Chapter 1 Busted

Later that week Tashi sat at her desk studying as usual on a school night. Atsumi was out at Tetsuo's party and Eri was at a study group and was then to join Atsumi at the party later. Tashi was chewing on her pencil when Eri burst through the front door of their small house, down the hallway straight into the bedroom. "ATSUMI'S IN TROUBLE!"

Tashi couldn't believe her eyes. Eri was disheveld with a few small scratches on her face. There was dust on her clothing and she was panting form her high speed run. "The party's going…"

"What? Tetsuo's party? What are you saying?" Tashi brought Eri in the room and sat her down on the bed.

"The party Atsumi is at is going to get BUSTED!" sputtered Eri.

"Huh? Busted? What's that?"

"Oh for shit's sake, Tashi! You're so damned naïve! The Campus Squad Shinigami are going to get everyone there in trouble!"

"How do you know that the party's going to be…busted?"

"I was walking towards the party after the study group broke up and I saw some campus-sqaud Shinigami walking down the street. They mentioned the party! They know! I hid so they wouldn't see me, but we have to help Atsumi!"

"Why?"

"Atsumi is there!"

"…So?"

"How can you be so heartless, Tashi?!"

"Well, maybe it will do her good to get caught. She parties too much!"

"Atsumi is our friend! Getting her expelled own't help!"

"Expelled? Is it all that serious?" asked Tashi, completely ignorant of life outside her noble bubble.

"YES!"

"Well…" Tashi felt helpless. "What can we really do?"

"I don't know! That's why we need to figure it out!" said Eri, desparate.

"I have a messenger! I'll send her a message on my phone! Then we'll go meet up with her."

"They can trace those messages, Tashi. I don't want her mistakes getting us in trouble! You can't send a message saying 'Leave the party, you're going to get caught!' that won't help anyone!" cried Eri. Eri then leaned on Tashi and began to cry. "I'm scared for her Tashi, what are we going to do? I want to help her, but I don't' want us to get burned for her mistakes!"

Tashi then cooed to Eri. "Alright…if it means that much. We'll figure something out. Just keep cool Eri. Despite popular dramas, it's not becoming for a lady to fall into hysterics." Tashi stood up and took her communicator from her desk drawer. "I'm glad my parents got one of these for me. They're pricey. I hear they're common place in the living world. I'm surprised that Atsumi pours as much of her income into one as she does."

"Tashi!" said Eri as she wiped her eyes "What are you doing!?"

"I'm going to send her a text message."

"But what are you going to say? Soul Society keeps very detailed records of mobile conversations! If you mention the party it'll be really easy for them to get us in trouble!"

"Don't worry, I have an idea."

Atsumi raised her plastic cup of watery beer and screamed out the lyrics of a song being blared out overhead. She began to grind with an attractive Shinigami in training behind her. Beer was being spilled, the music was pounding, and all the sweaty bodied party goers made the floor bend from all their dancing.

Atsumi, as drunk as she was, felt her phone vibrate and she looked down. 'Tashi? That party pooper!' She read a message that said 'Leave your study group. NOW!' "Whaaaaat? Sheez crazy." Atsumi stumbled through a smoky hallway and past the kitchen full of dirty dishes. "Gaaaah, You men are pigs!" she teased to a couple of guys in the kitchen. Atsumi walked out onto the back porch and called up Tashi.

"What the fucks up bitch hahaaaaaah!" said ATsumi.

Tashi immediately said "Listen up Atsumi, you know…big brother is listening! If something goes down they'll be searching for all of you!"

"Party poooober. HHAHAHA! I said poooBER instead of poooper. HAHAHA."

"You need to come home" said Tashi sternly.

"No, you need to come study with us!" said Atsumi.

Tetsuo followed Atsumi outside to have a cigarette and laughed at his drunk friend.

Suddenly Tashi found she was speaking with Tetsuo. "Tashi Tashi Tashi. How's it going? Why aren't you here?"

"Word on the street is that it is better to study at home tonight" said Tashi.

Tetsuo thought it strange that Tashi was being so serious and that she was trying to find Atsumi. 'What is she saying? On the street?' The line was silent a few moments and it clicked in Tetsuo's head. "Oh shit!"

"Yeah. Eri heard. Get Atsumi out of there."

"She's really…she's not in any shape to get home on her own. She's feeling kind of poorly."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" said Atsumi in the background.

"We'll meet up with you! Maybe we can finish our study session at the coffee shop or something?" said Tashi.

"Uh, yeah!" said Tetsuo.

Tashi then dug through her desk drawer again. She pulled out a flashlight and put it in her wide sleeve. She grabbed Eri by the arm and they ran out the door. Eri said "Where are we going?"

The two stopped and Tashi said "Oh geez. I don't even know! You lead the way!" Eri took Tashi's flashlight and they two girls ran off into the night.

The girls ran down the dark street and found themselves in front of the local coffee shop under a street lamp. "Where are they?" asked Tashi.

"You know how difficult Atsumi can be. She probably doesn't want to leave" said Eri.

"Where's the party?" asked Tashi.

"Tashi?" asked Eri.

"At Tetsuo's house, right?"

"Tashi? You're not—"

"Give me that flashlight! I'm going to get her" said Tashi.

"TASHI!" Eri grabbed Tashi's arm. "At least go the back way." Tashi nodded and ran off through the woods.

Eri waited at the coffee shop in case Tetsuo and Atsumi found their way.

'What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I DOING?' Tashi stopped in a clearing in the woods. She knew what direction she had to move, but she was afraid. 'What if I get caught? What if I don't get there in time?' "No time to waste then!" Tashi ran off and knew she was almost there when she heard the music.

She also heard Tetsuo trying to shush Atsumi. "Atsumi! We're out, now shut up! We've got to get to your friends!"

There were young students filtering through the trees. All the movement was eerily silent to Tashi who stood in the clearing on her own, her fellow students running past into the night. "Tashi!" wrasped Atsumi.

"Here!" She whispered loudly in return.

"What're you doin' here!?" whispered Atsumi.

"Eri and I were worried. I had to come get you! Let's go!" explained Tashi.

"See ya guys!" said Tetsuo.

"Tetsuo, come with us!" said Tashi.

"I've got to clean up!" he said. "If the officials get there and find the evidene of the party I'm screwed!" He pushed Atsumi into Tashi's arms and nodded "I'm Tetsuo, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tashi." Tashi bowed.

Tetsuo laughed quietly at the girl who took the time to bow as his panicked classmates flew past here. "Yeah yeah."

Tashi dragged Atsumi through the woods then heard some voices behind them. 'They're older. They're not students!' Tashi could feel their power. 'IT'S THE SHINIGAMI! WE'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT!' Tashi stopped realizing she couldn't out run them. "Atsumi…hold on to me!" She was looking for a place to hide, but knew the men following them could easily find them.

She began to move forward again and found she could feel a new power somewhere deep within her. 'Or is it just fear?' Tashi stopped and looked up at the slender trees overhead. 'Maybe…' "Atsumi, pretend to disappear."

"What? Why?"

"Because we're going to."

A few of the Campus Shinigami Squad members bounded through the woods. They stopped and one said to the other. "I could have sworn there were a few people here…"

A second appeared at his side and looked up. The breeze blew through the trees and the first Shinigami said "Haha, don't bother. They were a group of first years, weren't they? There's no way they could jump like that yet. Advanced Flash step isn't until the third year. If they could hide up there, they're probably old enough to party like that anyway. Come on. Let's round up who we can and see if there's any evidence at the house."

The few Shinigami laughed at the situation and sped away into the night. Perched high high up in the tree, Atsumi held onto Tashi who had a strong grip on the slender trunk. The trunk bent under their weight. Atsumi held onto Tashi a little tighter and said "You're fucking crazy, you know that! You're fucking crazy!"

The two girls emerged onto the road from the woods. Atsumi had sobered up and didn't know what to say to Tashi. They saw Eri and surprisingly Tetsuo standing in front of the coffee shop. The four met and silently looked at each other. They all felt something had changed between them. Something larger than their original friendliness was forged that night.

"Why, guys? Why did you come after me?" asked Atsumi.

Eri and Tashi shrugged.

Atsumi sputtered "But you…" she pointed at Tashi "you had so much to lose." Atsumi began to laugh. "Tashi, you're fucking crazy. You're the fucking craziest one of us all."

They went into the coffee shop and sat down. Tetsuo explained that his roommates in the house had simply taken large brooms and pushed all the garbage into trap doors in the floor. They poured buckets of soap and water onto the party room floor and pushed the excess water into the trap doors as well. They opened the windows upstairs and turned on some fans to try and air out the smoke before the Shinigami got there.

Their plans worked well enough since the trap doors were hidden from view. Tetsuo and his friends made it out that night but were now under suspicion by the powers that be. Tetsuo said "Eh, it's no big deal. My older brother made it out alive I should be fine if I take his advice."

Eri said "I hope you're right Tetsuo. We've got several more years of this to get through."