Yonpachi because of his supreme knowledge in knowing all 48 sex positions, he was a pervert with no equal. Captain of the Photography club, he was without equal when it came to taking pictures. Even if all those pictures were perverted panty shots, he was without a doubt the best at what he does.
Despite his many shortcomings, often disappointing his parents in the process, this side character was a man with pride. Pride, that at the current moment, was being trampled right before him as he gaped at the Mahjong board in front of him, losing badly to his opponent.
"What an excellent Tsumo!" said his opponent, clearly a female student by the sound of her voice.
Yonpachi grit his teeth in frustration. "D-D-D-Damn It!" he growled out, upset that he lost most of his money gambling.
His opponent took joy in seeing his misery, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Kukuku, the sight of you losing is ugly indeed, you monkey." she said, taunting the 2-F student. "Class 2-F is undeniably an unworthy opponent for those of 2-S."
Yonpachi looked up as his opponent as, one Fushikawa Kokoro of Class 2-S, sneered down at him wearing her high class pink Kimono instead of the school issued uniform.
"I, who possess a noble bloodline, am forever destined for victory." she said, her sneer turning cold. "So why don't you grovel like the low-class commoner you are."
...
…
Class S of Kawakami Academy.
It is a special class composed of those with superior grades and the hopes of attending a prestigious university.
The best of the best of all grades gathered in Class S.
Sports…
Martial arts…
Academics…
Fine arts…
It is an elite group with unrivaled excellence in physical and mental ability.
That, is what it means to be in class S.
A place where weird individuals gathered, one that could rival class F in strangeness.
...
-First day back at School, the morning break-
…
Inoue Jun was sat at his desk in Class 2-S, a picture in one hand as he happily sighed.
"Hmm." he said while humming, his face slightly blushing as he looked at picture of a little school girl. "As I thought, girls with clean, pure skin are indeed…" he paused for a moment to sigh in bliss, "The best."
Jun was quite tall and athletic, being a staple student of 2-S. Yet, he was one strange individual. In fact, he was the only student with a bald head in class 2-S, and his lolicon tendencies often got him into trouble. His actions were excused because he had yet to do anything serious, and of course, he was a student of class 2-S.
"Jun," somone said, trying to get his attention. "Jun…"
The bald lolicon looked over to his left as Sakakibara Koyuki, one of his best friends, held up a pile of papers in front of her, an innocent smile on her face.
Sakakibara Koyuki, the mascot of class 2-S, was beautiful gem. With light pink eyes, waist length white hair, and an athletic figure that made her desirable, she was without a doubt the class favorite.
Jun gave a look to said girl before returning to his photo's. "What is it Yuki?" he asked. "I'm affectionately looking at pictures of little girls right now, so don't bother me. Ah, It's like I'm looking at a flowering meadow."
Koyuki was not discouraged in the least as she continued to smile. "Guess what?" she asked. "I finished my picture story." she said, referring to the paper in her hands.
Jun looked up and gave her a smile, one that you would see a kind father giving to his child, proud of her accomplishments. "Oh? A new story is it? Let's see it." he said.
Koyuki happily nodded before taking front stage, gathering the attention of everyone in class 2-S as she held up her artwork, the paper covered in crayon much like how a small child would draw. "Sakakibara Koyuki." she started, "Story #23. It's a heartwarming story. The title is 'I Tensai-Kun."
Jun leaned forward in his seat, everyone in class 2-S watching in rapt attention. "That title kind of ticks me off." he mumbled.
Koyuki smiled before switching sheets revealing the starting image of Tensai-kun and his father as they rode a boat. "Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Tensai-Kun." said Koyuki, "His father's favorite hobby was to fish for Marlins from his personal yacht."
Jun grunted. "The introduction ticks me off too."
Koyuki shifted scenes, holding a different sheet of paper that showed a new character. "When the village's mayor lost his money from forward trading, he rode it out with the help of Tensai-kun's advice." she explained.
Jun nodded to himself. "Well, I guess he is a genius." he said, referring to the meaning of Tensai, which means genius.
Koyuki once again shifted scenes. "Even after the Mayor's wife found out about his affair with his 37 year old lover, Michelle, It was Tensai-Kun who helped calm her down."
Jun felt his eyebrows furrow in thought. "Michelle's age is a bit too realistic."
Koyuki smiled, bringing out a different scene. "Even after the Mayor became interested in men, Tensai-Kun made sure that he wouldn't be targeted."
Jun threw his hands up in the air. "What kind of person is this Mayor!?" he questioned.
The scene shifted to Tensai-Kun standing by himself, a worried expression on his face. "However, even Tensai-Kun had his own worries."
Jun calmed down. "What are they?" he asked.
Koyuki nodded before bringing out the last scene. "He was so smart that there was no one who could hold a conversation with him." she started, a bright smile on her face. "In a way, he was truly alone… And when he could no longer bear his solitude…" she trailed off, leaving the end unknown.
"The end!" she said, the crowd that was Class 2-S clapping, enjoying her picture story.
Jun raged off to the side. "What happened to Tensai-Kun!?" he demanded. "And also, this wasn't heartwarming at all!?" He huffed as calmed down, holding a single hand out in front of him as he closed his eyes. "As always, there's no helping him… Also, half the story was about the mayor."
Koyuki approached with an easy going smile on her face as she shrugged. "That's reality!" she said. "Life is tough."
This was the elite group of Class 2-S…
Both Jun and Koyuki turned as Kokoro approached with a happy smile on her face as she laughed. "Ahaha!" she said, "Serves you right~!" she sang.
Jun gave her a look as he leaned back in his seat. "What's up, Fushikawa?" he asked, "You look happy today."
Kokoro grinned, hiding her hands within her sleeves. "I went to the gambling den and trounced one of the monkeys from 2-F at Mahjong." she declared.
Koyuki tilted her head in thought. "The gambling den?"
Explanation time. At Kawakami Academy, an unofficial gambling den opens up every once in awhile. That is all.
Jun gave Kokoro a worried look. "That's a pretty sketchy place you're going to."
Kokoro waved of his concern. "No matter, because I'm high class, everything I do is high class as well." she said, her way of thinking arrogant in nature. She paused to look away for a moment, a frown on her face. "Besides, 2-F has become a little full of themselves lately. I won't allow that inferior class of commoners to get ahead of 2-S."
Jun nodded along, agreeing with some of her words. "Yeah," he started, "They're certainly a showy bunch. I heard they also have a pretty foreigner amongst them too. But…" he paused to shrug his shoulders. "It's not like we're short on big personalities either. Take you for example."
Kokoro brushed off his words with ease. "It is the role of the commoners to be led by those of the upper echelons of society! I'm still not satisfied with this power, so I will go next door to 2-F and pester them some more!" she declared.
Jun gave a sigh of resignation. "That's not a very high class mentality, Fushikawa…" he paused and looked away. "But I guess I don't dislike that about you…"
Kokoro gave him a smile. "Anyways, I'm going to find more people to swindle." she said, heading for the door.
Jun gave her words of wisdom. "Don't cause too much trouble."
Words that she would toss aside with reckless abandon.
She was about to stir up quite a bit of trouble. Just who knows how much trouble?
...
…
Yonpachi banged onto his desk, crying tears of despair. "Damn it!" he cried out. "Damn it!"
Naruto and Yamato watched from their desks, wondering what was wrong with their monkey like friend. Moro walked up and gave the crying boy a concerned gaze. "What's wrong Yonpachi?" he asked.
Yonpachi shot up, his look of despair turning into anger. "Listen up!" he yelled, getting everyone's attention.. "Two things have pissed me off today! The first is that a girl's skirt got blown up by the wind, but she was wearing tights underneath…" he muttered, shaking his fist in frustration.
Gakuto, who was listening, threw his head back in pain. "It's okay to cry about this." he said, feeling Yonpachi's pain.
Naruto hummed in thought. Tights can also be quite sexy… To each their own I suppose.
The monkey like boy continued onward, ignoring Gakuto. "The second this is that I lost big at the gambling den…" he admitted.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "You win some, you lose some. Just try again next time." he said, giving out sage advice.
Yonpachi threw his arms up. "But the thing is," he started, "My opponent was some chick from 2-S and I'm pissed that she made a fool out of me!"
Ogasawara Chika, an attractive girl with light yellow eyes and light brown hair, was checking herself in the mirror. "What's wrong with that?" she asked. "Aren't you already used to being an idiot?"
Yonpachi, a childhood friend of hers, spun to face her with angry eyes. "She called our entire class stupid!" he snarled. "She's just some punk ass Honor Student looking down on us!"
Chika closed her mirror, a disgruntled look on her face. "Ew." she said. "Those guys from 2-S really do tick me off."
Yonpachi ignored her, already lost to his angry imagination. "Anyways, I made her suck it in my imagination, but I'm still pissed about this!"
Yamato gave the boy a flat look. "What the fuck are you imagining?" he asked, getting ignored as the door to the classroom opened up.
Kokoro stood there in the doorway, an arrogant sneer on her face. "Hahaha!" she said, laughing. "Monkeys of 2-F, my noble self has come to play with you~!"
Naruto abruptly closed the door on her, cutting her off as she started to laugh. He spun with a small smile on his face. "So, what was that again, Yonpachi?" he asked.
Kokoro slammed the door open, an agitated look on her face. "Hey, wait a sec!" she started, "How dare you ignore me!?"
Yonpachi lunged forward, pointing at the lithe girl, his nose blowing out steam. "Hey, that's the one from the gambling den! The chick who's asking to get a facial!" he declared.
Naruto recognized her as one of the loan sharks who hunted down Momoyo last week as Yamato scratched his chin in thought. "Oh, it's Fushikawa-san. I hear she comes to school in a kimono every day." said the brown haired boy. "She seemed too sketchy to be real, so I forgot about her."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward manner. "Sooo…" he started, "What's someone from 2-S doing here?" he asked.
Kokoro smiled from behind her sleeve. "I heard this loser monkey howling from afar, so I just came to see his face." she said. "As expected of the commoner class, even in defeat you're still ugly."
Most of class 2-F took offence to her words as Yonpachi blew up. "What did you say!?" said the perverted photographer.
The kimono wearing girl smirked, her trap having been sprung. "Well then," she started, "Does anyone want to avenge this monkey's loss?" she asked. "Just for today, I'll be your opponent."
Class 2-F fell silent as they glanced around themselves, unsure of Kokoro's offer.
The 2-S student smirked, her eyes narrowing. "I see, you're running away in the face of this golden opportunity." she said, hiding her face behind the sleeve of her kimono. "I guess class F is just garbage after all."
Yamato tried to play peacekeeper. "Look," he started, "I don't know what you're trying to do. But provoking us won't do any-" He was cut off as someone interrupted him.
Naruto sighed as he placed a hand on Yamato's shoulder, silencing him. Turning, he gave Kokoro a speculative look. "You know," he started, "I was just going to ignore this, but your way of talking down to my friends is really starting to piss me off." He pushed past Yamato, straightening his back out as he towered over the much smaller girl. "I accept your challenge." he said, pulling out his badge as he threw it at her.
Kokoro looked like she was having second thoughts, having seen the fight between blonde haired boy and Momoyo, already eyeing the badge in fright as she took a step back.
Yonpachi sneered at her, sensing blood in the water. "If you're afraid, you can always back out now. Just know that everyone will know that the students of 2-S are cowards if you do."
The princess like girl had to grit her teeth as she was backed into a corner. She had totally forgotten that Naruto had joined class 2-F, the problem child of Kawakami Academy.
"Fine," she forced out, searching for a way to mitigate the damage. She knew that Naruto was physically strong, much stronger than her, so she was forced to fight for a mental victory. "We'll play Shogi."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her challenge. "Shogi?" he repeated before a predatory grin graced his face. "Sounds good. Shogi it is."
The challenge had been set, and unknown to all but one, the victor already decided.
...
…
Since it was a challenge of mental strategy and planning, Naruto and Kokoro, along with their respective classes, relocated to the common's area, a space big enough for everyone who wanted to watch.
The speaker above came to life, alerting the rest of the school to their duel. "Your attention please." Said the speaker. "In a few moments, there will be a duel occurring in the common's area. Namikaze Naruto from class 2-F will face off against Fushikawa Kokoro from class 2-S. The challenge will be a game of Shogi."
Two zabutons, cushions for them to sit on, were brought forward, elevated off the floor as Naruto took his seat, tucking his legs in under himself.
Kokoro sat down across from him in a similar manner, sitting down with a regal look on her face as her hand maidens quietly stood behind her, awaiting any order she would give them.
In between them sat a single Shogi board with the pieces already set up. Naruto gave her a lazy hand motion. "You can go first." he said in a drawl, foregoing the Furigoma, the traditional move who decided who moved first.
Kokoro fell for his trap, a snobbish sneer on her face as she accepted, opening up with a traditional Rook opening. "As a member of the noble Fushikawa house, I acknowledge the fact that you know your place, commoner." she said, a haughty tone in her voice.
Naruto nodded, ignoring her comment, "Not bad." he said, his eyes watching the board as he countered with his own Rook opening. They proceeded to make idle chatter, playing a game of Shogi that to most, would seem too intense to be real.
Class 2-F stood off to the side, as did Class 2-S, each making small talk about the game.
"I don't get it." said Gakuto as he watched the board game. "What are they doing?" he asked, turning to Yamato.
The tactician of the group sighed as he gave the tall boy a flat look. "How'd you get into this school…" he said before motioning to the board.
"Shogi is a game about strategy," started Yamato, "The basic strats of Shogi follows a similar pattern to western chess, but instead of permanently losing pieces, Shogi follows the mercenary rule. You can reposition captured pieces onto the board, dropping them in for follow up attacks or creating rapid lines of defense."
Gakuto scratched the side of his head. "I'm not sure I follow all of this, but I think I get it."
Yamato shook his head, going for a more in depth explanation. "Shogi can be divided into the opening, mid-game, and end-game, each requiring a different strategy. The opening consists of arranging your defenses and positioning for attack, the mid-game consists of attempting to break through the opposing defenses while maintaining your own, and the end-game starts when one side's defenses have been compromised."
Yamato watched with a keen eye as Naruto set up a basic defense, moving his pawns forward, with Kokoro moving her pieces in a similar but fundamentally different manner, obviously going for a different set up.
"Much like chess, the king piece is the most valuable. Once it's been taken, the game is lost." explained the strategist of the Kazama family. "Now, starting with the lowest value piece, you have the Pawn. The Pawn is almost worthless, but they make up the majority of any type of defense and offense you will set up, so they're important in that sense. Like chess, a Pawn is only worth another Pawn, but unlike chess, you start with 9 Pawns instead of 8 in Shogi."
Yamato pointed to a different piece, already explaining its purpose. "The Lance is worth 3 Pawns as it can move any number of spaces forward." He said, pointing to a different piece. "The Knight is also worth 3 Pawns, its movement allowing it to jump forward, bypassing several lines of defense in the process."
Kazuko peered over his shoulder, watching as Naruto traded pieces with Kokoro, each taking a pawn as they moved from the opening into the mid-game. "What are those pieces?" she asked.
Yamato followed her finger only to find that she pointing at the Silver and Gold General's. "The Silver and Gold General pieces are pretty essential to a solid defense. Both are worth 5 Pawns each, their movement being wide in variety, giving them a lot of uses."
Chris followed along, humming to herself in thought. "I know very little about Shogi," she admitted, "but aren't the Bishop and Rook the most powerful pieces?"
Yamato nodded, his attention split between explaining and watching the game in progress. "The bishop is quite powerful…" he paused as Naruto dropped a Pawn piece into a forking position, exploiting an opening in Kokoro's defense. "Nice move." he commented, "Like I was saying earlier, the Bishop is the second most powerful piece. It's so powerful that it's worth 8 Pawns. This is because it can move any number of diagonal spaces, making it a powerful surprise attacker. After that, the Rook is considered the most powerful piece as it is worth all 9 Pawns, its ability allowing it to move in an orthogonal direction. Basically, in layman terms, it can move from side to side, and front to back."
He fell silent as Naruto sacrificed a Knight, causing Kokoro to grin as she reversed the situation, already poking at the holes in his defense. If Naruto was worried, he never showed it as he kept his face in a neutral expression, a lazy look in his eyes as he dropped a Pawn to fill in the gap.
Yamato smirked as he caught onto Naruto's plan, chuckling in the process. "She has no idea what's she's about to get into." he declared, ignoring the questioning looks his classmates were sending him.
"What do you mean?" asked Capt, his attention now drawn to the board as the game unknowingly came to an end. "What's going on?" he asked, Momoyo leaning over his shoulder to peer at the Shogi board in vague interest.
Yamato grinned. "On the surface," he started, "It may look like Naruto is losing, but he's perfectly set up, meeting all the victory conditions he needs." The tactician pointed to Naruto's pieces. "Look there and tell me what you see."
Momoyo, along with most of the senior classes, listened in and glanced over to where Naruto was setting up. The members well versed in Shogi understood what was about to happen as they broke out into murmurs and whispers, praising Naruto for his strategic brilliance. Momoyo, as expected, was not one of these members. "Yamato," she started, her eyes narrowing at her little brother. "Please explain or I'll force you to."
He held up his hands in defeat as he nervously chuckled. "Alright, alright." he said, conceding. Turning back to the game at hand, he explained why Naruto was going to win. "Naruto has perfectly castled."
This generated more than a few confused expressions and Momoyo looked like she was about to suplex the boy before Miyako came to his rescue.
Miyako, well versed in Shogi, nodded as she explained what Yamato meant. "The Yagura Castle. The Yagura Castle is considered by many top notch Shogi players to be the strongest defensive position in Shogi because It has a strongly protected king; a well-fortified line of pawns; and the bishop, rook, and a pawn all support a later attack by the rook's silver or knight. It is notoriously difficult to break down with a frontal assault, though it is weaker from the side. It is typically used against Static Rook openings that involve advancing the rook's pawn." she explained before smirking... "The Yagura Castle can easily be countered if your opponent creates their own Yagura Castle, forcing a brief stalemate. Fushikawa is just too stupid to realize this."
Moro nodded, his eyes lighting up in understanding. "Ah, I see." he started, eyeing the Shogi board. "Naruto baited her with several pieces, luring them out as he castled. Fushikawa is too arrogant to see the trap that's she's sprung, already advancing her pieces only to meet their doom."
Indeed, his words held merit as it happened exactly like that. Kokoro advanced her pieces forward, breaking out of her defensive formation, not seeing the trap Naruto had set as he continued to sacrifice a few more pieces. Once it was too late, with her pieces all spread out, Naruto made his move. He led forward with his remaining knight, his charge seemingly unstoppable as Kokoro fell apart, her face set in worry as he continued to dismantle her apart.
It finally came to an end as Naruto took her King, finishing her off. The blonde stood up as he was declared the winner, rubbing his neck, trying to ease the tension in it. "One hour later and I've won." he muttered, glancing down at his opponent. "Good game. Just know that I've had a lot of practice playing against a rather skilled smoker and a lazy genius." he said before walking off, feeling hungry.
Kokoro kept her gaze on the board, feeling shocked, and in obvious denial as she sat in a stupor. What… What just happened… I couldn't have been beaten by someone of lower status...
"Fushikawa."
She numbly cranked her head to the side as the smartest person in their grade, Aoi Touma, the strategist for Class 2-S approached. He was very handsome, with his dark complexion, wavy brown hair and brown eyes, so he was a natural charmer. His glasses glinted as he gave her a smile. "You got a bit too carried away." he started, "Challenging somebody like Namikaze, the wildcard of Kawakami, was a bit too arrogant. Please consult with me before you do something like this again, will you? "
Kokoro turned her gaze downward, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment as Aoi gently scolded her.
Touma turned away from her and gazed at the retreating form of Naruto as he was quickly surrounded by his friends in Class 2-F. "Namikaze…" he said out loud in thought. "Perhaps you will be a formidable foe to pit my intelligence against..."
Jun and Koyuki exchanged a glance as their friend found his new obsession split between two boys.
...
-End-
...
Hope you all liked it. I worked quite a bit on this since I've been feeling down recently. (Like down as in I'm sick.)
Let me know what you all thought because I always enjoy hearing what you have to say.
I mixed things up a bit at the end, so hopefully you guys all enjoyed my rough explanation of Shogi. I did a lot of research into the game but didn't have a lot of time to go super in depth, so hopefully this will suffice.
On the matter of pairings, I'm having second thoughts on some issues. Some unexpected things came up (I've been playing the games) and new ideas have formed.
So, to be honest, I really don't know where this story is heading. I've been following the Manga, making small changes here and there, so if you were hoping I would diverge, I'm afraid that it's just impossible right now.
Keep it real and have a great day!
Ja Ne!