City of Angels (Chapter 15 on 10/20)

[slasha]

Wow that was some intense stuff! Reina shooting people with silencers, Jun confronting the gang, and Aika trying to come to terms with her sister's death.

Kanna's here! But I guess she's just a messenger girl

Nice chapter! Hopefully the Villiagers won't be bothering Aika's crew anymore.

[ShikyoxYaiba]

Gosh darnit, I keep not reviewing chapters. What laziness has gotten to me!?

The KohaxAika is terribly cute and.... Ho shit. Reina with a silencer... o-o Dayum. I feel terrible every time Risa is mentioned, and I don't blame Aika one bit for getting so angry/tense when it comes to her sister. >< I hope that guys get their butts kicked later. And well...WHERE'S THE TAKAGAKI?! -waits for it- xD

[Kuji]

Ch. 4
The meeting with Mr. Nguyen and Manoeri's appearance at school~ Your fictional version of Mano is going to get me to start liking and maybe even listening to her, isn't it? ...Well, it could happen. lol I wonder how much Mano actually does for the gang. At the very least I hope she doesn't dress in white for more gritty things if she's involved with those things. Whites are hard to clean, ya know?

Koharu's concern for Aika is really sweet. She really is the type that would worm her way into your heart even if you didn't want her to. ...homg, Captain and Maimi... and I'm not on crack! Rokun, I love yooooou! I mean, it's just a short scene but I've always wanted to see this couple happen in a fic. Maimi and Koharu don't seem to see eye to eye, do they? Koharu doesn't pay attention to her, doesn't care about reps and the embarrasses her in front of her girlfriend. ^^;

At the mention of "UFO", I have to say that my first thought is "So that's where Eri is!" and Eri is a good dancer so I wouldn't be surprised. Aika and Momo though? You never cease to surprise me.

Ch.5
Aika tends to be a bit mean to Koharu sometimes, it seems. Mostly because Koharu's the older one but doesn't act her age, I guess. Aika's just too badass to know that not everyone is as awesome as she is. .__.
...I'm not going to try to even guess what Miya and Chinami were doing but I'm surprised at Aika and Koharu's reactions. I'd have thought that in the type of society they live in, even if they hadn't done anything themselves that it wouldn't be anything new to them.

“A hundred…?” Aika heard Koharu murmur in indignation under her breath. “I’m only a year older than you!”

lol, that's really familiar. I have a friend who is just about a year younger too. Silly child. But Koharu totally missing the point and focusing on that is just hilarious... but so her.

Oh but then the mood is brought down again by Aika. But have I mentioned that Koharu's really sweet to Aika? Because she really is even though she seems to lack any sort of real goal or ambition. Her line about what she likes is to hang out with Aika made me seriously go 'Awwwwww'.

For this chapter, Koharu is the one made of win.

Ch. 6
Hm... I don't believe Aika at all when she says she's doing this because she can and not because of Risa. If she doesn't think she's lying to Koharu then she's lying to herself. Good on Koharu for calling her out on it.

Ugh but Aika's mum is horrible. She hasn't even appeared in this story and I hate her. Not even a proper funeral for Risa. T___T I mean first she's killed in the prologue and now this? *sob* Oh Risa... There better be some good memories of happier times in store for us, Rokun! D: Puh-leeeeeze?

Kissing practice? LOL. Oh Koharu, have you been watching Thirteen or maybe it was Cruel Intentions? Oh teen movies and pseudo lesbian snogging. Gotta love the impact it's had on young girls everywhere. Haha... Koharu's so methodical, first close-mouthed, then deep... and then good night. Yup, that so was awkward.

ch.7
Reina's badass! ROFL but the butt grab was so Miki-like. What sort of gang is this? First Mano and now Reina. lol, I totally want to see Momo or Koharu's reaction to the grabby princess around Aika now. The group dynamics of the gang sounds pretty interesting though with what Reina said about Ai's leadership and yet obviously to people looking in from the outside, Ai is most certainly the figurehead at least.

Aika's understandably touchy on the subject of Risa's death but it makes me worry for how well she can control herself in the future. I really felt it when she said to Reina, "I hate you".  Such a simple line but strong at the same time. Very representative of Aika's state.

O_O Go question Ai NOW... ah, curses. An emergency but... HI KANNA! I can't believe that they're putting Aika into the thick of it so soon. D:

“…got just as much right walking down here as you have, uppity Mandarin bitch!”

Oh no he didn't! D:<

But wow, the whole backup bluff was just dangerous. I wonder if they often bluff like that or if they just didn't have the time to really surround them this time. It would be really bad if those guys ever called their bluff and back up turns out to just be two girls hidden in an alley. >.<

Risa's funeral.... T.T You just had to remind me about that this chapter. Happy flashbacks soon?

Anyway, I'm glad I finally got to catch up with all this. ^_^ Write more soon~

[DO Me DO Me]

°e: So glad to see you reading here still. And updating! We seem to be going at about the same pace too, lol. Although, you probably have a more chapters completed ahead of me in case I decide to slack off some day or week. Anyway... Icky in a cute way, eh? Not sure exactly what to make of that. These girls are still young and (sometimes) innocent, but they're surrounded by very adult things, and so... well... stay tuned.

LoL I guess I meant sweet but too sweet that it's embarrassing icky...hehe

Ah, Reina is badass. Shattered ankle, ouch! >_< It could've gotten ugly if the rival group didn't fall for the surrounding backup. But phew that was intense. There's a lack of Eri in this story, will she make an appearance in the story? If so, I wonder how she's going to be.

Yeah I noticed we're around the same pace too. I have like 12-ish chapters done but because of my anal editing and re-editing and fear of writer's block, it probably won't be posted till next month or so.

[JFC]

Chapter 5

Chinami blushed, sinking back into Miyabi’s side as the other girl stroked her hair, the two of them now feeling brave enough to meet the eyes of the others.

“It’s unnatural is what it is!” Koharu almost cried out, pointing at the two of them. “There’s no reason for you to be… to be…” she said, pointing at Miyabi, who blushed. “And then you!” she said, moving her attention to Chinami who shrank even more. “You’re the sweet and innocent one!”

Osnap...ChinaMiya got busted!

ChinaMiya =
Koharu =
Aika =
ChinaMiya =
Koharu =
Aika =

Suddenly Aika smiled, and she looked up at the wide-eyed faces around her. After meeting the eyes of all three, she finally said, “Thanks guys.”

“For what?” Chinami asked, confusion clouding that sweet face of hers.

“For this,” Aika said. “It’s nice to have a bit of distraction… something to make me smile.”

Oddly enough, and as awkward as the situation was, I'd have to agree with Aika here. She's been stuck in this funk of hers and she's pretty much had tunnel vision for the last little while; a "distraction" like this definitely couldn't hurt.

She could never be close to anyone. Anyone that got close to her either got hurt, or died. Or both. Well, maybe she could have something to do with keeping that from happening to others at least now.  She was almost mad at her sister for sheltering her from that, if it could maybe have prevented what ended up happening to her.

It's not unexpected that Aika might feel a little resentful towards Risa like this. Finding out that you've been kept in the dark about some things that apparently seem to be quite important when you do find out about them will do that.

Without thinking, she slammed a fist down onto the windowsill, jarring a few flakes of sawdust loose from the frame. After a moment she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around and grabbed the wrist, which happened to belong to Koharu.

The girl shied back slightly at the swift action, and actually looked a bit frightened at whatever she might be seeing in Aika’s eyes. Recognizing her friend, Aika loosened her grip slightly but did not let go. She saw Miyabi and Chinami walk up behind Koharu, both girls appraising her cautiously.

Ummm...remind me, Aika doesn't have the gun that Aichan gave her on her right NOW, does she?

“I thought I was the only one allowed to glare like that,” Miyabi said, tightening her mouth in her attempt to defuse the tension.

“Like what?” Chinami asked, still looking into Aika’s face. “What she’s doing is much better than any glare I’ve ever seen you attempt.

Oh burn.

At that, Miyabi turned to her girlfriend, her jaw now tightening as well. “You know…” she said in a somewhat annoyed voice, then swiftly raised her hand and cuffed the girl smartly on the cheek.

“Ow…” Chinami said weakly, holding a hand to her face as she turned back to face her girlfriend.

“C’mon, you know you like it,” Miyabi said, ignoring the girl as she turned back to Aika.

Ok....TMI right there. 

*AIKAxKOHARU 'TRUST' CHAT*

Aika's still focused on proceeding with...whatever ends up happening. She just doesn't want to have to deal with it on her own (even if she's not able to admit it right now).

Aika nodded, looking Koharu directly in the eyes. “All right,” she said. Then she took a breath. “Come home with me. I have something to tell you.”

Oh boy...here we go. Perhaps she's looking for someone to act like her conscious for when things get really bad, seeing as how she might have to stop relying on her own in the days to come.




Chapter 6

“No Koha-chan, I can’t let you get involved,” Aika said, staring at the burnished metal as she turned it carefully in hands that rested on her lap.

Well, then she shouldn't have told her the truth. Aika opened the door on this one, she can't get mad at Koharu if she wants to step through it.

“I won’t let you do this by yourself!” Koharu said insistently. “You could get yourself killed or something!”

“And that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen to you,” Aika replied, looking up hard into the other’s eyes. “I’m doing this to protect those I care about so they don’t have to worry about things like this themselves.”

“That seemed to be what your sister thought too!” Koharu pressed strongly. “And then when something happened to her, since she’d kept those she cared about at a distance, there was no one there to help her!”

Was it a low blow? Maybe.

Is Koharu right? Possibly.

“Why are you doing this, Aika?” the continually prodding voice came from behind. “Are you doing it for everyone you claim to want to protect?” She paused a moment to let her words sink in. “Are you doing it for yourself?” After a moment Aika felt a tentative hand on the back of her shoulder. “…Are you doing it for your sister?”

Mister hammer, meet Mister nail.

It's about time someone said this to Aika...though it should have been Aichan, IMO. If there was anyone who would/should have known about Risa's wanting to keep Aika from all of that, it should have been Aichan. Consequently, one could say that if Aichan had any feelings/respect for Risa's wishes in this matter, she would have tried harder to keep Aika out of it when she came to them.

“I’m doing it because I can,” she said, her voice to her ears feeling soft and hard at the same time.

Oh fuck.  She's completely avoiding the question.

“Takahashi-dono will kill you…” Aika finally said in a soft, almost desperately reasoning voice. “I know she only accepts me because I’m Risa’s sister and won’t take no for an answer, but she won’t have it if you come groveling to her too.”

“From the sound of it, what you did was far from groveling,” Koharu said expressively. “I wouldn’t intend on doing anything differently.”

Despite her words, Aika still knew how the encounter would go. Koharu would barely make it two steps into that room until her hollow skull would get smashed in, and it was more likely to be one of the Chinese girls before she even reached Takahashi or Tanaka. Hell, if Chisato were around she might even do it herself. The younger girl never thought much of Koharu.

Bet'cha Aika wishes she never opened that proverbial door now, does she?   

*TALK OF AIKA'S MOM*

*sigh*

Of course. 

“There’ll be a service at the graveyard by the old church on Cedar this weekend. Since we’ve got no family here really, she’ll just be vaulted with other kids who died in similar situations.” Even though they were words she spoke, she didn’t completely believe them. Risa was anything but a kid as far as Aika was concerned, no matter her age.

“I’ll come with you,” Koharu said, and this time Aika felt a hand on her shoulder again.

Instead of shrugging it off, she reached her own behind to lay atop it. “Thanks,” she said. “That’ll be… nice.”

*INTROSPECTIVE KOHARU*

Awww...

“I’m seventeen. Do you know how many other seventeen-year-old virgins there are around?”

Hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing, you know.

“And what if I even do find someone who likes me?!” she questioned, more paranoia becoming apparent. “I’ll… I’ll have to kiss them or something! And I wouldn’t know the first thing to do!”

Aika blinked, now suddenly at a real loss. “Um…” she said, trying to find something intelligent to say. “I guess you could… well... you know… just kiss them?”

It's amazing how that tactic works as often as it does.

Aika was almost becoming scared of those widening eyes that were fixed on her own, until she saw some sort of light bulb go on within them. “I know!” Koharu burst out excitedly. “We could practice!”

“Practice…?” Aika repeated, becoming ever more confused.

“Kissing!” Koharu said, as if she was reading the word clearly on Aika’s face.

Koharu =
Aika =

And you’re my best friend, so of course it won’t get weird or anything…

Oh man...

“Um…” Aika said, her mind blank, but the other girl was already squeezing her eyes shut and leaning forward slightly, puckering. “Koharu…” she began, trying to think of something to deter the girl, and leaned forward to try and pull her aside so they could talk this out.

However, the other girl apparently didn’t have her eyes completely closed, because when Aika leaned forward Koharu did smoothly as well, and before she knew what was happening she felt the girl’s lips press lightly against her own.

Aika froze at the contact. However, that of course only had the effect of making said contact last longer, and it was beginning to feel a bit warm and wet before Koharu pulled away, looking into Aika’s eyes as if for a response.

Eeep. 

Koharu frowned. “Hmm. I think we should use our tongues. All the girls say guys are disgusting when they do it, but that other girls know actually know how to use them and so it’s the best kind of kissing. So this time just open your mouth after a second, kay?” And she leaned in once again to the still immobile second-year.

A while later the two girls stared above the knees they hugged to themselves while still sitting across from each other on Aika’s thin mattress. “Well that was… fun…?” Aika said, trying to make a sensible sentence come out of her mouth.

Damn, I've got NOTHIN' for this.

Koharu blinked at her a few times before admitting in a small voice, “…It got weird, didn’t it?”

“Yeah...” Aika nodded as she viewed her friend through the thickening discomfort between them.

Just a tad...maybe.

“Well…” Koharu said slowly, “Good night!” And she dropped her knees, shifting herself to the side of the mattress before slipping under the sheet and becoming still.

Without a word, and wondering what the big deal really was with getting a girlfriend anyway, Aika reached over to flip off the lamp and slid under the sheets herself as well.

“Goodnight, Koha-chan.”

Out of sight, out of mind?

* JFC hears crickets off in the distance.

Chapter 7

*AIKA 'TRAINING' WITH REINA*

A garage? Of all the places to be practicing this...a garage?  I guess it helps that it's completely under the gang's control, so they don't have to worry about security or "getting caught."


LULZ at Reina groping Aika. Miki-sama wouldn't happen to be a former, dai-sempai type member in the gang, now would she? 

“You should call Ai-chan by her nick, too,” the other said as she watched Aika prepare. “We’re all pretty casual around here.”

After the girl spoke, Aika took three more shots as well, and when she lowered the gun, noticed they all hit the target, if not quite as perfectly as Reina’s had. “I’m not sure I could do that,” she said, smiling satisfied at herself. “She’s the leader, after all. Lemme get used to saying ‘Reina’ first.”

“Good shooting,” Reina said, and she walked to one of the cars to recline back against it as she continued to watch Aika. “She’s only really a leader in that she organizes things from time to time. There are others that do the same. We don’t have that kind of structure, generally only taking care of the areas we frequent on a normal routine. We don’t go lookin’ for trouble – just try our best to keep it from findin’ us.”

In a way, it's good that they spread responsibility and authority as much as they do. That way, they can't really be dealt a "crippling blow" if whoever's deemed their leader is taken out.  While other gangs would/could be thrown into chaos if this were to happen to them (because no one had a clue of what to do because their leaders kept all their secrets to themselves), with this (as yet still unnamed) gang it wouldn't be as hard for them as others could/should be able to pick up the slack quite easily.

“Are you telling me it was my sister’s fault she got beat to death?” Aika asked in a dangerous voice below narrowing eyes.

“No,” Reina said, lifting herself up from the car. She hooked her thumbs into her belt loops, and it took Aika just a second to realize she could draw her gun probably in the blink of an eye from that position. “I’m guessing they just intended to teach her a lesson to stay off of their turf, but someone went a bit overboard and it got out of hand.”

“So you’re saying it was an accident?”

Reina shrugged, not taking her eyes off Aika. “Those things happen when you’re dealing with so many people who can tend to be violent. Some get high off it.”

Sad...but true.   

“That anger, that hatred you’re feeling,” the girl said, now in a fervent voice of her own, “There’s hardly a citizen of this city that hasn’t felt the same at least at some point in their lives. That’s the reason nobody trusts nobody. That’s the reason you can’t walk down the road to your piano lesson. The only way you’re gonna be able to survive around here is to learn to deal with that hate. Focus it into that gun you carry at your hip. Focus it into calm and reason when you’re hit with a tough situation.”

The key to this little speech is the need to stay focused. Letting your emotions get the better of you in a conflict will do nothing to help you, but instead will increase the chances of something going wrong for you. You'll get distracted, less observant, sloppy...all of which can provide an opening to allow your opponent to take you out.

Aika was about to demand what it was she was supposed to figure out, but a young girl burst through the door to the garage. Looking around a moment, she fixed her eyes on Reina and ran toward her. “Kanna!” Aika yelled, surprised at seeing her younger friend for the first time since she dropped out of school with Chisato.

Kanna turned and took her in a moment, giving her a brief smile before becoming serious again and looking back to Reina. “We got trouble,” she informed them. “Jun ran across some Villagers around Almond area. She’s waitin’ on backup to confront ‘em.”

Kanna!   


...


Almond!!! 


Umm...who are these "Villagers"? They the other gang? O_o

“We was just taking a bit of a scenic detour,” the guy said, scrutinizing the Chinese girl closely. Some of the others behind him let out a few chuckles. “And besides, you think a little girl like yourself is gonna stop us?”

“No, I don’t,” JunJun said.

Then, Aika heard a dull thump from beside her, and the guy cried out and collapsed to the ground, holding a shattered ankle. Aika shot a wide-eyed gaze at Reina, who had pulled out a different gun than the one she used at the lesson, and had set the thicker-looking barrel just atop one of the boxes beside the trash can, pointed toward the group of invaders.

From the description of the "dull thump" sound that Reina's weapon made, she's got a sniper rifle with a silencer on it. 

That's just so badass. 

“What the fuck are you playin’ at here?!” the leader exclaimed from the pavement, having apparently started to deal with the pain. “We didn’t do nothin’ to you!”

“Really?” Jun said in a low voice. “Then why are we having a funeral for a friend of mine whose crime wasn’t anything more than what you’re doing right this minute?”

Aika’s chest clenched as she lost her breath, the pistol becoming unsteady as she clutched it tightly at her side.

“Hold yourself together, Aika!” she heard Reina whisper hard over to her, and her eyes darted over to see the girl now appraising her carefully.

Oooooooooooooooooh shit! This IS the group that killed Risa?!?!?!!?

The group had fallen back at Jun’s words, and Aika noticed a few of them looking at a couple of their members particularly. Aika didn’t recognize them of course, since everything was still dark in reality as well as in her mind, but she found herself raising her gun slowly.

“Aika!” came an insistent voice from her side again.

Aika's got to remember what Reina told her and stay focused!  Even though it seems like these might be the same losers that killed Risa, this is NOT the time to be poppin' skulls.

“I’d be quite content to let them all just open fire right now,” Jun said again, breaking the heavy silence. “But I’ll give you a chance. Turn around and run as hard as you can back to where you came from, and don’t think about taking any more scenic detours, and you might live to see tomorrow morning.”

A few of the intruders began backing away now, but the leader stared at the resolute girl before spitting at the ground as two of the others took his arms to pull him away. In a moment, the ones who could were all running at full speed, and disappeared from Aika’s sight.

I see, they're trying to send a message to the other gang. It's like, "We don't want trouble, and we know you don't want trouble. However, we alsoknow you killed Risa for no good reason. If you're going to start trouble, rest assured that we WILL finish it."

Still quivering while watching the spot where they vanished, she almost jumped when she felt a hand on the one that was almost strained from clutching her pistol so tightly, but Reina wrapped her fingers securely around her own and put an arm around Aika in an attempt to calm her. She saw JunJun give a long breath of relief before glancing toward them and starting to walk their way. At that moment Aika realized the group hadn’t been surrounded at all – the girl’s “backup” had been Reina and herself only. She raised her gaze and her eyes found Reina’s.

“This is the kind of thing you’ll be dealing with every day from now on,” the girl said lightly but firmly. “I’ll ask you again, are you up for it?”

Aika's got to see just how serious this really is. She may be in denial right now, but at the core of it, she wants revenge for what happened to Risa. She wants the other gang to hurt like she's been hurt. The problem is, THAT's not necessarily what's best in the grand scheme of things. There are dozens, if not hundreds of people who live in this area, innocent people who have no connection to either gang and who don't deserve to live in a gang warzone. Sure, at this moment Reina had to fire a weapon at someone, but the way she did it, the way they played it out was meant to keep a fight from breaking out that would/could hurt not only themselves, but the many other innocent people who lived there.

Aika has to learn that although she's learning how to fight, she's NOT being taught to be an instigator.  That's not their purpose. They're looking to put out the proverbial blaze, not start it.

[rokun]

Wow and yay! A lot of great comments that time! Not expecting as many for the next chapter... lol. I actually ended up splitting up what I've written next, as it felt a bit long (would have been my longest chapter so far, but not by that much). I'm doing my best to stick with shorter ones as I promised. Anyway... suppose I should have expected the comments last time with Reina shooting people and all. However... did nobody catch what was in the chapter title? I'm sad.

rndmn: I'm glad you're feeling for the characters. That always makes me feel as if I've done my job well! And don't worry about being misunderstood. It's quite good enough I think.

Fen: Hey there! Reina with a silencer is definitely pure win. You'd be amazed what she has up her sleeve. More on that further down. And bittersweet TakaGaki?

slasha: Yay Kanna! She's a bit more than a messenger girl lol, but I'm not completely sure yet what all will be going on wtih her (and Chisato). Don't be too confident we've seen the last of them...

SxY: Glad to see you feeling for Aika too. That's part of why I like writing exclusively from one girl's point of view. You really get to see into her emotions and identify with her. Also, another TakaGaki request??? You people are so hopeful.

Kuji: Ah you caught up! And with an epic comment! @_@ Yay!
Ch 4: Mano has a rather mysterious role, as is kinda given for her position. We'll see what all's going on with her as time goes on... Also, I thought you'd like the Saki/Maimi. ^_^ No, you aren't on crack, but I might be! As for Maimi and Koharu... look forward to chapter 9.
Ch 5: A lot of these girls seem to be mean to each other sometimes... lol... You'll see instances of it all over. It's part of the culture they live in unfortunately. Speaking of which... your comments about Koharu and Aika... In some ways the two of them have been rather sheltered from many things throughout their lives, even with some they have been exposed to just by the streets they have to walk down. But when things really get private... Risa did her best to protect and shelter Aika, and Koharu... well... she kinda shelters herself.
Ch 6: Aika's mom... yeah, people seem to be getting an impression of her already... On a lighter note, not sure if Koharu has been watching those movies, but I have. Like I said once before, it just seems to fit this story (and Koharu's character) well. As for her methodical, blunt approach... well... that's Koharu. ^_^
Ch 07: Your comment about "what sort of gang is this?" made me . These girls are used to dealing with things physically quite often... resulting in them... well... dealing with things physically quite often. That line you quoted... remember it and what it was charged with... it's important in the context of this culture, and will come into play more later on. As for "calling the bluff", I wouldn't be so sure how it might have ended. Don't underestimate Reina. Many people have done so in the past, and are no longer around to tell the tale.

...So it's TakaGaki flashbacks you guys want, huh? Well we'll see how things go. What I will say is that there will be a nice present for you all at some point. Keep your eyes open.

°e: I'm sure you saw my comment about Eri in your thread. Even if I keep chopping my chapters up, you shouldn't have too much longer to wait...

JFC: Yay you caught up too! I hope it didn't overwhelm you too much. >.> Much <333 for your emoticon version of this story too. Your comments about how Ai should have dropped reality into Aika's lap... Aika hasn't actually seen Ai that much yet... and Ai is also rather reclusive, so even that much for Aika might just be a bit rare. Your reaction to the Koharu and Aika kissing practice is perfect. I think that was exactly what I was going for...
Ch 7 comments: Yep, a garage is a good tight location for a rather risky thing like an illegal shooting range. And you caught an almond reference . Also, at your comments about Aika's lessons in this chapter. She definitely wasn't only learning to shoot. Far from only that...

Okay, T minus time to next chapter. It's short and I don't think all that much happens in it, but the story continues. Chapter 9 will also probably be up by the end of the weekend. Enjoy.

[rokun]

Chapter 8

“I talked with Miya and Chinami-chan. They say you’ve been quiet in classes today.”

Koharu looked up suspiciously at Aika after catching up to her as she walked to lunch. Aika only held her books to her chest and walked slowly, not looking around. She knew the girl didn’t want to come right out and ask about what happened after she left school yesterday, but she also knew that if she stayed quiet much longer, her friend would ask anyway.

“I’ve been quiet in classes all week,” Aika stated, partly in response to Koharu’s unasked question and partly not.

“It’s just not like you,” Koharu lamented. “You’re usually just as talkative as me or Chinami-chan. I feel bad that something’s obviously wrong with you.”

Aika gave her friend a sidelong glance. “Thank you for the support,” she said dryly.

“You know what I mean,” Koharu said, stepping quickly in front of Aika and making her stop, while also reaching out to grab her arm. However, after realizing what she did she let go slowly, looking somewhat awkward.

Aika looked up into her face. “There’s no need for awkwardness between us. Remember?” she asked. After waking up the previous morning the two girls had promised to treat the night before only as an experience, and otherwise to go on the same as always – as best friends.

“Sorry,” Koharu said. “I guess I need to get a girlfriend, huh?”

“The day one of you two gets a girlfriend,” a new voice said as Koharu found a hand rested on her shoulder. “Will be the day I make out with Chinami in the middle of the hall.” Koharu, after an initial jump of surprise and embarrassment, now looked up at Miyabi and raised an eyebrow.

“Now that I’d like to see.” She grinned over at Chinami, who was hanging onto Miyabi’s arm.

“You don’t mean that!” the sweet and innocent girl said, casting wide eyes on her girlfriend.

“Oh come on,” Miyabi retorted. “It’s not like you haven’t seen more already.” She leaned over to nip at her girlfriend’s neck, but at the reminder of the awkwardness from the other day, Chinami gasped and slapped at her arm. However, Miyabi just pulled back and grinned at her.

“Excuse me,” Aika said, nudging through her friends. “But I at least am hungry.”

“What’s the rush?” Miyabi asked, and Aika felt an arm around her shoulders. She reflexively tensed at the contact, especially considering who it was from. However, in the next second Koharu had draped an arm around her as well. Instead of slowing her though, the two girls pulled her fully onward toward the cafeteria.

“Uh, guys?” Aika said, clutching her books tighter to herself. “I’m glad that you love me, but…”

“Yes, we do love you,” Miyabi said.

“We love you so much, that we won’t be leaving your side for the rest of the day!” Koharu added. “You’ll be back to the old Aika before you know it!”

“But there’s not even a new Aika yet…” Aika protested as it felt like the girls dragged her along.

“Really?” Koharu asked. “Care to update us on what is new so far? I’m sure Chinami-chan is dying to know.”

“Yes!” Chinami exclaimed. Then with a look at a smirking Miyabi performed a one-eighty. “I mean, no!”

Aika glanced over at the two, never ceasing to wonder what goes on in Miyabi’s mind, but at least realizing what the girls were trying to do. “Peer pressure is what this is,” she grumbled. “You people are mean…”

“That’s why we’re your friends!” Koharu beamed, giving Aika her toothy smile.

“Well hello there,” came a voice from near one of the lockers they passed, and a girl reached out an arm to bring the four marching girls to a halt. She raised an eyebrow, while Aika just stared in surprise.

“Do I know you?” Miyabi asked, frowning at the smaller girl in a slim-fitting black and white patterned dress.

The girl continued smiling at Aika. “No reason for you to. I’m not in your class. And, well, not likely we would have run into each other.”

“What are you doing here?” Aika whispered loudly to her, pulling away from the arms of her friends to close in on the other. However, before she reached her, she jerked to a halt and looked around anxiously. “Do they need me? Where’s Mano…?” She asked the latter question hesitantly.

The other girl laughed gently. “How should I know? Probably in class. I hope so.” Then she glanced around a bit self-consciously herself. “I hate it when she pops out of nowhere.”

“You too?” Aika asked, appraising the girl carefully.

“A-hem!” Aika turned back to her friends as Miyabi cleared her throat. She also saw Koharu raising both eyebrows at her in her usual ‘Nani?!’ expression.

“Oh,” the girl next to Aika said. “We’re so rude. Care to introduce me to your… friends, Aika?”

Aika blinked, wondering why everything seemed to be falling in on her today. “Um,” she said, turning to her friends tentatively. “This is Chinami Tokunaga,” she said, and the named girl smiled brightly at the both of them. “Miyabi Natsuyaki,” she continued, nodding at Miyabi, who nodded back, scrutinizing the newcomer suspiciously. “Koharu Kusumi,” she said, Koharu still with her eyebrows high on her forehead. When she cocked her head toward Aika, she added, “My best friend…”

Then she turned to gesture to the girl next to her. “Guys, this is Qian Lin.” When blank faces met her in response, she added with a bit of a sigh, “You can call her LinLin. She’s Chinese.” The girls’ eyes widened in surprise at that, even though they’d likely suspected it from her features.

“How do you know Aika?” Miyabi asked, still looking very suspicious.

Pre-empting a potential response from the Chinese girl though, Aika asked her, “So what are you doing here?” She looked the girl up and down. “You look dressed pretty normal…” Then she noticed the open locker next to her and blinked.

“Normal?” LinLin asked, grinning at Aika. “I go to school here. There something wrong with that?”

“But…” Aika began.

“I’ve never seen you before,” Koharu broke in. “You look too old to be a first year…”

“You’re right,” LinLin nodded at her. “I’m a senior.” When the looks on the rest of their faces became even more puzzled, she followed, still grinning, “The thing is, I don’t actually come very often. I’m a senior after all, and I also have… other things to do.” She glanced toward Aika as she said that last.

“You’re in Aika-chan’s gang!” Koharu burst out.

Aika could have punched her again.

[ShikyoxYaiba]

Haha, more MiyaChii. <3 And oh no, KOHARU! -facepalm-

[rndmnwierd]

Koharu! Dumbass... 

The other girl laughed gently. “How should I know? Probably in class. I hope so.” Then she glanced around a bit self-consciously herself. “I hate it when she pops out of nowhere.”

“You too?” Aika asked, appraising the girl carefully.

Quoted 'cause I only like your Mano and not the real one.

[slasha]

Ohai RinRin! Whatchu doin here But seriously, I didn't expect Lin to show up. And she skips school (I'm telling on her )

But way to go Koha. She managed to ruin that secret. I wonder what will happen now.

Btw Aika should've punched her. That would've been a great ending.

[DO Me DO Me]

°e: I'm sure you saw my comment about Eri in your thread. Even if I keep chopping my chapters up, you shouldn't have too much longer to wait...

hehe Looking forward to it.

As for this chapter, ah Koha  Aika's like, I love you girl but sometimes I just wanna Linlin makes an appearance at school! and I think I'm beginning to like Mano in your story too even though I don't know anything at all about her. hehe

[rokun]

All right! Here's the next chapter that I promised was coming soon. I know I'm posting it quickly, but I really didn't want to let that last one hang by itself for too long. There's a bit more to this one I think... It should add some "fun" to the episode. Those of you who commented already in this short time though... THANK YOU!!! Even though it seems most of the talk was about bad Koha. Although... SxY: Thanks for the MiyaChii ! ^___^ rndmn & °e: Funny how you guys and others are liking Mano even though she really hasn't done much of anything in this story ...yet. It seems to be an unintentional mission of mine to get people interested in Mano... lol. slasha & °e: Yep, LinLin appearance. I'm not sure how crazy people are about her, but you'll see her around here... from time to time... >.>;; And slasha: Aika punches Koharu enough as it is. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of it...

Alright, here we go!


Chapter 9

As the girls finished their lunch quietly, Aika couldn’t shake the discomfort of eyes that have been on her almost the whole time. “What is it, Miya?!” she asked, having had enough of it.

Miyabi took another bite of her food, almost ignoring Chinami who seemed to be clinging ever closer to her side. “I can’t believe you never told me you joined them,” she said as she chewed her food.

“Well I didn’t think it’d be that big a deal to you,” Aika retorted, looking back at her own food but having no appetite for it now with her soured stomach. “Besides, I didn’t want to tell anyone.” She glared at Koharu, feeling the urge to punch the girl again. Koharu quickly ducked over her own bowl.

“You told Koharu,” Miyabi replied quickly.

“That’s different,” Aika grated.

Miyabi now eyed both girls cautiously. “Y’know, you’re gonna make us start wondering about you two.”

“Wondering about what?!” both Aika and Koharu responded at the same time, and the two girls stared mortified at each other.

“Yeah… definitely something fishy there…” Miyabi continued, and Aika saw even Chinami was also scrutinizing them now, her possessiveness of Miyabi somewhat forgotten for the moment.

“Hey guys!” came a cheerful but soft voice into the awkward mood. Aika looked up to see Saki coming toward them, flanked by Maimi, but her eyes quickly went to the other short girl on her opposite side.

“…or maybe not,” Aika heard Miyabi say quietly, but she did her best to ignore the girl.

“Saki… Maimi… How are you?” Koharu said through a smile which had suddenly become forced.

“It’s Friday!” Momoko crowed, as the three girls pulled up chairs to recline into beside the others.

“Yes it is!” Chinami chimed in, smiling up at her girlfriend. “So come on!” she continued, and poked at the corner of Miyabi’s frown. “Time to be happy!”

The other glrl slapped her wrist away as if it was an annoying bee.

“We’re good, thanks,” Saki said easily. “Right, Maimi-chan?” She reached over to stroke the back of the taller girl’s hand.

“Amazing!” Maimi responded, beaming at her own girlfriend.

“…You guys are sure upbeat,” Aika said, picking at her food again.

“What’s to not be cheerful about?” Momoko asked, but Aika resisted the urge to look up at her again. “It’s Friday… It’s a long holiday weekend… And we’re going to the beach!”

That caught Aika’s attention... as well as the others’.

“The beach?” Koharu asked. By the tone of her voice, Aika imagined the girl was thinking the same as her: about the last time they had been to the beach themselves. It had been a long while. Her sister had taken them…

There was a soft cry from Maimi at her classmate’s comment, and she reached over her girlfriend to slap at Momoko’s shoulder lightly. “You keep spoiling things!” she scolded, as if in the deepest offense. Aika turned a veiled glare up at the girl. I’d be happy to show you how to really slap someone… she thought bitterly. However, Momoko just smiled brightly at the girl.

“Take it easy, Maimi-chan,” Saki said, patting at her hand. “If it were up to you, we’d never get to tell anyone anything!”

“So what’s going on at the beach?” Miyabi asked, leaning back in her chair with the effect of Chinami’s head sliding suddenly down into her lap. The girl drew back quickly though, finally letting go of her girlfriend, her face reddening in embarrassment. Miyabi smirked at her, reaching over to pinch low at her side to make the girl convulse at the sensitivity.

“UFO is having a party there!” Momoko chirped. “They invited us when we went to dance with them the other day!”

“That’s right,” Miyabi said. “How was that?” Aika thought the girl did a good job of not showing the envy she knew herself and the others felt. Actually, she found herself wondering if the girl really was envious to begin with.

“It was awesome! Just as good as everything you hear about it!” Maimi exclaimed, but Saki cut her off by patting at her hand again.

“Be more sensitive, sweetie,” she said warmly to the girl. “They haven’t been able to go yet.”

“No, it’s all right,” Koharu said quickly.

“But they asked…” Maimi protested, a slight whine in her voice.

“Wait, did you say ‘yet’?” Koharu continued, her face tilting in thought.

Saki’s smile broadened, and she glanced over at her friends, who although obviously wanting to say something, held their silence. “This party Momo-chan was telling you about. We can each invite a friend to go along.”

“That’s cool,” Aika said, trying not to imagine what the girl might be implying.

“I know we don’t talk too much,” Maimi said, looking toward Koharu, “But we do have a lot of classes together and I’d like to get to know you better.” Her classmate blinked at her. “Would you like to come with us? You can be my friend!” Then she smiled down at Saki. “The only other one I really care about going with is already coming, so how about it?”

Koharu blinked again in disbelief, her fork frozen in her fingers. “…Are you talking to me?”

Before the other could give an unnecessary response though, Momoko piped up. “And I want to invite you!” she said. Aika raised her eyes very slowly, finding what she somehow expected yet still couldn’t believe - that the girl was looking at her. Momoko smiled at her in that cute and pure way she had, but Aika just stared. “What do you think? Would you come with me to the party?”

Aika felt her words frozen by amazement of not just that the girl was asking her to a party with her, but that they would be going to the beach, and with UFO of all people! “A…” she began, stuttering. “Are you sure it’s okay? We don’t… We don’t wanna go somewhere we don’t belong…”

She gave a harsh exhale of breath as she felt an elbow ram into her side from her best friend’s seat beside her, and started coughing, choking on something, perhaps the food she’d just been eating. She glanced over to see the girl giving an ‘Are you a complete idiot?!?!” look as she tried to catch her breath.

“I think those are two yeses,” Miyabi said, and Aika could hear the smirk in her voice.

When she caught her breath, she looked up to see a somewhat uncomfortable silence among them all, even though Momoko was still smiling over at her. She tried her best not to look her way and fall into that trap, as she wasn’t sure what her reaction would be at the moment.

Finally Saki spoke. “We could ask them if it’d be okay if I can invite two people,” the girl said conciliatorily. “Surely they’d understand the situation – they’re nice people.”

“Nah it’s all right,” Miyabi said, and curled an arm around Chinami to hug her close. For her part, her girlfriend looked questioningly up at her. “Chinami-chan and I have plans anyway.” She looked into her girlfriend’s eyes. “Don’t we?”

Chinami smiled nervously, her eyes flickering toward the others. “Y-yeah… Don’t worry about us!” She suddenly squeaked and bounced up in her chair. Aika noticed Miyabi’s hand had disappeared behind the other’s back, and turned away herself in embarrassment.

“Okay then,” Saki said. “If you’re sure…?” Her tone was disappointed, but Aika noticed signs of relief from the girl as well. Her position was still seemingly rather tenuous with the dancers, and she apparently didn’t want to push things too far unless she had to.

“Yes!” Chinami said, looking at the others with pinkish cheeks, her arm stretched behind her to rub her backside. She smiled at Aika and Koharu. “Have fun you two!”

Aika still was caught up in a whirl of disbelief. She couldn’t really be going to the beach with Momoko Tsugunaga and UFO, could she? Then reality crashed back in on her, and her mood fell through the floor. “Wait…” she said, almost mournfully. “We can’t. We have…” she shot a quick stare at Koharu. “We’ve got stuff to do through Sunday…” Could things actually get any worse?

“That’s okay,” Momoko replied, still smiling at her. “The party is Monday! It’s the holiday, remember?”

Aika caught the eyes above that smile, this time not having any desire to look away. She felt like she could kiss the girl.

“Um… Aika?” Koharu’s muffled voice came from behind her. “I’m not sure she can breathe…”

Aika opened her eyes, and realized she was hugging something very tightly. Shock shooting through her core, she pulled away to peer into Momoko’s face, the girl still smiling, although a bit crookedly as she laid a hand to her chest. Good job Aika… Just kill the girl before you even get the chance to go out with her!

“Sorry,” she said, humiliated. She thought she heard Miyabi chuckling from behind her.

“I guess we’ll see you guys Monday then, huh?” Saki said, rising from her chair.

“I guess so,” Aika said in response, a real smile creeping onto her face for the first time in a long while.

[ShikyoxYaiba]

Ooooo... Party time~    And aww... Aika's just too cute. xD

[DO Me DO Me]

Wow, that was quick. Yay, party party! Nice to see Aika happy after everything that happened. How nice of Momoko to invite her. MiyaChii reminds me of GAM, touchy sneaky Miya and sweet Chinami 

UFO? Is that what I think it is? 

Hey look, Momoko in a UFO

[slasha]

That was an amazingly quick update. Nice timing.

Aika's so cute, which is suprising because she's always so serious.

Woohoo party! Sounds awesome. Maybe there'll be a dance off . I hope no one shoots at the party!

[rndmnwierd]

Wow, that was a fast update. Though maybe a little filler? Maybe? Anyway, I'm not really sure why I like Mano in this. Maybe because she seems a little dangerous. Like not someone to trust immediately. Which is completely different from the aura the real Mano gives off. Not that I've got anything against the girl, I know she must work as hard as the others, but still, she's just kinda, eh...  Even her new stuff.

Anyways! That's besides the point. Can't wait for the next chapter. 

[JFC]

Chapter 8

After waking up the previous morning the two girls had promised to treat the night before only as an experience, and otherwise to go on the same as always – as best friends.

If they can actually do this, then yeah, things should hopefully go a bit more smoothly...or at the very least, it hopefully shouldn't get worse.

“The day one of you two gets a girlfriend,” a new voice said as Koharu found a hand rested on her shoulder. “Will be the day I make out with Chinami in the middle of the hall.” Koharu, after an initial jump of surprise and embarrassment, now looked up at Miyabi and raised an eyebrow.

...

“Oh come on,” Miyabi retorted. “It’s not like you haven’t seen more already.”

True.

“You people are mean…”

“That’s why we’re your friends!” Koharu beamed, giving Aika her toothy smile.

Natch. If you and your friends can't be mean to each other without letting it become a problem, then what else are you supposed to do?

“Well hello there,” came a voice from near one of the lockers they passed, and a girl reached out an arm to bring the four marching girls to a halt. She raised an eyebrow, while Aika just stared in surprise.

“Do I know you?” Miyabi asked, frowning at the smaller girl in a slim-fitting black and white patterned dress.

The girl continued smiling at Aika. “No reason for you to. I’m not in your class. And, well, not likely we would have run into each other.”

Eh? ManoEri?

“What are you doing here?” Aika whispered loudly to her, pulling away from the arms of her friends to close in on the other. However, before she reached her, she jerked to a halt and looked around anxiously. “Do they need me? Where’s Mano…?” She asked the latter question hesitantly.

Ok, not ManoEri.

...

From this short exchange between them, it still seems to be someone from the gang. So then...Reina? She's the one who's had the most contact with Aika recently (due to the latter's training).

“Guys, this is Qian Lin.” When blank faces met her in response, she added with a bit of a sigh, “You can call her LinLin. She’s Chinese.” The girls’ eyes widened in surprise at that, even though they’d likely suspected it from her features.

WTF, LINLIN?!?!?

“You look dressed pretty normal…” Then she noticed the open locker next to her and blinked.

“Normal?” LinLin asked, grinning at Aika. “I go to school here.

Aika =
Linlin =

“You’re in Aika-chan’s gang!” Koharu burst out.

Aika could have punched her again.

Koharu =
Aika = 

Gonna be interesting to see if they can talk their way out of THIS one.

Gotta admit, "MiyaChii" works better than "ChinaMiya" ^_^;



Chapter 9

Miyabi took another bite of her food, almost ignoring Chinami who seemed to be clinging ever closer to her side. “I can’t believe you never told me you joined them,” she said as she chewed her food.

...

I didn’t want to tell anyone.” She glared at Koharu, feeling the urge to punch the girl again. Koharu quickly ducked over her own bowl.

Miyabi =
Aika =
Koharu =

“You told Koharu,” Miyabi replied quickly.

“That’s different,” Aika grated.

Miyabi now eyed both girls cautiously. “Y’know, you’re gonna make us start wondering about you two.”

“Wondering about what?!” both Aika and Koharu responded at the same time, and the two girls stared mortified at each other.

“Yeah… definitely something fishy there…” Miyabi continued

Osnap...if Miyabi finds out about the..."practicing" Koharu and Aika did...

*BEACH PARTY TALK*

While it's nice for them to invite Koharu and Aika, it might not be the best timing should the latter need to do some more training or something of that sort.

No offense to Momo fans, but her smiling at Aika here is kinda creeping me out.

And we still don't know who UFO is.

“Nah it’s all right,” Miyabi said, and curled an arm around Chinami to hug her close. For her part, her girlfriend looked questioningly up at her. “Chinami-chan and I have plans anyway.” She looked into her girlfriend’s eyes. “Don’t we?”

Yeah I bet they do. Hopefully this time they remember to at least lock the door.

Then reality crashed back in on her, and her mood fell through the floor. “Wait…” she said, almost mournfully. “We can’t. We have…” she shot a quick stare at Koharu. “We’ve got stuff to do through Sunday…” Could things actually get any worse?

Damn, she does have something to do?

“That’s okay,” Momoko replied, still smiling at her. “The party is Monday! It’s the holiday, remember?”

Aika caught the eyes above that smile, this time not having any desire to look away. She felt like she could kiss the girl.

“Um… Aika?” Koharu’s muffled voice came from behind her. “I’m not sure she can breathe…”

Aika opened her eyes, and realized she was hugging something very tightly. Shock shooting through her core, she pulled away to peer into Momoko’s face, the girl still smiling, although a bit crookedly as she laid a hand to her chest.  Good job Aika… Just kill the girl before you even get the chance to go out with her!

AikaMomo???   

“I guess we’ll see you guys Monday then, huh?” Saki said, rising from her chair.

“I guess so,” Aika said in response, a real smile creeping onto her face for the first time in a long while.

Aika....Momo???

[strawb3rrykream]

Oh my god...I've missed so much So if it's ok with you, rokun, I'm just gonna read and not attempt to make any conherent comments. I already know I'll enjoy it~
But I will resume with my "comments" at the next chapter~

[Kuji]

Not that I don't like Linlin when she appeared in front of our heroine but I wanted it to be your Mano. (So I guess your unintentional mission is working on me)
But that's Koharu alright: Open mouth. Insert foot.
I'm still getting used to Miya/Chi while on top of that, wrapping my mind around this Momo/Aika/Koharu thing.

*cough* So Aika... do you prefer them shorter... or taller?

Anyway, I'm looking foward to the UFO beach party. :3 I mean because, obviously UFO stands for "Ultra Fun Ones".

[rokun]

Yay! Lots of great comments again! Figured there'd be more to say after that chapter. Well I'm kind of doing it again... I guess this is just going to be a bit episodic, with each chapter having one idea basically. Makes more sense in many ways anyway. Hopefully it helps readability too. I know my other stories can be daunting. >.>; Maybe it's just a bit of a different style for me. Well... enough smalltalk... time for comment replies! ^^

SxY: Somehow I'm seeing a lot more of you lately. Both here and at JPM. We didn't meet at AX, did we? >.> I'm sure I forget many of those I did... lol. Anyway, as for Aika being cute... wait until this next chapter.

e-girl: Great Momo picture! Is UFO what you think it is? Hmm. Probably close at least. Hopefully we're just about two (of these shorter) chapters away now. ^^ MiyaChii... is definitely an interesting relationship... You seem to be catching onto it a bit. More will come later.

slasha: I just have this impression that Aika is one of the cutest things ever. Hence how she comes across in this story I'm sure lol. Party time yay~ But you don't think everything's gonna be just fun and games, do you? This is me we're talking about, after all.

rndmn: In this chapter pairing you should get a bit more of Mano... as well as some other things... Chapter 11 is going to be very interesting.

JFC: AikaMomo really shocks you, eh? Yes it's crack, but it's the cutest crack ever... Y'know the interesting thing to me though? Momo is actually the older of the two. o_O I guess it's the creepy thing, eh? lol. Then again, Momo can seem very creepy at times...

sbk: Hey there! Was wondering where you've been! No, you must comment nao!!! Well, actually you did, even if it wasn't much about the story. That's all right. Take your time catching up, and I look forward to what you have to say in the future! At least with my shorter chapters catching up shouldn't be too bad.

Kuji: You're getting too Mano-obsessed. And yes, there's definitely some crack in here. You've all seen nothing yet though. Yes, much looking forward to the beach party... dancing... music... girls in bikinis...