AN: Okay... yes, I did change the title. This one's more appropriate... and feels less generic to me. Well, it doesn't seem right now, but you'll probably see later. Though it could also be like a metaphor of sorts... but anyway. This chapter went on a lot longer than I expected and I ended it earlier than I planned...
The glarefest between the blonde and the red-head continued, even as the boat started to pass the Yuuhi Ouendan and the present agents. Hayato shot a smirk at the group as the boat started to depart the area of tension. The departure wasn't going to happen immediately, however. A clankety noise and a splash later, the trio at the bow found themselves being jerked forward unexpectedly. In fact, Hayato may have almost gotten a good taste of railing. The duo at his sides, Tsuyoshi Moriyama and Kenshin Sugita, caught their leader before he toppled towards the edge, but they all fell down anyway.
Spin got the feeling that this event would classify as a tension-breaker. His prediction was made true when he heard sniggers nearby, mostly coming from Ryuta's direction. Before he knew it, the whole group was overcome with some form of quiet laughter, each of them trying hard to resist it.
"What the bloody hell was that?!" could be heard from the deck of the ship in plain English. With the ship halted, the three got up, annoyed and confused. What looked like a much younger squad member rushed out, his chin-length brunette locks bouncing with every step. He bowed apologetically, telling Hayato something along the lines of "I'm so sorry, Saionji-san, I hit the anchor button and..."
Spin could definitely tell that he was a rookie. Many new recruits in the Agency acted similarly--nervous, seeming intimidated, and often very hard on themselves if they make the slightest mistake. Of course, though Spin wasn't like that at all when he first joined (or at least, that's what he thought; J would say otherwise), he would drop a hint of advice on the rookies on occasion, usually during practice.
Back up on the deck, Hayato raised a hand, letting the his squad's rookie know that he should probably stop apologizing. Said rookie blinked at the hand, pausing for a moment before giving one last bow accompanied with another formal apology and returning to the wheel.
"...Kikuchi's got a long way to go before he'll be like you, Saionji-san," commented the bald one, Tsuyoshi Moriyama, staring at the door the young rookie entered.
"Yeah, well... he'll definitely improve. I'm sure of it... he's got the determination," Hayato sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Besides, if he says he wants to be like me, he's already got at least one thing in common with me."
Both of Hayato's subordinates looked at the blonde in curiosity, wondering how in the world Shinta Kikuchi could have anything in common with Hayato Saionji.
"He's attractive!" Hayato finished, making the other two roll their eyes in annoyance. Well, Moriyama did; no one could really tell with the other, Kenshin Sugita, as his eyes always seemed closed or at least very close to that. Hayato ignored the displeased reaction and continued on, "Granted, he's got more of the cute factor than the sexy factor, but still, you saw the girls' reactions when they first saw him... it reminds me of myself!"
The other two clearly did not want to listen to their squad leader rant about Shinta's or his own 'ladykiller' qualities, so Sugita cut in, quickly saying, "That's all fine and dandy, Saionji, but I think we should find out where in the world the Captain is and why he's not doing anything about all this... Hey, you know what, I think I'll go check it out!"
Sugita hastily made his exit, leaving his partner Moriyama alone with their egotistical leader and ignoring the bald man's glare drilling into his back. Fortunately for Moriyama, however, the sound of a chain moving through a pulley signified that the anchor was being lifted and the boat was going to continue up the river. Remembering the nearby spectators, Hayato glanced towards the Yuuhi riverbanks to give Ryuta one last glare (especially since the latter showed a humored expression) before looking forward towards the hill to the north.
"They were always a strange bunch," Ryuta shrugged as the boat moved farther away from the Yuuhi group.
"You think? Look at their hair! Or lack of hair... and their boat is like a miniature cruiser!" Morris exclaimed.
"D'ya mind explaining who they are?" J asked, just as puzzled as his comrades.
"Actually, Ippongi-san, I'd appreciate an explanation as well... I've never heard of a squad in Asahi Town," Hajime commented.
"That's because they disappeared about eight years ago and decided to come back now," the squad's leader started to explain, "They call themselves the Kouketsu no Ouendan. In other words, the Noble Squad."
"So there's more than one Ouendan," Derek concluded.
"What, did you think we covered all of Japan?" Ryuta grinned. "There's a squad in Mangetsu Town to the north, one in Shingetsu to the south, and Tokyo has a bunch of 'em. There's Ouendan all throughout Japan. Our Kokou no Ouendan is just the most famous because of the meteor incident. Plus, we kick ass."
"So... you guys dohave the numbers to take care of Japan," J stated, looking at the Ouendan leader for confirmation.
"You could say that. Same goals and such... we just function separately."
"Do you know why Asahi's squad disappeared?" Hajime asked, curious.
"Do Iknow? No. There were different rumors about the disappearance of the Asahi Ouendan. Some are relatively boring, like membership being too low... Others are absolutely bizarre, such as going undercover and collecting rare and sought-after tea sets... the only ones with the definitive answer are the members of that squad, and they haven't given any explanation yet. Nonetheless, they left their territory uncovered and we had to look after part of Asahi with the north and south squads," Ryuta explained, grumbling towards the end. "Those stuck up Asahi jerks aren't even grateful that three other Ouendan jumped in to cover the departure of their blue losers! They just called all of us 'Asahi's temporary platoon' and 'dirty street cheerleaders' and other crap like that..."
As Ryuta continued to rant about how Mangetsu's squad doesn't even deserve that kind of title, Hajime took note his leader's irritation and threw out the suggestion of returning to the dojo. This wouldn't only take Ryuta's mind away from the less-than-pleasant behavior of Asahi citizens, but also the group could rest for the next day. Evening was approaching, and though Yuuhi Town was a sight to behold in the setting sun, the events of the day probably had everyone worn out. The agents wouldn't mind, he hoped. It'd be one of their last days of leisure, anyway. Besides, there would be plenty of opportunities to gaze at the evening sky in Yuuhi, and Ryuta was certainly not a fun person when he was pissed off. To Hajime's convenience, everyone complied, and they returned to the dojo. where they were promptly greeted by Aoi's homebaked (and charred) cookies. They would be in for a long night...
--
"I knew we should've let you drive without a GPS."
"Foxx, we don't HAVE a GPS in this craft!"
"I told you we should've taken one of the newer ATCs!"
"All the new ones were out!"
"Well, why didn't you let me at least install one on this one?"
"We don't have time to waste! Do you want the guys to have all the fun?"
"We're wasting time right now, Starr, by flying aimlessly over some rural area."
"Can you two cut it out so we can find that... Yuuhi place that the Commander mentioned?" Missy pleaded.
Much like the agents, the Elite Beat Divas were off to Japan to study the Ouendan style from the Kokou no Ouendan. Starr, Missy, and Foxx were the agency's top divas, and they had to finish their mission quota for the month before heading across the ocean. They didn't exactly mind arriving fashionably late, but there's a point where 'fashionably late' ends and 'too late' begins. The girls would have some catching up to do if they didn't catch the first few training sessions, and with the infamous Kai Doumeki as Captain of the squad... that would be a lot of catching up.
"Well, it's right next to a river, right?" Starr questioned, looking around for a river.
"Yes. We can dock there," Foxx replied.
"Is that it?" Missy pointed out a body of water.
"Looks like it. I can see a town. Yuuhi and Asahi must be the two towns to the north of it."
"Finally! Prepare for landing, ladies!" Starr announced as she began the descent into the river.
--
After docking their All-Terrain Craft, the Divas found their way to a nearby fast food restaurant, where they enjoyed a quick dinner.
"This is kinda awkward... we're being stared at," Missy said quietly to her table.
"Yeah... even with ordinary clothes," Starr sighed, having received most of the stares, winks, and even comments from bypassers. Granted, tight jeans and a shirt with a low neckline didn't help much...
"I guess we Americans just stand out," Foxx noted. There was a brief pause at the table. The girls wondered how well they could adapt to the Japanese life and if cultural differences would get in the way. Not wanting to dwell on negative, doubtful thoughts for long, Starr spoke up.
"If we're gonna go search for the Ouendan, we should go look tomorrow morning. It's getting late."
"Are you sure we shouldn't just look for them tonight?" asked the silver-haired techie.
"Can youunderstand fluent Japanese? I can't. It's too dark to go look around ourselves... we'll get lost."
Foxx merely rolled her eyes in response and gave in.
"Fine, fine... get your beauty rest."
"Oh, come on, Foxx. We'll be more efficient tomorrow when we're rested," Starr glared at Foxx, annoyed. Foxx gave a 'hmph' in reply, also annoyed. Missy merely sighed, tired of playing peacemaker and hoping they would just calm down themselves.
--
The next morning, the ladies finished their breakfast and were ready to begin their search, until a melodic yell caught their ears...
"OOOOUENDAAAAAN!"
The sound was more of a wake-up call than their coffee, and immediately the three divas were alert.
"I told you it would be better to look in the morning, Foxx! We'll definitely find the Ouendan now!" Starr chirped in an "I-told-you-so" tone of voice.
"This isn'tthe time, Starr! Where'd that call come from?" Foxx responded, irritated.
"I think it's from that way!" Missy pointed in the direction she heard the call from.
"Well, hurry!" Foxx growled as she took off in that very direction.
"Oh, don't be so pushy," Starr grumbled, following her.
Missy only groaned in exasperation as she brought up the rear.
The divas eventually arrived at what looked like a boarding school. The name "Versailles" was engraved above the main doorway. None of the girls knew the song that was starting to play, but it was a clear indicator that a cheering job was in session. They weren't allowed to enter, but they could still see into one of the windows on the lower level. Inside they spotted three men clad in blue, one of them playing the piano. Though the sound was faint, the divas could tell he was playing along with the electric guitar in the song. A shout of "Osu!" from the inside proceeded to confuse the three watching from outside.
"They don't look like the Ouendan... at least, they don't look like the same guys the Commander told us about," Missy voiced her thoughts first.
"They're not the Ouendan," Foxx stated, her tone carrying a hint of finality.
"But how aren't they the Ouendan? We can hear that song so obviously it's not a school squad or anything... and whoever is on the piano is playing the same song," Starr argued.
"Why don't we just wait and see what's going on?" Missy hissed, fed up. Argument may be the usual for the two top divas, but Missy certainly didn't want to put up with it all the time.
The girls were interrupted by a shout of "SAN! NI! ICHI! SURE!" to their right. They looked over and saw the squad-in-blue beginning to cheer. A brunette with pigtail braids similar to Missy's was standing in front of the school, passing out fliers for the school's choir. She was presumably the client, since her energy for advertising and recruiting clearly matched the energy of the cheer squad's. Halfway into the first verse was the end of the first segment of cheering, and the target, whose name was Yuria, finally gathered enough members for the choir. As the choir club's president, Kaoruko, quickly found that she'd been blessed with a group of angelic voices, the trio of divas still weren't sure if they had been blessed with a quick find.
"Something's fishy..." Foxx had her hand on her chin in thought as they watched the group.
"What?" Missy pressed for Foxx to continue.
"Do you think they're planning something by imitating the Ouendan?"
"I-imitating? What if they are the Ouendan? Or at least, part of them?"
"They look absolutely nothing like them."
"But... but..."
"There could be something wrong here."
"But... oh, Starr, what do you think?"
"I think their middle man is gorgeous," Starr sighed, her last word spoken in a drawl.
The two other divas blinked and stared at the aforementioned. Indeed, he was quite pretty. He had long, thick, soft-looking blonde hair and a strong build. There was no doubt that he could be classified as attractive. However, Foxx stopped herself before she became entranced by the sight.
"It wouldn't be wise to get too attached to these people," she advised, "If they're up to no good, things might be more difficult for us."
"Oh, come on! If they were up to no good, they probably wouldn't be cheering for anyone!" Starr said defensively.
"Just because someone does good things doesn't mean they're trustworthy," Foxx objected.
"Argh! Why are you always so skeptical of everything!"
"You'll only get hurt if you trust everything that comes your way!"
"Will you two shut up?! Now they're staring at us!" Missy cut in angrily, gesturing to the blue cheer squad, whose eyes were on the divas. The blonde even had an eyebrow raised. Starr and Foxx both shirked back a little, with Starr looking like a deer in headlights and Foxx giving a cold glare to the men.
This tense moment ended when Kaoruko and Yuria passed by, heading towards the grassy field behind the school. The choir club had earned the money to support itself through babysitting during the divas' argument, and now they were off to practice in the field. The guys in blue ran off, following their target. The divas looked at each other for a few moments before following them. It wasn't long until the girls arrived, and the choir club continued to practice their harmony and volume in the field, inspired by the encouraging cheers of the blue squad.
Kaoruko was giving commands, adjusting the girls' voices to blend well together. All was well until Yuria suddenly pointed in one direction and exclaimed. What seemed like an angry boar was charging across the field... straight towards the principal of Versailles, who seemed to be unaware of the incoming danger. Kaoruko raised her conductor's baton with a heavily-accented shout of "Fortessimo!" The choir's musical warning was so loud, one could say that they were the roars of the earth. The principal nimbly dodged the raging boar, and he agreed to support the choir club out of gratitude. Kaoruko expressed her happiness by bringing a startled Yuria into her embrace, and the choir club headed inside.
"Wow! Things are really looking up for them!" Missy commented, watching the girls and the principal disappear into the school.
"Wait. Where are those guys?" Foxx asked, her voice carrying urgency as it usually did.
"...Yeah, where are they?" Starr looked around. There wasn't a blue uniform in sight. In fact, there wasn't a soul out in the fields other than the divas.
"Speaking of where those Ouendan guys went, what happened to the music?" Missy questioned, looking confused. Starr and Foxx looked at Missy before listening for themselves. They heard not music but merely the sound of the river flowing and birds chirping.
"Maybe they went back up front..." Starr suggested, heading back to the front of Versailles. Not having many other choices, Missy and Foxx followed the lead diva.
"Who knows where they went," Foxx said as they walked, "Agents pull something like this too when a mission takes place over an extended period of time."
"Well... we should still catch up with them. Whether or not they're the ouendan we're looking for, they might be able to point us in the right direction," Starr said.
There was still no sight of the mysterious blue Ouendan in front of the school. Starr seemed frustrated by this, while Missy wore a wondering expression. Foxx's expression was serious, as usual.
"Where in the world could they have gone?!" Starr grumbled, looking around at a quicker pace, though she wasn't exactly frantic.
"Just give it a rest, Starr. Like I said, they might not even be the people we're looking for," Foxx told the blonde diva, a bit irritated over the events of the morning.
"And what if we're the ones you want?"
The divas flinched, whipping around to find the blue Ouendan. The men stood there calmly, the bald man and the red-head at the sides with their hands behind their backs, and the blonde in the middle with his arms crossed, presumably the leader.
"May we help you?" the leader asked, raising an eyebrow. His voice was smooth and his tone cool, and he spoke fluently. In fact, he seemed to have a bit of an English accent, though he didn't look like a full-blooded Japanese anyway.
The girls looked at each other, trying to get someone to speak up. Each of them were at a loss for words. Finally, Starr composed herself, speaking up for the team of divas.
"We're looking for the Ouendan," she replied.
"Do you need help with something? Normally, you should just call for us. You're from America, right? You can call us like you would for the Elite Beat Agents."
"I don't think we need help anymore..." Starr responded, a grin on her face.
At this, the leader's brow furrowed and Foxx grimaced, worrying that they were getting into a situation they shouldn't be.
"You see, we're the Elite Beat Divas..." Starr began to explain, with Foxx becoming more and more irritated. "...And we've come to Japan to study the style of the Ouendan!"
Foxx smacked a hand on her forehead, since she was adamant about keeping their guard up and Starr had just done the opposite.
"I see..." the other blonde replied, appearing to be in thought for a few moments. Then, he spoke up again, saying, "Well, I'll have to talk to the Captain about the situation... but you may come with us to wait for an answer."
"That'd be great!" the diva replied, bringing her hands together in delight. The man smiled warmly at her, but the other four people didn't seem quite as warm and inviting to each other. Foxx, as usual, was giving off a glare, and the bald man glared back, definitely upset with this woman's hostility. The man with the braid remained expressionless (in fact, he seemed expressionless most of the time), and Missy appeared a little apprehensive. However, the none of their opinions were taken into account as the two blondes beckoned to their groups to follow them to the Ouendan's ship.
Despite the tension between the two groups, the blue cheer squad and the Elite Beat Divas did not travel in complete silence...
"If you don't mind, may I ask you your name?"
"Oh... just call me Starr. And yours?"
"Hayato Saionji... but please, feel free to simply call me Hayato."
"Hayato... it sounds nice."
"Thank you..."
AN: Okay... well, this isn't as great as I'd like it... but, anyway. Some random notes:
-Mangetsu means "full moon". Shingetsu means "new moon". See where I'm coming from? However, I'm not QUITE sure if Shingetsu is the proper word to parallel Mangetsu. I'd like to keep them that way because of the usage of "getsu"... but a friend (who's far more versed in Japanese than I am) gave me "Mikazuki"... which also looks a bit much like Reika's name "Minazuki" in romanji (as you can see), so...
-P-pairing? What pairing? ...Anyway, I'm not sure if the implied pairing here is gonna turn into a full-blown pairing. So, if you don't like this idea, you might feel a bit better reading that. But if you're still against the idea... please don't hurt me cuz of that! I enjoy experimenting with pairings... D: So I request that you anti-StarrXHayato people can drop your axes and torches...
-This is somewhat a response to one of my reviews: On the case of the elongator U in romanji... I have no set system, really. It depends on the name/word. Kiryuin and Ryuta, I'll pretty much never put the elongator U in. For Saitou, Doumeki, Yuuhi... as you can see, I use the elongator U. I'm not sure why, either. It's just... kinda how I write it. For some odd reason, I feel more comfortable writing Ryuta over Ryuuta and Yuuhi over Yuhi... it's a strange habit... I would say pet peeve, but I don't get all annoyed when other people write with or without that U.
Anyway, it was actually kinda hard to write this chapter because of all the plot-related stuff going on here. I didn't really wanna leave any plotholes open, heh. But... you know, I probably did somewhere. So, if I missed any Japanese that I forgot to translate, please let me know. Also... excuse the strange introduction of the Kouketsu no Ouendan... I'm not quite sure what caused all that, hahah.