On to the next chapter, hopefully I can publish these every few days or so

I do not own Lucky Star

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Chapter 2

What John found in his inbox and when Minami helps a friend

John Martin-

Dear John

You won't believe my luck over the last couple of days. Three days ago, I found a five hundred yen coin in my sock. Two days ago, I discovered a manga I loved was being turned into an anime, and they used the same cast from the drama CDs. Yesterday, I aced a test I didn't study for. This week has been epic. How are you doing? Is the band doing well?

Did you hear that Japan won the 7th Tri-annual Global Concert? I was so excited because I knew you guys wanted to participate in the battle of the bands section. I got to thinking; why don't you guys come down for the summer and participate? Sure, you'll have to learn the language, pay for tickets, but I bet I can convince some of my friends to let you stay. As you know, I currently live with three other people, and they couldn't take one hungry guy let alone five. Email me back and tell me if I should start making sleeping arrangements. Don't worry about it John; Patty will take care of everything here.

Love, your cousin

Oh yea, I found this pair of underwear that was sort of slutty. Do you think I should buy it?

Vvvvvvvvvvvv

Nero read over the message for a second time. He looked less impressed as he reached the very bottom. My email, filled with messages from my cousin, rarely was viewed by anyone but myself. However, the possibility of attending the 7th Tri-annual Global Concert created a whole new approach to our group. I half expected Nero to be bouncing off the wall, screaming at the top of his lungs like a little girl. Instead, he sat there stoically, shaking his head as if to ask why I even bothered.

"I don't want to go to Jap Land," he groaned; his finger quickly closed the message.

"Why not? You've wanted to attend the Battle of the Bands since we form Slaughtered Infinity." There was no reasoning with Nero. With another shake of his head, I saw our chances for success and popularity run down the drain. He did realize this was a once in a life chance? America never won the Concert in history; we'd be old before our government got their grubby hands on it. How could he throw this away?

He replied, "I have a few reasons. Number 1, all the weird shit comes from Japan. They brought us anime and the man bra. Now I ask myself, do I really want to go there? Second, I have no urge to learn a new culture and language. Third, I hate flying. Fourth, Patty isn't going to be able to convince anyone to take us in. Fifth-" I stopped him there. It was too unbearable to listen to Nero nitpick Patty's idea to hell.

"I get your point," I reasoned, "but we have to try. Why don't we see what the others think."

"Do you really think I care what Dean and Cock Face have to say?" he spat. I forgot to mention. Nero blessed Randy with the nickname Cock Face. It was a long story that involved Wal-Mart, a manikin, a plastic bag, and Nero's family jewels. Randy hated the name, but it didn't stop us from calling him that. Actually, I thought it was funny.

"Stop being selfish," I yelled, "The whole band has a say in what we do. If they want to go to Japan and participate in this thing, we'll find some way to go." Nero rolled his eyes as he played with the icons on my desktop.

He stopped just shy of scattering them all over the screen. "Did you reply to that last message?"

"Yea….why?" He grinned manically, tapping his finger together like those evil geniuses from superhero movies.

"How did you reply to that last sentence?" he inquired. I knew he would ask something like this.

"I told her to go ahead." I replied honestly. Nero patted my shoulder.

"You're going to picture her in those aren't you?"

My teeth ground together. "I thought we agreed not to talk about this anymore." When we were kids, Patty hung around me most of the time. I was a loser, a nerd, who had his friends but really never impressed any of the girls. Because Patty enjoyed playing game more than she did dolls or makeup, we got along like two boys. As the years went on, I…fell in love with my cousin. Yes, I admit it; I love Patty in a creepy kind of way. Nero was the only one who knew, and we agreed never to speak of it. Honestly, Dean and Cock Face probably knew. My computer wall paper was Patty in her school uniform, my iPod had her picture on it, pictures of us lined my room, and I even had a poster printed. When Patty left for the foreign exchange program, my heart sank faster than the Titanic in a freezer. We kept in touch via email; every Monday was Patty reply day, and I looked forward to Mondays like they were Fridays.

"Dude, I respect your love," Nero assured. Nero taunted people he thought were weird, so his respect meant a lot…I guess…sort of… "It might be weird and full of incest, but that's a love few people experience."

"Why do I have a feeling you're making fun of me?"

Nero shook his head. "I'm proud of you man. You've taken love to the next level. You've gone beyond the 'I wanna fuck that' phase and entered the 'I want to love that' phase." Those phases sounded the same to me. Yea, he was making fun of me.

"I really don't want to talk about it," I said, "Why don't we regroup tomorrow and discuss this Japan thing." Nero bolted to my front door and out to his car. A sigh left my lips as I slunk back into the computer chair. He was right; Patty was crazy if she thought we could pull anything off. Besides, Cock Face would refuse the offer, Jake enjoyed America too much, and Dean was too stupid to know what was going on. Only by some miracle could we pull off a trip to the land of the rising sun. It would take a whole other miracle to even get into the Concert.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvv

And God has one weird senses of humor. When I arrived at school the next day, Dean, Cock Face, and Jake were waiting for me by the picnic table under the big oak. Before I could announce Patty's message, they surrounded me, piling on the questions concerning the Concert. Obviously, Nero told them first. Their words mashed together as the guys tried speaking over each other; they even pushed me to the ground.

"Hold up!" I screamed, "Everyone, please one at a time." Cock Face came forward first. His eyes looked larger than any anime girl on this planet. His hand shot out, gripping my color and pulling me to my feet. I lifted off the ground, and panic surged through my veins. Oh my God, they were trying to kill me.

Using his Hulk strength, Cock Face asked, "Did your cousin tell you something about the Concert?" When I nodded my head, he slowly lowered me until my poor feet rested against the dirt. For a second there, I saw bits of my life flash before my eyes.

"Yes," I answered before anyone could assault me further, "Patty said she was trying to arrange a place for us to stay. I just need answers from the group."

Dean stepped forward. "Dude, I wanna meet some hot Asian babes. I'm in."

"You do realize that you'll be undergoing intense cultural and language lessons?" I asked before Dean could say anymore. Let's face it, Dean was never one to study or do anything that wasn't sit around, watch TV, or play drums. He would agree to go then cop out the moment the classes got to tough. Considering the Concert was in October, we needed a crash course in Japanese and pronto.

"I'm cool," Dean replied, "I got A's in Spanish." Our group did a double take.

"You got A's in a class?" Jake asked.

"Yup, in Spanish."

Cock Face's mouth dropped. "What did you do, have sex with the teacher?"

"Guys, I worked really hard," Dean defended, "I might come off as a little slow, but America is where my heart is. I love America." Cock Face and I glanced at each other.

"You do realize that Spanish isn't even remotely American…" I posed.

"That's where you're wrong, John." Damn, Dean was on a roll today. If the stars lined up just right, a burst of intelligence and passion flooded Dean's mind. Nine times out of ten, we would ruin it with some retarded comment the next day.

Dean continued with his lecture, "In America, the illegal immigrants are people too. When I become a rich and famous, I need to hire them to cut my grass. I think I need to know there language with which we are to communicate." Ok, I lied; the stars were not aligned or even close to coming in contact with each other.

I ignored Dean's comment. "Ok so dumb ass is in. I need to know if you two are."

"I don't know." Cock Face scratched his chin. Out of the group, he usually had the most going on except for Nero when he was dating someone, but that only lasted a few days. "Michelle wanted to go away this summer, and I got to think about college."

Jake snickered. "Fuck college dude. I'm in." Great, I had two out of two. Nero already voiced his opposition, and Cock Face acted oblivious to the awesomeness of this situation.

"Come on, Randy," I pleaded, "You can do something with Michelle anytime, but this is a once in the lifetime opportunity. What do you say?"

Cock Face kicked up the dirt below him. His heart was torn between his long time girlfriend (who is a massive bitch), and the possibility of fame and fortune. "I don't know. Is anything even set in stone?" When someone is presented with a choice involving fame and glory or spending time with giant bitch, a normal person would choose fame and glory because then could get any annoying bitch they wanted to. My fist clenched as I drew ready to pounce on Cock Face and punch some sense into him.

"Come on man," Dean said, "If Michelle really care about you, she'd let you go." All eyes targeted Dean even Cock Face's. Michelle cared for him the same way an exterminator cares about mice. Cock Face never broke up with her because she threatened to castrate him in public. Told you she was a crazy bitch.

"Dean, you're right," Cock Face said, "I think it's high time that I had my own way in this relationship. I'm gonna be the dominate one." He looked up at the school, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Hear that Michelle, I'm going to Japan."

"Who's going to Japan?" From behind us, Nero approached with his posse of girls. The hung off his arms like party streamers, and from the looks of things, Nero could barely move his upper body. Not that he really cared. He slept with all them on multiple occasions. It was heartbreaking to watch considering my relationship statues had a big fat zero on it. I saved myself for Patty….it was what I said to keep myself from crying at night.

I started, "The band has decided to travel across the world and participate in the Concert. It's four to one Nero; you lost."

"I don't really consider this fair," Nero said, breaking away the loving grips of his women. If Nero broke away, something was because he never left a girl when she was touching him. "You guys voted without me. I consider and breach on our friend contract, and fuck you all."

"We don't have a friend contract…" Cock Face reminded.

"Guess what guys, there's still one tiny little problem." Nero's posse began to surround him again until he was covered head to toe in girls. Shaking violently, he tossed them to the side, staring directly at who appeared to be the ring leader. "Could all you like fuck off? I'm talking to the guys about business, and you're too stupid understand." Snapping their gum, Nero's posse fled into the halls of the school. The group was finally alone; the school bell would ring in five minutes.

Dean watched as the last chick passed through the school door. "Why can't you hook me with one of those babes?"

"Sorry Dean, those girls don't like to have sex with faggots." Nero insulted, "As I was saying, I hate flying more than anything in the world. I would rather be ganged rape than fly five feet. So um yeah, that sort of fucks up our little trip to Japan now."

"You couldn't be on an airplane for five minutes?" Jake asked. Nero adamantly shook his head. Just the mention of flying, sent his heart racing and his breathing increased tenfold. Here's another interesting story about Nero. When he was five, his cousins tied sticks and leaves to his arms in hopes that he could glide. They climbed up on their barn and threw Nero off. He did not glide so well.

Nero yelled, "I broke my fucking arm in that incident. I can't even climb stairs without feeling like my heart is in my ass."

"I got an idea," Dean said, "Let's blindfold you and put you in kennel. If you bark a couple times, they'll think you're a dog and put you in a cardboard box. You won't know you're flying then!"

Cock Face looked dumbfounded. "Who do you buy your pot from because I would really like to buy some?"

"Congratulations Duke Fuckingham, that is the singles dumbest thing I've ever heard," Nero continued where our bass player left off. It didn't even make sense. Dean, on the other hand, took pride in his comment. What more could we do but let him have his fun?

"Would you go if we take a boat?" Jake asked.

"Do you know how long it would take to get there by boat?" I said. I might have gotten the best band on the planet, but their IQ scores failed to reach positive numbers. God transpired against me from seeing Patty or seeing Slaughtered participate in the Concert. I had Nero who wouldn't fly, Dean and Jake who were no smarter than lead, and Cock Face whose girlfriend's a complete bitch.

Finally, Nero said something that made sense, something that brightened my day. "Look, we want to participate in the Concert. I'll bite; I'll go through the Jap classes, I'll save the money, and I'll even ride on the fucking airplane. None of you better wimp out, or I will personally lock your nuts in a vice grip." The group looked to me, the manager and planner. Yea, I got it. I would make plans for the classes on culture and language, buy the tickets, and manage everyone's funds. It was a walk in the park compared to what I'm used to.

When I went home that night, I emailed Patty our group's response.

Dear Patty

By some miracle, I convinced the guys to go through this the trip over to see you. We hope to participate in the Battle of the Band, but if not, it will be a great experience, and we can see each other again. Hard to believe it's been almost a year since you came over to my house. I'm going to look into plane tickets and the like, but I need to know where we will stay. We can't very well stay in a hotel for a couple of months. I assume we are staying for a month or two?

Get back to me when you can, you cousin John

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Minami Iwasaki-

The Izumi's kitchen smelled of freshly baked cookies. I reached my gloved hand into the oven, pulling out a sheet of vanilla cookies made by Yutaka. With her Cousin Konata Izumi's help, we managed to craft a lovely looking batch. Hopefully, they tasted as good as they smelled. I glanced down at my friend's creation; the hint of vanilla tickled my noise. I didn't want to wait for them to cool.

"Do these look ok, Onee-chan," Yutaka asked her cousin, who was busy plucking away at a Nintendo DS.

"Yea yea yea," Konata yelled, mashing away at the buttons, "just give me five minutes, only five minutes." The sounds of explosions emitted from the speakers on her game. With her right hand, she pressed buttons. With her left, she scratched away at the touch screen; her hand barely looked human as they moved so fast. The most amazing part, she balanced the thing on her knee.

As Konata played her game, I commented on Yutaka's creation, "They look excellent."

"Thank you Minami-chan!" An explosion from the DS cut Yutaka's smile which was followed by a huge thump. Konata, hands still in position to hold the thing, stared down at her DS, which was broke into pieces on the floor. Her mouth quivered as tears formed.

"Noooooooo!" she screamed, "My DS, my poor little DS. It never hurt anyone, ever." She scooped it up, rocking it like a new born baby.

Yutaka ran over to her cousin. "What happened?"

"I died and kicked my legs," Konata wept, "and now it's dead." Well, that was why you don't balance electronic on your knees. With her departed friend in hand, Konata sulked off into the hallway; her door slammed shut.

"Um…" I said, "Who's going to tell us if our cookies are good."

I didn't have much to fear as Konata's door opened once again. She came out, looking as if nothing happened. In her hand was another DS. Wait, so she has multiples of the same system? Turning it on, she returned to her spot in the kitchen.

"Ah, it's ok," she assured, "I was thinking of replacing that one anyways." Tough love, I guess…

"Onee-chan, you didn't say if the cookies were ok," Yutaka reminded. Konata lifted her head away from her game. Her eyes scanned over the cookie sheet before reaching her hand over. Her fingers pulled one of the cookies from their spot. With a gasp, Yutaka slapped her hand, returning the pastry to its resting location. "Konata, you need to wait till everyone gets here before you can have some."

"But they look so good," Konata mumbled, sniffing the cookie sheet. Her eyes glazed over as she filled with the smell of fresh cookies. Water sparkled from her lips as her tongue ran over them.

Yutaka picked up the cookies Konata tried to take. "Well, I guess one is ok."

"You mean it!" Konata shouted, taking her cousins hands, "You're the best Yu-chan, simply the best." Yutaka also handed me a cookies. I gratefully took it, popping it in my mouth at the same time Konata did. We chewed and chewed and chewed until the cookies became mushy. Something…wasn't right. I glanced over at Konata, whose face went white as a sheet. Was the cookie supposed to taste like burnt rubber?

"How are they?" Yutaka asked with a bright smile. I couldn't tell her the truth.

"They're great," I mentioned, swallowing. Like nails, the mushy cookie toppled down my throat. I hope I didn't have to eat another.

Konata forced hers down as well. "Yutaka, it's just another example of why you are a walking factor of moe!" She coughed, getting that last tastes from under her tongue.

"I heard someone talking about moe!" With the sound of ruffling paper and a high pitched voice behind us, I turned to see Patricia swinging a slip of paper in her hand. With her bright eyes, she skipped into the kitchen, tossing her arms around Yutaka. "Are we talking about Yu-chan?"

"You better believe it," Konata replied.

Yutaka held up her trey of cookies. "Patty-chan, please have one." With a "don't mind if I do", Patty swiped up a single cookie. Konata and I shut our eyes and wished for the best. If only I could tell her it wasn't any good? As the square sweet touched her tongue, Patty began chewing frantically. In an instant, her face turned a strange purple color. "How is it?"

"Awesome…" Patty mumbled as the cookie traveled down her esophagus. She also let out a cough.

"What do you have there?' I posed, looking at the slip of paper. Instead of simple telling me, she slammed it up against my face. The text was so close; I couldn't begin to make out what it said.

"Read it!" Patty commanded.

I mumbled, "It's a little close."

"Fine, I'll read it to you then!" she pulled it away from my face. I could have read it if you handed it to me. Patty spouted of the information on the paper. Her cousin, John Martin, sent it to her the night before. It was confirmation on their bands interest in coming. Actually, it was a full fledge yes. Who would agree to such terms? This guys had to be either crazy or completely over the top.

"That's great, Patty-chan," Yutaka cheered.

"Where are you planning on them staying?" I asked. There was still that little problem.

Patty looked to Konata. "Do you think we have room here?"

"No…" A direct answer from the daughter of the landowner. Considering Izumi-san and Konata lived in a rather small house, and they housed Yutaka and Patty, the possibility of putting up five or more guys went to an all time zero. Konata went on. "Even if we had the room, my dad wouldn't let boys stay here. He's way to protective."

Yutaka laughed, "That's Izumi-san." Funny…Konata always talked of her father as some creepy otaku in love with high school girls. Don't get me wrong; he was a really nice guy with a big heart. A creepy feeling came over me whenever we were in the same room. I never wanted to be alone with him…

"Awww…" Patty complained, "But who else has a really big house?" You thought Konata's house was big?

"Why not ask Miyuki-san?" Konata suggested, "They have a pretty big house."

Knowing the Takura's personally, I could see them agreeing to such hefty demands. They were rather trusting of just about anyone, and Miyuki was super smart but kind of an airhead. Her mother was the same way minus the smart part. I felt an urge to protect them; I voiced my protest, "Isn't that a little much to ask?"

"I guess," Konata mumbled, "but you could always try!"

"But I don't know Takura-san that much…" Patty groaned.

"Minami-chan lives next door," Yutaka announced. No, don't tell her that… Did she know how hard it would be to ask Takura-san to take in a bunch of random guys in?

Patty took my hands. "You do!" She sounded as air and bubbly as a schoolgirl who got her first kiss. I backed away before Patty went all maniac on me.

"I don't feel comfortable asking…" Patty fell at my feet, gripping my blue pleated skirt. Tears ran down her eye; I could tell they were fake. As she rubbed her head against my leg, she begged with all her might. I didn't have the heart to shake her off.

"Please Minami-chan," she cried, "I don't want to email him back and tell him of my failure. They never fail in animes…" Well, this wasn't an anime. Konata and Yutaka watched as this event unfolded. Their big eyes were on me. Yutaka's face pleaded just as much as Patty did. Even Konata told me not to be so stingy. I sighed, pulling the American to her feet.

"I'll ask…" I said, "but don't get mad when they say no."

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Of course they can stay here!" Takura-san said over a cup of coffee. Gathering around the Takura's table, Patty, Yutaka, Miyuki, Konata, and I watched as Miyuki's mother agreed to allow total strangers in their house. She said it all with a smile too. I sipped at my tea in complete shock. Yea, the Takuras trusted to many people.

"Oh my," Miyuki began, "We haven't had long term guests in ages. Do you think father will be fine with it?"

Takura-san nodded. "He's always away on business. Of course, he won't mind." Much like any polite young girl, Patty bowed her head. If I didn't know better, she looked quite normal and nothing like a crazy otaku.

"Thank you so much ma'am," she said after bowing, "I believe my cousin will be bringing four friends along. I hope it will not be trouble?" Miyuki and her mother glanced at each other worriedly. When Patty initially brought it up, she failed to specify how many would be staying. It came back to bite her on the butt.

"I'm sorry, we only have two rooms available," Miyuki explained, "and they both have single beds." Patty sighed as she watched her plans burn into dust. I started to feel bad for her, and I was against asking. Seeing Patty down felt downright wrong.

Yutaka felt the same way. "You could always ask Iwasaki-san if they could stay there. You know, two could stay at the Takuras and two could stay with the Iwasaki's."

"Hey Yu-chan, that's not a bad idea," Konata said. No, it really was a bad idea. Yutaka's flash of genius happened to come right now…out of all places. She couldn't have discovered a cure for cancer or solve the problem nuclear war with it. The worst part was there were two open rooms at my place. My father also worked long hours and spent a decent time on business trips. We saw him maybe twice every week, holidays, and during the winter quite a bit. It would be mom's decision.

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." Miyuki wasn't helping matters. Once again, all eyes were on me. The pressure sank in; I couldn't tell them no. I suck at lying too…

"We can ask," I muttered, "but mom will probably tell us no."

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Of course they can stay here!" I was surrounded by idiots. Much like Takura-san, my mom didn't think twice before agreeing to Patty's demands. I bit my lip, trying not to say anything against this. If mom said it was ok, it was ok, but did anyone care how I felt about five strange guys hanging around us? Plus, they were American. If they were anything like Patty, I didn't want them around.

"Are you sure?" Patty asked one final time.

Mom nodded her head. "If we can work with the Takuras, it will be no problem at all. It has been ages since we've had company. Are you excited Minami?" I merely smiled at my mother. Our dog, Cherry, sat under my feet, snoozing like he always did in the winter months. Actually, he slept all the time.

"See Patty-chan, I knew it would work out," Yutaka said, "Oh, I'm so excited to meet them."

"My cousins a loser, but he's nice," Patty replied with a smirk. I was glad to know she had such a high opinion of her cousin… I couldn't help but sigh when Patty threw her arms around me. She was the happiest I'd seen her in a while, and trust me, Patty never acted sad.

"Do you know his other friends?" Konata posed.

She shook her head. "I've only got blips of info. I know their names are Nero, Dean, Randy, and Jake. Nero is John's best friend, but he says the other guys are cool." Who names their kid Nero…? Someone had a love for the Roman Empire and crazy people.

"Are they cute?"Thanks for that one mom. However, Yutaka, Konata, and Miyuki leaned in just a tad closer as if they were awaiting some answer.

Patty shrugged. "I can't say for the other guys, but my cousin is kind of plain."

"Would it kill someone to get a little romance in our lives…" Konata grumbled, "I'm talking about like in the games and anime. The cute girl always fall in love with the cute guy, it's like a written law." As Kagami Hiiragi would say, only in your fantasy world, Konata.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvv

John Martin-

Three days before our flight to Japan, I got the call. Since mid-February, the guys and I took a crash course in Japanese culture and language. We went four days a week for three hours, worked part time jobs, and still went to school. On the weekends, we practiced songs for the big day. The months rolled by; we were set on our goal. I saved several thousand for the trip. Every penny went towards our big vacation to Japan. And then, I got the call three days before we left.

My phone rang. "Hello?" I answered despite seeing it was Jake's number.

"Hey John, what's up," he replied back. Jake never called to say hi.

"What do you want?" There was a long silence as I waited for a response. I could hear him mouth breathing from the other side.

He started in, "You know how we got this Japan trip in three days?" No, I just up and forgot about it.

"Yea, I remember…"

"I can't go." Jake's words were funny. The fucking little jokester thought he could get a rise out of me.

"Real funny…" I mumbled.

"No, I'm serious. I kind of didn't tell my parents about it until yesterday, and they said I can't go." This joke wasn't funny anymore. Jake annoyed the hell out of me while I was trying to work of sorting my money. Why did he like to do this?

I rolled my eyes. "You're retarded."

"I'm not kidding around," he reinforced, "My parents won't let me go."

"You're not shitting me?"

"No!"

I yelled into the receiver, "Why the hell would you not tell them? What did they think we were taking those Japanese classes for?"

"I didn't tell them about that either."

"Then what did they think you were doing?"

"I don't know!" I couldn't believe this. Jake pulled the biggest dick move on the planet. Our lead guitarist couldn't go because he was retarded. Dean would proud; that was how bad this got. My palms grew sweaty enough that I was having a tough time holding the phone.

I asked, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Um…I don't know," Jake replied, "I'll see you around though." The phone went dead.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Another long night of writing for me. With college looming over the horizon, I hope I have time to work on this and my other novel. I'll keep updating if you all keep reading.

Please be sure to leave a review, thanks.