DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PoT. I also do not own Karenai Hana by Shimokawa Mikuni… I only used it for this chapter! I don't own all the titles of the songs used in this chapter!!

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Chapter 16

Let's Start!

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"Please have a seat!" Emiko led Seigaku to two rows of chairs, right in front of the stage. When they had already taken the chairs, Emiko glanced at Sakuno. "Sakuno-chan (because Jun said that we'll just call you that) did Shinichi-kun bother you?"

"A-anou…" Sakuno stuttered. It wasn't that she was bothered, since she thought that Shinichi was a girl at that time, "Well…"

"Che. Of course she was." Answered Ryoma, taking Sakuno by surprise. She didn't expect that Ryoma would say that. Momoshiro and Kikumaru elbowed each other, grinning, Fuji smiled, and Inui scribbled into his notebook.

Emiko lifted a brow, "Who are you to say that? Are you her boyfriend?"

Sakuno blushed with the meddlesome question by the older girl.

'Holy crap. What a nosy senpai.' Ryoma thought. He tipped down his cap, "No…" the blush faded slightly from Sakuno's cheeks. But somehow, she was happy that he, at least, had thought about what she feels.

An evil smile graced Emiko's pouty lips, "Oohh… what a very thoughtful boyfriend you have, Sakuno-chan!"

"I am not her boyfriend." Ryoma said, but Sakuno blushed anyways. Kikumaru nudged Momoshiro to see Ryoma's reactions, grinning. Fuji, though, wished that Emiko would stop… so that he'll finally have his turn of torturing the poor freshmen.

"He actually thought that you were bothered! I wished I had a boyfriend like him!" Emiko grinned like mad, determined to tease Ryoma (and Sakuno) to death.

VEIN POPPED

"I AM NOT HER BOYFRIEND." Ryoma shot a glare at his female senpai, who just smiled wickedly.

"Oh?! Are you dismissing the fact that you're Ryuzaki Sakuno's friend who happened to be part of the male species?" Emiko grinned. Ryoma's jaw dropped. Fuji gave a small laugh, amused by the girl's attempt in making Ryoma feel uncomfortable. Shaking his head, Inui fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"N-no." he replied, feeling embarrassed by what happened. Why did he take that one seriously?!

Sakuno felt confused of what just happened. She looked at Emiko, who appeared like she just won jackpot, then looked at Ryoma, who remained silent after the scene. She didn't know if she was going to sad because by saying that he wasn't her boyfriend or she was going to be happy because, at least, Ryoma said that he was her friend. Formally.

Emiko turned her back, "Oh, forget it! Forget it!"

She skipped her way to the stage, and sat at a chair there for a good minute. She hummed a little, tapping her feet at the stage as if she was hearing some kind of "unheard" music. A little later, Jun came and greeted Seigaku. She wore a chiffon pleated skirt, a yellow tunic, topped with a thick brown coat; on her hands, she was holding a CD.

"Do you want to practice? You still have a good thirty minutes before the program starts." Said Jun, waving the CD.

Emiko rested her chin on her hand, "Don't you have to edit the flick?" Jun shook her head and said that she had already finished it. "If you insist." The glassed girl sighed.

"Aren't you going to take off your glasses?" asked Jun, as she went to the podium, where a small CD player was hidden.

Inui's glasses glinted, "Take off?"

"Oh, no. I'll save it for later." She shrugged.

"By the way, I heard Kitami-chan's been feeling bad ever since she heard that she'll be performing live in front of them today." Said Jun as she placed the CD in the player.

"Oh? Really? That's new." And out of nowhere, Emiko pulled out a tiny blue-green notebook, "But it's ok, I used to get sick whenever I get onstage when I was first year."

Seigaku glanced nervously at each other.

"OK, it's playing…" said Jun as she exited the stage and joined the regulars and Sakuno. A genuine smile wisped on Emiko's lips as the instrumental of the song started to play.

Emiko stood from her seat and walked towards the center of the stage; she took the microphone, and swayed a little, on the same pacing as the song. Seigaku watched her as she parted her lips to sing the piece.

PLAYING: KARENAI HANA…

"KOKORO ni chiisana hana ga saite---ru

kimi kara moratta karenai hana ga

shinjiru koto o mou kowagaranai kurai

tsuyoku nareta kara

……

kimi ni aete ureshikatta

tsunaida te ga hokori datta

ima wa betsu betsu no sora miagete ite mo

hora a---ruke--ru hitori demo…"

Speechless. That would be the best description of those who had heard Emiko sing. The way she pronounced each word, and the way her lips moved had captured the attention of those who were there.

"Just as expected from Daigaku's Phoebe," said Jun, "Just like a songbird."

"Phoebe?" Kikumaru thought out loud.

"A songbird from America." Answered Jun, "They gave that name to her when she first got over her stage-sickness."

Emiko jumped from the stage, "Oi, what do you think? Should I change the song or not?"

"It was really great, Hide-senpai." Sakuno beamed, "I haven't heard a person sing so beautifully before!"

A slight tinge of pink stained Emiko's cheeks, but she quickly brushed it, as Inui noticed. Emiko gave a fit of giggle, "Really? Kyaa! You're so nice, Sakuno-chan! But Ryoma-kun will go jealous of other people if you're always like that!"

Sakuno turned red at the added comment, and even though unwillingly, Ryoma suddenly looked at a different direction when he met Sakuno's eyes. It was odd; he just thought he blushed… it was weird.

Jun giggled, "That's enough, Emiko-chan. You're making the kids feel uncomfortable."

"Humph! Like you're the one to talk, Jun-kun." Emiko quirked a brow. Jun giggled once more.

All of a sudden, they heard some screaming from a nearby room. And with a crash, a girl in short pigtails came crashing out of the window and landed with both feet on the ground… specifically, on roller blades.

"BASTARD! COME BACK HERE!" another shout came from the room.

"DON'T WORRY! I'LL RETURN THIS ASAP!" she shouted back, waving her hands at the boy who dropped his head low helplessly.

The girl skated her way to the stage. It was no other than Kitami Tatsue. She bowed at the regulars from Seigaku, and then a hiccup escaped her again. "Holy-hic-crap." She exclaimed, "Not again… hic!"

Sakuno asked, "You're hiccupping again?"

Tatsue waved at her twin braided friend and shrugged, "I don't know-hic. It just-hic-comes. Oh… here's-hic-what you asked." She handed Emiko an adaptor.

"Kya! Kakoii, Kitami-chan! You did it!" Emiko exclaimed. (think of those hearts that come out when an anime character is happy)

"Hic." Tatsue hiccupped again, this time she covered her mouth with her right hand.

Sakuno looked at her friend a little more, "Tatsue-chan… there's something different about you today…"

Tatsue looked at Sakuno, with her brow twitching a little.

"AH!" Sakuno exclaimed, "Tatsue-chan! You're wearing glasses!"

Tatsue sweatdropped, "Yare, yare. I just remembered. You haven't seen me during school hours…" Sakuno looked at her friend, clueless. Tatsue removed her plastic framed glasses, "Reading glasses. Grade… 75. I only use them during classes, though.,, you really came. I thought buchou was just kidding… wait… that means…"

Emiko and Jun nodded. At first, Tatsue looked really dumbfounded, then after a split second…

"YOU MUST BE KIDDING!" she screeched at her senpai's, "NO! NO! NO! NO!!!!!!!" she looked like she was going to rip off her hair.

SWEATDROP

"Eh?! What are you talking about, Tatsue-chan?" asked Sakuno.

Tatsue whipped her head to her senpai's, with a fierce look on her face, "There's no DARNED way I am going there-" she pointed at the stage, "-in front of THEM! NO WAY!" she continued cursing savagely at an invisible person under her breath.

Ryoma winced at the excessive usage of profane words. Sakuno smiled awkwardly because of her friend's… er… actions.

"Oi, oi, Kitami-chan! Don't talk to your senpai like that!" Emiko pouted.

"What are you going to present, Kitami-chan?" asked Fuji, smiling. Tatsue frowned a bit, a little calmer than she was earlier.

"I'm supposed to play electric guitars for Hide-senpai when she sings and…" She frowned, as if not wanting to talk anymore.

"And?" asked Oishi, feeling a little interested in the conversation.

"And…" Tatsue trailed off. She was determined not to say anything… well at least, her.

"She'll play the flute in 'Eyes on Me'." Said Jun, "And oh… she'll…"

"S-SENPAI!!!" a completely flustered Tatsue shouted, with tears bubbling from the corners of her eyes.

Jun smiled placidly as Emiko stared unbelievingly at the usually tough girl, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't be too embarrassed, Kitami-chan!"

"I'M NOT EMBARRASSED!" Tatsue frowned even more, directly proportional with the bright red blush that was staining her dainty cheeks. She whirled around, and stomped off.

"Kitami-chan, where are you going?" Jun blinked, "It's just twenty-five minutes until the start of the program."

"SOMEWHERE!" she treaded heavily, as if wanting to crack the earth open.

Emiko grinned, she and Jun gave each other high-fives; Sakuno couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her friend. Jun then waved at them, "Well, I have to go and fetch the little dragon and drag her back here. I still have to put a little make-up on her too… whether she likes it or she likes it." She smiled broadly and left.

Whether she likes it or she likes it? What a choice… Seigaku thought, feeling sorry for the little kohai.

"Oh, yes… I forgot the make-up thingy…" pouted Emiko. She took her notebook once again (from nowhere), "Ah… okay… so it's like this… uhm… Ano, minna-san, please wait here. People will start flocking the place, so don't leave your seats. If you see any… uhm… fangirls, fanboys, or any of the like, please don't mind them. And here I take my leave. Ja!" she chirped, before happily prancing off to… somewhere.

Seigaku watched as the last of the Daigaku girls flounced away, leaving them and a blushing Sakuno, who at that time had just committed to memory that Ryoma was just some breaths away, alone.

After some good ten minutes, Momoshiro yawned, as if there was nothing else to do; Kikumaru too, was stretching his arms a bit. Oishi, who was beside Kawamura had started to talk to the latter, because Tezuka seemed a little… pissed off to be talked to. Fuji smiled happily for no apparent reason, though he thought that he must be lucky that day because his sister said so. Kaidoh hissed a little, but then was already on the verge of sleeping. The cool weather at that time didn't help in keeping the regulars awake though.

Ryoma, who was holding another can of Ponta at that time, grape flavor, glanced sideways at the young pigtailed girl beside him. He watched her as she rubbed her eyes and set her hands neatly on her lap, his eyes took a peek on her coffee-colored ones and found his self lost in thought about her.

Why he suddenly felt that way, he had no idea… then again, it might be because of that… cocky guy who seemed to get attention from the girl at his side, the kind of attention that only he, Echizen Ryoma, solely enjoyed for the past few months.

WAIT. WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

NO.

He wasn't jealous. Of course not!

Why would he be jealous of such… sweetness when he saw her blush ever so red when that boy touched her forehead? Why would he be jealous of a person who made her happy, unlike him who had just very much ignored her, or at least, treated her like he treated everybody else?

Why would he be green-eyed of such… spark between the two newly met people? Why would he be envious of the smile that she gave him when he made her feel better after… well… uhm, you what that was.

Of course he couldn't possibly think of such… things! His life was all about tennis!

Tennis doesn't equate with girls. Girls are different from tennis.

Bleargh.

What was he thinking? Why was he thinking of such things?!

WHAT THE HECK WAS HAPPENING TO HIM!?!?!

Ryoma cringed involuntarily as he unwillingly recalled what his older brother, Ryoga, told him… (1)

"Mada mada daze, Chibisuke. You'll see why puberty can be a tennis player's worst nightmare." Said Ryoga, right after the younger Echizen asked why his older brother was cursing 'Hormones'.

Ryoma wanted to kick his brother for not telling him about that when he needed it.

Groaning, Ryoma crouched down a bit and put away the empty tin can under his chair. When he straightened up, and leaned on his chair, he suddenly felt something rest on his shoulder. He glimpsed sidewise and saw the small head of his female "acquaintance" lean on his shoulder.

His eyes widened a bit of the sheer proximity they shared at that time. This time, there's no mistake.

Echizen Ryoma had just had a full-blown blush written all over his face. (Add the flowery background and the sparkly thingy…)

Unfortunately, Ryoma didn't have the ample time of savoring the moment. Just as he was about to adjust Sakuno's head into a much better position on his shoulder, an annoying (in more ways than one) and ear-piercing feedback hollered from the numerous black speaker pods around the stage.

Sakuno jumped, "Eh?! Fire? Where's the fire?"

"There's no fire." Ryoma tipped down his cap.

Sakuno blushed a bit, "Oh, sorry… I just thought…"

"Don't mind it." Ryoma said, averted his eyes away from Sakuno. Sakuno smiled a bit, though she only did so when she ducked her head a little to hide the blush that was slowly spreading on her cheeks. It seemed like she should add "blushing" as her hobby, Sakuno thought to herself.

Seigaku jumped back to life. But just as they did, a number of students had flocked the chairs, and just as Emiko said, there were fangirls, fanboys, and all sorts of fans that seemed to be much more excited than the visitors from Seishun Gakuen.

The unmistakable faked-girl voice of Shinichi boomed, "Good morning, Daidouji Gakuen! Good morning, visitors from Seishun Gakuen! Today, in the 15th anniversary of the Arts Department, we will display our prowess… I mean, our skills and talents in each of our chosen course…"

There was a buzz, but the announcement resumed nonetheless.

"For this morning the much awaited Musical Arts recital will be the first in the main events, followed by the Dance Troupes for the Street Dancing competition. For the afternoon presentation, the Individual films will be showing their knack in filming and afterwards, the much awaited piece, "Black Alice" of the Theatre Arts Class will be the last dance of today's strings of performances. Of course, the Culinary Arts class will be open for the rest of the day, yum yum!

This is Nomura Shinichi, saying "The comic is the perception of the opposite; humor is the feeling of it". Signing off."

The feedback from the speakers had finally come to a halt. Unfortunately, the number of people didn't even diminish a bit, but was actually the opposite. It didn't take too much of five minutes for all the vacant chairs to be occupied by various people.

"So many people… is this really a just a school event?" Inui wondered aloud.

"HIDE-SAMA! HIDE-SAMA!" a crowd of cheering fanboys added to the "noise" brought by the chatting crowd. They had with them banners (some of which had "HIDE-SAMA'S FANCLUB", "HIDE-SAMA! KAKOII!" and "MARRY ME, HIDE-SAMA!").

"Che," Ryoma grunted as he read the banners. He "slipped out", "What's so special with Hide-senpai? She can sing well… so what?"

"Oi, Echizen, shut up." Momoshiro warned, "Getting beat up (by screaming fangirls and boys alike) isn't what we came for here."

"What then?"

"Uhm… I don't know exactly either."

'I knew it. We came here for no actual purpose…' thought Ryoma. He took a glimpse of their buchou and smirked, 'You actually made a mistake, ne, Tezuka-buchou?'

Everybody went silent when someone got up on stage, but the screaming continued when Shinichi greeted them. He too was greeted back by most of the audience by declarations of love, proposals, and seemingly endless worshipping. Unlike in their past… er… encounter, the Shinichi that was on stage seemed to be a lot more… manly, probably because of the lack of headband that he used earlier.

"Konnichiwa, minna-san!" He gave a small wink at the girls on the front, who replied with ear splitting shrieks.

"KYA! NOMURA-SENPAI WINKED AT ME!" a tough looking girl said from the crowd. She was then given cold stares from her club mates who had admitted the "wink" that it was for them. Then they proceeded to have this little catfight that was stopped by Shinichi who told them that he winked at ALL of them. Heart-eyed girls screamed once more.

"Che. Annoying." Ryoma grunted. Sakuno was promptly reminded of Tomoka, though.

Shinichi then ensued on being the master of ceremony at that time. Oishi seemed to pay attention at the boy on stage as Shinichi seemed to easily do his part like breathing air. With a wave of Shinichi's hand, the Musical Arts recital had begun.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A/N: Whoa… just finished the sixteenth one… ideas from readers are very much invited! AND NO, I have no idea of how kendo is practiced.

"The comic is the perception of the opposite; humor is the feeling of it – Umberto Eco"

(1) This one is so totally made up by me, but any similarities of any is so like coincidence.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-