"We're done." Kori announced as she wiped the sweat off her brow. The girls stepped back and looked at the decorations that were hung around the gym for the Sadie Hawkins dance that would take place that evening. It was a Saturday, and everybody had wasted the early hours of the morning to get this done. They started at six, and finished at ten. Of course, they had drug Daisuke into this. But Daisuke didn't mind. With an order to help, he finally figured that he was finally part of the group for once and for all. Even though they had worked hard and there was lots of struggles, they had still managed to have a little bit of fun.
"Yep." Momo said. "All that's left is the DJ and getting ready ourselves."
"So, you guys have dates?"
The room had grown quiet, and everyone's eyes were facing in any direction that had been towards Daisuke. Daisuke didn't know what the cold shoulder was about.
"Did I miss something?" he asked.
"Of course we have dates." Yuri said, feigning happiness and patting his shoulder, making sure he had understood everything was okay. "Now, you should go to your dorm and get ready."
"But I'm a guy. It only takes me an hour to get ready."
The grip Yuri had given him had indicated that he should leave and immediately. Daisuke didn't bother to ask questions and started to leave. As soon as he had left the door close, everyone looked at each other.
"We understand the rules, right?" Kori asked.
"The first person to ask and get accepted has to tell the rest of the group before they make a fool of themselves."
"Otherwise, every girl for herself, like we've been saying."
"Well, girls, let the games begin." Kori said with a twisted smile, and they all headed out of the hall and separated.
Daisuke had gone to the library. He needed to study a little bit more for a English test that was going to be coming up in the next couple of days. Even though he studies thoroughly, and he gotten his homework in on time and did all of it, he still manage to barely pass every test and got a C. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just quit at the subject. Everyone said that he sucked at it, and that he should just give up. Not literally saying that, but they had given the hints. Daisuke sighed as he looked at the dictionary. He could hardly pronounce the words.
He put the book back in its shelf. He had noticed that the library had seemed more empty them usual. He looked around to see that even the librarian had been gone. He wondered where she was. Perhaps she went to an early lunch, thinking that nobody would show up. It was a Saturday, after all. People were usually in town or off visiting family for the short two days, or so Daisuke learned. And this week was Sadie Hawkins Dance. Nobody would be in the library. They were too busy getting ready.
Daisuke sat in a chair and thought about what he was going to do at night. Everybody was going to be going to the dance, that was a no-brainer. But what he suppose to do? He could look for demons, he guessed. But when he thought about this, he became kind of depressed. He never had fun for himself anymore. It was about hunting demons. As he viewed his life, he saw all the things he had passed up on: normal dances, hanging out after school, actually taking a foreign language for a class… All these things could have been things he could have been a part of. But because of his Demon Hunting, he was left in the dust in his social life. Perhaps it was time to settle down, just a little. Maybe start getting more of a life. He laughed at the thought. Thinking like that made him seem like an old guy.
So, how soon?
How soon what?
Gi had been hiding in Daisuke's school bag. He had found it to be comfortable and easy to sleep in, and he was close to talk to Daisuke if he needed to.
Are you going to give up demon hunting completely?
Oh. I forgot you can get inside my thoughts. I dunno. Hopefully by the time I graduate. I don't think I'd be able to keep it up after that time.
So, are you going to the dance.
I can't.
Why not?
Daisuke had never really thought about it. He always thought of himself unable to go because he was a guy. But he was a student at this school, and other guys were going to be going there. He could go if he wanted to.
I dunno.
You should go. You've never been to a dance in your life, have you?
There's no escaping you, Gi. Daisuke teased.
"Daisuke?" a voice called out, and Gi silenced himself.
Daisuke stood up to find Deíji waltzing around the isles, as if she were looking for something, him from Daisuke's guess. He walked over to her as she turned the corner with a smile.
"Hey." He said.
"Hi." She replied, putting her hair behind her ears. Daisuke had always found it odd for girls to do that. He never quiet understood why they didn't let their hair hang in front of them.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I just wanted to know what your plans were for tonight." She said, shrugging her shoulders, and her eyes left his and met with the floor. She seemed so shy and innocent. She was pretty, Daisuke couldn't overlook that fact. She had some sort of beauty about her that had another name nowadays, and it wasn't really considered beauty anymore. It was a shame, because that's exactly how Daisuke saw it.
"I was planning on just hanging out in my room, maybe do some homework."
"You're not going to Sadie's?"
"Well, I wasn't really planning on it, but if I had somebody to go with, maybe I'd go…" he left off there.
"Well, I was kinda–"
All of the sudden, there was a very strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. And he must of made a face that said so, because she stopped her sentence and looked at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. I just kinda–" He felt it again. The sloshing inside his stomach had made him uneasy. The noise could be heard from all over the quiet library. Daisuke held out a finger and said, "Hold on a sec." And he ran to the bathroom. Deíji wasn't quiet sure whether or not he did it because his stomach really hurt or because he didn't want to go to the dance with her. Either way, the Librarian had come in a couple seconds after Daisuke took off, and since the library was suppose to be closed that day, Deíji was asked to leave. Even though it was a step way backwards, Deíji swore she wouldn't give up until she got a definite no.
As Daisuke got out of his dorm, he locked the door and turned around to see Momo. She kind of scared him, because as he got out of his room, he hadn't seen or sensed her at all. And yet, here she was a second later. He looked at her and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself." She said back. "What are you doing tonight."
"I was thinking about hanging out at my dorm. I don't really feel like going out tonight."
"Oh, c'mon. You should go to the dance."
"I haven't bought a ticket."
"They sell them at the door." She said, shooting down that excuse.
"Why do you want me to go, anyway."
"Because, I need somebody to buy me food and keep me company while I eat it."
"At least your honest." Daisuke said dryly.
"Well, aren't ya gonna go? C'mon, everyone's going to be there."
"I don't know…" he said.
"Oh, I get it." She said with a sly smile.
"Get what?" he asked.
"You can't dance!" she squealed.
"You said I couldn't dance."
"Why else wouldn't you go? You should be able to go free of fear if you knew how to dance. That's my only thing I can think of."
"Do you have anyone to go with?" Daisuke asked.
"If I had somebody to go with, I wouldn't have asked you, would I?" she asked, in a smart-alec tone.
"No, I suppose not."
"So, are you coming or not."
"Well, Deíji kinda–"
The same sloshing had gone in his stomach and he could feel it make way down to his backside.
"Excuse me." He said, holding his stomach as he ran into the restroom.
"Okay. He was about to answer me, but than he took off to go to the bathroom." Deíji explained.
"He did that to me, too." Momo said.
"I think he did that to all of us." Raine said as she took another drag.
"Do you have to do that in here?" Kori asked as she plugged her nose.
The girls had sat in normal dorm they chatted in as they were starting to get ready for their dance. A couple of them were already undressed, while the others helped dress them, and then they would switch positions. Kori and Raine seemed to be the only helpers in this one.
Every single girl had asked Daisuke to the dance in their own way, and they all got the same bathroom routine. Either he had drank something really bad, or he was trying to avoid them.
"I think what he's doing is complete BS." Raine said as she helped do Deíji's hair. "How many times does a guy need to go to the bathroom."
"Maybe he's sick." Momo offered.
"Only when he sees one of us?" Yuri asked. "I don't think so."
"Maybe he truly is gay." Raine offered again.
"I already told you, the kid isn't gay. I can tell." Kori talked back.
"Well, what do you guys think his problem is?" Yuri asked.
"Hey guys!" Daisuke called as he removed the ply wood and stuck his head out of the hole. He had a carton of milk in his hands and that seemed to be the only thing he was paying attention to. "I just figured out the milk I drank this morning was a couple of days out of date. I think I have it out of my system now, though."
As soon as he looked at them for some kind of humorous expression, he had seen things he shouldn't have, with more shouts of the word, "PERVERT!"
"Did you guys have to tie me up like this?" Daisuke asked as he tried moving out of a chair he was tied up in. He was tied with pretty much everything they could get their hands on: duct tape, scotch tape, ribbons, electrical tape, rope, even old shoe laces. There was no way he was escaping without them saying so, and they had a couple of questions.
"Okay." Yuri demanded. "Are you doing to the dance tonight?"
"I dunno. I was kind of thinking about it, but why go? It all seems kind of pointless."
"What's so pointless about it?"
"Well, you guys play music and dance down here all the time. It's like the same thing, only you do it in a bigger room with people you don't know."
"Well, it is a time to get to know people you don't know." Momo said.
"Besides," Daisuke continued. "Aren't you girls separated from the guys for a reason in the first place?"
"Okay, quit getting off track. What's your final decision?"
"It depends. Do you guys want me to go?"
"This isn't about us!" Yuri said as she slapped him on the head.
"OW!"
"Answer the question!"
"Fine! I'll go!" he screamed.
"Alright, now that we got that out of the way, we have one last question for you. Who are you going to go with?"
"Why can't I just go with all of you?" he asked.
They had never thought about that. They could all have one date. He was the new kid that everybody had talked about. The girls weren't going to lie. Daisuke was almost the biggest gossip around the school than the president of America visiting them. He was somewhat attractive by the standards of the girls, he had looked friendly, but everyone thought he was gay, so they never thought about asking him. But the girls had never thought about just going as friends with each other. Besides, maybe if they all went with Daisuke, he could get out a little and talk to the other girls and get use to people outside their little clique.
"All…right." Yuri kind of said, thinking it through one last time. "Are you sure you want to go with all of us?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, the normal guy only gets one girl. You don't want to look like some kind of pimp, do you?"
"Hey, more friends, the better the time."
The rest of the girls smiled. They knew that they were going to have a fun time with him at this dance. They didn't know how. But they knew that they would.
The amps had bumped through as the music poured into the crowd. Conversation was nearly drowned out by the noise. The girls were dressed in short skirts and sleeveless tops. The guys had been dressed in the usual T-shirt and jeans, or Dickies, which were relatively new in Japan.
The group had walked in together, completely gathering around Daisuke. As they entered the room, all eyes of the guys fell on Daisuke. Some were curious, some were trouble-looking, and others were amused. So many guys for one guy, but that's how things were.
"See?" Yuri yelled over the music. "Aren't you glad you came?"
"I guess." He shouted back. "I just got here!"
"It'll get better. I promise."
Slowly, one by one, one of the girls would see somebody they would want to talk about, or a guy would look alone and ask Daisuke if it was alright to steal a date for a moment. Pretty soon, all the girls were gone, and Daisuke figured he would go and get s drink of juice or something. He stepped outside, where they were serving food and drinks for the kids. As he got his drink he had seen a crowd of guys around him.
There was one kid with a smirk on his face. He seemed a little cocky. He had black hair with a streak of blond on part of his bangs. Daisuke hadn't liked him already. He guess he was the leader of this pack, because he gave the same impression that Yuri first did when he came to the school on his first day.
"Where're you from?" the kid asked.
"Tokyo." Daisuke said before taking a sip. He tried look preoccupied drinking, but he could see the leader of the group look at the other guys, obviously giving off mocking looks. Daisuke turned to walk away, but the kid stepped in the way.
"So…" he started off. "I've never seen you at Haku's all boy's school. Why are you here."
"I go to Sakura's."
"So, you mean to tell me that you're the gay kid."
Is this information a national report or something? Everybody knows about this!
"What if I am?" Daisuke said, turning around, trying to get out of the ring of boys but there was no opening. He was completely surrounded, and there were no other people around to help him.
"You know, I think you homos are sick."
"I'm glad you can give me your opinion. Anything else you'd like to say? Anything intelligent?"
"So, guys really make you horny?"
"Oh yeah." Daisuke said with a grin. This kid was getting annoying and there was only one why to get rid of kids like this. "I just love when a guy just touches me in the right places. My chest, my face…and other places." Daisuke pressed his hands against the kid's chest as he made a seductive face. The kid pushed Daisuke's hands out of the way.
"Sicko!" he called.
"Oh, c'mon. Is it really that wrong?" Daisuke had pictured his gay friends at home and people who hated people for being different. "I'm just like you. I breath, I eat, I drink, I need water and food to live, I have fantasies, I have hopes, fears, dreams, I have friends, I have enemies, and yet I'm different than you? You know what? Maybe I am different. But, hey, if I was as good as you I'd be insulted to call myself a human."
"You calling me subhuman?" the kid asked.
"I never said that." Daisuke said innocently.
"But you were implying it."
"Daisuke!" He heard Yuri's voice and she made way through the crowd. She stepped up next to him and looked at the kid.
"What are you doing?" she asked Daisuke.
"I'm just getting to know some of the guys." Daisuke said with the same grin.
"Aw…how cute. You need a girl to help defend for you?" The kid looked at Yuri and stepped up in front of her. "She's so precious." He said as he put his hand on her face. Yuri's skin had gone cold. This guy was touching her in a way she was far from comfortable with.
Then the kid had flown and rolled on the floor. Daisuke had punched him clear across the other side of the hall. When the kid had some of his friends help him get up, Daisuke had looked him straight in the eye.
"You touch Yuri again, and I'll give you an ass kicking you'll never forget. You got that?"
The kid rubbed his cheek and checked for blood. He had given Daisuke a dirty look, but at this point, with Daisuke's anger, Daisuke hadn't cared. He took Yuri by the hand and he lead her out of the group as he felt the guy's eyes on his back.
"Did you really mean what you said?" Yuri asked.
"When?" he asked as he looked at her.
They sat at a table outside a half an hour later. They were one of the only people outside again. Daisuke had finished another drink of juice. He drank a lot tonight, or so Yuri had noticed, and he seemed a little quieter and more in thought than usual. In the moonlight, he looked kinda bad ass.
"When you said you'd give him the biggest ass beating if he ever touched me again."
"Yeah. I'd say that to any guy who would touch you like that."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're a really good friend."
She felt a little disappointed in the answer. But why? That's exactly what she was. A friend. Nothing else. They hadn't done anything, and she never even thought about him that much in the day, did she? Sure there was the casual, "What's-he-doing-right-now" thought, but she had those about just about everyone. She wondered if she liked a little more than she let herself believe. No. Not Daisuke. Not the "gay" kid.
He was nice, and he was gentle, and kind, and he listened well, and he talked to her a lot, and he was a pretty cute… but what he ever find her attractive in the same way? She looked at him, and he was staring at the moon deep in thought again. She stared at him in his seriousness. The way the moon shown off his eyes made her blush.
"We leave tomorrow." He said.
"What?"
"We leave for the demon hunter's thing tomorrow. We leave around eight in the morning. Please tell me you didn't forget about it, did you?"
"Me? Of course not."
But in all reality, she had. With Sadie's Hawkins Dance, and school and tests, she had completely lost track of the date. She didn't know that they left the next day. She had forgot to tell her friends that she wouldn't be there. Maybe she would tell them before they went to their dorms.
"How are we getting there?" she asked.
"I think a taxi's going to be picking us up, and then we get dropped off at the airport. We then take a flight there, and we do what we need to do."
"Are you scared?" she asked.
"I wish I could say no. I wish I could act like the bad asses on TV and say that nothing ever scares me and be brave. But on the inside, I'm shaking. I'm going to be fighting for my life. It's going to be a little freaky tomorrow. I'm going to meet people who might stab me, or shoot me, eat lunch with them, maybe even bunk with them for the night. I'm going to get to know people. And then, the next day, I'll be forced to kill them. That's what scares me the most."
"You soft hearted." She whispered in a smile.
"I know. I wish I wasn't so weak."
"No." she said, looking at him in the eyes this time. "It's a good thing, Daisuke. We have to many people who care about nothing but themselves nowadays. We need to remind ourselves that we've become selfish."
"I'm glad you're coming with me." He said and his eyes faced the moon again.
Had she heard correct? He was happy that she was coming? He was happy that he was going to be there with him? Now that she thought about it, they were going to be spending a lot of time together. They would be driving together, flying together, eating, and hanging out all day for the next couple of days. And it might even be the last day of his life. That was the truly scary part. She had be there if was to die.
Daisuke looked at the night sky. He thought about a lot of things just looking at the sky at night. His father had loved constellations. That was all he talked about and taught Daisuke about when he was younger. But now, when Daisuke looked in the sky, he always looked for something that reminded him of his mother. This was a big deal, tomorrow. He was fighting the best, and maybe he could get some information about the demon who had killed Daisuke's mother.
Daisuke had felt something light touch his cheek and when he looked over, he saw Yuri leaving. She had just kissed him on the cheek. He knew that she was going to her dorm and he almost followed her. But if she had wanted him to talk to her about the kiss, she would of stayed. Instead, he smiled as he felt his cheek, making sure what he had just felt was real.