Note from the author: I don't own these characters though I wish I own Saicho, Joker and Setsuna! All the stories I've read so far pair Fuuko up with Mikagami or Raiha. Joker gets matched up with Neon and I wanted a break from the norm. I hope I don't get any hate mail but if you want to send them or send any
comments, feel free to send them to me. 

Fuuko stared gloomily at the sky. It was a wonderful at the beach. The all-cheering sun against the bit of blue sky peeping from behind the white fluffy cloud was cooling. The breeze was salty and it was a perfect day. But yet, she felt rotten/ Mikagami noticed his comrade sitting there alone. Normally, he wouldn't bother but Fuuko had a thing about teasing him. It was his chance to get back as her.

"One little monkey sitting along while her ape boyfriend sits a mile away. Another thunder boyfriend is far from Her Royal Viciousness."

"Go bite your tongue."

"What's the matter, monkey? Raiha?"

"How did you know?" Fuuko scowled angrily. Instead, the answer came to Mikagami as a shock. Raiha was the only thing Fuuko could talk about for the past few weeks and suddenly, she was mad at him.

“Just guessing."

"Mr. Freeze, do me a favor-"

“No!"

 "Don't be a rotten egg!" Fuuko scolded and stood up. She pulled a lavender top over her bikini and brushed the sand off the seat of her denim shorts. "Yanagi, I'm going off with Mikagami for a while. I think I'll just go straight home after this. Tell Recca to bring my things back to his house. I'll collect them tomorrow from him." Without saying anything else, she pulled Mikagami towards the new mall that had sprung up next to the beach.

Domon was sitting there, watching the duo make their way towards the mall. Deep inside, he wanted to accompany them but Fuuko would most probably ignore him. Besides, he had nothing to worry about, Mikagami not being her type. But it still paid to be safe. After a long while, he decided to follow behind closely.

At the mall, Fuuko headed straight for the arcade. Both of them changed for twenty coins each. Before Mikagami could say anything, Fuuko had him fighting her in a Street Fighter game. After their twelfth match, Mikagami noted a small smile appear on Fuuko's lips. He had never thought Fuuko as pretty but the only time he worked closely with her was during the Dark Martial Combat. Her purple hair matched her lavender top and her green eyes were shining with glee as she trashed Mikagami for the seventh time. What was he thinking? It was the loud noise of the arcade driving him crazy. It had to be the loud noise… if not, why would he think that Fuuko was pretty?

After fourteen games, and a tie, the attendant chased the duo away from the machine after receiving numerous complains. Fuuko had no complains about it and dragged Mikagami to a Metal Slug II machine and launched into battle until all their coins were used up. Mikagami's eyes were painful from all the flashing lights and he was prepared to leave the mall but Fuuko insisted that they stayed on longer. Taking his hand, Fuuko begun to lead Mikagami towards a fast food store.

Suddenly, Mikagami felt a glare on him and he turned, only to see Raiha staring at the both of them. He tightened his grip on Fuuko unknowingly. Fuuko felt the grip and turned to look at Mikagami. He merely looked at Raiha and Fuuko frowned.

“Fuuko, please listen to me."

"Why don't you go back to that sleazy club?"

"I was on an assignment!"

"I could tell from that sleazier girl on your lap. Mikagami, let's ignore him."

"Stay away from my Fuuko!" Domon yelled from across the mall as he stormed towards Raiha. Raiha frowned and glared at Domon.

"She's not yours."

"She is," Domon repeated, lowering his voice in an attempt to show dangerous. It was then that he noticed Mikagami holding onto Fuuko's hand tightly. "Let go of Fuuko's hand."

"Why should I? I'll hold the hand of anyone without your consent. Fuuko's with me for today," Mikagami argued. Why did he say that? Quickly, he dismissed it as doing Fuuko another favor.

"I'm hungry and waiting," Fuuko muttered and Raiha took her away from Mikagami.

"Let's go grab a bite then."

"What?" Joker, who was standing in a corner unnoticed, yelled at Raiha. "I thought we were grabbing a bite before we returned back home. It's our day off!"

Without a warning, Domon lunged at Mikagami and Raiha. Both of them ducked and he crashed into a large pillar. Sensing danger, Joker took Fuuko's hand and started to run. A security guard came up and threw Domon out. When Mikagami and Raiha noticed that Fuuko and Joker had disappeared, they scowled at each other before walking away.

---

Fuuko wiped the side of her mouth and stared at the man opposite her. She barely knew him but yet she allowed him to treat her to lunch. Joker, on the other hand, was drinking the soup left in the Mos Burger cup calmly when he noticed Fuuko's gaze on him. "What?"

"Do you think it was mean of us to leave the three of them back there?"

"Are you kidding? You're just lucky you didn't get thrown out of the mall. I wasn't going to risk my popularity by announcing to the whole world that I knew that metal ape. Besides, I have lost count of the number of times Raiha left Neon and I to go shopping so he could go out with you. I hate shopping with Neon. Now, he'll suffer."

“Why?"

"Neon wants to go shopping again with male advice. If she can't find little old irresistible me, Raiha will have to go with her while I hang with you."

"With me?"

"It's my day off. I refuse to go back to the mansion. Who knows what Kurei wants us to do… wash the car, walk the dog…"

"With me?" Fuuko repeated. Joker nodded and put the cup down. Standing up, he gently took her wrist.

"Raiha is clueless when it comes to going out with ladies. I'll show you how to have a good time in the mall alone."

"But I have fun with him," Fuuko argued gently as she let him lead her out of the store towards the elevator.

  "And where do you think he gets all those ideas? Definitely not the tree in Kurei's backyard so who else but me? Let's go to that little wading pool upstairs."

  "Little wading pool?"

-----

By the time it was six in the evening, Fuuko was hungry again. Joker had chased all the little children out of the wading pool and paid a bomb to have the pool closed to the public for an hour. Both of them started to splash around like little children and have water fights. Fuuko could not recall the last time she had so much fun as a teenager could have. Even the trip to the arcade earlier on was nothing compared to the wading pool.

After buying two towels to dry up, Joker dragged Fuuko to a clothes shop so they could have something dry to change into. Without saying anything, he paid for her clothes and everything else. As they walked past a toy store, something in the window display caught Fuuko's eyes and she made Joker wait for her
outside the store for a while. In a matter of seconds, Fuuko was back out, armed with two large water guns. Both of them filled up the guns with cold water and ice and returned to beach for some fun.

Hiding behind any means, they attacked unsuspecting victims who were in the middle of sunbathing or a passionate and steamy moment. Then, they would run as far as they could and laugh it all out. Joker even climbed up a tree and shot a jet of freezing water at Domon who had fallen asleep on the sand with his mouth open. The sight of him choking from the water in his mouth was priceless. Joker had to put a hand over Fuuko's mouth and pulled her far away before letting her laugh.

After running about the beach, the two of them returned to the mall in time for a movie. Instead of watching an action flick or even comedy, both of them gatecrashed a cartoon. Few children went to that mall and they had the whole cinema to themselves, not counting the couples who occupied the whole back row to make out. Joker found joy in throwing popcorn at the couple and Fuuko had to stiffen her giggles when the cries of annoyance were heard.

"That teaches them to teach us bad things while watching cartoons," Joker faked a childish voice and yelled out throughout the cinema before slipping out of the exit with Fuuko.

They next attacked the kids' corner in the secluded area of the mall and started to trash about the ball pit wildly. Fuuko had suggested making believe that they were each other's comrade. Joker nearly choked on his laughter when he heard Fuuko pretend to be Mori Kouran and Fuuko was in stitches with Joker's
impersonation of Mikagami.

It was like reliving a second childhood for both of them. Without knowing it, both of them had a traumatic childhood and they were making up for lost time before it was too late. Fuuko felt happy about the fact that she had someone to have fun with. Joker was just glad that no one mocked him for acting like a child.

"Hungry?"

"Very. Hey, it's my treat now. There's this great open-air seafood restaurant by the beach. Let's go there!" Fuuko said and started to run. Joker grinned and ran after her.

"Quick! Run faster, Mori Kouran! I wouldn't want my ice-dagger boots in your ribs. Do you have any idea how expensive these are?" Joker put on a strange feminine tone and Fuuko laughed again.

----

By the time it was nine at night, Joker was walking Fuuko back home despite her argument that she was old enough. He wasn't assured as Fuuko was still young and it might be dangerous if she met with a rapist. It was then that Fuuko said that Joker should rape the rapist so she could run away. Both of them laughed.
Fuuko knew that Raiha would never find that comment funny. It was nice to be with someone with the same preferences. They continued to make lemon jokes about the rapist that they might meet until they reach Fuuko's gate.

"I really want to thank you for today. I never had so much fun in a day before. It was like reliving my childhood again."

"Me too. I still can't forget Domon's face today," Joker guffawed and Fuuko laughed again. The night breeze blew Fuuko's hair across her face and she tucked it behind her ear.

"It's late, you better get going home now."

"On my day off, My curfew is twelve… where's your mother?"

"Out of town," Fuuko said, lying between her teeth. Her mother was dead and only Recca knew it.

"Oh I see. Take care and if you're a good girl, maybe we'll do this again some other time."

"Okay-" Fuuko said but was cut off when Joker put his lips on hers. It came to her as a shock but his kiss sent short electrifying jolts down her spine. Slowly, she kissed him back gently. It was a sweet innocent kiss from a guy friend to a seemingly close girl friend. They pulled back shortly at the same time.

"Goodnight, little child of wind," Joker murmured into her ear and was prepared to walk away when two faces were staring angrily into his.

"What was that for?"

" Recca…Raiha…" Fuuko said, glaring at her about-to-be-ex boyfriend and her childhood friend.

"How can I not be angry! My close friend kisses my girlfriend!"

"It was a goodnight kiss!" Joker argued.

“It was three whole seconds." Raiha said angrily.

"She's my friend! Fuuko, do you have any idea how frightened we were, besides Mikagami, when he told us you went off with Joker?" It was Recca's turn to lecture Fuuko.

“I'll never dream of taking your girlfriend away. Good gracious, I kiss every girl in the mansion goodnight. The girls all received my kiss on their lips. I kiss all the little sweet girls, except for Neon, of course. Recca, don't worry. Fuuko had a childhood dream come true that I'm sure you won't be able to fulfill either way. I'll see you around, Fuuko. Bye."

With that, Raiha and Joker walked off. Fuuko's red, boiling and almost popping vein was glaring at a very red and small Recca. "Yes… as I was saying… did you have fun today? Tell me more about it." ^-^

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penned by Mitsuki aka Miki-chan aka Siew Koon