It was funny how Yuri had never known of Dark Heart High before. Troi Mikagami had spoken enough of it, to be sure, but outside of that, she, and all of whom she knew or had known had never even heard of the school. It was as if the place didn't even exist. And yet there it was, larger than life and infinitely meaner, big, dark and ominous in its little niche in the city. Yuri nibbled idly at her sweet as she studied the portfolio once more. It had come with her student handbook and underneath the front view photo of the school itself, the administration was making its pitch. As she read, images seemed to spring forth unbidden from her mind to pepper the words with a spice of recent memory. "... Dark Heart High offers the finest in netherworld education, instituted at present by one of the most dedicated villains in his field..." The figure of Hamaji Amakusa surfaced almost immediately-- suave, and yet cold and menacing, like a pit filled with unknown edges and secret jagged points and hidden blades. "... It houses the most skilled of instructors; the faculty and campus staff is ever-present and ready to provide the best training and tutelage that it can offer its charges, regardless of sacrifice..." A whole gamut of figures now-- Fujiko Kurosawa-sensei and her icy demeanor... the callous, hardened battle instructor... Aug-sensei, who, while having no mouth, could talk anyone witless with his droning... the charming (AND voluptous, AND intense, AND feeble...) Nurse Sybil... among others. Not the least of which being the chilling visage of the spiked demon, Akurei. Yuri shuddered involuntarily and went on. "... Armed with the most modern in facilities and boasting the most extensive of resources, the school is also manned by the most enthusiastic of student volunteers, each ready to leap to the assistace of anyone in need of it." Liza, also known as Ramidra, the Unscrupulous to her peers, came to mind. Yuri sweatdropped. "... The institution provides the most efficient and enjoyable fare in the way of the teaching of evil, as evidenced by its satisfied students. These youngsters are at the prime of their learning, friendly and ready to take any addition to their ranks, welcoming them with open arms into the fold of close camarederie and school spirit..." Craig Maimsworth, the Black Knight swinging his sword through the air and reducing solid stone to the consistency of small gravel... Yasuko Wareme, arch-succubus-in-training flying past with deadly speed, bewildering, disorienting, wounding... Ki Tamaida, dark and mysterious, fading away before all questioning, silent, impentrable and dashing in his lair of schemes... A whole score of others as well-- Sakazashi the Fifth, Doombringer, able to level structures at the lift of a finger... Choi Blackwing, a veritable wraith who phased through solids and froze bone at a touch... Kashin, the sadistic upperclassman... only a few among many others, most of whom remained unnamed so far. Yuri paused in her nibbling thoughtfully. The savage glint in the eye of an angry young boy in chains... Yuri read on. "... Dark Heart High is THE perfect platform from which YOUR dear adolescent can begin to launch his or her journey into the rich and rewarding world of career evil! As a prelude to the advanced, more specialized studies in Darker Heart University, the school is ideal not only as the bastion of all netherworld education, but..." Yuri read the last few words aloud. "... Dark Heart High is a place wherein all can learn and have a HELL of a time doing it!" Yuri ignored the disclaimer at the bottom which exhorted something about the last line being occasionally literal (though in a good way), and something about Survival Primers and Non-Humans Clauses. Yuri looked from the folds of glossy in her hand and up at the face of Dark Heart High itself. The school was quiet, deep in the entropic spell of a school in the weekend. The gate was locked and Yuri stood regarding the silent halls from afar and considering the words of the portfolio. A smile crept upon her lips. "Wai." ********** *********************************************************************** ****************************************** Dark Heart High Netherworld Educational Institution for The Universal Propagation of Evil crafted by Mads ****************************************** ***************************** Part Five: Emotion! by Mads ***************************** *********************************************************************** ********* Aside from that of Dark Heart High, other portfolios had managed to creep into the Mikagami household's mailbox recently, some welcome, others... obviously not, if Troi's scowls and scenes of sheafs of paper abruptly bursting into black flame in his hand could be trusted. Despite this, a few survivors had managed to find their way into Yuri's curious hands... and what she saw intrigued her. Apparently, aside from Dark Heart High, her father's alma mater, there seemed to be quite a number of schools around of whose existance she had not known of, despite their alleged closeness at hand. There was Knight School, which by all appearances held itself to be Dark Heart's greatest rival, not only in facilities, athletics, mental competitions and student patronage, but also in ideologies as well, it seemed... There was Sakura Art, an all-females school that claimed to be wise in the ways of girls of the magical variety and apparently offered the best in the way of theatrical arts, drama and declamation as well, for some obscure reason. Following these were the numerous pamphlets and brochures about the lesser schools... Evil Tech, The Academy of Light, Black Soul High, Sugar Valley... all of them sounded new to Yuri's ears and an irresistable urge to investigate these findings beset her at once, for once Yuri's interest was piqued, it was nigh unstoppable. And thus did she decide on the perfect way to spend her Sunday. ***** Taking one last look at where she would (presumably) be spending the rest of the schoolyear, Yuri turned and strode down the peaceful sidewalk, shuffling the papers in her hands. Yuri was struck by a peculiarity in the whole business of the portfolios... it seemed that each school was in unusually fierce competition when it came to acquiring enrolees... and it was all they could do not to blow each other up outright right then and there. Each was still urging everyone in her age group to enrol, or if enrolled, to possibly change their minds and shift schools. Sucking loudly on the remains of her treat, Yuri walked up to the corner and waited for the light to change. At any rate, the quiet roaming had done Yuri good. She didn't realize how desperately she had needed an alternative to the excitement of Dark Heart, no matter how brief, until she found herself feeling unusually chipper as she visited each school available in turn. Knight School had been her first stop that morning after breakfast and after her father's ritual gripes about the world of the good in general. They weren't as acidic as usual, though. He always seemed to be a little more mellow on Sundays for some reason. Knight School had proven to be not unlike Dark Heart, as far as looks went, at least. Like Dark Heart, it had a tall clocktower in the middle of the premises, that and the various flowering trees that speckled the front of the schoolgrounds. It all looked normal, but Yuri had little doubt that come Monday, things would be just a tad different... Sakura Art was equally unremarkable in the throes of a lazy weekend morning, as were the other schools... and strangely enough, Yuri wasn't disappointed in the least. She was quite content in her private observations and thoughts even without the fascination of the new and unusual. The traffic rolled by and Yuri absently licked her fingers. Strawberry had always been a favorite of hers. The common denominator among the schools seemed to be how they had never stood out until now, not until they had become a part of her life-- or she of theirs. Truly, it seemed the schools were situated in unobtrusive sectors of the city, unnoticeable to everyday passersby but easily detectable to anyone who might be looking for them. They seemed almost... hidden away in that manner. In any case, there they were and her not knowing they were, in fact, there, could be all coincidence. A strange, drawn out and oft- recurring among several others type of coincidence, but still, coincidence. A large van passed, obscuring Yuri's view of the opposite street bank for a few seconds. When the vehicle pulled away, Yuri blinked twice, once for each familiar figure she saw standing by the curb. "Leilei-chan? Bala-kun?" The small pink-haired girl started at Yuri's voice and whirled her head about, eyes wide. She found the bandaged boy beside her staring at something and followed his gaze. Her face practically glowed with delight upon seeing the other girl. "YURI-KUN!" she cried. Yuri waved and laughed as she ran across the street towards them. ***** "You were checking out the other schools?" "Yup!" Yuri affirmed, popping into her mouth the last of her salad. "Just thought it would be fun to see what they were like, that's all." "Studying the lay of the land, as it were, eh?" Leilei grinned from across the table and sipped at her soda. Beside her, Bala was chewing on a bite of asparagus morosely. "So, where are you headed next, Yuri-kun?" Leilei asked after a short exchange concering the events of Saturday. "Any plans?" Yuri paused a bit. "Well..." The plan had been to spend the day familiarizing herself with the locations of the rival schools. As that had proven quick and rather uninteresting, however, she had suddenly found herself presented with the prospects of a free afternoon (what little homework they had on the first week had been completed the previous night). The lunch break with two of her newest friends had been a pleasant surprise, but as for plans... "Not really, no," Yuri finally admitted, sipping some of her water. "I saw the other schools and I really don't think that the ones I haven't seen yet'll be much different. So I guess I'm free the rest of the day." "Wai!" Leilei exclaimed happily, clapping her hands. "Then you could come with me and Bala today!" "Nani? Where?" Leilei took a hold of Bala's arm and gave Yuri a by now all too familiar grin of pixie-like mischief. "Bala promised to take me to the carnival this weekend, didn't you, Bala-kun?" the small girl said sweetly, cuddling the arm and looking up at her companion. Bala responded with a sharp exhalation from his nostrils and a glance at the sky from his eye. "Okay, okay, so I *made* you promise to take me," Leilei giggled and dismissed the gesture of mild exasperation. "Big deal!" She gave Yuri that impish grin of hers again but addressed Bala when she spoke. "Besides, what better way to spend your allowance than to treat your friends to some fun, right? It's not as if you can spend it on the arcade or anything..." Yuri placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Leilei-chan, you're just *awful*!" Leilei held her fingers up in a "V". "So what's this carnival like?" Yuri asked, getting up. "Oh, it's great! There's all KINDS of neat stuff, like candied apples, and bump cars and..." ********* The three stared up at the massive framework of steel and scaffolding that towered over them like some gigantic spider's web of wire and mesh. The cabooses hanging at the extremities of the large metallic wheel seemed like flies caught in the snare as they swung lazily with the motions of the great machine. "It's *huuge*..." Yuri gaped up in awe at the ride. Bala was, of course, without comment. Leilei gave the structure a thoughtful look and then cupped her chin with a hand in a scholarly manner. "The Ferris Wheel was the engineering highlight of the exposition and one of the most pervasive, lasting influences of the 1893 fair. The Ferris Wheel was Chicago's answer to the Eiffel Tower, the landmark of the 1889 Paris exhibition. The wheel was created by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bridge builder George W. Ferris. Supported by two 140 foot steel towers, its 45 foot axle was the largest single piece of forged steel at the time in the world. The wheel itself had a diameter of 250 feet, a circumference of 825 feet, and the maximum height was 264 feet. It was powered by two 1000 horsepower reversible engines. It had 36 wooden cars that could each hold 60 people. The Ferris Wheel grossed $726,805.50 during its short time in operation, at 50 cents per ride. The profit of approx. $300,000 was of great benefit toward balancing the books of the exposition." Yuri cocked an eyebrow at the younger girl. Leilei grinned. "A little something I learned sometime ago." Yuri just smiled dubiously and nodded. ***** The carnival was loud and diverse. The ice cream was sweet and cold, and the rest of the confections available were no disappointment either. Yuri figured to herself that she might have to watch it in the near future if she didn't want any unwarranted mass gains anytime soon. Bala went along with them and, aside from a few double takes and wary stares from the curious, he seemed perfectly accepted and not at all weird-looking within the carnival grounds. He was unable to partake of most of the attractions, but he won both Leilei and Yuri a few prizes at the stalls. He had uncanny aim whenever he kicked a ball, almost knocking over the pyramid of bottles (and the stall that held them) every time. He also proved that he needed no hammer to ring the gong at the top of the strong-man game-- stomping on the lever proved to be sufficient both to ring the gong and remove it from its perch to land somewhere on the ground or on somebody's head. Leilei hugged her newly acquired plushie tight. It appeared to be a dragon wearing a kasa on its head. "Look! A petting zoo!" she squealed and made off for the animals. Yuri followed, smiling while Bala tagged along. As Leilei proceeded to get her fill of close physical contact with soft, furry, cuddly creatures of as many species as she could manage, Yuri espied an animal of her own to pet. "Wai!" Yuri exclaimed, overjoyed. "A cat! KAWAAAIII!" Yuri had always liked cats-- the silver cat charm around her wrist was but small proof of this. Sadly, her father, Troi had an allergic reaction to cats-- he would be besieged by a fit of sneezes whenever his aura would began to drain the very essence of the unfortunate feline's being. Yuri stooped down to stroke the cat's fur. It purred with pleasure and rubbed up against her hand. Yuri lifted it and pressed its softness against her cheek. The animal batted at her hair playfully. She giggled and set it down again. "I just *love* cats!" Yuri declared, slightly breathless. Yuri laughed again and noticed Bala watching. She straightened and walked over to him. "Come on!" she invited the boy, tugging gently at one of his chains. "She won't bite! Feel her..." From nearby, Leilei saw what Yuri was about to do. She lifted a finger hesitantly as she cradled one of the zoo's many young rabbits in her arms. "Uhhh... Yuri-kun?" she called, a hint of anxiety in her small voice. "I.. I don't think that's such a good idea..." "Don't worry, Lei-chan," Yuri smiled, still pulling at Bala's chain. "We'll be alright." Leilei nodded but didn't look convinced. She stood, watching, still cradling the rabbit. Bala gave Yuri a sidelong glance and then allowed himself to be led before the waiting cat. It was licking its paw contentedly as it awaited the next shipment of love and warmth. It looked up at the bandaged boy. Balabalalde looked down at the cat. "Merooow..." said the cat enticingly. A strange gleam entered Bala's solitary eye. Yuri noticed this and felt an almost tangible wave of unease wash over her. "Bala-kun?" Bala drew his right foot back as far as it would go. "BALA-KUN!" Yuri yelped, guessing his intentions. "Merow??" Leilei flinched and lifted the rabbit before her face, hiding behind it at the impact. The cat didn't even know what hit it. The poor feline's body twisted with the blow and left contact with the ground an instant before it was hurtling through the air in a parabolic trajectory, screeching pathetically all the way, flailing about helplessly, leaving a trail of fur in its wake. The launched animal faded into a gleam in the distance and would quite possibly be in orbit within the next few seconds. The kick was a beaut. Bala gave himself a small, self-satisfied smile from underneath his bandages. He almost considered laughing silently as well... until he turned and saw the look on Yuri's face. Despite himself, he almost took a step backwards. In a word, Yuri was mad. Very mad. "Oh my," Leilei muttered, holding her rabbit up and peering out timidly from behind it. Yuri stepped up to Bala really close and held her face before his. Bala blinked. "BALA-NO-BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" ***** First and foremost, Balabalalde comes from the family of Aghërúkk, which was in a direct line of descendency from the Greater Demonic Tribes. His parents were little known, but were reputed to be of great, incomprehensible evil in their days. Balabalalde was also heir to the Wargmere line of power-- all that that entailed wasn't entirely clear, but it seemed really quite nasty. Plus, it was a well-known fact that carnival foods sometimes contained potent hallucinogens that clouded the judgement and perhaps what Bala did was a direct consequence of a delusion produced by... Yuri was buying none of those explanations and Leilei was getting desparate. "He's... He's a GUY, Yuri-kun!" Leilei wailed, hopping agitatedly. So far, all her powers of persuasion were having no effect on the irate girl before her and she was clutching at straws now. "Guys DO these kinds of things! You know? A GUY thing?" Yuri glared at her. "It was MEAN. And... and... *mean*! And..." Yuri's face crumpled into a mask of grief. "I *LOVE* cats!!!" Pouting, Yuri whirled and started to stomp away. "Wait!" Leilei cried dejectedly, taking a hold of Yuri's shirt and pulling at it from behind. "He's sorry! See? Look how sorry he is!" They both turned to where Bala was watching them from a respectable distance. He blinked twice, his expressionless features otherwise unchanging. "Yeah, real sorry," Yuri deadpanned. "Come on, Yuri! Don't leave!" Leilei pleaded. "He's done OTHER stuff before and you didn't mind!" Yuri looked down at Leilei and took a deep breath. "Okay, so he has," Yuri started calmly. She closed her eyes, as if in thought. "When he kicked down that sakura tree near the road that one time to see how loud it would go, I didn't mind that. When he beat the snot out of that poor guy who cut in front of him at the fountain line, I didn't mind that either. When he rearranged Mamwar's face for writing "MaM wUZ hERe!" on some of his bandages, I didn't mind that either... "BUT..." Yuri almost barked, opening her eyes, righteous indignation seeping from every pore. "Why did he have to go and kick the CAT!?" "Bala's *always* had a sadistic streak to him!" Leilei insisted, her fairy-like face remoreseful for Bala's sake. "I mean, it's not like that's the *first* time he's ever done that..." "Naaaaniiii?" Yuri said coldly. "Uh... I mean, it's not like that's the first time he's ever kicked something just for the heck of it," Leilei quickly rephrased herself. "Bala-kun can be very impulsive at times!" "I've noticed," Yuri said flatly and turned again to leave. "Awwww, don't go, Yuri-kuuun!" Leilei pleaded, almost to the point of tears. "Won't you forgive him!? We haven't even ridden the Ferris Wheel yet! C'moooooon! Don't go! Pleeeeeaaaaase?" Yuri disappeared around the corner. "Yuri-kun!" Leilei cried and followed hastily. Bala rolled his eye and took off after them. ***** Yuri gasped. She found her path barred by the presence of three unpleasant-looking young men in strange attire. She didn't appreciate the leers she was recieving from them either. "Hey, girlie," said one of the smaller ones, a squinty-eyed individual with stringy, unhealthy-looking hair. He was pale of complexion, a fact emphasized by the dark leather jacket he wore. He regarded Yuri maliciously. "Where you off to in such a hurry?" "Maybe we can take you there, eh? What do you say?" one of his taller companions suggested, a dark chuckle running underneath his voice. He was tall despite his slouch, and he sneered down at Yuri through black-lensed spectacles that hid his eyes and made him look almost buglike. Yuri pulled away slowly and held a hand to her chest instinctively. "Saayyy... Tha gurl look familiar, says Maug," said the third member of their party, a large neanderthal of a teen, hulking and peering out at the world through small, beady eyes. The shirt he was wearing was torn at the sleeves and his jeans weren't in much better condition. "Spit it out, Maug," the one in the leather jacket ordered. "Tha gurl..." the big one muttered, as if struggling with an old memory. "Tha gurl... Tha gurl be from Dark Hart High, says Maug!" he declared triumphantly. At the mention of the school's name, the other two's features dissolved into a scowl of hatred. "Izzat right?" said the jacketed one, looking over in Yuri's direction again. He grinned. Yuri, in the meantime, was trapped-- she couldn't go back, but she certainly couldn't go forward yet. "What of it?" Yuri managed, eying the troupe suspiciously. "In a manner of speaking, my dear girl," said the bespectacled one. "We students of Evil Tech have long held a deep-seated feeling of enmity and antipathy for our peers at Dark Heart High and Dark Heart Junior High." "They think they better than us from Evil tech," the jacketed one spat, fingers twiddling restlessly. "Always think they better cuz they got bigshot principal and their school best school of evil..." "WE HATE DARK HART HI, SAYS MAUG!" Maug, the big one, bellowed. "Quite right," the one in glasses agreed. "And unfortunately for you, my dear, not only are you from Dark Heart High, your helpless appearance has captivated us so, even as we first saw you." Yuri backed off. "And so I'm afraid that..." he continued. "You dinner meat, gurl," the stringy-haired one hissed amusedly, drawing a knife from the depths of his jacket. Yuri looked about frantically. The area was in between two large rides, and she found that as they had been talking, they had also been herding her into a corner, hemming her in. "Ano..." Yuri bit down on her lip. Trapped again. So much for her peaceful Sunday. "Heheheheheee..." "YURI!" At that moment, Bala and Leilei had appeared just beyond the corner. Leilei looked stunned. The bandaged boy's eye widened. The three noticed the newcomers and stopped just as they were descending upon their prey. They hissed as one. "YOU!" the bespectacled one roared. Even if Bala could talk, no further words need have been exchanged-- Bala knew the three from his junior high days and the three knew of the bandaged boy from that time as well. Dark Heart and Evil Tech had always been bitter rivals, and it was always preordained that when Evil Tech student and Dark Heart student met, they would always go for the throat-- it was the most natural thing in the world. Forgetting for the moment their victim and going for the older, more familiar adversary, the three flew at Balabalalde like a pack of wild dogs. Bala leapt to meet them head on. "Yuri-kun!" Leilei called out, frightened for her friend. She couldn't see her in the confusion of the battlefield. Already, a small crowd had gathered to watch the free entertainment. Suddenly, an arm reached out from between two of the bodies and grabbed Leilei by the arm. "Woah!" Leilei exclaimed as Yuri bore her away from the fray. ***** "Yuri! Where are you going!?" "Away from that violent brute," Yuri murmured under her breath as she practically dragged Leilei along. "Away from that thoughtless, immature pig... that... that... CAT-KICKER!" After a while, Yuri slowed down and eventually released Leilei. She sat down heavily on a convenient bench and looked out and away almost tiredly. Leilei looked over her, concerned. "Yuri-kun..." Leilei started, "Bala's back there fighting..." "Hai..." Yuri answered absently. "I know." "He just saved you again," Leilei said meekly. "Won't you forgive him?" For a moment, Yuri was silent. And then, almost sadly, "No, Lei-chan... he didn't save me." "What are you talking about!?" Leilei demanded, incredulous. "I mean, when you were-! Those three-! And HE was-!!" "They hated each other from the beginning," Yuri said irritably. "He didn't come to my rescue." She sighed. "He was being his usual, impulsive self..." Leilei stood stiffly with consternation. "Well, what about that time with Craig?" the smaller girl said in challenge. "He saved you then, right, Yuri-kun?" Yuri gave her a wry smile. "He almost sold me out remember?" Leilei pursed her lips and looked desparate again. "Well... what about that time you were on the rooftop with Yasuko-san and everything and-" "You asked him to do it," Yuri replied matter-of-factly. "You told me yourself." There was silence for a while between the two. The hustle and bustle of the rest of the carnival went by unnoticed-- each were deep within their own thoughts. Yuri's thinkings brought her to yesterday when Bala had stepped in front of her to shield her from that uppeclassman, the pretty one with the submachinegun. He had stood there to defend her as one friend to another that time, a confirmation of the mutual trust that they had begun to forge between them-- or so she had thought. "Baka..." Yuri whispered, closing her eyes. ***** Balabalalde stifled a sudden urge to sneeze. He was outnumbered and his opponents were fast-- but he was used to multiple foes and he was faster. Much faster. His first foot jab had downed the tall one almost instantaneously. And even the big one couldn't withstand his roundhouse kick. Dodge, twist... heel to the jaw. Someone give the fella a bag for his teeth. There's a sport... Headbutt, shoulder slam... KICK. Send in the meat wagon, boys... In a matter of a few short minutes, the last of the three was added to the pile of his unconscious friends, after each was in turn rudely introduced to shattering ground, wall, and steel post, and after their faces, limbs and bodies became once again acquainted with right leg, left leg, right knee, left knee, shoulders, etcetera, etcetera... Bala's final opponent landed in a heap atop his comrades. It wasn't that the students of Evil Tech were pushovers as a rule- it was just that *these* particular students *were*. Even Craig could have made them eat turf without breathing hard. Bala exhaled deeply. He turned to meet Leilei's victory hug or light peck on the cheek, whichever came first. There was no sign of her. The other girl wasn't there either. The crowd applauded, but Bala payed them no heed-- he had lost the girls. An almost panicked searching revealed them not to be among the crowd, or even behind it or even nearby. Where were they? Why hadn't they stayed to watch him fight? Who would unchain him when he got hungry or had to go, dammit!? Bala plunged deep into the depths of the carnival in search of them. ***** "Yuri-kun?" Leilei started, breaking the silence. "Hai, Lei-chan?" "What are you thinking?" she asked humbly. It was a genuine question, not a provocation. "Bala-kun and I aren't friends," Yuri stated almost idly, staring out without focus at the carnival-goers. "That's all." Leilei's eyes widened. "You can't mean that, can you, Yuri-kun?" "Sure I can," Yuri said despondently and looked down at her sneakers as she wiggled them about. A piece of poster had stuck on one toe. She bent down to pull it off. She straightened again and sighed once more. "You see, Lei-chan, he only lets me stick around because *you* seem to like me so much. He does stuff for me because you ask him to. He's *your* friend, not mine..." Leilei was dumbstruck for a while. And then in a soft voice, she asked, "Am *I* your friend, Yuri-chan?" Yuri spun her head at the question and when she saw Leilei's expression, her features tendered at once. She sidled over and held the smaller girl's shoulders. "Of course you're my friend, Lei-chan," she assured her softly. "The first one I've had in Dark Heart, remember? But... the only one too, I guess." Leilei pulled away and stared straight into Yuri's face. She looked almost angry. "Bala-kun's your friend too!" she told her near-vehemently. "I'm sure he is!" Yuri looked away, seeming troubled. "No, he's not my friend," Yuri denied. "I don't even think he likes me. I don't think he *ever* liked me..." Leilei frowned. She flung her dragon plushie at Yuri. Yuri started in surprise but caught the stuffed doll. She looked up at Leilei questioningly. "He likes you! Bala-kun IS too your friend!" Leilei scolded Yuri for her lack of faith. "He IS your friend too and I'm... no, HE'S gonna prove it!" At that, Leilei turned, scampering off in a run, and before Yuri knew it, Leilei had gone and she was left alone holding the dragon plushie. Yuri blinked. ***** Yuri stayed on the bench, thinking. She really didn't notice the time go by-- it was all slow and fast at the same time. After some time, Leilei came back. Bala was with her. "Hi, Lei-chan, Bala-kun," Yuri greeted them lifelessly. Leilei stepped forward and handed over something in a small piece of wrapping. "We... we bought these for you." It was a pair of silver cat charm earrings. "Nice," Yuri murmured, smiling. And yet, there was a sad quality to her smile. "Arigatou, Lei-chan, Bala-kun." She looked up at them. Her eyes seemed distant and somehow wavy. "I'm tired, Lei-chan," she said. "I might want to go home soon." Leilei shifted a little. "Can we walk home together?" she tried. Yuri shrugged. "Sure." "Wai," said Leilei. But somehow, it didn't seem as if her heart was into it this time. There was an uneasy silence for a moment. Leilei glanced up as Bala nudged her with a foot. "Huh?" Bala gestured slightly with his head and nudged again. "Oh. You have to go, huh?" Leilei realized. "Okay then..." Yuri watched with a disinterested air as Leilei released the boy from his bonds. When she was done, Leilei turned and went to sit next to Yuri. She sighed tiredly. "Hurry back, Bala-kun," Leilei reminded the boy's back. "It's getting late." Bala turned to nod. He lingered a bit before leaving. As he looked upon Yuri, whose shoulders were now sagging, who seemed so different from the laughing, energetic creature he had accompanied just that noon, his mind began to work. The regions at work were the ones that were ill-used-- his social sense. An image from his memory superimposed the scene before him. Yuri's face floated before him, ethereal, almost transparent. "BALA-NO-BAKAAAAAAAAAA," she had screamed at him, though now the sound was merely an echo of what had occured. Troubled, Bala finally turned and walked away. He had probably never been so confused in his whole life. ***** Bala finished up and stepped out of the washroom. Sunset was fast approaching and the heavy traffic of the carnival had dulled down to the couples, the old folk and the latecomers. The grounds were still busy though, and Bala weaved through the crowd swiftly, not wanting to keep the girls waiting. He passed by the petting zoo again. He paused in front of it and in silence, recollected and reflected upon what happened there. Slowly, he began to generate an idea. ***** "Bala-kun sure seems to be taking his sweet time, isn't he?" Leilei observed, looking up at the sky. Already, tinges of orange and reddish hues were staining the steadily-paling blue. "Maybe he got lost," Yuri suggested. "Yeah, he might have," Leilei agreed. "He really isn't used to this place yet. Maybe I'd better go find him..." She stood up and then faced Yuri. "Will you be okay here by yourself?" "I'm fine," Yuri assured her. She certainly didn't *seem* fine.. "Listen..." Leilei said. "I'll come back in a few minutes. I'll find him. Let's just meet here in ten, okay?" "Sure," Yuri nodded. "Okay then..." And then Leilei was gone again. ***** The setting sun lengthened the shadows and slowly blanketed the carnival in gloom. Lights of all colors were lit, and the darkness was kept at bay from under a canopy of rust-colored sky. The seconds wore on and Yuri began to feel restless, despite her current mood. She happened to glance towards where the Ferris Wheel was standing. It had stopped to take in passengers, and the bottom caboose seemed to be empty and unwanted. "What the hey," Yuri shrugged and walked towards it. It wasn't as if she had any better way to kill ten minutes. Yuri slipped in quietly and turned her head to the window, inattentive of the appearance of the inside of her caboose. The gears started to lift her seat and she stared out at the carnival from a slowly increasing height. She sighed again. "They look so small," Yuri mused as the Wheel lurched to a stop at the very top. She pulled her gaze away and leaned back, feeling exhausted. She opened her eyes. "Bala-kun!" she gasped, startled. And indeed, the bandaged boy was sitting right across her, staring at her balefully with his single, piercing eye-- he might have been there all along, or he had entered unseen. Either way, he wasn't exactly a welcome sight. Immediately, Yuri concealed all traces of emotion and looked away. "Leilei's looking for you, you know," she started, but it came out as a weak statement of the obvious instead of a reprimand. She cleared her throat loudly. "Look, Bala-kun, I-" she started before being struck speechless. Something was wriggling on Bala's head. Something small and... *alive*! "Wha-What the heck is that!?" Yuri eked, recoiling reflexively from the small white squirming mass on Balabalalde's hair. "... mewr..." came the small mewling sound from the bundle. Yuri blinked. "Is that a...?" At that point, the creature had cleared the summit of Bala's head and was descending via his nose. Bala gently took it by the scruff of the neck and laid it back again on his head where it mewled softly. The way he lifted the small animal belied a gentleness that was strikingly uncharacteristic of the Bala Yuri knew. "That's... That's..." Yuri started. She recognized it. "That's the cat from the petting zoo, isn't it?" And she saw that it was. The very same cat, except looking rather strange and *white* due to the bandages that wrapped it from tail to nosetip-- only the ears stuck out and both green eyes stared out pitifully at the world. A small opening had been allowed for its tiny mouth. Yuri called it a cat, but it was nothing more than a kitten, really. "Mewr..." Clad in its bandages, the cat uncannily resembled the young boy whose head it was perched on. It looked about uncertainly with bright feline eyes and then uttered another meow. Both cat and perch stared at Yuri, blinking simultaneously for a few seconds. Despite herself, Yuri managed a smile. It brightened her features considerably and Bala shifted a bit on his seat across from her. "You did it alone, right?" Yuri whispered in a barely audible voice. "You went and looked for Neko-chan... and you fixed her..." She looked up almost shyly. "Is this your way of apologizing?" Bala blinked in response and suddenly found the caboose linings interesting. He studied them for a moment as Yuri watched him. Yuri's smile widened. She looked outside. "Look! It's beautiful!" Bala looked. Outside, the world had been painted with reddish orange, bordering on gold near where the sun was creeping into the other side of the world. The city had been given a magical and mysterious look. Buildings shone with scarlet brilliance and it seemed that the very streets themselves burned with orange fire. Bala turned his head swiftly at a sudden disturbance in their caboose. Yuri had stepped towards him and was leaning over him. A mischievous smile was on her lips and she was reaching for him. Her cheeks were reddening uncontrollably. His eye widened. From outside, a silhoutte could be seen of a slender, female figure bending over a seated male one, whose head was tilted up to face her. ***** Leilei saw them walking towards the bench together. "There you are!" Leilei shouted and rushed towards them. "I've been searching all over for you!" she informed Bala, "And I had to carry all your chains too! These things aren't light, you know!" She turned to Yuri. "Looks like you found him first, Yuri-kun." Yuri nodded once, smiling. "Hai!" Leilei cocked her head to the side. "Ano..." She looked from Yuri to Bala, Yuri to Bala and back again. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What happened between the two of you?" "Nothing," Yuri said innocently, "nothing at all." She grinned. Puzzled, Leilei's eyes fell upon the white bundle in Yuri's arms. At first, she had assumed that it was a package of some sort... and then it began to move. And meow. She looked up at Bala's face and pondered the flushed look that he seemed to have suddenly acquired. Finally, after a few more seconds of silent confusion, she found her answer and her face lit up with realization. She laughed and then snickered for a bit and then, still giggling, walked up to the shuffling Bala and a Yuri who was smiling innocently. "Come on, Bala-kun," Leilei grinned knowingly up at him. "Let's get you chained up again, 'kay?" When the chains were restored, Yuri took Leilei's hand and looked down at the small girl. "Ready to go home?" Leilei nodded vigorously. She took a hold of one of Bala's chains and then looked at him reflectively. She turned and fixed Yuri with a careful look. "Friends?" Yuri left Leilei's gaze to stare directly at Bala. Bala stared back. Yuri smiled. "Friends," she said confidently. "Wai!" ********* Author's Notes... Gooomeeeeenaaaasaaaaaaiiiiiiiii! ^_^;;; Yes, yes, I know that you could have smelled the shoujo from waaaaaaay over here-----------------------------------------> (REALLY FAR AWAY), but hell, I felt it appropriate. But you MUST have seen it coming SOMEWHERE in the starter, right? Right. ;p You might note by now that Yuri, Bala and Leilei're me favorite characters. I'm such a biased bastig. 'Nywayz, props to all the previous authors-- they roxxorz and they know it too. Muha. An especially tasty heap of thanks go out to Demota and Mervyn, Slug of the Wondrous variety. Dankedanke as well to those who I've contacted but haven't gotten around (or didn't want) to replying/reply. ^_^;; I guess credit goes to the webpage from whence I borrowed (read: stole) that Ferris Wheel trivia thing, but... I forgot where it was I *did* get it. o_o Thank Yahoo!, I guess. ^_^;; As for the three thug-like things, they *might* seem a tiiiiiny bit superflous, but, fortunately for them, they passed my "Necessary" mark. Barely, however. Aside from providing the prerequisite "temporal antagonists to beat on for the episode", these three might encourage others to get with the "villain-of-the-episode/week" thing that I had originally wanted to appear as the impro developed. Now, I do realize that most improers out there still have that Character-Bloataphobia thing going, but hey... Character overload only becomes a problem when the *focus* shifts from those who're really important to those who should be playing only *secondary* or *tetriary* roles. Granted, some of the more influential chars might get a token episode or two of their own for additional dev, but that should be all. It's aaall too easy for a char to get lost in the background as soon as all use for him/her outlives usefulness-- as it should be. Think anime, y'know? Num. I'd better stop before I launch into something along the lines of "You Should Do This Impro This Way" or "Impro Should Be..." (that is, if I haven't already; in which case, I'll just shut up now =p). ^_^; In any case, I had fun writing this'n and I hope ye enjoyed reading it. Cuz those two're all that really matters in the long run. ^_^ Godspeed all. ^__^ madsthebeast@eudoramail.com amadeoii@eudoramail.com madsthehatchling@yahoo.com ********* Leilei clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a flood of giggles. Bala snapped his neck to glare down at her. Leilei held up her hands placatingly. "NO! Really! It looks cute on you! It does!" Unable to bear it any longer, Leilei turned and let forth a stream of hysterical giggles. Bala narrowed his eye and regarded himself before the reflective inside surface of the classroom window. From both his earlobes dangled the silver cat charm earrings that they had bought the other day... and Leilei could hardly stop herself from giggling at them ever since she had seen them on him yesterday at the carnival. "There," Yuri had said when she had bent over him that afternoon when they were alone together in the Ferris Wheel. "Now we're linked by the cat charms." Yuri had lifted her right wrist where Bala could see it. The silver charm there had glowed almost crimson in the fading light. "One friend to another. Okay?" And then she had smiled at him. His eye narrowed. Only darkness knew why in the name of the Tribes of Aghërúkk he hadn't taken them off yet. He regarded his reflection yet again. Brobdingnag, the Jeweled Sword of Fire, walked in then-- he was always early on Mondays. He espied Bala looking at himself on the window. He pointed and guffawed with unconcealed mirth. "BWAAAAHHH! BALABALALDE'S WEARING GIRLY CAT--" As the janitorial staff found that they had to use considerably heavy equipment for the job, Brobdingnag had to remain buried headfirst up to his shins in the solid concrete of the classroom floor until the end of the schoolday before he could be extricated and sent to the infirmary. Nobody mentioned the cat earrings again for a while.