Azumanga Daioh: The Fan Fiction

AN- Hey there again…so yeah, I've been a little busy lately with work and friends, so this one's coming out late (ok…so I've got 2 other Azu fics now in progress…kinda) but I am not quitting on this one. The other 2 are just some pet projects I kinda thought of, both which will be drastically different than this. And for those of you who don't like this story (though I suppose if you don't like it, you may not have gotten this far…but thanks for the effort if you have) these other 2 stories are not going to have any major OC's, since that seems to be really taboo around here. Again though, I do understand why. So…enjoy.

Legal Information- Nope. I don't own it. Wish I did, cause then I'd know I was a friggin genius. Oh well, the story and characters all belong to the creator, Kiyohiko Azuma, and A.D.V. Manga takes the cake for licensing it out this way. So thank you all who helped bring this masterpiece over here stateside and into our homes and hearts. Now please don't sue me, I'm just a poor guy living on his own with a brand new laptop. Yep, rents gonna be late.

Chapter 4: Anxiety Abounds!

It was Wednesday, April the 14th. To over ninety nine percent of the world, this day meant very little or almost nothing. However, in Japan, for two particular people who don't live too far apart…it will mean a great deal. Of course, the day must start, and start it did as Sakaki first had to attend school. Her demeanor was not unusual, despite her feelings of anxiety. However, she found these feelings caused her to become distraught with the flow of time. Constantly, she found herself staring at the clock during class, just waiting for the bell. When lunchtime came around, she found herself seated with Koji, and a few of her other 'fan club' members.

Koji: " Miss Sakaki! It's good to see you today!"

Tamura: " Good afternoon Miss Sakaki."

Ramura: " Good afternoon Miss Sakaki."

Tamura and Ramura were actually identical twins. Both with light brown hair and eyes, they stood a few centimeters shorter than Koji, who was already only about 157 centimeters tall. Sakaki nodded to her college friends, then took her seat and quietly ate whilst they talked among themselves.

Koji: " So, yeah! I was so late to class today. The teacher said next time he was just gonna start without me! Man, I can't believe that."

Tamura: " Why were you late anyways?"

Koji: " What do ya mean?"

Ramura: " I know why! I bet he was looking for Miss Sakaki."

Koji: " Wha?"

Tamura: " You mean like waiting up for her? A breakfast date?"

Sakaki never really listened much into their conversations. It's not like she didn't like them, but they were just never really the kind of friends like the ones she had back home. When Tamura said the word date, however, it sparked her attention enough to listen in and even interact.

Koji: " Come on…I just…slept in late! Late night with club practice again."

Ramura: " Really?"

Koji nodded furiously, while doing his best to better hide an extra bagel and cream cheese he bought earlier in the morning in his book bag. For future reference, this bagel would never see the light of day again, lost forever in the abyss of Koji's backpack.

Sakaki: " You had a date this morning Koji?"

Koji: " Oh no. I would dream of going on a date with anyone but you Miss Sakaki!"

She raised one of her eyebrows, unsure of the meaning or the purpose of Koji's comment. Koji turned a little red, shooting up from his seat and took a bow. Grabbing his backpack, he took off running, saying goodbye while he left with the first half reasonable excuse he could make up.

Koji: " I JUST FORGOT! I LEFT THE IRON ON IN THE SHOWER AND I DON'T WANT THE BREAD TO GET BURNT!"

Sakaki tilted her head to the side, unsure of what just happened, but thought that Koji reminded her of a friend from home.

Ramura: " Good job Ramura, looks like you embarrassed him."

Tamura: " Hey! Don't blame me if he's a weirdo."

Sakaki: " What got into him?"

Tamura: " Ahhh, you know…he's one of those types…"

Sakaki: " Those types? Like Kaorin?"

Ramura: " Kaorin? Who's that?"

Sakaki: " Oh…it's nothing."

Sakaki continued to eat her lunch quietly, ignoring the question entirely. After their confusion passed, the twins continued their conversation.

Tamura: " So anyways…Koji on a date? Wow, sounds scary."

Ramura: " I don't know, I think he's kind of interesting."

Tamura: " He's so dorky though. What do you think Miss Sakaki?"

Sakaki: " Hmm?"

Their attention was back on her, looking for answers.

Sakaki: " I don't know. I've only known Koji for the last year or so. He's a year behind me, I think."

Ramura: " Huh. Well, on the subject…if you ever went on a date Miss Sakaki, where would you like to go."

Sakaki: " W-what?!"

A shocker question that hit a bull's-eye right on her anxiety issue. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, gathering together what she believed and what she knew.

Sakaki: (I wonder if today counts as a date…it's not like we're any kind of…boyfriend…and girlfriend…)

The thought of a relationship drove her to blush all over, so she hid her face in her hands while she thought more. The twin sisters watched for a moment as their favorite person on campus was hunched over, preoccupied with something. Tamura, the obviously more adventurous one, reached over and put a hand on Sakaki's shoulder.

Tamura: " Hey Miss Sakaki? You alright?"

Sakaki over powered her blush with an immense will to save her from embarrassment and with her usual stoicism and grace, emerged as if unshaken by anything.

Sakaki: " I guess if I were to go on a date, I'd like to go flower gazing."

Ramura: " Oh, how romantic. That sounds like it would be wonderful."

Tamura: " Maybe. Sounds a little boring to me. I'd say an amusement park! Like Fairyland!"

The mentioning of the said location jarred a couple of Sakaki's memories back to her, of her fond trips there with her friends. Though she wasn't a great big fan of roller coasters, it was enough that they had all been together.

Sakaki: " So…you think an amusement park would make a good first date?"

Ramura: " Well…it's not bad. Maybe second or third would be better."

Tamura: " Yeah, but nothing says I love you like a surprise and sudden trip to a fun place like that."

Sakaki: " Huh."

The tall girl took a few moments to dwell on the subject matter while eating, until the school bell sounded and it was time for her to head back to class. The thought still ping-ponged through her head, even into Biology, which was the only class she found any real interest. At least she didn't find herself constantly staring at the clock, only taking random glances every so often. Again, through the progression of time, the bell finally rang and Sakaki made her way out of the room quickly. She dashed off campus and made her way home, wanting to see both Maya and prepare for this evening. Upon entering her house, she caught Maya as he bounded up into her arms, and she walked him into her living room.

Sakaki: " What do you think Maya? Should a dress up, or just wear this?"

Maya looked at her a little cock eyed, not really understanding what she said. Of course, she knew he didn't, but had a habit of talking to him when no one was around. She sighed and paced around her small house trying to think, until finally she decided to just change into something more fitting to the weather. A light, black, long sleeved shirt and brown skirt, with a long coat to match. She took time to look herself over in the mirror for quite some time, deciding to apply just a little lipstick and mascara to highlight her features. Finally, now ready for her evening with Ken, she sat back down in the living room, realizing that she still had some time before they met up. She brought up the phone conversation they had in her mind, in order to remember what they planned to do about getting together.

Tuesday 7pm

Kenaeda was seated on his couch with a pen and paper by his side. He had a bowl of ramen noodles on the stand in front of him and the TV turned up and blaring. This was his favorite time of the day, as his favorite show in the whole world, Iron Chef, was about to come on. The DVR was set to record, just in case he missed the recipes and ingredients used. Yes, Ken was a dork about this kind of thing, but in the end, everyone's got that one thing. Right as the show started, his phone rang, and he swore under his breath, giving thought to just ignore it.

Kenaeda: " Mom…why now…you know not to call around 7. God help them if they're a salesmen or telemarketer. Bastards…"

He got up and looked at the Caller ID, and didn't recognize the number. He answered it in a semi-curt fashion, attempting to show disinterest and annoyance. Not a great idea on his part since the caller would me much more important than any television program.

Kenaeda: " Yeah? Takemura here."

Sakaki: " Ummm…is this Kenaeda?"

The voice was very familiar. In fact, not just very familiar, but recently important. It hit him like a ton of bricks and made him feel just like it.

Kenaeda: " Oh god…Sakaki? Is that you?"

Sakaki: " Yeah…are you ok? Did I call at a bad time?"

Kenaeda slapped himself, realizing that he probably just scared the poor girl and made her feel like he was a great big jerk. He bowed apologetically, despite no one but his own cats being around to see this.

Kenaeda: " I'm sorry Sakaki. I thought you were a telemarketer. They keep calling me and since I didn't recognize your number, I figured you were them. I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

She sighed in relief, but was still just a little taken back, never really haven been spoken too like that before. After calming herself, she continued.

Sakaki: " Oh, well, I called because I wanted to know where we'd meet up tomorrow."

Kenaeda: " Ah yes. Now that I think about it, we didn't really talk much about that. Hmmm, let's say we meet back up off the beaten path like before. By that tree I fell out of. I know it's a little corny, but I figured it would be kind of like a mutual location for the both of us."

Sakaki:" Sure, that sounds good. Ummmm…"

She trailed off for a moment, nervous beyond belief. She couldn't really believe she was having this conversation, and was becoming very self conscious about how she acted. Don't sound stupid, don't act weird, speak clearly, annunciate…these things flew through her head as she spoke, tripping up her train of thought. It was like a train who's tracks were laid out in a circle, going around over and over again. Finally, she got flustered and it was made fairly apparent in her speech.

Sakaki: " We…could…you know…time…"

Kenaeda let out a dry laugh, keeping it secret from Sakaki.

Kenaeda: " Anytime after 3 is fine for me. I get out of class around then. I like Wednesdays cause I get out early. When do you get out of school?"

Sakaki: " Around 4..."

Kenaeda: " Then let's say we meet up at 6. We'll figure out what to do then."

Sakaki: " Ok…that sounds fine. I should probably let you go."

Kenaeda: " All right. Then you have a good evening Sakaki. Say hello to your cat for me."

Sakaki: " Umm…you too."

Wednesday- 6pm

Still an hour to go, Sakaki was getting antsy about everything. Her foot would tap almost uncontrollably, she would go back to pacing around her home, television and books were no real help, and eventually, she decided to just give up and head out to the park, early or not. After all, this was a date, she decided, and she did not want to be late by any means.