“Michiru, you gotta change now, we’re gonna go somewhere!!!” Haruka just came in from what seems to be her breakfast date and was impatiently tugging Michiru so she will stop whatever she was doing and listen to her for once.

“I’m busy today, next year!” Michiru cannot go anywhere today, she has to work. Work to submit her project to her Communications teacher. She has lots of studying to do since she has to major in two courses: Fine Arts & Literature and Business Management. She has to do all these projects… she’d faint, so she can’t let anyone talk her into going somewhere except the…

“Michiru!!! I’m going to the mall with Robert and I want you to meet him. Come ON!!!”

Haruka just said the magic word—MALL. Michiru loves malls. They are so cool and you do lots of walking so it’s like walking on the treadmill but you are also shopping for cool clothes so… The mall gives you many benefits.

“You just said the magic word! Let’s GO!!!”

“Let’s go where?” Yaten said while munching on her Cereal Bar. She looked at Haruka from head to toe… “ AHA! You wanna go shopping with Michiru and Robert’s coming with you… Can I go, PLEASE????!”

Haruka stared at Yaten in a strange way. “No one said you’re not invited. You could go tell the others.”

“WOOHOO! I get to see HIM again!!” Yaten walked out of the room happily, as if…

---____________________---

‘WHY DID I JOIN THIS SHOPPING TRIP AGAIN? I should have stayed home and watched TV. I have nothing to do here. Hohum…’ Kurei is bored. WAY BORED. Tokyo Mall is just the same plain mall you see everyday. People here, kids crying there, girls talking aloud at the other side and more little children running around, so, what’s new on the menu? Except the fact that Armani Exchange has a newly opened boutique that Mikagami has been telling him about, what else? They’ve finished the gigantic roller coaster on the theme park just by the side of the mall… is that it? Kurei sighed.

“Kurei, could I ride on your shoulders? I am tired.” Ganko tugged at his pants as she looks up at her big brother.

Kurei smiled at her. “Sure… Up you go! There, Are you comfortable up there?” Kurei was happy that Ganko treats him the way she treats Recca and the others. He knows she was scared of him before, but now she treats him as a big brother she never had and loved him all the more.
“I’m OK!! Kurei, look at the cute teddy bears on the window!! It is very nice!”

“You want it? I’ll buy it for you.” Kurei raised his head a little to see his little sister’s reaction.

Ganko’s eyes sparkled and nodded happily. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh you are the greatest big brother in the whole world!!! I love you so much Kurei.” Ganko hugs his head while Kurei tells Kagero where they would be off to.

“Mom, I’ll just buy Ganko something over that store, we’d be back in a flash. We’re off! See you later!!” Funny, Kurei have never done this before. He used to do everything on his own and now he was actually asking permission just to go to a store. Well, not that he has to ask permission or anything, but, well, Ganko’s with him so he’s probably asking permission for her.

“ooohhh… what a cute teddy bear! It is soooo cute! Seiya’s birthday is a few weeks from now, should I give her this?” Michiru went into the store a few seconds after Kurei went in the same store.

Kurei puts Ganko down on the floor so she could reach the much-desired teddy bear. He was smiling at her innocence while she hugs the stuff animal. He was asking Ganko if she wants the white bear, the black one, or the brown one when Michiru taps him at the back. He looked at her and was shocked to see that it was she. It was the girl whose boyfriend he killed.

“Um, excuse me, could you pass me a white bear, please?” Michiru said thinking that she was just hallucinating when she thought she saw the guy pale-faced or something.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Is this it?” Kurei still can’t believe that it was she. Of all the places why do they have to bump into each in the mall? ‘I wonder if she recognizes me? I guess she does, she’s looking at me in a weird way.’

“Yep! Thanx so much. Um… no offence, but you look like you have seen a ghost or something. You are very pale.” Michiru then proceeded to walk off as she turned her head to flash him a grateful smile. ‘ Wow Michiru, you never ceased to amaze me. It was really nice of you to embarrass that guy, but no thanks! Why does he look at me like that, as if I am psycho? Then again, Yaten thinks I’m psycho.’

“Michiru!! There you are! We’ve been looking for you. Should have known you are here in Bear Necessities.”

Kurei looked up as Michiru chat with her friends while walking to the counter. ‘Michiru, so that is her name. I wonder why she didn’t recognize me?’  <DUH! YOU WE’RE WEARING A MASK AND I’D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT IT WAS DARK THAT TIME AND… ARE YOU WEARING YOUR RED CLOAK NOW??? SURE YOU HAVE THE BANGLES BUT, SURELY THERE IS ANOTHER GUY OUT THERE WEARING BANGLES LIKE THOSE OR SOEMTHING!!>

“So you guys, why were you looking for me? Wassup?” Michiru asked as she bends over to check out a bear key chain. She then walked to the counter.

“Guess what?” Seiya began, “we saw Miss Kagero there at the other store!”

“Really? What did she say? Hold on, how much?… OK here you go. Thanx! So, what did she say?” Michiru talked as she grabbed the shopping bag and walked out of the store with her friends.

“There she is! Let’s go.” Taiki pulled Michiru and hurriedly ran over to Kagero to talk to her.

“Hi Miss Kagero! How have you been?” haruka greeted as she introduced Robert Maxwell to her.

“Miss Kagero! Long time no see! How’s it going?” All of them said their “HI’s” and “HELLO’s” to her.

“I’m fine.  How about you, girls? Long time no see, indeed. How’s college, Michiru, Haruka? And, How’s entrance exams, 3Lights?”

as usual, they all gave Kagero the “yeh-everything-is-alright-no-need-to-worry” answer. Yaten looked at the others and suddenly cried. “I think I am going to fail PE!!!” the others looked at her as if she is some crazy bum. “How come Yaten? I thought you are the greatest soccer player in the whole world?”  *snickers*

“well, I may be the greatest soccer player in the world but… the teacher hates me… I kicked the ball really hard and… it hit her! So, she glared at me then walked off and started screaming that we better move it, etc.” They all looked at Yaten as if they are sympathizing her.

“Michiru, I’ll need some help with running my restaurant this Christmas, if you are available, I can give you that part-time job you’ve always wanted?” Kagero owned a small restaurant in Tokyo. Not that she really needs help with running it or anything, but Mihciru always asked her tips on how to run a restaurant since her real mother in France might want her to inherit the business. In addition to that, Michiru and Haruka also go to Kagero’s restaurant to have cooking classes so…

“Sure! No problem! I—“

Michiru was cut off as Kurei greeted Kagero. “Mom, we’re back,” he glanced at Michiru and said, “ Aren’t you the girl who was back there at that store a while ago?”

Michiru can’t believe that Kagero had a son! Kagero was too young!!!… or maybe looked young… but still. She never saw him around her house during cocktail parties neither has she seen him around her restaurant during her cooking classes. Michiru smiled at Kurei. “ yes that was me. Miss Kagero, I never knew you had a son * you look too young to have a son*”

At about that time, Recca appeared with Kaoru. Kagero then introduced all of her *children*,  they all shake hands said their “hi’s” and “ Hello’s” and smiled.

‘OK, OK, this shock is too much for me to bear! Mother actually knows that person. Not that I care or anything, all this time I was thinking of what that girl, Michiru, been doing and now, I know! Great. Then she’ll probably be in one of mohter’s parties… sooner or later the topic about her love life will be brought up then… argh! OK, stay calm, stay calm…’

“Uh.. you’ve been shaking my hand for quite some time now Mr. Kurei…” Michiru shot a glance at Yaten who was already giggling and she got a look that says “beware-when-we-get-home-I’ll-be-teasing-you-non-stop”

Kurei dropped Michiru’s hand. He was now blushing and he can’t believe that he has been shaking her hand all this time that he had been thinking about her and… He looked at her and saw that she was blushing hotly like him and made a side glance at Recca who was winking at him  and  Kaoru who was already grinning at him. ‘great! Just the support I needed.’

“Anyway, Miss Kagero, sorry if we disturbed your shopping, but … OH YEAH!!!” Seiya then turns to Kurei and the *kids* (Recca, Ganko and Kaoru), “ you guys wanna go watch our concert? Michiru would be playing violin, of course, than there would be other rock bands and also some other artists. It’s for free since it is for charity so, what do you say?”

Recca looked at Kaoru and shrugged, “Uh, cool, is that the one in Tokyo Disneyland Concert Hall?”

“ YUP!”

Recca looked at Kagero then at Kurei, “well, ya, sure. Kurei, you wanna come with us??? I already told Mom about it before since Fuuko already told me about it, my friends would be there…  you gotta tell your friends. It’s gonna be cool.”

Kurei thought about it for awhile. “I think Raiha knows about it already, I’ll just check with the others.”

Recca then turned to Seiya, “I guess we’d be there, so…”

“COOL! So, we’ll see you there! We gotta go now! We still have a movie to catch so see you guys!! We’d send the backstage passes to Miss Kagero! Bye!”

With that everybody said their good-bye’s and went off.
---___________________---

“OK, Michiru, what MOVIE???” Yaten checked the schedule then looked at Michiru. She was stuck with Michiru since Haruka already went off with Robert to watch a movie which the they (she and Michiru) didn’t like. Seiya and Taiki has also gone to watch a horror movie and Michiru said she’s had too much scary movies in her lifetime. So, Yaten is stuck with her. She also doesn’t want to watch a scary movie…

“Why do you ask me? You can choose a movie by yourself… hey!!!” Michiru pulled Yaten as they stare at the movie poster.

“I didn’t know that they are showing X 1999 here!” Michiru nodded in agreement.

“LET’S GO!” They ran off to the ticket booth and purchased their tickets. They can’t wait to watch *the movie* they’ve been waiting for in years!
---_________________---

Kagero asked Kurei and the others what movies they want to watch. Kurei said he’d just walk around. Ganko said she’d want to watch The Swan Princess IV. Recca and Kaoru both wanted to watch X 1999 then Kagero told Kurei to stay with them instead. Kurei thought it was better to sleep in the movies than bore himself around the mall so he said yes.

“I’ll meet you in the Food Court as soon as the movie finishes, OK? Do you guys need money for popcorn or pop?” Kagero asks.

Recca looked at Kurei, hoping he can lend them money, but Kurei gave them a bad look. “Uh, yeah I guess so, Mom.”

Kagero handed him the cash and gave another whole bunch of last minute instructions then walked off with Ganko.

“Ok, where do we sit?” kaoru whispered to Recca who whispered to Kurei.

Recca pointed to a few vacant seats far back. “Over there, by those girls! Kurei, ask if anyone is sitting there!”

Kurei looked at Recca then walked ahead of them to ask about the seats. “Um, excuse me, is anyone sitting here?… Michiru?”

Michiru and Yaten both looked up and stopped munching their chips for once. “Kurei??? Uh, no one’s sitting there! It’s OK!”

Yaten nudged Michiru then whispered “so, I guess you like him, don’t ya?”

Michiru pinched Yaten and whispered back, “NO! I don’t like him! What makes you think that?” Yaten just shrugged it off.

‘oh boy! Just what I need, a seat beside her… Recca was no help at all.’ Kurei settled down on his seat beside Michiru. They were a little too early so… SLEEP.

“I didn’t know you watch animé… do you like X 1999, the manga?” Michiru doesn’t really like watching movie trailers so, while they are still on… she’ll talk to her seatmate, to at least get to know him better. “y’know, the one by Clamp??!”

Kurei looked at her and shrugged,  “y;know Kaoru over there (points at Kaoru)? Well, he collects the manga and I got him one just 2 weeks ago… I kinda read it so… but I really don’t know the whole plot… y’know?”

Michiru nodded and smiled, “Uh-huh, well I like that manga a lot. It is cool and the art is just amazing, so, I really got into reading it. You should really read it, it is cool. Not that all I read are mangas or pocket books, what type of book do you like reading?”

“Me? Well, I’ve been reading an awful lot of school books lately. I’m graduating this year and, y’know study, study, study. Personally, I don’t know what type of books I read. I just read any book that looks interesting. Guess I don’t care about the saying ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’”

Michiru giggled, “so, where do you study? I study in Tokyo University and I take some Business Courses and Fine Arts and Literature… y’know…”

Kurei’s eyes went wide. ‘She studies in Tokyo University??? How come I never see her around? She’s probably a freshman, but, I was at the “Welcome Freshmen” party… I never saw her there… hmmm… OK… don’t get too close to her Kurei, you’ll just hurt her when she learns that you killed her love…she doesn’t need to know… you don’t need to tell her…WHOA! Where did that come from??’ Kurei looked at Michiru and saw she was giggling from his short shock, “yeh, I also study in Tokyo University and I was wondering why I never saw you in campus. Are you a freshman?”

Michiru’s head bobbed up and down. “ If you are wondering why I wasn’t in the Freshmen party, I was with my friends in another party  outside the campus, so I wasn’t able to join that… ooh at last the movie! I’ll talk to you later , OK?” With that, Michiru focused her attention on the much-awaited movie.

You must forget about me and be with him… I want to see you happy…

To be Continued…

Author Notes:
OK, I havta admit Kurei seems so goody, goody, but, well, he has changed in this fic and besides this is only a fic... it is only fiction... I dunno...

Well... comments, if you need something explained... h_moonstar@hotmail.com  or  moonstar_freak@moonkingdom.com