I have to admit, I had a lot of expectations when I graduated from middle school. Don't get me wrong, I didn't put high school on a pedestal or anything -- actually, I was pretty down to Earth about it. I thought high school would be the same as every other school I'd gone to before. Boring classes, a few good and interesting teachers, terrible cafeteria food --
Well, I bring my own homemade lunch, but the point stands. I thought high school would be like the rest of my life: predictable. I'd hang out with the same friends, do the same activities, maybe date a little, and then when graduation came I would know all about my classmates, but all they'd know about me is "that's Rei, he's that guy from that Chinese clique". I figured I'd end up with 'most likely to end up married with three kids' in the graduation yearbook, or whatever you call it.
I didn't know if I wanted that kind of life. I mean, I was barely sixteen and I could already predict how the rest of my life would go. It was pretty terrifying, I have to admit. I wanted so much more than that, though. Call it teenage rebellion, a phase-- it's what I did. But I indulged myself in that phase. Some kids run away from home; I decided to visit America for the summer. It prided itself on being a free country, and what I wanted most of all was to be free. If I could taste freedom just for one summer, I'd be fine returning to my normal, boring life with the same four friends I'd always had.
... Said like that, it sounds like I had a midlife crisis. I swear I'm not mentally forty! I'd always wanted to see the world; I got the opportunity, so I acted out on it. I'm not that fond of the Status Quo, you know? I was willing to go along with it, but not without testing out what life without it was at least once. That way, I could say I'd at least tried.
I travelled all over the United States -- or, well, that's what I planned to do, but I never managed to go down south. From what I've heard of Texas and Florida, I haven't missed out on much. ... Is Florida down south? Boy do I get the feeling I must look stupid saying stuff like that. I know where every country in the world is located; just don't ask me to figure out how the United States of America works. I'm a Chinese kid living in Japan, give me a break.
Back to business, though. When I was visiting New York, I met Max -- thoroughly incidentally. It's a long story that has to do with being lost and hot dog stands that disappear suddenly...
Hot dogs, by the way, are really good. Even covered in mayo! ... Don't tell anyone I said that, though. I'm supposed to love fine cuisine just because I'm a wannabe-chef. Just because I like to cook delicious meals doesn't mean I can't enjoy something made of different, unidentifiable parts of animals...
Hey, if you're allowed to drift into different subjects, so am I! Anyway, I met up with Max, and we pretty much hit it off right away. It was so weird -- I'd never had a friend outside of the 'Bai Hu Zu' before, and Max was pretty different from them. So I ended up staying in New York, and spent the last of the summer with him. Then, he invited me to spend the first day with him and his friends -- haha, yeah, that does mean you...
And even though for the entirety of my school life, I'd had lunch with the same four people, I said yes. Hey, don't look at me like that; to me it was a pretty big deal! I still didn't expect anything to come out of it. Maybe hang out with Max now and then, but still pretty much keep up the same routine... the same life.
I'm not repeating myself; I'm making a point. It's different! And as much as I like adventure and still wanted it so badly, I didn't expect it to happen. A high school student living a big adventure, exploring places, unveiling mysteries? I thought that only happened in movies or fantasy stories!
I didn't expect it to happen. ... Yes, I'm calling it 'it'. I'm talking about the event, not him!
You guys made me curious, so I ended up hanging out with you a lot more. And then all that stuff happened, and...
... Yeah, yeah, fine, curiosity killed the cat. You're never gonna let go of that joke, huh? Heh...
Uh? Does it bother me that my life got flipped, turned upside down?
Nah. I'm pretty grateful, actually.
... Are you done recording me yet? Phew, I mean, that was pretty dramatic for a end of year 'interview' speech --
...
Takao, the red light means it's still on.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
The day Takao introduces Kai to his friends properly, a week has already passed since school started. Rei's conversation with Takao about his resemblance to 'a kitty' (which has been brought up by the other boy at least once per day since they first met, much to Rei's growing aggravation) was cut short as Kai finally made his reappearance in the school. As far as Rei knows, anyway -- maybe Kai actually attended his classes and simply doesn't share them with anyone from their group. It's unlikely, but plausible.
Takao is the first one to see him, and his face breaks into a wide grin in the middle of his seemingly unending tirade on Rei and cats. He waves wildly, half sitting up and his movements make his juice box fall down on the table, Rei and Max both moving away from where it would spill by reflex, even though it's long empty.
"Kaiiiiiiiiiiii," Takao yells out giddily, ignoring the looks the entire cafeteria are sending him (again, though at least this time it hasn't gone completely silent). Kai stops next to their table, in a safe enough distance that Takao can't reach to touch him and force him to sit down, which seems like something Takao would do, Rei is pretty sure. He's not certain if Takao would die if he did try it, though he doubts Kai would resort to that much violence. ... In public.
From what Rei heard, Kai was more likely to do it with no witnesses. (Though Rei isn't the kind to believe or even follow rumors, he is the kind to still be wary of someone with such a reputation behind him.)
"Sit down!" Takao beams happily. "You can have lunch with us!"
Rei looks at Max sitting next to him and they share a look. They can already guess Kai's answer, even though they've only ever 'met' him once. Chief, at least, doesn't look ready to pass out (again). Rei is glad -- he doesn't feel like carrying the other boy to the infirmary again.
"I'm fine standing," Kai answers, a deadpan expression on his face. Takao doesn't look deterred at all, though, and Rei is slightly impressed by his determination.
"Fine, be a jerk," Takao bites back, sticking his tongue out petulantly. ... There's a fine line between being brave and being stupid, so then again maybe Rei shouldn't be impressed at all. "At least let me introduce you to everyone this time, instead of just showing up and running off..."
Kai throws him a look that Rei interprets as aggravation. Or perhaps a wish to be able to murder Takao brutally. Rei's not quite sure -- Kai's face seems guarded, almost.
... Okay, it is guarded. The guy wears face paint, a choker and a permanent frown. (And, from what rumors and Takao has told them, a scarf when he's not in school uniform.) There's really no other interpretation for it. Rei really does wonder how someone so closed off managed to become friends with Takao Kinomiya, of all people. Don't get him wrong, Rei doesn't dislike Takao, but he's not exactly going to win a "Most Understanding, Calm and Level-Headed Person of the Year" award any time soon. Rei's only known him for a week and he knows that he's headstrong, a bit dim and usually doesn't think before he speaks.
Compare that with Kai 'I Probably Eat Babies' Hiwatari, the Bey City legend, leader of a street gang at twelve, cold, uncaring, impassive and violent, and you get Rei's current lack of understanding. It's like the whole world has gone topsy-turvy. He's heard of "opposites attract", but this is taking things a bit far in his opinion.
Some small part of Rei berates himself for judging Kai based on rumors alone, but he brushes it off. He'll feel bad when he's proven wrong. He shakes himself out of his thoughts when he realizes he's been staring blankly at both Kai and Takao and not hearing anything they're saying for a few minutes now. Luckily, both seem too busy talking to each other to notice.
"I did not harass you for a week so you'd come here so I could introduce you to everyone! I asked you repeatedly until you got off your high horse and agreed! It's totally different!"
Or should Rei say, Takao arguing with Kai and Kai looking really bored.
"Either get on with it or I'll leave," Kai answers, and Rei can discern the trace of peevishness in his voice that his body language doesn't show.
Another thing that bugs Rei -- how many sixteen years old boys have such a good old on their physical reactions and tone of voice? Most of them are still having trouble controlling their pitch so they don't sound like squealing five year old girls! Rei blinks as an elbow finds itself in his side and turns to look at Max who's throwing him a concerned-- and slightly curious -- look. While Takao and Kai hadn't noticed Rei's mental spazzings, it seems that wasn't the case for Max. Uh. Oops.
Rei throws Max a quick grin that Takao had deemed cat-like when he first noticed Rei's sharpened fangs. Rei, being a polite and patient person, had resisted the urge to respond with something mean.
Rei was the very definition of Zen. And he wasn't just blowing his own horn when saying this.
...
Okay, maybe a little.
"Guyyys," Takao says, finally breaking from his stare-off/argument/whatever it was Rei stopped noticing because he was too busy being judgmental and then feeling bad about it deep down/etc with Kai to address them. "I want you to meet Kai Hiwatari! Officially. Everyone, Kai, Kai, everyone."
"Hey," Max answers, jovially. "I'm Ev, that one's Ry and this is One. We're everyone!"
Takao sulks while Kai raises an eyebrow, apparently unamused. Rei found it hilarious, personally. "Yeah, mock me," Takao mumbles, "See if I care!"
"If you don't care, why are you whining about it?" Kai asks, though the question is generally rhetorical. The fact that Kai's face manages to stay perfectly blank-- if slightly bored-- and his stance is so casual, (hands in his pockets and slouching slightly, as if pointing out the weather) makes this actually somewhat funny to Rei.
Kai Hiwatari did a funny. Someone call the news.
Wait, they were in the middle of a crowded cafeteria, the news had probably already been contacted.
"Why -- you -- you--" Takao splutters, and Rei decides to take pity on him, though not before a quick laugh.
... Hey, he's a nice teenage boy, not a saint.
"I'm Rei," Rei introduces himself, getting up and bowing slightly, the model of politeness. "Nice to meet you!"
Kai doesn't answer or reciprocate, however, and Rei frowns slightly as he sits back down. That guy is really making it hard for Rei not to listen to the rumors. Max throws him a look of sympathy before turning to grin at Kai, not bothering to get up.
"Hey! 'Sup. My name's Max. Any friend of Taka's a friend of mine!"
Kai looks slightly taken aback at the display of pure optimism and niceness that is Max Mizuhara. If Rei thinks of himself as a nice, polite teenage boy, Max is the saint. If saints have the tendency to tease mercilessly, slather everything in mayonnaise and other such things that are completely unsaint-like. Ah, dear, sweet Max, who is probably not as innocent as he looks. Though Rei still pings him pretty high on the innocent meter.
As always, he will rectify his judgment when he is proven wrong.
"... We're not friends," Kai interjects, looking slightly ... something close to embarrassed that Kai Hiwatari can actually feel, Rei guesses, but Max's smile doesn't even dim slightly.
"Not yet, but we will be!"
Takao coughs in his fist, awkwardly. It sounds like jumbled words, but Rei can't make any of it out. "ANYWAY," he cuts in loudly, "The last one is the Chief, who... Totally passed out in his food again, didn't he."
Kai looks incredibly unimpressed. Rei buries his face in his hands. Not ANOTHER trip to the infirmary...
"Actually, he's hiding," Max points out casually, "Like ostriches, except in salad instead of dirt."
"I'm not here!" the Ostrich-Boy whispers loudly. "Please don't kill me!"
The four boys look at him as if he's gone a bit nuts. Rei really isn't getting this one. The boy is practically a genius, why is he hiding in his salad like it will actually do anything more than get him lettuce stuck in his hair? Maybe he believes that Kai is like bears -- he'll go away if you pretend to be dead.
It's a silly theory, but they do say that genius and madness are extremely close together. Or maybe the poor boy has been bullied a bit too much in his life, combined with watching too many teen movies and knowing far too many rumors about Kai.
Kai 'I Devour Small Children And Punt Grandmas' Hiwatari.
Maybe cowering in fear isn't that stupid of a reflex.
Rei is shaken out of his thoughts by Takao's yell at Kai's suddenly retreating back:
"Hey, wait -- Kai -- c'mon, it's fine! Just stay with us for a while, you -- you stupid grouch!"
That last part was probably counter-productive. See? Takao does not think before he speaks.
"Baaaah, who needs him," Takao gripes once Kai has definitively left (causing the poor Chief to finally look out of his salad, murmuring frantically 'is he gone? Are we all still alive?'), sulking as he lowers himself in his seat. "I'll make him eat with us yet, you'll see. He'll come begging to sit in this very table!"
Rei and Max share a look.
Kai 'I Hate People' Hiwatari, coming to sit with them of his own volition?
Somehow, Rei doubts that very much.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
As it turns out, Rei's doubts were right on the mark. One week later, and they are still no closer to spending lunch with Kai than they were two weeks ago when he did his whole 'show up to talk to Takao and leave' for the first time, much to Takao's growing aggravation.
Rei isn't quite certain why Takao is so obsessed with Kai spending lunch with them -- if lunch was the only time he could see the other boy, he'd understand, but as it turns out, this is not the case. Since last week, Kai has -- miraculously -- started attending his classes; it turns out he shares at least one with each of the members of their small rat-tag group. It's actually done wonders for the Chief's Kaiphobia, if nothing else. Possibly because Kai is hard to notice in a classroom setting -- he has the tendency to sit in the far corner next to the window, staring outside and not saying a word. No teacher has called him out on it as far as Rei knows. He's rather sure that it's because they are scared of Kai, too.
It doesn't say much for the state of public schools that this is most likely the case, but whatever. From what Rei knew; Kai and Takao also spent some time after school together at their "usual place". Rei still doesn't know where it is, but unlike Max (who is genuinely curious) and the Chief (who is worried Kai will beat up and kill Takao and then leave him in a ditch), he's not all that interested in learning about it.
Still, Takao is quite determined for them all to eat lunch together. And so, he organizes a hunt to find out where Kai hides out during lunch.
Chief, who actually accepted to come on this faux-hunt (they're really just exploring every part of the school, including the parts the juniors and seniors occupy most of the time) for reasons Rei doesn't know, voices their thoughts on the biggest flaw in this search perfectly:
"Takao, what makes you think Kai stays on school grounds during lunch?"
Takao pauses in his search abruptly -- and walk, causing the Chief to crash into him, and Max into the Chief and Rei into Max, making them all look quite stupid -- and looks at them with a nervous expression.
"You can get off school grounds without permission?" Takao asks in wonder.
The Chief groans aloud at that answer and Rei shakes his head, hopelessly.
"Even if we couldn't, do you think that'd stop Kai?" he questions. "He pretty much does whatever he wants."
Takao at least has the grace to look sheepish. "Weeell... if we can't find him, we'll know if he stays during lunch or not! Besides, if he left during lunch, he wouldn't bother coming back in the afternoon."
"Do you at least have any idea where he could be, Taka?"
There is a pause as Takao seems to think this over and the other three stare at him patiently. Rei maintains that Takao really isn't the brightest crayon in the box.
"Oh! I know!" Takao exclaims suddenly, making the Chief jump in surprise (which causes him to bump back into Max and Max into Rei, making them all look stupid again). "The roof!"
Rei doesn't see how the roof is such an obvious answer -- the roof at his middle school was always locked, and the only person with access to it was the janitor, who only opened it at the end of every school year, making it rain tennis balls and other generic sport objects on the students. A lot of students had tried to open it, of course, to no avail.
Maybe it was different back in Takao's (and thus Max and the Chief's) middle school?
... Speaking of different middle schools, which did Kai even go to? As far as Rei knew, he didn't go to his, or Takao's (and thereby Max and the Chief's). Maybe the third one...?
Oh, wait. Takao had mentioned it before -- Kai used to go to Takao's middle school, supposedly. Since Kai had the reputation of never showing up to his classes, it's a plausible explanation.
"Do you think the door is open like at our school?" Max asks, curious. Ding ding ding, Rei had guessed right on things behind different in their school. Takao shrugs, careless.
"I dunno; I didn't get the time to check yet."
"I doubt Kai would go there," the Chief pipes up, looking up something on his laptop he took out of his bag about three seconds ago. "It seems like a prime spot for stoners and wannabe gangsters..."
"Isn't Kai sort of gangster material?" Rei points out, casually.
"Whatever, there's no point standing around here arguing about it!" Takao cuts in, determination in his eyes. Rei prepares himself for the obvious. "Let's just check; if he's there, yay, if he's not, we'll keep on looking. C'mon, stop wasting precious lunchtime minutes and let's go!"
He leaves in such a hurry that the other boys don't have the time to tell him that looking all over for Kai 'Mysterious Mystery of Bey City' Hiwatari is already a waste of precious lunchtime minutes.
And honestly, it is. What are the chances that Kai will be hiding out on the conveniently open roof of all places?
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Apparently, the chances were very high, considering the next thing Rei knows he's standing on an open rooftop with Takao, Max and the Chief. The roof is also suspiciously empty save for them and the presence of one Kai Hiwatari.
Either no one knows about the rooftop being open, or Kai scared them all off. The fact that the latter is actually more plausible than the former kind of puts a damp on Rei's appreciation of the student body as a whole. Scared away by a single freshman.
Granted, a single, terrifying freshman with enough rumors behind him to make you wonder how he hasn't been thrown in jail yet and leader of a gang of the (supposedly) toughest thugs in the entire city, but still. It's kind of depressing. Especially since said terrifying freshman doesn't look all that terrifying, sitting casually against the wall next to the door that leads back inside the school, one knee drawn up and half a sandwich in his hand.
Then Kai looks up at them and the glare he gives them is pretty terrifying, all things considered.
Oh, goodie. They pissed off the highly volatile rebel in the middle of his lunch.
"... So you actually do eat during lunch," Takao mentions, sounding awed as he looks at Kai's glowering face. Then, Rei realizes Kai actually still has a bite of food in his mouth, which might explain why he hasn't yelled at them yet. (Rei doubts Kai is the kind of guy to yell; he knows it's far more intimidating when someone speaks in a low, dark tone. This is why Takao is the least intimidating person on Earth. Or possibly second, next to Max. ... Third, if you add the Chief. ... Basically Rei is certain they're all non-terrifying, except for himself because he knows how to intimidate people and Kai because he is, well, Kai.)
Kai turns his head away from them and swallows (and Rei could swear that it actually looked painful for him to swallow, which is odd -- maybe he needed to take a drink?) before growling in answer: "Do you have a life that doesn't revolve around me?"
Rei guesses this is a roundabout way of saying 'leave me the fuck alone, now', but Takao doesn't seem to notice and simply crosses his arms with a huff.
"My life doesn't revolve around you! I just decided to make it my job to make you a respectable human being, thank you very much."
Kai's entire body tenses and Rei prepares himself to throw Takao out of the way by force if the other boy so much as moves to attack. He doesn't, however, simply turning to stare at Takao with a sneer, and Max, noticing the rising tension, interrupts before things can aggravate themselves:
"Takao wanted to eat lunch with you, so we decided to follow him!" Max says this brightly, a wide smile on his face as he moves away from the door (and from his spot hiding the Chief, much to the guy's terror) and closer to Kai. "Sorry about that. Anyway, you know Taka-- does a bunch of bad jokes no one finds funny, and has no tact whatsoever... We should just all hang out together. What do you think?"
Takao objects loudly with a "Hey! Maxie!" but no one is listening to him. Rei looks for any sign that Kai will do good on the rumors and show enough violence to scare fans of R-rated horror movies. He and Takao are supposed to be friends? It doesn't seem like more than grudging respect to Rei.
... Had either of them ever really said they were friends? Rei can't remember.
Kai sighs after a while, seeming to calm down. He rolls his eyes and shrugs. "Do what you want," he mutters under his breath, and Rei relaxes slightly. Takao grins brightly, seemingly not having noticed anything wrong with Kai's behavior.
Just what happened this summer that makes Takao so trusting? Is he just oblivious? Is Rei just paranoid???
... Nah, it must be Takao who's oblivious.
"See? When you're not being a grouch for the sake of being a grouch, you're almost likeable! C'mon, scooch." Takao says, and doesn't even wait until Kai scoots to sit down next to him, which causes them to sit pretty closely.
For all of half a second as Kai jerks away from Takao as far as possible, as if burned then throws the boy a dark glare. This angle gives Rei the weird impression that Kai's face is slightly tinted green. Then again, his face has had that shade since they came up here, so maybe he's hallucinating. Max looks at Rei curiously before shrugging and sitting down (and halfway on) Takao. Rei sighs wearily and sits down next to Max with a grin, and the Chief himself sits next to Rei.
"So, Kai, tell me something, how much like a cat do you think Rei looks like?" Takao asks, randomly, ignoring the groaning of the other three beside him.
Rei hates those stupid cat jokes.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
The rest of lunch passes without incident; the four usual friends talking and Kai simply sitting next to them, looking at the sky and not touching his sandwich anymore. When the bell rings, Takao drags Max and the Chief (who he shares his next class with) with a yell, screaming about not having done his homework. Rei chuckles lightly and gets up more slowly, trailing behind them until he realizes he's forgotten his blazer up there. He'd taken it off when it became a bit too hot, sitting directly under the sun, but he was so used to always having it on him (and perfectly buttoned) that he'd forgotten it. He turns around and head back up the stairs leading to the roof but stops before going outside completely, curiosity gaining the better of him. The door is still open just a tad, just enough for Rei to see Kai if he wants to.
He feels kind of bad for spying, but it's not like he'll learn anything interesting, right? He cranes his neck to see better...
And then the door is suddenly flung open and he is facing Kai 'You Were Just Spying On Me' Hiwatari's chest. Rei jumps a little and grins innocently, scratching the back of his neck.
"Aah, I just came back to get my --" Rei starts, sheepishly, and stops when Kai trusts his blazer in his face. ".. That. Well, thanks."
Rei takes the offered jacket and Kai shrugs, looking casually at Rei. "Whatever. A cat's going to be cold if it doesn't have its fur, right?"
He leaves before Rei can respond, moving swiftly in the small staircase. Rei blinks at his back.
Rei has the sudden, vivid impression that Kai Hiwatari isn't your typical rebel teen acting out. It seems silly, as so far it's rather obvious that Kai is, like Takao says, "just some guy with an attitude problem". Still, it's like there's something about Kai that screams that something is wrong.
Rei scoffs at himself.
"I've been reading too many girly magazines," he tells himself depreciatively, and leaves for class.
Kai's just another student.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
One thing Rei hasn't done since he was back from America was talk to his old friends -- it seems mean, but he honestly forgot all about doing it, instead hanging out with Max, Takao and the Chief when he has time. Plus, he has homework and martial arts lessons -- more precisely, the Shaolin Shandong Black Tiger style Kung Fu, a style Rei's teacher wanted to teach him specifically when he was younger that Rei absolutely loved and so has kept on doing for years. So, it's simply lack of time that's made it so he hasn't spoken with his other friends in a while. He doesn't share a class with any of them, too.
That changes in the day's last break as Rei is tackle-glomped (a rare form of glomping that often results in both people falling to the floor because of the momentum; this doesn't happen for Rei since he's used to it) by none other than Mao.
Mao, who is wearing her favourite ribbon and looks, Rei admits, quite cute in her high school uniform (complete with skirt, which comes as a surprise, considering Mao hates wearing skirts and could usually get away with wearing pants in middle school). She grins up at him, her pink hair falling a bit into her eyes and Rei lets out a laugh as he twirls her around before putting her down.
"Mao! Long time no see," Rei starts with a wide grin, and Mao huffs and crosses her arms.
"And whose fault is that, exactly?" She jokes back, poking him in the chest dramatically. "Were you trying to get away from me, Rei?"
Rei laughs and holds his hands up in the air. "Guilty as charged. You're getting too big for me to twirl you around so easily, it's killing me."
Mao gapes at him, acting offended. "Did you just call me fat? Rei Kon, you're dead."
He laughs again. He really missed hanging out with Mao in the last few months, he has to admit. "No way, no way, I'm a gentleman! I'd never insinuate something like that."
Mao considers this and smiles smugly. "You'd better not, otherwise~ I'm not above scratching your eyes out, you know!"
"Hey, no, I need those to see!" Rei protests, casually leaning against a locker. "Anyway, banter aside... How've you and the guys been, Mao?"
Mao smiles drops abruptly and she sighs, twirling her ponytail with one finger. "Eh, well... To be honest, Rei, they're kind of mad at you."
Rei blinks bewilderedly. "At me? Why? What did I do?"
Mao looks at him levelly, raising an eyebrow. "Except for not contacting us, your childhood friends, for all summer after you practically took the first flight boarding America without telling us and then ignoring us for the first two weeks of school, you mean?"
Rei scratches the back of his neck, sheepish. "Said like that, it does sound bad... But, Mao, I --"
She shushes him with a movement, flipping her ponytail behind her back. "It's not me who's mad. I know you didn't really mean anything by it... Lai and Kiki, though, they're another story entirely. Lai was already annoyed when you left for America, but they've both become really angry since you ditched us at school, too."
That ticks Rei off a little, and he crosses his arms defensively against his chest. "What, am I not allowed to have other friends--?"
Mao puts her hands on her hips and glares up at him. "Hey, stop trying to take it out on me! Just because Lai and I are related doesn't mean I think he's right, you know. But that's not the point. I just wanted to tell you that he's mad, okay? So... just try to explain yourselves to each other, alright? I'm worried things will go drastic if this isn't resolved soon. Since you're such boys and all."
Rei frowns slightly. "What do you mean, drastic...?"
Mao shrugs stiffly, tucking a stray bang behind her ear. "Nothing much. Call it a hunch. Lai's been acting really weird, and you know how vindictive Kiki can be... And... Things are always pretty dramatic with teenagers, right? Especially teenagers in a high school setting. Right?" She winks conspiratorially at him, but sighs when Rei doesn't seem to share her joke. "Look, just... prove you're not ditching us, before things get too tense between the two of you. You know Lai. Plus, he's a bit jealous you got to go to America and he didn't...Then, there are the rumors about your group and Kai Hiwatari..."
She trails off, and before Rei can answer any of it, the bell rings. She looks around, bewildered.
"Wow, I totally didn't see the time pass! Gotta go, Rei. Take care, alright? Just apologize!"
She dashes away to her class and Rei stares back at her. 'Jealous'? 'Rumors'? Seriously?
Maybe he should apologize to his friends. Then again...
"Lai can stew in his own jealousy for a while," Rei mutters, crossing his arms. "Just because I have other friends and get to go to places doesn't mean he can throw a fit."
After all, what's the worse that can happen?
...
Rei sincerely hopes he hasn't jinxed himself by saying that.
(Of course, he has. He just doesn't know it yet.)
I have no true excuse for how late this is! ): I'M SORRY. I SUCK.
Anyway, chapter notes! ... This chapter isn't all that funny to me, because Rei isn't... all that funny a narrator. ALAS. It's very full of plot plot plot hints. THIS STORY HAS PLOT. I know, I'm surprised too. The first part is teensy parody of all the IN THE FUTURE, NARRATING THE PAST/DIARY OF INSERTCHARACTERHERE bits in fics. Mostly because Rei felt introspective and I didn't feel like letting him introspect properly. Rei does not listen to my whinings. Rei is going to undergo CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, so it's normal that right now he seems suspicious and kind of mean. He's catty. ha ha ha I LOVE CAT JOKES. SHUT UP. Any...way. Rei failing to spy? Also a mock on all those LEARNING SOMETHING EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BY SPYING. (What did Rei expect, to see Kai speak to himself? He's no Takao! :P) ... Moving on. The martial art mentioned is a real form of Chinese martial art!
From wiki: It is characterised by its extensive footwork (similar to Shaolin Southern Eagle), acrobatic kicks, low, wide stances, and unique fist position (where the thumb is curled in the same manner as the other fingers, rather than wrapped around them). According to the Shaolin Grandmasters' text the style is the single most external style in the Shaolin canon; the longer the stylist practices, however, the more she or he comes to rely solely on internal power.
I felt it matched Rei. The fact that Rei does martial arts is actually important! I AM CONSISTENT GUYZ. \o/ Uuuh what else. Lee's Japanese name is generally translated as Rai -- as it's FAR TOO SIMILAR TO REI'S NAME and Japanese has no real distinction of L and R (giving us wonderful names like scanlated Rinali and Canon Leenalee (Dgray-Man example)), I decided to go with Lai so I did not confuse myself and typo it as Rei. THAT WOULD BE EMBARRASSING. (Then I realized I was just as likely to typo it as Kai and gave up on life.)
Thanks to everyone who read/review/fav/put on alert/etc. I don't answer reviews unless there are questions, but I do read them all. They make me happy. \o/
I swear next chapter will actually be funny.
Hope you enjoyed it!
-Zia