A/N – Just because I love the Japanese culture does not mean I can speak the language. The title is You Skanky Tangerine! But I wanted that title to be in Japanese. Only problem is I don’t know how to translate it into Japanese. So please, if somebody speaks good Japanese and can translate the title for me, please tell me what it is so I can change the title. I would love you forever if you did. Anyway, please read and review.

-- x -- x --

Chapter One

Katsumi Yoshida stood in front of the large high school. The looming buildings scared her, causing her entire lanky body to tremble in fear. Katsumi had to correct herself. It wasn’t the school that scared her. It was the people inside the school. She knew as soon as she stepped inside the building she would be tackled and suffocated by her friends. She had been a week late returning to school, the reason being she went to the tropics with her family for vacation. The emails she received from her friends were rather threatening and violent.

Nami made sure to send her an email mentioning how she was going to rip Katsumi’s limbs off for coming back to school late. Her chirpier friend, Minori, complained about how she missed her with all her heart. And as for Akiko, well…Katsumi wasn’t looking forward to the moment she would come face to face with this tough specimen of a fifteen-year-old girl.

A breeze passed through the schoolyard. Katsumi’s long bright orange locks were carried along with the breeze. A hissing sigh escaped her cherry red lips. The tropical sun hadn’t done anything to her abnormally colored hair. She was hoping that while spending vacation in the tropics, her hair would be bleached blonde like Nami’s. Nope. It was still a bright orange color, kind of like a tangerine. Katsumi narrowed her dark ocean blue eyes, frowning at the thought of tangerines. It was her hair that earned her the nickname Tangerine throughout her school. After all, how could one miss the girl with tangerine colored hair?

The light breeze blew up her plaid school-required skirt. Her hands shot down in time to stop her skirt from lifting up enough to flash her underwear to the rest of the school. She scanned the schoolyard. It was flooded with students that attended her high school. So far, however, no one had greeted her. Katsumi looked down at her arms, frowning again. The sun didn’t help her skin out either. She also attempted to get a tan while in the tropics. But to her misfortune, she earned herself no tan. Just a sunburn. And when the sunburn went away her skin returned to its pale complexion. With another sigh, Katsumi rearranged her backpack slung over her shoulder and decided to step into the school.

She never got a chance to move.

“Oi! Yoshida!”

Katsumi froze at the sound of Akiko’s voice. Without so much as the chance to react, the orange haired girl was tackled to the cement sidewalk by three other girls. Katsumi didn’t need to open her eyes to see who the tacklers were. It was quite obvious it had been her three friends.

“I missed you sooo much!” Minori squealed, tightening her hold on Katsumi.

“I figured from all the emails you sent me,” Katsumi managed to choke as she tried to escape the grasp the girls had on her.

The only blonde of the four looked at Katsumi. Nami smiled. “So how were the tropics you little beach bunny?” she giggled, being the first to let go of Katsumi. Minori also released her grip on the girl.

But as soon as the two of them let go of Katsumi, Akiko grabbed her and began giving her noogies. Katsumi grunted in pain.

“While you were off skipping down those sandy beaches,” Akiko laughed sadistically, “the three of us were here being lectured to death.”

“Headache! Headache!” Katsumi cried. Akiko took the hint and let go of her friend. Katsumi straightened up and began smoothing out her tangerine hair.

Minori linked arms with Katsumi. “Let’s get inside Katsumi-chan! Tell us all about the tropics!”

The four girls headed inside, leaving the crowded schoolyard. They began their way through the swarmed hallways, looking through the sea of students for their lockers.

“So did you have a beach fling?” Nami asked, poking Katsumi in the shoulder playfully as the orange-haired girl rummaged through her locker.

Katsumi flushed and quickly glanced at her best friend. “What? No!”

“Ooh! Tell us Katsumi-chan!” Minori squealed excitedly, her bubbly personality acting up. “Did you have a tropical romance going on?”

Katsumi sent all three of her friends outraged looks. She expected this exact kind of reaction from her friends upon her return to school. So why was she so shocked to hear these questions? She expected the question from Minori Yamamoto, the short little brunette. Minori’s height made her the shortest of the four girls. Her dark brown hair reached her shoulder blades, her bangs pulled back and tucked behind her ears with a red headband. Her chocolate brown eyes were swimming with excitement and wild fantasies of beach flings in the tropics. The girl’s skin was ever so slightly tan, making Minori the darkest among the girls. But even then she wasn’t very tan. Minori’s school uniform hung limp on her body, her undeveloped and tiny body not fully-grown into the uniform yet.

Heck, she even expected Akiko to tease her about starting a heated romance in the tropics. After all, Akiko Nakamura was the type of girl who liked to pick on her friends and rough them up a little bit. Akiko tilted her head curiously, her short jet-black ponytail moving along with her head. Akiko’s black hair only reached her chin. She wore her hair in short, bristly ponytails that stuck up from behind her ears. Speaking of which, Akiko had exactly three piercings in each ear. Akiko’s eyes were violet, amplifying her intimidating appearance. Just like Katsumi, Akiko had a pale complexion. Her school uniform was also baggy, but she bought it a size too large on purpose. She rolled up the all ready short sleeves even more, revealing the hand made tattoo of kanji on her right shoulder that she gave herself with the help of a pen. Just to go against the dress code, Akiko tightly wrapped a red bandana around her upper arm. She was the tallest in the group, smirking down at Katsumi.

What surprised Katsumi, though, was that Nami was going along with the teasing. It wasn’t every day that Nami Sasaki, Katsumi’s best friend, took the time to participate in Minori’s and Akiko’s teasing. Nami also smirked at Katsumi, her forest green eyes beaming with friendly mock. Her platinum blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. Nami’s ivory complexion glowed in the lighting of the hallway. As for her school uniform, the clothes were clinging to her every curve, which Nami had in the right places. She swished her blinding hair over her shoulders and wiggled her darker eyebrows at Katsumi.

Ah yes, Katsumi. Among the four girls, she was the oddest looking. Anyone, she considered, with bright tangerine colored hair would have been considered strange when it came to appearances. Her hair snaked down her back and ended in her lower back. Her bangs brushed past her ocean colored eyes. Katsumi was just an inch or two shorter than Akiko. Nami was the pretty one. Minori was the optimistic one. Akiko was the tough one. Katsumi was the lanky one. She was tall. She was bony. She had orange hair for crying out loud. Yeah, she was definitely the weirdest looking one. She couldn’t complain though. She actually liked her orange colored hair. She would never admit it though. Especially when someone called her Tangerine. That was the only downside to her hair.

Her three friends standing in front of her continued grinning, waiting for Katsumi’s reply.

“Well?” they asked in unison.

Katsumi’s pale face turned a darker shade of red as her blushing went on. “I – I didn’t have a fling!” she stammered. “I swear it! Besides, I already like someone else…” Her voice trailed off when she realized what she revealed.

Nami, Minori, and Akiko’s eyes shimmered with sudden curiosity at the words. Katsumi groaned and smacked her hand against her forehead. She didn’t want her friends to find out about her crush that she’s had since junior high. But it was too late, and she couldn’t take the words back. Katsumi got bombarded by squeals and more questions.

“You like someone Yoshida?” Akiko chortled, slapping Katsumi on the back.

“Who is it Katsumi-chan?” Minori begged, clinging to Katsumi’s arm.

“Tell us, tell us Tangerine!” Nami exclaimed. Katsumi frowned at the mention of her nickname.

The questions and squeals of her three friends were cut short when Katsumi was suddenly bumped into by someone. The impact of the bump was so strong that it sent Katsumi toppling to the linoleum floor. A pair of feet stopped next to her. Katsumi’s eyes flickered up to see who was the person that bumped into her. Her agitated facial expression returned and perched itself on her pale face. Staring down at Katsumi was none other than Hikari Takahashi. The dirty blonde was popular among the school. She was ivory-skinned like Nami, though her hair was a darker shade of blonde in comparison. Hikari’s eyes were a sapphire blue. She was tall, slender, and a real pain in the butt. She looked smugly down at Katsumi and puckered out her pouty lips.

“Watch where you’re going, will ya?” Hikari snapped, placing her hands on her curvy hips.

Katsumi opened her mouth to retort, but Akiko beat her to it.

“You were the one who bumped into her Takahashi!” the raven-haired girl hissed threateningly.

Hikari scoffed. “Whatever. And don’t you mean Takahashi-san?”

“Not even,” Akiko muttered. She would rather be eaten by rabid wolves than refer to Hikari respectfully.

A crowd began to form around the girls, making Katsumi uncomfortable. She didn’t want a scene to start. But knowing Hikari, one was bound to happen. Hikari glanced back down at Katsumi, her eyes glazing over.

“Well?” Hikari spoke loudly as she crossed her arms. “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

Katsumi’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“For bumping into me,” Hikari exasperated with a roll of her eyes.

Once again, Katsumi’s attempt to fire back with a snappy comeback was interrupted when a familiar voice called from down the hallway. It was a voice that made the blood rush back into Katsumi’s cheeks.

“Hey oneechan!” his voice called out. Katsumi and the other girls directed their attention to the boy approaching them.

Katsumi was shocked to see Kuro Takahashi make his way towards them, smiling widely. Just the simple sight of him was enough to increase her heartbeat. With a quick flick of the head, Kuro’s brown, red tinged hair swished back. This gesture caused his bangs to brush over his equally sapphire eyes. Katsumi watched his stride, his every movement, in slow motion as a familiar dreamy sigh crawled up her throat and escaped her lips. She only hoped her friends wouldn’t figure out by themselves that Kuro Takahashi was her crush. Katsumi wondered how such a magnificent person like Kuro could be related to a rotten brat like Hikari.

Hikari and Kuro Takahashi were siblings. Both were the same age, went to the same school, and had the same amount of popularity. Hikari was the pretty face. Kuro was athletic. He was lanky as well, but in a more healthy way. He had soft muscular details. Unlike Hikari, Kuro was more carefree and a bit of a prankster. Hikari seemed to think highly of herself and enjoyed tormenting others. Katsumi being proof.

Ever since junior high, Katsumi’s had the biggest crush on Kuro. She’s also never really liked his sister either. Which was the only problem she’s had. If she started dating Kuro, Hikari would be included with the package. But dating Kuro was nothing more than a fantasy to Katsumi. She considered him to be much too out of her league.

Kuro waltzed up to Hikari and thrust his arm around her shoulders, wearing a mischievous smile.

“Are you causing trouble again oneechan?” he laughed, only making it harder for Katsumi not to smile.

“You’re such a nuisance oniichan,” Hikari sighed. She looked even more annoyed at her brother’s sudden arrival than she had two minutes ago.

Kuro’s blue eyes glanced down quickly. His stare landed on Katsumi, who was still lying pathetically on the tile floor. He smiled suddenly. Katsumi’s pale face was now a dark red color from all the blushing.

“I see the tropical sun didn’t do much to your skin, Tangerine!” Kuro laughed while slapping Hikari on the back in the process. Katsumi tried not to scowl. Of all the people to use her disliked nickname, it had to be Kuro. “Aw well,” he went on as he looked back down at her. “You still look good without a tan.”

It took all of Katsumi’s willpower to not burst out squeaking. It took even more willpower to not squeal when Kuro bent over and held out his hand to help her off the floor. Trying to act natural, Katsumi took his hand and Kuro slowly helped her back up to her feet. Hikari rolled her eyes, looking away from the scene. Kuro tightened his hold he had on his sister. With an aggravated expression, Hikari walked off with her friends and brother.

Kuro looked over his shoulder and sent Katsumi a warm smile. “See you later Yoshida-san!” he called as he waved at her. Hikari quickly sent her brother a dark glare. He smiled nervously at her.

Katsumi smiled dreamily, completely unaware that her friends were still around. Almost mechanically, she turned back to her locker and began digging around in it for no particular reason. She smiled into the abyss, savoring the few seconds she shared with Kuro. She tried not to spoil it with the incident she had with Hikari.

“He was awfully polite,” Nami mentioned as she leaned against the rows of lockers. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he referred to you as Katsumi-chan.”

Katsumi squeaked suddenly, the thought entering her mind. Her three friends quickly looked at her in time to see her blushing. All three of the girls gasped and pointed dramatically at Katsumi.

“You like Kuro!” Nami, Akiko, and Minori exclaimed in total surprise. This action earned the attention of every student standing in the same hallway as them. All their gazes landed on Katsumi. She smiled anxiously at the staring strangers. In order to avoid rumors, Katsumi quickly pulled her three friends out of the middle of the hall and pulled them into a tight huddle.

“Shhh!”

“You do like Takahashi!” Akiko concluded with a threatening voice. “That’s it. I’m beating some sense into him.”

“Why would you do that, Akiko-chan?” Minori gasped. “It’s Katsumi-chan who likes Takahashi-kun, not the other way around.” The brunette beamed widely at Katsumi, like she had complimented her.

“Don’t remind me,” Katsumi groaned as she hung her head.

“There there,” Nami comforted as she pat her best friend’s head. “One day you’ll find the right guy.”

“One who isn’t related to the devil’s daughter,” Akiko added, the smirk quite obvious on her face.

Katsumi forced a smile for her friends. “If you say so.”

-- x -- x --

Katsumi had just finally escaped from the tropical heat she had to endure over vacation. And now she had to return to it and suffer through her gym class. Being the evil teacher that he is, the sensei ordered all his students to run around the track several times with the blazing sun beating down on them. Katsumi huffed and wheezed as she pushed herself to keep on running. Minori was struggling as much as she was, while Nami was having an easier time. The blonde, however, was panting just as heavily as the other two. Akiko was running through the courses with breeze. Her three other friends made sure to send her dark glares of jealousy.

It just so happened that Kuro and Hikari were in Katsumi’s gym class. Kuro was near the front, being one of the few people having a rather easy time with the class assignment. He ran one lap after another, barely growing tired. His sister was near the back of the class, walking instead of running. The sensei yelled at her repeatedly. Kuro rolled his eyes and continued with his own running. Suddenly one of his friends rushed up to his side.

“Hey Kuro,” the boy greeted through a gasp.

“Hey Renji,” Kuro chirped. Renji raised an eyebrow. How was it Kuro could run the laps so easily.

“So did you hear?” chuckled Renji.

It was Kuro’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Hear what?”

“Well,” Renji said as he glanced over his shoulder. “I heard this morning that, that Yoshida girl likes you.”

Kuro shot a glance at his friend. “Yoshida?” he repeated. “Katsumi Yoshida?”

Renji nodded his head quickly. “Yeah! The one with the really orange hair. Heard her admit it herself.”

What Renji failed to mention was that Katsumi didn’t admit it. Her friends simply blurted out an assumption from shock.

“You don’t say,” Kuro laughed.

“What do you think?” Renji asked.

An almost unnoticeable smile appeared on Kuro’s face. “I guess she’s cute,” he admitted. “And her hair is kind of cool. Plus, she pisses off my sister. That’s an upside right?”

Renji laughed.

“So Yoshida-san likes me huh?” Kuro chuckled lightly. He didn’t look at his friend to see him nod. Kuro smiled again. It was a good thing he liked Katsumi then.

“Water time!” the sensei finally shouted. A sigh of relief spread from student to student in the class. Katsumi headed over to the water fountain that had the long line of students emerging from it. She stood behind the last person in line. Another person came up behind her.

“Hey you tangerine!” the person behind Katsumi snarled. She turned around to face Hikari. The blonde girl scowled down at her.

“Yes?” Katsumi snapped.

“So I hear,” Hikari began rudely but quietly, “that you like my brother.”

Katsumi caught herself in time, and managed not to shout ‘What?’ in shock. Her eyes did widen at the Takahashi sibling however.

“Where’d you hear that?” Katsumi squeaked.

Hikari didn’t answer. She went on. “Is it true?”

Katsumi never answered Hikari’s question because their moment was interrupted when Nami came over and approached Katsumi.

“I filled up my water bottle, so we can share,” Nami chirped to Katsumi. She quickly sent Hikari a dirty look. “Come on Katsumi!” She grabbed Katsumi’s arm and dragged her away from Hikari.

Hikari watched Katsumi, hitching an eyebrow.

-- x -- x --

“Too bad!” Akiko laughed cruelly. Katsumi hung her head, basking in her misery. “Looks like you have cleaning duty with Takahashi!”

“At least you have cleaning duty with Takahashi-kun,” Minori said as she tried a desperate attempt to cheer her friend up.

Katsumi looked at the brunette. “That doesn’t really make me feel any better,” she muttered.

“Off to your cleaning buddy you go!” Akiko cooed. Nami and Minori waved teasingly at Katsumi as she headed off to their homeroom class.

“Sometimes I wonder how I became friends with them,” Katsumi said under her breath.

By the time Katsumi returned to her homeroom with a broom in her hand, Kuro was already clapping the chalkboard erasers together. He stood in a corner of the room so the chalk dust wouldn’t spread all over the place. He looked up when he noticed someone else walked into the room. Kuro smiled at Katsumi.

“Hey Yoshida-san.”

Katsumi nodded a polite hello and went over to the other side of the room, as far away from Kuro as possible. The two were completely alone, and Katsumi was becoming more and more nervous. Especially when Kuro kept glancing over at her. Every time the two made eye contact he would wink. This didn’t help Katsumi’s situation at all. Katsumi kept her back to him as her sweeping went on. The silence in the room was killing her, and any moment she was going to explode. She yelped when Kuro finally spoke up.

“Hey Yoshida-san,” he said. Katsumi quickly turned on her feels and stood frozen in front of him. “You can go early. I’ll finish up.”

He held out his hand to take the broom from Katsumi. She nodded and tried holding out the broom for him. She didn’t realize she was standing on the bristles of the broom, and when she pulled it out from underneath her feet she went tumbling to the floor. She fell backwards, the pain shooting up through her body. Kuro pointed and laughed at her.

“Ouch…” Katsumi rubbed her ankle. She glanced up when Kuro knelt down. He was still chuckling lightly to himself. He grabbed her broom and handed it to her.

She slowly extended her arm and grasped the broom, but Kuro didn’t let go. She debated with herself, but in the end decided to glance up. She was met with Kuro’s sapphire blue eyes. They locked their stare and Katsumi found herself mesmerized by his eyes. She felt her face grow warm, a bad sign. Just as she was about to break the gaze, Kuro spoke up.

“Yoshida-san,” he said. “Will you go out with me?”