Oh Em Gee. An update that isn't 4 months away from the last?
Disclaimer: I am Michiko Yokote. Really. This story is now canon, and it'll hit the Japanese TV screens sometime late this year. Only not (I do not own Mermaid Melody, incase there are some lawyers after me and didn't think thsi disclaimer is good enough)
Shizu leant against a jewellery shop's window, watching Sakura obsess over a certain necklace on display to her boyfriend.
"Ooooh! Noburu! That necklace is gorgeous…" Sakura gasped, the tip of her nose lightly pressed against the cool glass. Noburu, Sakura's boyfriend, chuckled.
"If you want, me and Shizu can buy it for you" He chuckled, waking Shizu out of her bored daze.
"What?! I am not spending my money on a necklace that'll just rust when you go swimming!" Shizu said, making sure she didn't give too much away to Noburu, but she gave Sakura the idea of why she shouldn't buy. Sakura pouted and lifted her face off the glass.
"It won't rust! It's brass! It won't rust!" Sakura cried.
"Fine, Hanara, I'll buy it…" Shizu started, then glared at Noburu "And Noburu will help" Shizu finished, fishing out her purse. Sakura jumped in glee, and then stopped.
"Wait, who's Hanara?" Sakura asked. Shizu sighed and handed Sakura half of what the necklace was worth.
"Hanabi Sakura…Ring any bells?" Shizu said, raising her eyebrows at Noburu to hand over his share. Sakura nodded happily.
"It's Hana from Hanabi and Ra from Sakura put together…right?" Sakura asked, getting a nod from Shizu and the rest of the money from Noburu. She then rushed inside the shop to buy her prized necklace.
"Do you always make such weird names, Douzu?" Noburu asked, making a crack at Shizu.
"Yup, I have Haburou for my friend Kojirou Habuke, Habuko for Houko Habuke, and if that Suzumi person was still around then I'd find a nickname for her…" Shizu said, trailing off when she heard a voice.
"Well, find a nickname for me then!" A familar dark blue haired girl called, popping in front of the two.
"Suzumi!? Where've you been!?" Shizu exclaimed, crossing her arms like a worried mother. Suzumi smirked and placed her hands on her hips and spread her legs apart slightly.
"Why the hell does that matter! All that matters is that this motherfucker is back in business! On that weird-ass operation Hiro-something set me!" Suzumi exclaimed punching the air.. Shizu raised her eyebrows.
"Did you fall in a ditch and lose your memory and personality or something?" Shizu asked, surveying Suzumi. Her hair was considerably shorter and darker, and instead of reaching the bottom of her neck; it was cut into a hairstyle that went with Noburu's typical boy haircut. She was wearing worn out blue sneakers, cargo jeans, with pockets stuffed with 'cargo' a white t-shirt with a dark green jacket over it.
"What happened to that pink shirt and jean miniskirt? And your hair?..." Shizu asked, in disbelief.
"Hell knows…" Suzumi laughed, then took out her mp3 player and plugged in the earphones.
"So, what are you guys doing?" Suzumi yelled over her music. Shizu shrugged, and looked inside the shop to see Sakura trying on her prized necklace. Suzumi was busy dancing and playing the air guitar to her music. Noburu sent a look to Shizu.
"What happened to the 'she's quiet, but very nice and polite, although a bit clueless and curious at times' personality Sakura kept going on about for the last week when she's been gone?" Noburu asked. Shizu shrugged and shook her head. Sakura then came bursting out of the shop, necklace around her neck, and ran over to Suzumi to hug her. Suzumi just jumped back.
"Whoa, hands off the merchandise!" Suzumi shouted over her music, then took out her mp3 player and changed songs.
"Ugh, I hate 'Hare Hare Yukai'" Suzumi muttered as she skipped the song "What was I thinking…" she bitterly muttered. Sakura did a double take in disbelief.
"She kept saying it was her favourite song when were in India!" Sakura gasped. Shizu looked at Suzumi in disbelief and shook her head.
"Oi, Suzumi, we're going to get lunch!" Shizu yelled to Suzumi. Suzumi looked up and pulled a face.
"No need to yell…geez, I can hear" Suzumi said, turning up the volume. Shizu just shook her head and walked over to 'Cinnamon Blossoms'. Suzumi joined them, singing 'I was made to hit in America' and clapping her hands along with her music.
The white and green bus travelled through the hills, occasionally running over potholes in that poorly constructed road. Kinoh clutched her stomach as she stared out the window. Hiromu patted her back subconsciously as she chatted to one of the members of the basketball team they were riding with. The Austin Power's theme weakly blasted through the radio as they hit another pothole.
"Really Hiromu, what kept you so long from coming back?" the young man asked her. Hiromu let out one of her famous hearty laughs and looked out the window.
"Oh Kouta…its family matters…" Hiromu laughed. Kouta raised his eyebrows.
"I thought you were orphaned and grew up in an orphanage…" Kouta asked. Hiromu nodded.
"Exactly" she said. Kouta brightened up.
"Oh, so you found your family!?" He asked. Hiromu nodded.
"In a way…" she laughed. Kouta congratulated Hiromu as the bus pulled to a stop.
"Everybody get off the bus…I've gotta clean up some spew…" the bus driver droned. Hiromu looked over to the floor under Kinoh.
"Oh" Hiromu said with disgust, screwing her face up as she led Kinoh off the bus. Kinoh rolled her eyes as everyone piled off. The area outside was very rainy and windy, so everyone just stood on the right side of the bus, where the almost horizontal rain didn't reach them. The team gathered around Kinoh and asked if she was okay. Kinoh smiled and kept replying 'yes' to every question.
Soon enough, the team got bored of doting on Kinoh and decided to count how many sheep were in the paddock opposite them. Kinoh slumped down and sat on the road and groaned.
"We need a new road" she groaned rubbing her temple. Hiromu laughed nervously.
"So, Kinoh, how do you think Suzumi's doing back in that little town?" Hiromu asked Kinoh.
"She's probably gotten shot again" Kinoh said. Hiromu pouted.
"Seriously, do you think she's okay?" Hiromu asked.
"Probably" Kinoh replied. Kouta looked at Hiromu, asking for an explanation. Hiromu scratched her head and looked at Kouta.
"Suzumi is my, uh, cousin, and she broke her arm last week…" Hiromu said. Kouta nodded and dropped the subject, opting to conjure a conversation about the week's basketball game. Kinoh listened, but her mind was on another thing…
"Welcome to Cinnamon Blossoms!" Kojirou said as the group of four walked through the door "Shizu! Noburu! How are you?" Kojirou asked. Shizu shrugged as she ignored Suzumi's annoying heavy metal music. Kojirou smiled nervously as she noticed Suzumi having an all out air guitar solo.
"So, what can I do for you?" Kojirou asked. Sakura stepped up and looked through the glass display.
"Can I have a…meat pastry?" Sakura asked. Shizu and Noburu added that they'd like one too. Kojirou nodded and wrote them down.
"I assume your rock star friend would like a pastry too?" Kojirou laughed. Shizu nodded and watched Kojirou ring a bell and slip in their order through a slit in the wall.
"Take a seat, you guys…" Kojirou said, pointing to two couches to the right of the shop. Everyone sat down, except Suzumi.
"Aw! Fuckin' hell! My mp3 ran out of batteries!" Suzumi cried. She looked at Kojirou.
"Hey, do you sell batteries?" Suzumi asked. Kojirou shook his head. Suzumi sighed angrily.
"Fuck…well, do you have any batteries you can sell?" Suzumi asked. Kojirou nodded and handed Suzumi some double A batteries.
"That'll be $2:00" he said. Suzumi punched the air and handed over the money and inserted the batteries in her mp3 player. She turned it on and scrolled to her favourite song.
"Thanks man! You're a fuckin' hero!" Suzumi laughed and she walked over to the couch and fell onto it. Shizu was still confused, but she left the subject.
"So, who are your friends, Noburu?" Kojirou asked.
"Suzumi and Sakura…and how do you know me?" Noburu asked. Kojirou made a little 'o' shape with his mouth.
"I'm your sister's boyfriend" Kojirou said, taking out a picture of him and Atsuna.
"Oh, you're that boyfriend she hates!" Noburu laughed "Sorry, but she's got two other ones…she says you're not sexual enough!" Kojirou winched.
"Well, she was pretty damn pushy…" Kojirou said "Anyway, Suzumi, aren't you a Princess? Houko told me about meeting you". Suzumi didn't seem to notice so Kojirou kept talking to her, so he skipped the subject and focussed on giving them their freshly cooked meat pastries.
"Have a good day!" Kojirou farewelled the group as they left the shop. He slumped back to his usual position and continued to watch the sun slowly set.
"So, back to the beginning with Atsuna, hmm?" Houko laughed, walking out from behind the door. Kojirou sighed.
"She was a slut to begin with…I was always so busy with this job…" Kojirou sulked. Houko frowned.
"Sorry I'm robbing you of your life, Kojirou…I had a lot of burden on my shoulders when I was your age…heck, even younger!" Houko said. Kojirou shrugged.
"I don't care, I'm happy this way…" Kojirou laughed sadly. Houko just shook her head and headed back into the kitchen, leaving Kojirou in his thoughts.
No author notes this time. Nothing much to say for this chapter. It's more of a 'setting up chapter'
And the two songs I reffered to, 'Hit in the USA' and the Austin Power's theme is a reference to what I was listening to when I wrote this XD. I heart Beck and Austin Powers.