By PigeonKitty

Welcome to our first story! Yay! This story is near and dear to our hearts because well…. It was our little waste of time in school. (hehe) Anyway, we hope you enjoy it. –Pigeon & Kitty

SUMMARY: Japanese rock star Ayaka Nakano meets the richest, most traditional girl in town, Chiyo Masamoto. Although at first they turn each other lives upside down and inside out, They eventually learn that friendship may be the very thing they were looking for all along, and it will teach them to trust, to heal, and to forgive.

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Chapter 1:

Thoughts are in italics!

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Raucous noise greeted Ayaka before she even exited the building. Little girls tripping over holiday kimonos raced around just outside the door; Ayaka pushed the handle and strolled outside. Wet, sticky heat pressed down upon her body, the delicious scent of cherry blossoms joyfully attacked her nose. Her clunky black heels thunked against the pavement, crushing the delicate pink blossoms strewn there. Ayaka’s knee-length skirt swirled around her legs; her blood-red tank top bared several inches of pale, flat stomach. Ayaka sighed and swept her long black hair off of her sweaty neck. Transferring the baby-pink kimono she had declined not to wear from her shoulder to her arm, she ambled slowly towards the source of the noise, excitement and overly hyper, bright-eyed kids.

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Chiyo stepped into the sunlight, the rays shone off her dark brown hair. Her light blue kimono was draped gracefully over her body and was secured by a dark purple obi. The fan that usually was snug between her stomach and obi was now in her hand being used excessively. Her wooden geta sandals made loud clack, clack sounds against the stone path.

Chiyo quickened her pace then stopped abruptly to pickup a fallen cherry blossom off the path. She held it to her nose, and breathed in the sweet scent. Before continuing on, she tucked the flower into her hair lightly, then patted her hair slightly to ensure it was still in place.

When she had finally arrived at the main festival area her forehead was drenched in sweat, but the excitement and energy of the crowd around her re-hydrated her spirits.

Turning to a nearby sushi cart she said,” Konichiwa! (Good Afternoon) San daikon sushi (three radish sushi). Arigato (thank you).”

Ayaka spied a little sushi cart hunkered up against a building and felt, rather than, heard, her stomach rumble. The excited crowd jostled her as she shoved her way through towards the petite Asian man standing behind the cart.

“Geez,” Ayaka muttered as she stomped on the toes of anyone who got in her way. “ So much for my diet.”

Ayaka stopped briefly to grab a bottle of water from some random vending machine propped against a trashcan, and dropped the lid on the ground, which promptly got squished by a passerby. She then sauntered over to the sushi cart. ”Konichiwa,” she grinned.” Umm….”

She poured over the menu while some brunette chick in a blue kimono cheerfully ordered from the peddler, who then turned to Ayaka.

“Konichiwa,” she mumbled again. “Just give me the most unhealthy sushi you got please. Six of them.”

Ayaka slapped some change on the mini counter while the old man trundled off to please his young customer. Ayaka tapped her finger impatiently against counter, and then grabbed the small box of sushi the peddler smilingly offered her. Thanks, arigato,” she said as she turned on her heel.

“Aah!” she cried as she tripped in her thick, black shoes. Her arms flew out as she tried to keep her balance, but she toppled over anyway; straight into the brunette leaning against the sushi cart,” EEK!” the pretty teenager screamed as she got a face-full of Ayaka’s opened, bottle of water.

“ Oh crap! God, I’m so sorry!” Ayaka cried as she straightened, turning to face the dripping girl.

Chiyo grinned somewhat optimistically,” Err… It’s okay… just a little water that’s all.” Then she turned to look at her kimono. The beautiful blue silk was now droopy and off color. The pretty hand-sewn flowers now blended into the dark background. She groaned,” Oh! My kimono is ruined!”

“ Uh…yeah.” Crap, Ayaka though. This chick is probably some religious, traditional freak. Ayaka flinched as the girl glared at her. Man, I really hope she doesn’t try to sue me. I don’t have any money. I knew I should have applied for a summer job.

“Uh, um…” Ayaka struggled to find something to say.” Listen, I’m sorry! It was an accident, I didn’t mean to babe! I’m really clumsy and…” Ayaka trailed off as the brunettes’ glare intensified. Why did I just call her ‘babe’? I’m a girl dang it! Not a boy!!

“Umm… yeah,” Chiyo said, her face in somewhat of a confused pout,” Err…like I said, it’s fine. I’ll just put on one of my summer dresses back at the apartment and get my kimono dry cleaned.” Better not to make her angry!

A group of snickering teenagers passed by dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion. “ Did ya go for a swim?” one of the girls in the lacy maid outfit asked eyeing Chiyo’s wet clothing with distaste.

“Awh, shut up !” Ayaka shouted heatedly. “Mind your own business, poser!” The girl scowled and cracked her knuckles, but continued walking. Ayaka sighed in relief. ‘God, I thought she was gonna jump me.” She said, turning back to the brunette. “That would have been my second fight this week.” Ayaka pointed to the faint bruise under her left eye, appearing half sheepish, half proud.“ So, um…your kimono.”

The brunette had begun to look uncomfortable when Ayaka talked about fighting, so she changed the subject. This chick really is traditional! “ Umm...you can borrow mine, There’s a porta-potty just over there.” Ayaka eyed the other girl doubtfully. “It might fit you, I guess…”

“ Wow, um, are you sure?” Chiyo asked, eyeing the beautiful pink kimono. It was even more delicately detailed than the one she had on. Small little scenes of cranes and petite ducks were repeated on the fabric.

“Oh yeah, totally!” Ayaka shouted, relieved to somehow repay the pretty brunette. “In fact, you can keep it!” Now I’ll get to get rid of this ugly thing, and maybe she won’t sue me after all!”

“Oh my goodness! Really? Wow! Thank you,” Chiyo said, her rosy cheeks redder in excitement. She bowed politely, the water dripped from the kimono onto the ground. She waited till the girl handed her the kimono before saying,” I’m Chiyo Masamoto by the way.”

“ Oh. Cool! Chiyo? My name's Ayaka. Ayaka Nakano.” Ayaka paused, uncertain, then bowed stiffly. “And, um, Chiyo? Before you get too friendly, you should know I’m very shallow—the only reason I’m giving this to you is because I need to get rid of it, and I don’t you to sue me.”

“Uh,” Chiyo began not sure what to say, ”Nice to meet you Ayaka Nakano.”

She bowed again then set off towards the porta-potty. She changed relatively quickly despite the fact that she was very careful; making sure no part of either kimono touched the toilet seat or walls. After exiting the porta-potty, she grimaced as she realized one of her geta sandals had toilet paper stuck to it. “Erk!” she cried, struggling to pull it off without actually touching it, while holding the second, dripping wet blue kimono. Needless to say, it was a rather funny thing to watch.

Finally, with one more kick she managed to unstick the toilet paper. “So much for an uneventful day,” Chiyo muttered moving back to the sushi cart. The black haired girl who stood there was now bent over with laughter.

“ Oh! Ayaka-san! It isn’t that funny!” Chiyo cried, trying to keep a straight, angry face, but without much luck. She began to chuckle,” Okay, yeah it was.”

Despite the laughter, the sushi cart owner looked annoyed,” Miss? Are you going to pay for your sushi or wait till someone else does?” he grumbled to Chiyo.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, sir. I completely forgot,” she reached into her kimono and pulled out a rather large bag full of yen that clanked when she set it on the counter,” Keep the extra, for your trouble.”

The man’s frown instantly changed into a smile and he eagerly grabbed the bag.

“Wait a sec,” Ayaka said stopping the greedy salesperson’s hand.” That is way too much! Chiyo take that back and give him the correct change.”

“It’s okay, I told him he could have it so, it’s his now. I can’t just take it back,” Chiyo said, embarrassed as another curious customer walked up.

The shopkeeper nodded,” I agree!”

“ Of course you do!” Ayaka snapped pulling the bag back.

“Hey! That’s mine!” The shopkeeper said angrily. His fat little face swelled up making it look like a red little puffer fish.

“A-ayaka-s-san,” Chiyo began, not wanting to make anymore of a scene than what was already happening. Some more people came up. “Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna go now…”

“ No you’re not!” Ayaka said opening the bag. She fished out the correct change then gave the rest to Chiyo.

“ Um, um, t-thank you Ayaka-san?” Chiyo said timidly, her face was as red as a radish and she was trying to stare at something on the ground with immense concentration.

“I may be shallow…” Ayaka began, grabbing both her and Chiyo’s sushi containers, then finally grabbing Chiyo, “…but I hate seeing anyone wasting good money.”

They walked over to a bench under a large cherry blossom tree and sat down. Chiyo sat down and crossed her legs uncomfortably. She tossed the little bag of coins side to side in her hands until, calmed down enough, she stuffed it back into her kimono.

“Err, thanks again, but you didn’t have to. I mean…” Chiyo began, but was cut off by Ayaka.

“Of course I did!” Ayaka yelled rather loudly, her reddish brown eyes twinkled with annoyance,” Or else you would’ve given that money grubber more money to get his money grubbing hands on!”

Chiyo sniffed, “It’s just, I didn’t want to cause a scene. I had already caused the sushi cart owner trouble and well, I thought he deserved a tip.”

“That’s a heck of a tip,” Ayaka scoffed, stuffing some sushi in her mouth. She grinned in satisfaction, it had been so long since she had tasted sushi this good. She allowed her tongue to savor each bite.

“ I guess you’re right,” Chiyo said embarrassed.

“Of course I am!” Ayaka said, then smiled shyly,” Now eat your sushi!”

“Yes,” Chiyo said and smiled as she pulled her wooden chopsticks apart. Ayaka handed her her sushi tray and Chiyo dug in, unaware of how hungry she really was.

“So Ayaka-san,” Chiyo began between bites, ”Where are you from?”

“Call me Ayaka, just Ayaka,” Ayaka said, she couldn’t believe she had spent so much time with this girl she had just met. She was actually starting to feel like they could be friends and that scared her. Chiyo was, well she was different. “I live in Tokyo.”

“Oh really? Me too!” Chiyo said.

“Hey Chiyo?”

“Yeah?” Chiyo asked finishing her last bite of sushi. She slowly wrapped the trash up waiting for Ayaka to speak again.

“Um, never mind,” Ayaka said sheepishly. She wanted to leave, but part of her wanted to stay and enjoy the day with her new friend.

“Would you like to go with me to see different shops? I hear they have traditional No masks on display at one. And I really have no one to go with. So will you? I understand we just met and all, but,” Chiyo smiled again and got up to throw her trash away.

Now that the water had dried from her face and hair and she was now in a dry kimono, the heat and humidity now resurfaced. The fan was brought back out again. Chiyo moved it lightly back and forth waiting for Ayaka to respond.

“Uh, um…well…I mean…” Ayaka stammered, unsure of what to say. Yeah, she wanted to go—she wanted to hangout with Chiyo almost more than anything she wanted to do in a long time. But, on the same token, she had been burned too many times by so-called friends to just trust this girl. Ayaka’s eyes hardened, her mind made up. If Chiyo Masamoto wanted to be her friend, she would have to work for it.

“Sorry Ms. Masamoto,” Ayaka began formally, distracting herself from the sweet brunette. “But…” Ayaka paused, and in that instance a cell phone with a punk-rock ring tone went off. “Oh God!” Ayaka cried picking up the phone while Chiyo looked on with confusion. “Hello? Yeah, I know… under the cherry blossom tree, near the front entrance…yes…okay already! Shut up!” Ayaka shouted angrily and hung up.

“So yeah Chiyo…err Ms. Masamoto, but like I said...”

“Call me Chiyo, Ayaka. I told you that already.”

Ayaka raised an eyebrow, now calm and collected, and said, ”Sure. Anyway, my break is over, and I gotta get back to – my job --.” Ayaka shifted under Chiyo’s sharp, injured gaze, and looked up at the sunny, blue sky strewn with puffball clouds. Why the heck am I sticking around here? Ayaka thought. I don’t need her approval, for goodness sake. But still, Ayaka sat still, apparently engrossed with the clods, waiting for Chiyo to talk.

Chiyo smiled lightly,” I understand. It’s okay. Thanks for considering it at least. It could’ve been fun. I was meeting someone anyway. Okay, it was very nice to meet you Ayaka.” She smiled again and bowed politely before shuffling slightly away, “Oh and thanks again for helping me. Perhaps we’ll meet again.” Then she winked and waved bye. I lied, I’m not meeting anyone, but I didn’t want to make her feel bad.

Chiyo’s shoes clacked again as she walked towards the entrance. She talked to the man standing there, saying, “Um, sir? May I leave my wet kimono on the fence over there to dry? In other words, if I set it there, will you please keep an eye on it? I’d appreciate it very much!”

“For you Misses Masamoto, I’d do anything,” the man said in his deep, gruff voice. He bowed in unison with Chiyo, then watched as she tediously set the kimono on the old, wooden fence. She spread it out slowly to ensure no wrinkles would befall on the beautiful fabric.

“Thanks again,” Chiyo said smiling at the man. She then set off into the array of shops, carts and the hordes of people.

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Ayaka watched Chiyo skip away, and felt a familiar tightening in her chest. I’m so tired of always being alone, she thought helplessly. I should be happy- I get to do what I want; make lots of money doing it, and nobody can hurt me, because nobody knows me. But…maybe Chiyo’s different…Ayaka sighed and stood up. The breeze hit the back of her head, making her hair ruffle and slap her face. Ayaka growled. “I think I’m gonna cut this!” She swept the long, dark strands from her face, and slowly set off towards the building she had been in earlier.

Her feet felt heavy as she trudged down the petal-carpeted sidewalk, and her shoulders drooped dejectedly. Ayaka felt tired, and only wanted to sleep. She stood outside of the N-G Productions studio and stared up at the eight-storied building. She could imagine her producer anxiously pacing in her recording room, wondering where she was, while her manager screamed furiously into the phone, making and canceling various appointments.

Ayaka sighed. Maybe I don’t want to go back she thought, feeling rebellious and angry. I wonder what they would do if I ran away. Maybe I’ll quit! Ayaka grimaced and shook her head.

“You’re making music you idiot!” she told herself quietly. “What more could you possibly want?” Her brain immediately supplied an answer. A friend who really cares about me. Ayaka saw in her mind’s eye Chiyo walking down the streets of the Cherry Blossom festival, holding the hand of a handsome guy. Ayaka closed her eyes, and suddenly a memory flashed behind them. She was walking in a park, surrounded by dozens of swirling pink cherry blossom petals, her hand clasped by a boy’s. They were both laughing, and she turned to look up at his kind face, with its smiling green eyes and shock of red hair.

Ayaka opened her eyes and wrenched her mind away from the memory. Stop reminiscing she chided herself. Suddenly, Ayaka became aware of her surroundings, and the small crowd of people that were staring at her. She glared at them, and walked inside the N-G building with a toss of her black hair. I don’t care what they think, Ayaka thought. Aloud she said,” Perverts. The world can go screw itself.”

“Ayaka!” a man screamed breathlessly. “Hurry Miss! You still have two songs to record, and your CD is due to be released this coming Monday!” Ayaka turned around in time to see a stocky, mousy-haired man sprint out of a nearby hallway and almost bowl her over. She steadied him by placing her hands on his shoulders, and laughed. The sight of her overly hyper, melodramatic producer always served to lighten her mood.

“Relax,” she said gently, taking her hands away from his shoulders and eyeing his disoriented hair with distaste. “Don’t worry about the songs—or the CD. I’m quitting the band.” She watched in satisfaction as her producer’s already large eyes grew even larger, making him look like some demented anime character, He literally reeled from shock, then lost his balance and sat down hard on the floor. Ayaka laughed. “I was just kidding. Jeez, haven’t you heard of sarcasm?” She left the confused man sitting in a puddle of his own sweat, and trundled up to the second floor where the rest of her band mates were waiting for her, her outlook already much brighter than it had been 6 minutes ago.

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Chiyo turned back to watch Ayaka walk away. She frowned lightly. She has to be lonely… Chiyo thought solemnly, frowning again. She shuffled off, heading towards a booth filled with bonsai trees.

“Oh wow!” Chiyo cried, eyeing a bonsai tree with an elaborately decorated pot. I wonder where he is…Chiyo thought, slowly pulling herself into a memory.

Chiyo was sixteen; standing behind a stage curtain, ready to go on to perform her dance. Her stomach was in knots and was flip-flopping around. She felt sick.

Turning to the handsome young man beside her she groaned. “Oh Haru, I don’t think I can do this!” she muttered staring into his dark green eyes.

Haru looked Chiyo square in the eye and brought up his hand to brush a stray hair strand from her face. “If anyone can do it,” he began, smiling,” You can. Good luck!” And with that, he pushed her out into the stage wing to perform.

Chiyo came back to the present with the saleslady smacking her arm with a wood fan.

“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?” Chiyo yelped, using her arms as a shield from the woman.

The woman retracted her fan and put it away before saying, ”Oh! I’m sorry! Yes! I was hitting you to awaken you. You were just standing there, staring into space.”

Chiyo bowed embarrassed, ”Oh, I’m sorry. I just was trying to, um, picture where I could put this bonsai tree in my house.”

“Oh, you should have said so before! I have the perfect one right over here, oh yes, and a smaller one too. Oh yes…” The woman said, messing around with various trees.

But before the woman could turn back around, Chiyo ran off, cheeks burning red. After running as best as she could in geta sandals, she slowed down to catch her breath. Oh! That was really uncomfortable. That was the last time I saw him though…