IN THE LAST EPISODE OF WEH: "Alright, perhaps it is a bit soon..." agreed Makoto-kun. "But you'll have to choose someday." He then left, leaving Ichiiro and Aiko the only two remaining on the field. "If you think it's all so sudden," asked Aiko, "then why did you agree to go on a date with me yesterday?" "Because I do like you and you're a nice person and you seem like one of the most normal people here," said Ichiiro. "And... er..." "Yes?" "You're cute," he mumbled. "Even when you had those glasses on." "Really?" "Yes, really!" Ichiiro said, perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary. She looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you still want to go out?" "I don't know. I mean, it's all happening so fast! And I'm also worried about Makoto. He... she... whatever, Makoto's a friend to both of us." "Yes," she said, slowly. "There is that." "So what now?" "I'm sure we'll think of something." She looked at him thoughtfully, and then extended her hand. "Friends?" "Sheesh," said Ichiiro. "From friends to romantic interest to 'let's just be friends' in only four days." But he shook her hand anyway. "Yeah," she said, smiling impishly at him. "As you say all the time, this place is weird." *** West Eastwood High Part 6: "It's like Battle Royal High, on downers." Original concept by Eslington This part by Signus Megido *** BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRECEEDING EPISODES: Hoshino Ichiiro, who moved to the city of Higashimori along with his family, is a typical junior high school student. Well, typical elsewhere except in Eastwood, a Westernized city populated by every form of paranormal weirdness ever known, and being a totally normal human teenager, not an alien hybrid, with an average IQ, no psychic powers to speak of, no mystical destiny, does not fly or shoot energy blasts from his hands, little if any martial arts skills, barely computer literate, no shape-changing powers, did not pledge his soul to the forces of darkness, not an alien heir to an intergalactic kingdom in hiding from enemies out to assassinate him, definitely not a deity in disguise, and most certainly not a magical girl, Ichiiro can be considered as an oddity among oddities. (A 108 word run-on sentence! What have I done?!?) On his first day in class at West Eastwood High, Ichiiro met a pretty girl, Nichiko Makoto, who turned out to be a classmate. Or rather was the twin sister of his classmate, also named Makoto. Then again, Makoto revealed later on that the siblings were both basically the same person, only that he/she both inhabits two separate bodies. So this means that Makoto is actually of one mind but two bodies. Or maybe not. (The Author takes a moment to massage his aching forehead.) Meanwhile, Ichiiro got to know his other fellow schoolmates, among them the magical girl idol star Shirosawa Megumi, the mute telepathic projector Hikarino Uta, the young genius scientist Hagira Kisaru, the martial arts adept and empath Oyama Hisashi, the cyber decker Ketsuekigata Kyoto, the alien Yatsura Natsume, and the sanjian unkara Murasaki Aiko. Not to mention his teachers, who shares the same distinctive oddities as the student body. Makoto is also somewhat attracted to him, but her/his unique condition rather complicates things. Ichiiro considers him/her to be a friend, although he admits that Makoto-chan is kinda cute. Ichiiro has also taken a liking to Aiko, who had also become attracted with him. Within the last four days Ichiiro had already become involved in the usual general weirdness of Eastwood, getting aquainted with the various school traditions, joining a team of fighters to beat back an alien invasion, and clearing up a romantic misunderstanding. With all this daily excitement, not to mention the troubles both mudane and supernatural looming in the horizon, will Ichiiro survive the school year? *** "Kary, report!" "My Queen... the two scouts I have sent have met resistance from the other side. It's as if the inhabitants expected them to appear there, and set up an ambush to deal with them immediately." "Are there any information that the scouts have gathered during their short stay?" "Unfortunately none, Your Majesty... the two agents perished minutes after they returned." "And what of the tear in the continuum?" "The hole has disappeared. Or rather, was closed from the other side." "Hmm... this is not good indeed." "I do have some good news, Your Highness. Through the combined efforts of Kraken and Tiamat, they have managed to deduce the principle between the dimensional hole that appeared. We will be able to recreate the tear within the next few weeks at most." "That is good news. Have the other Fiends work on accelerating the proccess. There is no time to waste." "At once, Your Majesty." *** Ichiiro stopped as he heard a strange clanking noise from the corridor. After checking to ensure that none of the less powerful students were cowering in fear, he walked over to the door and looked out, curiously. He was greeted by the equally curious sight of a suit of plate armour, bearing a large shield and a long sword, walking down the corridor. Aiko joined him at the door to see what had caught his attention. "What's wrong, Ichiiro?" "Who's that?" asked Ichiiro. "Oh that's Miyamoto-sensei," answered Aiko. "I thought he dressed like some guy from the Feudal Era," said Ichiiro, somewhat puzzled. "Well, usually he does, but he changes it every now and then," Aiko explained. "Today it's medieval Europe, yesterday it was Feudal Japan, last week it was Imperial Rome, the week before it was Colonial Australia." Aiko paused in thought, then started giggling. "What's so funny?" asked Ichiiro. "I was just remembering the time he came dressed as a British punk from the 80's," Aiko explained, trying to stiffle another bout of the giggles. "Oh?" asked Ichiiro. "Was it really that funny?" "This is how funny it was," said Aiko, as leaned into the corridor, where several students were loitering about as they waited for the bell to ring. "Hey," called Aiko. "Remember Miyamoto-sensei's punk outfit?" The entire population stopped talking and began laughing. "...I see," said Ichiiro. *** "Howdy, class," Kent-sensei drawled, "Ah've some important business to attend to t'day, so Ah'll be dismissin' y'all early like. Since t'morrow is a Friday, y'all can use the tahm to study at the lah'brary for the upcomin' exams. All right?" The class collectively groaned. "So, are there any questions on the lessons we've had this past few days?" Doffing his cowboy hat, Kent-sensei nods to the students. "None? Well, go and git outta 'ere!" As the class filed out of the classroom, Ichiiro turned to Makoto. "Exams?" "Sure," Makoto-kun casually replied. "We usually have weekly quizzes on Fridays or Mondays, depending on the teachers' schedules." After a pause he added, "wanna study with me?" "Uh..." Ichiiro happened to notice Aiko looking back at him from the corner of his eye. "...Sure, I guess..." "Great!" Makoto-kun beamed, dragging him along towards the library before he can change his mind. "I'll show you the place..." Behind the two friends, Aiko shook her head after a moment's pause, then slowly followed them. *** In room 1-C, Makoto's female body smiled. "Makoto-chan? Can you hear what I am saying?" "Huh? Er..." Makoto-chan blushed. "Gomen ne, Risa-sensei. I didn't hear the question clearly." "You look distracted, Makoto-chan. Is something the matter? I can see that you were smiling. Perhaps you should share this in class, hmm?" Makoto-chan quickly shook her head, blushing more fiercely. "It's nothing, Risa-sensei..." she mumbled. "No? Why?" The hyperactive teacher was practically bouncing by Makoto-chan's side. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! You can tell us here. We're all friends now, ne? Ne?" The rest of the class of 1-F, not missing the potential new tidbit of hot juicy gossip, responded with a resounding, "YEAH!" Makoto-chan, now totally embarrassed, slunk down to her seat, red-faced. "..." *** Right at the entrance of the school library, Ichiiro met the most intimidating thing that he had ever seen since coming to West Eastwood High: the head librarian. "He's HUGE!..." he gasped. The ogre-faced, dark-skinned figure was more than seven feet tall. He was wearing a thick blue frock embroidered with various runes, and a heavy red mantle lined with various sigils of arcane origins. He was currently glaring down at them with glowing red eyes, displaying shiny long fangs poking out from a canine mouth. "Mister Kent informed me in advance about your class," he boomed in a spine-tingling, awe-inspiring tone that echoed throughout the library. "You must be the new transfer student." Ichiiro gulped. "Y-yes, sir," he managed to squeak out. "I am Masecampo, the head librarian of the West Eastwood High School Library." The head librarian's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Ichiiro closely. "Strange... A totally normal human boy," he rumbled to himself. As Ichiiro watched, a pamphlet rose by itself from a stack of papers on a nearby desk and floated towards him. He cautiously took it, looking sheepish when he realized that nothing spectacular happened. "Those are the rules and regulations of the West Eastwood High School Library," Masecampo explained. "I will tolerate no violations, and will personally deal with the individuals who would break the laws. Understood?" Ichiiro nodded meekly. Masecampo moved aside, letting the students enter the main part of the library while he pulled out a pair of reading glasses from within the folds of his robes. "You may enter." "Wow..." Ichiiro said, taking in the sight of the massive library. Actually, massive could be an understatement by describing the size of the interior, which was simply enormous compared to the actual space it occupies when view from outside. Covering Ichiiro's view was the sight of rows and rows of bookshelves, filled with books of all sorts of subject conceivable. A sizable area was closed off from the rest of the library, the books kept under lock and key. There were no windows, but the hall was well-lit by strange-looking light fixtures. The students' footsteps made loud echoes on the polished coral floor as the students quickly dispersed. Makoto-kun pulled him towards several unoccupied tables. "Let's study here," he suggested. Ichiiro took a seat, marvelling at the intricate designs carved on the side. "Amazing..." "Yeah..." Makoto-kun whispered as he slid beside him. "These tables are made out of rare hardwoods, which are said to be more durable than any metals. They say that the head librarian procured them himself." "This place is incredible..." Ichiiro whispered back. "True... and of all the facilities in the school, this library has withstood the constant remodeling over the years without a scratch." Ichiiro blinked. "Even with Hagira's experiments?" "Including Hagira's experiments," Makoto confirmed, opening his Math textbook. "You seem pretty relaxed towards our upcoming tests, Ichiiro-kun." "It's still early in the school year. It can't be that bad." "Yes it is. Trust me, despite appearances, Saotome-sensei gives the toughest exams." "Well, I may have only transferred to this school just this week, but I'll have you know that I did quite well in my last school in my test scores." "You did say you were having trouble with your Chemistry," Makoto-kun pointed out. "True... true..." Ichiiro sighed, taking out his Chem notes. "I guess I'll be studying that subject..." "If you like," Makoto-kun peered up from his book, "you can help me in the subjects I'm having trouble in, and I can help you with yours, like Chemistry." Ichiiro thought for a moment. "Sure..." "Ahem..." An ominous voice boomed from behind them. The two students slowly turned towards Masecampo-sensei, who was looming behind them. He would have been a more frightening sight if he had taken a few moments to remove the wide-rimmed spectacles before confronting the two. "There are other students studying in the hall. I insist you two lovebirds take one of the private study rooms at the corner," he boomed, a furry hand motioning them towards the said area. "Yes, sensei..." the two chastised students chorused. They gathered their things and shuffled away under the watchful glare of the head librarian. *** "[Aiko? What's wrong? You look upset.]" "Could you believe that?!?" Aiko hissed. "[Huh?]" Uta looked up to watch Ichiiro and Makoto-kun sneaking into one of the private rooms of the library. "[Oh. Why are you so upset about that?]" "What do you mean what's so bad about that? Do you know what some students DO inside those private rooms?!?" "[Why, Aiko, are you jealous?]" "JEALOUS!!! ME!!! I'M NOT J--" Aiko's shouts were suddenly cut off. She clutched at her throat as she tried to speak, but no sounds were coming out. Uta turned to a frowning Masecampo-sensei, who pointed at one of the signs placed on the stone walls. "[SILENCE IS GOLDEN. Looks like Masecampo-sensei got you there.]" "..." Aiko spent the rest of the period fuming in silence. *** Yamano-sensei was already in the classroom by the time the students returned for their Literature class. She waited until everyone was seated in their places, then began her lesson for today. "Class," she spoke in her near-operatic voice while pacing in front of the class, "the test for tomorrow will cover Bashou, from pages 102-138. You'll be having an essay quiz, plus I will be asking you to compose a poem made in his style, based on a theme of my choosing." She paused in front of Ichiiro's seat. "Hoshino-san, were you able to procure the book you will require for this semester?" She asked, bending downwards to meet Ichiiro's nervous gaze. (If Shohei was drooling before, he was practically salivating now.) "Hai, Yamano-sensei," he replied, quickly digging through his books under the table for. "Here it is." "Good," Yamano-sensei nodded, "this is your first quiz, so please study hard. Even if you are new here, I do not give special consideration to anyone." Ichiiro nodded dumbly, trying desparately to stop his eyes from wandering elsewhere. He could feel daggers aimed at him from Aiko and Makoto-kun's general directions, as well as several death glares from the students seated at the back rows. Yamano-sensei straighted up, adjusted her formal sky blue kimono embroidered with pink feathers (and forcing several students to clamp their noses with their handkerchiefs before any nosebleeds occur), and gracefully walked back to the front of the class. "Murasaki-san? Please read aloud the last three poems on page 133." "Anou..." Aiko blinked in surprise, interrupted from glaring at Ichiiro. "Hai, Yamano-sensei." Standing up, she quickly turned the book to the page and began to read. *** "I'm glad that was over," Ichiiro muttered to himself. History class consisted of yet another debate between the Saneti Takozushi-sensei and the Raqae Natsume over the events of the Second Triilka War, and the heartfelt teacher-student exchange quickly degraded into a shouting match, which went on even after the dismissal bell rang. As he idly packed up his notes, Ichiiro wondered why would anyone ever consider putting two diametrically opposing members of hostile races together in the same room. "Does things like that need a logical reason at all?" Hisashi, who was standing by the door, nonchalantly replied. He then winced as a body impacted the floor. "That's gonna hurt, Ichiiro-kun." Ichiiro picked himself up from the floor where he facefaulted into moments before. "Will you stop doing that, Hisashi-kun?" "You know I can't." "I don't mean that. You shouldn't sneak up to people like that." Hisashi looked confused. "But I'm not." Ichiiro glared. "Well, you sure surprised me." "Sorry... Hey, you having kempo practice today, right?" At Ichiiro's nod, he smiled. "Good. Let's walk together there." As the two classmates walked together, Ichiiro thought glumly of his situation with Aiko and Makoto. After the conversation during lunchtime, Aiko seemed like she was avoiding his presence. Just now, she left the room without saying a word to him. Makoto was also distancing himself from him. It's as if they were punishing him for something, but for the life of him he has no idea what was it he had done to make them angry at him. "Why don't you ask them?" Hisashi helpfully suggested. "..." Ichiiro glared at him. Hisashi raised his arms in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll stop! You should lighten up, Ichiiro-kun." "It's not as easy as it sounds," Ichiiro muttered gloomily. "I mean, even after sorting it out, the girls... er, you know, Aiko and Makoto, that is... they expect me to do something about it all by myself. Even after all the talk of friendship and stuff, it still feels like nothing was resolved." Hisashi was silent for a moment. "You did make your point clear, right? That the three... four of you would hold this thing off until later, when all of you feel ready for it?" Ichiiro nodded. "Then there's nothing to worry about," Hisashi grinned, clapping Ichiiro's back. "Congratulations, Ichiiro-kun! You're one lucky guy. For someone with no powers to speak of, you sure are fortunate to have two special girls fighting over you... Hey, for all we know, you'll be collecting more girlfriends by the end of the month before we know it." Thunder boomed in the distance. "Hisashi-kun! What d-do you mean b-by that?!?" Ichiiro stuttered, his face turning beet red. "I'm no playboy! I'm not even someone with powers!" Hisashi nodded. "You're right... and that's what makes you special. Just like exams. Hang in there, and you'll survive the tests." It was Ichiiro's turn to be confused. "Tests? I don't understand a thing that you're saying!?!" "You will, you will..." a shadow crossed Hisashi's face and for a moment, he stopped smiling. "Sometimes, I wish I was in your place," he sighed sadly. Hisashi was silent for the rest of the short walk. *** Ichiiro took a break after he finished his warm-up exercises. He took the time to look around the gym and watch the others practice. In one corner he saw Makoto sparring with Aiko, who were both pointedly ignoring him. Hisashi was being amazing as usual, as the silver-haired flawlessly performed an advanced kata routine. Hisashi spun, did several shadow kicks, crouched, then unleashed six straight punches. He then straightened up and bowed, signalling the end of the kata. Relaxing, he noticed Ichiiro watching him from the bleachers. "Hey, Ichiiro-kun..." "You're really something, Hisashi-kun," Ichiiro replied as Hisashi approached him. "I can't believe that anyone can be as good as you." Hisashi smiled back. "Stop flattering me. Some of the other guys in the dojo are way better than I am, and most of them don't even have any special powers or abilities other than their martial art skills. Only their dedication and efforts made them reach that level of skill." "I understand..." Ichiiro trailed off. Hisashi turned to what Ichiiro was watching and saw the two girls practicing. "I see... C'mon, Ichiiro-kun." "Wha...?" Ichiiro was surprised as Hisashi pulled him away from the bleachers. "You wanna practice, right?" Hisashi grinned. "I'll help you in your kata. After all, Coach Teashi wanted you to participate in the upcoming competition. It'll be bad if you aren't in top form in three weeks' time." "Anou... But why are you dragging me away..." "We don't want to have any distractions now, do we?" "..." *** "Grrr..." Aiko fumed. Her sparring partner cocked her head sideways in surprise. "Mou... Aiko-chan? What's wrong?" "There he goes again, ignoring us..." Aiko huffed as she watched a protesting Ichiiro being dragged away by a grinning Hisashi. "I can't believe him! Boys are such jerks--OW!" Makoto-chan pulled back her fist. "Heh. Tagged you there." "Hey! I was distracted!" Aiko protested. Makoto-chan wagged a finger. "No excuses," she grinned. "You know that you should never drop your guard in a fight." Aiko's third eye flashed. "Alright..." she smiled. "If that's the case, I won't hold back!" And the brawl was underway. *** "That was excellent, Ichiiro-kun," Hisashi commented. Ichiiro scratched the back of his head in embarrasment. "You don't say. I think it looks and feels ridiculous." "No, really. You've gotten the moves flawlessly. I couldn't find any mistakes in your performance at all." "Well... I had a good teacher." "Makoto, right?" Hisashi grinned. "It's getting late... I guess that's about it for today. Next time you should start learning the next set of katas. I could see a lot of potential in you, for a beginner." As the two walked by the gym, they saw the other kempo club members gathering around a sparring match. "They're still at it?" Ichiiro marveled. "Apparently so..." Hisashi grinned at him. "I don't know if I should be jealous of you or be sorry of you." "Nani?" "I can hear their surface thoughts even from here," Hisashi explained. "Heck, they were practically screaming for you." "...We should stop them," Ichiiro took a step forward, but Hisashi held on to his shoulder. "No. Let them blow off some steam. Getting in the way will only make the situation worse." "But..." "Trust me. I'm the mind reader here." "...I guess." *** The two girls were breathing hard. They were still tied, but none of the two dared back down from this fight. They would have gone on until evening, or until they both collapsed from exaustion... Or until Makoto's other body showed up to see his 'sister'. "Hey, you two, stop that." Aiko turned to Makoto-kun. "What's wrong?" Makoto-chan slapped her forehead in response. "Oh! Ichiiro has already left!" "What are you two fighting about, anyway?" Megumi, who was beside Makoto-kun, asked. Both Makotos and Aiko blushed simultaneously. "Nothing," they chorused. "Nothing important." *** Ichiiro walked home, feeling a lot better now. Hisashi complimented him on his kempo skills, which was saying a lot. He paused in front of a bookstore. "Hmmm... I should be getting home and start studying. After seeing Makoto's notes, the tests sound really hard..." Suddenly, something hard barreled up from behind him. "OOOFF!!!" Ichiiro and the person who rammed into him toppled to the ground. Out of reflex, Ichiiro twisted around, and landed on the concrete sidewalk on his back, cushioning the other one on top of him. "Gomen, gomen... Ichiiro?!?" Aiko gasped. "Aiko?!?" Ichiiro responded, equally surprised. "What are you doing here?" They simultaneously asked, then quickly got up, not looking at the other. "I... I was just wondering..." Aiko nervously spoke. "If you would not mind studying with me for tomorrow's tests?" Ichiiro scratched the back of his head. "Eheheheh... er, I..." "Please?" The three eyes looked up at him pleadingly. "...S-sure..." Ichiiro finally replied. "Great!" Aiko wrapped her arms around Ichiiro's shoulder. "Let's go, Ichiiro-kun." *** Unbeknownst to the two, they were being watched from the other side of the street. "How sweet..." Megumi giggled. Makoto-kun rolled up his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." "Makoto! Don't tell me you're jealous!" Megumi teased. Makoto-kun turned away, blushing. "No, I'm not jealous. Not really..." Megumi smiled. "I'm sure Aiko likes you too, you know." *** Elsewhere, Makoto's female body facefaulted. *** AUTHOR'S SKRIBULOUS: Argh, I am an idiot. My part originally was a more solid plot centered on the music plot, which I could have submitted days before deadline... Then I have to do delete it by accident. With no backups. Argh. I could even remember the teacher's name. (Ensongako Tokugi) But other than that, nada on the story. So, here's a fixed part, which after reading through it, contains plenty of autobiographical allegories than I originally intended to put in. Argh, I am an idiot. Thanks to W4, Ranma X, Aponar Kestrel and Mark Poa for you help and offers to preread. Sorry, but there wasn't enough time. ^^;;; And Eslington contributed the short scene with Miyamoto-sensei. Wai! Couldn't have done it without you. And now for Chosen Warriors... Argh. -Sig Notes: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ichiiro's Timetable Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mathematics Mathematics Mathematics Chemistry Mathematics P.E. P.E. English Ancient Jap. Literature Chemistry Chemistry P.E. P.E. English -LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH-LUNCH- Ancient Jap. English Chemistry English History Composition Literature Composition Literature Composition Music History Music History Music Notes: Bösekrieger-sensei Teaches PE on Thursdays. Teachers: Ancient Japanese: Satou-sensei Mathematics: Saotome-sensei PE: Teashi-sensei (Kempo club) Bösekrieger-sensei Chemistry: Kaji-sensei English: Kent-sensei Literature: Yamano-sensei History: Takozushi-sensei Composition: Miyamoto-sensei Music: Tokugi-sensei (band) Woodwork: Moku-sensei Librarian: Masecampo-sensei