Chapter three
And finally, the silence was broken with a sudden, loud grumble. "He got us a kid?" Miyu felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. And then she heard the same voice again- but this time it was a yowl of pain. Looking up, she saw the grumbler on the ground, a foot on his head. Millie was kicking his face into the dust.
"Don't be so rude!" snapped the tall girl.
"Well it's the truth!"
The response's reward was another kick from Millie. "Next time, I'll kick where it really hurts!" she warned.
"Uh… nice welcoming committee?" Sato gasped; hand on the back of his head.
"Hokay then!" Millie smiled. "I'll be the… the… team profile person." She finished lamely. "This," she said, dragging the boy with orange hair from the ground by his shirt collar. "Is my dear friend Kato! He says he's sorry by the way, don't you?" she asked, shaking Kato roughly by his shirt collar and making him gag. "And that he'll buy you a bowl of ramen some time!"
"Wha?"
"Moving on!" Millie continued, ignoring Kato's outburst. "You know Sato, so this," she pulled on a green haired girl's braid. "Is dear ol' Izumi! She's keeper and has been on this team for eight long years. Honestly, find yourself a man, Izumi!"
"Double chop!" Izumi yelled and thwacked Millie on the head.
"I feel the love, Izumi." Millie growled, rubbing her head. "Here we have Suzuki- a chaser along with Sato. She's a rather heavy drinker, she might be hung-" at the point Suzuki clapped her hands over Millie's mouth.
"This is," Millie finally announced, "Tenharo- but the others call him Ro! I, on the other hand, call him Mr. Accident, because he has fallen off of his broom onto another player at least a dozen times!"
"That's your fault!" he cried, reddening.
"Oh, sure blame it on me all you wish, Mr. Accident!" Suddenly the entire team grabbed Millie and chorused, "And this is Millie, the team moron and back up shield from freak fireworks!"
"That was not nice!" Millie gasped. "Those flames were ALL OVER ME!"
Miyu giggled quietly. "You all have so many memories."
"It happens when the only thing you're good at is Quidditch." Izumi said sadly.
"But I-" Millie began, but was unheard as the team suddenly decided that they liked Miyu and was off to show her everything on campus.
Millie stared at them. "Sato," she said, shaking her head and laughing. "Your wish is about to be broken!"
She stared out over at the beautiful sunset and said quietly, "I only wish mine would break as well."
XXX
Millie caught up as the team was leaving the stadium.
"Uh, Sato?" Miyu asked hesitantly. He turned, black eyebrows raised in a silent question. "Weren't we supposed to practice today?"
"One of the first things you learn," he said finally, turning to face Miyu. "about being in Professional Quidditch is that we can't always practice when we say we will. Otherwise we would all quit, deciding to find a regular job instead. So every once in a while, we take a couple of days off, where the team can do normal things."
"Like?" Miyu prompted him. Sato sighed and ran a hand through his hair, thinking.
"Well, the girl's dorm is full of Millie's photography. Kato loves music so he has a few muggle items, such as an ipod and a few recording programs on his computer. They both love soft things, so their beds are stuffed with things like pillows and blankets. Even if we're only here because we're doing Quidditch professionally, we still do have things that we like, and we had to bring it with us- because we no longer hang out with the public, or else we'll get hailed in publicity."
"So you mean," Miyu gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. "I can't see Hana anymore?" It wasn't much of a question as it was a statement, and Miyu turned away in shock before hearing the answer.
Sato opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. It was just something Miyu was going to have to get used to, and encouraging words never helped. Sato searched his mind for something to break the awkward silence between, and finally came up with; "Hey, Miyu. Why don't we go to the broom shop and get you a new broom?"
"I don't know," Miyu sighed, clearly disappointed. "Do you think I can use my Nimbus? It was a gift from Hana, and I'd like to do something so I don't forget her…"
Okay, Sato thought, this isn't what I expected. Anyone else in the world would love to go buy the greatest broom in Japan with a professional Quidditch player, but apparently Miyu didn't. Again, he searched for something comforting to say, but found words of the complete opposite.
"Miyu, listen," He didn't give her a choice, as he grabbed Miyu's shoulder and turned her to face him. "I know you're going to miss yours friends. Everyone does when they start. But you have to move on. And no, you can't use your Nimbus. It's old and slow, we'll lose every match, as well as be humiliated, if our seeker rides one. And I expect my seeker to be on the best broom there is. So come on, we're going shopping." He muttered the last part disdainfully.
Miyu hesitated. It sounded strange when Sato referred to her as 'my seeker.' She wasn't sure if she should take it as a complement or not. Sighing, she embraced the fact that she couldn't get out of this-still, she resented it. She kept her sullen thoughts to herself, and allowed herself to be dragged along to go shopping for a new, jerky, and disdainful broom.
XXX Later XXX
Miyu sighed as Sato forced another Firebolt into her hands, again assuring her that this was 'the one.' And so, Miyu mounted it and found, again, that it was not 'the one.' Sure, she loved the chestnut color, but the broom was towering, much taller than the puny girl, and it was so thick that Miyu couldn't wrap her hands around it. Sighing, Sato took the broom from her and thrust it back at the attendant-who was clearly annoyed that they still hadn't found a broom.
"Do you have it in a smaller size?" Sato questioned.
"I told you, sir," The attendant tried his best to resist from sounding irritated, though he was failing miserably. "That's the smallest size in right now for Firebolts."
"Check again," Was Sato's brief, irritating response. By the look on the man's face, Miyu was sure he was going to kill Sato then and there. His face was chubby, and every ounce of fat and face was turning bright red.
Still, he whipped around, sulking off into the back of the store. Miyu was sure that Sato would have no choice but to put her on her old broom, but, much to Miyu's distress, the man returned with a perfectly sized broom, and Miyu embraced it-but not gently. She thought for sure this was the one until she saw "Comet 260" in golden letters.
Sato, however, didn't seem to have noticed, for he was thanking to man when Miyu tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Um, Sato," She croaked, nervous of what fight she would bring about. "There's something you should know about this broom…"
"What?" asked an aggravated Sato. Miyu only pointed to the words.
Sato turned around, a vein throbbing on his temple. "I thought I told you," he said very quietly to the man. "to get me… A FIREBOLT!" he ended in a scream that made Miyu cover her ears in surprise. "WHY ARE YOU SO INSISTANT TO GIVE UP ON ME, HERE? WHEN I SAY FIREBOLT, I MEAN FIREBOLT, BAKA! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE NATION IF YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A FIREBOLT IS!"
Miyu flinched, hands clasped tightly over her ears. "Please…" She begged, her voice lost in the screams. "Stop yelling!"
Suddenly a ringing sound came from somewhere, and everyone fell silent.
"Well, that's the end of my shift- see ya!" the man said jovially, bouncing out of the shop, leaving Sato seething. Miyu thought she spotted the word 'England' on the back of his shirt.
"What can I do for you kids?" The two of them turned to see an old man entering the shop.
"We need," Sato said, obviously fighting to keep exasperation from his voice. "a Firebolt that she can ride without being killed by it's size, please!"
The man stared at Miyu for a second, then hobbled into the shop. Miyu and Sato exchanged uneasy glances as they heard rattling and creaking from the back. He returned a moment later with a perfectly sized broom.
"Firebolt, did yeh say?" he made sure, handing them a small broom with the golden letters spelling Firebolt.
Sato was silent for a moment, his expression flat. Then he gave the man some galleons and thanked him- all the while, Miyu was staring at the man with steel fury for eyes. She DID NOT want a new broom, at all. Yet still, she slightly liked the broom's polished black wood and how the word 'bolt' was faded behind the word 'fire', but of coarse she'd never admit it.
"Let's just go then," she snapped.
XXX Girly Dorm XXX
"This is the…." Millie said majestically. "Girly Dorm!" she opened the door to a room bursting with all sorts of things. Miyu spied four bunks, a banner that read, 'girly dorm' and several dozen photographs hanging from the ceiling. She was rather overwhelmed by all of the personal items scattered about.
"Some of us," Izumi said, glaring at Suzuki and Millie, who were both spaced out at the moment, not catching the look of annoyance. "tend to not pick up after themselves."
"Huh?" Millie said, dreamily staring at some of the pictures. "Oh, yeah, Miyu, do you think I take good photographs?"
Ignoring Millie, Miyu asked quietly which bunk was hers. Millie pointed to one of the top bunks, but then continued rambling on about her photos, which Miyu had to admit were stunning.
"I sleep here!" Millie announced, patting a bed that looked like it was both awesome and scary. Dozens of pillows were pushed around on the springy mattress, and a mobile of a bludgers, something that looked like Victor Krum, and a dead fish, with photos everywhere the eye could meet. But all of the various items weren't what made Miyu gag in shock. A tree branch- yes, a fully grown tree branch was sticking through the wall and shot across Millie's bed long ways.
"Me thinks I'm sleepy," Millie said in English, Suzuki and Izumi giving her blank stares. Luckily, Miyu grew up in London, and she snapped in English,
"Do you take advantage because some people don't speak English?"
"Yes." Millie said bluntly, pushing Sato lazily out of the door and starting to change into pajamas. "Yes I do."
In the middle of the night, as Miyu listened to the other's as they snored on, she thought about Hana. Whatever Sato said, he couldn't keep her away from her friend! Miyu silently crept out of bed, flinching as her ladder creaked. She backed away from the girl's bunks and pulled herself out of the door.
She would see Hana again- tonight!