Uchuu no Houseki
The Universe of Jewels

Volume 12:
A Promise of Summer
By Emi

    Summer almost felt like it was in the air, like it was lurking somewhere off in the distance.  That wasn't only because of the warm pleasant weather Tokyo had known recently, but also the feeling all around the city.  It was friendly, like the feeling of a summer festival, when people were enjoying themselves and celebrating.  Just about anyone could recognize it.  Summer was coming for sure.
    Even if that was the case, for Daisuke there was no reason to celebrate that morning.  He got up and trudged into the shower like he had always done, only this time he had a lot more than just the day ahead on his mind.  He was thinking mainly about'you guessed it'his father.  How he left and went against his promise, almost like he didn't even really care at all, Daisuke thought.  It was just so hard for him to believe after what had happened.  He thought he had actually brought out the 'good' in him and it depressed him more to think that was all done in vain.
    Daisuke sighed and let the hot water fall onto his face and run down his chest.  Even though he was sad and very disappointed (all because of his father) he hoped to be able to stop feeling that way and become happy again like he used to be.  He knew his father to be fickle and he wouldn't give up the hope that maybe, someday, things really would change.  It is always good, he was once told by his mother, to not only believe in something you want strongly, but to believe strongly that you'll get it.  He said that aloud to himself once and already began to feel better.
    In the meantime, Yoshiko was up and decided to make some delicious warm herbal tea for everyone, which seemed to be her specialty.  She set the cups out neatly on the table and couldn't wait to take a sip of that which she made for herself.  It was very delicious and tasted like freshly picked raspberries.
    '`Mornin', sis!' Misami bounded to the table with a big smile on her lips.  She seemed to be in a wonderfully good mood.
    'Good morning, how are you today?'
    'Just peachy!  I can't remember when I've felt this good before!  Oh, and I had this really great dream about darling!' she lowered her tone to an excitable whisper, 'He and I got married!' she exploded into giggles.
    Yoshiko nodded and scooted a cup near her, 'How exciting!  Here, have some of this, it's very good.'  She tried to not sound jealous of her sister having such a dream, but deep down inside she wished she could have been the one to have it.
    'Good morning!' the twins called brightly together when they came to the table and sat down side by side.  They were both just as cheery as Misami and drank the delicious tea thoughtfully.
    Shingo set his cup down with a satisfied smile, 'It's such a beautiful day today!' he said energetically.
    'Yes, it feels like summer!  I hope we can do a lot of fun things today!' added Tenko between sips.
    Yoshiko peered out of a far window with a pensive expression on her face and could see the golden sunshine beaming down onto the ground and houses.  'I really look forward to spending summer on Earth.  I've heard so many stories from my father about his adventures in the summertime, I hope I can have some of my own!'
    'Oh don't you worry about that sis, I know we will and we'll have our own stories to tell someday!' Misami assured affably and finished her tea.
    Daisuke stepped out of the bathroom and could hear his friends talking at the table.  He put a smile on his face and walked over to them.  'Yo!'
    'Daisukeniichan!' Tenko squealed and ran over to him.  The others greeted him kindly, but in a much different matter than the little Avenion had.  Tenko seemed to really want his attention and she repeated his name again.  He looked down to her and wondered what she was so excited about.  'I have a really good idea!' she announced, 'Since today is so nice and warm and sunny, and since we don't have any school, why don't we go to the petting zoo?'
    Daisuke looked at her for a long time before he finally spoke.  'Petting zoo?'
    She nodded feverishly, 'Yes!  And we can see all the cute animals and pet their soft fur!  Wouldn't that be so much fun?'
    Daisuke's eyes wandered to the others and he could see expressions that all matched his.  Then he looked back to the brightest, happiest face he had ever seen (even for Tenko) and laughed softly to try and ease the disappointment she was bound to feel once he said what he wanted to say.  'Tenko-chan, I don't know about going to a petting zoo today.  I don't think it would be very much fun for anyone else' I think we better do something we can all enjoy.'
    'But' I really want to go'' her voice quieted with mild mortification and she stepped back, lowering her head.
    Daisuke felt bad and set his hand on her shoulder, 'I know' how about this?  We'll do something else today and someday I promise to take you to the petting zoo.'
    'Really?' she gasped and raised her head.  He nodded and gave her a smile.  She was so happy to hear that and clasped her hands around his waist, 'Oh, thank you, thank you!  You're the best!'  Daisuke endured her affection, but wondered what he had gotten himself into.
    Eventually she let go and turned her big inquiring eyes back up to him.  'So, what are we going to do then?'
    'I don't know,' Daisuke said as he sat in his usual place.  He saw the cup of tea set before him and drank it, silently thanking Yoshiko (but he didn't know that she actually did hear him).  'It is a very beautiful day and I think we'd all like to get out and enjoy it somehow.'
    'Why don't we go have a picnic at the park then?'  Suggested Yoshiko.
    'Actually that sounds like a pretty good idea to me,' said Misami, looking to her sister with a sort of agreeing acceptance.
    'Yeah, it does,' agreed the twins.
    'Then, picnic at the park it is!' said Daisuke affirmatively, 'But we can only go on one condition.' He paused for a dramatic effect, 'You all have to help get things ready.'  That was something everyone had no problem agreeing to.  They decided that along with a huge lunch, they'd bring other things like frisbees and soccer and volleyballs so they could play all day at the park.  Misami suggested they bring a boom box and swimsuits too, since there was an outdoor pool there.  They were all really looking forward to it and as Daisuke began the preparation of the food, he gave Hiroshi a call to invite him and Satoru.  It was going to be a great day, just like summer vacation!
    Tenko was finishing packing some things into a backpack (like her swimsuit, towels, water toys, etc.) when she realized something.  'Shin-chan, do you think Koji-chan would want to come also?  I didn't see him this morning.'
    'I dunno, maybe.  He doesn't really seem like the type to want to go mess around at the park all day if you ask me, but hey, he does like to play tennis.' Shingo then got a great idea, 'Go down to his room and ask if he wants to go, oh and make sure he brings his tennis stuff!  He owes me some tennis pointers!'
    Tenko nodded and hurried to the basement.  It was dark and cold down there, even with the weather so bright and warm outside.  Cautiously, she walked to his room and tried to avoid knocking anything over.  When she reached his room, she found that the door was open a crack.  She pushed it more open and exposed his bedroom, which he had cleaned and cleared out quite a bit.  Faint light flowed in from the windows near the top of the wall so that Tenko could see pretty well.  The bed looked very neat, like no one had ever slept in it, and Jemena was curled up, sleeping on top of the covers.  There was no sign of Koji anywhere.
    Bewildered slightly, she came inside more and walked quietly to the bathroom.  It was empty.  Discouraged, Tenko left the room and returned upstairs, meeting Daisuke walking down the hall with all sorts of balls in his arms.  She looked to him, very puzzled, 'Where's Koji-chan?'
    He stopped and shrugged his shoulders.  Obviously he didn't know either.

    There were a couple of knocks softly pounded on the door of someone's home.  Namie hardly heard them and came to the door, still in her pink pajamas.  She yawned and wondered who would be coming to visit so early, it was just barely going on nine.
    When she opened the door and saw who it was she nearly squealed.  'K-Koji-kun!' Yes, it was Koji standing there, looking as stunning as ever in a black dress shirt and jeans.  Despite her shock from seeing him there so unexpectedly, she found herself trying to hide behind the door when she realized her pink pajamas were a bit juvenile.
    'Good morning,' he said in his endlessly beautiful voice.
    She smiled, but it was soon to wipe off her face, 'W-what are you doing here?'
    He looked to her as calmly as possible and answered, 'You asked me to come here and help you study for entrance exams.'
    After a few brief moments to allow that all to sink in, she felt extremely stupid and hit the palm of her hand to her forehead.  'I completely forgot I invited you over today!  Oh, I'm such an idiot!  And my house is all gross because I didn't get to clean it!' she looked back inside.  While 'gross' was somewhat of a harsh word to use, the place did look like it could have used a good tidying up.  Annoyed by her own forgetfulness, Namie looked back to Koji standing just outside her door with a sigh, 'I'm really sorry' come on in.'
    He walked in, textbooks in hand, and removed his shoes.  Namie seemed very embarrassed about the condition of her home and apologized again for it even after Koji assured her that it was fine.  Not fully convinced, she lead him to her room, which was even more of a mess, and let him sit on her bed, once she pulled the covers back on it, that is.  She slipped a sweatshirt on and pulled a little table over by the bed so that Koji could set his books on it.  The whole time, she kept her head lowered.  She hadn't had Koji come over for a long time, and she'd certainly never had him in her bedroom!  The whole experience was a little awkward for her.
    'Would you like something to drink?' she nervously offered finally to break the silence as Koji began looking through a trigonometry textbook.
    'Yes, please,' he answered.  She nodded and walked quickly to the kitchen and glanced back to see her cat slip into her bedroom.
    Once she got to the kitchen, she let out a deep breath that ultimately turned into another sigh.  Putting a hand to her chest, she felt that her heart was beating like she was in a marathon!  Her cheeks also began to blaze. She'd never felt that way before!  'What's wrong with me?' she leaned against the refrigerator, her hand still placed over her racing heart.  'Not only did I forget he was coming over, but now my heart is beating so fast and my face is all hot'' suddenly she gasped and sprang back to her feet.  'No way!  Does this mean that'' she whirled around and peeked back into her bedroom, catching a glimpse of Koji sitting there with a big textbook on his lap, gently petting her cat.  Namie felt her knees weaken and a smile appeared on her lips.  'Wow'' she spoke in a near inaudible whisper, 'he's so hot and smart and perfect' there's no denying it' I've got a crush on Koji-kun.'
    At that moment Koji suddenly looked up and saw Namie spying out of the kitchen.  She immediately straightened up, blushed deeply, and disappeared back to the refrigerator.  Once there, she giggled and felt light as a feather and high as a balloon.  But there was something she hadn't counted on.  Those pointy ears of Koji's weren't just for looks' even the slightest, faintest sound couldn't escape his incredibly keen hearing.  Of course, Namie had no idea of this.  Koji went back to the book and continued to pet the cat.
    Namie opened her cupboards and was distressed to see that they were pretty much bare.  She opened the refrigerator as a last resort and saw that the only things to drink there were was a few drops of milk and some lemonade.  Disheartened, she poured the lemonade into two tall glasses and returned back to her bedroom, determined to act no differently than she had ever acted before.
    'Here you go,' she handed him a glass and sat on the floor.  'I'm sorry, that's the only thing left to drink in my house.  My sister's the one who's supposed to do the shopping, but she's been off with her boyfriend so much lately she just hasn't gotten around to it.'
    'It is fine,' he said calmly and Namie found herself dreamily hanging to every lasting sound of his voice.
    The cat must have sensed something and meowed loudly.  This ended Namie's trance'which she was very grateful of'and she reached up for the orange cat, 'Come on, Tombo, don't bother Koji-kun.'
    Tombo (which is a really spiffy name for a cat if you ask me ^_^) stroked his head affectionately on Koji's arm and seemed very content with staying there.  Koji stroked him along his back and he began to purr loudly.
    Namie was amazed, 'Wow, he must really like you.  He never acts like that with anyone else.  He usually just hisses and runs away with strangers, but he totally loves you!  You must be a big cat person, huh Koji-kun?'
    He looked to her for a moment, 'They are amazing creatures.'
    'Yeah, they're my favorite.  I think everything about them is awesome.' She watched Koji pet Tombo for a while and then again felt like she was snapping out of a trance.  'So, shall we hit the books?' she pulled some textbooks from her school bag and was ready to begin whenever Koji was.  She drank some of the lemonade and discovered it to actually be quite good.
    Koji seemed to want to begin also.  'What do you want to begin with?'
    'Um, why don't we start with the hard subjects and work our way to the easy ones.  So I guess we should start with math.'
    'Trigonometry or calculus?'
    Namie again was amazed by Koji's extreme intellect.  He knew both advanced fields extremely well and would make a fine teacher of not only those but of any subject.  'Well, the school I'm trying to get into I'm sure would have either one on their exam.  Let's start with calculus.'
    Koji found the calculus textbook and set it on his lap.  He took the glass of lemonade and brought it to his lips before they began, which ended up being a mistake.  Tombo took the opportunity to pounce into Koji's lap which made all of the lemonade spill out all over him.
    'Tombo!' Namie scolded and the cat just looked at her innocently.  Koji's shirt was drenched and he had hardly gotten to drink any of it!  Namie came toward them with a furious gleam in her eye and Tombo ran out of the room before she could catch him.  She sighed, 'Crazy cat!  Cats are my favorite, but not him most of the time!' she looked back to Koji, 'I'm SO sorry about that!  Let me get you a towel!'  She ran to the linen closet and returned with a towel she brought over to Koji.
    'Thank you,' he dried it from his face and tried to dry it from his shirt.
    'I'm so sorry!' she kneeled on the floor next to him and couldn't help but feel responsible for her cat's deed.  'He can be such a goofy cat sometimes!  I hope your shirt isn't ruined.  What's it made out of?'
    'Silk,' he said simply without looking up, 'it was a gift.'
    That made her feel even worse!  'Oh no, if it isn't dry cleaned soon it will be ruined'' suddenly, she got an idea of her own, 'Let me have it cleaned for you!  My dad has a friend who owns a dry cleaning place and we can have it cleaned for half the price!  And I'll feel a lot better that way too.'
    Koji looked at her.  Her offer was very kind and noble and he appreciated it very much.  'Thank you,' he said.
    'You're welcome,' she smiled and was very glad to be able to do such a nice thing for him.
    Then Koji began to do something she did not expect.  Apparently he took 'soon' very seriously and began to unbutton the shirt.  Namie had a double take when she saw that.  One by one Koji undid the buttons.  It was rude of her to stare, but Namie could hardly help herself especially since she had discovered she had a crush on him!  Koji reached the last button and took the shirt off, revealing a part of him Namie had never seen before.  His chest and stomach were robust and strong, yet very lean, along with his arms and shoulders.  His abdominal muscles were well defined, but did not look to be overworked.  His body seemed flawless and his skin was so light and pure, almost ghostly looking.  Namie could easily envision him as a model for one of those cologne ads she always saw in magazines and on TV.  He was both illusive and appealing enough.
    There was a long silence and she soon caught herself staring.  'GOMEN!' she blushed and turned her head the other way.  Koji seemed not to anticipate that reaction from her.
    'What is it?' he asked.
    'You-I-uh-I didn't mean to look, I'm sorry!' she spoke rather quickly and her speech was hard to make out.  She felt her cheeks once again blazing and she tried to hide them with her hands.  Her hands were cool and felt good against their burning surface.
    Koji did not seem to understand why she had reacted the way she had.  Surely she had seen that sort of thing before; he knew that her father was a type to walk around shirtless most of the time.  Then he remembered what he had heard her whispering'  It all made perfect sense after that.
    'Forgive me,' he said quietly and prepared to put the soiled shirt back on.
    She glanced back to him, 'No, no I'm sorry.  I just-' she cleared her throat, 'I can take the shirt now.  I'll have my dad take it to his friend.' She seemed to completely avoid his eyes.
    Slowly, he handed the shirt to her and for a split second their hands met.  In that instant, Namie felt a warm tingling inside of her the likes of which she'd never known before.  Flashing her eyes at him, she smiled bashfully and tightly held the shirt in her hands.  Her heart was pounding again and she could hear it like a steady drumming in her ears.  She didn't know what would happen next, if this situation was on one of the sappy soap operas she watched from time to time, one wouldn't be able to tell where she ended and he began.  Thinking about that only made her blush deepen and heart quicken.  She yelled at herself for thinking such things, but at the same time secretly wished for it.
    'Namie?'
    She heard a familiar voice and looked to her bedroom door to see the one person she really could have done without at that time.  'Dad!'
    His small eyes glanced from her to the boy sitting on her bed who was shirtless.  Lots of tiny wrinkles formed on his forehead as his thick brows knit together in one of those horrible suspecting looks fathers give to unwelcome guests.  His short stubby arms seemed to tense up and little veins puffed out all over the skin exposed from his shorts and T-shirt.  His face was becoming redder by the second.
    Namie bolted to her feet and could understand what the scene must have looked like through her dad's eyes.  Immediately she shook her head and waved her hand all about, hiding the shirt behind her back.  'Um, this isn't what it looks like!  We were going to study and then Tombo jumped on him and the lemonade spilled all over his silk shirt so it has to be cleaned right away-' she didn't take a single breath when she said that.
    'Come here!' he ordered through clenched teeth.  Namie gave one last frightened look to Koji and then followed her father out of her bedroom, dreading what doom surely awaited her.
    'What were you thinking?!' he tried not to yell, but Namie could tell he looked like he would explode into all sorts of screams at any second.  'Inviting a boy over like that!  Alone in your bedroom!  And he wasn't wearing any clothes!'
    'Yes he was!  He had jeans on!' she whispered loudly and prayed Koji couldn't hear this conversation.  Unfortunately for her, Zanthorians have some of the best ears in the universe.
    He snorted and shook his head.  He resembled very closely a wild bull at that moment.  'You don't know what could have happened!  I want him out and I don't ever want to see him back here again!  Comprende?'
    'But dad, we were just going to study!  It was Tombo's fault Koji-kun had to take his shirt off!  Nothing happened, you don't have to worry so much!'
    'That may be so but I still don't want you alone with boys!  You never know what they could be thinking!' with that he stormed off to the bathroom.
    Namie stood there and couldn't believe what he had just done!  She was offended he would actually think things like that and come to conclusions so quickly.  'Koji-kun isn't like that at all'' she rolled her eyes and returned to her bedroom.  'Dad says you have to go.  He's being totally unreasonable!  Oh, that man makes me so mad sometimes!'
    Koji stood from the bed with his textbooks in hand, like he knew he would have to leave without even being told.  He quietly walked out of the bedroom, past Namie, and over to the door where his shoes were.  Namie followed.
    'I'm sorry.  This morning hasn't gone at all how I wanted it to.' She said in frustration.
    Koji put his shoes on and looked back to her from his taller stance.  'It is understandable.  He does not know me and so does not trust me.'
    'Yeah, but it's still so unfair.  And we didn't get any studying done.'
    'We can meet again.  The exams are not for many months.'
    Namie smiled faintly.  She loved how calm and reserved Koji was even after all that went wrong.  She really did think that he was the perfect guy'  'Well, you better get going.'
    He nodded, opened the door, and stepped out of the tiny home.  'Goodbye,' he said lastly with a bow and walked from her house, disappearing down the street.
    She stood there until he was no longer in sight.  Finally, she shut the door and walked slowly back to her bedroom.  Her dad past her with a grumble, she didn't try to stop him to talk.  Once inside her room, she shut the door and stood next to her bed.  Tombo was back and sitting on the bed, like he was waiting for her.  He meowed loudly and she shook her head.  'No, he had to leave.'  He seemed to understand and didn't move from his spot.  Namie found still held in her hand the black silk shirt.  She looked at it and felt the material.  It was so soft and seemed to gleam in the light.  It must have been a very expensive gift.  She sat on the bed and laid back and brought the shirt close to her face.  She sighed loudly and stared up at the sky through the window by her bed.  For the first time in her life she was experiencing that crazy thing called love.

    'Come on, come on, come on, come on!  Let's party!'
    Misami served the volleyball high into the air, until it became a silhouette against the brilliant blue sky.  It flew over the net and just barely escaped Hiroshi's spike, which made Misami explode into laughter and Hiroshi mumble some things I shan't repeat.  Misami and Daisuke were playing against Yoshiko and Hiroshi on the sandy volleyball court.  They were having a really great time, even though none of them were star players.  They were just doing it for fun, though it sort of appeared that at times Misami and Hiroshi were trying to kill each other using the volleyball as their weapon.
    Satoru, Shingo, and Tenko ran past them on the grassy field tossing a frisbee around.  They each set their backpacks aside and spread out, forming a mini version all their own of ultimate frisbee.  Shingo tossed the frisbee high into the air toward Tenko, who had had her eye on it, until she noticed something else.  The frisbee lay on the grass forgotten.
    In the parking lot near the field someone who looked very familiar stepped out of a black car.  Shingo was about to call to his sister when he saw her face completely light up.  'It's Taka-chan!'
    Satoru and Shingo both looked back to indeed see Taka.  He waved, swinging a black bag in one hand, and walked onto the grassy field near the volley ball courts.  Shingo smiled and waved back and before he could suggest they go to meet him, Satoru was already half way there.
    'Taka-chaaaaan!!!' he called happily.  That got the attention of those playing volleyball.  They all looked right in time to see Satoru thrust his arms around Taka's waist.  Hiroshi cringed immediately while the others stared, although not really wanting to.  For some reason, they just couldn't keep their eyes off'
    'Sato-chan!  I've missed you soooooo much!' Taka said and hugged him tightly
    'Missed me?  But I just talked to you on the phone a few minutes ago.'
    'Yes, but it seemed like an eternity!  I'm so glad to be here with you now.' He gave him a whimsical smile.  Satoru looked into his eyes and returned the smile, it looked like one of those cliché scenes where the cherry blossoms would start flowing by and romantic violin music would be playing.
    Daisuke was trying to tear his eyes away from this 'special' scene, it proved to be rather difficult.  The girls watched silently and soon a very sickened look formed on Hiroshi's face.  Even though they had never had the best brotherly relationship, Hiroshi hated seeing his terribly naïve little brother like that.  He watched as they walked closely next to each other toward the twins, swinging their interlocking hands happily as they went.  'I may throw up.'
    The twins each greeted Taka and just started out with some casual conversation.  As they talked they slowly meandered along the glossy green grass, no clear destination in sight, though they did all pick up their backpacks so they'd be prepared for anything.
    'It's so awesome you came here!' Tenko began, glancing up at him.  'You're looking a lot better now, too.'
    'Yeah, I took some medicine and a lot of naps.  Now I feel a lot better!' said Taka.  Since it seems to be an expectation to describe each one of Taka's wonderfully flamboyant ensembles, here is his clothing choice for that day.  He wore tall black platform shoes with red stars on the soles, shiny black pants'yes, pants'held up by a thick studded belt, a tight black short sleeved shirt with a demonic looking evil flaming skull design thing, spiky collar, enough earrings to fill all the holes in his ears, lots of bracelets of almost every sort that nearly reached halfway to his elbows, short nylon black gloves with the fingers cut off, and a ring for both index fingers.  He wasn't wearing any makeup'that anyone could see.  He was beautiful enough without it.
    'So now what should we do?  Daisuke and those guys are playing volleyball, so we'll have to do something on our own.' Said Shingo, walking a little ahead of the others.
    Satoru suddenly gasped, 'I know!  Let's go swimming!' the others stopped and looked at him to see a face full of excitement.  He looked like he really, REALLY wanted to go swimming.
    'That's a great idea!' gushed Tenko as she looked ahead to see over the green field the outdoor pool.  'Come on, Sato-chan!' she began to race toward it, Satoru following shortly behind.
    'Well,' began Shingo as he and Taka stood there watching the two in their euphoric outburst, 'I guess that answers my question.'
    They met up with Tenko and Satoru at the front of the pool building, the places for them to change and what not.  It was divided in two sections, the one on the right for men and the one on the left for women (man, just imagine Fairy in this situation' *cough, cough*).  The group met each other's eyes before going to their respective changing rooms, and Tenko couldn't help but make a banter that she'd beat Shingo out to the pool first.  He appeared to ignore that competition, but it was obvious he didn't want his sister to beat him.
    Tenko quickly changed into her swimsuit, a cute yellow one piece with orange and blue flowers on it, and zoomed out of the changing room.  'Yes, I beat him!' she said in victory as she saw that Shingo and the others weren't out yet.  She looked to the direction of the men's changing room.  'Those boys are slow!'
    There was good reason for this.  For one thing, Taka seemed overly happy about not only seeing Satoru in his swimming trunks, but seeing him change into them.  Fortunately, Shingo was able to sense something like that would happen, and made sure they'd all change in the bathroom stalls so that no 'peeking' would ensue.  Taka agreed, though it was against every ambition in his soul, and disappeared into a stall.  Satoru was in one also, changing, and that left Shingo out waiting for a vacant one.  There were others, but they were being used too.
    He opened his backpack in search for his trunks and was horrified to discover after frantic searching that they were no where to be found!
    'I'm ready!' Satoru came out in his brand new black and gray swimming trunks.  (KAWAII!!!!!!!!!)
    Shingo looked straight at him with the most desperate look he could muster.  'Satoru-kun!  I can't find my trunks!'
    Satoru walked over and looked to him empathetically, 'Didn't you bring them?'
    'I thought I did, but I guess I must have forgotten them!  What am I supposed to do now?'
    Satoru curled a side of his mouth up, as if he was contemplating something.  Finally, 'I brought an extra pair with me today!'
    'You did?!' Shingo's eyes were near to become starry.  'Can I borrow them?'
    'Sure, they're here in my bag,' Satoru gave him his backpack, which he took most graciously.
    'Thanks so much!' Shingo went into the stall and looked into the backpack.  He found the trunks, but his enthusiasm was shot once he did so.  They were pink.  A nice pastel baby pink.  He groaned as he held them in his hand, the fabric was very soft and everything about those trunks seemed to go against every one of Shingo's masculine qualities that he had to work so hard to maintain around girls and girly boys most of the time.  Then again' he couldn't go swimming in his jeans' Sighing, he slowly slid the trunks on and prepared himself for whatever embarrassment he could foresee lying ahead.
    Satoru met him with a huge smile and commented on how cute the trunks were on him.  Shingo was thinking along the same thing, only substituting the word 'cute' for something a bit more profane.  He also asked rather outwardly why Satoru had made him wear the dreaded pink trunks when pink was his favorite color.
    'Because my mama just bought these ones for me this morning and she really wanted me to wear them today.  I brought my other ones too because I knew something like this would happen,' he giggled.  Shingo looked at him and shuddered when he felt a final stare from someone he was glad was leaving.
    Then, Taka announced himself with an ardent, 'Ta-dah!'  The two looked to see him in short trunks with flames all over them.  That was so Taka.
    'Cool!' Satoru exclaimed.  Taka walked over to them holding his bag, a towel in his other hand.
    'Thanks,' he piled his stuff into a locker, as did Shingo and Satoru.  Taka's eyes were caught by the pink emanating from Shingo.   'Oh, you are so adorable!'
    Shingo groaned, 'This is what I get for forgetting my own stuff'' When they shut the lockers, he noticed that Taka still had every one of his bracelets on.  'You think you should go swimming with those?' he asked.
    'Oh, uh, actually I'm not that great of a swimmer.  I think I'll just sit on the side and watch you all.  Maybe I'll get a tan.'
    'Taka-san, you already are tan.' Shingo looked to him oddly.  Taka didn't reply.
    'Come on, guys!' Satoru ran to the pool and Taka followed.  Shingo shrugged and was last out to the pool.
    'Finally!' Tenko yelled from inside the warm clear-blue water.  'What took you all so long, and why are you wearing' pink'  OH, SHIN-CHAN YOU LOOK SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!'
    'Ugh' someone just shoot me already,' Shingo was suffering.
    'Well, come on in already!  Oh, and Shin-chan, you WON'T believe who's here!'
    'Huh?' Shingo had no clue what she was talking about, as far as he could tell, Tenko and a few little kids were the only ones in the pool.  Suddenly, though, a wet gleaming figure burst out of the water right next to Tenko that Shingo was immediately able to recognize.  'M-M-Mayuki?!?!'
    Yes, it was her.  That girl that had been away on family business who Shingo so happened to have an enormous crush on.  She waved up at him with a smile and wiped the water from her blue eyes.  All Shingo could do was stare.
    Taka walked over to the edge of the pool where Shingo and Satoru were standing.  He saw the scene of Shingo staring at a girl he'd never seen before.  He decided not to ask right away and went to sit on a lawn chair under a huge beach umbrella.  He was sad to see that there wasn't a hunky lifeguard on duty at the moment.
    Satoru noticed Shingo was just staring, like he was stone or something.  He nudged his shoulder, 'Shingo-chan!  Say something!'
    Shingo looked over to him and gave him the strangest look he'd ever seen.  'M-Mayuki-chan is here!' he whispered.
    'I know, but why are you acting so weird?'
    He turned them both around so that their backs were to the pool.  'You don't understand! Mayuki-chan is here!  She's right here, with us!  And I'm wearing pink, and, and' and just look at her!'
    Confused, Satoru turned around and looked up to her with a friendly smile and wave.  'What am I supposed to see?' he whispered back.  Shingo still had his back turned.
    'That she's gorgeous!  I-I mean, she's got such pretty hair and eyes and' just look at her and then my sister.  They're both about the same age, right?  But just look'  She just turned 12, but' she's built like she's 13!!!'
    Satoru looked back to him and raised an eyebrow.  'I'm almost 13!  What is that supposed to mean anyway?'
    'You know, that she's got- that she's- oh, never mind.'
    Poor Satoru didn't seem to understand and looked back to her.  Then he nodded, 'Ohhh, I get it.' That perked Shingo's ears.  'Built like she's 13, huh?' he winked and jabbed his arm, Shingo was delighted and nodded.  'That means that,' he lowered his voice even more, 'she now has'' Shingo smiled and nodded his head even more furiously.  Satoru shifted his eyes from side to side, ''pierced ears!!'  Shingo nearly fell flat on his face.
    'That's not what I meant''
    'But it's true!  I don't remember her having them when she left.'  Satoru noticed that she did have some new earrings in her newly pierced ears.  Still, all Shingo could do was shake his head.
    'What are you guys doing?  Are you gonna swim or not?' Tenko finally called.
    'I'll handle this,' Mayuki swam over to the edge where they were standing.  It took them a little while to notice she was there.  'Boys?'
    They saw her and Shingo started to blush right away.  That was for many reasons, mainly because at that moment he had a very 'strategic' look from the top of her cute blue and red two piece.
    'Come in already!  The water feels so good!' she said invitingly.  Satoru didn't need any persuasion and jumped into the water.  Mayuki looked straight into Shingo's green eyes, 'Shingo-chan!  What are you waiting for?  Do I have to pull you in here?'
    'Uh'' he couldn't get any words out.
    She smirked and grasped hold of his hand, tugging him downward, 'Come on, pink boy!'
    Feeling Mayuki's soft hand grasped around his, Shingo just couldn't contain himself!  A trickle of blood burst from his nose and he became BRIGHT red.  He saw Mayuki looking at him, which didn't help any.
    'Shingo-chan!  Are you ok?  What's wrong with your nose?'
    'Oh, n-nothing!  Everything's just fine!' his voice began to crack all over the place.
    'What happened to your voice?!' she was filled with concern.
    'My voice?  It's perfectly fine, heh heh!' again, it cracked like crazy.  She wasn't believing him and Shingo knew he had to do something.  'I'll be right back!' he got up and ran back to the changing room to get some tissue and calm down a bit.  He never expected to ever feel quite that way about anything!
     'Wow'' Taka commented to himself and went back to reading a fashion magazine he found lying next to the umbrella.
   What the heck was that?! Shingo asked himself from inside the changing room.  He plugged his nose with a tissue and looked at himself in the mirror to see the blush glowing on his face.  He splashed it with cold water and within a few moments, Shingo returned as calm and cool as usual.
    He saw that the three were standing in the pool and looking at him intensely.  Taka glanced to him from over his magazine.  'Feeling better?' Shingo saw him and nodded.  Taka looked back down at his magazine and a very large smile came to him, 'Oh, my little Shin-chan is growing up!'  Shingo glared at him and tried to ignore that comment.
    'Here I come!' he finally said and did a cannonball into the water.  (Oh, and by the way, there was no sign of any voice crack-age then or at any time, other than when 'stuff' happens' no, his voice hasn't even begun to change yet, people.  It just cracks because I think that's so cute for some weird, twisted reason! ^^;;)
    They were having a really great time doing all sorts of things like Marco Polo, and water basketball.  During the course of this, Mayuki had introduced herself to Taka and vice versa as she needed to get out of the pool to go get some water toys.  He said that he was the new student in her class, and just like all the others, Mayuki wasn't expecting someone like him to be it.
    As he watched them all play, he seemed to totally change his demeanor.  He wasn't smiling anymore or even reading the magazine.  He was staring forward to nothing in particular, like he was thinking about something very intense and troubling.  His eyes were focused strongly and looked full of fear.
    From the water basketball game, Satoru looked up to Taka and noticed how different he looked.  To Satoru's innocent interpretation, he didn't look to be having any fun at all.
    'Taka-chan!' he called and came to the edge of the pool.  Taka didn't notice.  'Taka-chaaaan!' he said again with more power and gained Taka's attention.  He seemed to be knocked out of whatever trance he was in.
    He smiled again, 'What is it, Sato-chan?'
    'You look really bored.  Why don't you come in and play with us?'
    Taka's smile slowly faded away.  'I, uh' don't swim well.'
    'Oh, come on!  We're not really swimming, we're just throwing a ball through a hoop, it's fun!' added Shingo, who, along with the girls, came to the edge also.
    'I don't think so'' Taka sighed.
    Everyone moaned.  'But, Taka-chan,' Satoru sounded so disappointed.  He put on the big sad eye look, 'please?'
    That was something Taka just couldn't resist.  He smiled weakly and nodded, 'Alright.'  They all cheered and went back to playing, waiting for Taka to join their game.  He hesitantly arose and looked down to his many bracelets.  Before he could change his mind, he took them all off, setting them on the lawn chair, and joined them in the pool.  He joined the game of water basketball and they all continued having a really fun time.

    Meanwhile, Daisuke and the others had finished their volleyball game.  They needed to end it early because it started getting very violent whenever Misami or Hiroshi got hold of the ball.  So next they decided to do something that would not involve balls flying at high speeds towards people's heads.
    'Let's swing!' Misami grabbed Daisuke's hand and ran with him toward the playground equipment.  Ok, she didn't exactly run with him, she basically ran for him, he was having a hard time trying to keep his feet on the ground.  Yoshiko and Hiroshi followed shortly behind, Hiroshi was thinking about what he should put in his Special Little Notebook regarding Yoshiko's outfit for the day: a nice violet sundress.  Of course, he saw much more to it than just that, but we don't need to go there.
    Giggling, Misami ran to a swing.  'Push me, darling!  Let's see how high I can go!' Daisuke knew that if he tried to refuse, he'd never hear the end of it, so he stepped behind her and gave her a small push.  'Come on, you can do better than that!  I want to go high!'
    'Oh, I could make you go high, you might swing over the bar a few times and fall down and break your neck, but who'd really care about that little detail?' Hiroshi muttered to himself as he watched.  Yoshiko knew he was kidding, but still didn't like hearing him say that about her sister.
    Daisuke pushed her harder and she went higher into the sky.  She loved the rush of the breeze against her face, it made her feel like a little kid again.  Daisuke looked up to her, she had gotten very high now.  He smiled, 'Is that high enough for ya?'
    'Perfect!' she called down to him with another giggle.  'Why don't you come swing too?'
    He watched her go back and forth like a pendulum and shook his head, 'Actually I gotta make a little pit stop'' Daisuke saw Yoshiko come over and sit on a swing.  He smiled and went to give her a gentle push to start her off.
    She looked back to him, 'Thank you!  I've never done this before.'
    'It's really easy, look, you're sister has figured it out already!'
    'Yeah, sis!' Misami called, she was still very high, 'Just do what I do!'
    'Ok!' Yoshiko nodded and began to imitate Misami's actions.  Daisuke watched her for a while and soon she was swinging high with her sister.  'I'm doing it!' she called excitedly.
    Daisuke was so happy and laughed along with them.  Yoshiko looked so beautiful with her hair flowing about in the breeze, the fabric of her dress shimmering in the sunlight.  She really was like an angel.
    Leaving them to swing, Daisuke turned and spotted the restroom, which was also the changing room for the pool.  Before he walked to it, he saw Hiroshi sitting on a bench at the edge of the playground.  'Hiro?  What are you doing?'
    Hiroshi didn't look up, he was writing things like mad into his Special Little Notebook, 'Just some important observation recordings.'
    Daisuke's eye twitched, 'I should have known'' With that, he hurried to the changing room.  He had a lot to drink before they left.

    After those at the pool finished another game, Satoru suddenly felt the call of nature.  'Shingo-chan,' he whispered, 'I have to go to the bathroom''
    'Well don't tell me that!' he blurted out.
    'But I don't want to go alone!  Please come with me.' He said in his most gentle, soft voice.
    'I'll go with you!' Taka came between them and smiled down to Satoru.
    'You will?  Yay!  Thank you, Taka-chan!' he got out of the pool and started toward the changing room, not bothering to dry off.
    Taka was beaming and grabbed Shingo's arm.  'Hey, what are you doing?!' asked Shingo as he felt himself being pulled along.
    'You're coming too, Shin-chan.  We're gonna have a threesome!'
    'WHAT?!' he was petrified.
    Taka laughed, 'Not like that, but that is fun, trust me!'  he said jokingly, Shingo didn't want to think about that for a second and let himself be pulled.
    Daisuke was whistling and drying his hands.  He was about to leave the changing room when he heard the voices of Satoru, Shingo, and Taka.  Feeling a little 'rebellious,' he decided it would be fun to eavesdrop on the girly boy, the alien twin, and the gothic gay guy.  Making sure not to be seen, he slipped behind a row of lockers and could hear their voices perfectly.  With a group like that, he was expecting to hear something juicy!
    Right away, Satoru went to the urinals, where Taka would have followed if Shingo hadn't have grabbed his arm this time.  'Down boy, we're staying right here.'
    'That's no fun'' Taka sighed and went to sit at a bench between a bay of lockers to wait.  The changing room seemed to be totally empty now, besides them.  Shingo wondered why there weren't more people on such a nice day, but shrugged it off and sat next to Taka.  They didn't speak for a little bit, just sat and waited.  Taka was sitting with his hands joined together, resting on his legs so that the underside of his arms were visible to Shingo.  Shingo had never seen him without any bracelets on before.  In fact, it was a little weird to see Taka dressed somewhat' normally!  He doubted that swimming trunks could get too outrageous, but if they did, Taka would be all over them.
    Looking in Taka's direction, Shingo suddenly noticed something he thought was strange.  On the underside of both of Taka's wrists'where all the little blue veins and stuff are visible'he saw a vertical scar, both about two inches long.  He tried to get a closer look without being too noticeable.  'Hey, what's that?' he pointed to them.
    Taka, still smiling, looked to where he was pointing.  He gasped quickly and folded his arms out of view.  'It's nothing,' he said quickly and looked forward.  He could tell that Shingo was looking at him, he quickly thought of something else, 'Those water games are really fun!'
    Satoru came walking back to them with a usual beaming smile, 'I'm back!'
    'You tried to kill yourself, didn't you?'
    Taka was silent and kept his eyes forward.  His heart was beginning to pound.
    Satoru had come in on the wrong part, 'Did I miss something?'
    Taka looked up to him and then back to the ground.  He was very slow to speak, 'I guess my secret's out.  And I thought I could hide it and keep my mask on forever''
    'What happened?  You can tell us.' Provoked Shingo, trying to sound as caring as possible.  Satoru understood this was serious and sat on the other side of Taka.
    He sighed deeply, 'You really wanna hear my screwed up life?' both nodded.  He sat up straight and looked downward.  'I hated myself.'
    Shingo didn't quite know what to say.  ''Hated yourself?  But you're a great person, why?'
    He shook his head, 'I'm not a great person.  Fortunately now I can deal with that a bit better.  But back then'' he paused, 'I don't think I should be telling you this.'
    'Please, Taka-san, I'm your friend!  You can tell me anything.'
    Taka looked at him and saw that he looked very sincere.  He was sincere, he really did care about him.  That was very important to Taka.  'Well, it all started before I was even born.  My mother was a whore, one day she 'accidentally' got pregnant.  That 'accident' was me.'  He paused, saying this was hard.  'I'm lucky to even be here.  She was going to have an abortion, just kill me off like I was nothing so she could get back to work.  But, after talking to my grandparents, she decided not to.  She would have me and give me away, but who she gave me to'' his eyebrows narrowed and his chin twitched, 'that's who really screwed my life up forever.'  Satoru set his hand on Taka's back and could feel tears coming to his eyes.  'It was my uncle.  A couple weeks after I was born she dropped me off at his doorstep, I was told, in the middle of a rainstorm.  She didn't even wait around to see if anyone would actually come for me.  My uncle found me there and was really happy, he'd always wanted a baby.  My mother told him she was pregnant and asked if he wanted me, he said yes, but' only if I were a girl.  So, when he found out I was a boy, he was outraged.  So, instead of' maiming me in any way, he just decided that he would raise me like a girl.  Totally like a girl''
    'That's awful!' Satoru cried.
    'What a sick person!  What's wrong with him, did he have any mental problems?!' Shingo was getting furious at the story.
    'You can bet he did.  He never let me go outside and play with the other kids, I didn't even know what outside was!  All I knew was that tiny, ugly, damned house with the faded carpet and the peeling brown wall paper' that's all my world was, I couldn't even watch TV or look at any books, only he could read books to me, and he'd never show me the pictures.  I'm surprised I've turned out how I have, I don't think I got any of the things regular babies and kids are supposed to get.  I remember when sometimes he'd go off with his harems of boyfriends,' Shingo's eyebrows shot up, 'they'd come back with all sorts of clothes and dresses and dolls that they'd give to me.  I didn't know any better.  I had no idea what gender, boy and girl, even meant.'
    'That is so terrible,' Shingo shook his head, 'I can't believe you had to go through all that!'
    Taka looked to him directly.  'The best part is yet to come.  I remember when I was about four years old' my uncle brought me into his bedroom, which before that had been off limits to me.' A lump grew in his throat and tears stung his eyes, 'It was on that night that he' he molested and raped me.'  Shingo gasped loudly and tried to speak, but couldn't.  A tear fell from Taka's eye that he quickly wiped away.  'That was only the first time.  At least a few times a week he would do that, either him or one of his boyfriends, or both and there'd always be a video camera recording us somewhere'' Tears streamed from his eyes.  'I remember how that felt.  It was the most terrible feeling in the world!  I always felt so dirty and in so much pain afterwards' I didn't know what to think, but I knew I didn't like that feeling.  If I would try to refuse to do it with them, I'd get beaten'' he buried his face in his hands and let his painful tears flow.  Shingo and Satoru looked to each other and both had the same look of shock and sorrow on their faces.  Finally, Taka continued, 'When I was seven, I guess some neighbor caught wind of things going on at my uncle's house and called the police.  They came and arrested him and the others that were there.  I was so scared.  I didn't know what was happening.  But I remember, for the first time in my life, I saw that front door open and a strange brightness that was the outside.  Even still, I was so messed up I didn't want my uncle to go, he was the only thing I'd ever known in my life.  I was taken into police custody for a while, until a foster home was found for me.  Luckily, there was a couple from Tokyo that seemed interested in me.  So, that's how I wound up here.'
    'But didn't all the changes shock you?  I mean, you went right out into the world after being locked up for eight years,' said Satoru.
    'Yeah, it was really weird.  I was so scared.  I just wanted to be back at that house with him, I couldn't comprehend that he was gone from me and that he was bad.  I couldn't comprehend anything and those officers and doctors tried to help me and explain to me something called gender.  In time, I began to catch on, but it was like I had to learn everything like a baby, you know?  Anyway, fortunately after all the things that had gone wrong in my life, I was able to be adopted by two of the best people on the face of Earth.  Even though they're not my real parents'I never knew my real parents'I love them more than anything else.  Right from the start they were kind to me and helped me learn what I needed to know, to make up for lost time.' He smiled and another tear slid down his cheek, 'I don't know what I'd do without them.'
    'Aw, what a great ending!' exclaimed Satoru.
    'Not the end yet.  Not even near it.  When I was eight I started school, three years behind all the other kids my age.  Sometimes school was rough, but I amazingly was able to make friends pretty easily.  For a while there, things went really well.  I was happy and didn't have anything to worry about.  When I was about your age, though, everything turned upside down.  That's when I started to really remember about my past and wonder about it.  That's when I started having really strange feelings that I didn't know how to control' I had learned enough to know that boys are supposed to fall in love with girls, but no matter what, I could never feel that way.  I always felt so much closer to the boys, like I belonged with them somehow.  I imagine I was just like girls are when they see a really hot guy.  Still am.  I heard about something called homosexuality and thought, well, I guess that's me.  Pretty soon my parents caught on to my preferences and they were so disappointed in me.  It made me feel awful to displease my parents, but I couldn't help how I felt!  They told me I couldn't love other guys, that it's wrong and evil, and if I didn't change my ways I'd be doomed.  Well, those weren't their exact, words, but you know what I mean.  That scared me a lot, so I honestly tried to sway my opinion of girls, but I just couldn't do it.  I didn't know what to do, and soon other people who felt the same way I did started telling me that I should choose what I want to do, and not listen to my parents.  So, that's exactly what I did.  Whenever I'd go home, I'd dread their long lectures and them telling me how disappointed they were, so eventually I stopped coming home.  It hurt me so much inside to do that, but I thought I could never be accepted there.  I went off with these people every day and they took me to clubs and parties and all sorts of places.  I stopped going to school for a while because I was with them all so much.  Eventually, I got a phone call from my parents, they told me how much they loved and missed me and how they wanted me to come back home, so that's what I did.  My parents told me that even thought they didn't agree with my liking boys, they'd always love and accept me.  I thought things would be happier after that, but I felt miserable.  I just didn't feel satisfied with things anymore or even that I deserved them.  I really thought about what my parents said and thought about what I had become.  I realized it was all probably because of my uncle that I had become the way I was.  I hated that, but knew it was true.
    'After that I started to hate myself.  I didn't want to have to deal with the guilt I had built up inside or the haunting memories that came to me every single day about my past.  I didn't want to deal with my parent's disappointment, or the fact that I had nearly flunked out of school.  I must have tried everything to take my mind off of it all.  Drugs, alcohol, you name it, I probably did it, but nothing seemed to help.  Once the hangover was over, there everything was, staring me right back in the face.  That's when I decided the only way to settle it all was to kill myself.'  He paused and there was absolute silence.  Shingo and Satoru urged him to continue, despite the apparent pain saying all this was causing him.  The whole time, tears stained Taka's cheeks.
    'I remember that day, it was in the dead of winter on a cold, windy afternoon.  I was more depressed then than I'd ever been in my entire life.  My parents went to the store or something and I was left at home.  That whole day all I could think about was killing myself, I wanted to do it for weeks, but I was too scared.  Finally I decided to do it, I thought that if I let myself live any longer I would just regret it more and things would continue to go down.  So I went to the kitchen and found the sharpest, smallest knife I could.  I went to my bedroom and remember thinking it would be the last time I'd ever do so.  I had written a suicide note about a week before and set it on my pillow for my parents to read.  I pulled up my sleeves and looked at my bare wrists and then I looked around at everything in my bedroom, again thinking it would be the last time.  Finally' I held the knife in my cold hand and' before I could wimp out like I had so many times before, slashed both my wrists, one right after the other.'  Taka stopped for a moment and tried his hardest not to burst into tears.  Shingo and Satoru were speechless.
    'I remember watching the blood flow out and splatter onto everything-' he paused and then continued with a shaky voice, 'I could see my entire life flashing before my eyes' everything I'd done, everything that had been done to me' everything' I remember thinking how sorry I was for everything and how much I deserved what I had just done to myself.  Then everything began to spin and then it all went black.
    '' The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed.  That was my greatest fear, that I'd still be alive'' he looked to both of them, 'Since then I've been harassed, threatened and neglected just because I've tried to live with myself the way I am.' He raised the sides of his mouth in an attempt to smile.  'There ya go.  Now you know where these scars came from.'
    'Taka-san,' Shingo said quietly, distress written all over his face, 'I really had no idea.'
    He shrugged, 'No one does.  It's better that way.  I always wear bracelets to hide the scars of my past.  I try my hardest to forget about it, but having to look at them everyday just reminds me of all the crap that is me.  There's no way to escape it.'
    They then heard sniffling and looked to see Satoru begin to cry, 'Taka-chan!  I'm so sorry!  Please don't ever try to do that again!' he thrust his arms around him and cried into his chest.  Taka looked down to him, surprised.  Satoru looked up to him, tears tumbling down his cheeks.  'I don't know what I'd do without you.'
    Taka smiled and felt more tears spring to his eyes as he wrapped his arms around him also, 'Don't worry.  I've gotten a lot of help since then.  I'm not going anywhere now.'
    Satoru smiled and said in a weak joyful voice, 'Thank goodness.'
    Shingo had a small smile on his lips and put a hand on Satoru's back.  He looked to Taka and silently thanked him for sharing that, even though it must have been excruciatingly difficult and painful.  Before he came to Earth, he vowed to himself that he would try to get to know everything'good or bad'about the closest friends he would make on Earth.  He was glad that he had gotten to do that for at least one.
    'Yeah, when I finally got my strength back, I was sent to all sorts of psychologists.  My doctor gave me anti-depressant medicines and told my parents to keep an extra close eye on me.  From there, things started getting a little better, I didn't feel like I hated myself as much.' he looked at Shingo, 'It's been tough, I still don't know whether I can really like myself fully.  I can't help but feel like I was cursed by my mother or uncle or something like that.  I can live with it though, I'll just keep up my happy act and wear my bracelets.'
    Daisuke was leaning against the lockers, completely shocked.  He would have NEVER guessed Taka had had to go through so much traumatic stuff and the last thing he would have guessed was that he was suicidal!  It really opened his eyes to hear that, though, and he began to feel very guilty once he thought about how he had treated him earlier.  He sighed quietly and knew that he would have to make up for it somehow.
    He stood up straight and could hear them getting ready to go back to the pool.  He left the changing room through a different way than to the pool and kept thinking about what Taka had said.  Daisuke wanted to apologize, he just needed to figure out how.
    Taka, Shingo, and Satoru slowly walked toward the pool and could see the impatient looks on the girls' faces.  Before they jumped back in to join them, Taka whispered one last thing to both of them, 'Please, don't tell anyone what I just told you.  I only want you two to know for now.'
    'Sure thing,' Shingo agreed and Satoru nodded.
    Taka smiled to them both and then looked to the pool, 'I'll take you all on in water basketball!' he jumped in and the others followed.  They had a lot more fun and the three felt much closer to each other then.  Taka also felt better that his love interest and friend knew about it.  He didn't feel quite so alone anymore.

    It was early evening and everyone was gathered around picnic tables for dinner, which Daisuke took full charge of, to everyone's delight.  Aya, her dad, and Osamu had also arrived and were having a great time with everyone as they waited for dinner.  Of course, Daisuke wasn't alone in the chore; Yoshiko, Tenko, Misami, and Mayuki were more than happy to help him.  Aya sighed and watched the lovesick girls, at times she also thought she saw Daisuke enjoying their company a little too much while blushing nearly every five minutes.
    The guys were sitting at a table, most feeling too lazy to help with the hot dogs and hamburgers the girls were preparing.  Aya sat with them, she was enough of a tom boy anyway.
    Hiroshi kept glancing back at the girls, specifically Yoshiko, and couldn't help but feel very 'inspired' at the sight of her working so hard to make food for him.  He smiled and took out his Special Little Notebook, opening to a somewhat vacant page.  He kept looking back to her and began to sketch her as she worked, only accentuating a few features, as he tends to do, and changing some of the clothing a bit.  Despite common belief, Hiroshi was a very good artist.
    Osamu, who was sitting right next to the hentai, glanced to him curiously, 'Hiro, whatcha got there?' he tipped the notebook so he could see down onto the page.
    'NO TOUCHIE!!!' he screamed, causing looks from anyone within a mile radius.  'This is the most important possession I own and no one, NO ONE but me is allowed to touch it!'
    Osamu blinked and brought his hand down, 'Oki doki.'
    'So boys,' Mr. Oda, an impressively massive and at the same time divine figure of a man, started, 'anyone up for craps?'
    Shingo cocked an eyebrow, not too sure he wanted to know, 'Excuse me?'
    'How about some poker?  We can say who ever wins gets to eat first!'
    'Dad,' Aya scolded her father, who most the time she thought acted more immature than she did, 'I don't think anyone here is interested in gambling.'
    'Sure, I'll play!' Osamu volunteered right off.
    'Count me in, too!' added Hiroshi.
    Aya couldn't believe them and sighed, 'Typical guys''
    'It's ready!' Tenko announced happily once every preparation for dinner was done.  They were very glad to hear that, they hadn't really eaten all day.
    'ITADAKIMASU!!!'
    Everyone was serving themselves, well almost everyone.  Taka was still sitting at the picnic table, talking incessantly to Koji, who had been very illusive indeed that day whilst at the park.  He was still shirtless and had just come back to join the group after being gone form them for basically the whole day.  No one knew what he was up to and no one wanted to pry.  They all knew he was very mysterious and would do things on his own accord.  Let's just say Taka REALLY liked Koji's company, especially now that he was practically naked, in his eyes.  Koji sat quietly and listened as he kept going on and on.  He supposed Taka just really liked to talk.
    Daisuke was helping Satoru get a hamburger ready, the cute boy seemed to have a little problem with the ketchup exploding all over him, which Hiroshi would nearly fall over laughing about.  Right when Daisuke was about to get something for himself, he looked back to the picnic table and saw Taka.  Instantly, what he had said earlier crawled back into his mind.  He just couldn't believe it, Taka looked so happy now talking to Koji.  Then he determined that was probably the reason why he looked so happy.  Nonetheless, Daisuke wanted to make up for being such a jerk to him before.  He then got a hot dog ready and quietly approached the picnic table.
    '-and then he never went back there again, isn't that a great story?' asked Taka in high spirits.  Koji nodded and took a drink.  Daisuke could feel his pain.
    Right when Taka was about to start another story, Daisuke piped his voice up, 'Taka-kun,' Taka turned to see him.  A huge smile sprawled onto his face, Daisuke knew exactly why and tried his hardest not to shudder.  'Um' here,' he set the plate with the hot dog right in front of Taka.  'I hope you like it''
    'Oh, uh'' that was a little surprising.
    'Is it alright?  I tried to save the best one for you.  Sorry, would you like relish instead of ketchup?  I can go make a different one if you'd like.'
    'Um''
    'Mustard?  Do you want mustard?'
    'Well, I-'
    'Oh, I'm such an idiot!' he ran to the grill and was back in a flash.  'You probably wanted a hamburger!' he set another plate in front of him, this one adorning a hamburger in a toasted sesame seed bun.
    Taka looked at them and then back to Daisuke.  He was smiling, but it looked like it was very forced.  Daisuke could also sense disgust in his face.
    'Oh' did I burn them?'
    'No, I'm sure they're just fine.' Said Taka.
    'Then I guess you don't like what I put on them.  That's ok, I can make others.'
    Taka shook his head, 'Dai-chan' I don't eat meat.'
    Daisuke looked down at him for a really long time without saying a word.  He felt every effort he had just attempted totally shatter.  So this guy's a vegetarian too?!?! he thought with disbelief.  'I' see'' he said after a long time and tried to think of anything to now make up for that!  'So would you like some salad instead?  Or maybe some strawberries?'
    'Strawberries?  Sure, I'd love some!'  That's Taka's favorite food.
    'Ok!' Daisuke smiled and took both plates away.  He felt very dumb about what he had just done, but really knew he couldn't blame himself.  How was he supposed to know Taka was raped and beaten as a child, suicidal, AND vegetarian?!  It was just too much to try and guess at!
    'Here ya go,' he returned back with a full plate of strawberries.
    'Thank you!' Taka's eyes seemed all starry when he looked up to Daisuke.
    He was beginning to regret trying to make up for himself, he thought Taka just might take his kindness the wrong way'  Granting him a smile that turned into a sigh, Daisuke turned back to the grill and then was ultimately disturbed once he felt a nice hard pinch on his backside.  He nearly turned green and walked as steadily as possible away from him, not wanting to look back.
    When he reached the grill, he began preparing his food in a daze and nearly put honey instead of ketchup on his hamburger.  Hiroshi noticed he was more out of it than usual, 'Dai?  What's up?'
    Daisuke looked up to him, his face very far off looking.  'Don't ask.'  He slowly went to another picnic table some of the others were sitting at in the same manner as how he had come to the grill.
    Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, 'It must be porn deprivation.'

    After things were all cleaned up from dinner, the sky was painted in the most amazing colors of a spring sunset.  Everyone was sitting on the soft grass, some sat in benches, and were enjoying the beautiful view of the city'silhouetted against the brilliant sky.
Koji had disappeared again, but Aya was able to spot him sitting up in a tall tree reading with very little light, which she thought was amazing.  She realized she didn't know him, and so proceeded in asking Daisuke all about him.  After that, she was charmed even more by his mysterious antics.  Soon, though, Koji came out of the tree and joined the others on the grass.  All the lights from the buildings were just then beginning to shine brightly into the atmosphere.
    Mr. Oda was entertaining Osamu, Yoshiko and Aya with some inconceivable card tricks.  Misami had attached herself to Daisuke and was sitting with him on the grass, telling him the names of each star as it became visible with the oncoming night's arrival.  Hiroshi and Satoru were arguing about something, Taka was watching and was very proud of Satoru for sticking up for himself so well.  Koji sat quietly near them and stared into the sky.  Tenko and Mayuki were sitting at a bench in front of a pond and Shingo was uneasily watching.
    He could hear the soft laughter from Mayuki and gave a deep sigh.  The feelings he had developed for her were so deep and true' he just didn't know how to approach them or how to approach her.  Shingo then realized something: he was at a place where there were a lot of other guys!  They could probably help him with his problem!  Quickly, he turned around and right away saw Koji sitting on the grass.  He went over to him.
    'Koji-san, can I talk to you?'  Koji looked to him and nodded, Shingo sat next to him.  'Well' you see' uh,' he wasn't quite sure how to approach the topic.  'Have you ever had any 'girl problems?'' he finally asked.
    Koji thought about things that had happened in the past and what had happened just that morning.  'Yes, I suppose.'
    'What do you do?  Well, I mean, how do you like to deal with those types of things?'
   'I prefer to let them resolve on their own.'
    'Really?  Well, I suppose that may work,' his eyes drifted back toward Mayuki.  'Thanks, Koji-san,' he looked back to him and stood up, 'I think I'll ask another man's opinion.  Oh, and when are you going to give me those tennis pointers?'
    'When you are ready for them,' he answered and again starting reading his book.
    Shingo wasn't quite sure what he meant, he thought he was plenty ready!  He shrugged and then hurried to Daisuke, once he spotted him enduring Misami's endless affection.  'Daisuke-san,' he saw the desperate look on his face and felt a little sorry for him.  Misami looked as happy as could be.  'I have some 'girl problems,'' he began.
    'Oh!  Little Shin-chan is interested in girls now?  That is sooooo cute!' Misami commented, causing Shingo to roll his eyes.
    'Yeah, I am 12, you know' so what should I do about them?'
    Daisuke looked up to him with a blink.  'Ask him,' he pointed to Hiroshi and then laid back on the grass with a deep sigh.  Daisuke would always get way too embarrassed any time girls were the topic of conversation, so trying to give advice about them wouldn't have been an easy task, he knew.  Shingo learned this then.
    He shrugged again and went over to Hiroshi, preparing himself for some very perverted commentary once he told him what was on his mind.  'Hiroshi-san, I know you're going to think way wrong things when I say this, but' I have 'girl problems.''
    The mention of those two words together in the same sentence immediately caused an ending to the arguing.  Hiroshi looked up at him and a huge smile then formed on his face.  He was giving Shingo one of those 'I'm so proud of you I could just explode' kinds of looks, which wasn't exactly what Shingo was hoping for.  ''Girl problems,' eh?  Well, you have wisely come to the master of such things.  Come, young grasshopper, sit and be enlightened.'
    'O'k'' Shingo sat in front of him and didn't quite know what to expect.  Hiroshi could be so unpredictable.
    'So, what do you want to know?  The basics, the positions, the way to get best results?  I can tell you everything!' he was REALLY excited and seemed more than happy to try and help Shingo with his problem.
    'Uh' from the sound of it, you're thinking about something COMPLETELY different than I am.  I just want to know how I should approach this girl I really like'' he stole another glance back to her.
    'It's so easy!  All you have to do is strike up a nice casual conversation like you've always done!' said Taka assuredly.
    'But what if I want to try and ask her to be my' girlfriend' or something'' he was trying his hardest not to blush.
    'Then go ahead and ask her that.  You two are already friends, right?  What have you got to lose?  It really is quite simple, trust me, I've done it tons of times.'
    'Yeah, but he's dealing with girls, not creepy guys'' added Hiroshi bitterly.
    Shingo considered the notion and wasn't quite sure he was comfortable with taking such a simple approach.  What Taka said did make sense though.
    'Go on, Shingo-chan,' Satoru smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, 'I know you can do it!'
    'And who was supposed to give him this advice anyway?!' Hiroshi was outraged.
    Shingo smiled determinedly and finally agreed.  He stood up, took a very deep breath and walked toward the bench Mayuki and Tenko were at.  Just his luck, right before he reached the bench, Tenko was called by someone to go and see something.  That meant he would be with Mayuki alone!  He quickly sat on the bench right next to her and said a quick, 'Hi.'
    'Hey,' she said with a smile, 'Isn't the sunset beautiful?'
    Shingo looked up to the sky.  Up above it was a pale blue which faded into a magnificent pink behind the buildings that surrounded the park.  'Yeah, but not as beautiful as you are'' he mumbled so that no one could understand.
    'What?'
    'Nothing,' he breathed uneasily and couldn't stop fidgeting as he sat.  He had never been that nervous before!  'So, did you have a good time here with us?  Kind of a cool coincidence you were here when we were.'
    'Yeah, it was.  And I had a great time.  Swimming was a lot of fun.'  Shingo nodded after she said that and then sat very quietly.  They were both looking straight ahead at the pond, which reflected the brilliant sky like a mirror.  Small frogs began to croak and crickets began their nightly symphony as dusk grew heavier over the city.
    Mayuki looked over at Shingo with a tiny grin on her face, like she knew something he thought she didn't, but she did anyway.  'I know why you're over here.'
    He looked at her, 'Y-you do?'
    She nodded, 'You want to ask me if I'd be your girlfriend and if I'd go out with you.  Right?'
    Shingo's breath was taken away.  'Yeah'' he lowered his head once his cheeks turned pink, 'I just didn't quite know how to ask, but you were smart enough to figure it out, so'' he shot his eyes back to her, 'how about it?  Would you be my girlfriend?'
    She turned her eye back to the pond and then stood up.  Shingo watched as she took several steps toward the pond's grassy edge and could see her reflection on its placid surface.  'You have no idea how much I would like that.  You're the first boy that's ever been a really good friend to me and I think that's very important in any kind of relationship.  But,' she turned back to see him, 'my parents said I can't have a boyfriend or date until I'm 16.'
   Shingo was disappointed, but he was able to start to really respect that she was so obedient to her parents and was happy she chose to follow their words.  He'd much rather have her do that then go against them and start dating him then.  'I understand perfectly,' he said and gave her a smile.
    'Good.  I was afraid you might get upset with me and call me a goody goody two shoes or something.'
    Shingo laughed, 'I would never do that.'
    She smiled warmly at him and then looked down to her finger.  She slid a small silver ring from it and held it firmly in her palm.  Mayuki walked back to Shingo, 'We can still be best friends no matter what.  Just remember to have this conversation with me again in four years, k?'
    'You got it,' he laughed again.
    Mayuki then held her hand out to him and opened it to reveal the ring.  'Take this,' he took the tiny ring and looked at it closely, 'when we're 16, promise to give the ring back to me on our first date.  Until then, keep it safe and remember the promise that it holds.  I know I'll remember.'
    Shingo held the ring firmly and gave her another smile.  'I promise.'
    She sat down next to him again and leaned her head on his shoulder.  With the ring held tightly in his fist, Shingo set his arm around her shoulder and looked up at the sky, tiny stars were just then beginning to appear.  He thought about the promise they had both made and couldn't wait for that day when they could share their first date.
    'Look at that!  12 years old and already he's scoring!' Hiroshi exclaimed as he spied on the two.  He looked over to Daisuke, who was still lying on the grass and shook his head.  'And here you are, practically a grown man, and you can't even get Yoshiko.  How pathetic.'
    'Thank you,' he said plainly and kept staring up at the sky.
    Hiroshi sneered and looked back to Shingo.  Man, he thought, maybe that creepy guy's advice will actually work for me too'
    'Daisuke-san!' Daisuke sat up to see Yoshiko calling for him.  He wondered what was up and got to his feet.  'Come on, Mr. Oda wants to take our picture!' she ran over and grabbed his hand.
    'H-he does?' Daisuke saw Mr. Oda in the distance holding up a camera with a usual goofy smile under his beard.
    'Let's go,' before he could say anything, she brought him over to Mr. Oda, who immediately put them into a great position for the picture.  They were standing next to each other in front of the pond (not by the two on the bench) and behind them was a great view of some very tall buildings with the magnificent sky glowing over head.  Daisuke thought it was a great idea to have his picture taken with Yoshiko, but he wondered if it would be possible in the evening.
    'Isn't it too dark for a picture though?' asked Daisuke through his smile.
    'Of course not, I've got a flash that can light up the whole park!  Now, smile!' Yoshiko and Daisuke smiled and Daisuke held up a peace sign.  Mr. Oda took their picture with a quick blinding flash.  Daisuke was unable to see for about two minutes afterwards.  'That's a great picture!  Thanks guys!'
    Yoshiko looked to Daisuke, 'Now we can always remember this day,' she said sweetly.
    'Yeah,' he said, rubbing his eyes, 'even if we can't see what it looks like.'
    She giggled and then they both heard Mr. Oda's voice telling everyone to come over so that he could take a big group picture of all of them.  Taka instantly grabbed Satoru and stood right next to him so that they could definitely be together.  The others soon gathered there, Daisuke was impressed to see Shingo holding Mayuki's hand.  He then felt Misami's arm wrapped around his and gave her a pained smile.  At least he still got to stand next to Yoshiko'
    Once everyone was in position, Mr. Oda nabbed an old lady strolling through the park who agreed to take the picture for him so that he could be in it too.  They all smiled, (well, except for Ko-chan ^^;) and would definitely treasure that picture of all those they cared about most for years to come.

    Another morning, another time to get ready for school.  They had gotten home from the park very late and didn't bother putting most of the stuff away; they were just too tired.
    Daisuke, yawning, strolled out of his bedroom just in time to hear the front door shut.  Inquisitively, he walked toward it and saw of all people Koji!  He was holding a very curious thing in a big plastic bag and seemed to be going toward the basement.
    'What have ya got there?' asked Daisuke, still looking and sounding very tired.
    Koji stopped and showed him.  Daisuke was able to determine that it was a very expensive looking black silk dress shirt inside of a dry cleaning bag.  He was right.  'My friend just dropped it off.  She had it cleaned for me.'
    'Ohhh'  That's nice.'  His eye was then caught by a small note attached to the hanger, and he couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he saw written in girly purple ink the word 'love.'  Koji walked past him to the basement, leaving Daisuke with a rather intriguing speculation fresh in his mind.  'He did say she after all'  Maybe Koji-kun's got a girlfriend now too'' Daisuke pounded his hands on his head and tried to refrain from yelling, 'First Shingo-kun and now Koji-kun, why can't I do it too?  Why do I have to be such a wuss?!'
    'Daisuke-san, good morning!' he whirled around and saw Yoshiko, already dressed, and looking as lovely as ever.  His heart melted when he saw her, but he seriously hoped she hadn't heard what he just said.
    'Good morning,' he smiled and felt very happy all of the sudden.
    'Morning, darling!' Misami then popped over and looked him head to toe.  'Hmm' nice underwear.'
   Oh no, he thought and looked down to himself to see he was just wearing his boxers with tiny paw prints all over them.  He gave a stupid laugh and began to glow bright red (these boys sure do blush a lot ^_^).  Daisuke flew back into his room to put his school uniform on and to try to ease the extreme embarrassment he had just experienced.
    Tenko was soon to wake up and she was shocked to see Shingo already dressed and ready to go!  'Shin-chan?!'
    He had been 'primping' in front of the mirror and looked back to see her in bed, 'Good morning, dear sister!' he came over and kissed her cheek.
    She was disturbed, 'Why are you in such a good mood?'
    'Why shouldn't I be?  It's another beautiful day outside and I have a feeling today will be even better than yesterday!' he said as he smoothed out his hair with a brush.
    'But we have to go to school,' she groaned, 'how can that be better?'
    Shingo reached into the pocket of his jeans and opened his hand to see the tiny silver ring.  He smiled and wrapped his fingers tightly around it.  'I just know it will.'
    Eventually they all headed off to school with the bright warm sun shining down on them.  This day felt like the day before, it was just as friendly and pristine.  With its warmth and exhilaration, It brought to the world another promise of summer.

To be continued'