Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Never Ever ❯ Chapter 2
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: PikaChan 
Kuraire pisses Heza off for the LAST time. Just before head cheerleader tryouts too!
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 09.12.2002 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 192 | Status: Completed
Kuraire pisses Heza off for the LAST time. Just before head cheerleader tryouts too!
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 09.12.2002 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 192 | Status: Completed
~p · a · r · t · 2~
[ F i r s t p e r i o d : C h e e r l e a d i n g ]
Heza heaved her gym bag onto her shoulder and pulled open the doors to the girl's locker room. The nine other cheerleaders were already in there, including Kuraire and Sora. "Ohayo, minna-san..." she said, yawning.
"Konnichiwa, Heza-chan," Sora said, combing out her hair.
Heza droped her gym bag down on a nearby counter and took her cheerleading clothes out of it. She yawned.
"Are you feeling any better today?" Sora asked.
"Hai, a little... my throat started hurting a bit..." Heza said. She sounded a bit hoarse.
Kuraire sauntered up to the two friends, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "So... cheerleader tryouts are today, Yakanori-san. Today decides who gets to keep Yama-chan..." she said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Shoneza-san..." Sora began.
"Butt out, Takenouchi-san. This is between me and Yakanori-san," Kuraire said, glaring at Sora.
"Come on Sora-chan, let's go somewhere else... I don't want to deal with Kuraire today...." Heza said. The two friends walked to the other side of the locker room.
Kuraire pursed her lips, then followed them. "You know, Monzoku-sensei told me that nobody else stands a chance against me, in head-cheerleader terms..."
That did it. Heza had had enough of Kuraire's bull. She turned around and glared at her, straight in the eye. "Look. I've just about had it up to here with you," she put her hand up to her chin, "and I just want you to know this: All of us have equal chances of making head-cheerleader; you're just making that up to indimidate me. Well I'm sorry hon, but it's not working," she hissed. She then continued changing into her blue-and-green cheerleader uniform.
Kuraire's face turned from white to bright red. She grabbed Heza's shoulder and turned her aound so that they were facing each other, and slapped her right across the face. "How dare you speak to me that way!" she said, fire in her eyes.
Heza held her right hand to her cheek. She slumped against the wall, her cheek stinging. The other cheerleaders crowded around the three girls.
"Kuraire! Nani...?" Sora shouted.
"Sora-chan, you want me to go get Monzoku-sensei?" Jamiko, one of the other cheerleaders, asked.
"Hai," Sora said, glaring at Kuraire. Kuraire just glared right back. Sora then looked down at Heza, who was no longer holding her cheek, but was huddled in a corner, her face streaked with tears. "Shoneza Kuraire, I have seen some awful things happen, but that tops them all!" she said, bending down to see if Heza was okay.
Just then, Jamiko returned with Monzoku-sensei. "Nani, what's going on here?!" Monzoma-sensei demanded. She then looked at Sora trying to comfort Heza, then at Kuraire, who was looking away with her arms crossed. "Shoneza-san. My office. NOW." Monzoku-sensei then walked back to her office. Kuraire hesitantly followed, looking back at Heza with a smug grin on her face.
"Heza-chan... are you okay?" Hamiyo Shizuka asked.
"Leave her alone, Shizuka-chan... Heza's had a rough week, I can tell..." Jamiko said.
Sora stood up and helped Heza to stand. "Do you need to go see the nurse?" she asked.
"Iie...." Heza quietly answered.
Just then, a yell erupted from Monzoku-sensei's office. "Nani?! IIE!! You can't do that, I...." It was Kuraire.
"Look, I'm the teacher, you listen to ME. I want you to never hit another one of the girls like that again. And furthermore, you will not try out for head-cheerleader. Do you understand me?!" Monzoku-sensei shouted.
"Man, Monzoku-sensei's really letting Shoneza-san have it, ne?" Shizuka asked.
"Heza-chan, it looks like your deal with Kuraire is off," Sora said, smiling at Heza.
Heza looked down at the ground. She wiped her eyes, then looked up. "Sora-chan, don't tell anyone about this but Yama-chan, Taichi-kun, and the others, okay?" she asked.
"Hai..."
"Arigatou...."
***************** *************************************************
[ 4 t h p e r i o d : G e o g r a p h y / L u n c h ]
Heza slowly carried her tray over to the table where Sora, Jyou, and Taichi were sitting. "Konnichiwa, minna..." she said, sitting down and laying her head on the table.
Taichi looked over at Heza. "Hey, I heard about what happened between you and Kuraire..." he said. "You okay?"
"Hai, Taichi-kun..."
Just then, Koushiro and Kamira showed up at their table. "Hey guys," Koushiro said. He and Kamira sat down.
"Ano... are you feeling any better, Yakanori-san?" Kamira asked Heza.
"Hai..." Heza didn't have the strength nor desire to glare at Kamira at the moment. "Nice of you to ask...." she muttered.
"Where's Yamato-kun?" Koushiro asked.
"I don't know... he said he would be right here, that he had something to take care of..." Sora said, picking at her rice.
Heza sighed. "He's probably off flirting with Kuraire somewhere...." she mumbled.
"What gives you that idea, Heza-chan?" Sora asked.
"........."
Yamato chose that exact time to show up. He sat down in his usual place next to Heza. He seemed angry.
"Konnichiwa, Yamato-kun," Sora said. "Nani? What's wrong?"
"Kuraire's crossed the line this time. I've been looking for her so I can give her a piece of my mind, but every time I see her she runs away," Yamato said, crossing his arms.
"You're still upset about what she did to Heza-chan?" Jyou asked.
"Hai..."
"Ohh Heza-chaaaaaaaan!!" an all-too-familiar voice rang.
Heza looked up, confused. She turned around so see Kuraire standing behind her with a million-watt-grin plastered on her face. "Go away, Shoneza-san," Heza growled.
Kuraire looked hurt. "Heza-chan..." she muttered, fake-astounded.
"I can see right through your little act, Kuraire. You can't fool me."
"But Heza-chan... I'm here to apologize for what I did earlier...." Kuraire muttered.
"Just go away..."
Kuraire's face turned red. "Look here, baka..."
Yamato decided he had seen enough. He stood up and looked Kuraire straight in the eye.
Kuraire looked like she wanted to evade, but she didn't dare. "Konnichiwa, Yama-chan," she said. Yamato didn't say anything. He only clenched his fist. "Nani, are you okay?"
"Listen up, Shoneza-san. If I ever hear that you do anything to hurt Heza again, you're going to be the one who's hurting..." he muttered so quietly, that only Kuraire could hear.
Kuraire's face turned from white to bright red. "Hai, Yama-chan..." she mumbled, crossing her fingers behind her back. She turned around and slowly walked away.
Yamato sat down and crossed his arms again.
Taichi let out a low whistle. "Yamato's really pissed," he mumbled to Sora.
"Hai.. although I really do think what Kuraire did was just..." Sora didn't finish her sentence, but Taichi knew what she meant.
*********************************************************** *********
[ A f t e r S c h o o l ]
Heza nervously stood in the girl's locker room, while the rest of the cherleaders were changing into their uniforms. She cracked her knuckles and began stretching out. Kuraire hadn't said a word to her since lunch, not even so much as a giggle when she tripped onstage in 7th period. It was really making her nervous.
Sora walked up to her, running a comb through her hair. "You ready, Heza-chan?"
"Hai... I'm a little nervous..." Heza said, staring down at the ground.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it. I mean, Kuraire isn't even allowed to try out now, after what she did this morning..." Sora said, grinning.
"That's what I'm worried about. She hasn't said anything to me since lunch, I have a feeling it's because of what Yama-chan said to her..." Heza gnawed on her thumbnail. "I couldn't hear it, but it must have really pissed her off... the only thing she does is glare at me..."
Sora put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "Just ignore her, she's only jealous because you have a better chance than she ever did..."
"Arigatou, Sora-chan..."
Monzoku-sensei then walked into the locker room holding a clipboard. "Okay minna-san, it's time. Let's make our way out to the stadium..." she said, motioning for the girls to follow. Kuraire trailed behind the group. She was in no hurry.
*********************************************************** *********
[ T h e S t a d i u m ]
"I didn't think there would be this many people here," Jamiko said, peeking through a doorway.
"Hai... it's really crowded out there..." another girl muttered.
"Nani? I can't see..." Heza said, standing on her tiptoes.
Monzoku-sensei's voice rang out on the stadium loudspeaker. "Kushada Jamiko," she said, calling out a girl at random.
Jamiko smiled at all of the girls nervously, then walked out to the middle of the field.
"Man... this is really intense... we can't even watch each other perform..." Sora whispered.
Heza had taken her shoes off and was rubbing her feet. "This is really making me nervous... I can't believe we have to go out there in the middle of the field, all alone with all of those people watching...." she muttered. "My feet hurt." Unbeknownst to her, her shoes had disappeared.
Kuraire took the can of WD-40 out of her backpack and sneered.
"Harura Nabiki," Monzoku-sensei's voice echoed in the stadium.
"Ano, Heza-chan, where are your shoes?" Sora asked.
"Nani...? They're right here," Heza said, picking up the white tennis shoes. She quickly put them on, tying the laces tightly. There was nothing more embarassing than having a shoe fly off while kicking.
"Hmm..."
"I hope I can get the splits down, lately my legs have been really sore...." Heza said, leaning back against the wall. "Maybe it's from all of the drills we've been doing..."
"I dunno, Heza-chan... my cousin used to put WD-40 or something slippery on the soles of her shoes whenever she did the splits...." Sora said.
"Takenouchi Sora," the loudspeaker blared.
"Good luck, Sora-chan," Heza whispered. Sora stood up, and walked out to the middle of the field. *I really hope I can do this, what with my sprained ankle and all....* she thought. She sat there for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
Finally, Monzoku-sensei's voice echoed, "Yakanori Heza."
Heza stood up, and calmly walked out to the middle of the field. The turf must have been wet, because her shoes were sliding around. She held her ground, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the bleachers. Her curiosity got the better of her and she looked around, wondering if her friends were there watching. She finally spotted Taichi (who wouldn't, I mean with his hair n_n) sitting in the bleachers, along with his sister Hikari. Koushiro, Kamira, Yamato, and his brother Takeru were also there. Heza smiled up at them, and stood still in the middle of the field.
"Begin," Monzoku-sensei said, signaling for her to start.
Heza took a deep breath. "Blue!" she clapped, "and Green! The Dragons are full of steam!" On this, she held her arms in the air and did a toe-touch, "Gimme an O, D, A-I-B-A, gooooo Odaiba!" She bent backwards and flipped over, touching her right foot to the ground. It slipped, but she managed to land safely in a perfect right-leg split. The crowd roared. Heza triumphantly stood up and ran off the field, doing a double cartwheel on the way.
She sat down on a concrete bench, next to Sora. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"Heza-chan, you did great!! You'll make it for sure!" Sora whispered.
"Arigatou..." Heza muttered, not really paying attention to the rest of the cheerleaders' performances.
After about ten minutes, Monzoku-sensei called all of the cheerleaders out to the field. They all seemed a bit nervous. Once again, Kuraire trailed behind. "Well, we've certainly seen some great performances today. It was really tough decision, but there can only be one head cheerleader. Please remember that the scores from all four judges were averaged, and the one who came out on top is...." She paused for dramatic effect.
Heza swallowed the lump in her throat. She cracked her knuckles, waiting for Monzoku-sensei's announcement.
"Yakanori Heza!" The applause was thunderous.
Heza thought she was going to faint. She just stood there, grinning. No matter how many times she tried to get the edges of her mouth to go down, they just popped right back up.
"Way to go, Heza-chan!" Sora said to her after they made their way back to the locker room.
"Arigatou," she said, smiling.
"Hey, check out these ribbons I found, they're perfect for a head cheerleader," Sora said, holding up two long silver ribbons. She tied them around the buns in Heza's hair. "Hey, those look really cool with your green and blue ribbons..."
Heza looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Hai!"
Just then, Monzoku-sensei walked into the locker room, holding a small blue-and green megaphone and a pair of silver pom-poms. "Well, I believe these belong to you now, Yakanori-san," she said, handing them to Heza.
"Arigatou..." Heza said, still smiling.
********************************************************* ********
"Konnichiwa, head-cheerleader!" Taichi said to Heza as the group was walking out of the stadium.
"I was really impressed with that backflip, Heza-san," Takeru said, grinning.
"Hai, it looked like it hurt when you went down into those splits though," Hikari said.
Heza said nothing. She just walked straight forward, a thousand-watt-grin plastered on her face.
"What about me, Taichi-kun?" Sora said in a fake whiney voice.
"Nani... uhm, you did great too, Sora-chan," Taichi muttered, blushing.
"Aah, I see how it is, you give all your congrats to the victor... Taichi no baka," Sora said, grinning at the boy-of-big-hair.
"Hey!" Taichi said, fake-offended.
"Another lover's spat, I see," Koushiro said, watching the two of them bicker.
"That's how it is, you always hurt the one you love," Kamira said quietly. "Even if it is just a joke..."
"Nani, have you guys seen oniisan?" Takeru asked, looking around for Yamato. He wasn't anywhere nearby.
"Iie, I haven't seen him since we came out.." Taichi said.
"Hmm..." Takeru muttered, scratching his head.
"Takaishi-san, I believe I saw him turn left when we came out.. I have no idea where he could have gone now though," Kamira said.
Takeru stopped walking and looked behind him. They had been walking pretty slow from the stadium, as they weren't that far away from it. He began running in the opposite direction. "Arigatou, Ryuuichii-san!" he shouted.
Heza, during this whole time, had her mind on other things. *This is really weird... Ryuuichii-san's giving off a strange aura... almost as if she was a DigiDestined... no, what am I thinking?* Heza looked at Kamira from the corner of her eye. She was talking with Koushiro. *Still... what is this power? I just don't understand it...*
"Ah, this is where I have to turn to go home... ja ne," Kamira suddenly said, breaking from the group.
"Ja ne, Kamira-chan!" Koushiro said, waving.
Taichi came up beside Koushiro. "Nani, did I just hear you call her Kamira-CHAN? Whooo... Izumi's got a giiiiiiiiirlfriiiiiiiiiend!" he teased, nudging the shorter boy.
Koushiro's face turned pink for a moment. He looked away from Taichi, a little cross. "Taichi no baka.."
Heza finally broke her thoughts when the group came up on the usual route she took home from school. "I'd better get home, minna-san.. Gotta tell everyone my good news," she said.
"Ja ne, Heza-chan!" Sora said, smiling at her friend.
"Ja..." She turned down her street.
********************************************************** *********
Heza walked down the dimly lit street, her silver pom-poms making small blotches of light on the sidewalk. She suddenly heard light footsteps behind her, and turned around. It was Yamato.
"Yama-chan..." she muttered.
"Sorry I didn't walk with you guys from the stadium, I just had some things to think about..." Yamato said quietly, looking down at the ground. He had one arm behind his back.
"It's okay..."
Yamato coughed, then walked up to her. "Uhm, here..." he said, taking his arm from behind his back. In his hand was a cluster of sakura blossoms. "For making head cheerleader and all..." His face turned a little pink.
Heza was quiet for a minute. She smiled. "Arigatou, Yama-chan... you didn't have to do that," she said.
"Well.... I wanted to," he said, looking up at the sky.
The two of them walked quietly for a moment. After a few minutes, Heza spoke. "You know.... I've been thinking about a lot of things lately... not just cheerleading, but... *other* things...."
"Nani, what kind of other things?" Yamato asked.
"Just.... other things...." Heza blushed a little.
"I see...."
They continued walking, until their apartment building came into view (well, don't all of the DigiDestined live in the same apartment complex of something? o.o). "I'd better get home, it's late..." Heza muttered.
"Hai... ja ne," Yamato said, hugging her briefly.
Heza blushed for a second, then made her way to her apartment.
Heza flopped down on her back, startling her cat who was laying on her bed. She lay there for a few minutes, contemplating the events of the day. Finally, she turned on her clock radio. One of her favorite songs was playing.
'My head's spinning
And boy, I'm in a daze
I feel isolated
Don't wanna communicate'
*Man, ain't that the truth....* Heza thought. She looked at the cluster of sakura blossoms and smiled to herself.
[ F i r s t p e r i o d : C h e e r l e a d i n g ]
Heza heaved her gym bag onto her shoulder and pulled open the doors to the girl's locker room. The nine other cheerleaders were already in there, including Kuraire and Sora. "Ohayo, minna-san..." she said, yawning.
"Konnichiwa, Heza-chan," Sora said, combing out her hair.
Heza droped her gym bag down on a nearby counter and took her cheerleading clothes out of it. She yawned.
"Are you feeling any better today?" Sora asked.
"Hai, a little... my throat started hurting a bit..." Heza said. She sounded a bit hoarse.
Kuraire sauntered up to the two friends, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "So... cheerleader tryouts are today, Yakanori-san. Today decides who gets to keep Yama-chan..." she said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Shoneza-san..." Sora began.
"Butt out, Takenouchi-san. This is between me and Yakanori-san," Kuraire said, glaring at Sora.
"Come on Sora-chan, let's go somewhere else... I don't want to deal with Kuraire today...." Heza said. The two friends walked to the other side of the locker room.
Kuraire pursed her lips, then followed them. "You know, Monzoku-sensei told me that nobody else stands a chance against me, in head-cheerleader terms..."
That did it. Heza had had enough of Kuraire's bull. She turned around and glared at her, straight in the eye. "Look. I've just about had it up to here with you," she put her hand up to her chin, "and I just want you to know this: All of us have equal chances of making head-cheerleader; you're just making that up to indimidate me. Well I'm sorry hon, but it's not working," she hissed. She then continued changing into her blue-and-green cheerleader uniform.
Kuraire's face turned from white to bright red. She grabbed Heza's shoulder and turned her aound so that they were facing each other, and slapped her right across the face. "How dare you speak to me that way!" she said, fire in her eyes.
Heza held her right hand to her cheek. She slumped against the wall, her cheek stinging. The other cheerleaders crowded around the three girls.
"Kuraire! Nani...?" Sora shouted.
"Sora-chan, you want me to go get Monzoku-sensei?" Jamiko, one of the other cheerleaders, asked.
"Hai," Sora said, glaring at Kuraire. Kuraire just glared right back. Sora then looked down at Heza, who was no longer holding her cheek, but was huddled in a corner, her face streaked with tears. "Shoneza Kuraire, I have seen some awful things happen, but that tops them all!" she said, bending down to see if Heza was okay.
Just then, Jamiko returned with Monzoku-sensei. "Nani, what's going on here?!" Monzoma-sensei demanded. She then looked at Sora trying to comfort Heza, then at Kuraire, who was looking away with her arms crossed. "Shoneza-san. My office. NOW." Monzoku-sensei then walked back to her office. Kuraire hesitantly followed, looking back at Heza with a smug grin on her face.
"Heza-chan... are you okay?" Hamiyo Shizuka asked.
"Leave her alone, Shizuka-chan... Heza's had a rough week, I can tell..." Jamiko said.
Sora stood up and helped Heza to stand. "Do you need to go see the nurse?" she asked.
"Iie...." Heza quietly answered.
Just then, a yell erupted from Monzoku-sensei's office. "Nani?! IIE!! You can't do that, I...." It was Kuraire.
"Look, I'm the teacher, you listen to ME. I want you to never hit another one of the girls like that again. And furthermore, you will not try out for head-cheerleader. Do you understand me?!" Monzoku-sensei shouted.
"Man, Monzoku-sensei's really letting Shoneza-san have it, ne?" Shizuka asked.
"Heza-chan, it looks like your deal with Kuraire is off," Sora said, smiling at Heza.
Heza looked down at the ground. She wiped her eyes, then looked up. "Sora-chan, don't tell anyone about this but Yama-chan, Taichi-kun, and the others, okay?" she asked.
"Hai..."
"Arigatou...."
***************** *************************************************
[ 4 t h p e r i o d : G e o g r a p h y / L u n c h ]
Heza slowly carried her tray over to the table where Sora, Jyou, and Taichi were sitting. "Konnichiwa, minna..." she said, sitting down and laying her head on the table.
Taichi looked over at Heza. "Hey, I heard about what happened between you and Kuraire..." he said. "You okay?"
"Hai, Taichi-kun..."
Just then, Koushiro and Kamira showed up at their table. "Hey guys," Koushiro said. He and Kamira sat down.
"Ano... are you feeling any better, Yakanori-san?" Kamira asked Heza.
"Hai..." Heza didn't have the strength nor desire to glare at Kamira at the moment. "Nice of you to ask...." she muttered.
"Where's Yamato-kun?" Koushiro asked.
"I don't know... he said he would be right here, that he had something to take care of..." Sora said, picking at her rice.
Heza sighed. "He's probably off flirting with Kuraire somewhere...." she mumbled.
"What gives you that idea, Heza-chan?" Sora asked.
"........."
Yamato chose that exact time to show up. He sat down in his usual place next to Heza. He seemed angry.
"Konnichiwa, Yamato-kun," Sora said. "Nani? What's wrong?"
"Kuraire's crossed the line this time. I've been looking for her so I can give her a piece of my mind, but every time I see her she runs away," Yamato said, crossing his arms.
"You're still upset about what she did to Heza-chan?" Jyou asked.
"Hai..."
"Ohh Heza-chaaaaaaaan!!" an all-too-familiar voice rang.
Heza looked up, confused. She turned around so see Kuraire standing behind her with a million-watt-grin plastered on her face. "Go away, Shoneza-san," Heza growled.
Kuraire looked hurt. "Heza-chan..." she muttered, fake-astounded.
"I can see right through your little act, Kuraire. You can't fool me."
"But Heza-chan... I'm here to apologize for what I did earlier...." Kuraire muttered.
"Just go away..."
Kuraire's face turned red. "Look here, baka..."
Yamato decided he had seen enough. He stood up and looked Kuraire straight in the eye.
Kuraire looked like she wanted to evade, but she didn't dare. "Konnichiwa, Yama-chan," she said. Yamato didn't say anything. He only clenched his fist. "Nani, are you okay?"
"Listen up, Shoneza-san. If I ever hear that you do anything to hurt Heza again, you're going to be the one who's hurting..." he muttered so quietly, that only Kuraire could hear.
Kuraire's face turned from white to bright red. "Hai, Yama-chan..." she mumbled, crossing her fingers behind her back. She turned around and slowly walked away.
Yamato sat down and crossed his arms again.
Taichi let out a low whistle. "Yamato's really pissed," he mumbled to Sora.
"Hai.. although I really do think what Kuraire did was just..." Sora didn't finish her sentence, but Taichi knew what she meant.
*********************************************************** *********
[ A f t e r S c h o o l ]
Heza nervously stood in the girl's locker room, while the rest of the cherleaders were changing into their uniforms. She cracked her knuckles and began stretching out. Kuraire hadn't said a word to her since lunch, not even so much as a giggle when she tripped onstage in 7th period. It was really making her nervous.
Sora walked up to her, running a comb through her hair. "You ready, Heza-chan?"
"Hai... I'm a little nervous..." Heza said, staring down at the ground.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it. I mean, Kuraire isn't even allowed to try out now, after what she did this morning..." Sora said, grinning.
"That's what I'm worried about. She hasn't said anything to me since lunch, I have a feeling it's because of what Yama-chan said to her..." Heza gnawed on her thumbnail. "I couldn't hear it, but it must have really pissed her off... the only thing she does is glare at me..."
Sora put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "Just ignore her, she's only jealous because you have a better chance than she ever did..."
"Arigatou, Sora-chan..."
Monzoku-sensei then walked into the locker room holding a clipboard. "Okay minna-san, it's time. Let's make our way out to the stadium..." she said, motioning for the girls to follow. Kuraire trailed behind the group. She was in no hurry.
*********************************************************** *********
[ T h e S t a d i u m ]
"I didn't think there would be this many people here," Jamiko said, peeking through a doorway.
"Hai... it's really crowded out there..." another girl muttered.
"Nani? I can't see..." Heza said, standing on her tiptoes.
Monzoku-sensei's voice rang out on the stadium loudspeaker. "Kushada Jamiko," she said, calling out a girl at random.
Jamiko smiled at all of the girls nervously, then walked out to the middle of the field.
"Man... this is really intense... we can't even watch each other perform..." Sora whispered.
Heza had taken her shoes off and was rubbing her feet. "This is really making me nervous... I can't believe we have to go out there in the middle of the field, all alone with all of those people watching...." she muttered. "My feet hurt." Unbeknownst to her, her shoes had disappeared.
Kuraire took the can of WD-40 out of her backpack and sneered.
"Harura Nabiki," Monzoku-sensei's voice echoed in the stadium.
"Ano, Heza-chan, where are your shoes?" Sora asked.
"Nani...? They're right here," Heza said, picking up the white tennis shoes. She quickly put them on, tying the laces tightly. There was nothing more embarassing than having a shoe fly off while kicking.
"Hmm..."
"I hope I can get the splits down, lately my legs have been really sore...." Heza said, leaning back against the wall. "Maybe it's from all of the drills we've been doing..."
"I dunno, Heza-chan... my cousin used to put WD-40 or something slippery on the soles of her shoes whenever she did the splits...." Sora said.
"Takenouchi Sora," the loudspeaker blared.
"Good luck, Sora-chan," Heza whispered. Sora stood up, and walked out to the middle of the field. *I really hope I can do this, what with my sprained ankle and all....* she thought. She sat there for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
Finally, Monzoku-sensei's voice echoed, "Yakanori Heza."
Heza stood up, and calmly walked out to the middle of the field. The turf must have been wet, because her shoes were sliding around. She held her ground, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the bleachers. Her curiosity got the better of her and she looked around, wondering if her friends were there watching. She finally spotted Taichi (who wouldn't, I mean with his hair n_n) sitting in the bleachers, along with his sister Hikari. Koushiro, Kamira, Yamato, and his brother Takeru were also there. Heza smiled up at them, and stood still in the middle of the field.
"Begin," Monzoku-sensei said, signaling for her to start.
Heza took a deep breath. "Blue!" she clapped, "and Green! The Dragons are full of steam!" On this, she held her arms in the air and did a toe-touch, "Gimme an O, D, A-I-B-A, gooooo Odaiba!" She bent backwards and flipped over, touching her right foot to the ground. It slipped, but she managed to land safely in a perfect right-leg split. The crowd roared. Heza triumphantly stood up and ran off the field, doing a double cartwheel on the way.
She sat down on a concrete bench, next to Sora. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"Heza-chan, you did great!! You'll make it for sure!" Sora whispered.
"Arigatou..." Heza muttered, not really paying attention to the rest of the cheerleaders' performances.
After about ten minutes, Monzoku-sensei called all of the cheerleaders out to the field. They all seemed a bit nervous. Once again, Kuraire trailed behind. "Well, we've certainly seen some great performances today. It was really tough decision, but there can only be one head cheerleader. Please remember that the scores from all four judges were averaged, and the one who came out on top is...." She paused for dramatic effect.
Heza swallowed the lump in her throat. She cracked her knuckles, waiting for Monzoku-sensei's announcement.
"Yakanori Heza!" The applause was thunderous.
Heza thought she was going to faint. She just stood there, grinning. No matter how many times she tried to get the edges of her mouth to go down, they just popped right back up.
"Way to go, Heza-chan!" Sora said to her after they made their way back to the locker room.
"Arigatou," she said, smiling.
"Hey, check out these ribbons I found, they're perfect for a head cheerleader," Sora said, holding up two long silver ribbons. She tied them around the buns in Heza's hair. "Hey, those look really cool with your green and blue ribbons..."
Heza looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Hai!"
Just then, Monzoku-sensei walked into the locker room, holding a small blue-and green megaphone and a pair of silver pom-poms. "Well, I believe these belong to you now, Yakanori-san," she said, handing them to Heza.
"Arigatou..." Heza said, still smiling.
********************************************************* ********
"Konnichiwa, head-cheerleader!" Taichi said to Heza as the group was walking out of the stadium.
"I was really impressed with that backflip, Heza-san," Takeru said, grinning.
"Hai, it looked like it hurt when you went down into those splits though," Hikari said.
Heza said nothing. She just walked straight forward, a thousand-watt-grin plastered on her face.
"What about me, Taichi-kun?" Sora said in a fake whiney voice.
"Nani... uhm, you did great too, Sora-chan," Taichi muttered, blushing.
"Aah, I see how it is, you give all your congrats to the victor... Taichi no baka," Sora said, grinning at the boy-of-big-hair.
"Hey!" Taichi said, fake-offended.
"Another lover's spat, I see," Koushiro said, watching the two of them bicker.
"That's how it is, you always hurt the one you love," Kamira said quietly. "Even if it is just a joke..."
"Nani, have you guys seen oniisan?" Takeru asked, looking around for Yamato. He wasn't anywhere nearby.
"Iie, I haven't seen him since we came out.." Taichi said.
"Hmm..." Takeru muttered, scratching his head.
"Takaishi-san, I believe I saw him turn left when we came out.. I have no idea where he could have gone now though," Kamira said.
Takeru stopped walking and looked behind him. They had been walking pretty slow from the stadium, as they weren't that far away from it. He began running in the opposite direction. "Arigatou, Ryuuichii-san!" he shouted.
Heza, during this whole time, had her mind on other things. *This is really weird... Ryuuichii-san's giving off a strange aura... almost as if she was a DigiDestined... no, what am I thinking?* Heza looked at Kamira from the corner of her eye. She was talking with Koushiro. *Still... what is this power? I just don't understand it...*
"Ah, this is where I have to turn to go home... ja ne," Kamira suddenly said, breaking from the group.
"Ja ne, Kamira-chan!" Koushiro said, waving.
Taichi came up beside Koushiro. "Nani, did I just hear you call her Kamira-CHAN? Whooo... Izumi's got a giiiiiiiiirlfriiiiiiiiiend!" he teased, nudging the shorter boy.
Koushiro's face turned pink for a moment. He looked away from Taichi, a little cross. "Taichi no baka.."
Heza finally broke her thoughts when the group came up on the usual route she took home from school. "I'd better get home, minna-san.. Gotta tell everyone my good news," she said.
"Ja ne, Heza-chan!" Sora said, smiling at her friend.
"Ja..." She turned down her street.
********************************************************** *********
Heza walked down the dimly lit street, her silver pom-poms making small blotches of light on the sidewalk. She suddenly heard light footsteps behind her, and turned around. It was Yamato.
"Yama-chan..." she muttered.
"Sorry I didn't walk with you guys from the stadium, I just had some things to think about..." Yamato said quietly, looking down at the ground. He had one arm behind his back.
"It's okay..."
Yamato coughed, then walked up to her. "Uhm, here..." he said, taking his arm from behind his back. In his hand was a cluster of sakura blossoms. "For making head cheerleader and all..." His face turned a little pink.
Heza was quiet for a minute. She smiled. "Arigatou, Yama-chan... you didn't have to do that," she said.
"Well.... I wanted to," he said, looking up at the sky.
The two of them walked quietly for a moment. After a few minutes, Heza spoke. "You know.... I've been thinking about a lot of things lately... not just cheerleading, but... *other* things...."
"Nani, what kind of other things?" Yamato asked.
"Just.... other things...." Heza blushed a little.
"I see...."
They continued walking, until their apartment building came into view (well, don't all of the DigiDestined live in the same apartment complex of something? o.o). "I'd better get home, it's late..." Heza muttered.
"Hai... ja ne," Yamato said, hugging her briefly.
Heza blushed for a second, then made her way to her apartment.
Heza flopped down on her back, startling her cat who was laying on her bed. She lay there for a few minutes, contemplating the events of the day. Finally, she turned on her clock radio. One of her favorite songs was playing.
'My head's spinning
And boy, I'm in a daze
I feel isolated
Don't wanna communicate'
*Man, ain't that the truth....* Heza thought. She looked at the cluster of sakura blossoms and smiled to herself.