Fan Fiction ❯ Journey for Fertile Crescent ❯ An Unlikely Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: An Unlikely Meeting

Many people were gathered around in the middle of the school. "She's even stronger that Kai and Kei put together!" a girl yelled. A girl about the age of 16 was in the middle of the circle. She had a frown on her face. She had deep black hair that reached half of her back and was tied in a low ponytail. Two shorter bangs framed her face. She had black eyes that didn't have any shine or sparkle in them. She was about 5'4" in height. "Don't pick a fight with people you don't know. Unless you're 100% positive that you'll win." She said. Two men were on the floor. They were holding their stomachs and moaning in pain. She turned around and walked out of the circle. People parted to let her pass. "Su…sugoi…" a guy said.

From the outside of a stadium you could hear the loud shouts of different people. It was pretty obvious that they were hosting a beauty pageant. "You're so beautiful, Fumiko!" a guy called. Another girl sighed. "It's pretty obvious who's gonna win. Every single contest Fumiko finishes first. She also has the highest average all the time! Not to mention her great charisma!" she said.

"And our winner is…Matsuzawa Fumiko!" the judge exclaimed. Everyone shouted for joy. The other contestants of the pageant sighed and had I-knew-she-would-win faces. A girl with a sweet expression on her face went forward. She had dark shiny blue hair that reached half of her back. She had dark blue eyes that really showed kindness and humility. The judge handed her the microphone and she took it gently. She bowed politely and smiled at everyone. "I'd like to thank everyone for their support! Thank you very much to all the judges and all my fans. I wouldn't have won without you! I'd like to express my deep gratitude by singing you my favorite song!" she said. Everyone screamed for joy.

(This is the English translation of the second ending of GTO aka Great Teacher Onizuka- Shizuka or Drop)

"If you can't love everyone, at least do not

Betray, suspect, accuse, or hate the ones you love

Does being innocent mean that I will hurt people?

A quiet passion begins to stir within my eyes... after meeting you

Teardrops are about to fall; I don't let them, holding them within my heart

Live each moment to the fullest; become a focused drop

Pure love is always leading someone astray

Let's pray without giving up, even if the world has turned dark

Let's find the one thing that I can be proud to myself about

Even if dreams that I cannot put into words fill both of my hands, I won't let myself be affected by anyone

What can I do in these neverending times?

Even though the spark is faint right now, you can't put it out

The tapwater's chlorine deposits have accumulated on the sink's edge and doesn't seem like it'll ever dissolve

I think of even the scientific environment and love at the same level

If you find the one thing that only you can do,

You need nothing else, right? You've come to realize that lately, right?

From a corner in the city that's like a huge boulder, I want to change something, little by little by little

I want to infiltrate someone for real

This morning, the TV was showing people somewhere far away who hated each other

What can I do in these never-ending times?

Even though the spark is faint right now, you can't put it out

Teardrops are about to fall; I don't let them, holding them within my heart

Live each moment to the fullest; become a focused drop."

She sang with the most angelic beautiful voice anyone has ever heard. Everyone screamed and cheered. "You're perfect, Fumiko!" they yelled. She smiled. "Thank you again, everyone!" she said and bowed.

After the show she went out of the stadium. The girl who beat Kai and Kei was there, leaning on the wall with crossed arms. "Are you ready to go home?" she asked her. The girl smiled again. "Yes! Thank you for waiting, Kaori-chan." She said. They both walked down the street. It was already at the dead of night and no one was around. Fumiko looked at Kaori. She looked at the sky then smiled. "What are you smiling about?" Kaori asked her nonchalantly. Fumiko giggled. "It's just that…ever since we were kids…you were always my protector." She said. "Whatever." Kaori replied.

Just then, two men appeared in front of them. "That's them." One of them said. "Yeah! Yeah! She's Fumiko and she's Kaori!" the other guy said. Kaori pulled Fumiko's shirt and pushed her behind her. She went in a fighting pose. "Who are you and what do you want?!" she demanded. One of them stepped forward. "I'm Aki! We're here to escort you to our place because we need your help!" he said happily. "You need our help?" Fumiko asked. "Yes, yes!" he said. "Shut up! You think we would just follow men around just because they said so?!" she yelled as she gave a swift kick. Before she could even touch him, the other guy was in front of her and used his arm to block the kick from touching his partner. "Don't be hard. Just do what we say and you won't get hurt." He said. She clenched her fist. She dropped her leg and tried to punch him, but he caught her fist. "Damn you!" she yelled and tried to kick and punch him, but to no avail.

"Kaori, please stop it. They said that they need our help." Fumiko said. "No, Fumiko! Can't you see they want to harm us?!" Kaori said. The man lowered his head. "You're so stubborn." He said and punched her in the stomach. Her eyes widened. "Damn…" she said and fell down unconscious. Fumiko ran to her side. "Kaori!" she yelled. The man chopped the back of her neck with his hand and she fainted.

The other guy ran towards them. "You didn't have to hurt them, Rei." He said. "Hn." He said and turned around. "Just carry them and let's get out of this hell hole." He said. "Sure!" he replied and put each of them on his shoulders.

~DREAM~

Kaori was walking down the street with a guy following her. "Come on, Kaori-chan! Believe me! I went to your school for you! Not to spy on your sports team!" he said. "Would you stop it, Junta? I don't care. I don't have time for you." She said. "Please, Kaori! I just want to express my feelings for you." He said. "Leave me alone!" she said as she crossed the street. He still followed her. They safely crossed it and went on. "Kaori! Please!" he pleaded. He pulled her arm, twisted her around and touched his lips with hers. His eyes were closed but his facial expression showed passion. Her eyes widened. She pushed him away. "How…how dare you! How dare you disrespect me!" she yelled. His eyes widened. "No…I didn't come here to disrespect you…I…I just wanted to show you how I feel." He said. "You didn't disrespect me? You came here to my school, followed me around, and kissed me without my permission. And you're saying that you didn't disrespect me?" she said. "No…I didn't mean to, Kaori-chan. Please, just listen." He said. "Listen? You listen to me. I'm the coach and top player of our sports team. Two individuals from two different schools who participate in the same competition shouldn't be seen together! I…just can't!" she yelled. Her eyes became teary and soon, tears fell. His body shook. "Ka…Kaori-chan…did I say something?" he asked. "Just leave me alone!" she yelled. "No! I don't want to leave you alone! I don't want you to go to anyone else but me…even if he's from your school!" he yelled as he wrapped his arm around her. Her eyes widened once more. She pushed him away. "I told you to leave me alone!" she yelled and ran away.

~end of dream~

Kaori slowly opened her eyes. `That dream again...I'm not supposed to remember it…damn.' She thought. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She heard the usual gentle laughter of Fumiko. She turned around and saw her. "You're awake." A voice said. She looked to her left. The man who hit her yesterday was sitting down beside her. His right leg was folded and his right arm rested on it. It was the first time that she saw his whole appearance. She wasn't able to see clearly at night because it was too dark. He was fairly a little handsome. Well, for other girls they'd probably fall head over heels for him but Kaori was different. Her `handsome' was something that couldn't be reached. So this opinion from her that he was `a little' handsome meant a lot. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a sleeveless white shirt that revealed his muscular arms. He also wore blue pants and black rubber shoes. He looked like the typical super cute highschool guy just around the corner. But unlike the normal girl who would flirt, Kaori frowned. "Where did you bring us?!" she asked angrily. He groggily lazily opened his eyes. "In our place obviously." He said. She scowled. "Well duh! But let us go now!" she yelled as she grabbed his collar and neared her face to his in a threatening way. His bored expression never changed. A picture of Junta appeared in her mind. He looked so much like him, even his expression. She narrowed her eyes and pushed him away. "Tch." She said.

She walked over to Fumiko. "Did they do anything to hurt you?" she asked. She shook her head no. "That's good. Let's go." She said as she pulled her arm to make Fumiko stand up. "Wait, please. Don't go." The guy said. He was also a little handsome for Kaori. He had short black hair and blue eyes. It was obvious that he was gentle by the way he spoke. "Hey, I don't know who the hell you are and we're not staying here to find out!" she yelled and pulled Fumiko. "Wait Kaori!" she said. Kaori stopped. She turned around and looked at Fumiko. She had pleading eyes. Kaori closed her eyes. She pushed Fumiko away and crossed her arms. "Fine. Give me one good reason that would make me stay. Remember, it must be good." She said. Fumiko looked at the ground. "You know that I'm not good in making good reasons when it comes to your standards. It's hard to convince you." She said. Kaori turned around and took a step towards the door. Fumiko looked up. "You're leaving?" she asked. "I told you that you must give me a good reason for me to stay here. If you don't then I'll leave with no hesitation." She said. Fumiko slowly rose. "I…they need our help, Kaori. They're town needs our help. I don't know how-" she was cut off by Kaori. "I've heard enough. I told you that you should never say `I don't know', because if you do…then what you're saying isn't a reason. It's an opinion." She said and proceeded to the door. Just then, the guy who was sitting beside her a while ago appeared in front of her. "I can't let you do that." He said. She frowned. "I've had enough of your shit, bastard!" she yelled and kicked him with her knee. He was taken aback and got hit. He fell on his knees with his arms clutching his stomach. She opened the door and walked out, slamming the door behind her. "Rei!" the other guy called.

Meanwhile, Kaori was walking through the town. `Shit…where am I? These people…they have cat ears!' she thought. Everyone was staring at her and was whispering to each other. She went over to a tree and sat down under the shade. `Wherever I am…this isn't a normal world. Damn. I had that dream again a while ago. Why does it keep on bothering me? I have no feelings for Junta anymore, I'm certain of it. But does it mean that someone new is coming?' she thought.

A few meters away from her was Rei, watching her. He could read minds but since he hasn't mastered it yet he could hardly hear anything but a few words and fuzzy noises. It was sort of a transmission for a television set using a satellite.

It was already night and she hadn't moved since then. Rei was getting irritated already. He knew that she could go back to where they brought her since it was only close but she didn't. Rei went back to reality when he saw her stand up. She stretched her arms. "It's so boring in this place." She said.

She walked towards a school nearby. `Many people say that all schools have ghost stories.' She thought. She entered the school grounds and looked around. "Nothing's here…such a bore." She said. Just then, she felt something painful at the back of her neck. She turned around and saw a man with long brown hair. He had a needle in his hand. Four more men appeared out of the shadows. "Don't you know that a girl like you shouldn't be going around at this time?" he asked. She fell on her knees. "What…did…you…do…to me?!" she yelled. He smirked. "Are you having a hard time breathing? How about moving? Heh, this needle has some paralysing liquid." He said. "Bas…tard." She said. "Looks like this one is pretty." He said.

He roughly took her arm and dragged her along the grass. The other men followed him. He brought her to a dark alley and rammed her on the wall hard. Her arm broke because of the impact. A tear rolled down. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'll be the first one, guys. You can take her on later." He said. Her eyes widened. Were they really going to rape her?

He took her blouse and tore it off. He neared his face and started to kiss her neck. "So pretty…and your skin is so soft too." He commented as he rubbed his hands on her thighs. "Darn, I can't do this with people watching. And besides, we're standing. Hey, leave us for a while." He said. The guys nodded and walked away. His gaze returned on her. She still couldn't move or breathe. He pushed her on the floor. He went on top of her. He started to kiss her neck and chest and he was rubbing his lower body on hers. He slid his hand under her skirt and began to pull down her underwear. It was halfway down her legs when they heard shouts. The man stopped and turned around. "What's the noise about?!" he asked angrily.

A man came into view. "Who are you?!" he asked angrily. The man lifted his fist and punched him in the face, making him unconscious. He quickly ran to Kaori's side. "Can you breathe?" he asked. She immediately recognized him. `The other guy called him something…Rei, was it?' she thought. "CAN YOU BREATHE?" he asked again more clearly. She weakly shook her head. He put his hands on her chest and pushed three times. Then he put his mouth on hers and blew in. Both of their cheeks were red. He did it over and over again. Soon, she coughed. She gasped for air. "You didn't have air for at least 5 minutes. I'm surprised you're still alive." He said. She still couldn't move. He looked down and saw her underwear still down. His cheeks became crimson. "You're so weak." He said. He took her underwear and pulled it back on her. Her cheeks became redder but she still couldn't do anything.

He took off his shirt and put it on top of her. He carried her bridal style and walked back to where they were.

While walking, he looked down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked. She blinked. "H…Hai…" she said. They arrived and he entered the room. Fumiko was already asleep and Aki was watching over her intently. "Oi, do we have any spare clothes for this girl?" he asked. Aki quickly stood up and looked around. "Sorry, nothing." He said. "Hey, you could let her use your pyjamas. Fumiko-chan is using my pyjamas." He said. Rei nodded and put her down on the futon. She was already asleep. "What happened anyway?" he asked. Rei went over to his wardrobe and took out his very own pyjamas. "She was almost raped." He said. Aki sighed. "Nothing's right here anymore. We really need their help. But then Kaori doesn't want to listen." He said. Rei threw his pyjamas at Aki. "What will I do with these?" he asked. "Put it on her. I haven't seen a woman's body unlike you." He said and went to his own room. Aki sighed. `If she was almost raped then that must mean he saw even a small part of her body.' He thought. "Wait!" Aki called. Rei's head popped out of his room. "What?" he asked. "Where will she sleep? She can't sleep in my room!" he said. "Then let her sleep in the living room." He said. "But you know that we can't lock the living room." He said. Rei growled. "Fine! Let her sleep here in my room!" he yelled annoyed.

After a while, Aki went in the room with Kaori in his arms. "Careful, she has a broken arm." Rei said. "I know. I already wrapped it with bandages." He said. He set her on his bed and went over to the cabinet. "You should have set her bed while waiting." He said. He brought out a rolled up futon and spread it on the floor. He took out a pillow and fluffed it. He carried her once more and laid her on the futon. "There. Well, good night." He said and went back to his room. He stared at Kaori for a while. "Hn. Baka." He said and went to sleep.

Early in the morning.

Kaori was awakened by the smell of fresh eggs. She opened her eyes. She sat up and looked around. She stood up shakily and walked towards the door. Aki's head popped out of nowhere. "AAAHH!!" she yelled. He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, did I scare you?" he asked. "Shut up and leave me alone." She said and pushed him aside.

She entered the living room. She stopped walking when she saw other people inside. There were five of them whom she hasn't known yet. They all looked at her. "It's rude to stare." She said coldly. "Is she the one?" the old man to the left asked. "Hai." Rei replied. He was sitting across from her. "Very well then. Good morning to you, young mistress. We are here before you to explain your being here." He said. Kaori stared at him for a while to see if he was telling the truth. His eyes did tell the truth. They were so certain. "Fine." She said and sat down beside Rei.

"First of all, my lady, my name is Mamori Taka. I am the head of this village. That man over there is going to be your bodyguard. His name is Hiroshi." He said as he pointed to a thin bald man. "Lady Fumiko will be guarded by Fatoru-san." He said as he gestured to the man beside him. He had blonde hair and a mole on his forehead. "Fatoru-san is one of the best fighters here in Fertile Crescent. Of course you have already met Rei and Aki. They are both the best fighters here and their combinations are deadly." He said. Before he could open his mouth for another set of words, Kaori slammed her hand on the table. "Listen, old man. I don't have time to know who your little friends are. All I want to know is why I'm here and how I'm gonna get out. If you won't answer that then I'm leaving this instant." She said.

The old man frowned. "My lady, with all due respect-" he was cut off by Kaori. "Stop calling me `my lady'! I'm not anyone's lady and I never will be. Now, I'll tell you again. All I want to know is why I'm here and how I'm going to get out. If you won't tell me then I'm leaving!" she yelled. He nodded. "If you want to leave, you may. But you have to go through Hiroshi first before you can do so." He said.

Kaori turned her back to them and headed for the door. She reached for the doorknob. Before she could even touch it, a cold hand grabbed her wrist. She looked to her left and saw Hiroshi. "Let me go. I'm going to leave." She said. "I'm afraid I can't do that, my lady." He said. Kaori felt her blood boil. She closed her eyes for a while then opened them again. She grabbed her fist and walked backwards a few steps. She went in a fighting stance. Rei's closed eyes opened and shifted their gaze to her. `Her eyes…' he thought as she noted her features. `…those were the same eyes I remember seeing when that man was about to violate her.' He thought. Indeed they were. Her fierce gaze could pierce through anyone's soul with one single glance.

"My lady, I trust you know that I am a good fighter. Please, I do not wish to hurt you. Stop this madness and take your seat. Please listen to our village leader." He said. She frowned. "Do you know what I hate even more? Your words. They're not you. You don't really speak that way. You're just being formal because I'm supposed to be `your' lady or something." She said. His eyes shook. "I have to speak using formal words I speaking with the mistress." He said. Kaori clenched her fists. "Shut up! I'm going to fight you to get out of here and you can't change my mind." She said. She ran at top speed and delivered a punch to his face. He caught her fist and twisted it around, making her whole body follow and fall to the ground. "Enough of this, my lady." He said. She growled. She raised her feet and jumped to stand up. `Shit. No one's ever been able to predict my moves and use my strength to counterattack. But then those two men were able to do that.' She thought. "HAA!" she yelled as she sent punches and kicks his way. Every single time she tried, he was able to counterattack an instead she got hurt. Blood was trickling down her mouth. `I thought her arm was broken last night. What an amazing recovery.' Aki thought.

"Kaori, please. Stop it already. You're going to get hurt." Fumiko pleaded. Hiroshi was already getting annoyed as she still tried to hit him. "Enough already, my lady. If you continue this I will be forced to hit you." He said. "Then hit me!" she yelled. Hiroshi bit his lip in annoyance and sent a strong punch to her stomach. Everyone gasped. `Wasn't that blow supposed to send her all the way to the wall? Why is she still standing?' Aki asked himself. Hiroshi's eyes widened. He withdrew his arm and stared at her. Her eyes were wide and her pupils grew small. Her mouth was open and her body was shaking. Both of her hands went to her stomach as she fell down to her knees. Her head fell down to the ground, making her back arch.

"Hiroshi! You did too much!" Taka scolded. Hiroshi bowed in apology. "I…I'm sorry, master. I got carried away." He said.

"Kaori!" Fumiko shouted and went beside her. "Are you all right, Kaori? Please answer me." She pleaded. Kaori shut her eyes tightly then opened them again. She pushed the floor to stand up. She walked over to her seat and sat down. "Are you ready to listen?" Taka asked. She nodded her head. "Fine, old man." She said.

"Alright. As I was saying, Rei and Aki are the best fighters here in this town and their combinations are deadly. They'll also be your bodyguards. We brought you here because we think…no, we KNOW that both of you are the chosen ones. We need your help because we have a problem in the village at the moment. We are fighting another village who wants our territory. We don't want to give our land away because all of those thousands of years we've stayed here…we have kept many secrets, traditions, not to mention our culture. We do not want those to be lost. We need your help." He said. Fumiko nodded. "I will help you." She said. Everyone's gaze went to Kaori. "Tell me exactly how we can help you. It's obvious that I'm weaker than any of you so why need my help?" she asked. Taka took a scroll from his robe and tossed it to her. "Read this." He said. She opened it and spread it on the table. "When the village is in danger," she read aloud, "there are only to beings in this world that can save it. Two only exists, none more, none less. One may be stubborn but the other may be agreeable. A sketch of the protectors is included. Togashi Hikari, the village's fortuneteller, drew them. She has seen the future and has seen that these two are of great help to the village." She ended. She looked at the corner of the paper. There were two perfect drawings of Fumiko and herself. "Look at the back." He said. She turned the paper around. There were two other drawings. One was Rei and the other was Aki. "If there are two women, there are two men. One may be as silent as a sleeping baby but may be as deadly as 100 lions put together. One may be sweet but could kill in a blink of an eye. These two may be the deadliest beings on Earth once put together. Once the four of them are united, their individual strength increases madly. To be united, they must-" it ended there. It seemed that what was going to be said didn't fit inside the scroll. "Where's the rest?" Fumiko asked. Taka sighed. "We don't know yet. That's why we don't know how to generate such power. We were hoping you knew." He said.

"How the hell would we know?!" Kaori snapped. "And that's our new mission." Aki said with a smile. "Mission?" Fumiko asked him. "Yup! Our new mission will be to find the missing scroll and complete the instructions!" he said happily. "Are you saying that I have to take part in this?" Kaori asked with an irritated look. "Yes, you have to. And you must do it quickly. We don't know when the enemies will invade our country." Taka said. "Wait. First you said town, then village, then country. Where the hell am I?!" Kaori yelled. "You're in Fertile Crescent. It's the most fertile land in Japan. It's a country, not a town nor a village." Aki explained. "Right…" Kaori said nonchalantly.

"So, the journey will start tomorrow. Ladies, wouldn't you want a change of clothes?" Taka asked. "Yes!" Fumiko said excitedly. "I can use my uniform." Kaori said. She looked at her clothes. "Whose are these anyway?" she asked. "Mine." Rei said and went in the kitchen. "They stink." She said. "That's because you used them." He countered. "Damn you!" she yelled. "Damn yourself, woman." He said. She scowled. "I have a name, baka!" she yelled. "I don't want to use it." He said. She clenched her fist and punched the wall, causing a huge crack. "Damn him." She whispered.

That afternoon.

Fumiko had sown Kaori's school blouse in perfect shape. "Arigato, Fumiko." She said as she wore it. "No problem." She said. "Hey, Fumiko-chan, Kaori-chan! We're going shopping!" he shouted. Kaori's eye twitched. "Are you gay?" she asked. He blinked. "Of course not! What would make you think that?" he asked. "Air head." She murmured and walked out of the house.

Rei was there waiting for them. "Where are they?" he asked. "Inside, where else?" she said. "You're always sour." He said. She closed her eyes and leaned on the wall. "Look at yourself." She said. He kept quiet. She opened an eye, then both. He didn't move a single inch since she got there. "How old are you anyway?" she asked. He mover his head to look at her. "Why would you care?" he asked emotionlessly. She shrugged. "I just wanted to see if the old age I'm thinking really is your age." She said. He frowned. "I'm 16. And you must be what? 10 years old? Considering your body structure and height." He insulted. "Fuck off, bastard. I'm pretty much the same age as you. As for my body and height you better wear eyeglasses `cause I'm only about 4 inches smaller than you." She said. He smirked. "Sure, kid." He mocked. "Whatever, grandpa." She mocked back.

"Well aren't we getting along?" Aki asked. "Shut up, Aki." Rei said as he walked with his hands in his pockets. "We're going to walk there?" Kaori asked. "Yeah, is there a problem?" he asked. Kaori growled. "Fine." She said and they started heading towards the mall.

As they were walking, Fumiko was appreciating everything they passed by. "You know, I thought this place was a traditional place because of its name. But I guess it's just like any ordinary town in our place." Fumiko said. "Yeah. I'll tour you around sometime." He said. Fumiko nodded. "That would be nice." She said.

When they reached the mall, almost every girl glared at Kaori and Fumiko. Fumiko quickly went behind Kaori and Aki. "That's why I hate handsome guys." Kaori said. A little red tint found its way to Rei's face. "Oi, don't say that. It's disgusting." He said. Kaori started to walk away. Rei grabbed her arm. "You can't leave without us." He said. He turned to Aki. "Go with Fumiko. I'll go with this hard headed girl." He said. Aki nodded and literally skipped away with Fumiko. "Would you let go of me?" she asked. He quickly let her go. "Good. Now give me money and I'll shop by myself." She said. "I'm not allowed to leave you." He said. Her eye twitched. "Fine." She said and started to walk.

They went from shop to shop. Rei was surprised that Kaori didn't go for pinks and yellows, but blacks, navy blues, and dark reds. And she didn't pick skirts either. Okay, there was ONE skirt. But she just couldn't resist it. It was black with the words, "Blood On My Body" in red letters in the front and the acronym, "B.O.M.B." at the back. It was fairly short since it reached only mid-thigh but she didn't care.

"Are you done yet?" Rei asked in annoyance. "Yeah." She said. "Girls shop too much." He said. "We only went for an hour. Fumiko would most likely be back right now too but with much better clothes…and more girly too. She can see a shirt and know that it's her size and would fit her perfectly in a snap." She said. "There you are!" Fumiko called. Aki was behind, carrying most of the paper bags. She had twice more bags than Kaori had, as expected. Aki noted that Kaori was carrying all the bags and Rei wasn't carrying anything. "Rei, you should carry those things for her! It's the polite thing to do." He said. Rei looked at the bags that Kaori was carrying. His hand inched slowly towards it. Kaori pulled it away. "Never mind. I can do it myself. You should learn how to do things voluntarily." She said. Aki and Fumiko led the way back home.

Taka was waiting outside. "That's good! You bought new clothes! Rei, why is Lady Kaori carrying everything?" he asked. "Hn. She didn't want me to carry them." He said. Taka shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, my helpers will be the one to fix those for you. You may rest and get ready for tomorrow." He said and went back inside.

They left the things outside and rested inside. Both of the girls were in the living room with Aki while Taka was with Rei in the kitchen. "So how'd it go?" Taka asked. "I hate women." Rei replied. Taka laughed. "You'll get used to it." He said. "So anyway, I've decided to make you and Hiroshi the permanent bodyguards of Kaori while Aki and Fatoru will guard Fumiko." He said. Rei frowned. "I don't want to guard that girl." He said. Taka laughed. "Girl? You're only the same age." He said. "Hn. Why me anyway?" he asked. "Well, Kaori will most likely get in trouble because of her attitude and you can stand it more than anyone else. You see how Hiroshi hit her when he got annoyed. And Aki is too sweet to handle her. So you're the perfect man for the job." He said. Rei looked away. "Fine." He said. "Good! The journey will start tomorrow so you better get plenty of rest! Expecially since you'll be guarding the toughest girl in the whole world." He joked. "Hn." He replied.

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