Chapter 2: Beautiful Voice--Cute Guy--Nami Loses it.

"Does this work?" Nami asked her mother as she posed in front of a mirror. In the reflection, she saw her mother shaking her head. With a sigh, she went into her closet and began to take off the clothes on her and dug through others that were yet to be tried on.

"When it comes to dressing up," her mother began, "You're not the brightest." Nami stopped her search and glared at her mother.

"Thanks mom," she said in a sarcastic tone, "and no, I can dress perfectly fine. It's just…"

"You're meeting new people from this new group you're in and you're all nervous and you don't wanna get your hopes up and-" Nami raised her hand in front of her mom's face to stop her from speaking.

"I don't need to hear the list. I see it religiously when I hang out with, Ran, Aya, and Miyu." Nami walked back into her closet and continued to throw things on the floor. "I don't wanna blow it with them, you know? And they helped me a lot with the gal shopping thing, so I don't wanna disappoint them."

"You know you're going to clean this mess up before you leave, right?"

"MOM!" Nami cried, "HELP ME!" After many trials of putting on clothes, Nami and her mom agreed on a white, sleeveless Tee with a pink heart in the center, followed by a jean mini-skirt with the white platform boots to tie it all together.

"I feel so…naked," Nami commented after viewing herself in the mirror.

"Don't worry," her mom said, pulling blue plastic bangles and a silver necklace with her name written on it. "With these, you'll definitely fit in." Nami placed on her accessories and sighed.

"God I'm nervous."

"Just be yourself, and you'll be great." Nami took a deep breath and left her house, a pink sweat jacket tied around her waist. Okay, so I want some form of cover-up if this doesn't work, Nami thought, That's not illegal, right? Once Nami arrived in Shibuya, she headed towards Hachiko. Looks like I'm early.

"Nami!" Nami moved her head in front of the Hachiko statue and saw Miyu running towards her, wearing platform sneakers and pink jeans along with a green sleeveless V-neck sweater. She noted the white tank top underneath the sweater that was carrying a pair of sunglasses. "You made it. Wow, you clean up nicely as a gal." Nami blushed a little.

"My mom had to help pick out my outfit with me. Since I'm new at this, I need some help."

"That's always good," she said, "With your mom helping you, I mean." Nami smiled and nodded.

"But this isn't too revealing or anything, right?"

"None whatsoever," Aya said from behind. She wore a simpler outfit of a light turquoise, three-quarter sleeved sweater with a butterfly necklace. She wore a knee-length rosy, colored skirt and platform sandals. "It's actually perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Nami asked.

"We're going to introduce you to the boyfriends of this group. They're also our good friends as well," Aya answered.

"Wow."

"And we need them to hear you sing," Miyu added with a wink, "You sounded great last time we did Karaoke."

"Really?"

"Of course! Honestly, you've got just as much low self-confidence as Aya." Nami looked up and saw Ran standing over Hachiko. Aya began to pout.

"That's super mean, Ran. That was last year."

"I know, and look how far you've come?" Aya couldn't help but smile as Ran jumped down. She was in a long red jacket that covered a purple leopard pattern tube top and a white jean skirt. Her cream colored boots almost matched Nami's, making her feel bad about her outfit choice. Ran gave Nami a gal scanning and whistled.

"Well done," she said, giving a thumbs-up, "You're definitely gonna pick up some GL guys."

"GL?"

"Good Looking," Miyu pointed out, "There's going to be some gal language being used a lot, so try to pick them up when you can." Nami nodded and took a deep breath.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"Well," Ran began, "the guys were suppose to be here soon, but since they're late, I say we buy you some press-on nails since we didn't have time last time."

"Ran, sometimes I feel that you're using Nami more as a doll rather than her own person," Aya pointed out.

"No way! I'd never do that to a friend, especially a new one like our Nami, right?" Nami nodded and sighed.

"I didn't know guys were involved in today's trip?"

"Is that a problem?" Aya asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

"No, it's just," she paused staring at the sky, "Let's just say I've had a bad experience with guys as well." A sudden slap sound and a burning pain grew on Nami's back. She stumbled forward and placed a delicate hand on the burning spot.

"Ah, don't dread on the past," Ran said, "We're here to help you start a new life as one of the greatest gals in Japan!" Nami turned around, her hand still on her back.

"You didn't have to slap me that hard you know?" Ran just laughed.

"Oh Ran," Miyu said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't we wait in the Hachi-poli until the boys arrive."

"The what?"

"It's the police station by the Hachiko statue," Aya answered as she began to walk towards the little police stand. Nami followed the three girls, Miyu ahead of the front of them. "Miyu's fiancée is the police officer stationed in Shibuya," she added.

"That's lucky," Nami replied, "She's got someone…to…WHAT? FIANCÉE?" Miyu spun around and placed her hands on her cheeks as she blushed.

"That's true. Yamato-kun and I have been dating for two years and we got engaged sometime after summer vacation." When the others caught up to her, she extended her left hand, showing Nami a small silver ring with a pink, heart-shaped jewel in its crown. Her eyes grew wide, not because of the ring, but because it was true.

"Congratulations," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"Thank you." Miyu grabbed Nami's arms and guided her inside, showing a small work space with a police officer sitting in his chair, staring intensively at a clipboard. He looked about late twenties, his brown hair tucked underneath his police hat.

"Yamato-kun!" Miyu screamed, dropping Nami's arm and running towards him. The police officer looked up from his work and was strongly impacted with Miyu's body.

"M-Miyu!" he screamed as he tried to balance himself on his chair, "I'm on duty right now."

"I know," Miyu said, looking sorry, "but I wanted to introduce you to a new friend." She looked at Nami and smiled. "This is Tsukiyomi Nami. She just transferred to Hounan this year." Yamato smiled and saluted.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kotobuki Yamato. If you're in trouble in the area, don't hesitate to ask."

"Kotobuki?" Nami repeated, "So that means-"

"Can't you think of anything better to say, Bro?" Ran asked, her face angry and her hands on her hips.

"It's my job to help people, Ran," Yamato replied.

"Brother and sister, huh?" Nami asked. Aya nodded and placed her black hair behind her ear.

"But they really care about one another. And he's taken good care of Miyu for two years now, so he's a good man, no matter what Ran says." Nami blinked and shook her head. God, there's so much to this group, she thought, What else is there?

"Ran-pyon!" Nami turned around and saw a boy with dark skin and blonde hair standing in the hallway, his hand high up in the air. "Machida Black has arrived, as you asked!" Nami stared at the boy, then moved on over to Aya in hope that she'd explain. Ran turned her head and placed a big grin on her face.

"Yo, Tatsukichi," she said, "I'm thirsty, so buy me a drink, okay?" Tatsukichi gave a thumbs-up.

"No prob, no prob. I hope we're gonna para-para today because I've been practicing some new moves to show you." Ran laughed.

"Sounds good. Oh, by the way…" she trotted on over behind Nami, placing both hands on her shoulder. "This is Nami, the newest member of our group." Nami smiled at the monkey-boy.

"Nice to meet you," she said. Tatsukichi grabbed both her hands and began to shake them vigorously, causing her to move up and down with every motion.

"Nice to meet'cha!" He said continuously. Nami began to see the room spin until another voice interrupted the shaking.

"Hey, Tatsukichi, careful. You might break who ever you're meeting." Once Tatsukichi let her go, Nami began to stager backwards. Luckily, Aya grabbed her arm.

"Sorry about that. Tatsukichi is an exciting person," she explained. Nami nodded and looked at the entranceway, seeing two other boys staring at her. One had blonde hair and hazel eyes, smiling at Nami as a greeting while the other boy just stared at her. His brown hair was clean cut and his blue eyes moved from her to Aya.

"Hope Tatsukichi hasn't scared you," the blonde hair boy said. Nami shook her head, not knowing what else to say. Boy, I really suck at meeting people, she commented in her head.

"This is Nami, our new friend from school," Aya introduced. The blonde boy extended his hand.

"I'm Asou Yuya," he said. Nami took his hand and shook it while he pointed to the other boy. "And that's Otohata Rei." Otohata looked over and said, "Yo." Nami nodded in response, not knowing how to respond to such a loner.

"Nii!" Ran called, "Where's Mami-rin?" Yuya faced Ran and rubbed the back of his head.

"She's doing something today, so she's gonna have to come at another time, though I'm gonna have to leave early to meet up with her." Ran snickered and elbowed Yuya gently in his ribs.

"You really like her, don't ya?" Yuya blushed and laughed. Aya let Nami go and walked on over to Otohata.

"I thought you had work today," she said. He shrugged.

"They didn't need me today, so I decided to come here instead." Aya placed a smile on her face.

"You know," Miyu whispered, causing Nami to jump, "Otohata and Aya are dating."

"Really?" Nami asked, completely surprised, "But he seems like a total jerk and Aya's so kind." Miyu giggled.

"They make a better couple than you think. It wasn't only our influence that made Aya stronger, but the winner of the GL Grade Prix, also known as Otohata-kun." Nami sighed.

"Man, this group is huge."

"Don't worry," Miyu reassured, taking Nami's hands, "You're gonna fit right on in. It's just gonna take some time." Nami looked over at the couples. "Give it a chance. I promise we'll make you feel like you belong."

What've I got to lose?

"Alright," Nami said.

"Alrighty then," Ran shouted, "Are we all here?"

"Actually," Yuya said, "Rei and I were gonna meet up with an old friend of ours. He's already by the Hachiko statue, so…" Ran began to pout.

"Pfft, why?"

"Do you have to stick your nose into other people's business?" Otohata asked, causing Ran to get mad.

"What did you say?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. She was about to strike when Tatsukichi grabbed her arms from behind, allowing only her feet to attempt to hit Otohata.

"Ran-chan, it's no big deal," Yuya said, trying to calm her down, "maybe he'll wanna tag along." Ran suddenly stopped kicking and thought for a moment.

"Well, the more people, the better." Yuya smiled.

"Good." He began to exit the station when he called back, "I'll bring him over."

"I didn't know that Otochi and Brother had a long lost friend," Tatsukichi commented, scratching his head. Otohata just sighed, leaning on the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"I guess now you're thinking about how you regretted coming," Aya said with a giggle, reading Otohata's thoughts. He shrugged.

"Sorta." Nami looked back and forth between couples. Miyu wondered to Yamato, Ran and Tatsukichi were gossiping, and Aya and Otohata were just…talking. She tried her best to keep her excitement flowing, but it all faded away.

They've all got boyfriends. And I learned that they can be very distracting to people, Nami thought, I guess that too doesn't change, no matter what school you attend.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Nami looked up and saw Yuya next to a tall boy with ink black hair. He looked surprised when he saw the size of the group, his grey eyes widening as they found more people. Once they fell onto hers, Nami felt the world stopping as she held her breath. The boy didn't move his eyes away either until Yuya introduced him.

"This is Tsuzuri Yuki. He's been our friend since middle school." Yuki smiled at everyone.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry to ruin any plans you had today," he said in his rich voice. Nami felt her hands clutching each other as she began to approach Aya.

"So you're Otochi's and Brother's long lost friend?" Tatsukichi asked. Yuki stared at him for a moment before answering.

"I was away for a while, but I've returned to Meisho High this year."

"Wow, did you study abroad somewhere?" Aya asked, intrigued by Yuki's absence in school.

"Sort of," he replied, "And it was well worth it."

"So maybe we should just give you the Shibuya tour special," Ran thought aloud, "since you've returned." She paused before jumping onto Yamato's desk. "Alright, it's decided! Let's head on over to Maru-Q, then do some bowling, and then finish with a kara-mara bang!" As everyone agreed and began to leave, Nami tugged on Aya's sweater, grabbing her attention.

"Huh? What's wrong, Nami?"

"Umm…well…there's something about Yuki that sorta…" Aya thought for a moment before realizing what she meant.

"Do you like Tsuzuri-san?" Nami shook her head furiously, feeling her face grow hot with each turn.

"No no, it's not like that. I think I've met him before."

"Really?" Nami explained about her bag breaking and Yuki switching his bag with hers without question. When Nami finished, Aya asked, "So technically you know each other."

"Yes, well, not really. He never told me his name."

"And neither did you?" Aya and Nami turned around and saw Ran and Miyu staring at them with sly grins on their faces.

"That's so mean, Nami!" Miyu shouted, "Keeping secrets about Yu-" Nami and Aya quickly shot their hands towards Miyu's mouth quieting her down.

"Miyu," Aya whispered, "It's not like that."

"So he gave you his Meisho bag without a fuss?" Ran asked. Nami nodded. "That's unfair! I had to fight Otohata to get his and then I stole it, but he wouldn't take it back and that's just" Ran continued to vent as Nami sighed, releasing her hand from Miyu's mouth.

"Look, just please, make sure I don't anything stupid."

"Of course," Miyu said in an obvious tone. "We've got your back."

[After Maru-Q and bowling]

"Man, that was tiring," Nami said as she plopped down on a park bench.

"Was that your first time bowling, Nami-chan?" Yuya asked.

"Just my first in a really long time."

"Well it definitely showed," Yuki commented. Nami felt a chill go through her body, feeling embarrassed about her playing skills. "Your mind wasn't on the game. It seemed to be somewhere else, which apparently was where the gutter was, thus causing your team to lose." Nami felt her heart sink as her eyes fell on the ground.

"Don't worry about it, Nami," Aya said, sitting next to her in comfort, "I'm not new at bowling and I still can't get a strike."

"It's all based on logic, really," Yuya added, "You've gotta either focus like crazy, or do what Rei does, which is to not care."

"Hey, Nami-rin." Nami looked over at Tatsukichi, who was holding a CD in his hand and a grin on his face. "Wanna learn to Para-Para?"

"That's a good idea," Ran said, taking off her red jacket, "Let's do my favorite one!" Ran pulled Nami to her feet and tried to teach her the dance moves. Luckily it didn't involve her feet much, but her upper body was essential and her timing was just out of control.

"No prob," Ran said when Nami fell to her knees out of tiredness, "It takes practice. We'll work on it."

"Para is a difficult thing to do," Yuki admitted, folding his arm across another, "However, with someone who's very uncoordinated, it's almost impossible."

"That's true," Otohata replied. Nami wiped the sweat from her forehead, panting and feeling her arms burn from all the moving about.

Well isn't that just great, she thought, I look like a complete loser in front of everyone…like always… Nami slowly got back on her feet, dusting the dirt off her knees and boots. But this Yuki guy is beginning to bug me. Can't he say anything nice about anything?

"So Ran, what's next?" Miyu asked. Ran placed a proud smile on her face, carrying her bag so that it dangled in her hand over her shoulder.

"Karaoke, obviously. Can't do a Shibuya tour special without that." As the group muttered together, Ran leaned in to Nami and whispered, "Yuki can't say anything bad about your singing. Give him your best."

"But I'm not that-"

"Don't question, just do!" Ran shouted in a whisper. Nami nodded and they all headed towards the karaoke place. Everyone who wanted to sing got a turn, especially Ran who stayed up there until she received at least a 75 on her favorite song.

"That's way more than she'll ever get on a test," Miyu commented, causing everyone to laugh.

"Shad up!" Ran said with a pout, "But I do feel satisfied." She hopped off the stage and aimed the mic in front of Nami. "You're turn."

Time to prove yourself. With determination, Nami took the mic and walked on stage. She looked through the songs and decided to pick one called "Dakishimetai". I remember hearing it before…many years ago. With a deep breath, Nami began to sing, her voice echoing through the room. For the first time that day, she felt confident and that no matter what happened, she'd be alright, even if this Yuki guy was a jerk. Her eyes fell onto her friends, who gave her a thumbs-up, boosting her confidence even more.

And this time, I've got friends to keep me going.

Once Nami' finished her singing, the room filled with applause and cheers. A smile grew across her face as she placed the mic back in its holder.

"That was amazing!" Miyu said, clapping her hands together.

"You've got a nice voice, Nami-chan," Yuya complimented.

"Thank you." Nami's eyes wondered towards Yuki, who was staring at her. His eyes stood still but it wasn't like he was amazed by her performance, but rather he was remembering something. Well isn't that appropriate, Nami thought to herself.

"So, Yuki," Ran shouted, "Got anything bad to say now about Nami's singing?" Yuki closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before opening them, a small smile of defeat grew on his face.

"You're right. There's nothing for me to say." His eyes fell onto Nami's. "That was good." Her heartbeat began to bang loudly in her chest as she felt her face grow hotter. He actually looks…hot…when he's not being mean…

"However,"

Forget it!

"you were a little weak when you first started." Nami's hands began to tighten into a fist. "Plus when you changed keys, you were a little late." Her blood began to boil beneath her skin. "And your voice began to shake towards the end." And she felt something in her mind snap.

"Shut up," she muttered. Yuki stopped talking. "Shut the hell up you bastard!" Every was stunned by the sudden change in Nami's character, even Ran was speechless.

"Who do you think you are, joining us after being invited and then insulting me for doing something wrong? Can you sing this song without a single mistake? I doubt it. You can't even sing."

"How do you know that?" he asked, amused by Nami's sudden change. However, his amusement only made her angrier.

"I don't," Nami admitted, "either way, I'm not gonna keep letting you insult me. If you've gotta problem with any of us here, then get the hell out because we don't want you." Yuki's amusement and smile disappeared and Nami saw anger growing through him too.

"I was invited here by Yuya," he pointed out.

"Yuya-kun didn't have to invite you. He and Otohata-kun could have just followed their plans to hang out with you. But he's polite and he won't exclude you or us."

"Then shouldn't you all treat me with respect since I'm a guest?"

"And should you be polite to your hosts for allowing you to even hang with us?" Everyone else just watched the two fight and bicker until Yuki couldn't think of anything else to say. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. There was silence for a moment and Nami felt herself calming down.

"Nami." Miyu's voice broke the silence. "Are you alright?" Nami looked up and saw everyone staring at her as if she were an alien. Suddenly, she felt her heart tighten as she felt her vision fogging up.

"I'm sorry." As quickly as her feet could carry her, Nami ran out of the room and headed towards the exit. The slide doors moved aside as she left the building, continuing to run to wherever her group wasn't. Eventually, she felt herself growing tired and stopped running, her chest begging for air.

I can't believe I lost my temper like that. I promised myself to NEVER do that. Nami felt tears in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand as her legs carried her through the city of Shibuya. I was wrong in losing my temper, and the worst part is that Ran, Aya, and Miyu had to see that.

"Well look what we've got here?" Nami stopped thinking and saw two guys leaning against the building she was about to pass. "What's wrong? Boyfriend dumped you?"

Gross. She continued to walk by them when something grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, hang out with us. It'll be more fun." Nami felt herself beginning to freak out.

"BACK OFF!" She shouted, stomping on his foot, causing him to let her go. Her legs began to carry her again until she crashed into another body.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm in a-"

"Hurry? Yeah, I noticed." Nami looked up at the person, who was kneeling down and extended a hand, and felt her heart freeze.

"Yuki? What're you doing here?"

"No reason." He nodded his head towards the direction behind Nami, "Looks like you're having trouble with some horny guys." Nami chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Need help getting up?" Nami looked from his hand to his eyes. "I'm pretty sure getting up in a jean skirt's difficult." She felt her cheeks grow warm as she placed her hand into his. Once he hoisted her back onto her feet, she felt that she should speak.

"Look, I'm sorry that I'd lost my temper back there. It was wrong of me to shout like that and kick you out. However, I do not apologize for the thing I've said because all you did today was criticize me. And my favorite part is that I've done nothing rude or mean towards you."

"You're favorite part?" he asked.

"It's sarcasm, get used to it."

"Well, I accept your apology for losing your temper."

"Good."

"However…I should apologize for pointing out the bad in you. It's just a habit I do with people."

"Really?" Nami said with doubt in her voice, "Hard to believe. I could have sworn it was only me"

"Well it's true and no, it wasn't only you. I picked on the other girls too, you just weren't listening."

"Fine…apology accepted."

"Good." There was a pause as Yuki pressed the side of his index finger to his lips. "By the way, you look familiar." Nami felt a heat wave stroke her spin. "Didn't you have a bag problem a while ago?" Nami thought for a moment, debating to tell the truth or not.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I believe you have my bag."

"Oh my god!" I don't wanna return that back! It's perfect for school!

"I'm sorry," she said, "I can give it back to you if you want."

"No thanks. I've got another."

"Oh."

"NAMI!" Nami turnd around and saw Ran, Aya, and Miyu running towards her. Once they reached her, Ran placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Man, you run fast. It was hard to keep up with you." Ran's expression changed when she saw Yuki. "Bastard, what're you doing with my friend?" Yuki brought his hands up for defense.

"You're mistaking this, Kotobuki. I was just apologizing to her for being a jerk. That's all." Ran scanned him with her eyes, still on guard.

"Look, I can't stop you form hanging out with Nii and Otohata when they're with us, but I can stop you form being mean to my friend. I'll forgive you now, but if you make Nami lose herself like that again, it's gonna be kicks and punches for you."

"I've got the warning loud and clear," he assured, "So on that note, I'll see you girls later." He walked past the girls and headed back towards the Karaoke place.

"I'm sorry about that," Nami said, "I really didn't mean for that to happen."

"It's okay," Aya replied, "But I never thought you had a temper like that."

"It's not one of my good qualities."

"But you stood up for yourself," Miyu pointed out, "Good job."

"Thanks." Nami suddenly remembered something:

"Well it's true and no, it wasn't only you. I picked on the other girls too, you just weren't listening."

"Hey, did Yuki say anything mean to you guys?" The three looked at each other and shook their heads. Nami felt her anger building again. "That jerk. He lied to me!"

"Now now, be cool, be cool," Ran said, "At least he's not gonna make you go flip-crazy again, that's for sure. With us around, he better keep his insults to a minimum."

"Nami," Aya interrupted, "Did Yuki recognize you from the bag incident?"

"Yeah."

"I knew it!"

"Huh? What is it, Aya?" Miyu asked.

"If I'm right, him being mean to you today must mean that he recognized you when he saw you along with the fact that maybe he's crushing on you."

"WHAT!?" Nami screamed, "You've gotta be kidding me, that wouldn't dare look at me like that!"

"Actually, Aya might be right," Miyu mentioned, He was looking at you differently when you sang."

"Please don't do this," Nami pleaded, "You're getting my hopes up."

"Hopes up?" Ran repeated as an evil grin curled back her lips, "Sounds like there is some love in the air."

"No there isn't!"

"Yes there is!"

"No there isn't!"

"Yes there is!"

"Well it wouldn't matter anyway. He's a jerk and rude. I hate jerks."

"Well, looks like we'll have to fix that problem won't we? Hey, lets get those press-on nails that we couldn't get!"

"Ran, is that all you think about?" Miyu asked.

"Wait, what about the guys?"

"They were left behind to pay the bill," Aya answered.

"Come on, let's find some funky ones!" Ran grabbed Nami's wrist and dragged her away. As she was dragged, Nami looked back in the direction that Yuki took and sighed.

Yeah, no way he'd be interested in me.