$Ah, was waiting on this.


I lied. Instead of shrinking like the first part, or being the size I
anticipated, this baby grew on me.

	$Thought so!  And I'm not displeased, either.  This is fun.

 Now the whole thing will be a total of
140K. So I'm sending the remaining 100K out in two parts. The third part
is
actually done, I merely have to do one more revision on it. It should be
out
either tomorrow or the next day.


Xxxxxxxxxxx

Between classes, Mitsuki located the object of her hunt: the last row of
classroom 2-C, two seats to the left of the window. He was leaning on
the
back two legs of his chair while his feet were propped up on the desk.
His
uniform was open at the collar. He was trying painfully to act
non-chalant,

	$nonchalant
	I'm pretty sure it shouldn't have a hyphen.

an effect he was halfway succeeding at. The only thing missing was a
cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Saccharine smile plastered on her face, Mitsuki sat down in the empty
seat
next to the senior and said in ecstatically happy tones, "Sanosuke."

Sanosuke's previous relaxed posture changed as he returned his chair to
four
legs and leaned forward to smile at Mitsuki. He grinned wolfishly at
her,
showing off a perfect set of teeth. "Hey, Sanada. Finally come to your
senses and dumped that wimp, Yotsuga, so you can go out with a real
man?"

Mitsuki was torn between saying, "But I don't see any around,"

	$Heheh.  Excellent reply.

 to defending
Kazuki by claiming that if Sanosuke was ten times the man he currently
was,
he might be worthy enough to lick the sweat off Kazuki's balls. There
were a
dozen ways to deflate his ego, but it was hard choosing the most
effective
way to go about it. Her acerbic reply met a silent demise in her mind as
she
recalled that she needed this lecherous idiot for her scheme to work,
though
his open arrogance nearly made her walk off and choose someone else.

	$Morals?  No, we don't got that.

She reevaluated Sanosuke. Conceited jerk though he was, there was no
shortage of girls that were eager to go out with him when he asked.
Alternate captain on both the soccer and baseball teams, he was a star
athlete, extremely handsome, and came from a wealthy family whose money
he
spent enthusiastically.

	$If I had money like that, I'm sure I would, too.

 All of those factors interested Mitsuki about as
much as his ability to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide, which she had
made clear the handful of times Sanosuke had asked her out. He hadn't
been
able to understand how she could reject him so casually when practically
no
other girl had. It was ironic, since Mitsuki couldn't understand why any
of
them would want to go out with him. The contrast made her realize how
different other girls' standards were from hers. Lesser standards, as
far as
Mitsuki was concerned. However, if Sanosuke's attributes served as an
effective lure to the school of hungry fish that were her fellow women,

	$You come up with the damndest metaphors.

 they
would aid Mitsuki well in the execution of her plan.

"For your information I'm not going out with Kazuki," she said, unable
to
keep a touch of anger from her voice. "And I'm not here to ask you out."

That seemed to deflate Sanosuke, but only slightly. "So why are you
here?"

	$I was feeling bored, so I decided to drop by and kick you in the
balls.  Don't worry, it's completely personal.

This was going to be the tricky part. She had to make it sound
convincing.
"I'm here on behalf of my cousin, Mitsuki Rara. She wants to go out with
you."

That perked Sanosuke's interest far more than when he had first thought
Mitsuki dropped by to ask him out. That made her twice as irritated as
before.

Sanosuke positively cooed. "Well, that is an interesting development. I
thought she was interested in Yotsuga, too. I was getting worried all
the
hot-looking girls around here had lost their minds and were going for
pussies like him."

Again Mitsuki had to fight the urge to defend Kazuki. She held her
tongue
and said in quick, biting words, "Well, I heard her say she was
interested
in you and was hoping you would ask her out tonight."

He smirked. "It's nice to see good taste wins out after all."

Mitsuki resisted the urge to wipe the smirk off with her fist. This was
not
turning out the way she had envisioned. The longer she talked with
Sanosuke,
the more she reluctant she was to set Rara up with this ape.

	$Pay no attention to that little voice in your head telling you not to
do it.  No matter how insistently it claims to be your concience, it's
just one of those little pre-schizophrenia indicators.  Acknowledging it
makes it worse, but if you ignore it, it just goes away and all is well.

 It had been a
lot easier setting up Yayoi. Mitsuki had not been anywhere as near as
troubled about that plan.

Rising to his feet, Sanosuke said, "I think I'll track her down right
now
and relieve her of that awful burden of wondering whether or not I'll
let
her go out with me."

"No!" Mitsuki shot to her feet and placed stood in front of him so he
couldn't get past.

"Why not? I thought you said she wanted to go out."

"She does, she does," Mitsuki soothed. She had to think quickly. "It's
just
I want to make sure she doesn't have any second thoughts. She's odd that
way. It's like she doesn't think she's good enough for a guy like you."
Though in Mitsuki's estimation, most rats would be good enough for a
walking
piece of garbage like Sanosuke.

	$You'd be surprised.  I've found rats to have surprisingly good taste.

"She's definitely hot enough," Sanosuke confirmed. "Just as hot as you,
Sanada, which I didn't think was possible."

	$Funny you should mention that.  You see, there was this parallel
world...

"I'm so delighted, I think I'll throw up on you," was what Mitsuki
wanted to
say. Instead what came out was a dull, "I'm flattered."

Sanosuke sidled himself right next to Mitsuki, invoking images of a
snake in
her mind. She liked snakes. Liked crushing the slithering vermin flat
with
the nearest heavy object she could find.

	$Aww.  I like snakes, and they like me.  I cleared out a supermarket by
chasing people with a water moccasin once when I was seven.  I got in a
lot of trouble, but it was worth it.

He placed his arm around her shoulder and forced her closer. In a deep,
throaty voice, he said, "Hey, Sanada, I got an idea. Why don't you go
out
with us too? Kind of make it a threesome. I know I can show you girls
the
time of your lives. Don't worry about anything. I guarantee I'm a man
enough
for both of you."

	$Mitsuki: Oh, too bad.  You see, that's the trouble.  I recently found
out that I'm a lesbian, and I'm just not interested in you.

Seeing the lustful gaze he was directing toward her, it took everything
Mitsuki had not to knee him in the groin on the spot. The statement
about a
'threesome' showed her just how much of a pig Sanosuke was. He was much
worse than she remembered. In hindsight, she wished she hadn't chosen
him,
but it was too late. She couldn't back out now and pick someone else; it
would risk blowing everything. Swallowing her recriminations, she said
in a
voice dripping with false sincerity, "I don't think that's such a good
idea.
You see, I have this vaginal yeast infection that's-"

	$Eww.

"Don't say anymore! I understand." Sanosuke removed his hand from her
shoulder as though she had informed him she had a case of the plague.

	$Heheh.  Good one.

Mitsuki smiled falsely again and headed for the door, feeling dirtier
than
she had in months. As she exited the classroom, she overheard Sanosuke
boasting to a nearby classmate, "Yeah, and Sanada wants me too. I can
tell
these things."

	$Wants him used in place of rats and monkeys in painful medical
experiments, yeah.

The veins in Mitsuki's forehead bulged badly enough that people in the
hall
kept mentioning the words 'brain embolism' as she walked past.

	$Heh.  You know, I've always wondered whether or not if, when all those
characters who get really angry and start having bulging veins get
older, they're going to have varicose veins of the head.

Gym class was next. The detour to Sanosuke's class two floors away meant
Mitsuki was one of the last to enter the locker room. By the time she
entered, the room was full of chatter as all the other girls were
already in
varying states of undress. Mitsuki tuned out the mindless bits of
conversation and gossip as she rushed to her locker in an effort to
catch up
to her classmates. The final one out was always worked the hardest by
the
gym teacher. He seemed to think being last indicated one was reluctant
to
exercise, which meant that student needed it the most. In Mitsuki's
mind,
there were few things more irritating than fitness zealots.

	$I dunno, I've met a lot of people that needed to work out more.

She had only undone the first two buttons of her top when an idea struck
her. Earlier she had only been able to test her interest in other women
by
remembering them naked. Now there was a chance to actually see some
girls in
the buff and give herself a real test instead of one that relied on
memory
and imagination.

	$Not to mention some cheap fanservice for the readers.  ^_^

Mitsuki started with the girl closest to her. Sae was standing next to
her
locker, clad only in a white bra and panties. She was short and had a
trim
figure. Her chest was small enough that Mitsuki figured if she had such
an
insignificant bust, she would have worn a padded bra. The sight didn't
arouse her in the slightest. Across from Sae was Shinobu, who was nearly
finished changing. She was another small girl, but with a few pounds she
could stand to lose. Again there was nothing. Athletic Michiko was a few
lockers down from Shinobu, partially obscured from her sight. Mitsuki
moved
around Sae and drew closer so she could get a better view. Michiko was
already topless and was just about to take off a pair of lacy black
panties
that were very inappropriate for a normal school day. Maybe the rumors
about
her putting out for just about any guy were true, and she had a hot date
after classes. Unlike the previous two girls, Michiko had a great body,
with
above average breasts, long legs, and not an ounce of fat. She tended to
draw almost as many stares from the guys as Mitsuki did. Michiko turned
around and pulled her panties off slowly, almost sensuously, one leg at
a
time. She bent over, giving Mitsuki a perfect view of her bare bottom.
The
only thing that caught Mitsuki's attention was a splotch on the left
cheek
that reminded her of a tiny Rorsach inkblot. It made her count her
blessings
that she lacked any sort of hideous birthmark. Besides that, no
reaction.

	$I bet guys find that cute.  One of those things you love to kiss and
praise.

So far Mitsuki was passing the test as easily as if it was her math
class. A
smile blossomed on her face as she turned to stare at the chest of 'Top
Heavy' Tanaka. A couple of weeks back, Mitsuki had sneaked a look at a
survey one of the more perverted guys had organized.

	$Heheh.  There's always one.

 According to his
results, Tanaka was the girl with the 'fourth biggest rack' in school,
which
was easy to believe. Seeing those large breasts before her, restrained
only
by a white cotton athletic bra, the only reaction Mitsuki had was one of
gratitude. Those babies had to be a strain on Tanaka's back, and from
the
looks of things her lifelong battle with gravity was already taking its
toll.

	$Heh.  That's the price you pay.

Some 'lesbian' Mitsuki was turning out to be. All these different types
of
girls, and not one of them could arouse her the way Rara had. She would
have
wagered that if even someone as laid back as Kazuki had been staring at
Tanaka's cleavage, he would have gotten one of his patented 'speechless
and
dumb' looks on his face. But not Mitsuki. Even as the breasts drew
nearer
and she could see a network of veins under the skin,

	$Varicose veins of the breast?  Hmmm.  That'd be funny.

 she might as well have
been looking at a couple of cantaloupes for all the att...

Nearer?

"Just when in the hell do you think you're doing, Sanada?" Tanaka had
walked
forward until she stood directly in front of Mitsuki, hands on her hips
and
thrusting her chest forward.

Mitsuki laughed nervously and backed slowly away. She hadn't realized
Tanaka
was several centimeters taller, as well as being larger across the
chest.
Her arms were substantial as well. She looked like she might be able to
twist Mitsuki into all sorts of interesting shapes, like a balloon
animal.
Meekly, she said, "I'm not doing anything. Why do you ask?"

"You were staring at my tits like there was something wrong with them."

	$Personally, in Mitsuki's position, I'd have asked if she needed to
borrow any base to hide those veins.  Sure, I'd have gotten the hell
beat out of me, but I wouldn't have been accused of being a lesbian.

Mitsuki saw that she now had everyone's attention, and would have done
just
about anything to return it to them. "Relax. I was just looking and
making
sure I wasn't interested in you." As soon as the last word left her
mouth,
Mitsuki knew that had come out horribly wrong. Pretty much as horribly
wrong
as she could have managed.

	$You're an evil man, DB.

The reaction from the rest of the locker room confirmed her fears.

Michiko said, "Oh ick! I thought she was checking me out."

With the dam broken, others were eager to join in the flood.

"She was looking at us just like Arisa used to."

"You mean Arisa what's her name who had to leave school after she and
Rei
got caught doing you know what in the restroom?"

	$you-know-what

	No, I don't know what.  Come on, don't make me guess.  What I'd come up
with would be creative, but probably wrong.

"Yep, that one."

"Then that means Mitsuki must like girls too."

Panicked, Mitsuki shouted out, "But I don't,

	$I hate you all!  You disgust me, really!  I find you physically
repulsive!"

	This also proved to be the wrong thing to say.

or at least I'm not interested
in any of you." That had come out wrong too. This was not turning out to
be
her day.



Tanaka led the charge this time. "Oh, so what you're saying is, we
aren't
attractive enough for a pervert like you, is that it?"

	$Mitsuki: Damn straight, I've got standards.

Realizing if she said no, that meant she would be admitting they were
attractive, and if she said yes, it would still be interpreted as an
admission of lesbianism, as well as getting the girls angry with her,
Mitsuki instead tried, "Can we forget this ever happened?"

"Get out, you disgusting pervert!" Bottles of shampoo and other cleaning
utensils headed towards Mitsuki's way. She bolted out the door to the
locker
rooms before they started throwing something heavier, like lockers, at
her.

	$If I only had a dime for every time that's happened to me...

It had gone from one hell of a morning to one hell of a day.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours --and a gym class full of whispers and evil stares-- later,
Mitsuki finally had a chance to make her way to the lunchroom.
Ordinarily
she would have brought something from home and eaten in the school yard,
but
it had been left behind in her haste to flee from Akane's lecture.
Fortunately she had enough money to buy lunch, and if luck was with her
for
the first time today, it would end up playing right into her hands.

Eyes continuously scanning the lunch counters, Mitsuki saw the second
participant in her plan standing alone and serving the hot foods. She
made
her way over and stopped in front of the target. Sweetly, she greeted,
"Good
afternoon, Mitsuki."

"Oh!" Rara, startled out of her reverie of pouring food onto plates,
focused
her eyes on Mitsuki. "Come over here." Rara led Mitsuki over to the end
of
the display, where they could have some measure of privacy. Rara looked
around furtively, and seeing no one around, whispered in an angry tone,
"Mitsuki, I heard you were hitting on some girls in the locker room. Is
that
true?"

"NO!" Mitsuki cringed and looked around. Sure enough, she had managed to
gain everyone's attention. In an exaggerated voice, she said, "I have
plenty
of money. You don't need to loan me any." It had the desired of effect
of
making everyone return to eating and talking.

Rara released a deep breath and placed her hand to her chest. "That's a
relief."

	$Rara: I was worried that you were going to hook up with some other
lesbian before I could work up my nerve to proposition you.  Whoops, did
I say that out loud?

Mitsuki wondered exactly why that was a relief, but she wasn't going to
ask
about that anymore than why Rara had seemed angry when she first asked
the
question. There were more important matters on hand. "I've got some news
for
you."

"Really?"

The hope and trust in those eyes made Mitsuki feel a pang of regret for
what
she was about to do.

	$Kinda like the way your dog looks at you before you carry him to the
vet to be neutered.

 The memory of Rara congratulating Kazuki speared the
regret through its torso and pinned it to a wall, reminding her what was
going to happen if the situation  was left as it was.

	$Extra space before was.

Hoping to set a good mood by smiling broadly, Mitsuki said, "Yep. You
know
Kentaro Sanosuke? He's a senior that plays on the soccer team. Tall,
handsome, has a lot of money and enjoys spending it?"

"No."

Eyebrows twitching, Mitsuki forced out, "He's a major hunk." Of brain
dead
beef. "Pleasant personality." Just like a limp dishrag. "Very popular."
With
himself. "Knows how to treat a girl like a lady." One that hangs out at
street corners and is paid by the hour. "He's an all around great guy."
Whose greatest contribution to humanity will be donating his body to
science.

	$Heheh.  This worked pretty well.  I quite enjoy that kind of humor.

Not sensing the meaning behind Mitsuki's halting compliments, Rara
smiled at
her counterpart and said, "No, but he sounds nice. Are you going out
with
him? I hope you have a good time. Should I let Kazuki know, or do you
want
to tell him?"

"I AM NOt going out with him." What had started out as a shout ended in
a
whisper. Mitsuki decided she had had enough attention for one day.

	$You know what they say about hammering in the nail that sticks out.

Rara said, "But you talked about him in such glowing terms. It reminded
me
of Kazuki"

	$Kazuki."

"Exactly what part of that description sounded like Kazuki?"

"All of it, except the money and soccer part. Kazuki stinks at soccer.
Even
D is better at it than him."

"That's true. He's got all the coordination of a monkey with two broken
feet
when he tries kicking the ball. I once saw him trip over... Hey! We're
getting off the subject here." Mitsuki composed herself. "What I was
trying
to say was Sanosuke has a crush on this girl, but he hasn't been able to
work up the nerve to tell her how he feels. He's sort of been admiring
her
from afar, and trying to find the courage to ask her out. It seems that
for
all of his confidence, he's actually shy when it comes to girls he's
interested in. And I found out today that he's finally found the guts to
put
it all on the line and ask her out on a date. Get it?"

"Oh, I see." The dawn of understanding was clear upon Rara's features.

"Good."

"He sounds like a nice person, Mitsuki. Don't break his heart. You
should go
out with him and give him a chance."

"It's not me he's interested in! It's you!" Mitsuki felt like pounding
her
head into her tray as the whispered voices throughout the cafeteria
sounded
like shouts by the time they reached her ears.

	$She's determined to embarrass herself good and proper, isn't she?

Rara appeared taken aback. "But, I don't want to go out with him. I
don't
even know him. There's... someone else I'm interested in." She began
shyly
twiddling her fingers.

"Gee, I wonder who that could be?" Mitsuki said dryly, wondering why
Rara
even bothered with the pretense.

Rara blushed. "Uh, well. It's-"

	$A rhetorical question, stupid.

"I know who it is! I was being sarcastic." Mitsuki let out an
exasperated
sigh. "Look, you yourself said Sanosuke's heart shouldn't be broken
after
he's finally worked up the courage and determination to ask you out."

"But that was only because I thought he was interested in you. If he's
interested in me, that's completely different."

"Oh, why is that?"

"No reason."

	$That's...  One of the best peices of dialog I've seen in a long time.
The sheer honesty of it boggles the mind.

Mitsuki noted Rara lacked even the basic capability for subterfuge,
which
was a good thing. So she perceived Mitsuki as an obstacle as well. That
was
just fine with her. It would make what she was doing easier. "So you're
just
going to casually break poor Sanosuke's heart, eh?" She said it as
though it
was all a sinister scheme Rara had concocted and was confiding with
Mitsuki.

"Well..." Rara looked hesitant.

"That's pretty cold. I would hate to think what would happen if Kazuki
heard
how you blew someone off like that. I'll try to keep it quiet, of
course,
but you know how gossip spreads around here. Hard to keep anything a
secret."

	$"Including your budding sexuality," one student whispered as he walked
by.

"Oh dear. I wouldn't want him to think that." Rara began chewing on her
lower lip.

"And it's too bad because Sanosuke is a genuine... nice guy."

"I doubt if he's as nice as Kazuki."

Leaning in close for a conspiratorial whisper, Mitsuki said, "I'll let
you
in on a secret. I had a crush on Sanosuke even after I knew Kazuki. I
think
he's even... even.... even better than Kazuki." Her lips were trembling
by
the end.

	$At soccer, she added mentally.

"If you like him so much, why don't you go out with him?"

"Because he used to go out with an old friend of mine and I don't want
to
betray her memory! Now quit trying to pawn him off on me and drop it. I
know
for a fact that he's only interested in you. I know it's hard to believe
he'd prefer you over me."

"And why is that?"

Mitsuki noted that Rara's voice had dropped several octaves and her
usually
placid expression held a hint of anger. It reminded her of the
announcements
Miss Ra used to make on the air. "He, ah, knew me longer."

"Oh." The placid expression returned, almost as though it had never left
in
the first place.

	$Rara could easily relate to that.  She'd only known Mitsuki Sanada for
a little while and she already wanted to gag her, tie her down, and ra-
Wait, where did that thought come from?

Putting that disturbing incident aside, which Mitsuki convinced herself
she
had imagined, she said, "There's another reason to accept Sanosuke's
asking
you out instead of shattering his heart in a million pieces and Kazuki
finding out."

"There is?"

"Yep. It'll give you good training for when you go out on dates with...
Kazuki." She barely forced out the last bit. Images of him and Rara
together, sighing happily to one another as they held hands and stared
into
each other's eyes, darkened Mitsuki's mood.

	$eyes darkened

	At least, that's how I'd write it.

"It will?"

Mitsuki made the anger go away. "Oh yes. You'll learn when guys expect
you
to laugh, when you're supposed to act impressed, pretend your interested
in
sports, and believe me, you need to learn how to manage small talk. You
haven't been on many dates, have you?"

"No. Most of the men I came into contact with were subordinates in the
Rara
army. No fraternization was permitted within the ranks, especially when
it
came to officers. And I was the leader's daughter as well, which was
another
complication. The few men I met outside of the military tended to be
intimidated by me for some odd reason."

You commanded an incredible amount of power, harped on about conquering
the
world, wore something that made you look like a dominatrix, and laughed
like
a psychotic hyena. "Can't imagine why." Was all that actually left
Mitsuki's

	$why," was

mouth

"Kazuki was the first man I met that wasn't intimidated in the slightest
by
me," Rara sighed and stared longingly in the direction Kazuki's homeroom
lay.

That's hardly the basis for a long term relationship, and frankly,
Kazuki
needs to be intimidated sometimes to keep him in line. Of course, it
wouldn't hurt if he could act intimidating once in a while when the
situation demanded it. "Kazuki would like a girl with a little
experience."
It was getting increasingly difficult to keep from blurting out what was
on
her mind.

	$Mitsuki's got issues besides her own confused sexuality.

"Are you sure?"

Unwanted recriminations swept through Mitsuki. She ignored them.

	$Atta girl.  Welcome to the dark side.

"Absolutely."

"Well, since it obviously means so much to Sanosuke, and I wouldn't want
to
hurt his feelings. I'll go out with him once. But only one time."

"Of course." And either one of two outcomes would occur. Either Rara
would
have a good enough time with Sanosuke that she would want to date him
again,
or Mitsuki would see to it that Kazuki found out, in excruciating
detail,
that Rara had gone out with a guy behind his back. Kazuki would feel
betrayed and never trust Rara again. The second would be a whole lot
messier, so Mitsuki hoped for the former. That way Rara could have some
cretin that would use her for his own self-centered ends while only
caring
about himself. He would cheat on her regularly, and with Rara's
gullibility,
she would probably never believe that he was no matter how much evidence
there was.

Well, maybe the first was messier after all.

Rara said, "Mitsuki, why are you scowling so much?"

"What?"

"You look very angry. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." It had to be done for her and Kazuki's sake. If Rara had
kept her nose out, it would not have mattered. But she refused to, and
it
appeared she had an inside track to Kazuki. The issue had to be resolved
now, before it was too late.

"Enjoy your date tonight." Mitsuki left Rara and went to sit by herself
at
one of the tables. She spent the entire lunch period staring at her
food,
her appetite completely abandoning her.

It was a pity her conscience hadn't as well.

	$I know it hurts at first, but trust me, it's best for the long run.
It's not healthy to have voices in your head telling you what and what
not to do.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How do I look?"

"You look great." Mitsuki gave a close inspection of her counterpart.
Rara
had chosen a soft blue dress with white gloves and a wide white belt
that
matched perfectly. The dress fit snugly in all the right places and
loose in
all the others, making her look taller and even more beautiful,
accentuating
her bust without making it appear too large. Mitsuki hated to admit it,
but
Rara had definitely inherited her mother's cutting edge fashion sense.

Rara's appearance was perfect save in one area: the face. She looked
absolutely miserable. It was the worst hang dog expressions Mitsuki had
seen
in her life. It was more like Rara was preparing to march towards a
firing
squad composed of poor shots armed with BB guns instead of a date with
one
of the most popular guys in school.

	$Again the metaphors.  I'll agree with the earlier comment, this one is
a little off the wall.

"I don't feel great," Rara said in confirmation of Mitsuki's thoughts.
She
appeared ready to burst into tears. "I wish I hadn't accepted going out
tonight."

This wasn't good. Her cousin was on the verge of ruining everything.
"It's
too late to back out now. You can't accept a date and then cancel at the
last minute." Although Mitsuki would have paid good money to see
Sanosuke's
face if he learned he had been dumped by someone. Whatever anger she had
felt toward the conceited jerk was triple what it had been earlier in
the
day, and Mitsuki couldn't figure out why. He was just a means to an end,
and
had never been more than a minor irritant in the past. Why was it this
irrational rage towards him seemed to grow by the hour? It made no
sense.

"It's for Kazuki," she whispered.

"What's that about Kazuki?" Rara asked.

"It's too bad he's staying at a friend's house overnight." It would have
been one of the few times Mitsuki could have had Kazuki alone in the
house.
Her parents were staying overnight at some research center to discuss
what
to do about Zinv, taking D along to make certain she was suffering no
side
effects from the artifact's return.

	$Ah, a setting paragraph.  Completely meaningless to me, but hey.

To improve matters, Yayoi had dropped by to mournfully inform Kazuki
that a
member of the faculty that was supposed to represent the school at some
teaching conference had become ill and Yayoi had been ordered to go in
his
place. She would be leaving tomorrow and be gone the rest of the week,
so
she wouldn't be able to see him. Mitsuki's initial delight was quickly
eradicated when Yayoi 'innocently' suggesting that Kazuki take a few
days
off from school and go with her to 'learn a few things about teaching,'
and
that she could personally tutor him on his subjects. Mitsuki had no
doubts
about what the 'tutoring' would have entailed, and went into a raging
apoplexy about all the improprieties of the suggestion. Yayoi's comment
about how Mitsuki should 'stop being such a little girl' did nothing to
assuage the anger. Luckily Kazuki had reacted in his typically
embarrassed
fashion and declined. Mitsuki had done something to make herself feel
better, though. All that was left was to wait until the old bag returned
from her little trip and tried to violate Kazuki's room by her usual
invasion route and discovered her walkway had 'accidentally' been sawed
most
of the way through.

	$I like Sanada.  She's evil in all the right places.

"It's nice to see someone's happy," Rara sighed again as she looked at
Mitsuki.

	$Heheh.  I can _see_ that smile now.  Great way of giving details
without actually giving details.

The smile left Mitsuki's face as her recriminations returned a
hundredfold.
It had been so much easier to set Yayoi up in the other world with the
marriage meeting. The only regret she carried from that scheme was that
it
had failed. But this plan was making her have second thoughts. It was as
bad
as if she was the one being forced to go on the date. What made it
different
this time? Both of the girls were in her way, and she had never held
anything personally against Yayoi or felt excessively sympathetic about
Rara. Until this morning she had never really treated one differently
from
the other. What had happened?

The internal turmoil wore away Mitsuki's resolve the way a pounding surf
wore away a coastlines rocks. Softly, she said, "Look, maybe you
shouldn't-"

A horn honked twice outside. Both Mitsukis looked out the nearest window
to
see a bright red Ferrari sitting outside the house, an impatient
Sanosuke
behind the wheel. From their position high above, they could see he was
dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that appeared almost as expensive
as
the car. He looked at a small slip of paper in his hand, glanced at the
address on the outside of the house, and honked again.

"This is it," Rara said with all the enthusiasm of the condemned walking
to
the gallows. "What were you going to say, Mitsuki?"

	$That metaphor has a more immediate meaning.  That's a good thing.

"Nothing. You should get going." It was all for Kazuki.

Taking a deep breath, Rara firmed her shoulders up and thrust her chin
out
boldly. "I suppose I should try to enjoy myself and treat this as a
learning
experience."

"Absolutely." Mitsuki said with far more enthusiasm than she felt. She
walked Rara to the door and escorted her outside. Apparently Sanosuke
had
deigned to get out of his car and head to the house as well. He bore a
bouquet of roses in hand and presented them to Rara when they met in the
at
middle of the walkway.

Rara sniffed deeply of their fragrance. "They're beautiful."

"Beautiful? I could never use that word to refer to anything other than
yourself when in your stunning presence." He bowed deeply.

Mitsuki gave her back to the couple before rolling her eyes. Could he be
any
more insincere? Did girls really fall for lines like that?"

	$Heh.  I think we can both give her an answer to that one.  "No, they
don't."

"Why thank you, but you're wrong. I'm not that pretty," Rara said as she
blushed.

Mitsuki's eyebrow twitched. This was why all men seemed to think women
turned into giddy airheads after a compliment or two. Of course, Rara's
accepting the compliment meant Mitsuki's plan was succeeding, but for
some
inexplicable reason she felt as angry as she was delighted that Rara
would
let herself be charmed so easily.

Sanosuke offered his arm. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Rara looped her arm through his, wearing a smile far more real
than
the one she had exited the house with.

"Have fun you two." Mitsuki waved at them with exaggerated arm motions,
as
though they were going on an ocean voyage for several months.

Sanosuke opened the car door for Rara. As she sat down, her back was to
him.
He gave Mitsuki a wink and said, "Oh, we will. That I can guarantee you.
Ciao, Sanada."

She gave a wide smile, one that would have unnerved Kazuki from the
unnatural nature of it. "Burn in hell, you conceited piece of shit," she
said through her painted on grin far too softly for either of the couple
to
hear.

Sanosuke pulled out into the street without looking. He nearly struck
another car. Luckily the other driver was paying attention and pulled
out of
the way with a screech of rubber at the last minute, avoiding an
accident
that would have ended the date before it began.

	$Heh. I would have hit him.  Not because I wouldn't be paying
attention, but just because.

"Try to bring her back alive!" Mitsuki shouted, though she doubted
Sanosuke
heard her over the roaring of his motor. Mitsuki hated loud, obnoxious
cars
almost as much as the loud, obnoxious clods that drove them.

Feeling far more miserable than she should have considering how well her
plan was going, Mitsuki trudged back into the house with an expression
as
sullen as Rara's had been before Sanosuke's arrival.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Darkness had fallen long hours before. Mitsuki Rara now had the whole of
her
senses occupied as she gazed out the passenger's window of the Ferrari.
The
full moon was high overhead as they drove through the countryside. A
midnight (or closer to eleven) ride had been Sanosuke's idea, and though
Mitsuki would have preferred returning home, she remembered what Sanada
had
said about learning everything she could on the date and treating it as
a
test run for the day when Kazuki would ask her out. So she relented and
found herself silently wishing it was the love of her life instead of
Sanosuke taking her far away from home. For a learning experience, the
only
knowledge she seemed to be gleaning was how much she longed for Kazuki
to be
at her side. She just hoped he didn't hear about this date, as much as
she
did not want to call it that. If he found out, he might think she had
lost
interest in him. He was still the only man for her, even if she couldn't
being herself to tell him it aloud.

It was times like that she wished she could don her Miss Ra apparel and
just
tell him. Miss Ra always had the self-confidence and enthusiasm to do
what
she wanted, when she wanted, and allowed nothing and no one to get in
her
way. But Mitsuki refused to dress that way anymore, last night being the
one
time exception. She was Mitsuki Rara, not Miss Ra. That other self had
been
left behind in the dissolution of the Rara Army, which was for the best.
Though Miss Ra wasn't dangerous, merely misunderstood, most people,
especially men, felt uncomfortable in her presence. Kazuki was no
exception.
It was for the best that Mitsuki pretend she had never became that woman
and
get on with her life.

	$Yup.  Just another one of those pesky voices.

Sometimes Mitsuki wondered if that was truly for the best. There were
times
when she was alone in the night, as the world lay asleep around her,
when
she noticed all was not quite right. She felt as though something was
missing in her life. It was more than merely not waking up next to
Kazuki
(though she had accidentally slipped into his bed the other night. That
was
nice, even if Sanada and Yayoi seemed to think otherwise.) But there was
something else lacking as well. Something within her, some integral
piece
that had only made its absence known with the world's reformation. She
was
uncertain as to its elusive nature, but instinctively knew she would
recognize it once she found it. Or it found her.

It occurred to Mitsuki that a date was probably not the best time for
this
sort of internal contemplation. Her thoughts turned back to the man that
was
with her. Sanosuke had been a perfect gentleman all evening, both during
dinner and the movie afterwards. He did seem to enjoy talking about
himself
and his accomplishments rather than listening to anything Mitsuki might
have
had to say. Still, he had paid her a number of compliments on her
appearance, far more in both number and verbosity than anyone else ever
had,
including Kazuki. The two had engaged in conversation, though Sanosuke
seemed to talk more at her instead of with her. But there was no
hesitation
or embarrassment on his part. He spoke with confidence and charm.
Mitsuki
wished Kazuki was more open like that. He leaned more to the shy side,
like
herself. She supposed that was a good sign since it meant the two of
them
were alike and compatible, but there were times when she wished one of
them
was more aggressive and would find the courage to form a solid
relationship
instead of the simple friendship that currently existed between them.

	$Sad but true.  Somebody's got to be on top and someone else on bottom.

While Sanosuke certainly qualified as being aggressive, Mitsuki found
she
cared little for it coming from him. There was the way he looked at her
out
of the corner of his eye, when he didn't think she was watching, that
unsettled her tremendously. It was like a shark watching an injured fish
swim past, or when her mother saw something she wanted and couldn't
acquire
it through direct means. Both were predators that stopped at nothing to
get
what they wanted. Kazuki never looked at her that way, and Mitsuki was
glad
for that. One of these days she would even tell him. Someday.

Aside from the glances, Sanosuke had been a sociable date in every other
respect. He had let her choose the movie and order what she wanted from
the
menu, paying for everything without batting an eye. He hadn't even
attempted
to hold her hand, which she had decided from the outset was all the
farther
she would let him go. Perhaps he was having a bad time and wouldn't want
to
ask her out again. Mitsuki found the thought reassuring, and hoped it
was
true, even if it meant she was a bad date. But she had so little
experience
with men, it was impossible to tell what mood Sanosuke was really in.

	$And all this time Sanosuke is thinking, "I wonder if she'll swallow?"

She was still casting her gaze to the moon when the car slowed down.
Mitsuki
watched through the front windshield as they diverged from the main road
and
took a smaller side road into some woods. She looked at Sanosuke
confusedly.
"Where are we going?"

"A better place to watch the moon." Sanosuke flashed his perfect, white
teeth at Mitsuki.

The smile reminded her of the shark and her mother again. She saw the
road
becoming narrower and the trees stretching ominously from above. They
blocked out everything, including the moon. "I thought you said we were
going for a drive."

"We're still driving," he said. However, they did not for long as he
pulled
into a small parking lot that was at least a mile away from the main
road.
It stood on a small promontory that allowed a perfect view of a lake
beyond.
Only an aging guardrail stood as a barrier between the open lot and
going
over the point and into the water.

	$Aww, how romantic.  It's the local's most popular date-rape point.

Sanosuke pulled the key out of the ignition and leaned in close. "Now
we've
stopped."

Mitsuki shifted uncomfortably. She knew she wasn't supposed to be
negative
on a date, but being out in the middle of nowhere, especially with the
shift
in emotions by Sanosuke, frightened her. "I want to leave."

"But we just got here." The words slid from Sanosuke's mouth as he
placed a
hand on Mitsuki's thigh.

"Stop that!" She removed his hand from its intimate contact. It was
replaced
by another hand that was forced behind her neck, making her move closer
to
his own head as he leaned forward. He managed to brush his lips against
hers, but during her struggle her forehead struck his upper lip, causing
him
to cry out in pain.

Sanosuke shot her in evil look. Any pretenses of romance were gone.
Anger
and lust were all that remained as he moved out of his seat and nearly
on
lurched towards Mitsuki, positioning himself so he could get into her
half
of the car. "Come off it with this pure and virginal act. Everyone knows
you're putting out for that little pussy, Yotsuga. Now I want a piece of
the
action too, honey. I've treated you right all night long, and you've got
nothing to complain about. It's time to give a little back."

"Let go of me!" Mitsuki tried pushing him away. In response, he
half-slapped, half-punched her hard across the face, sending a volley of
pain shooting through her brain. Stunned, she was only partially aware
of
the feel of him moving on top of her. She tried resisting,

	$Stop!

 but he was far
too large and strong and the pain made it hard for her to think. He
easily
overpowered her weakly flailing fists

	$Oh, help!

, wrapping her wrists with one of his
beefy hands and pinning them against the headrest of the backseat.

	$Eeek!  Someone save me!

 With his
free hand he groped one of her breasts through her dress, pulling at it
roughly and causing her to squeal in anguish.

	$Suddenly serious, Rara grabbed his wrist and twisted it away.
"Alright, pal, they're nipples, not radio tuners.  Now quit it."

"Quit struggling and it won't be so unpleasant. And once I get started,
it
won't be unpleasant at all." His voice was a leer and his words a sour
caress. Even as he spoke he felt her struggles lessen.

"Stop." Unlike before, her voice was so quiet and raspy it was barely
audible.

"You know you love it, honey." He released the hold on her breast. He
moved
so his body was directly on top of hers, almost pining her to the seat
with
his frame. "I'm going to show you the time of your life. You're going to
be
begging for me to give it to you before the night is out."

	$Heh.  He'll be begging for her to give it back.  Preferrably in one
peice.

Her struggles finally stopped altogether. This was what he had been
waiting
for. His hands went to unbuckle his pants. It was about time this date
had
finally gotten to the good part.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The squirrel ran across the open area to the acorn that had sat out in
the
middle of the clearing, yet tantalizingly out of reach. He had spotted
it
fifteen minutes ago and after cautiously searching the area for
predators,
was going to risk running out in the open to retrieve it. But then the
two
leggers' rumbler had come by and decided to rest in the open area.

	$Heh, this is a funny POV.  I guess Sanosuke isn't the only one in the
area trying to get a nut.

 The
squirrel had remained where he was. He had lived in the tree for the
majority of his life and understood how rumblers behaved. Generally they
would stay there for a while. Sometimes two leggers would emerge from
them,
but most of the time, especially in the evening, they stayed inside. A
little while after first arriving, the rumblers would stay quiet, only
rocking back and forth for a while. Sometimes sounds came from within
the
rumbler. When that happened, it would sit there for a long time and two
leggers never came out. It was only after the rocking stopped that the
rumbler might start up again and depart. But there was always a pause
between rocking and silence that warned him it was time to leave.

This one was no different. It stopped and was absolutely quiet. After a
few
moments of silence, the rumbler started to rock and two legger noises
came
from within. That suited the squirrel just fine. He raced out into the
open
area next to the rumbler and grabbed its prize. He paused for a moment
to
admire his catch. It was a big acorn, one of the biggest he had ever
seen.
He would store the food and eat it later, when the cold came and there
were
no more acorns to be found.

	$Actually, he'd probably forget, but it'd make a fine tree one day.

He was still marveling at the size of the nut when the noises from the
car
stopped. So intent was the squirrel with admiring his catch that he
failed
to notice how quickly the sounds had ceased.

	$Tsk, tsk.  No staying power.

 A moment later, the silence was
shattered by the clamorous sound of something breaking. The noise froze
the
squirrel in its tracks and caused his heart to nearly leap out of his
chest.
Motionless, he watched one of the shiny surfaces around the top of the
rumbler break into a half-dozen pieces and fall to the ground,
shattering
into a dozen more. It looked up to see what had caused this disruption
to
the serenity of the night. Something round and with short hair poked out
of
the hole that had been created. A wet substance fell from it to trickle
to
the ground where the dry soil drank it greedily. The smell of blood
drifted
from the opening and assailed the squirrel's nostrils. Instincts took
over
as it was shaken out of its reverie and ran back to the protection of
its
tree, acorn left lying where it had been found.

	$Yet sadly, none was to be had by any.

Xxxxxxxxxx


	$Sure, it'd have been dark if he'd succeeded, but I think it's darkly
humorous the way it turned out.  The squirrel was a nice touch, but,
unfortunately, it creates the biggest problem.  Y'see, it's nearly
midnight when they get to the point.  As a rule, squirrels do not go
sniffing around for acorns in the middle of the night.  That's why when
I go hunting, I have to be in the woods right at daylight, and I leave
right at dark.  They go to bed with and get up with the birds.

	The annoying thing is, it's too good an idea to take out.  No one else
seems to have noticed, so you could probably get away with it.  Just say
he had trouble sleeping that night, or he ran out of sleeping pills.

	Other than that, few mistakes, good flow, nice setup.  Rara's gonna be
pissed.

	Onward!

-Ragun







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