That spring afternoon was very pleasant; the sun was peering down upon Tokyo in a carefree, whimsical way.  The afternoon was a bright one as children hurried home from school, or in one case, returned back to school.  Daisuke set his blue and white duffel bag on the wooden bench that ran in front of a bay of lockers in the boy's locker room.  His name was printed largely, in bold white kanji on the side of the duffel bag, just below the renowned brand name.  He had returned back to his school soon after class was dismissed to pursue a very important event.  The varsity swim team tryouts were today and Daisuke knew that only some who tried out would make it.  He was determined to be one of those, he would regain his role as captain of the national championship team the prior year.  That was something he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way of.  It was more than just making the team, it was a role of honor and commitment that Daisuke swore he would receive.
    The locker room was just like any other, somewhat unappreciated, slightly messy, with the constant fragrance of sweaty teenage boys.  The lockers themselves were just newly installed.  They were long, long enough to fit a freshman, and they were a light blue colour with small slits to supply ventilation at the top and bottom.  Near the back of the locker room, behind the rows of lockers was a shower area along with a large crate which was often used to store dirty, smelly clothes inside.  The laundry had been done, much to Daisuke's relief, so there were no sumo sashes or jock straps adding to the array of odors that seemed to fill every locker room.  This was the only locker room the school had, (for guys at least) it was to serve the means of every sports club or PE class.  Luckily for the simmers, the locker room was connected right beside the pool, the door that led to the pool was near the back just beyond the showers.
    Daisuke looked down to his wrist to see his black waterproof watch.  He was an hour early for tryouts.  He smiled because that was exactly what he wanted and had planned.  Daisuke opened up his locker, which was the fifth one in the row on the furthest right hand side.  In other words, it was at the end right beside the wall.  His locker was relatively empty this afternoon, it had been a while since he had used it.  But, on the door and sides were pictures of him and his friends held up with black magnets.  They were all smiling and symbols of some of the best times Daisuke ever had with his friends.  There were some pictures of the previous swim competition championship and some of him and Hiroshi making really weird faces on a day they went downtown.  And there were some other pictures that members of his fan club gave him of themselves and of him with them, he didn't quite look as happy in these pictures.  This whole locker held a mural of the life of Daisuke during his popular high school days thus far.  He smiled as he remembered all the times and then thought aloud, 'Now I just need some pictures of Yoshiko.'  He sighed for several reasons as he thought of his secret love, Yoshiko.
    Daisuke pulled off the plain white T-shirt he had had on.  He threw it in the locker onto the top shelf, in anything but a neat manner.  This revealed his beautiful hazel light brown skin which was smooth and nearly perfect.  It accented very well his big brown eyes and almost black hair.  Daisuke unzipped the duffel bag and searched around in it.  He had brought with him all of his swimming gear, a towel, and a small picture of his mother, his good luck charm he always brought with him to any important swimming event.  'I'm gonna make it for you, mom.  I promise.'  Finally, Daisuke found what he was searching for originally.  He pulled out from underneath his thick white towel a blue speedo.  Daisuke took off the rest of his clothes and put it on, it was rather drafty being in nothing more than a speedo.  He found also in his duffel bag blue and white warm ups which he quickly pulled over his bare legs.  There was a matching jacket with his name crested along the back and on the right side of the front which he put on also.  He took out the new goggles he bought at the mall, a white swim cap with blue flames that made it look really spiffy, a towel, and then stuffed the duffel bag inside the locker along with his clothes.  He popped his neck and was ready to go to the pool when a sudden, frightening surprise occurred.
    'Darling!'  Misami then appeared beside him as he shut the locker, her face overjoyed at the sight of him.  Daisuke nearly fell against the next row of lockers out of shock.
    'Whoa!  M-Misami!'  A sudden surprise.
    She smiled cutely, 'Hiya!  Did you miss me?'
    Daisuke held a hand over his racing heart, 'What are you doing here??'  He didn't answer her question.
    'Sis and I wanted to come see your tryout, so we followed you!  She's sitting out in the bleachers, I wanted to come check on you,' she giggled.
    'I see' he calmed down a bit and stood up straight.  He was then very grateful that he was fully clothed when she decided to make her little 'check up.'  'Uh, Misami, you really didn't have to check on me' and besides, can you read that?'  Daisuke pointed to the left to a sign just above the door.  Misami's eyes flowed to it.
    'Boy's locker room,' she recited.  Then she looked daftly to Daisuke once more.  'So what?'
    Daisuke sighed, 'Girls aren't supposed to come in here under any circumstance.  Not even to go and check on someone.'
    Misami had a playful grin on her face, 'Aw, come on darling!  Can't there be just one exception?'
    He rolled his eyes, 'Sorry, I don't make the rules, I just try not to brake them.  You shouldn't come in here anymore, alright?'
    She seemed discouraged, 'Oh, alright.  I'll be good.  Just hurry up, k?  I wanna see you swimming!'  With that, she waved and quickly ran out of the locker room to hurriedly join her sister in the otherwise empty bleachers overlooking the pool.
    Daisuke was happy she left but at the same time distressed.  'Why me?!'  He grabbed all of the stuff and went to the pool.
    Someone else then walked into the locker room.  As he walked in, he saw the door leading to the pool slowly come to a close.  His eyes widened in curiosity and question, 'Someone else has the same plan as me' his eyes drifted to where Daisuke's locker was.  He saw that in front of it were shoes, which he had overlooked putting in the locker also.  Then, his eyes narrowed.  'Mizuno'
    It was a beautiful indoor pool.  The water was fresh and clear, turning a bluish hue where it was its deepest in front of the three meter high diving board.  It was also fairly large.  There was one section of it used for diving and another used for racing and doing laps.  The diving section, obviously, was deeper, reaching about four meters in depth.  The regular swimming section was consistent in depth of only a meter and a half.  There were starting platforms on the end nearest the locker room and seven lanes across that stretched all the way down to the other end of the pool.  To either side of the pool were spectator areas with bleachers.  Daisuke looked to see Yoshiko and Misami sitting on the top row of one to his left.  Misami instantly waved down to him excitedly and Yoshiko met him with that wonderful smile.  He was actually happy they had come, they could help him practice.
    As soon as Daisuke set the things he brought with him down, Misami ran down from the spectator area and stood beside him.  She was smiling widely to the man she loved.  Dang, she moves fast! Daisuke thought.
    'Hi!  Are you finally ready?'  She queried outwardly.
    Daisuke nodded and in his pocket miraculously found a stopwatch.  He pulled it out and handed it to her, 'Would you like to help me out?'
    She looked down to the black stopwatch with its shiny surface and liquid crystal display.  'I'll help you in any way I can, darling, you know that!'
    'Cool.  Now, when I start, just press that button and then press that one to make it stop after I-'
    'Of course I know how this works, don't worry about a thing!  I'll time you so you can see if your time has improved.'  Daisuke was at a loss of words.  She smiled, 'I'm not as dumb as some people may think.'
    Daisuke didn't quite know what to say to that, so he said nothing.  Instead, he prepared to get ready to swim.  He pulled all his hair up inside the cap to be more aerodynamic and put the goggles over his eyes to shield them from the horrendous chlorine.  Misami watched closely every move he made, and especially so once he began unzipping the jacket to expose his strong chest.  Daisuke could feel her gaze upon him and zipped it back up quickly, turning his eyes to her.  She laughed sheepishly and pretended to look elsewhere.  Daisuke's cheeks turned red as he thought of taking off practically all his clothes in front of not only Misami but also the girl he loved more than anything.  He was glad she was not down by the pool like Misami was.  Finally, he took a deep breath and summoned upon all of his courage to do what he had to to end up in only his speedo once again.  His cheeks were blazing.  Misami's eyes grew well over their normal size and Daisuke knew that from the bleachers Yoshiko was staring down with widened eyes also.  Daisuke was wondering and pretty worried about what Yoshiko was thinking at that time.  Did she like what she saw?  Was she as embarrassed as him?  He couldn't tell, he couldn't even bring himself to look at her, he was so embarrassed.  He just stared down and was the center of attention.  Him and his speedo.
    After uncomfortably doing a few mediocre stretches and warm ups, Daisuke went to a starting platform, his face still a glowing red.  He climbed up on it and swung his arms around to loosen them and to hopefully bring his mind off of Yoshiko.  Misami had figured out how the stopwatch worked and looked up to Daisuke.  She practically drowned herself in drool.  Daisuke cleared his throat and looked ahead.  His voice was very shaky, 'Anytime, Misami'
    Misami tore her gaze from his beautiful body and back to the stopwatch.  'Are you ready?'  Daisuke then became serious and focused directly on swimming.  He lowered into position and waited keenly for her word to signal him to begin.  She set her thumb stiffly on the button and loudly called out as she pressed at the same time, 'Begin!'
    Immediately, with reflexes like a cat, Daisuke dove into the water.  It almost appeared that he had wings as he glided at an incredible speed through the pool.  He would do two laps going both ways performing different swimming techniques, which was what the coach wanted those who were trying out to do.  They would have to meet a certain time limit and would need to display great technique to achieve it.  Daisuke was doing that wonderfully.  Misami gasped with amazement and smiled as she watched him bullet through the water so gracefully and powerfully.  'WAY TO GO, DARLING!'  She couldn't contain herself.
    Yoshiko was equally as amazed.  She arose to see him better and was truly impressed with his incredible skill.  She smiled and in her humble way wished him the best.
    Daisuke came to the opposite side and flipped around under the water to go back doing his very powerful breaststroke.  There was no denying he was practically part fish.  He was an amazing swimmer, the one responsible for bringing his team to victory at the previous national championship.  Simply, he loved swimming.  While he was doing it, he could really feel freedom.  He would forget all about his problems and relax'he felt at home in the water.  He hated that he wasn't able to do it very often for a period of a few weeks, but none of that mattered anymore since he was back and that moment was all that mattered.  Daisuke continued his laps and was nearing the end of his last.
    Misami was still cheering him on enthusiastically and Yoshiko was quietly doing the same thing.  Then, Daisuke touched the end again and Misami stopped the watch right as he did so.  She couldn't believe the time and knew that he must have improved from doing it previously.  She was so happy for him, 'Darling!  That was so awesome!  You did great!  I'm pretty sure you did better from last time!!'  She was about to run to the edge of the pool to congratulate him, but was stopped in her tracks as she saw someone kneeling above where Daisuke was still in the pool.  Daisuke noticed she had stopped her incessant cheering and so looked up to question her, but his attention was immediately drawn to a familiar cocky smirk and crystal blue eyes staring down at him.
    Daisuke's stomach churned.  'Hey, Mizuno.'  The familiar conceit hung heavily around him.
    'Hamada' the glory of improvement quickly left him as he said that.  His rival was there to ruin the moment.
    'So, how did you do?'
    Daisuke pulled himself up to the side and sat down with his legs dangling in the warm water.  He took off his goggles and reached for his towel to dry his face.  Afterwards, he looked back to Ryuichi in a way that wasn't too friendly.  'What are you doing here so early?'
    Ryuichi observed that Daisuke seemed very displeased with his presence.  Instead of becoming defensive, he brushed it off while running his fingers through his perfect silky hair, shining a magnificent deep blue in the light.  'It looks like you had the same thing in mind as I did.  I got here a little early to practice also.'
    'What's wrong, isn't your pool at home good enough?' he snapped without meaning to.
    Ryuichi laughed, 'I always come early to practice for things like this.  Coach even recommended I do since I am so skilled with swimming.'  He was so immodest.
    Daisuke's dark eyes looked him over, 'You're not even ready to practice.'  He observed he was still fully clothed in very expensive designer clothing.
    'I just wanted to see who was out here.'  Then, from behind came the recognizable sound of doors to the pool right beside the spectator area opening with low screeches and several different types of shoes clomping against the smooth floor.  Both looked back to see several members of the previous swim team and some new faces wishing to become part of it walking toward the locker room.  Ryuichi looked to his silver Rolex.  'Well, it looks like both of our plans have been thwarted.'  As much as Daisuke was glad to see his friends from the team, he was discouraged and a little angry he was not able to do some more practicing before they all arrived.
    'Yo!  Shark man!!'  Osamu, one of Daisuke and Hiroshi's good friends, waved to him as he walked past, already clad in his warm ups and thong sandals.  He had short hair the colour of goldenrod (because he bleached it) and light brown eyes.  He was always very friendly and very outgoing, they had been friends for a long time since they had both been on the team.  'Shark man' was a common nickname most everyone on the team used for Daisuke.  It seemed to fit him rather well.
    'Hey!' he waved back, masking his discouragement.  The other members also waved and said hi to him as they disappeared into the locker room.  They all loved being on the same team as the most popular guy at school, it made them look popular too.  They were the guys that always talked with him about girls and in the past helped him out the most when he was feeling very lonely and confused with his home situation.  They were just like brothers, always there for each other through it all.
    Water was streaming off of Daisuke's body, so he toweled off a bit more and Ryuichi stood up.  'Guess I should get ready too.'  He walked and disappeared also behind the door of the boy's locker room.
    Daisuke sighed silently and looked to the other side to see a pair of very attractive legs standing on his left side.  He looked up to see the bright smiling face of his love, Yoshiko.  Instantly, his cheeks became a light red as he smiled back up to her.  'You did a very great job, Daisuke-san.'  She complimented.
    His blush increased as he looked downward, 'Thanks,' he said quietly.
    'You'll definitely make it on the team, you're the best swimmer I've ever seen and I have total faith in you.'  Her voice was so lovely, so calm and sweet, it made Daisuke feel totally relaxed, like he could do anything.  His smile got bigger and he could feel his feelings for her swell even greater than before.
    Misami walked up to give in her two cents, 'Yeah, you'll kick all their butts!' she said in her usual spunky way.
    Daisuke came to his feet with a smile for them both.  He was feeling much better now, 'Thanks you two.  There's no way I'm gonna loose.  No way.'
    Misami again found herself mesmerized by the sight of her darling in a speedo as the door opened and shut again.  In walked a middle-aged man who looked very healthy and strong with thick black hair tied back behind him and a whistle tied around his neck that came to the front of his blue Hawaiian T-shirt.  He wore blue shorts and sandals and carried a duffel bag over one shoulder.  He took a deep breath of the warm air, heavy with the smell of chlorine as he walked through the gate by the spectator area and out to the pool to where Daisuke and the sisters were.  The stout man came to Daisuke with his hand ready to greet him in a high five and his face wrinkly in a big smile, 'Shark man!  Wassup?!'  His tanned hand clashed with Daisuke's.
    'Guchi!  Been a long time!' he was as happy to see his coach as anyone.  Coach Kawaguchi, Guchi for short, was one of Daisuke's favorite adults.  Not only had he been like a father to him during his father's frequent absences, he acted so much like the rest of the teenagers it made him forget he was even competing most of the time.  He was very laid back and loved to have a good time, but he was a guy that was totally made for swimming.  He loved it like nothing else, he loved the ocean and in his younger days was a professional surfer in Hawaii.  Daisuke always looked up to him and he told all his swimmers to give it their best.
    'You ready for tryouts?' he asked, his small eyes bright.
    'As much as I'll ever be, bro.'
    Guchi pat his shoulder, 'Good, just try not to smoke everyone too bad.'  He laughed and then saw the two lovely young ladies standing there.  'Well, hello.  I don't believe I've met you two, Shark man, introduce me to your friends.'
    Daisuke blushed a little, 'This is Nakayama Yoshiko and Misami.  They just moved here and they're staying at my house.'
    'Nice to meet you!'  Yoshiko bowed and smiled.
    'Ditto!'  Screamed Misami excitedly from behind.
    'Nice to meet you two ladies also.  Well, I better make sure they're not tearing up the locker room, catcha later Shark man!'  Guchi went back to the locker room with a hurried step.
    'That guy is so cool,' said Daisuke.  The girls agreed and Daisuke went back to his starting platform and sat down.  He looked out onto the deep, calm pool and thought.  Pretty soon he would have to give it his best and prove he was worthy of the title Shark man.

    'When will you be home?'
    'When practice is over, bye mom!'  Hiroshi threw his shoes on his feet and ran out the door.  He knew Daisuke's tryouts were today and he never missed them for anything and that wasn't just because hoards of girls would attend and he would feel very inspired and scribble hundreds of things down in his Special Little Notebook.  It was because he was his best friend and wanted to support him all the way.
    Hiroshi was sprinting to the school, he looked down to his watch, 'Crap!  I'm probably too late!'  Coming down the street in the opposite direction was a very buxom young lady in a mini skirt and halter-top.  Hiroshi's hentai sonar narrowed in on her and he turned his head as he ran past her.  He was keeping his eyes on her even after she was well past him.  He smiled widely and was about to whip out his Special Little Notebook when he knocked harshly into a pole.  He fell to the ground and nearly saw little dancing pixies as his vision split into two.  He incoherently tried to talk to the pixies, but was soon knocked out of his misery.
    Aya suddenly walked out of a nearby noodle shop, holding a box of ramen in one hand and rice cakes in the other.  On the other side of the street in the afternoon sun she saw Hiroshi looking dead on the sidewalk.  'Hiro-kun!' she called and ran over to him.  Sure enough, he was well out of it.  She set the boxes down and knelt beside him.  Aya found a pokey stick and proceeded in poking Hiroshi repeatedly with it while whispering, 'Hiro-kun, wakey wakey.'
    Finally, Hiroshi's dull eyes came open again to a field of intensely blurred vision.  'I've seen the light!'  He sat up too quickly for his blood to reach his brain and almost fell back again.
    Aya felt it safer not to ask.  'You'll get stepped on if you stay down there.'
    Hiroshi looked to her, but could barely make out a face.  He strained his eyes and squinted.  'Dai?  Aren't you at tryouts.'  She rolled her eyes and set his glasses over his eyes.  He felt stupid, 'Oh, sorry' I can see clearly now the rain is gone'
    'You're such an idiot, Hiro-kun.'
    He smirked, 'That's what makes me so sexy, isn't it?'
    She whacked his head and stood up, taking the boxes in each arm.  'What were you doing anyway?  Why were you on the ground?'
    He shook his head several times and stood up also, wiping the dust from his clothes, 'Just some important research'  Actually, I'm going to school to watch Dai's tryouts.  Do you wanna go too?'
    She shrugged, 'Why not?  I'll support Dai-kun.'
    'Alright, we might be late though.'
    'Not if we hurry!'  She said and began to run toward the school.  Hiroshi followed after her, though quite far behind, and they finally reached the school.  They went around back to the pool and slowly walked inside.
    It was very noisy.  Daisuke's fan club had arrived and was cheering him on loudly.  Misami got annoyed by them and so tried to outdo them by seeing who could cheer louder and more energetically.  Normally, the fan club would have been kicked out, but Guchi was feeling more lenient to them this day.  He just told them to try to shut up whenever someone was swimming.  Yoshiko just giggled at them and cheered silently for Daisuke.
    Hiroshi and Aya walked inside and stood right next to the bleachers before the gate out to the pool.  All the swimmers were standing in all their glory in their speedos and Guchi had just blown the whistle for four of them to dive in and give it all they had.  Hiroshi looked through them to try to find Daisuke.  He spotted him right by Osamu and called his name, 'Dai!  Over here!'
    Daisuke looked over and saw him.  He sneaked away and came over by him by the glass gate.  'Hey man, I didn't think you'd show up.'
    'And miss this important event?  Never!'  His eyes drifted upward to the squirmy fan club members on the bleachers who were wearing short skirts or shorts.  His hand became tense to grab his Special Little Notebook, but Daisuke made sure he didn't.  'So uh' he cleared his throat and made himself look back to Daisuke, 'did you swim yet?'
    'No, I'm up next though.'
    'Are you nervous?'
    'Are you kidding?  I'm about ready to wet myself any second!'
    'Oh, that would be attractive, Dai-kun,' Aya winked.
    Daisuke saw her beside Hiroshi, 'Hey, Aya-chan.'  He was glad she was there too.
    'Dude, I know you'll haul booty out there.  Most those guys are' he looked back to the guys standing there.  Some were very huge and should've gone for the sumo club, some were very skinny and should've gone for the chess club.  Hiroshi felt he didn't need to finish his sentence.  Daisuke understood what he was saying.
    That race was over.  Guchi stopped the stopwatch when the qualifying time came and looked out to see all of the swimmers still trudging through the water, either on their third or last lap.  He sighed and shook his head.  None of this batch had even come close to making the team.  As they finished, Guchi clapped his hands, 'Ok, good try, homies!  I'm sorry though, none of you made the qualifying time.  You can still be part of the junior swim club though!  Keep practicing and maybe next time!'
    They all groaned and came out of the pool, immediately going to the locker room.  Ryuichi smiled crookedly as they went in.  'Losers,' he said quietly to Osamu, who was right behind him.
    Guchi looked down to the clipboard he was holding and marked off four names.  He was beginning to get a little discouraged.  None of the guys who had tried out had made it yet.  He felt like giving up until he came to the next group of four.  He smiled and looked out at the swimmers, 'Yoshimoto Osamu, Watanabe Kenrou, Hamada Ryuichi, and' he paused and tension mounted, 'Mizuno Daisuke.'  Deafening cheers followed.  The fan club was hysterical at the sound of their idol's name and they held up signs they had made him to wish him good luck.  Misami and Yoshiko cheered also as silently Yoshiko wished him the best.
    Daisuke looked terrifyingly back to Hiroshi.  'Get out there!'  Hiroshi shoved him to the others.  He met the face of Osamu and that of Ryuichi, smiling slyly again.  He suddenly wished he wasn't there at all.  Being up against all of them was rather intimidating, but at the same time, his desire to win was even greater.
    Amid all the cheering, Guchi instructed all of them to get up to the first four starting platforms.  Coincidentally, Daisuke was between Osamu and Ryuichi; on one side was light, on the other the devil.  He set his goggles back around his eyes and made sure he was totally stretched out in order to give it his best.  This was the moment that mattered and Daisuke was well aware.
    Guchi brought the whistle to his mouth and held a finger over the stopwatch button.  Time seemed to stand still for Daisuke.  He got down into position and could hear his heart beating like drums that seemed in slow motion.  The normally nearly deafening cries from his fan club were tuned out, all of his energy was focused on the one thing he was about to do.  Yoshiko was sitting up in the bleachers, watching with as much anxiety as he was feeling.  She held her hand to her heart and watched to the moment when Guchi blew the whistle and started the timing.  The most important race Daisuke would be in had officially begun.
    The swimmers all leapt into the water in a single powerful bound.  Ryuichi had seized the first advantage, he was able to leap further into the water than the others because of his weeks of faithful training and work outs.  His legs were very powerful, they worked much to his advantage right off as he sprung into first place.  Daisuke knew he was ahead of him, not by much, but by enough to make him want to work harder to outdo him.  Fortunately, from racing against him in the past, Daisuke also knew his weakness.  Ryuichi was naturally very strong and so was a very strong swimmer.  He started out especially strong, but he lacked in the endurance and speed that Daisuke had to an art.  And so, Ryuichi always started out ahead of him but slowly drifted behind as races have gone on.  Osamu was a good swimmer also, but he lacked in the speed and strength that the two star swimmers had.  He was just behind Daisuke and had always remained that way in races past.  Kenrou was just an illegitimate freshmen who thought he would try out for the team, but he was already well behind Osamu, so it was pretty obvious he didn't stand a chance.
    The first lap was done as the swimmers flipped under water to go back the other way doing the butterfly stroke after coming with the breaststroke.  By this time, Ryuichi and Daisuke were neck in neck.
    The fan club was cheering loudly along with Misami, who was still trying to beat them by yelling, 'GO FOR THE GOLD, DARLING!' and other such things.  Yoshiko, who had been feeling loads of anxiety before Daisuke began his race, now as able to see that he was doing just as well as he had before, if not better.  It was as if he really did have wings in the water.  He seemed to glide straight through it like a hawk, or a shark, in this case.  She was relieved he was doing so well so she smiled again and called out in cheering herself.  Aya and Hiroshi were doing their cheering also.  It seemed like the entire audience, who technically were not supposed to be there in the first place and would have been kicked out if Guchi hadn't had been in such a good mood, were cheering for their ultimate idol and friend, Mizuno Daisuke.
    Hearing the hints of gurgled cheering for him, Daisuke only did better.  He found the strength inside to pass Ryuichi and come off far ahead of him as he bulleted through the water.  The remaining lap continued like this, Guchi watched closely and looked back to his stopwatch.  The qualifying time for once seemed so far off from where the simmers were.  After all, they were all members of the team from the previous season, so Guchi knew to expect nothing but the best from the three swimmers and especially from the star: Daisuke.  I'm going to make it! Daisuke thought as he could make out the ending of the race just ahead.  He could hardly think of anything consciously when he raced, he was always so focused on the race itself.  But this time, his thoughts dwelt on his eminent victory and on all those who had made it possible.
    Before he or anyone else knew it, Daisuke's hand hit the side of the pool to signal he had completed the race.  Guchi looked to his stopwatch with eyes like pancakes.  He was well over ten seconds before the qualifying time.  Ryuichi then finished followed shortly by Osamu.  Exactly a second later, Guchi stopped the watch.  Guchi was almost too shocked to talk, but finally in his most humble way, he scratched through his thick black hair and mumbled, 'C-congratulations.'
    Everyone erupted in the loudest cheering ever known at a swim team tryout.  The sisters looked to each other with mouths open and hugged as the pandemonium of Daisuke's supreme victory and accomplishment spread through the entire pool.  Hiroshi saw the girls hugging and so instinctively hugged Aya, but soon found her fist in his face.  He would remember never to make a move on the violent one again.
    Daisuke seemed in a dreamlike daze.  He heard the cheering and saw the bleachers emptying as his fan club began to crowd around the pool area to personally congratulate him.  That was when he believed it himself and jumped out of the pool.  Guchi came up to give him another high five and let him know the record setting time he had just achieved.  His squealing fan club closed in on him and were each very happy for his triumph.  The adrenaline and euphoria Daisuke was feeling was tremendous at that time when he realized he had accomplished the one thing that was really important to him.
    Hiroshi and Aya met up with the sisters and they each tried to make their way through the thick, bubble-headed crowd to the center of attention.  As soon as Daisuke caught a glimpse of Yoshiko, the two embraced in a hug.  Yoshiko was so proud and happy for him she didn't at all mind getting wet.  It all felt like a wondrous dream to Daisuke, everything was so perfect.  'Thank you, Yoshiko.' He whispered in her gentle ear.
    'You're welcome' she answered inaudibly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
    Misami soon split them apart and hugged Daisuke also.  Soon, however, she let go because he was so wet.  Otherwise, she would have stayed that way (or would like to, at least) forever.
    'That was awesome, man!'  Hiroshi grabbed his hand, illustrating the guy's way of congratulating someone.  'You smoked everyone!'
    'Yeah, Dai-kun, you rocked!' complimented Aya also.
    'Thanks, guys!  You've all been great.'  Then, he felt a hand planted firmly on his shoulder.  Daisuke looked back to see Ryuichi's tight lips as he lifted the goggles from off his eyes.  He kept them shut for some reason as his grasp on his shoulder clenched harder like a vice.
    'Good race, Mizuno.'  He grunted.  The sweet victory didn't seem as much of a thing to celebrate anymore.  When Ryuichi finally opened his crystal blue eyes, they pierced straight to Daisuke.  He could tell that he was happy to be on the team also, but there was a hidden blaze behind the clear blueness.  'It looks like we are going to be working together for our team just like last time.'
    'Looks like it.'
    Then, Ryuichi smirked again as his eyes became narrow.  He whispered down to Daisuke, 'Just because you won this time doesn't mean it will happen again.  Don't' let it go to your head, Mizuno, by the end of the season, you will be only second best.'  Then he stepped back through the crowd to let them pile in around Daisuke again.  Daisuke narrowed his own eyes and felt his chin become tense.  He also had the sudden urge to kill something until a very excited Guchi and Osamu emerged into the crowd.
    'Shark man!' they both cried at once and each took a hand to shake violently, 'You did a narly job, bodacious, dude!'  Guchi was still fluent in his surfer talk.
    'I never thought I'd see anyone go that fast!  And I thought you weren't training lately.'  Osamu nudged his shoulder.
    'Luck was shining down on me today!' Daisuke laughed, 'I didn't think I'd do that well.'
    'That was way tubular.  Alright, Hamada, come over here a sec.'  Ryuichi heard his coach's voice and came back in the crowd by the two other swimmers who had made the team.  'I'd like to congratulate you for making the team.  Now, I know this is kind of a rush, but practice will start tomorrow directly after school, so all you be there.  What am I saying?  You all were on the team last time, you know all this!  Now go get changed, get outta here!'
    Daisuke and Osamu laughed as the tingling of their success still latched hold of them, but Ryuichi seemed much more serious and mature about the whole thing.  In his usual suave, conceited way, Ryuichi made his way through the crowd to the locker room to get changed.  Osamu turned to see Hiroshi staring at a fan club member,  'Hiro!  Sup man?'
    That averted his attention, miraculously, 'Not much.  Just came to watch you guys win.'
    'Hey, Hiro,' Osamu liked to tease him because of his perversion, 'you still have that, what do you call it?  Special Little Notebook?'  Daisuke laughed quietly, he didn't want to get Hiroshi mad.
    Hiroshi nodded proudly, 'I don't go anywhere without it.'
    'What would you do if I took that thing and threw it in the pool?'
    He was silent a moment, obviously in deep thought.  If that happened, his whole life, everything he had thought, felt, or thought about feeling, would be destroyed and wiped completely out of existence.  Simply, he could not survive if that happened.  Hiroshi looked to Osamu seriously, 'I would have to castrate you.'
    He burst into laughter, 'Man, you're such a pervert!  When are you ever gonna grow up?'
    'Find me a lady and maybe I will.'  Luckily, no one heard that over the loud cheers of the girls, who had momentarily pulled Daisuke off to the side to shower him with love and take pictures and stuff like that.
    Osamu twirled his goggles around his finger, 'Do you want to catch a movie or something?'
    'Sure.  Give me an excuse to wiggle out of Amoebae Boy's ballet recital practice crap.'  Just the thought of Satoru in tights made Hiroshi shudder.
    Osamu turned to see Daisuke surrounded by squirmy girls, 'Shark man!  Wanna go to a movie with us?'
    'Sorry!' he answered over the shrill voices of the girls, 'I have a lot of homework tonight, maybe another time.'
    'Alright!'
    Hiroshi turned to Aya and the sisters.  He was putting on his most beautiful face (or so he thought) to attract Yoshiko especially, 'Would you girls like to come with us to a movie?'
    Misami jerked her head the other way, 'Why would I want to go any place with you?'
    'Misami-chan!'  Yoshiko scolded.  'We would love to go with you, if it wouldn't be an inconvenience, Shiozawa-san.'
    Hiroshi was amazed at how polite she was, and Misami was exasperated that now she would have to spend her evening with the one person she could not stand!  Aya smiled and held onto the boxes firmly, 'I'll come too, you're paying, of course.'
    Hiroshi looked desperate, 'I'm paying??  Since when??  You have your own money, so use it yourself!'
    Aya cleared her throat loudly and stepped lightly on his foot.  She spoke to him inconspicuously, 'That's not very gentlemanly of you, what would Yoshiko think?'
    He gasped softly.  'I mean' of course, m'lady!  I will be paying for this entire evening!'  Secretly, he thought about shooting Aya.
    Misami got a sinister idea, 'Well, in that case, we can go to dinner too!'
    'Oh, dinner would be lovely!'  Yoshiko giggled.
    With every sweet word she had spoken, Hiroshi felt he was digging his own grave just to be 'gentlemanly' to impress Yoshiko for one night.  He sighed deeply and felt his precious wallet in his pocket.  Soon, he knew all too well, the entire proud contents he had earned and snatched from his brother would be gone.  He almost felt like crying.
    'You girls are going to come with us too?' Osamu asked.
    Aya nodded, 'And Hiro-kun is treating us all to dinner.'
    Osamu was impressed, 'Right on, Hiro!  Well, I'll be back soon then after I change, you guys stay here!'  he pulled Daisuke from the crowd with much effort and took him in with him to the safety of the boy's locker room.  Hiroshi almost fainted.

    After quickly showering and getting dressed back into his normal clothing, Daisuke put all his swim gear back into his duffel bag and shut his locker.  His hair was still a little damp as he ran his fingers through it, making sure it was just perfect.  He said goodbye to Osamu and watched him leave with Hiroshi and the girls for a movie and dinner.  He wished he could go, partially to keep Hiroshi under control while being alone with his sweet Yoshiko, but he knew Misami could handle that just fine.  If only he hadn't have had so much homework that evening' it was as if his teachers secretly were plotting to ruin his evening by assigning loads of homework that he couldn't have done already because he was at the swim tryout.  So, he would have to sacrifice his time with his friends, and with the girl of his dream, to sit in front of a book and do some measly assignments that unfortunately would make a huge impact on his grade.  Nonetheless, he really wished he could go.  They would have to do that again sometime, sometime when he could have fun also.
    Daisuke was about to walk out of the locker room through the front entrance when he saw Ryuichi racing out before him.  He seemed to be in an awful hurry for some reason.  Daisuke wondered why, but then he told himself he didn't care about what he did, he was just a stuck up jerk that thought he was better than everyone else.  He was still quite bitter after all the things he had done to him.  Daisuke walked cautiously out of the locker room to make sure none of his fan club members would spot him.  The halls were all empty.  He sighed in relief and walked out of the school.
    There was the beginning of a beautiful sunset in the sky.  The air was also very calm and very fresh with all the sounds, sights, and smells of a wonderful spring.  As he walked down the campus in his blue sandals and shorts, he thought about Yoshiko again.  She had helped him in so many ways since they had met, it was hard to believe.  Then he thought that he might not have made it on the team with such ease if she hadn't have been there.  It was as if she made him do his best whenever she was around.  She truly cared for his well being and success in life.  He loved that about her most of all as a tender smile drew across his lips.
    Daisuke had walked a ways with his duffel bag slung over one shoulder while thinking of his gratefulness on making the team.  He came up to a park that he often played at as a kid.  The sunset was just beginning to become most beautiful so he decided to procrastinate his homework even more to sit on a bench in the park and watch it.  He found an empty bench on the side of a brick path in front of a small pond with a bridge gently rising over it.  He heard the symphony of crickets begin their nightly concerto as the sky grew ever more orange and pink in the far horizon just beyond the tall skyscrapers and busy city of Tokyo.  Occasionally, Daisuke saw little kids cling hold of their mother's hands and walk peaceably over the bridge.  It pained him to see this because it reminded him too much of his own mother.  The hurt and emptiness arose back to the surface, he couldn't bare to keep his eyes on them so he turned away, his eyes stinging with tears he would not let fall.
    Then, Daisuke heard a shrill, desperate sounding scream come from behind him.  Immediately, he looked back at a near empty park to try to see what was going on.  All he saw were tall trees swaying in the evening breeze and paths winding up the grassy hill.  He thought it was nothing until he heard it again, this time making out the words, 'Help me!'
   Daisuke shot up from the bench, grabbing his duffel bag, and ran up the path to where his ears led him.  He turned a corner and then saw what he thought was someone flailing wildly in the middle of the deepest part of the pond, only in this area it would be more appropriate to call it a small lake.  Daisuke dropped his duffel bag and sprinted toward the pond or lake or whatever it was.  He threw off his shirt and sandals and ran into the water and began to swim strongly toward the person in the middle who was struggling so much.
    'Help me!' the person kept repeating as their head would momentarily be brought out of the water from the small waves from the breeze in the lake.  'Help me!'  Daisuke swam and instantly grabbed hold of the person by the waist.
    'I got you, you're alright!' he said.  He noticed then as the person looked to him with big, fearful teary green eyes that it was nothing more than a girl probably around 11 or 12.  She looked so scared and lonely, instantly, she latched onto him as if he were her only chance for hope.  Daisuke tried his best to comfort the child and tried to swim back, but couldn't budge her.  That was very odd.
    'My foot is caught on something!' she cried.  Daisuke dove under the water and saw that sure enough her foot was caught in a knot of sharp weeds.  He noticed a strange red murkiness in the water which he soon discovered to be her blood.  He freed her foot from the weeds and more blood gushed out into the water.  When Daisuke surfaced again, he looked to his hands that had touched the weed to see small serrated cuts on them also.  He had to get this girl out of the water as soon as possible.  He grabbed hold of her firmly and swam back to the grass.
    He carried her out of the water and set her on a bench in front of the lake.  She was breathing quickly as she looked down to her bare foot, covered in scrapes that were bleeding heavily.  Daisuke looked around and saw his shirt on the ground.  He retrieved it and wrapped it securely around her wound.  Then, he looked down to the girl and she looked up at him.  They were both completely soaked, but fortunately, it was a very warm spring evening.  This girl looked unsure, but most of her fear had been scratched away thanks to Daisuke.  She was wearing an orange spaghetti strapped sundress that came to just above her knees and blue flip flops.  Her hair was matted down to her face, it was a pretty light blue in colour and Daisuke could tell that it was about the length of her chin in back an came to just above her eyes in front.  Around her forehead she wore a white band tied in the back and the ends hung down her back.  All in all, she was a very cute little girl and Daisuke finally gave her a smile.
    'Well, that was an adventure!' he began awkwardly.
    She immediately blushed and looked downward, 'Yeah,' she said shyly.  Of course, the thing on her mind was, Oh wow, this guy that saved my life is soooooooo cute!
    Daisuke looked around the empty park.  'So uh' are you alright?'  She nodded, a gesture hardly noticeable.  There was a slight pause.  'Are your parents around?'  Then, she shook her head.  'Ok' he thought he knew the situation.  'Listen, that's a pretty nasty cut so uh' why don't I take you to my place to get it fixed up now, how does that sound?'
    She looked up to him with hopeful eyes and nodded.  'Thank you very much.'  Her voice was high and bubbly, but still quite shy.
    Daisuke found the easiest way to transport her from the park to his home was to give her a piggyback ride.  After picking up his duffel bag, he hoisted the girl upon his back and began to walk home.  Luckily for him, she was rather light and easy to carry.  He was concerned, however, of how it may look to others to be seen walking with a girl on his back, shirtless, down the streets of Tokyo.  Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, he told himself as he walked silently with this girl on his back.
    As they walked out of the park, there was someone behind a tree who watched closely as they walked by.  A greenish tinge shone from their eye as the figure suddenly receded back into the trees.
    Daisuke cleaned her wound and found a proper bandage for her injured foot.  The girl was becoming more comfortable, though she did not say a single word the whole time.  She was sitting on his white leather couch in his living room just in front of the new large HDTV.  She looked curiously around to all of the different art pieces and other interesting things around Daisuke's home.  He noticed her after finishing her bandage and smiled, 'Ok, your foot will be back to normal in no time.'
    She looked back to him and bowed her head, 'Thank you!'  She was still shy, but there was giddiness in her voice.
    Daisuke sat beside her on the couch and wanted to break the plague of awkward silence, 'I'm sorry,' he laughed at himself, 'my name is Mizuno Daisuke.  Welcome to my home.'
    'Nice to meet you,' she beamed brightly now.
    'What's your name, if I may ask?'
    The girl smiled, 'Tenko.  Okimoto Tenko!  Thank you so much for rescuing me.'
    'No problem.  Would you like anything to eat or drink?'
    'Actually' the girl looked downward, 'Could I use your bathroom?'
    'Sure, it's right down the hall, the first door to the right.'
    Tenko got up and bowed again and then scurried shyly down to the bathroom, hopping on one foot.  As soon as she entered, she fell back against the door and felt the heat penetrating off her face.  'He's soooooooooo cool!' she exclaimed and erupted into giggles.  'He's such a cutie, oh, I must have been acting so stupid and shy!'   Tenko smiled and stood up, looking at herself in the large mirror.  She sighed and lowered to her arms on the counter, 'What a guy'
    Daisuke was in the kitchen.  He was going to make a little something for himself and his guest when the doorbell suddenly rang.  'Coming!'  When Daisuke opened the door, he looked downward to someone quite short with a black hat covering their hair.  'May I help you?'  This person looked up to him and Daisuke was sent into a shock.  'T-Tenko?'  Familiar green eyes and strands of blue hair caught his view.  But this alleged Tenko was wearing a black jacket and jeans now instead of the orange dress.  Daisuke was very confused.  'What are you doing out here and' how did you change your clothes so quickly?  I thought you went into the bathroom.'
    The alleged Tenko looked uneasily from side to side with those big green eyes, 'Excuse me, sir, but-'
    'You have to stay off that foot!'  Daisuke grabbed the hand of the alleged Tenko and brought them inside and sat them down on the white leather couch again.  All this time, the new comer didn't know what to say at all to this.  'Now, can I get you anything, anything at all?'
    Before an answer could be muttered, the bathroom door opened and Tenko slowly came out.  She heard Daisuke's lovely voice and limped to where she was at the couch, just behind Daisuke's back.  She could clearly see the face of the alleged Tenko looking frightfully at Daisuke.  She wondered what was going on.
    'Do you think I should call your parents now, Tenko?  Or would you like to stay here a little longer?'
    'Daisuke-sama?'  Tenko piped up from behind.
    'Just a minute Tenko, now Tenko' he paused.  He had just heard Tenko's voice behind him'but Tenko was sitting beside him on the couch'  Daisuke looked back to see Tenko standing with a bright smile on her face.  She had cleaned herself up a bit and was now looking very cute.  He then looked back to his front and saw practically a mirrored image, only with different clothing.  He scratched his head.  'Oh, ok!  Good joke, Hiro!  Where's the camera?' he looked around while laughing uneasily.
    'Daisuke-sama, you seem confused,' observed Tenko.  Tenko came and sat between Daisuke and the alleged Tenko.  Both the kids that looked exactly alike smiled to Daisuke.
    Daisuke's eyes crossed several times between them and he couldn't even begin to utter a question to ask.  The kids looked at each other and nodded, as if they were communicating in some silent way.  'This isn't me,' explained Tenko, pointing to her mirrored self, 'Daisuke-sama, I'm me, ok?'  That didn't help him much.  The alleged Tenko finally took off the hat from around their head and revealed the same blue hair as Tenko, only in the back it was tied into a small ponytail.  Tenko removed the headband from her forehead and set it in her lap.  They both rose to their feet and looked to the very confused Daisuke.
    'Please excuse our rudeness,' they bowed together and spoke together in precise unison.  'We should be going now, thank you very much for all you've done for me, Daisuke-sama, I will always remember it.'
    'Uh, wait a minute,' the alleged Tenko stopped Tenko from proceeding to the door, 'we can't go home, remember?'
    'Oh yeah' she looked downward, 'that nice lady died' how sad'  Oh well!  She was really old anyway, and now she's at a better place!'  Tenko smiled along with the alleged Tenko.  They talked together some more and Daisuke just stared at them, becoming more confused by the second.
    'Ok, I don't want to seem rude, but would you mind telling me what on Earth is going on here?'
    'We're sorry,' they apologized together again.
    Daisuke pointed to the alleged Tenko, 'If you're not Tenko, then who'
    They looked to each other again.  'My name is Shingo.  Okimoto Shingo.  Tenko and I are twins.'
    'Well, I coulda guessed that' the resemblance between the two was uncanny!  It was like a complete reflection of one made the other, it was simply amazing!  He shook his head quickly, 'What was this talk about someone dying'?'
    'We had been staying with a kind old lady for over a year until just last night when she died because she was very old.' They spoke in unison again.
    'So now' Tenko seemed sad, 'we have no place to stay' no roof over our heads' no money'
    Shingo looked quickly up to Daisuke, 'But we really should be going now, sorry for the intrusion.'  He took his sister's hand.
    'Wait!'  Daisuke called back.  'Do you need a place to stay?'  They looked sheepishly to each other and nodded uneasily.  He smiled after a moment of thought, 'Well, there's an extra bedroom down the hall if you're interested.  Heck, I already have two people staying with me, why not two more?'
    'Would you really let us stay with you?!' they asked together again.
    Daisuke laughed, 'Of course!  I've always died to have company with me in this big house.  I get so lonely sometimes around here, it would be nice to have a family again.'
    'Thank you so much!'  The homeless twins were very grateful for Daisuke's generous hospitality in their time of need.  He seemed so happy to offer them a place to stay that it made them feel even better about the situation.  Tenko zoomed up to Daisuke and quickly wrapped her arms around him.  Because of her foot, she tripped and landed into his lap and banged her head against his chest.  He wheezed and squinted down to her, meeting her with a grimace-like smile.
    Shingo sighed at the sight of his sister's clumsiness.  Tenko was blushing intently as Shingo spoke, 'We don't know how to ever thank you, Daisuke-sama.  You really are a life saver for us, thank you.'
    'Don't mention it,' he wheezed again.
    'We really didn't have too many belongings, so is it alright if we go right now to get our stuff from the house?  It's actually very close to here.'
    'Yeah, that's fine,' he helped Tenko sit up and took a deep breath, 'Maybe your sister should stay here, I mean, with her injury and all.  I'll make something to eat and it'll be ready by the time you get back, unless you want some help?'
    'That's ok.  I'll be back soon.'  Shingo left the house quickly to return to his previous place of living.  Fortunately, at this point it wasn't crawling with authorities because of the old woman who died, so Shingo was able to sneak into the old home to gather up all of their belongings and load it all into a taxi.
    Meanwhile, Daisuke engaged in asking Tenko why exactly she was in the lake anyway, but the answer she gave was simple enough: she wanted to go for a swim.  He got some ice for her foot and returned to making dinner.  Before they both knew it, Shingo returned with his arms full of suitcases he had 'borrowed' from the old lady.  He piled them all in the entryway and Daisuke helped him carry them down to the vacant bedroom while Shingo helped Tenko limp down.
    It was on the direct opposite side of the hall from Yoshiko and Misami's bedroom and right beside Daisuke's.  It was a guestroom Daisuke's parents had used for guests in days past.  Occasionally, Daisuke stashed Hiroshi or some of his other friends in there if they were staying the night.  But for the most part, it stayed empty but ready if anyone needed to use it.  This room was very different from Yoshiko's, for one, it didn't have all the antiques and other things characteristic of someone once inhabiting it.  It was relatively empty, though there were two futons rolled in the corner.  On the wall opposite the door was a window giving a view out of the front of Daisuke's home.  It had gray curtains that were currently hanging down over the window, turning the light that passed through the colour of a rain cloud and hiding the view onto the street.  A small closet was on the same wall as the door was, but the far end and was opened to reveal its emptiness with a few lonely clothes hangers stretching across the wooden beam.  There was no furniture in the room, only the suitcases Shingo had brought.
    Daisuke stretched his arms to the ceiling, 'Will this work for you two?'
    The twins stepped further into the room to analyze it more closely.  At the same time, they turned back to Daisuke with smiling faces, 'Perfect!'
    'Alright.  So I'll let you get unpacked while I make some food.'  He left them in the room as he strolled back to the kitchen.
    The twins could not be happier.  It was almost too good to believe that he had let them stay with him in his home so easily.  They were so grateful for his hospitality.
    As he entered into the kitchen again, Daisuke thought about what he had just gotten himself into.  He wondered if it was a good thing to let two more people stay with him and share his space.  When he got the ingredients for his favorite garden salad out (he didn't have everything because he still hadn't gone shopping yet) he thought about going back to the room and telling those kids that he had changed his mind, that they would have to leave his house to live with someone else.  That way, Daisuke could be more alone with Yoshiko and wouldn't have to worry about two more people who were just kids!  His life would be a whole lot simpler that way and probably less stressful.  He nodded after he cut the head of lettuce into thin slices and sighed.  Daisuke walked down the hall again, determined and hesitant that he would have to tell the twins he wouldn't be able to let them stay with him.
    Daisuke was about to enter the doorway when he heard Tenko's high voice, 'Daisuke-sama is the nicest guy, Shingo-chan.  He saved me and now he's letting us stay with him in his home.  Can you believe it?  What a nice guy!'
    'Yeah, he's really great.  I don't know how we can ever repay him for being so helpful and so generous.'
    'He's the greatest!' the twins giggled as Daisuke peeked in to see them unloading everything from the suitcases and putting them in their new places in their new room.
    Daisuke's eyes raced to everything.  He came back to his place against the wall in the hallway and couldn't believe what he was doing.  They were so happy and so thankful for him, he just couldn't go and tell them they had to leave!  He just couldn't!  Daisuke exhaled slowly and shook his head.  As he heard them laugh some more, a smile drew out across his face.  As he walked back to the kitchen, he was happy he didn't make that terrible mistake.  He was glad that, despite the circumstances and his desires, he had allowed them to stay after all.

    'We're home!!'  The sisters, Aya, Hiroshi and Osamu walked into Daisuke's doorway and promptly removed their shoes.
    'Hey, I'm at the table,' called Daisuke.
    They were all still talking and laughing about their time that night as they walked to the table.  'We had so much fun, darling!  I wish you could have been-' Misami stopped her sentence as she came and stood over the table.  She looked down to see seated on the soft tatami mats Daisuke on the far end of the table smiling up to her along with two blue-headed kids sitting on opposite sides, also smiling up to her.  She blinked and ran her eyes between the two of them, 'What did I miss?'
    'Oh, do we have guests?' asked a much more pleasant Yoshiko.
    'Everyone, I would like you two to meet Okimoto Shingo and Tenko.  They're twins.'
    'No kidding, Dai' Hiroshi tried to adjust his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing double.
    'Nice to meet you two.  My name is Nakayama Yoshiko.' She smiled and took a seat next to Shingo.
    'Nice to meet you!' beamed Tenko radiantly.
    Shingo looked beside him to see the beautiful Yoshiko.  She looked just like an angel to him, he thought she was so wonderful.  Shingo blushed as she turned her deep green eyes onto him and said in her soft, singsong voice, 'Hello, Shingo.'
    His eyes grew along with his blush as he looked forward and lowered his head.  'Hi.' His voice squeaked out softly.
    Misami smiled as she saw this.  Shingo, she determined, would be a wonderful target for her to toy with.  'Well, it's good to meet you two,' she laughed softly at the end.
    'Uh, Shingo, Tenko, these are some of my other friends,' Daisuke pointed to the three still standing and the twin's eyes followed, 'Aya, Hiroshi, and Osamu.'  They all said the usual 'nice to meet you' and all that and looked to the clock on the wall by the bookcase.
    'It's really late, I should be going now.  See ya, Shark man!  Bye kids!'  Osamu waved and left the house very quickly, before anyone could say bye to him.  He was always like that, he was speedy at everything he did.
    'I should go too, see you tomorrow everyone.'
    'Bye Aya-chan!'  Daisuke waved with his mouth full.
    'I suppose you want me to walk you home as protection even after that huge dinner you all made me buy.  You just keep coming to Hiroshi for the favors'
    Aya rolled her eyes as Hiroshi said that.  She paused and sat a hand on his shoulder, 'Hiro-kun.  Believe me, we would both be safer if I just walked home by myself.  Thanks anyway.'  She waved and left the house.
    Hiroshi was a bit dazed, 'was' that a good thing she just said'?'
    'Anyway, would you guys like anything to eat?'  Daisuke invited.
    'No thank you, not after the huge dinner we all had.'  Misami stretched out and sat next to Tenko.
    They all heard Hiroshi whimper from above and looked to see his lip quivering.  'Now I'm broke' he sniffed, 'just to please the ladies' and does Hiroshi get anything?  No.  Of course not' he gets nothing' just the huge bill for dinner' he took in a deep breath that puffed out his chest, 'I'll be a man.  No need in crying over a lost fortune' his lip quivered even more and he soon burst out, 'AND I WAS GOING TO USE THAT MONEY FOR MY NEW PORN SUBSCRIPTION!!!!'
    'Hiro, take it easy,' Daisuke tried to coo.
    Hiroshi took in another deep breath and calmed down slightly, 'This is terrible, I have to get some more money quick' I'll see you all tomorrow!'  He ran to the door and flung his shoes on.
    'Where are you going?' called Daisuke from the table.
    'To get some cash, see ya!'  They then heard the door slam shut and the loud screaming Hiroshi made as he ran down the side of the road on toward his home.
    Daisuke sighed.  Hiroshi was such a weirdo.  'That guy' how much did he spend on you all for dinner?'
    Yoshiko suddenly looked guilty, 'I'm not sure, I glanced at the check and saw' several zeros'
    'Stupid idiot,' Misami combed her fingers through her straight, wild red hair while popping a cherry tomato into her mouth, 'I'm glad he's gone.  All he's good for is buying dinner for beautiful women, isn't that right sis?'  Instead of answering, Yoshiko just looked onto Daisuke with a blank expression.
    Daisuke gave an empathetic grin and rose to his feet after taking his plate into his hand, 'Are you two done with your plates?' he asked the twins.  They nodded, perhaps too shy to speak with these two new girls at the table, and Daisuke took their plates with him into the kitchen to wash.
    Once he had left, they heard the water running and assumed he was doing the dishes.  This allowed time for the sisters and the twins to get to know each other a little.  Yoshiko broke the silence finally, 'So' how are you both tonight?'
    'Fine, except for my foot.  Daisuke-sama saved me from drowning when my foot got caught by some sharp plant.' Explained Tenko.
    'Really?  My darling is so intrepid!'  Misami smiled and spoke especially loud to allow Daisuke to hear from the kitchen.  'How about you, Shingo-chan?  How are you?'  She purposely had a hint of playfulness in her voice.
    'I'm fine, thanks.'  He avoided her eyes.
    Yoshiko caught a glance at something.  Ever since she had begun to sit with the twins, she felt something very special about them, something that felt familiar to her. There was something these twins and her had in common, she could sense it just by the look of them.  That feeling increased as she saw that in the middle of Tenko's forehead there was a small deep blue-green colored object in the shape of a triangle, split by a small line of separation in the center, with its point pointing upward.  Her curiosity grew at the sight of it along with her undying feeling of kindred for the twins.  Tenko finally caught her eyes examining her forehead and she did the same to Yoshiko's, looking at the slender blue object that was so beautifully set on hers.
    Yoshiko's eyes were dancing upon the look of her as she whispered very quietly a beautiful and mysterious phrase.
    Tenko covered her opened mouth with her small hand, looking on with awe to Yoshiko.  Her fingers were trembling and the moisture seemed to be gone from her mouth.  She swallowed nothing but air and inaudibly returned in amazement her reply to the phrase in that same mystical, ethereal tongue.
    Everyone sitting around that table gasped softly to themselves.  No one could believe it fully, but indeed it had happened.  True conversation, which was thought to be only understood by few, had been made.
    Shingo and Misami each looked between the girls who were staring dead onto each other across the table with expressions on their faces that resembled a combination of shock and joy.  When Shingo looked to Misami again, seeing that she was still running her eyes between the girls, he saw that she too possessed on her forehead a diamond shaped object which was as blue as the deep Caribbean.  He felt his jaw drop steadily as he looked onto it.  Definitely, things would then get interesting'
    After what seemed an eternity, the shock had risen and was replaced with an uncontrollable smile on Yoshiko's face.  'How amazing' she finally got out while keeping her eyes fixated on the girl.
    Misami also saw the object on Tenko's forehead.  There was an identical one on Shingo's, except it faced down instead of up.  Her breathing became quicker along with her heartbeat, 'Y-you mean, you two are-'
    'Anyone want dessert?'  Daisuke then came back into the dining room, balancing a tray of ice cream sundaes in clear glass cups.  Everyone was very slow to even acknowledge his presence.  Misami looked up to him, dumbfounded, and Shingo kept his head toward the girls who were staring whimsically into each other's eyes.  He was starting to worry, 'Is that a no?'
    Then, they noticed he was there.  Yoshiko's trance had ended and she looked over to him with that same smile.  She seemed much happier than he had remembered and so naturally he wondered what had been going on.  There seemed to be a majestic new glow around her that made her shine from the inside out, the kind of glow she got when she was very happy.  In an almost contented manner, she brought her hand to her chest and asked softly, 'I'm sorry Daisuke-san, what did you say?'
    He just kept his eyes on her and set a cup in front of each of them and sat in his previous spot on the end of the low table.  Before asking anything, he played with the ice cream until it became soft and swirled it together with the fudge topping, creating a light brown cream.  Everyone was silent.  Glancing around, Daisuke could see them all eating.  Misami had her eyes shut and was taking small bites of the ice cream with her spoon, as if there were something she was keeping to herself.  Shingo was looking down into the cup, although his eyes were not focusing in any one particular area.  Yoshiko and Tenko were also looking downward with the hint that they too were hiding something or keeping something very important and secret from him.  He didn't like the feeling of being in the dark, so he casually brought up the conversation again while still swirling his ice cream, 'Find something interesting to talk about?'
    Misami coughed slightly and went into a brain freeze.  Shingo continued with his eyes placed down onto the table along with his sister, and Yoshiko glanced softly over to him.  'What do you mean?'
    'Um you just' I mean you' when I' it wasn't working, Daisuke couldn't get his thoughts to come out straight, it was all jumbled talk and distorted ideas.  He turned his ice cream into a runny soup like paste and quickly set it aside.  He looked up to her with dark, curious eyes.  'Is there anything you want to talk to me about' or anything?'  After getting the strong impression that something had happened while he was washing dishes, although it was impossible for him to determine exactly what, he really wanted to know and felt he had the right to.
    That same awkwardness she felt from his questions before filled her again.  Yoshiko felt the stabbing in her chest as she thought of the many things she had hidden as secrets.  She wished to tell it all to Daisuke, but knew for certain reasons she could not.  She looked straight into his eyes again and forced herself to shake her head.
    He blinked twice and looked down in front of him onto the dark surface of the table, 'I see.'  He was so discouraged.  Something had happened, he just knew it, and Yoshiko hadn't shared it with him.  He was beginning to wonder if he would ever find out everything about her.  That was all he really wanted to know, but from the way things were going, it appeared he wouldn't be finding out anytime soon.
    'That was very good, darling, thank you.'  Misami excused herself and took her empty cup and spoon into to kitchen.  After looking sheepishly around, the twins scurried after her quickly and left Yoshiko and Daisuke alone at the table.
    Yoshiko felt horrible.  She knew how Daisuke was feeling and wished there were some way she could help him feel more at ease.  She glanced up to him and then quickly back down, 'I'm sorry,' she said and stealthily got to her feet to follow the others into the kitchen.  Daisuke saw her out of the side of his eye and as she walked past, grasped hold of her hand.  The empty cup dropped from her hand and landed on the floor, rolling a ways away from her.  Her heart beat loudly in her ears and her eyes widened while looking forward.
    The time seemed slower then as Daisuke brought his eyes up to see her standing above him, his hand clasped over hers.  He could see the cerulean braid cascading to rest back into its normal place in a seemingly nonexistent way.  Daisuke wondered why he had done that, why didn't he just let her go?  Time seemed real once he realized his hand was holding that of his dream girl's.  'I'm sorry!'  He blushed.
    Yoshiko's eyes softened as she glanced to the cup on the floor.  'Don't be' I'm the one that should be sorry.  I've been keeping so many things from you and I truly am sorry for that, but there is nothing I can do about it.  Please forgive me, Daisuke-san.  This is the way it has to be, for now'
    Daisuke's grip loosened and he let Yoshiko go on into the kitchen after picking up the cup and spoon.  He thought about what she said and pondered it deeply.  It was all so mysterious, but he accepted it.  For now, that's the way it was.  For now'

    Shingo and Tenko were completely unpacked and settled into their new room.  They had been doing homework and talking casually, laid out upon their futons in the center of the floor when Daisuke came in from the open door.  'How's everything going?  How's your foot?' he asked as Misami sneaked behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders.
    They looked back to him with smiles on their sweet faces.  'Everything's great, Daisuke-sama, thanks again!' they said in unison.
    'My foot feels alright, a little sore.  Thanks for your concern, Daisuke-sama,' said Tenko.
    He chuckled, 'You don't have to be so formal, just call me 'Daisuke' or 'Dai' or something.  You can even call me 'Mizuno-senpai' like Satoru-kun does.'
    Shingo gasped, 'You know Satoru-kun?'  He almost couldn't believe it.  Daisuke nodded.  The twins looked to each other with mouths agape.  'He's one of our best friends!  What a small world!'
    'Oh I see' Daisuke trailed off as he saw Yoshiko coming out of her room just across from the twins and wearing pink flannel pajamas he thought looked absolutely adorable on her, causing him to blush AGAIN.  She smiled and stopped at the entrance into the room to get in on the conversation also.  With effort, he tore his eyes off her and cleared his throat, 'Well, Hiro's his big brother and my best friend,' his voice cracked when he said that.
    'Wait a minute,' Misami intervened, stepping into the room, 'are you two going to be living her too now?'  They nodded and Misami almost fainted.  That would mean even less time alone with her beloved 'darling.'
    'Oh, really?'  Yoshiko stepped in also, 'Well, we're all here because of Daisuke-san.  He was kind enough to allow me, and now all of you, to stay with him.  We owe him so much.'  She smiled back to him.
    They cheered and Daisuke blushed even more, 'Oh, no, it's nothing great,' he said, with terrible modesty.
    The twins sat up and set their homework aside.  They bowed their heads and spoke together, 'Thank you again for everything.'
    When Tenko brought her head back up, she had that same beaming smile.  'I realize we didn't really introduce ourselves that well.  We've both been living here together in Tokyo for about two years with an old lady until she died a few days ago.'  She began to explain a bit.
    'We're 12 years old and in sixth grade and' that pretty much sums us up.' Shingo said.
    'It's nice to have you with us,' Yoshiko smiled, rendering a blush on Shingo's cheeks as well.  She had that affect on males.
    'Well, it's getting late.  I think I'm going to have a nice hot bath.'  Misami stretched and walked out of the room.  'You can come join me, if you want.' She winked to Daisuke as she passed him.  He avoided her eyes and she giggled as she disappeared into the bathroom.
    'We better get to sleep too, Tenko-chan.  School comes early.'  Shingo gathered his finished homework together and sat it next to his game boy.
    'Oh, don't talk to me about that, mister, you're the one that can never wake up in the morning.'
    Yoshiko giggled.  She looked up to Daisuke with her sweet, gentle smile.  He smiled back, though still glowing a slight red.  'It's been a long day.'  She said, reflecting over the past occurrences that day.
    He nodded to agree.  When he thought about the swim team, he smiled even more and couldn't wait to get back into the water.  'Uh, Yoshiko?'  He stopped her just as she was about to go into her bedroom.
    'Yes?'  She turned back to him.
    His speech was slow and unsure, 'Do you think that there will ever be a time for you to tell me'?'
    Her smile evened out as she looked to the side.  Her beautiful eyes radiated in the light from the twins' bedroom.  'Maybe someday.'
    Daisuke nodded slowly.  He understood.  He gave her a satisfied grin which she returned as her solemn beauty seemed to sing in the night.  'Well, goodnight.'
    'Goodnight, Daisuke-san.'  Her smile increased as she went back inside her bedroom to go to sleep.
    Daisuke kept waiting out in the hall after she went in and was still thinking about everything.  His intense thought was interrupted finally by the twins both squealing, 'Goodnight!'  He said goodnight to them and went into his own room.
    He brought his portable CD player with him and jumped onto his bed.  He turned it onto one of his favorite songs, a rock song with heavy bass and guitars with a vocalist he could hardly understand in some areas because he was screaming so much.  The melody and sounds seemed to all meld together as he thought about everything that went on that day.  Finally, forgetting completely about a certain history and English assignment he had, Daisuke fell asleep with a smile on his face and music blaring in his ears.  That day could not have gone sweeter.
    Yoshiko's bedroom was completely dark.  Near the floor, a sudden small ball of blue light formed from within Yoshiko's cupped hands.  The light shone through her fingers and set the whole room in a dull, yet magnificent blue light as she opened her hands.  The light jumped across her eyes and reflected on her fair skin and the slender object in the middle of her forehead glowed.  The light then dimmed and Yoshiko became weary with fatigue.
    She scooted over to the tall sliding glass door and leaned against it, looking up into the deep night's sky.  The moon was shining, setting a soft silver silhouette over the  Earth down below.  Yoshiko, with effort, rose to her feet and stepped out onto the small balcony just outside her room.  She looked upward into the sky and could feel its endlessness and power envelope her.  'What an enchanting place' she said softly while staring up at the moon.  'I've just been here a few days, but I feel as if I have been here forever.  Everything is so familiar and wonderful' especially the boy, Daisuke.'  She smiled after reciting her mental notes.  She almost thought she could see Daisuke's kind smile in the rays of the moon.  'He has done so much for me, I wish to be able to do something for him.  Please,' she cupped her hands over her heart and bowed her head as if in a form of reverence, 'I wish to share with him my secrets' I know it goes against every rule and oath I have taken, but I feel something very special about him.  I feel as if he really needs to know' ever since I first met him,' Memories of the first day she met Daisuke came into her mind.  'I felt something very special from him right from the start.  I know that if anyone, he would be the right person to share it with.' When she looked back to the sky, she saw a single bright shooting star zoom almost magically in front of the moon.  Yoshiko smiled when she saw it and a reassuring peace was brought back to her.  'Thank you,' she whispered with glistening eyes.  'Thank you'