Saturday again! And I was right that I'd find something that was more fun to write than the ramune scene! I just didn't think it'd be this soon! But my gods, this was a fun chapter to write. I owe so much of this chapter to my sister, the malicious one in the family. No, really, she can be worse than I am. In fact, she helped me with the very end... which is... just... go read it!
Yuki's behavior is finally explained, at least a little! Sure, we'll never know exactly what goes on in her head, but at least we'll get a few clues to what her current goals are. And (part of) the college group at the karaoke cafe has- gasp!- names now! Originally they were just minor characters, but they seem to have taken on a life of their own, so it was time a few names came into order. But dang, this is a long chapter! I was worried it wasn't going to go up... worried until I managed to get five and a half thousand words done in a single day! That's a new record for me! And what's more, I'm completely pleased with how the chapter came out! We even get to see a little blurb from Hachiko's point of view; it's amazed me just how well reviewers respond to that particular twin, so that scene is mostly for you guys. I hope you all enjoy it; it's just another little way to thank all of you for your readership and support! So let's go!
The twins left Mana's apartment early Friday morning, assuring the blonde that they'd 'try' to be in school that day. With the roads a little more clear, Mana figured it was time to try and head to school again herself. She wasn't the only one who'd been missing school, she found out as she settled into her chair. Most of the kids who lived farther away from Sarayashiki Middle School than her were still missing, as were a few who lived closer. Slackers... To her surprise, two of the teachers were also missing. The week had been rough for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, it hadn't been rough enough on Yuki, as Mana learned between classes. "Koyama."
Mana raised her eyes from the book she was flipping through. "Wakahisa. Good morning."
Yuki was smiling brightly, but her eyes were still predatory. "I saw you out walking yesterday. When did your red-haired friend get back in town?"
This again? Mana set back, closing her book. What was Yuki's deal, asking so many questions about Jin? "He just got here, actually. Why do you ask?"
Yuki sat on the edge of the desk next to Mana's, looking down at her, and it occurred to Mana that she was a little like a vulture that way; always peering down at people with her little black eyes. "Where is he staying, anyway? It must have been hard for him to get to town in such rough weather."
Mana didn't like where this conversation was going. "He's staying with a friend of his in town. He got here before the storm got too bad. Again, why do you ask?"
"I was curious. How long will he be in town?"
Mana leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. "I really don't know how long he'll be here. He mostly goes off of his own whims, I think."
"Mmhmm..." Yuki looked down at her nails; they looked like they'd been manicured recently. "Does he have any plans while he's here?"
"I don't know. Like I said, he mostly just does whatever he feels like." Out of the corner of her eye, Mana could see Sachi watching them warily. The twin had one eyebrow raised slightly; on a whim Mana copied the expression. "You know, you're asking a lot of questions for someone who's just curious."
Yuki stiffened lightly, almost unnoticeably. "Well, he's an interesting guy. You ought to keep an eye on him. Not many guys around here have eyes like that."
The teacher walked in then. Mana was actually glad to see him for once; she wasn't sure exactly what to say. Was Yuki that stubborn, or just that stupid? She headed out to the steps quickly at lunch time, the twins following close behind. Hachi caught up to her first. "What did she want?"
Mana rolled her eyes lightly. "What does she always want? To be a pain in the neck. I just blew her off."
"She had her shark face on. She only gets that look when she's after something." Sachi pulled her lunch out as she settled onto one of the steps. "So what are our plans for this weekend? Are we still going to the arcade tomorrow?"
"I don't have anything else lined up." Mana picked open her lunchbox. "And besides, Jin will probably be bugging me to go somewhere as soon as I get home from school. He's been inside too long."
"He's kind of like a puppy, isn't he?" The blonde stared; Hachi shrugged her shoulders. "He's perfectly happy with food and a bit of attention, and he goes crazy if he's inside too long."
"Oh, jeez..." Mana shook her head, trying to clear the mental image of Jin with a dog's tail, as Sachi burst out laughing. "Hachi, that's just cold."
"No, it's perfect!" Sachi crowed. "Just think about it, floppy ears and a little wagging puppy tail!" Mana groaned; she hadn't even thought of the ears. His own ears were weird enough as it is. "You should totally get him a little collar!"
Mana choked even though she hadn't taken a bite yet. "What the hell are you suggesting?"
"It would look cute," Hachiko answered for her twin. The healer groaned. She was going to go crazy trying to talk to them if they were going to be switching back and forth that way. It was almost as bad as when they finished each other's sentences. "I bet he'd wear it if you made him something nice to eat."
"Jin is not a puppy dog!" Mana forced herself to stay focused on her lunch, looking neither of them in the eye. "I can't believe you guys some times. Where do you come up with these things?"
"It's called an imagination." Hachi rapped her on the forehead. "You should try using yours some time."
"You're insane." Mana took a small bite of her lunch, closing her eyes to enjoy the slight breeze blowing across the steps. "So do we have a plan for tomorrow?"
"The arcade, I guess, and then the contest. They said they were doing it for two weeks in a row to make up for slower winter sales. How does business at a café slow down in the winter?" Sachi spoke quickly before shoveling part of her lunch into her mouth. "I hate having PE first thing. It makes the whole day drag..."
Mana just nodded quietly, eating her meal and still trying to shake the mental images they'd inflicted on her. The twins also fell quiet, but that was to be expected once she became silent; the two of them never seemed to need words to communicate anyway. She'd seen it before, how they would sit there and 'talk' without saying a single thing. That was usually when they were trying to fight with her about something...
The rest of the school day did, in fact, pass at a drag. Mana was thoroughly bored by the time she got home, totting a few bags loaded with standard grocery store boxed lunches. Her apartment was conspicuously quiet when she opened the door. "Hello?"
There was the soft rustling of a page turning; the healer's eyes found Touya reclining on the couch with a book in his hands. "If you're looking for Jin, he went up to the roof. Suzuka went back home to take care of something. He won't be back for a couple of days, he said."
Mana nodded, setting one of the boxed lunches on the table in front of him. "I hope you don't mind chicken. I wasn't sure what you'd like."
"That will be fine, thank you." The ice apparition sat up and it struck Mana, not for the first time, just how easygoing and polite he was. She wondered how he wound up involved with Jin in the first place, but didn't have a chance to ask before he spoke again. "Jin said I should ask you to head upstairs once you get home."
"Alright." Mana set her bag down, heading to her room to change before she went up to the roof. The air was crisp and cool, almost enough so for her to see her breath. She spotted Jin all too fast; his red hair stood out like a neon sign on the white roof. He was whistling as he patted a large pile of snow. Mana stared. "What are you doing?"
"I'm buildin' me a snowman!" The apparition grinned, wiping his hands on his pants. "Ya want to help?"
"You're joking, right?" The blonde picked her way across the roof, examining what he was doing. So far the pile came up to her waist, although Jin seemed intent on making it larger as he gathered more snow to pat down onto the top of it. He paused from his work to look up at her with wide eyes. Mana sighed. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Well, it'd not like it'd hurt ya to try!" Jin reached over to ruffle her hair, but she ducked under his wet hands. "Ya always say that when I try to encourage ya. Why don't ya like fun?"
She looked skyward. "I have no problems with fun. I just have problems with insanity."
"But a little of that can be a good thing, too, ya know!" He prodded her in the side while she was looking away. Mana yelped in spite of herself. "Come on, help me out, will ya?"
An hour later she was still trying to figure out how he'd talked her into this. The snowman was lopsided, leaning heavily to the right; Jin had just laughed it off and fashioned a fin on it's head, saying it reminded him of a friend of his. He had also set a handful of snow on top of her head and then had to catch her by the arm before she could run inside. "Let me go, I'm not getting in another snowball fight!"
"I wasn't gonna ask ya to. Come on, stay outside!" He yanked her back away from the door, hard enough to make her loose her footing. Mana yelped, landing on her rear in the snow. The apparition winced. "Sorry 'bout that. Ya okay?"
She bit back a sharp retort. "Just help me up, would you?"
Jin lifted her easily by the arms, setting her on the ground on her feet. "Sorry 'bout that," he said again. "But I'm still not lettin' ya go back in! There's a good bit of wind out here, and it's a right day for bein' outdoors."
The healer sighed. Well, he was right about the breeze at least. "Jin, I've got homework to do."
"Ya can do that in the evenin', though." He reached over and rapped her gently on the forehead with his knuckles. "I bet that's why yer so pale, isn't it? Ya coop yerself up inside too much. Ya gotta enjoy the sun!"
She gave him the flattest look she could. "Do you know what the temperature is out here right now?"
"That don't matter!" Jin's arms were crossed over his chest. "Good air is healthy for ya." The demon wasn't budging, and... Mana scowled... he'd gotten between her and the door when he'd picked her up. Turning, she headed to look down at the balcony. "Hey, wot are ya doin' there?"
"Trying to figure out if there's enough snow down there to jump safely." Mana frowned. Jumping would probably mean breaking a leg, but if she dropped down gently maybe she would be okay...
Jin caught her around the waist as she was hoisting one leg over the edge. "No, ya don't! I told ya, yer gonna stay out here for a bit!"
"I already did. I want to go inside now." She struggled against his grip, but he held on to her until they'd reached the center of the roof again. "Damn it, how does anyone put up with you?"
He actually laughed. "Ya think I'm that bad, then? Ya haven't even met me buddies yet!"
Mana grumbled as he plunked her down onto the ground. "So you're saying they're worse than you are?"
The redhead sat, cross-legged, about a foot off the ground. "Well, I suppose that mostly depends on wot ya think is wrong with me. Honestly, of the group of us I'm thinkin' I'm pretty well okay."
The blonde stared. "What are your friends like, exactly?"
Jin's face lit up. "Well, ya already met Touya. He's the quiet one of us. He likes books and things, but he's a good fighter, too. Downright scary when he's mad, that one is. And Suzuka, he's a bit crazy, but he's pretty right on when it comes to figurin' out yer strengths and weaknesses. Problem is, he's got that ego issue to work on..." he chuckled. "Of course, he's nothin' when it comes to Shishiwakamaru! Shishi, he goes out and it's like women start poppin' up outta the walls or somethin'! Goes right to his head, it does. He's the antisocial one of the lot of us, always sayin' he doesn't like bein' around, but he never leaves either."
"They sound fascinating..."
"Oh, I'm not done yet!" His ears were pointed slightly, although not twitching by any means. Mana watched them for lack of anything better to do while she was listening. "We got two more of us, all together now. Chu, he's a right okay guy. Fights drunk, says he taught himself. I don't quite get that, really. Ya don't wake up in the mornin' and decide yer gonna teach yerself to beat guys up when yer blotto. Sounds more like the result of too many bar fights, so I say."
Mana nodded slowly. "That's... interesting. And the last one?"
"Rinku!" Jin scooped up a handful of snow, shaping it with his thumbs. "Rinku, he's just a kid. Been hangin' around with Chu since 'afore we knew them, not sure how that happened, but we don't think he's actually got parents. He's mostly a good kid..." Jin frowned slightly. "Sometimes I wonder that he hasn't murdered anyone yet, though. I think he's tried, not so sure if he's succeeded. Honest and truly, I'm not even sure I want to know... I mean, does killin' someone with a yoyo even count? That's what he does, ya know. He kills ya with his toys."
"I see..." Mana shifted slightly. "Um... they sound interesting."
The redhead looked cheerful. "I think ya'll like them well enough if ya ever get to meetin' them."
"Right..." Mana shifted again, uncomfortable in the snow. "Can we please go inside now? I can't exactly float the way you do."
With a sigh, Jin finally relented. "Ahright, we'll go in. But ya owe me!"
"We'll see." Mana stood, brushing herself off as she headed for the door. "We'll see."
She ended up paying him back in coins the next day. Jin tried to give her what she was starting to see as his version of puppy eyes the moment he heard the word 'arcade' come out of her mouth; she had to shake the image of him with a tail again. Touya elected to stay home, leaving Mana to handle the redhead on her own as they walked through the snow to the game center. She pulled her coat tighter around her as a chill wind kicked up; the arcade had been too warm the weekend before, so she'd worn a short-sleeved shirt instead. She'd always liked wearing the blouse for karaoke, even if the sways of gold musical notes didn't actually form much of a melody. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now she was getting cold.
"Hey, Mana?"
The healer shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to hold the coat tighter that way. "Yeah?"
"One of these days I'm gonna teach ya to do things without havin' to schedule for it."
Mana looked skyward. "That's nice, Jin." Why did he always have to say things like that? There was no right answer for what she could say back, and there was no reason for him to care anyway. She liked her schedules. They kept things tidy...
"Should ya really be walkin' and lookin' up at the same time?" Jin jolted her out of her thoughts abruptly. Sighing, the blonde returned her eyes to the ground. The apparition laughed. "Mana..."
She stopped, resisting the urge to stamp one foot lightly. "What?"
"The arcade's right here." She felt her face burn slightly as he motioned towards the doors. "Yer goin' round with yer head in the clouds again."
"I was doing nothing of the sort." She pushed through the doors, pulling her coat off once she was out of the walkway. "I was just thinking for a moment."
"Sure ya were." He gave her a light poke. "Admit it, Mana, yer a daydreamer and ya know it."
She was about to respond when another voice cut in. "Koyama! What on earth are you doing here?"
Mana felt something inside of her go cold as she turned. "Wakahisa. Hello." She had to fight the urge to gape when she saw her classmate. Mana herself was more than guilty of dressing to look just a little bit older, but this was something else entirely- Mana simply tried to look more mature, but this girl... Yuki seemed taller than usual, a fact that Mana quickly attributed to the heeled boots she was wearing. Her blue denim skirt did nothing to hide the effort to increase her height; on the contrary, it only came down to her knees, showing off the pale pink stockings she was wearing underneath. Her star-emblazoned shirt was even bolder in the cold weather than Mana's flurry of musical notes; it was far more loose and dropped off of one shoulder at a bold angle, clearly revealing the scoop-necked undershirt she was wearing below it. But it was the makeup and jewelry that killed her. Mana wore makeup to enhance her features and quietly add a year or two to her age; Yuki apparently wore it to exaggerate her eyes and lips. Her eye shadow was bright and exotic, her lips were deep and boldly red. Yuki's large plastic hoop earrings made Mana's small studs look conservative; the sparkling star on the hair tie holding up her side-mounted ponytail made the healer's modest clips seem boring. Where Mana tried to improve her appearance by a year or two, Yuki was obviously only satisfied with three or four. "You look colorful today."
"Isn't it nice?" The girl actually spun once. "My friends and I are entering a karaoke contest later, so I decided to jazz it up a bit." Her smile was too smug, her leer a little too pronounced. Mana gritted her teeth lightly. "What do you think?"
"It's bold." She just managed to keep her voice smooth. "You look very bright."
"Why, thank you." She didn't sound sincere. Mana watched as she turned back to her friends, glancing very obviously at Jin as she did. The healer recognized one of the girls; Kyoko Ishida sat next to her at school. Hitomi Asakawa she also knew by name, only because of the fuss that had been made when the girl had joined the class mid-semester. She had fallen directly into Yuki's group. Mana, honestly, hadn't cared.
The twins got there soon after, listening slack-jawed as the blonde recounted the occurrence in low whispers. Sachiko seemed the most affronted. "The nerve of that bitch! What is with her?"
"I have no idea." Mana frowned as Jin tugged her scarf lightly, left out as the girls conferred between themselves. "But honestly, I don't believe for a minute that she's here on accident. Someone had to have heard our plans for today and passed them on. Someone..." Jin tugged her scarf again. She scowled. "What?"
"Mana, I'm thinkin' I might not be too comfortable bein' here right now." The apparition was shifting lightly as he tugged his hat down with one hand. "That girl keeps watchin' me..."
Hachiko groaned. "Oh, god, I think I know what she's doing."
Mana gritted her teeth. She didn't like that tone. "Enlighten us, please."
Hachi, to Mana's surprise, grabbed her by the scarf and pulled her out of earshot of everyone else. "Mana, have you ever considered the fact that to anyone who didn't know you, the sudden change in your behavior when a guy shows up just might insinuate things?"
Best friend or not, Mana still gave her the coldest stare she could. "First, my behavior hasn't changed any. Second, I've told Yuki repeatedly that Jin is not my boyfriend. She should have gotten the point by now."
"And do you think for two seconds she'd believe that when all of a sudden you've learned to smile in class?" Hachi crossed her arms. "It's Yuki. She sees what she wants to see and thinks what she wants to think. She's been worse than usual ever since your essay on the school festival was put in the school newspaper over hers. Trying to snatch your supposed boyfriend seems right up her alley."
"But he's not my boyfriend," the blonde hissed. "She's completely mental!"
Hachiko's stare was flat. "You're just figuring that out?"
"So what the hell do I do?"
"Simple." Sachi bumped in as though she'd been present the whole time. "We one-up her. Mana, I need the keys to your apartment."
"For what?" Mana dug through her bag hesitantly. "What's the plan?"
"I'm going to pick something up. Don't sign up for karaoke until I get there, okay?"
Lavender eyes widened. "Absolutely not. We're not going to use my CDs. They don't even have words!"
"Exactly." Hachi nodded curtly. "Sea or Fantasia, pick one."
"I'm not singing those in public."
The girl stood her ground. "Pick one, damn it. They're not like anything else anyone sings in that contest."
"I do just fine with Evolution!"
"Mana," Sachi's tone was threatening, "right now the element of surprise is our best bet. If you can get up there and sing like you do without even the references, it'll stand out. And we need you to stand out."
The blonde gritted her teeth. She didn't want to be a part of this... but a glance across the arcade revealed Yuki on the dancing games, and the sight of the swinging ponytail made something inside her feel more than a little competitive. It wasn't the fact that Yuki was completely delusional, it was the fact that she was trying to show Mana up at the one place she felt comfortable. "Which one would you say has the more impressive range?"
"They're both outside of what she can do, I bet. Mana, which are you more comfortable with?"
The healer sighed. "Fantasia. Sea has too much going on in the background. Fantasia is cleaner."
Sachi nodded and ran for the door the moment the keys were in her hand. Hachi patted Mana on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll teach her to stay off of our turf." Her eyes were sparkling as she pulled out a cell phone... one that Mana recognized by the color as her twin's. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."
And before she knew what was going on, Mana was left standing alone. She brushed her bangs back from her face, sighing lightly. Now what was she supposed to do?
"You seem to be in quite the predicament."
Mana jumped. "Ku- ...Shuichi. I didn't realize you were here today..."
Kurama's eyes were sympathetic, even if he seemed to be trying not to smile. "I didn't know you had problems like that with your schoolmates."
"Only with that one." She tried to sound nonchalant. "Did your brother drag you out again today?"
He nodded. "He wanted to get out as soon as the storm cleared, but our mother wanted us to wait until the roads were a little safer. Being inside too long isn't easy on a boy his age." His expression seemed to be one of silent amusement. "I'm sure you've had a similar problem?"
Mana groaned lightly. "You have no idea..."
It took half an hour for Sachiko to get back with the disks. Hachi met her outside, hardly able to stand still in the cold. "Did you find it?"
Her twin nodded. "It was right in the player. How did the call go?"
"They were already going to be there. She laughed when I told her the situation." She couldn't stop a slow smile as she looked over her sister's breathless condition. "You make friends with the strangest people. She seemed to like the idea of getting to make a scene."
Her only answer was a nod as Sachi pushed the doors open. Jin and Mana had been talking to someone inside; Hachiko had never seen him before, but she could feel that he wasn't fully human from the moment she first saw him. She glanced towards the area she'd last seen Yuki in; sure enough, the girl and her friends were drawing as much attention as they could on the popular dancing games. Slipping closer, she could hear the way they were talking and laughing, making just enough noise to catch the attention they wanted. Sachiko sighed softly. It just wasn't fair that Mana had to put up with a girl like that. Her aura was annoyingly sour...
She headed back to her group when she heard Yuki bring up the contest at the café. Her sister was shifting from foot to foot slightly; the sight made her smile. She'd watched Sachiko do that since they were small children; it always meant she was nervous but determined not to show it. Reaching over, she silently hooked her smallest finger around her twin's and felt the shuffling stop. "Are we ready to go?"
Mana nodded quietly, turning the CD case over in her hands. "They'll want to hear the song before they agree to let me sing it. We should get there early."
"I can handle that." Sachi stretched lightly. "The sooner we get there the sooner I can get something to eat."
Glancing over her shoulder, she noted Yuki watching them go. The inhuman boy Mana had been chatting with stayed behind; she saw Jin clap him on the back before they left. After about five minutes of walking, her sister's phone rang. Sachiko's answer was short and to the point. "Did they leave?" Whatever reply she got from the other end made her raise an eyebrow. "That little skank. Thanks for the call. I'll let her know." She flipped the device shut, shoving it into her pocket. "Yuki and her friends just left." Her lips were thin. "Mana, she was making cracks about your hair before she left."
The blonde girl nodded quietly. Hachiko reached over, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Relax. You're going to be fine."
"Right..."
Mana sounded only half-committed as they headed into the café. There was an excited shout; even the blonde raised her head as the college girl with the hair streaks waved them over. "We saved you a table!"
"Erika!" Sachi grinned broadly. "Hey, who are the new faces?"
Hachi's eyes flicked over the group. She was used to most of the faces around the table; the girl with purple streaks, the one whose whole head was purple, the girl who looked like a boy, the actual boy that 'streaks'- as she had always thought of her, anyway- was typically snuggled up to, and the other small group who usually sat in the next booth over. There were two new girls there today, too. 'Streaks' introduced them with a grin. "This is my friend Rika, and this is my sister Kaede." The first girl waved, the sister was too busy with her Sudoku puzzle to even notice. "She's here to be sure I don't embarrass myself."
"Nice." Sachi was grinning boldly. Hachi smiled to herself; at the very least, Sachi could make friends with interesting people. Mana, meanwhile, was talking to one of the girls behind the sign-up desk. Hachi watched as she timidly handed the disk across to her, her cheeks pink. Settling into the booth, the black-haired girl sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon...
"Somethin' wrong there?" Jin slid into the booth across from here, where he always seemed to sit. Hachi shook her head slightly.
"I'm just annoyed, that's all. Yuki's always been cold, but this is a new low. She's always made things hard, I should be used to it by now..."
"Wot started it?" The demon tilted his head, regarding her with curious eyes. "Why'd she start bein' so rotten towards Mana, anyway?"
The girl had to think back a bit. "She was jealous of the attention Mana got when we were kids, I remember that. Once Mana's mother died a lot of the adults at school tried to be accommodating, giving her extensions on her work after the funeral and the like. She never used them, but Yuki wouldn't have known that then." She pulled a paper napkin out of the dispenser, tearing a strip off of it with her fingernails. Jin raised an eyebrow, but she didn't mind. "A lot of the adults were different with Mana back then. Sure, one or two of them looked down on her for her heritage, but most of them were a lot more open to a little girl being different than people are to a teenager who stands out. Yuki didn't like the fact that they were being nice to the weird girl. She's tried to compete with Mana ever since."
"That's rough..." He was frowning slightly. Hachi studied him for a moment; the memory of how he'd patted Mana on the head when she'd seemed to be asleep returned to her mind unbidden. She couldn't help a small smile.
"You know, you really are strange."
The apparition shrugged. "Nothin' wrong with that, is there? I am wot I am, and I don't see any sense bein' anything different."
She felt her smile broaden. "And what are you?"
There was a noncommittal shrug and a wry grin. "Touy says I'm a force of nature." Hachi laughed as Mana sat down, her face cloudy. Jin caught the look at the same time as she did, and had the breath to ask first. "Mana, wot's wrong?"
"Yuki requested Evolution." Mana flopped back against the side of the booth. "It's not a coincidence, it can't be. She's seen me sing it twice."
"Oh, she did not!" Sachi had somehow gotten her hands on a piece of mochi, probably from her older friends. "Erika, that girl stole my friend's song."
"You're shitting me!" Streaks peeked over the back of the booth. "Which song is it?"
"It's Evolution," Mana mumbled, her face flushing.
"By the pop singer?" There was a whispered conference on the other side of the booth before the girl jumped up. "Right, then. Give me just a moment!"
Even Sachi looked confused. "Aya, what the hell is she doing?"
The purple hair tossed lightly to the side. "She's changing her song. She signed up when we got here, so she'll come up first. That way it'll look like the social faux pas is on that other girl for copying."
Sachi beamed. Jin whooped. Even Mana cracked a small smile. "But she doesn't hit the high notes so well..."
"You think she cares?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Erika lives to mess with people that way. Putting people in their places is like a hobby to her. Your friends made her whole day when they called her for this one."
Mana was blushing. Hachi sat back, content with the idea of doing something for her friend... and even more content when Yuki and her friends settled down around one of the tables in the middle of the room instead of sneaking a booth. Now they'd be able to see all of her reactions. Erika bounced back to the booth a few minutes later, grinning. "Ask me how much I had to bribe them so they wouldn't notice that two people signed up for the same song."
"I'm writing that one down to remember later," Sachi said. "Sis, give me a napkin." Hachi was laughing again as she complied.
Mana was looking more and more nervous as the rounds of music started. Jin watched her tap the ice down in her cola and pick at her pastry. Finally he decided he didn't like this any more; he gave her hair a tousle just to watch her react. She looked up at him with a sigh. "What?"
"Yer gonna be fine." He nodded to the stage just as the girl Erika from the next booth over ran up and grabbed the microphone. "Come on, now, have a smile. This could be fun." The girl Yuki was making a show of being some sort of diva, as best he could tell... it made him shiver every time she looked over towards their table... but her features absolutely froze when the music started to play. The girl turned, stone faced, towards the singer... and the college girl winked cheekily right at her as she started to sing. Sachiko almost fell out of the booth laughing, and he could hear the cheers from the young woman's group as well. He nudged Mana, nodding towards her classmate. "See? Lookit there, she's dyin' in her seat."
He actually saw a tiny smirk on her lips as she nodded. That smirk widened into the first slips of a smile as Yuki took the stage not even half an hour later. Having to repeat someone else's number had done it's job at removing the wind from her sails... especially when Sachi leaned around suddenly and gave the girl in the next booth a very obvious high-five in the middle of the song. He could just hear Hachi mumbling, "Sis, you're evil." Oddly enough, he thought he heard an identical scold on the other side of the booth... but the damage was done. Yuki had been so thrown off that she couldn't even compete with a girl who's pitch had been off to begin with. She jumbled the words twice and sat down red faced and ashamed. And then it was Mana's turn to go up.
He had to nudge her from the booth, but she by the time she had the microphone in her hands she was actually starting to look bold. There was no title given as the music started, and no words showed up on the screen behind her; it remained black. The effect was dramatic, he saw right away, and did its job well. The audience could usually follow the words of the song, splitting their attention between the singer and the screen behind them. With no words on the screen, there was nothing to focus on but his little blonde friend. Mana closed her eyes like he often saw her do over the sink, doing dishes at home, and realized that she was probably pretending to be back in that safe place. He had a smile waiting for her when she opened them, a smile that broadened into a grin as he nodded towards Yuki; the girl was sinking into her chair before Mana had even started singing. By the time Mana was done, it was clear that she'd done her job well; the cheers weren't limited to the three booths against the wall. Jin watched as a young man actually caught her on the arm as she headed back to the table. She sat down pink cheeked. "Wot did he say?"
"He said that he hadn't heard that song in years." Mana was mumbling. "That was one of his favorite shows as a kid." She was blushing deeply, but she was also smiling. "Did you see that? I looked right at her! She was absolutely fuming the whole time..."
"You did great." Hachi reached over to pat Mana on the wrist. "You did absolutely wonderful. You won this one for sure."
Her prediction proved correct; Mana actually placed first for the first time in the small contest. She was blushing as she ran up to the counter to get the prize, which Jin learned with some amusement was actually a gift certificate for that exact café. She mumbled a thanks, hardly able to speak, and came back to them smiling. Hachi grinned as she stood up. "Come on. Dinner is on me."
Yuki caught up with them when they were barely outside the door. The girl was livid. "Koyama! What kind of stunt was that?"
Mana blinked, but Sachi stepped forward before she could reply. "Back of, Wakahisa. What kind of stunt is it when you try to lay claim to a song you know someone else uses?"
"I happen to like that particular song." Yuki's nose was in the air. "But honestly, Koyama, I thought you were better than that. Pulling a cheap stunt to win..."
"Well, it's better than pulling a cheap stunt to get your ass kicked." The voice cut in from behind Yuki and her friends. Erika grinned saucily. "Hey, by the way, my sister has something she'd like to say to you."
Jin had hardly even noticed the quiet girl, a full two inches shorter than her sibling at least and dressed downright conservatively by comparison. Her sister's clothing was bright, although not as bright as Yuki's, but this girl was simply clad in a blue sweater and jeans. Yuki was glaring before the girl had even stepped fully into the light. "What?"
The girl shifted her glasses slightly, looking Yuki over. "Sweetheart, I noticed the moment you walked in that the make-up is all wrong for you. You're what, twelve?"
Next to him, Mana gasped. Sachiko choked. Hachi just smiled quietly as Yuki practically swelled up in rage. "I am fourteen years old! Who are you to talk anyway, you don't look like you're even old enough to put make-up on!"
"You don't need make-up to work in a bank, dearie. And you don't need that much of it to hang out during the day, either. I really think you need to head home and take a good look in a mirror. None of those clothes are appropriate for this sort of gathering."
Yuki's face was turning an angry red. "And I suppose you think you're the authority, then? You look like an old woman!"
The older teen... young woman?... smiled, eerily sweetly, looking the younger girl straight in the eye. "And you look like a whore."
There were hoots and whoops from the college group. Yuki looked ready to explode as she turned on her heel, only to realize that Jin and his group were right behind her. He raised an eyebrow as she pushed around them, narrowly missing the foot that Sachi stuck out for her. Her two friends looked mortified as they followed after her, glancing over their shoulders at Mana; even Jin couldn't read her expression when he looked down at her. She seemed ready to cry...
At least until she started to laugh.
The college group seemed startled, and half-way down the block he saw Yuki turn back, stunned, as Mana began to laugh. It happened as it always seemed to; once the floodgates were broken, the girl just couldn't stop. Grinning, he caught her by the arm as she doubled over. "Hey there, now, stay standin'. It won't do ya any good to fall off yer feet just yet."
"I'm sorry," the healer gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just..." she broke off in a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry!"
Sachi threw back her head and whooped before sharing another high-five with Erika. "That was beautiful!"
"Glad to help. Me, I like making trouble. You guys should come in more than just on Saturdays once you get to high school. You're pretty cool, for a bunch of kids."
"Oh, only when we're in high school?" The boisterous twin looked like her dignity was hurt. "We'll come by any time we want, won't we!"
Hachi only rolled her eyes. "We'll see, sis. It depends on how well you get your homework done."
Jin glanced down as the twins started to bicker. Mana had finally calmed down, but if the way she was resting her forehead against his arm was any indication, she was still breathing too hard to stand on her own. One of the newer girls- he'd thought he'd heard her called Rika- reached over to give Mana a pat on the head. The blonde glared, only to blush when she realized it wasn't his hand on her hair. The girl just laughed. "You're a cute kid. You'll do okay."
Only she and Jin himself could hear the way Mana mumbled a quiet "Thank you." Rika seemed pleased as she headed back over to her friends in time to clap as purple-haired Aya grabbed her friend in a headlock. Jin chuckled as the twins said they're goodbyes; Sachi had found herself a good group to chat with. It had definitely worked out well for them that day. Later that night, when he went to check on Mana- she'd insisted on staying in her own room, but he worried that the heater hadn't had enough time to warm it- he found her fast asleep with a small smile still playing on her lips. It was enough that he was able to ignore the fact that she was still wearing her karaoke clothes...
