“Why did you call me here to such a remote place, Izumi?” The Wakabashi-girl sighed. She had a feeling that Ayane would give her the third degree before they even got to Sendou-rin. It had been a hard day for both of them though. Dealing with issues between the Cross Blade Lancers and the Spring Breeze Assassins, namely the ill will left behind by the shambles that was the first peace talk, was taking its toll. A few of the usual rebels (Konoko for example) had been causing more and more problems, by stirring up past blood with the CBL and firing up the rest of SBA against them. Both Izumi and Ayane were losing patience with Konoko, but she was far too well established to kick out of the gang without a better reason than simply ‘she gets on my nerves’. Ayane’s training of Rei was far more stressful than she had even thought it could have been, the only consolation being the speed with which Rei absorbed the teaching. Izumi also had her issues, mostly with her History report and Mishizu. Both were important and both were confusing Izumi on how to act. The only difference between the two was that Izumi didn’t give a crap about her History report. Mishizu on the other hand, that was an agenda that couldn’t be ignored. Both of the Spring Breeze Assassins, Ayane and Izumi respectively, had a lot on their plate at the moment. Which was why Izumi decided to take Ayane to a ramen shop. The closest one was Sendou-rin, Ayane’s usual (just a short run through Mizube Ai park could get you there) but it was still a fair distance from Tomeishuu High. Izumi seemed so eager, that it appeared to Ayane that she had forgotten about the fact that they had classes in fifteen minutes. Lunch break would soon be over, and by sneaking out to Sendou-rin, it was assured that they would be late back to school. That was the last thing Ayane needed. Not that she had many run-ins with Principle Yagami, but another credit for lateness wasn’t the most charming page on Ayane’s book. “Just relax, boss.” Izumi said. “You need to take the weights of your back anyway.” Ayane wriggled her neck as she and Izumi walked up to the door of the ramen shop. “I haven’t been training that hard. I think since that business with Zanga and the Kyoto New Force Strikers that I’ve... been getting a little lazy with my training.” “Hey the finals are coming up in a few months. We all need to buckle down. We can’t fight forever. Not in this city. Hard as it is to believe, I wanna end up in college. What about you?” College? Ayane hadn’t thought much about it. “I suppose my grades are more than enough to see me through into further education.” Izumi’s shoulders sagged. “You suppose? See, it’s easy for brainiacs like you and Mishizu to say that, but some of us aren’t as lucky. Geez, I’d kill for a half decent grade in any of my lesson. I’m behind in Gym for crying out loud.” “You sound like Rinako.” Ayane chuckled. “She wants to go to college as well, but she doesn’t think that she has the right grades for it.” “Well… does she?” Ayane rolled her gold-tinted eyes. “I love Rinako to the ends of the earth, and I’ll never say a word against her, but lets just say academics are not her strong point. At all.” “Is Rinako really that bad in school?” “It’s not her fault.” Ayane supplied. “She just doesn’t try hard enough. I suppose it is understandable though. She’s a fighter at heart, not a scholar. Just like me. Though I may have good grades at school, they’re not what I want out of life, no matter how necessary they are.” Izumi nodded. “I gotcha. We all feel like that sometimes. But you still have to think about what you wanna do after school’s over. We won’t be Spring Breeze Assassins forever y’know. This time next year, we’ll have already graduated. Where are you going to live, what are you gonna do for money?” Ayane thought about that. “I... I was planning on living with my mother in Osaka again. But that was before Rinako and I got back together. Now, I just want to be as close to her as I can possibly be.” “Does that mean you’re gonna swing for college with the rest of us?” The Yosukube-girl looked away, trying to ignore the heat she felt at her cheeks. “Actually... I was planning on asking Rinako… to live with me.” “You’re kidding me!” Izumi said surprised. “You and Rinako, living together? Man... I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple like you two before...” Ayane narrowed her eyes. “And exactly what does that mean?” “It’s just that, considering how much crap you two put each other through for the past two years, you’re still so hopelessly in love with each other. You don’t see that kind of chemistry every day.” Ayane smiled at that, then walked with Izumi to one of the two free tables outside the ramen shop. It was a very bright day, just like it had been yesterday (when Ayane was training Rei) so they were more than happy to eat from the outside. Plus it gave them a better place to talk things over. Ayane pulled out one of the metal silvery chairs and took a seat, as did Izumi, and they waited for a waitress from inside the restaurant to come out and see them. “So when are you gonna ask Ikatsuji about this?” Izumi questioned. “You know she may have a problem about leaving her sister behind.” Ayane nodded her head. “I’ve thought of that. But Minato (and Natsumi for that matter) isn’t graduating next year. She will still be attending Tomeishuu for another year, and there is nothing Rinako can do about that. Besides, I wouldn’t mind Minato living with us.” “You’ve got this all planned out haven’t you, boss?” Izumi said sceptically. “But I think you are forgetting about one teeny little thing. Money! Yen doesn’t grow on trees, not in this town.” Ayane shrugged her shoulders. “I could get a job or something? If I do decide to attend college I could just take out a student loan and pay it off later. I am prepared to do all that I can to make this a success, so long as Rinako agrees to live with me. Even I have my doubts, small as they are.” “Hey, hey, hey… I doubt Rinako Ikatsuji could ever say no to you for anything. It’s obvious that she loves you very much.” Ayane blushed again. “You really believe so?” “Well it’s not hard to see. The two of you can barely keep your hands off each other, you stare at each other during classes, you snuck out of your dorm to see her five times last week, and the last duel of control was like a cross between a sparring session and foreplay. I’m surprised none of the other girls have picked up on it yet.” Ayane blinked. “How do you know all this things?” “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? This is Izumi Wakabashi here. If it’s goin’ down in Tomeishuu, then you can be sure as all hell that I know about it.” She said proudly. It had almost escaped Ayane how many connection Izumi had. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t underestimate my little spy at all, should I?” “You better believe it… hey, wait a minute... what did you just call me?” Ayane giggled like a child. She had grown to enjoy light-hearted moments like this. All those months ago, back before the rivalry between she and Rinako ended, Ayane could recall her unhappiness. Her isolation and solitude was threatening to consume her, whether she realized it at the time or not. Things were so much better now however. For the first time, Ayane felt she was living in a secure world. Now, as soon as she ended the war, that secure world would be a perfect one. Izumi scowled at her leader playfully. “Man, I really must be relieving your stress. Since when did you start cracking jokes?” “I think it’s an after effect that Rinako has on me. They say that humour attracts humour, I guess it’s the same for me.” Izumi was about to say something to that, but her eyes thinned out as three figures walked behind Ayane and into Sendou-rin ramen shop. Ayane followed Izumi’s gaze, and looked through the windows of the ramen place. Three young men, varying between 17 and 18 in age, walked up to the counter to make their orders. Ayane had never seen them before, but Izumi apparently had. “Izumi?” Ayane said questioningly. Izumi herself shook her head. “I don’t believe it.” “Who are they?” Izumi kept looking through the window. “They’re... the three head honchos of Tengoku Aijin School’s most powerful gang. The Tengoku Dream Rebels.” Ayane gasped. “So one of them is the new leader? What happened to Kozue Takami? I remember defeating him last year… it was through that defeat that we put the Dream Rebels out of commission.” “The one on the left is Danjuro Fushige.” Izumi pointed to them. “He’s pretty strong I hear, but not much of a challenge to someone like you or me. That’s the guy that Konoko’s dating. The guy on the far right is Yuji Nijuurou. He isn’t a fighter like the rest of the gang, but I hear he’s really smart. I’m talking *Mishizu-smart*.” Ayane filled in the blank space. “That means the boy in the middle is the leader.” “Yup.” Izumi confirmed it. “Keitarou Kusako. Unlike his boy scouts, Kusako is pretty strong. He beat Takami, just like you did, and he’s related to your little protégée, Rei.” “So he’s a relation of Rei’s, huh?” Ayane said. “What else do you know?” Izumi then continued. “Well, that’s about it. I didn’t really want to know much about these guys because I wasn’t concerned about them. I can dig up more info if you like.” “No, you just concentrate on finding more on that ‘Ryuko Hitsujiko’ character.” Ayane declared quickly. “I think I’ll be just fine with what I know.” Now it was Izumi’s turn to blink fiercely. “You’re not actually thinking of confronting them, are you?” Ayane pressed her palms against the table and pushed herself up into a standing position. “It’s called a greeting, Izumi. I’m not starting a fight here, just making myself known. Besides, Tengoku Aijin School is nowhere near here, there must be a reason for their appearance.” Izumi sighed, just as Keitarou, Yuji and Danjuro stepped out of the doorway of Sendou-rin ramen shop, each of them holding a plastic bowl of freshly made ramen. “I told you this was a good idea, Yuji!” Danjuro bellowed, slurping up some ramen noodles as he, Yuji and Keitarou took a seat at the table adjacent to Ayane and Izumi’s. Yuji sighed. Safe to say he wasn’t much of a ramen fan. “If you were to give me a simple salmon roll, I’d be just as satisfied.” “Lighten up, Yuji!” Keitarou joked. “Danjuro’s right. It’s tasty, it’s hot and it’s cheap. What more could you want out of a lunch break, eh?” “I suppose.” Yuji finally gave in. “But we’re going to be late for classes at this rate. Principle Murakami threatened to have you suspended if you missed another class, Keitarou…” Danjuro snorted. “Stop being such a wuss. I’ve been late for classes a billion times and Murakami hasn’t done a single thing about it. Oh, he talks tough, but he’s really just a pussycat.” It was then that Ayane decided to enter the fold. “You should meet out Principle. You might find an ever so slight difference.” All three men turned around and eyeballed Ayane, but while Yuji’s glare was of curiosity, Danjuro and Keitarou looked at her with distrust. They all knew that the Spring Breeze Assassins operated in this area, but never suspected that they might run into one. Though they had no idea who this was, the school uniform convinced Keitarou that the girl went to Rei’s school, Tomeishuu High. “Do we know you?” Keitarou asked. “I suppose not. My name is Ayane Yosukube.” Danjuro was alert. “The leader of the Spring Breeze Assassins? You’re the chick that Konoko keeps badmouthing?” Ayane chose to ignore that. “I am the leader of the SBA.” She then looked over at Keitarou. “So when I was told that you were the new leader of the Tengoku Dream Rebels, I thought it best to introduce myself.” Keitarou smiled defiantly. “Ayane Yosukube, huh? From what I hear you’re a tough cookie! You actually took down Takami. That’s a pretty big feat.” “But I’m not the only one who has defeated him, am I?” “Nah...” Keitarou said. “You’re not the only one. Takami was kind of a prelude. I’m in charge now. And I’m gonna start by making my mark on Tokyo. So if you see your rival or whatever, Rinako Ikatsuji, tell her that I’m looking forward to our fight.” That confused Ayane. “Rinako has agreed to fight you?” “Not yet, just she will do.” Keitarou said with confidence. Ayane suddenly felt less hospitable to Keitarou. “What exactly do you hope to achieve by challenging Rinako to a fight like this?” “I just want to see her power. See, the Tengoku Dream Rebels are back on the map, sweetheart. And we’re gonna storm the gang scene with a bang, just like we did in the old days. You girls over at Tomeishuu won’t be the top dogs forever.” “Fool!” Ayane spat. “Do you really believe I’d let you anywhere near Rinako and my school? If you want someone to fight with, then you can fight with me!” Both Danjuro and Keitarou sniggered at Ayane’s outburst, though Danjuro was the first to speak. “Hey, chill. Take it lightly, babes.” Ayane glared at the seated Danjuro. “What did you just call me?” “Take it easy!” Keitarou said. “We’re trying to eat here you know? Last thing we need is a hormonal girl to come and spoil it all. It’s a beautiful day out. We can always whip your skirt another day.” Ayane growled under her breath. She suddenly had an urge to fire off a Compression Buster at this guy. “Someone as cocky and ill-mannered as you wouldn’t stand a chance against us.” Keitarou released a sigh, putting down his chopsticks. “Geez! Will someone please take the plank outta this girl’s ass?” “Why you…!” “Maybe we all just need to calm down...” Yuji said. Keitarou stood upright at the moment Yuji ended that statement. “It’s okay, Yuji. Me and Ice Queen over here are just getting better acquainted.” He then looked over at Ayane. “But do this for me please? Tell Rinako that the Tengoku boys are back in business.” With that, Danjuro and Keitarou left, just before an embarrassed Yuji apologized for Keitarou’s nature and left with them. While Izumi smiled with amusement at Tomeishuu’s newest rival, Ayane was seething with anger. There was no way she was going to let Keitarou get away with that.
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