Uchuu no Houseki
The Universe of Jewels

Volume 13:
Bonjour, précieux Emi!
By Emi

    Daisuke's class was now at PE.  It seemed like any other typical session of physical education class, but today the groups were informed that they would be starting different units.  By groups I mean the boys and the girls.  They would be separate for the day, most of the students speculated that was probably because their team teachers (one male, one female) hadn't been getting along too terribly well lately.  No one was going to object, though, you know how PE teachers can be'
    (NOTE: In Japan, for the most part, all students stay in the same classroom for all of their classes and their teachers are the ones who switch rooms.  There are exceptions where students switch rooms, such as, of course, PE.  So, everyone who is in Dai and Yoshiko's class is also in their PE class.  Ok, I hope that made sense')
    So, the girls started off on the track.  Yoshiko was stretching her legs, getting ready for a nice jog.  She, and all the other students, was in her PE uniform, consisting of blue shorts and a white T-shirt.  Her hair was pulled back in its usual long braid, which she pushed to the side as she tried to stretch down to touch her toes.  She hadn't ever done much jogging before, but she was more than happy to participate in this day's PE activity.  That was a different story for some of the other girls'
    'I can't believe we have to jog!  The wind will totally mess up my hair!' complained the busybody (yes, you all remember her, right?).
    'I know!  This really sucks.  Hmm, maybe we can just say we all have migrains and not have to do it!' suggested Hitomi.
    'Great idea!  The last thing I want to do is get all hot and sweaty, whoever invented PE should just like die or something.' Commented another girl, amazingly even more of an airhead than the others.  Yet, the group of snobby girls agreed.
    Aya had been stretching also and overheard this.  She couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she walked over to them, 'You girls are such wussy babies!  Geez, just suck it up and deal with it, jogging isn't the end of the world!  It might actually do you some good!'  Yoshiko could hear this from the side and stopped her stretching to watch.
    'Hey, you better not talk to us that way, dweeb!' the busybody barked, trying to intimidate her.
    'Dweeb?  Well, I'd rather be a dweeb than be what you are.' She reeked of confidence.  Yoshiko silently cheered her on.
    'Oh?  And what is that?' she placed her hands on her hips and arched her neck at Aya.  It was a defensive stance, really.
    Aya smirked and stood in the same manner, then their heads were inches apart.  'You know perfectly well.'  With that, Aya turned and left, leaving a rather vapid look on the busybody's face.  Other girls laughed at her and she just blew them off with a ditsy, 'whatever.'  Some of the girls had waited a long time to see someone stand up to her.  Aya wasn't afraid of anything.
    Aya went over to Yoshiko, looking pleased.  Yoshiko was about to commend her when their teacher, a fierce-looking, power packed ball of middle-aged fitness, raised her voice above all else.
    'Ok girls, get out there and run!  Remember to go at an even pace so you don't tire yourselves out!'  The group of snobby girls groaned.  The teacher yelled at them more before they could ask to get out of jogging, much to Aya and Yoshiko's delight.
    'Well, let's go.' With a quick step, Aya and Yoshiko were first off to jog around the track.  The sun beamed down upon them brightly, shining in their long hair, and dodging around their active shadows.  As she ran, Yoshiko felt a strong sense of freedom, as if nothing could stop her.  She was just going without restraint and she really liked that feeling.
    Daisuke and the other boys were on the field inside the track attempting to play football.  Sometimes it was difficult to concentrate on their game with so many beautiful girls jogging around them.  Daisuke seemed to be having an especially hard time with this as he spotted Yoshiko coming around the track.  He turned from his game and watched her as she ran gracefully, like he'd imagine an angel would run.  Of course, the whole idea of angels running is a little odd, but when you're in love, you just may think crazy stuff like that too.
    'She is an angel' Daisuke sighed deeply with a large smile on his face as he continued to gaze at her.  Unfortunately, he wasn't paying enough attention to the real world to prevent what happened next.  Someone threw the football into his general direction and it ended up plowing itself straight into Daisuke's cheek.  It stung like heck, but it soon went numb and began to swell.  Before that happened, though, Daisuke was already on the ground.  'Itai'
    'Dai!  You ok?!'  Hiroshi ran over, trying in any way he could not to laugh at his injured friend.  He thought that was really funny, after all.
    'Itai' Daisuke winced.
    'Daisuke-kun, sorry about that!' the guy who threw the ball was soon to rush over, as was everyone else involved in that football game.
    'It's alright,' he slowly got up and held his cheek.  It had grown twice its normal size.
    Hiroshi picked up the football and gave him a strange look, 'Geez, not even I was staring at her that intensely!  I must say, I'm impressed!'
    Daisuke rolled his eyes, 'Yeah, yeah'  Let's start again, alright?' he rubbed his swollen cheek and again his thoughts drifted to Yoshiko.  He looked up quickly and sneaked another quick peek at her.  By now she was on the far end of the track.
    The guys each returned to their positions to try and start over.  Their previous attempts hadn't gone too well.  Once it got started again, the game was going pretty well, but the guys noticed that their teacher was no where on the field.  No one thought too strangely of this, he'd go off sometimes without telling anyone, just the kind of teacher he was.  Finally, they saw him return.  The game came back to a screeching halt.
    Daisuke suddenly gasped.  'Hamada' he saw Ryuichi walking right behind his teacher.  He hadn't seen him for days, not since that incident out in the rain.  It made his heart skip a beat to see him then'it was what he least expected.
    The teacher said a few words to Ryuichi and then looked back to his rather unproductive class.  A vein popped from his stout neck, 'Get back to the game, you girls!' he blew his deafening whistle, his face turning redder by the second.
    Hiroshi clenched his ears shut and looked back to Daisuke, 'Can you believe he just called us girls?!' he seemed outraged.
    'Can you believe Hamada is here?' he asked quietly, provoking Hiroshi to indeed see that Ryuichi had returned.
    'Oh goody.  Well, maybe you'll luck out and he'll have amnesia or something.'
    Daisuke was confused, 'Amnesia?'
    'So he won't remember the fight you guys had.  But, he probably doesn't have amnesia and is still really pissed about losing, so I won't be surprised if he tries to kill you again.' He seemed SO optimistic.  Daisuke looked desperate.  'Don't worry!' Hiroshi smiled, patting his shoulder, 'I'll make sure to take care of all your nice things when you're dead!' he flung the football in his hand and walked back to the other guys, who had congregated in the center of the field in an attempt to start another game.
    Daisuke watched him, 'Gee, that makes me feel so much better.'  He suddenly felt a chill and looked back to see Ryuichi looking straight at him!  His teacher was still talking to him about something, but it didn't look like he was listening to a word, at least not to Daisuke's perspective.  Daisuke gasped softly and blinked.  Ryuichi's cold eyes then narrowed in the most sinister glare he had ever seen.  Daisuke swallowed nervously and quickly ran to the other guys.  He knew Ryuichi's eyes were on him the whole time, he could still feel that threatening chill encasing his body.
    Finally, yet another game was started and this one proved to be much more successful than the other attempts.  The coach watched the game in a faultfinding way and was quick to blow his whistle when he felt things didn't go right (which was more often than not).  Ryuichi was watching from the sidelines, his arms folded, his lips tight and thin.  Occasionally, Daisuke would glance to see him looking straight at him again, and would return his eyes to the game.  As much as Daisuke didn't want to admit it, he was rather nervous.  Ryuichi could be very unpredictable, which was proven before, and it seemed a good bet that he'd want to get back at Daisuke in a terrible way.  He'd have to keep his eyes open and dread what would be coming'
    'Get in the game now, Hamada.' Ordered the PE teacher.
    Ryuichi looked to him in a challenging way, 'You know my father will sue if I get injured again.'
    'It's kiddy football!  Look at those wimps, you can't get hurt by them!  In fact, I'll give you permission to hurt them!  Now get out there!'
    Hurt them?  He liked the sound of that.  Ryuichi ran out to the field and saw the football streaming high in the air.  He saw that the blonde nerd with the glasses (known as Hiroshi to anyone other than Ryuichi) was going for it.  As fast as he could, he ran forward and knocked Hiroshi out of the way right as he was about to catch it and instead caught the ball himself.  Hiroshi was rammed into the mud.
    'Hiro!' Daisuke ran over to him and was sickened to discover that Ryuichi was the culprit for knocking his best friend into the mud.  Ryuichi laughed softly, twirling the football in his hands.  Others gathered closer.
    'Ha ha,' Ryuichi laughed, looking down to Hiroshi with a mocking smile, 'Well that was pathetically easy.  I'll be on the team that is against you, dork.'
    Hiroshi scowled and wiped the mud from his face.  Daisuke helped him up, also scowling at Ryuichi.  'What did you do that for?' Hiroshi demanded.
    'Don't be such a wuss, happens all the time in football, loser.'
    'Yeah, when you have all the padding and gear on!'
    Ryuichi laughed again, 'It's not as funny that way,' he turned and the others who had gathered around began to back away.  'Let's play.'
    Hiroshi glared at him and continued wiping the mud from himself.  Ryuichi was ordering them all around and he seemed to be enjoying that a lot.  No one would try to go against him, which he knew.
    'That son of a *****.'
    'Hiro!'
    'What?' Daisuke gave him a look, which he blew off.  'Now I know why you hate him so much.  You know what, Dai?  I'll be more than happy to help you kick his butt.'
    Daisuke sighed and looked back to Ryuichi.  'Somehow I don't think fighting will help things.'
    'Well, it would sure make me feel better!'  Hiroshi was about to 'lay the smack down' (or at least try to) on Ryuichi, but luckily Daisuke was able to catch him before he had the opportunity to try and get himself into some more mud, or worse.  He was mad though and yelled at Daisuke, 'Let me go!  Let me rip his head off!'
    'Don't be an idiot!  You're no match for him!' he was finally able to restrain Hiroshi and knock some sense into him (literally).  Hiroshi still looked rather angry, his ego had just been smashed to bits too.  Daisuke sighed again, 'Two wrongs can't make a right.  We know he's a jerk, but just leave him alone.  Maybe he'll forget about bothering us too.'
    Hiroshi wasn't impressed, 'Not likely.'  With a sigh of his own, Hiroshi agreed also and he and Daisuke quietly joined back into the game.  They made sure to keep their distance from Ryuichi, and they started to wonder why their teacher would allow Ryuichi to get away with all the things he had managed to get away with'
    Luckily, PE class was nearly over.
    Yoshiko was leading the way around the track with Aya at her side.  The more she jogged, the more Yoshiko began to like the sensations and feelings it gave her.  Aya certainly was impressed, it was almost difficult to keep up with her!
    Their teacher pressed her thin lips against a shiny metal whistle, signaling it was time to go and get dressed.  The group of snobby girls rejoiced and ran even quicker than they did on the track to hurry and get changed.  Yoshiko and Aya came to a stop by the teacher, meeting her to see her usual sternness melt away.  She looked onto them both with pride shining in her eyes.  'Finally,' she said, flashing her eyes between the two, 'some girls who actually want to do what they're supposed to!  Excellent job today!'
    'Thank you,' the two said in unison.  Aya walked ahead to get changed, the teacher held Yoshiko back for a moment.
    'Nakayama, have you ever thought of joining the track team?'  Yoshiko shook her head and the teacher seemed appalled!  'Really?  Well, maybe you should consider it!  Judging on what I saw you doing today, track just might be something up your alley.  Well, why don't you think about it for a bit and let me know, alright?'
    'Sure,' she agreed, satisfying the teacher, and hurried to catch up with Aya.
    'Ok guys, go get changed,' he dismissed his class, who was very happy to get off that football field.  Ryuichi brought the ball up to the teacher and they both watched as Daisuke and Hiroshi walked off the field.  Daisuke felt another shiver.  Though he didn't look back, he knew Ryuichi had something to do with it.
    'So Dai,' Hiroshi broke the silence, 'you ever gonna give that necklace to Yoshiko?'
    'Necklace?' Daisuke stopped walking and looked at him directly.  He looked awfully confused.
    'Oh no, don't tell me you forgot about that necklace!  You know, the one you were gonna give her when you finally confess your feelings?  You have to remember it!'
    After a pause and some deep thinking, 'Oh!  THAT necklace!' they started walking again, 'Actually, I don't know when I'll ever get to give that thing to her.  I think it's still in my garbage.'
    'Garbage?  What the heck is it doing there?'
    Daisuke sighed, 'Never mind' his eyes wandered to the side as they walked closer to the locker room.  His eye was then caught by a tall white flower with purple fringes on the petals, standing above all the rest of the grass in front of a small bush.  It was the most beautiful flower he had ever seen!  'Hey, look at that!' he pointed to it.
    'Huh?  What am I looking at?'  Hiroshi was looking all around.
    'Right there, the white flower.'
    It took Hiroshi a moment (remember, he's special), 'Nice.  But I thought you saw a hot babe or something!  Man, get my hopes up for nothing!'
    Daisuke rolled his eyes and walked over to it, 'Isn't it cool?' he knelt down and smelled it.  It was very sweet, like a fine perfume.  A smile soon came to his lips and he ran his finger across a velvety petal.  'It reminds me of Yoshiko'
    Hiroshi walked and stood behind him.  He knew his best friend was in love'he had been talking more and more about Yoshiko lately, and now he admitted that things like flowers reminded him of her!  In a way, he was proud of him, but in another, he was envious.  'So why don't you give it to her?'
    Daisuke shot him a look, 'Think so?'
    'Yeah, I know she'll love it,' he seemed a bit unenthusiastic, 'Now hurry up, I think this mud might permanently harden to my skin.'
    Daisuke shrugged and carefully and slowly dug up the precious flower, making sure to include the roots so that it would not die right away.  He patted some soil around it and cupped the end of the flower with the roots in his hand.  He'd have to find a cup to put the flower in or something.  He and Hiroshi hurried into the locker room and tried to avert all questions and suspicions about the flower, because Daisuke would just end up blushing whenever anyone asked.
    Around this same time, Yoshiko was getting dressed.  She pulled on her school uniform and was working on braiding her hair again.  Aya had just finished putting on her shoes and she opened her school bag to find something she had forgotten about.  'Good thing I saw this,' she geared Yoshiko's attention.
    'What is it?'
    Aya pulled it out and handed Yoshiko the picture Mr. Oda had taken of her and Daisuke at the park.  Yoshiko's eyes lit up and she smiled.  The picture had turned out extremely well, she and Daisuke looked so happy in it.  'It's so cute.  You two look great together.'
    Yoshiko blushed, 'Really?'
    She nodded furiously, 'And I thought that it would be really sweet if you gave Dai-kun that picture as a present.  Look, I even brought a pretty frame for you to put it in!' Aya then pulled out a shiny black picture frame.
    Yoshiko took a moment to consider it and she soon seemed more than happy to do so.  'Yes, I know he'll really like this.'  Aya carefully slid the picture into the frame and gave it back to Yoshiko.  Giggling, the girls then left the locker room.  Lunch was soon and Yoshiko wondered if she should give him the picture then.  Anyway, she then safely placed it in her locker and hurried off with Aya.
    Daisuke tried to stash the flower into his locker.  It was impossible.  He would just have to keep it hidden from Yoshiko until the right moment.

    Recess!
    All the kids at the elementary school (which still has no name >_<) were outside playing.  It was a favorite time, for obvious reasons, and everyone was able to burn off some of the energy that had to be restrained while sitting in a classroom all day long.
    The twins, Satoru, Mayuki, and Taka were all equally enjoying themselves.  Tenko and Mayuki were making Shingo jump rope with them and he was actually doing quite well.  Taka and Satoru were sitting on a bench watching and cheering him on.  Taka had his arm around Satoru, who didn't seem to mind at all.  Satoru eventually leaned his head lightly on his shoulder, sending a rush of excitement through Taka.  He never wanted the moment to end!
    Ok, Taka's outfit on this day consisted of a short shiny black vinyl-ish skirt, knee high combat boots, red fishnets (yes, fishnets stockings, people.  This is Taka, after all), a black short-sleeved dress shirt, skewered in random places by safety pins, a red tie with black skulls on it, spiky bracelets, as always, a few silver rings, black fingernail polish, a spiky collar, and silver earrings.  Yikes, Taka's one daring guy, ne?  Compared to him, everyone else's clothing just seemed so normal, so I don't think I really need to describe it.  (hehe' what?  I'm not lazy!  I'm' indolent') Ahem'
    Finally, Shingo's foot fell at the wrong time, thus ending his triumphant turn.  They clapped as he panted and sat at the bench to rest.  Mayuki and Tenko set the jump rope aside and came over to the boys.  They knew recess would be over in a few minutes.
Mayuki right away found not only the sight of Taka's clothing interesting, but also the sight of him and Satoru being so 'close.'  It really made her think, though she bet Satoru probably didn't really know what he was doing.  He was so painfully naïve, but cute!  Anyhow, the group was being very quiet.  That didn't last long, as soon as Tenko laid eyes on Taka's skirt, that is.
    'I love your skirt!  It's so shiny!' she beamed.
    'Thank you.  And yours is soooooooooo cute!' Taka complimented the pink flowery skirt she was wearing.
    'You can borrow it sometime, if you want.  Could I borrow yours?'
    'I think you're a bit young for this style,' he felt Satoru squirm and looked down to him, seeing him laugh.  'Sato-chan?'
    'Sorry, I was just imagining what you would both look like if you switched.' He laughed softly again.  Taka wrapped his arm around him tighter, but felt like hugging him.  Satoru was just so cute!
    Suddenly, the winds seemed to change.  A tall, graceful figure slinked along the playground, parting children all along the way.  Taka noticed the environment change and gasped when he saw what was coming.  It was' Fairy.  (dun dun duuuuuun!)
    Fairy was soon standing right by the group.  He was wearing a beautiful lacey blue dress and looking straight onto Taka, his full lips tightened in an indiscernible way.  He didn't notice that everyone was staring at him, the tall beautiful womanly thing.  All his attention was on Taka.  'Good afternoon, Taka-chan,' he greeted happily.
    'Hey, Feri-chan' answered Taka slowly.  He was shocked by the sheer fact that Fairy was even there!  The last place he expected him was an elementary school playground.
    Fairy stared at him longer and a vein seemed to pop out of his neck, 'What, aren't you even going to give me a little hello kiss?  I'm hurt!'
    Then, everyone looked to Taka.  'Hey,' Mayuki poked at Shingo and whispered to him, 'does he know her?'  Shingo shrugged and wanted to know that for himself.
    Taka hated to leave his wonderful place beside Satoru, but duty called.  He walked over to Fairy and laid a long, passionate kiss on his lips (Of course, Fairy had to lean down a bit for Taka to reach him' ewww that's so creepy!  Sorry there has to be a character like Fairy, dunno what I was thinking').  The others all gasped, even Satoru was surprised!  Just who was this woman anyway, they wanted to know.
    When Taka brought his lips away, they were saturated with Fairy's lipstick.  He looked Fairy deep in the eyes and said in a low voice, 'Is that better?'  Fairy nodded.  He wasn't expecting that!
    'Um,' Satoru shyly stood from the bench and caught their attention.  Fairy looked on to him with a competitive air.  Taka was wondering why in the heck he had just kissed Fairy like that!  'Taka-chan' who is this?' he pointed to Fairy, keeping his eyes lowered.  Fairy smirked.
    'Uh, well,' he wiped the lipstick away, 'this is my new' friend, Feri' err' Feirii'. Something like that.' He couldn't pronounce his English name very well.  Fairy thought it was cute.
   'Friend?' Shingo cocked an eyebrow.
    'I've never seen friends kiss like that before,' Tenko added.
    Fairy was elated, 'That's right!  And that's because Taka-chan and I are not friends.'  They looked to him, confused.  Fairy just smiled and set his arm around Taka, leaning down to him.  He winked at the others, 'We're ko-i-bi-to!'  (Koibito=lovers.  Using 'koibito' there just seemed so much better than using 'lovers,' I thought)
    'Ehhh?' they sounded together.  Of course, Taka had nothing to do with this.  He was just as surprised as everyone else!  Fairy just seemed so happy and giggled, tapping Taka on the nose.
    Shingo was the most baffled by this.  He scratched his head and tried to figure out the situation.  'But, Taka-san' he's into guys and' doesn't like women' his head was starting to hurt.
    Fairy was even happier to hear that!  He whispered down to Taka, who was still in a state of shock, 'Did you hear that?!  That cute little boy thinks I'm a woman!  Oh, do I really pull it off that well?' he giggled again.  Taka didn't realize he was nodding.  Fairy squealed with delight and stood up tall again.  'Well,' he said to the others in his most feminine way, 'It was certainly lovely to meet all of you.  If you'll excuse us, Taka-chan and I have a little date, so we'll be on our way now!' Holding on to Taka, he turned to leave.
    'Wait!' Satoru called out, making Fairy look back to him.  Taka glanced back to see a distant hurt looming in his eyes.  That expression on his face penetrated him to his soul.  It was evident Satoru didn't want him to leave.
    Fairy was just getting annoyed, 'Sorry kid, I already made reservations and we can't be late.  So go, run along and play!  Shoo, go on now!'
    'But'Taka-chan shouldn't miss school,' he protested shyly.  'Can't he just go with you later?'
    'Um, no, our reservations are already made, like I said.  So go and play or something,' Fairy looked to Taka, 'Who is this annoying kid anyway?'
    Taka tried his hardest not to slap him across the face or even scowl.  He couldn't stand anyone saying such things about his Satoru.  'Shiozawa Satoru,' he simply answered, restraining his anger.  He clenched his fist tightly.
    'It's a boy?' Fairy looked Satoru head to toe.  'Well, isn't that cute?'
    'What' what is that supposed to mean?' Satoru asked reluctantly.
    Fairy gave a dark laugh and slowly walked up to Satoru.  Taka watched him closely.  Satoru was frightened and took a step back as soon as Fairy reached him.  Fairy kneeled down and looked Satoru straight in the eyes.  There was another smirk on his lips.  'What it means, little boy, is that you better watch who you're with.' His tone suddenly became very dark and evil, 'You better remember that Taka is mine.'  Satoru gasped and no one knew what to do or say.
    Then, the bell rang.
    'Well, you all better run off to class!' Fairy stood and was as happy as usual again after that brief display of demonism.  Fairy had certainly succeeded in planting fear into all of them, especially Satoru.  Seeming quite pleased with himself, he walked back to Taka and grasped his hand, smiling at him.  'Shall we?'  Taka was silent, all he could do was look back at Satoru.
    Satoru stood with his head lowered.  The others looked to him worriedly and knew they had to return to class.  As they began to walk away, Satoru raised his head, showing Taka the small tear that slid down his smooth cheek.  Taka gasped and would run after him, but it was too late.  Satoru was already running back to class.  Fairy smiled to see that and nudged Taka in the other direction, 'Come on, our table awaits.'  Taka sighed and let himself follow Fairy.  As he sat in the shiny purple Mercedes, all his thoughts dwelt on Satoru.  He wondered why he was coming with Fairy and hated leaving Satoru when he was in tears.  He didn't realize until then that Fairy could be so demanding and heartless.

    Finally lunchtime!  Daisuke had decided that he wanted to buy his lunch for a change, so as soon as class was over, he hurried out into the hall to get in line to buy something to eat.  He hid the flower as best he could behind his book bag and/or back, but it proved rather difficult.  As soon as he saw Hiroshi, he made him stand next to him to help hide the flower for a while.  After much protesting, Hiroshi finally slipped away and ran to buy lunch, somehow ending up a lot further ahead in the line than Daisuke.  'Some friend you are,' Daisuke muttered, but he soon straightened up when Yoshiko approached him.
    'Hi!' she smiled, as beautifully as ever.
    'Yo!' he greeted, making sure the flower stayed out of view.
    'What do you think you'll buy?' she asked, peering over the crowd to try to see what items were for sale.
    'Maybe a banana' or an apple, I'm really not that hungry.' He swallowed nervously and could feel his heart racing.
    'That sounds good.  I'll wait in line with you!' she offered so kindly that Daisuke just couldn't take it anymore!
    He took in a deep breath and brought the flower out in front of him before he could think to stop himself.  'Umm' I saw this' and it was pretty' and' I want to give it to you' he was bright red, of course.
    Yoshiko slowly took the flower by the pot (Daisuke was able to acquire one, somehow) and looked at it.  She felt its velvety white petals and smelled its sweet scent, being filled with joy.  Daisuke saw that she was liking it, a good sign!  Yoshiko smiled sweetly back to Daisuke with glistening eyes, 'Oh, Daisuke-san' it's beautiful.  Thank you so much.' she set a gentle kiss on his cheek, sending shivers up and down his spine.  An enormous smile came to him and he set a hand over where she had kissed him.  He was celebrating inside and couldn't remember when he had ever been so happy as he was then.  There were a few cheers being hollered out by random people just after that, it was to be expected as the most popular guy had just received a kiss by the most beautiful girl in school, even if it was just a peck on the cheek.
    'Oh, and I have a present for you too, Daisuke-san!' Yoshiko remembered the picture.  'Let me go get it, I'll be right back!' She quickly ran off to her locker to get it, leaving Daisuke standing in a wonderful, blissful daze.  He was sooooooooooooo happy!!!
    A bustling commotion then erupted.  A very large group was walking through and there was some sort of excitement blazing around it.  Standing on the outside, it was nearly impossible to tell what it was because it was something'or someone'in the middle of tons of people, so it must have been worth some attention!  Daisuke was still dazed, but he could notice them.  He just didn't pay it much mind.  Hiroshi, however, was trying to investigate it.
    'Come on, say something really romantic!' a girl near the middle requested.
    Another girl giggled and said for their enjoyment, '(insert sappy French stuff here)'  Everyone enjoyed that very much and many other girls swarmed her with more requests to say things, just so they could hear that beautiful language more.  She didn't mind much and just seemed to love the attention she was receiving.
    Daisuke started getting a bit more interested once he saw people in the lunch line start to walk up to the group in curiosity.  He approached it too and as he did, the crowd thinned and allowed him a view into the middle, straight at the girl who was saying the beautiful things in French.  As soon as he saw her, his heart seemed to stop.
    Hiroshi, with much effort, made his way through the crowd and into the middle right where this girl was.  When he saw her, he smiled hugely and flung his arms into the air, 'Emi-chan!' he exclaimed.
    The girl stopped speaking and turned to look at him.  After a minute of silently staring, she then jumped right onto him, flinging her arms around him.  'HIRO-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!'  Hiroshi was trying to keep his balance with her now attached to him, but he was liking this VERY much.  The girl squeezed him tightly, ecstatic to see him.  'How have you been?  Are you still a pervert?  Do you have a girlfriend yet?  How's your family doing?'
    Hiroshi was turning blue, she didn't realize she was cutting off an important oxygen supply by squeezing around his neck.  'Emi-chan' can't' breathe'
    She giggled and loosened her grip, looking out onto the crowd.  They were all looking at her, smiling.  She smiled back and carefully scanned the crowd for any familiar faces.  As she went, there was one in particular that totally caught her eyes and held them captive.  His eyes were also laying still on her, as if there was no way he could possibly look any other place.  They knew each other right away and both seemed almost mystified that the other was actually there, like it was a wonderfully pleasant thing that was hard to actually believe or accept.
    The girl pulled herself from Hiroshi and stood staring at him, a vague and distant look on her face.  Daisuke looked to her in much the same way, but after a minute of what must have been the most silent silence known to man (or at least to anyone at that high school), Daisuke evoked a prudish smile, not fully aware of the results that would ensue.  'Hello, Emi-chan.'
    'Dai-chan!' She smiled and dashed toward him, her arms stretched out in front of her.  Daisuke kept smiling and held out his arms.  When she reached him, they both wrapped each other in a strong embrace.  Everyone, including Hiroshi, looked to them in a very passively admiring way.  A soft 'aw' could be heard echoing through the place.  It was just so sweet!
    Emi finally pulled away and looked up into his eyes, smiling more brightly than ever.  Daisuke did the same to her and soon set his hand on her soft pink hair, pulled into two cascading pigtails.  'Welcome home!  It's so great to have you back!'
    She nodded happily, 'Merci beaucoup! Comment allez-vous, chéri Dai-chan?'
    He looked at her a moment, laughing sheepishly, 'Uhh' Je' ne' parle' pas' Français' Sadly, that was the extent of Daisuke's French'saying that he did not speak it.  Emi just laughed.
    'I'll just assume you've been fine then.  Oh, Dai-chan, I've missed you so much!' she hugged him again, resting her head against his chest.  Daisuke set a hand on her back and stroked her hair affectionately.
    'I've missed you too.  Seeing you again is such a wonderful surprise, Emi-chan' I thought I'd never see you again,' he said softly, loving the feel of her in his arms to its fullest.
    She smiled softly, 'You knew I'd come back eventually.  I just wish I was able to send you letters and call you, but that was against the rules.  Oh well, it doesn't matter now' now that I'm back with you' she looked up and met Daisuke's dark, mysteriously beautiful eyes.  She closed her eyes, moving up closer to his lips.  She was about to brush her lips against his when,
    'Daisuke-san!' Yoshiko came running back with the picture held safely in her hand.  She stopped dead in her tracks once she saw the scene of Daisuke with a very cute girl she had never seen before.  She didn't know what to make of it, and Emi looked at her oddly.  Yoshiko was speechless and managed to give Daisuke a confused look.  Daisuke snapped out of his stupor with Emi then and quickly looked from his position, a girl with her arms around him, to Yoshiko.  He began to panic and wished he were someone else.
    'Uhh, Yoshiko!!  Hehe'. I can explain' this' that didn't seem to help any.
    'He's dead' Hiroshi muttered, feeling sorry for him from the sidelines.
    'Dai-chan,' Emi looked back to him, pointing at Yoshiko, 'who is this?'
    'Ummmmm' he avoided all eyes, sweat beading on his forehead.
    'Yoshiko,' she answered for herself softly, turning Emi's eyes back on her, 'Nakayama Yoshiko.'
    'Yoshiko?  Beautiful name' Emi let go of Daisuke and walked over to Yoshiko, who seemed rather indifferent to her.  Emi stood right in front of her and suddenly flashed her a great smile.  Yoshiko was surprised by that.  She bowed, 'Moi, je m'appelle Uchida Emi.  Oh, sorry, my name is Uchida Emi.  It's very nice to meet you, Yoshiko-chan!' she giggled cutely.
    Yoshiko smiled, though she was still a little bothered by what she had seen before.  This Emi girl seemed really nice, though.  She was also very very cute!  She wasn't very tall at all, only about 5' 4' and she was thin and had beautiful long pink hair in two adorable pigtails, making her look like a little girl.  She had large bright blue eyes the color of a tropical sea and other gentle facial features that made her look like a doll.  But why was she being so close to Daisuke?  That's what Yoshiko wanted to know.
    'It's nice to meet you as well,' Yoshiko said in a sweet voice.
    'Ne, Yoshiko-chan, how do you know Dai-chan?'
    'Well,' Yoshiko took a minute to reflect and think about how she could answer that, 'he's the one who has helped me out more than anyone I've ever known.  I'm very grateful to him.'
    Emi gasped, 'Really?' she looked back to see Daisuke in another daze, 'Wow, Dai-chan sure is noble, isn't he?'  Yoshiko agreed, pondering her feelings for him.  Emi turned back to her, 'It's been so hard to be away from him and all my friends here in Japan for six months.  I'm sooooo happy to finally be home!'
    'Have you been in France?'
    'Oui!  I was at a school for girls my mother is headmistress of.  It was really great, so refined and elegant, but there weren't any boys allowed on campus, so it was pretty boring most of the time.  Oh well, at least I got to see my mother again and improve my French!'
    'I would love to go to France someday' Yoshiko pictured herself walking hand in hand with Daisuke down a sunny street in Paris.  She wasn't even aware that thought had even entered her mind until she destroyed it from embarrassment.  'Anyway, I'm quite surprised Daisuke-san hasn't mentioned you before.'
    'He hasn't?' Emi seemed a little vexed and gave Daisuke the eye again.  He seemed as if he didn't know what she was talking about.  'Well, that's quite surprising, considering.'
    'Considering what, if I may ask?'
    'It's simple really!' she looked to Yoshiko again, 'Dai-chan is the one person I've ever been truly happy with, he's the only one that can really make me feel wonderful about myself and about life.' She slowly walked back over to Daisuke and took hold of his hand, smiling at him.  He had a blank expression.  'Dai-chan is my boyfriend.  We were going out before I left and having to be so far apart tore us both up inside.  I'm so happy to be together with him again'  I love him, with all my heart.'
    'D'ouh!' Hiroshi hit his forehead.
    Daisuke had similar sentiments, and wished Emi hadn't spilled the beans.  He was being torn up inside right then, having to deal with his old girlfriend coming back unexpectedly and he could pretty much feel the type of emotions Yoshiko was having.  No doubt about it, he was in a very sticky spot.
    Emi's comments smashed into Yoshiko like a brick wall.  She clenched the flower'a gift from Daisuke, the one she secretly loved'and the picture of the two of them, which held so much meaning to her.  Was it all worthless?  Why did she even bother harboring such feelings for him when he was already taken' A lump grew in her throat as she held the things tighter, trying her hardest not to break down.  'I see'
    'Yoshiko, I' Daisuke started, but he was soon thrust down by Emi, his face right above hers.
    She smiled at him and said softly, 'Je t'aime.'  Emi then laid her lips on top of his.
    Everything in Yoshiko seemed to shatter.  When she saw that, she just couldn't take it and felt herself begin to fall apart.  Her chin twitched and tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried shaking her head to deny this source of ultimate pain.  Both items fell from her hands and crashed on the floor.  The pot of the flower broke to pieces and the glass of the picture frame shattered.  She stepped back, people moving out of her way.  Her hand placed on her broken heart, Yoshiko then turned and ran quickly down the other way, her tears sparkling behind her like crushed diamonds.
    With a struggle, Daisuke freed himself from the kiss in time to see Yoshiko racing away.  'Yoshiko!' He ran from Emi to where the broken gifts laid and stopped.  She was out of sight.  Daisuke sighed deeply and looked downward.  There was the flower he had given her and something else.  He kneeled to get a closer look and discovered it to be the picture of them at the park.  The glass was shattered all over it and the flower looked like it was beginning to wither.  Daisuke carefully picked up the flower and the picture and stood up slowly.  Everyone was silent and looked to him closely, wondering what he would do next.  He lowered his head and felt all sorts of pain and regret shooting through him at once.  What was he going to do next?  He didn't know for sure.  He didn't know at all, he just felt doomed.  '****' he cursed softly and felt as if everything was hopeless.  (hehe I love using cute little asterisks cuz swearing is dumb ^^)
    Emi didn't realize what she had done would have such a profound consequence.  She was able to draw her own conclusions and thought she knew exactly what was going on, or what had been going on while she was away.  Irked, she looked back to find Hiroshi in the crowd, but he didn't offer any help.  He was looking at Daisuke like he was in shock.  She could tell that he was very concerned and worried for him, so she looked back to Daisuke and remained quiet.
    Yoshiko ran outside and leaned against a tree, crying.  She had never felt so hurt before and she didn't know what to do.  'Daisuke-san,' she squeaked out between sobs, 'why didn't you tell me?  Why didn't you say anything about this?  Why did I have to find out the hard way?  Why?' she lowered to her knees and covered her face with her hands.
    At this same time, Ryuichi and Hitomi came walking near where Yoshiko was outside.  They both heard her crying and Hitomi seemed quite pleased by that, 'Well, the little princess is in tears.  How sad'
    Ryuichi slapped her, 'How dare you say that!  You heartless *****!'
    She was stunned, 'Ryu-chan'
    'Get out of here,' he ordered and she quickly ran away.  Ryuichi then looked back to Yoshiko and felt a strong sense of compassion toward her.  She needed to be comforted and he felt he was the right guy to do it.  He smoothly walked over to her and put on his most caring face.  'Yoshiko?'
    She looked up with her teary eyes and saw him.  'Hamada-san'
    He knelt down beside her, 'What's wrong?  Why are you crying?'
    Yoshiko was quiet, thinking about it made more tears fall from her eyes.  'I don't want to talk about it.'
    'You can tell me,' he gently brushed some stray hair from her face and smiled at her beautifully.  'Was it something Daisuke did?' she gasped softly and couldn't answer.  Ryuichi took that as a hint, 'It is, isn't it?  Well, I hope you know that he can't be trusted.  Even if you care for him a lot, all he will do is hurt you.  He could never love you back.'
    Yoshiko didn't want to hear it, 'You're lying'
    'Am I?  I saw that Emi returned today.  You know who she is?  Daisuke's one and only girlfriend.  You should have seen them before she left, they were inseparable!  Do you realize that he's been deceiving you this whole time?  Maybe he's acted as if he loved you, but really he was in love with another all along.  Now, if you ask me, that's one of the lowest things anyone could do.'  Yoshiko sobbed more, the kind of reaction Ryuichi was going for.  'Yoshiko, he's worthless.  I suggest you forget all about him before he hurts you any more.' He set a hand on her shoulder and hoped she would succumb to him in her time of need.  He then kissed her forehead and spoke softly, 'Please consider me an alternative.  I swear that I'd never hurt you like he has.  I'd kill myself before I'd see you in pain.'
    She shook her head and pulled away, 'I'm sorry, I just want to be alone now!'
    She ran off away from him suddenly, leaving him alone by the tree.  He rose back to his feet and she was already out of view.  He looked back to the school and knew what sort of drama had unfolded within.  Suddenly, he saw Emi run out of the school and off in the opposite direction of Yoshiko.  Ryuichi couldn't tell if she was crying, or just terribly angry, but she didn't look very happy.  He shook his head and said to himself, 'Mizuno, what have you done?  You idiot.'

    (Yikes, here comes the scary stuff')
    Fairy and Taka were sitting across form each other at a private little booth at the restaurant, looking over their menus.  It was a nice restaurant specializing in western cuisine, so Fairy almost felt right at home!  Taka was having trouble trying to understand some of the items on the menu'he'd never heard of some of it before.  Fairy giggled at him and was about to comment on how nice it was to be on a real date when the waiter approached in a white dress shirt and tie.  He smiled at the two, obviously not realizing what exactly he would have to deal with'
    'Hello, my name is Ken, I'll be your server today.  So, can I start you out with something to drink?' he readied a pen and notepad.  Both Fairy and Taka smiled up to him
    'Oh yes, nice cold iced tea for me, hun.' Fairy winked at him, 'Taka-chan, what would you like?'
    'Tab soda, please.'
    Ken jotted all that down and then asked, 'Ok, ready to order then?'  They nodded, though Taka was a bit unsure of himself.  'Alright, ma'am?' he looked to Fairy.
    He tried his hardest not to burst into giggles, 'Um, I think I'll just have a nice leafy green salad.  Oh, with those cute little tomatoes and olives, but make sure your salad dressing is fat free.  I can't have my beautiful figure spoiled, now can I?'
    'Uh, no ma'am, not at all,' answered Ken hesitantly.
    'But you know,' Fairy started again, looking to Ken seductively, 'I wouldn't mind just ordering you instead.'  Ken looked ultimately disturbed and scooted over to Taka.
    'Soooo, what will you be having, sir?' he was blushing and becoming very frightened of Fairy, who was still winking and blowing kisses at him.
    Taka looked down to the menu, 'I'll take any sandwich that doesn't have meat in it, but Feri-chan's right.  I'd much rather just have you.  Think you can spare a few minutes, take your break early?' he smiled to him and touched his hand, caressing it softly.  Ken winced as he did this'he'd never been consciously aware of a guy hitting on him!
    'Ummmmm' I think I'll just go and' he ran off, nearly ramming into someone trying to balance a huge tray.  He'd never been so scared before!
    The two laughed, 'Cute boy,' said Fairy, looking across to Taka.  'So, Taka-chan, you've been really quiet.  Is something wrong?'
    He thought about Satoru, his eyes narrowed slightly, 'Yeah.  I don't want to sound rude, but why were you so mean to Sato-chan?'
    'Who?  Oh, you mean that kid?  I wasn't mean to him, he was trying to keep you there, like he owned you or something!  He can't do that!' Fairy's a bit of a hypocrite'
    'Why not?  I mean' He's got really tender feelings, so please don't be mean to him anymore, ok?'
    Fairy rolled his eyes, 'Just as long as he doesn't interfere with you and me, I won't have a reason to.  And why do you go to an elementary school anyway?  Aren't you supposed to be in high school or something?'
'It's a long story' I started school late,' Taka didn't like thinking about that, so he changed the subject, 'Anyway, after this could you take me back to school please?'
    Fairy looked hurt, 'School?!  Taka-chan, I'm surprised!  Don't you want to come to my place for a little fun first?'
    He sighed and looked to the side, 'I really should get back to school'
    'Oh, don't be such a goody goody.  We're on a date, so don't even think about school.  Besides, I don't think you'd rather do a bunch of boring work than be with me, would you?'
    Taka was quiet for a moment, 'That's not it.'
    'Hmm?' Fairy took a sip of his iced tea as it was brought to him (by a different person, this one being female so that there would be no threat from the two).
    'I really want to be with Sato-chan.'
    Fairy choked and coughed madly when he heard that.  Then, he looked to Taka nearly enraged, 'You WHAT?!?!?!'
    'Uh' Taka scooted as far back into his seat as he could out of fear.  He was quickly learning that Fairy was the type to get incredibly jealous.
    'Taka-chan!' he pounded his hand on the table, 'You want to be with some dorky little kid more than me?!  How could you?!  That skinny little weed doesn't even have half of what I've got, how could you choose him over me?' he was nearly hyperventilating.
    'No, no!  You don't understand!  I just want to uh' to' umm' I left my stuff there, so I have to go back and get it' yeah!  I have to get my stuff!  I was just kidding about the whole Sato-chan thing!' a little white lie never hurt, considering Taka had all the things he had brought out in Fairy's car'
    Fairy stared at him a while and then sat calmly back in his seat.  He still looked a little huffy, 'You sure?'  Taka nodded in frenzy.  Fairy then smiled, 'Ok, come to my place for a little bit and I'll take you back to school so you can get your little school things!' he completely changed moods.
    Taka was relieved, 'Thanks,' he would remember in the future to try not to mention too much about Satoru, especially when it sounded a bit affectionate.
    Their food was brought by the same woman.  'Itadakimasu!' they both called and began to eat.  They both liked it a lot and, as promised, after the bill was paid Fairy brought Taka back to his lovely little apartment.  Taka commented on how nice it was and how much he really did like it, he especially liked the view.  He could see all over the city from there!  Fairy had planned this all out and so far everything was running smoothly.  He was pleased to see Taka enjoying himself so much and only had one other thing on his mind'I think y'all know what that was and where this is heading, so I'm gonna end it right there' (scary' >_<)

    The rest of the school day was miserable.  Daisuke sat with his head hung on his desk, staring out the window.  Yoshiko's seat was empty and he had no idea where her or Emi were.  He felt awful inside, almost sick in fact.  He had screwed up big time and now he feared that Emi and Yoshiko would probably both hate him and never want to speak to him again.
    Hiroshi was worried.  He looked to Daisuke and had never seen him so depressed before.  Of course, he had good reason.  He wished there were something he could do to help fix things, he refused to believe that it was all hopeless.  He wanted to find Yoshiko and Emi so he could try to patch things up, if he could.  He just wanted everyone to be happy again.
    Finally, the bell rang, dismissing school.  Hiroshi quickly packed his things up and stood from his seat.  Daisuke hadn't moved a muscle.  'Yo Dai, it's time to go man.'
    Daisuke sighed softly and slowly sat upright, looking to Hiroshi.  Even that small movement seemed to be very difficult for him.  'What's the point?' he asked coldly, tears stinging his eyes.
    'Whoa, you don't mean that, do you?' he didn't answer.  Hiroshi sat down again and was more concerned than he'd probably ever been in his life, 'Come on, you can't give up that easily.'
    He scowled, 'The person I love more than my own life now hates me.  Can you even understand that?'
    He tried to think of something supportive to say, 'How do you know she hates you?  She was just a little' shocked.'
    'Don't BS me, you didn't see the look in her eyes.  It was the most horrible sense of pain and loss I've ever seen in anyone's eyes.  It's all my fault too.  Just because I'm so stupid to forget about Emi-chan and go off with Yoshiko like it wouldn't hurt anything.  I wish I could take it all back.'
    Hiroshi began to burn inside and almost felt like slapping him.  'It's not like you could have helped that.  She came to you because she needed you, if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have a comfortable place to live where she'd be safe and cared for.  Now you better not tell me you wish you could take that back because that'd be one of the most selfish things you could ever wish for!'
    Daisuke really thought about what he said.  He did have a few good things to say once in a while.  'But still' why did I have to go and screw everything up by becoming so infatuated by Yoshiko when I already had a girlfriend?'
    'Dai, you can't blame yourself!  Emi-chan was away for a long time and we're guys, no one can expect us to just think of one girl who's not even in the same continent!  It's a bit outrageous for Emi-chan to actually think that the whole time she was away you wouldn't get interested in other girls.  You're human, you can't help these things!'
    Daisuke nodded, 'I guess you're right' but that still doesn't help the fact that they're both really upset with me, or worse.'
    Hiroshi stood up, looking very confident all of the sudden, 'Oh ye of little faith' Don't you worry yourself about them any longer, I'll go talk to them and try to fix things.  You just go to swim practice'hey!  You have your first meet tonight, don't you?'
    Daisuke gasped, 'How could I have forgotten that?!' he began to get his things together quickly and stood.
    'You have a lot of other things on your mind.  Geez, be easier on yourself, you'll be a lot happier that way!'
    Daisuke smiled weakly, 'Sorry, can't really help it lately.  And I'm soooooooo worried!' he began to whimper, 'I don't want Yoshiko to hate me and I don't want Emi-chan to think I'm the scum of the Earth!'
    'I'll take care of things, ok?  Just go and be ready to swim the best you can.' He gave Daisuke an enthusiastic thumbs up.  Daisuke was happy to know he had a friend like Hiroshi, even if he did get on his nerves a lot.
    He eventually agreed and picked up the flower and photograph.  'I'll see you at the meet then.  Remember, it's at five.'
    'I'll be there and I'll make sure this thing is sorted out.'
    'Thanks.  See ya,' Daisuke left quietly and walked to the locker room.  The whole time he was thinking about Yoshiko and Emi.  He hoped that Hiroshi would be able to fix things.  He didn't know what he'd do if Yoshiko or Emi really hated him.
    Hiroshi ran out of school wondering why he had just agreed to try and fix things up.  He didn't even know where the girls were!  'Yoshiko-chan!  Emi-chan!' he called, causing some strange looks from lingering students.  He must have searched every inch of the campus before he finally concluded that they were not there.  Taking a few moments to catch his breath, he then decided to try and look for at least one of them at Daisuke's house.  Yoshiko would probably be there crying or Emi would probably be there trying to burn the house down.  Either way he'd be in luck.
    As Hiroshi ran closer to Daisuke's house, he spotted something gleaming down the road.  It was silver hair.  'Koji-kun!' Hiroshi sped up.  As he got closer with amazing speed, he called out his name repeatedly.  Koji turned to see him practically flying down the hill.  It was never wise to run that fast down a hill because it was nearly impossible to stop' Hiroshi demonstrated this wonderfully as he zoomed past Koji and eventually pounded into several large trash bags at the bottom of the hill, thus stopping him.  Koji was amazed at his lack of common sense.
    He walked closer to see Hiroshi's eyes spinning.  Hiroshi was watching little birdies and stars spinning around his head, but soon snapped back to his senses.  He stood and brushed himself off, looking as if he meant to do that.  'Koji-kun!  I need your help!' he then said desperately.
    'What is it?'
    'It's Yoshiko-chan!  I need to find her quick!  Do you know where she is?'
    Koji had been sensing all sorts of strong things all day, but he didn't know what to make of them.  Now he knew that something had happened to Yoshiko and Daisuke, for he had sensed two very distinct and different things.  Unfortunately, he hadn't seen Yoshiko all day.
    'Dang it, where could she be?' Hiroshi was both worried and anxious.  Five o' clock wasn't really that far away.
    Koji closed his eyes and really began to focus and concentrate.  The small black hourglass-shaped figure on his forehead began to glow a bright white, good thing Hiroshi was looking away because he'd have freaked out if he saw that!  Soon, Koji was able to get a strong sense and image in his mind of where Yoshiko was.  He could feel her distressed energy, it was radiating from her intensely.  He opened his eyes and pointed east, 'The park.'
    'W-what makes you think she's there?' he looked back to him.
    'Trust me,' he hurried toward the park.
    'Hey, wait up!!'

    Yoshiko was sitting alone under a tree at the park watching the birds fly down to eat seeds that had been scattered there.  Her face was no longer full of the joy and vitality it once overflowed with, her eyes no longer sang a song of hope and love.  Her cheeks were stained with tears that no longer fell and her heart felt tattered and useless.
    Hiroshi and Koji spotted her, Hiroshi called her name wildly.  She looked to them and didn't know whether to be grateful or unmindful.  When they reached her, Hiroshi had to lean against the tree and catch his breath.  Koji looked down to Yoshiko and was beginning to understand what was troubling her so.  In a quick movement, she rose to her feet and ran to Koji, embracing him strongly.  He set his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.
    Hiroshi looked back and nearly fell over, 'Oh man!' he wanted to be the one to offer Yoshiko comfort!
    Yoshiko dried her eyes and looked up to Koji, keeping her arms around him.  'Koji-san' I'm glad you're here.'
    'Something has happened between you and Daisuke-san today.  Please, tell me about it.'
    She nodded, though it would be difficult, 'Oh it's terrible' he's been using me this whole time!'
    'Why do you think so?'
    'Because,' she sobbed, 'he's acted so kind to me and has done so many wonderful things for me, I thought we could be happy together but he already has someone he loves' She came back today and they looked so happy together' they even kissed!' she lowered her head and cried.
    Koji looked over to Hiroshi.  Hiroshi set a hand on her back and tried to calm her, 'You have it all wrong.  Dai could never just abandon you like that, he cares too much for you.  I know he does.'
    She looked to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, 'But why didn't he mention her before?  Why did this just have to come as a big shock to me?'
    'Well, he is a bit dense sometimes, can't put that past him.  And she'd been gone for a long time, you can't expect him to be thinking about her all day everyday.  Besides, I know that when he met you, everything in his life changed.'
    ' What do you mean?' she asked quietly.
    'He started thinking of her less and less until he probably never thought of her.  Instead, you came into his life and he started thinking more and more about you.  His feelings for her died away, but feelings for you kindled in their place.  I know that's it and I know that he never meant to hurt you in any way.  I know he didn't mean for any of this to happen, unfortunately life is just full of these little quirks.  You gotta believe me.  Dai just wants you back and he's really sorry about everything.'
    Yoshiko let that swell inside of her until she knew that everything Hiroshi had said was true.  She looked back up to Koji and read the same thing on his beautiful face.  She nodded and gave a small smile, 'Ok, I should go and talk to him and apologize also.  I shouldn't have run like that without him being able to say a word.  I was just so hurt at the time because I thought' she suddenly backed away from Koji and looked worried again, 'What about Emi-san?'
    'Yes, what about me?' they looked to see Emi come from behind a nearby tree.  Well, THAT was a shock!
    'Whoa, Emi-chan!  Where did you come from?!' asked Hiroshi.
    'I've been here for a long time.  I'm sorry about eavesdropping.'
    'Never mind that.  How are you doing?'
    She shrugged her small shoulders, 'I've been doing a lot of thinking.  Dai-chan must really like Yoshiko-chan.  And you're right, it's a bit foolish of me to think that he's been completely loyal to me all this time, with me thousands of miles away.  Yoshiko-chan must be a very special person, it sounds like his feelings for her run more deeply than they ever could have with me.'
    Yoshiko gasped, not sure she was comfortable with what she was saying.  'Emi-san'
    Emi smiled faintly and shook her head, walking to Yoshiko.  'Yoshiko-chan, I don't think there's anything more we can do about this.  While Dai-chan and I have been together a long time, things definitely have changed since I've been away.  We're going to have to let him choose, us fighting over him will do no good.  I've done my crying already and I've decided on something.  Dai-chan can't have both of us, so may the better woman win.' She held out her hand to Yoshiko.  Nearly shocked, Yoshiko pulled her eyes from her to her outstretched hand.  Emi was right, Daisuke would have to choose this time.  Yoshiko agreed and shook her hand.
    Hiroshi was relieved they were able to settle things with no blood.  Emi was a very good person, he was glad they had come to an agreement.  Now it was all up to Daisuke.  Who would he choose?  Emi, the first girl he'd ever been interested in, or Yoshiko, the girl of his dreams.
    Then, Hiroshi's watch beeped with the alarm.  He nearly ripped his hair out, 'Dang it!  Now I have to go pick up Amoebae Boy!  Stupid mom's car, having to break down again!'
    Emi laughed, 'You still call him that?  Now, Hiro-chan that's not very nice!  Your little brother is soooooooooooooooooooooo adorable!'
    'Right' try living with him.'
    Yoshiko giggled softly, she was feeling quite a bit better now.  She bowed her head to Hiroshi, 'Goodbye Shiozawa-san, and thank you so much.' she smiled warmly.
    He smiled back with a nod, 'Happy to help a beautiful damsel in distress!  You know, which ever one of you Dai rejects I'd be MORE than happy to take you as my girlfriend!'  Neither girl looked the least bit pleased with that comment.
    Again, Koji was amazed at his lack of common sense, 'Maybe you should just go.'
    'Yeah' Hiroshi ran away and was regretting that comment already, even though it was the truth!

    Satoru was sitting alone on a bench in front of his school.  Everyone else had gone home.  He was just waiting to be picked up, though he had no real desire to go home.  All afternoon all he could think about was Taka.  He had been completely zoned out in school after he left, he was just so sad that he had left and for some reason couldn't get him off his mind.  Satoru certainly didn't know why that was'all he knew is that he really wanted Taka and was also very hurt by what Fairy had said.  It affected him so greatly.  Taka was his (or hers, as Satoru thinks)?  What was that supposed to mean?  Satoru sighed, he was so confused.  He had never felt the same way about anyone as he felt about Taka.
    Speaking of Taka, at that very moment, he was staggering down to the front of the school toward Satoru.  Fairy smirked again and quickly sped away in his car.  Taka had an enormous smile on his face and his eyes seemed to be filled with stars.
    Satoru was so happy when he spotted him, he jumped from the bench and ran over to him, 'Taka-chan!!'
    Taka seemed a bit out of it and finally saw Satoru.  He hugged him tightly, 'SATO-CHAAAAN!!!  I'M SOOOO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!!!'
    Satoru was getting squished, 'Not so tight, I can't breathe!  You smell like perfume and your hair is all messed up.  Why do you have lip stick all over your face?  Why is your shirt on backwards?  What did you do when you went out for lunch?' he observed that Taka looked much different that he did when he had left.
    Taka chuckled madly to himself and shook his head, 'Hi-mi-tsu!' he winked. (Himitsu=secret.  Pronounced hee-mee-tsu)
    Satoru was confused, as always.  'Well, I'm glad you're back.  I've missed you so much.  I didn't want you to go with that scary lady'
    Taka smiled at him, 'Yes, I'm sorry Feri-chan was so cold to you.  I'll make sure that never happens again.  I felt so bad when I saw you crying, are you ok?'
    He nodded, 'Now that you're here.'
    Taka's lip quivered, 'Oh, that makes me soooooooooooooooooo happy!!!' he hugged him again, and again Satoru couldn't breathe very well.
    Hiroshi walked to the school and saw Taka and Satoru hugging.  His eye twitched and he felt sick again.  'Amoebae Boy!' he called, Satoru looked back to him.
    'Onii-chan!  I was wondering when you'd get here.'
    'Yeah, yeah, I got delayed.  So come on, let's go.' He turned the other way so he wouldn't have to see that.  He was kind of angry, seeing his brother like that.  He was angrier at Taka.  He had determined that Taka was turning Satoru gay, and he didn't like that very much at all.
    Satoru looked back to Taka, 'He looks mad.  I have to go.'
    Taka let go of him, though not wanting to.  Satoru walked to Hiroshi and Taka decided to follow.  They began to walk to their home and every time Taka saw Hiroshi he smiled again and still felt plenty frisky.  'Hiro-chan,' he taunted, running his fingers through his blonde hair.
    Hiroshi gasped and saw Taka winking at him.  His eye twitched more, 'Hey, stop that!  We're in a public place, you know!'
    'So, you don't want anyone to see us like this?  Oh, you're making me lonely!' he wrapped an arm around his waist and rubbed his head against his shoulder.
    'W-what the heck is that supposed to mean?!  Quit it!  What are you, a cat or something?!' Hiroshi was trying to get away, but it was useless.  Taka was so clingy when he wanted to be.
    'Come on, Hiro-chan!  Why don't we go some place where we can be a lone?'
    'Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!' Hiroshi yelled and ran all the rest of the way home.
    Satoru stared as he ran out of sight and Taka laughed.  'He's so fun to play with!'
    'And so uptight,' Satoru sighed and continued on his way.  They departed and both went to their homes.  But they'd see each other soon, they were both going to Daisuke's swim meet.  It was drawing nearer and nearer.

    The pool was filled with competitors and spectators.  All the seats were taken, some people had to stand anywhere they could just so that everyone could fit and witness the first swim meet of the school year.  Yoshiko, Hiroshi, and everyone were sitting all together near the front so they could get the best view of everything.  They must have been as excited and nervous as Daisuke was and they were waiting to see him.  His team was still in the locker room.
    'Ok guys, this is it.  We've had really great practices and I know we're ready for whatever these guys can throw at us,' said Guchi to his team in the locker room, 'So I want you guys to get out there and show them we won't sink in the water.  And most of all, have fun!' they cheered and filed out of the locker room.  Daisuke was feeling just a bit low on confidence, but he'd have to try and overcome that.  Guchi gave him a peace sign right before he walked out, that helped a little bit.
    The cheers were deafening when Daisuke came out.  He smiled and waved at the crowd, his fan club went wild at this moment and nearly blinded him with camera flashes.  He spotted Yoshiko and Emi, they were both looking to him with very humble, very sincere smiles.  He was glad to see this and knew he had Hiroshi to thank.  Then Emi blew him a kiss and he blushed.
    Taka had become mesmerized at the sight of Daisuke in a speedo.  He was sitting next to Hiroshi and Satoru, and literally started to drool.  'Oh wow' he said, 'he is soooooooooooo hot'
    Hiroshi shuddered and looked over to him, 'That's totally disgusting!  Come on, just stop looking there at least'
    'I'can't'help'it' his enormous smile returned.  Hiroshi sighed again.  This would be a long meet.
    The other team came out and all glared straight at Daisuke's team.  They were scary and looked extremely tough.  Some of them were twice their size!  Big bulging bags of muscle, they were!  Daisuke swallowed nervously.  This meet might not be an easy win.
    The first event was beginning.  Those competing lined up on the starting platforms'Osamu was one of them.  Daisuke wished him luck and Osamu gave him a thumbs up, then put on his goggles.  The whistle was blown and they all thrust into the water. Everyone was cheering Osamu on, he seemed to be a favorite, along with Daisuke.  He was doing very well too, he was already ahead!  (Gah, I don't know too much about swim meets, so if this is lame, blame my ignorance ^^;;).  He had gotten a lot better, he had been so determined at practice to do well and it was really paying off, he was smoking all the others and making it look easy!  It was an easy win for him and the crowd erupted into more cheering.  He came out of the pool, ecstatic that he not only won, but that he was able to substantially improve his time!
    That put (to be determined (man, I really need a good name for this)) High School ahead from the start.  More events passed and their team was enjoying a lot of the same success Osamu had started out with.  Maybe these guys weren't so tough after all!  Ryuichi was up and, of course, he also demolished the other guys, getting the best time out of anyone so far!  As he walked past Daisuke, he made sure to gloat about it, 'Well, that was quite easy.  Almost as easy as breaking girls' hearts,' he added, getting at Daisuke's conscience.
    'What is that supposed to mean?!' he demanded.
    Ryuichi glared at him, 'Don't be such an idiot.  Everyone knows what happened today.  Look at them all, cheering you on like it doesn't even matter.  Well, to me it does matter.  What you've done is wrong.'
    Daisuke thrust his head the other way, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
    Ryuichi shook his head while toweling off.  'Poor ignorant little Mizuno.  You can't seriously be that stupid, can you?  You've led Yoshiko on even though you loved another.  I don't think too highly of that, but it's apparent you could care less.'
    Daisuke was getting angry, 'Look, I know all that, and it's all taken care of!  I was foolish with what I did, but it's alright now, ok?'
    'So you've spoken with Yoshiko and Emi then?'
    'Well, no' not exactly'
    Ryuichi smirked, 'Well then there's no way you can be completely sure of that.  You never know, Yoshiko just might leave you for another too' he turned from him and walked toward the locker room, sitting down at a bench.
    'No way, she'd never do that' Daisuke glanced back at Yoshiko to see her talking with Hiroshi.  Even if he tried to deny it, Ryuichi's words still found a way of threatening him.  He couldn't bare losing Yoshiko, not to anyone.  He felt dizzy.
    'Shark Man, you're up!' Osamu came over to him, he didn't seem to even hear him.  'Shark Man!' he called again, Daisuke finally noticing him.
    'Huh?'
    'You're up!  Are you alright?  You look a little pale.'
    'Oh yeah, I'm fine.' Daisuke wiped some sweat from his forehead and walked to the starting platform.
    'Good luck!' Osamu wished.
    Daisuke gave him a thumbs up and as soon as he got onto the starting platform, the crowd went more wild than ever.  Hiroshi especially was 'raising the roof.'  They wanted to see another of his legendary performances.
    The scores were extremely close and Daisuke would be the last swimmer for his team.  It was all depending on him, Guchi had set it up this way because he had the ultimate amount of faith in Daisuke.  He had proved himself in these situations many times in the past.  Simply enough, if Daisuke won, the team would win, if he lost, the team would loose.  It was the most amount of pressure he'd felt in a while.
    The announcer announced their names, Daisuke's name getting an insane amount of cheering, and all the swimmers loosened their limbs one last time and crouched into position.  Yoshiko, along with everyone else, had her fingers crossed.  Daisuke stared out onto the perfectly smooth water and then lowered his head to proper position.  His heartbeat was thunderous'he didn't realize that the crowd had become silent.  He felt his eyes blur and darken as a short spell of dizziness came and went.  That was weird, he thought.  All he had to do now was listen for that whistle and swim to win.  Nothing more, nothing less.
    The whistle finally sounded and the swimmers dove into the water.  Daisuke sprung out ahead with his powerful legs.  The crowd cheered him on in a chant of, 'Shark Man!  Shark Man!' which he could hear bits and pieces of as his head was out of the water.  Swinging to the second lap, Daisuke knew he was ahead.  One of the big scary looking swimmers wasn't too far behind though and was gaining fast.
    Near the start of the third lap, Daisuke started to feel dizzy again.  It was much stronger this time and came and went more often.  He tried to ignore it, but it was making his swimming much more difficult and he was starting to slow down a lot.  'Come on, Shark Man!' yelled Guchi as he noticed his sudden change in pace.  They couldn't afford him to retire already!  Nonetheless, Daisuke kept on going.  He started the third lap and all the sounds, everything seemed to muffle together.  His head felt like it was spinning and soon everything went black.  Daisuke had fainted in the water.
    The crowd roared with gasps when they saw Daisuke sink into the water, stricken unconscious.  Yoshiko covered her mouth with her hand with the most worry she had ever felt for anything.  Hiroshi bolted to his feet, 'Dai!'
    Guchi and the team rushed to the pool.  Ryuichi came also, to see what was going on.  Guchi ordered Osamu to jump in, he did right away and saw Daisuke sinking near the bottom of the deepest part of the pool.  He had probably breathed in a lot of water already.  He grabbed him and rushed him back to the surface.  Guchi pulled Daisuke from the pool and immediately checked for pulse.  He'd have to do CPR.
    Hiroshi jumped down from the spectator area and ran to the scene, 'Dai!!!!!' his cry echoed through the entire building as he stood and watched in horror as Guchi did CPR on his best friend.
    Yoshiko shook her head and lost all strength in her legs.  She just couldn't believe it' Misami burst into tears, along with Tenko, but there was nothing they could do for him.  Most of the others were in shock.
    Hiroshi collapsed to his knees right beside Daisuke and felt tears blurring his vision further.  Guchi was still doing CPR and ordered some of the swimmers to go get help.  Hiroshi pounded his fist on the ground in defeat, tears streaming down his cheeks.  'Don't do this, Dai!' he cried, 'You can't!  Open your eyes, please!  Just open your eyes, Dai!'
    Ryuichi was also quite shocked at the situation and he looked down to Hiroshi with all sorts of emotions stirring inside.  Guchi kept doing it for several more times and Hiroshi thought he had lost his best friend.
    Yoshiko felt a bitter stabbing in her heart as a gruesome realization came to her.  Daisuke was going to die.  She knew that there was only one way she could prevent that, though, and that was to use her powers.  She had the power to heal, and she could try with all her might to restore Daisuke's life, because in that short time in the water, he had breathed in a lot of water and had drowned.  She knew she had used her powers before and that it was looked down upon for anyone from Stilatial to use their powers on Earth unless in utter emergencies, but she felt that this qualified perfectly for that.  As everyone stared in shock and terror, she silently closed her eyes, bowed her head, and focused her energy on healing Daisuke.
    Guchi continued CPR, but no good was coming from it.  'Come on, Shark Man!' he called and wiped his tears away.  Daisuke just laid there, unconscious.  They had all assumed that he had died.  Dread dampened all of their spirits and there was not a single dry eye anywhere.  Even in Ryuichi's eye.
    Yoshiko focused more than she had ever focused before.  Sweat was beading up on her forehead as she continued secretly focusing her amazing powers on Daisuke.  Soon though, it was too much to take and she had to stop.  All of her energy was spent.  She leaned down in her seat and felt exhausted.  She had no idea if her powers had actually worked on him or not.
    At the moment when all seemed lost and Guchi was ready to give up hope, Daisuke suddenly coughed.  Everyone heard the distinctly and shot their eyes to him.  Hiroshi was overjoyed.  'Dai!' he said happily and scooted closer to him.
    He coughed more and took several deep breaths.  He slowly opened his eyes and stared aimlessly toward the ceiling and his vision slowly came into focus.  He saw blurry images of all his team, Guchi, and Hiroshi smiling down at him.  'Where am I?' he asked weakly.
    They were all extremely happy he was alright and Hiroshi began to wail again, thrusting his arms around him, 'Dai!!!  You're alive!!!'
    Daisuke was a little confused, 'What?' obviously, he couldn't remember what had happened.
    Everyone now cried for joy and Yoshiko knew that her powers had worked.  She was too tired to stand, but she smiled faintly and felt so happy.  'I did it,' she whispered and then fell asleep.
    Some paramedics rushed in and ran over to Daisuke.  They had their hands full of equipment.  Guchi chuckled, 'It's alright boys, Shark Man's here to stay!' he looked down to Daisuke and knew that some sort of miracle had brought him back.  He thanked whatever it was from the bottom of his heart.
    Daisuke was still very confused and Hiroshi helped him sit up right.  He looked to his side to see the pool and the crowd clapping in a much more reverent manner.  He saw the other team doing this as well, but he couldn't remember anything.  'Hiro, what happened?  Why am I here?'
    'I'll assume you're not asking about the birds and the bees,' he laughed.  Daisuke didn't look amused, 'Man, you really don't remember?  Dai, you fainted when you were swimming.'
    'I did?' he gasped.
    He nodded, 'When they pulled you out you were all blue' I really thought that I'd lost you' Now Daisuke was shocked.  Hiroshi couldn't help the tears that fell again, but tried to hide them from everyone, especially Daisuke.  'Yeah' I'm just glad you're alright.'
    The rest of his teammates sat down by him and expressed their sentiments as well.  Daisuke pieced the whole story together as each of them preached different things.  Some of them had a way of stretching the truth a bit.  Ryuichi didn't know what to think about Daisuke really being alright.  He sighed deeply and went to the locker room.
    The paramedics were perplexed.  They looked at Guchi like they had no idea what to do.  He shrugged, 'I don't know how to explain it either, but he looks fine now.  That's my Shark Man, always full of surprises!  So I guess you boys can leave,' the paramedics were convinced when they saw Daisuke laughing with the rest of the team that he really was alright and decided to leave with no further questions.  Guchi sat down with them.  'Shark Man, you sure had us scared!'
    'Heh' well I did keep getting these weird dizzy spells.  I don't know why that happened, I've never fainted before.'
    'You were probably just way too stressed out.  Things like that can happen,' said Osamu.
    'Yeah, you're right.'  Daisuke thought about all the stresses in his life.  They were very numerous.  Daisuke got a peek at the score board and became very disappointed, 'Well, thanks to me we lost.'
    'Shark Man, that's the least of our worries right now!  We're just glad you're alright!' said Guchi.
    'Yeah, but I let everyone down.  It's all my fault we lost.'
    Guchi shook his head, 'Don't worry about it.  It's just one meet.  We'll have plenty of others to bounce back on, you just make sure you're feeling well before you go so this doesn't happen again.' They laughed.
    'Ok,' Daisuke smiled.  Guchi was such a great coach.
    The stands began to clear as the crowd clustered around Daisuke.  Misami immediately hugged him and expressed how happy she was to see him alright.  Emi and Tenko did this too, while the others expressed their relief in a much calmer manner.  Taka wanted to hug him, but Hiroshi made sure to keep him back.  Daisuke might actually die if Taka did hug him'
    Koji stayed up by Yoshiko, who was sound asleep.  He knew she was the reason he recovered.  He knew she had used her powers.  He gently brushed some hair from her lovely face and said in her dreams, 'Good job, Yoshiko-san.  Thank you.'

    Yoshiko was laid on her futon by Koji.  He pulled a blanket over her and quietly left her room.  He had taken her home early because he knew how exhausted she was from using her powers.  He knew the others would be back soon.  He descended to the basement and told Jemena all about what had happened.
    Soon, everyone else arrived home, including Hiroshi, Taka, and Emi.  Daisuke didn't mind, he was feeling too grateful for his life.  The twins, although REALLY wanting to spend time with Daisuke, unfortunately had homework to do, so they dragged themselves off to do that, along with Satoru.  Misami went to check on Yoshiko.  Daisuke, Emi, Hiroshi, and Taka were standing near the doorway.
    Emi had to leave and hugged Daisuke tightly, not wanting to let him go.  'I'm so glad you're alright.  Please, don't scare me like that again.'  He smiled and hugged her back.  She looked into his eyes, 'Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow.  It's so good to be back with you again, Dai-chan.  Good night,' she kissed him softly on the lips and then quietly left.
    Daisuke stared in the direction she left from and could feel her sweet kiss lingering on his lips.  'I let her kiss me again' he said softly.
    Hiroshi could tell he had meant that as some sort of a 'why' question.  'Maybe it's because you love her.'
    Daisuke sighed, 'Maybe' but I know that I love Yoshiko' I thought I loved Emi-chan too, my feelings are all confused now.  I'm not sure what I feel anymore.'
    'You know you can't have both of them.  You're going to have to choose one or the other.  I know you don't want to, but you're going to have to let one of those girls down.'  Daisuke nodded.  Again, Hiroshi was right.
    'But who do I really love?'
    Taka smiled and stepped forward, 'Don't worry about it so much, Dai-chan.  The answer is easier than you think.  All you have to do is look inside yourself to see who you really have feelings for.  Who makes you feel wonderful inside?  Who makes you want to keep living day after day?  Who warms your heart just when you see them smile?  Ask yourself that and you'll know.'
    'Yeah,' Daisuke knew Taka was right.  'Thanks, Taka-kun.'
    'Well, looks like you've got a lot of thinking to do.' Announced Hiroshi.
    Daisuke yawned, 'I'm pretty tired too.  I'll go to bed and think.'
    'Ok, we'll see you later then.  Amoebae Boy!  We're leaving!' Hiroshi called down the hall.  Satoru quickly ran to him out of fear of being left behind.  Hiroshi smiled at Daisuke one last time and again thought about how grateful he was to have him with him.  'See ya.'  Daisuke waved at them, but Taka didn't exactly want to leave, so Hiroshi had to drag him as he blew a kiss at Daisuke.
    'Cut that out, you heard Dai, he likes GIRLS!' Hiroshi yelled at him as they scrambled from the house.
    'I know, but I can have fun, can't I?  Come on, Hiro-chan, don't be such a stick in the mud!' he began playing with his hair again.  Satoru laughed at them.
    'Stop it!  Geez, you're acting weirder than usual, what did you do today?!'  Taka laughed to himself again, becoming very giddy.  Hiroshi understood and nearly became green.  'Now, that's just wrong.'  He endured Taka along the walk home and was grateful when they had to go separate ways.  Satoru couldn't wait for school the next day.

    Daisuke laid in his bed and thought intensely about Emi and Yoshiko.  Unfortunately, he was so tired that he fell asleep before he came up with a definite answer.  He needed the sleep though, after nearly dying and all.  He didn't even realize that Yoshiko was the one who had saved his life!  No one but Koji knew that.  Maybe Daisuke would find that out too sometime.  That night he had sweet dreams about Yoshiko and Emi that only confused his subconscious even further, but when he woke up the next day, he couldn't remember the dreams at all.

To be continued...