Key Notes:

“Text”= Japanese talking

“+American English talking+”

“/British English talking/”

“#Australian English talking#”

Green-hazel eyes shut behind a fish tank in deep drugged out sleep. Emma had a wild night last night just as usual. So much so that Fujisaki had to drag her home like usual. Her mum must have stripped her down afterwards. Suguru was so good to her. On one hand, he criticized her at every turn about her life. But then, he would carry her home and sometimes leave some aspirin for her in the morning. The boy was very good to her. She couldn’t understand why. Nobody ever understood why really.

Emma slowly awoke in a few seconds. She looked around for a moment. This was her room alright. The girl had herself really hung-over from last night. The only thing she had on was her usual nightwear, a pair of black panties. Today started out normal. Emma got up and feed her fish some leftover ecstasy pills that she had left over from last night. They ate it up right away. The Aussie smiled to herself warmly. She just loved fish. She had loved them ever since she was four years old. It was her dad’s fault. He gave her and late older sister, Chelise, fish when they were really young. Now, Emma just couldn’t get enough of them.

After she fed the fish, Emma went into the bathroom to wash up some. She was still in pretty much a fog. The ecstasy, booze, and coke hadn’t worn off yet. That was some powerful stuff she took last night. She still couldn’t really walk straight. Emma had to guide herself along the wall into the bathroom. The Aussie managed to make it in without any problems. She turned the hot water on in the sink. Perhaps the heat would sober her up some. Emma closed her eyes and took in the steam. She was slowly feeling better already. Now, it was time to wash up. But first, she needed to unload. Emma staggered over to the toilet and did so.

Once she was nice and clean, the Aussie went down to the kitchen for some breakfast. She stood over the counter in her panties and put the bread into the toaster. As she waited, something caught her eye instantly. An envelope was sitting on the counter addressed to her. The writing was in her mum’s handwriting. Emma picked up the envelope and opened it up. She pulled out a huge wad of yen and a note. The Aussie took the note and read it.

“Dear Emma, I have gone away for a few days. Take good care of yourself and behave while I am gone. Love, Mum,” was what the note read. Emma looked up blankly. What just happened here? Then, the toast popped up and hit the counter. The Aussie didn’t notice a thing.

Subject: Emma

In a couple of hours, Emma was sitting at the kitchen table dressed with her iced coffee mixed with vodka in her hands. She had called the boys over to talk about the whole deal.

“/You sure that your mum didn’t say that she was going on holiday, you agreed, took some pills, passed out, and forgot about the whole conversation?/” Simon asked her. Emma shook her head.

“#No,#” she said. “#She just up and left.#”

“Ah,” Hiro replied to her. “I see.” Everyone went silent at that one. Simon continued to count the yen. When he was finished, he turned and looked to his Aussie gal pal.

“/Yep,/” he said at last. “/It’s all here. 924,799.26 yen!/” Emma gave off a low whistle.

“#That’s a lot of money…#” she said. Then, Ando rushed in all excited.

“Is it true?” he asked excited. “We’re rich!!!” He grabbed the money and threw it all around. The money came falling down like leaves. The boys all looked at him slightly annoyed by that. Simon turned back to Emma.

“/So, what question,/” he said. “/What are you going to do with all of this money?/” Emma thought about that for a moment. A smile came across her face.

It was party time at the Miles house that evening. She had used the money to throw a wild party. The Aussie had invited everyone from Tokyo Cram College to her house. The music was turned up and pumping. Drugs and drinks were being passed all around like free candy to children. Nick and Cassie stayed near the back with their drinks. Nick never wanted to dance or socialize with other people. But yet, he always Cassie to sit with on the condition she didn’t talk to him to death. So far, she was doing good. No Andy Warhol. No talks about fashion shows in Paris. No movie auditions. She had her drinks and pills. The girl was just great. Nick was strangely warming up to her as well. (With was very rare with his own friends.) The others figured they could use Cassie to make him a little nicer. (Ha! Good luck with that one!)

Fujisaki was staying close to Emma as usual. He didn’t trust her when she got drunk or high. She was more likely to get in trouble then. He just couldn’t understand it. Why was he the one to look after her? Why did Suguru even care in the first place? He couldn’t explain it at all.

“Hey Emma!” the keyboardist called to her. The Aussie looked up at him from her third glass of beer. She smiled at him like a Cheshire cat.

“#Yeah!#” she called out loud. Fujisaki sighed as he shook his head at her. She had already started on the drinks and pills. Oh well, better make this quick. Otherwise the message will be last for the rest of the night in the beginning. Fujisaki gathered up his stern tone.

“Just,” he said. “Don’t drink too much tonight. I don’t want have to take you to bed again tonight.” Emma laughed at his words.

“#Take me to bed?#” she asked aloud. “#Sugo-kun! I had no idea you were so into me!#” Then, the Aussie nearly fell over flat on her face. Fujisaki managed to catch her just in time. He instantly became stressed and annoyed with her. The pills and beer must have kicked in after he said “take you to bed.” Damn it, he should have spoken faster. Oh well, all the boy would have to do is keep Emma close and all times and keep her out of trouble. Ha, good luck with that one pal! She always had a tendency to escape and cause more trouble while she was high or drunk. It was just how the wild Aussie was.

Meanwhile, Sid was trying to chat up a drunk American girl. He figured if he couldn’t have Casper, he’d better settle for what else was out there. So far, this plan was not going so well.

“/So anyway,/” Sid went on. “/I think it’s not right for someone not to be happy at all./” The girl was struggling to remain sitting up. Sid noticed she was intoxicated beyond belief. He had to make this quick.

“/And,/” he went on. “/I’m just looking for the right person to be happy with! You know?/” The girl was really sick now. She was close to falling over now. The alcohol was really beating her up now. Something funny was going to go down in seconds. Sid could see that right away. “This won’t end well!” he thought. “I better bag her before it’s too late!” But then, the girl threw up all over him. Then, she began passing out all over him. It was too late. Sid refused to give up hope though.

“/Can I have your number, then?/” he asked the drunk girl. But the girl was gone! Sid wasn’t the only one with love problems. Someone came up behind Emma and tapped her on the shoulder. The blonde Australian whipped around quickly. Shuichi was standing right in front of her. A little smile cam onto her face.

“#Shuichi!#” she called out. Suguru watched them closely. He didn’t trust of their friends around Emma when she had been popping pills and boozing. They sometimes accidently helped her get into more trouble. So, Fujisaki was on his guard at the tight moment. It wasn’t time to act yet. Shuichi leaned in closer to the Aussie so she would hear him over the loud music.

“Look who showed up tonight!” Shuichi called out as he pointed over to the doorway. Emma looked in the direction that he was pointing in. Ken-san was looking around for something. He didn’t seem too comfortable to be at a wild party with tons of kids in the house. Emma’s smile widened in a flash.

“#Oh sweet!#” she called out loudly. “#My man’s here!#” Shuichi rubbed at his ear in pain. Emma could really be loud when she was drunk or high. The Aussie made her way over to her favorite sensei. Fujisaki watched her closely. He was glaring at Shuichi as well. The vocalist turned to him and noticed his face. He shrugged at his band mate as if to say, “Sorry, I forgot!” Once again, Emma managed to slip away from Fujisaki’s watchful eye. Looks like he would have to cart her off to bed after all. Lucky for him, they were all already in her home. So, that would make a short trip.

Speaking of which, Simon and Casper were in Emma’s room right now. Simon was staring at the Aussie’s fish.

“/These fish swim pretty fast!/” he called. “/What the hell does Em feed them?/” Casper smiled at him seductively. She quickly slid off her halter top. The hippie slid under Emma’s bed and finished undressing. She wasn’t interested in fish at the moment. This was one of the rare moments where she had Simon all to herself. She decided to make tonight a really hot one.

“/Simon!/” she called to him. Her boyfriend turned to her. Casper dropped the sheets down for him. The English charmer was smirking at her. The hippie waited for him to speak.

“/Hey!/” he said. The English boy quickly took off his shirt. Casper smiled at him warmly. She was getting a reaction for her body. But then, it dropped into something cold and bitter. Casper noticed Simon’s smirk wasn’t of lust, but of mockery. Uh-oh! Something snarky was going to come out of his mouth. She could just sense it. His face always gave it away for her.

“/Casper,/” Simon began.

“/Yes?/” his girlfriend asked.

“/Have your tits always been that big?/” he asked her bluntly. Casper looked at him confused.

“/Yes,/” she said. “/Why?/” Simon shook his head at her.

“/No,/” he insisted. “/They were a lot smaller the last time I saw them. Now, they look like plastic!/” Casper felt herself shot down again. She knew that the girls were real and true. This was another cheap ploy of his to cripple her by his side for a long time. But tonight, Casper didn’t really seem to care at all. She was not going to let Simon have the satisfaction of her frustration tonight. The hippie was going to sit on it as hard as she could. The most painful thing was the way he was looking at her. He had a neutral look on his face. It was as if her body didn’t faze him at all anymore. This had turned into a challenge tonight.

Suddenly, the door opened wide. The couple looked up and saw Sid looking in the doorway at them. He froze up instantly.

“/Oh god!/” the boy called out as he tried to look away blushing. “/I’m sorry, I didn’t know you guys were back here!/” Sid began to turn away. This gave Casper an idea.

“/Sid, wait!/” she called out. The boy paused and turned back to her. Casper looked at him fairly innocent.

“/What do you think of my boobs?/” she asked him outright. Sid instantly became red all over in the face.

“/What?!?/” he cried out. Casper kept her eyes deadlocked on him.

“/Are they… plastic?/” she asked him. Sid was really speechless now. He really hadn’t expected this at all. Casper had blind-sighted him without warning. She and Simon were watching him closely now. Sid began to sweat a little bit. The spotlight was on him heavily at that moment. He had to say the right thing right away. But problem was, it is next to impossible to say the right thing when your crush is right before you completely naked under the sheets. But, Sid had to say something fast or risk making it all worse for himself.

“/Uh…/” he said as he blinking wildly. “/I can’t see! My eyes are all blurry!/” Casper looked at him oddly.

“/Sid,/” she said. “/What’s wrong?/” The boy didn’t answer her at all. He realized that his words were really stupid. The English boy turned away and hurried back to the party. Casper looked over at Simon.

“/Why don’t your eyes blur when you see my boobs?/” she asked him sharply. Simon didn’t answer her at all.

Meanwhile downstairs, Emma made her way over to Ken-san. The sensei looked up at her quickly. His little student smiled at him warmly.

“Hey!” Emma greeted him in Japanese. Ken-san looked at her slightly nervous.

“Emma!” he called. The Aussie girl looked at her with bright curiosity.

“What brings you by here?” she asked.

“Uh…” the sensei began. “Just… felt like checking things out, that’s all.” Emma’s smile widened. She didn’t believe him at all. But, the girl decided to humor him some.

“I see!” she said. “Care to dance with me?” Ken-san was blushing at that little question. As anyone could guess by now, the man had a crush on the wild Aussie girl. But there was a problem: He was her teacher and she was seventeen years old. Such a relationship would cause such a scandal in Tokyo. But the thing, Emma didn’t seem to care. She was just infatuated with the English teacher. In fact, Emma noticed his nervous face right away.

“Come on Ken,” she said. “It okay! Just dance me!” The sensei was still unsure. Emma took him by the hands and led him out onto the dance floor. She began to dance around with him for a bit. So far, everything was going simple and good. Ken-san even began to relax some. “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” he thought. “We’re just dancing after all.” But then, the drugs and liquor began to kick in in Emma’s head. It came at a high rush. She began giggling loudly and trying to grope Ken-san’s package. The sensei freaked out at her behavior. Ken-san stopped right away. Emma looked up at him confused.

“Ken-kun!” she called in a sinking stoned version of her voice. “What’s wrong?” Ken-san managed to break away from his high crush’s relaxed grip.

“I’m sorry Emma-chan!” he said to her. “I just can’t do this! You are acting inappropriately. I just… I just can’t handle it!” Then, the man hurried out of the house with his modesty still intact. It took a few seconds for Emma to realize what had just happened. She ran after him in an attempt to explain. The girl made it all the way to her front yard.

“Ken-chan, wait!” the Aussie cried out. “I’m on pills and weed right now! I was acting like that because I was high! Please don’t take it the wrong way!” But it was too late. The English sensei was already gone for the night. Emma watched him in defeat.

“See?” a voice asked aloud. “I told you that wacky weed these damn foreigners being into this country is nothing but trouble!” Emma turned and saw an elderly couple arguing with each other after they heard her trying to explain herself to her crush. His wife snorted at him coldly.

“Speak for yourself!” she snapped. “You are too old-fashioned! You won’t even let me drive anyway, you prude!” Emma felt her face going hot at the fact that they heard her at all. She just scurried back into her house.

The party continued on into the early hours of the morning. Everyone was passed out on the floor by the time it was all over. Arisu and Sid were lying on the couch together. The dumb English boy was complaining to his friend about his failed attempt with Casper yet again.

“I don’t why I just panicked like that,” Sid complained to her. “I should have just said that her breasts were fine. Instead, I said that my eyes were all blurry! That was just so stupid!” Arisu was growing annoyed of hearing about his misadventures with Casper.

“You do know that there are other girls out there, right Sid?” she asked him in a tired way. Sid didn’t answer her at all. He just went to sleep beside of her. The party may have been a good time for all to have, but Emma was going to be in for a rough shock called reality in a couple of days.

This happened when she had her friends over and they all ordered take-out for lunch. Emma said it was all on her. But that was where the problem was. The Aussie girl was digging in her pockets when reality began to sink in coldly.

“Let’s see,” she said aloud. “There, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…” Emma paused. Something was not right with this picture. The Aussie girl began recounting her money. She had twenty-five yen left of the money that her mum had left her. Emma found herself in a bit of a jam at the moment. She looked up at the delivery man with a nervous titter.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “How much did you say it was again?”

“3,000 yen!” he repeated. Emma’s eyes grew big in shock.

“3,000 yen?!?” she gasped in shock. Oh this was bad! Emma looked around for a bit.

“Uh…” she said. “Can you hang on for a bit?” The delivery man rolled his eyes at her. Emma had hit desperate times now. There was only one thing to do at times like these. The Aussie took her stereo over to Arashi Bomb. The clerk looked at the device up and down. Emma was grinning at him desperately.

“Well,” she said. “What do think? Is it good enough to sell back?” The clerk turned back to her with a serious look on his face.

“Sorry miss,” he said to her. “I can’t buy this back.” *Emma’s face drops at those words*

“What?!?” she asked in shock. “But it’s in perfectly good condition and I even brought the receipt!” The clerk shook his head.

“Sorry,” he said. “But receipts don’t cover pop tarts in the CD rack.”

“Huh?” Emma asked as she looked at the tray herself. Then, she saw it! Little bits of pop tart were stuck to the CD tray. *Anime-style tears on Emma’s face*

“#Damn it!#” she cried out in her native tongue. “#I thought that I had cried it all over!!!#” The clerk looked at her puzzled. He didn’t seem to understand English too well. So he assumed that she was ranting about the pop tarts. So, he didn’t ask. Once she had calmed down again, Emma turned back to him.

“Okay,” she said. “You got any wipes?” The clerk stared at her lost again.

“Sorry?” he asked her.

“I can just clean up the stereo right quick,” she suggested. “Then I can sell it back to you. So, you got any wipes?” The clerk shook his head at her.

“Sorry,” he said. “Can’t help you there.” Emma hung her head in defeat.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll try the next place!” After three different shops, the Aussie managed to pawn the stereo off for enough money to buy lunch. When she got home, all of the crew was waiting in the living room for her with the delivery man.

“#Sorry about that guys!#” she called out. “#Took me a little long than I thought!#” Then, she came into the living room and found everyone staring at her. Emma looked around uneasily.

“#Oh…#” she said. “#What’s going on here?#”

“He won’t let us touch the food!” Shuichi told her half-whining. The delivery man was glaring at her coldly. He hated being forced to wait for a long time for a payment. He took out his frustration upon the girl’s friends because of it. *Sweat drop on Emma’s head*

“#Whoops…#” she said. “#My bad…#” By then, everyone realized that there was a serious problem. The hard times didn’t stop there. Emma had to soon start selling most of everything in the house so that she could eat, party, and have her drugs. She may have been having fun on the outside, but Emma was really trying her best to hold it all together until her mum came home again. The pain slowly began to creep out over time. It first showed one night at a party she was hosting at her house. Emma was going back to her room for more drugs when she heard a giggle in her mum’s room. Curious, the girl followed the sound. She slowly opened the door and found a couple lying on her mum’s bed about to have sex. Disgust filled her instantly.

“#Hey!#” she screamed out. “#This is my mum’s room!!!#” The couple looked up at her right away.

“+Hey come on, Em!+” the girl said. “+We’re only having some fun!+”

“#Not in my mum’s room, you won’t!#” the Aussie girl yelled. “#GET OUT!!!#” The couple looked at her as she had lost her mind.

“+Come on,+” the boy said. “+It’s nothing serious!+”

“#I don’t care!#” Emma screamed. “#JUST GET OUT!!!#” The couple got up off the bed and got out of the room. The Aussie watched after them coldly. Reality was slowly sinking in for her. It was only going to get worse from there. The next morning, Emma managed to scrap up enough change to pay for delivery coffees. Fujisaki was sitting in the kitchen waiting for her. The Aussie mixed up the coffees and took on over to him. The keyboardist took it in silence.  Emma sat down next to him and opened her coffee.

“So, your mom’s not back yet?” he asked her.

“#No,#” Emma said out of seriousness. “#She hasn’t even called and have no money.#”

“Ah,” he said. “I see.”

“#How was the music festival?#” the Aussie asked him.

“Good,” Fujisaki replied.

“#Heard it was on TV,#” Emma said. “#Got any air time?#”

“Yeah,” Suguru said flatly. “For ten minutes! The cameras focused on the school.”

“#Oh,#” Emma said to him. “#I see.#” They both took a drink of their coffee. Both pause for a moment.

“#How is the band?#” the Aussie asked him.

“Great,” the keyboardist replied. “We have a new hit coming out new week.”

“#Oh really?#” Emma said. “#What’s it called?#”

“Spicy Marmalade,” Fujisaki replied.

“#I see,#” the Aussie replied. They both took another drink of their coffee. Both pause for a moment.

“This coffee tastes good,” Fujisaki commented. Emma gave him a little smile.

“#Thanks,#” she said. “#I ordered it from Starbucks on-line and then I mix some vodka in it.#” The keyboardist nodded.

“It’s good,” he said.

“#Thanks,#” Emma said. They keep drinking up the coffees.

“So what are you going to do?” Fujisaki asked her. Emma shrugged at him.

“#Don’t know…#” she said. “#I’ll think of something…#”

“I see,” Fujisaki replied. They both took another drink of their coffees. That afternoon Sid and Emma went down to the lower part of Tokyo. The Aussie had an old CD player to make a deal with an old friend. She asked Sid along for some company. The pair came up to the apartment. Emma knocked on door 319.

“Coming!” a voice called from the other side. The kids waited outside. This would take a little while. Then, the door opened wide. Jack came to the doorway. This boy was a local drug dealer. All of the high school and college students came to Jack for a fix. But, the boy only dealt with weeds and pills. Coke on really special days. But never with heroin or meth. (Those were considered “too dangerous.”) Aside from drugs, Jack dealt with sales and trade. Had something to give for money? Jack took it without any questions. Everyone at Tokyo Cram College knew and loved Jack. He looked the pair up and down. A smile came on his face.

“Emma! Sid!” he called happily. “So good to see you!” Emma smiled at him warmly.

“#Jack!#” she called. “#Old buddy! Old pal!#” The Japanese boy quickly became suspicious. He knew the signs too well. If a customer of his was acting to friendly, they were wearing a wire for a drug bust. The boy could not afford to get busted at all. The boy stepped forward and frisked Emma first. The Aussie couldn’t help but at the guy feeling her up for wires. It felt kind of hot to her. Then Jack went over to Sid. He frisked the English boy as well. Sid tried his best to stay still. It just felt pretty weird for him to be touched by another guy. He looked over as Emma in discomfort. She just shrugged at him lightly.

“Just deal with it,” she seemed to say at him. Sid watched her annoyed. Both checked out clean. The drug dealer backed up some. Jack smirked at them boldly.

“Come on in!” he said quickly. Then, he went back into his apartment. Emma and Sid followed in close behind.

“Lock the door!” Jack called. Sid complied quietly. Jack led them back to his bedroom. The pair looked around. So far, everything looked normal. This was how drug dealers were. Everything had to stay normal on the surface. Otherwise, they would get busted too easily. The trio came to Jack’s room. The dealer sat at his desk.

“So,” he spoke up. “What brings you by?” Emma stepped forward to him.

“#I would like to make a sell!#” he called. Jack looked up smiling at her.

“Oh?” he asked her. “What do have?” Emma reached into her backpack and pulled out the CD player. She handed over to him. Jack looked at it for a moment. The Aussie waited in anticipation.

“#So?#” she asked. “#What do you think?#” Jack looked up at her stoically.

“What are you trying to do?” he asked. Emma shrugged at him.

“#Making a sale,#” she said. “#How much you want for it?#” Jack shook his head at her.

“Sorry,” he said. “No can do!” Emma looked at him disappointed.

“#What do you mean?#” she asked in surprise. Jack handed the CD player back to her.

“This is cheap junk!” he said to her. “I’d only give you fifty yen for it!” Emma looked on in defeat.

“#What?!?#” she cried. “#Come one! It’s at least worth 25, 000 yen!#” Jack shook his head.

“Sorry!” he said. “Not worth it!”

“#Come on!#” the Aussie pleaded. “#20,000 then!#”

“#No,#” Jack answered.

“#15,000!#” she tried again.

“Sorry,” the dealer said. “Not worth it!”

“#13,000,#” Emma called. “#But that’s my final offer!#” There was a pause. Jack thought about that for a moment. Emma and Sid waited around for a long time. The drug dealer looked up at them smiling.

“That and some free acid,” he suggested. “And you’ve got a deal!” Emma had a smile up to her ears now.

“#Deal!#” she called out. Jack smiled at her richly. Anything to make a few yen. Emma got her drugs and money to keep her going until she planned one what to next. That night was spend downing the LSD and giving some to her fish. The girl had never seen so many colors before in her life. The whole room was spinning around her at rapid speeds. Emma had so much fun last night that she passed right out on her bed.

In the morning, Emma awoke feeling a little fuzzy and out of it. She looked over at her fish tank. Most of them were dead. The Aussie girl looked in at them closer.

“#Aw, poor babies!#” she said. There was only one thing to do now. Emma fished out all of her dead fish and dropped them in the toilet. She looked at them for a moment. Then, she pulled out her last pill and dropped it into the water with her dead little pets. “They were all so cute!” she thought. Then, Emma flushed the toilet. When she was finished, the Aussie headed over to the showers. But then, she was in for another rude surprise. Emma began to turn on the water. A scream followed in an instant. Emma screamed back as well. She torn the curtain down with her. She whipped around quickly. A homeless bag lady was lying in the bathtub. Emma looked on startled.

“#What the hell are you doing here?!?#” she snapped. The woman stared at her for a long time.

“What are you doing here?” she asked the girl.

“#I live here!#” Emma cried. The woman gave her an odd look.

“So do I!” she yelled.

“#No you don’t!#” Emma screamed. “#I’m calling the police!#” The beggar woman held up her hand.

“Easy now!” she called out. “Let’s talk about this!”

“#GET OUT!!!#” the Aussie screamed. “#GET OUT!!!#” The woman stood up from the tub. There seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding.

“Calm down!” she called. “Let’s just talk about this like rational people!” Emma was not thinking rational at the moment. She was confused and outraged.

“#GET OUT!!!#” Emma screamed again. “#GET OUT OR I’M CALLING THE COPS!!!#” But then, she tripped and fell out of the tub. The homeless woman stood up and looked at her.

“You okay?” she asked. Emma shook head wildly and looked up.

“#NO!!!#” she screamed out. “#Just get out!!!#” The woman still didn’t seem to get it.

“Come on,” she said. “Just relax!”

“#Relax?!?#” Emma called out. “#How the hell can I relax?!? There’s some homeless bum in my house!!!#” The woman looked at her as if she was crazy.

“You really do need to relax!” she called again. “You’ll die of high blood pressure!” Emma just couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed forward and tackled the homeless crasher. The woman instantly fought back. This battle continued all the way out into the hallway. The woman managed to push Emma off of her and she was sent crashing all the way down the stairs. The poor girl was lying on her back naked and in pain. She shook her head and looked up. The homeless woman was looking at her. She slowly came down the stairs to her.

“Have you calmed down now?” the woman asked. Emma sat up angry. She lunged forward at the homeless woman. The intruder put up another fight. This time, they clashed at the front door. Emma somehow accidently opened the door and pushed outside. The homeless woman stared at her again for a long time.

“Now listen,” she said. “Come back when you are much calmer and then we’ll talk! Okay?” Then, she slammed the down shut. Emma hadn’t had enough just yet. She raced up to the door and tried to open it. Locked! Not only that, locked and dead bolted. Emma didn’t have a key on her at all due to being naked and all. Emma began pounding on the door fiercely.

“#HEY!!!#” she screamed out. “#OPEN THIS DOOR!!! LET ME IN RIGHT NOW!!!!” Emma kept screaming and pounding on the door repeatedly. The homeless woman just ignored her. The Aussie began pounding harder and harder on the door. After a couple of minutes, Emma just gave up. She was just kicked out of her own house by a homeless lady and didn’t have a key. But that wasn’t just it. Emma had no money and her mum had ran away without any proof of coming home. Plus, she was locked out naked. Things were just getting worse and worse for her. Emma didn’t have much to do. There was only one place for her to go now. So, Emma covered herself the best way that she could and ran down the street. (She did get some stares along the way. But that wasn’t on her mind at the moment.)

The Aussie made it all the way to Tokyo Cram College. She knocked on the door as hard as she could.

“#Hey!!!#” she screamed out. “#Anyone there? Can you please let me in?#” She waited as she pounded on the door again.

“#Please!!!#” she pleaded. “#I really need to come in!#” No one seemed to be coming in. Emma was about to give up hope when she saw someone in the hallway. She pounded on the door harder again.

“#Hey!!!#” she screamed again. “#Please let me in!!!#” The sensei on the inside looked up and noticed the girl pounding on the door. He walked over to the door. Emma’s eyes grew big in shock. Ken-san was staring right at her.

“Emma?” he asked in surprise. The girl nodded at him quickly as she pointed to him to open the door and let her in. The English sensei unlocked the door and opened it wide.

“Emma?” he asked. “What are you doing here… naked?” The Aussie couldn’t speak at first. She didn’t know what to say at all naked to him. Any other circumstance, she would say something seductive and witty to seduce him. That was not a good time for that.

“It’s kind of hard to explain…” she began. Ken-san took pity on her instantly.

“Come in!” he said. He grabbed the girl inside. On the way to the class room, Emma explained her whole situation. Ken-san listened quietly. He managed to get her a huge duvet and wrap it around her body. Emma held it close around her the whole time.

“Oh damn,” he said to her at last. “That’s rough!” The Aussie girl nodded at him. He sat down beside of her.

“When you showed up here naked,” the sensei went on. “I thought you were making a protest or something.” His crush just didn’t say a word at all. “So what are you going to do?” he asked her. Emma shrugged at him.

“Dunno,” she said. Ken-san looked at her in pity. Then, the pair heard some footsteps coming closer to them. They looked up and saw Shuichi, Ando, Shawn, and Brandi coming to the classroom. Emma looked up at them sadly.

“#Hey guys!#” she said. Brandi stepped forward to her warmly.

“+Hey hon!+” she called. “+What’s going on with you?+” Brandi was really Lexie. Brandi was one of Lexie’s seventeen personalities. She was a hair stylist who happened to be a lesbian. She had a nice curvy body. Brandi always dressed like a hippie. She was free-spirited and kind to her friends. Emma shrugged under the duvet.

“#I just lost my house. I have no money and I’m naked,#” she said. “#I have no idea how this could get any worse! I really don’t!#”

“I see,” Ando said.

“/That sucks!/” Shawn said.

“I’m so sorry!” Shuichi said to her. They all were quiet for a moment. Then, Brandi came up with a great idea.

“+I’ve got it!+” she called. The hippie les turned to her boys. “+Come with me, guys!+” Then, she led the boys right back out into the hall. Emma and Ken-san sat there watching in confusion. What on Earth was Brandi plotting now? In a few minutes, the crew all returned. Shuichi and Shawn had some fresh clothes in their hands. Brandi stepped forward.

“+Here you are Emma!+” she said to her. “+We brought you some clothes!+” The Aussie looked at her overjoyed.

“#Oh thanks guys!#” she called. “#I just hoped that nobody noticed!#”

“Actually…” Shuichi said as he was looking out of the classroom window. “I think everyone already noticed…”

“#Huh?#” Emma asked as she looked up. All of the students from the school were looking in the window at her. That just added insult to injury. It clearly wasn’t Emma’s day today!

After school, Fujisaki suggested that Emma go live with her father now. The Aussie was against the idea at first.

“#I don’t really think that is such a good idea,#” she said to him.

“Well,” the keyboardist said. “You don’t have much a choice right now, do you?” Emma shrugged at him.

“#I guess you’re right,#” she said. Fujisaki gave her a little smile.

“I’ll go with you if you want,” he offered. Emma just kind of shrugged again.

“#Okay,#” she said. Fujisaki nodded to her a bit. Emma’s lips trembled for a moment.

“#I know where he lives,#” she said. Then, they got on a bus all the way into the other side of Tokyo. Emma led her mate all the way up the stairs to a nice big house. Fujisaki gave off a low whistle at this place.

“Impressive!” he said. Emma trembled a bit as she walked up to the door. She was hating this part already. It had been years since she first talked or seen her dad. She knew why he left in the front place. Couldn’t blame him after all. She and her mum had shut him out of their lives then. But now, this was different. Emma needed him now. She rang the bell.

“Coming!” a voice called from inside. Emma and Fujisaki waited outside. The Aussie looked at her mate in pale silence. She really hated this part. But yet, the girl had no choice at the moment. The door opened wide after a few seconds. The pair looked up and saw a Japanese woman looking them up and down. She looked about twenty-three years old. This was a small lady with short black hair. Her clothes were of the American style. The woman smiled at the Aussie girl warmly.

“Emma-chan!” she called. “So go to see you at last!” The Aussie kept her head down.

“#Yes,#” Emma replied. “#Hi Yoko.#” Yoko stepped aside for them.

“Come on in!” she called. Fujisaki and Emma walked inside as if they were in a wake. Yoko closed the door behind them. The pair took off their shoes and walked into the living room. The inside of the house looked just a nice as the outside. Emma felt displaced being here. She lived in a working class surrounding. Her dad left her and her mum, got remarried, and starting living like a rich man. Emma just didn’t fit in here. She couldn’t believe that she let Fujisaki talk her into this. This was just a bad idea. Yoko closed her hands together.

“Can I get you anything?” she asked. Emma shook her head.

“No thanks,” Fujisaki said.

“Right,” Yoko replied. “I’ll get your dad now!” Then, she disappeared up the stairs. Fujisaki and Emma sat beside of each in silence. Fujisaki looked around for a moment. The living room looked very standard. But then, something caught his eye right away. A pink and white little baby’s crib was over by the oak writing desk. Fujisaki leaned over to the Aussie.

“You didn’t tell me you had a little sister!” he whispered. Emma sighed.

“#Half-sister,#” she whispered back.

“Come on Christian,” Yoko called from upstairs. “Your daughter is here to see you!”

“#Well, I don’t want to see her!#” the man snapped.

“Why not, sweetie?” she asked.

“#Because,#” Miles-san replied. “#That girl’s just as f****d as her mum!!!#” Emma and Fujisaki heard that loud and clear. Emma looked down at her feet with a red face. Fujisaki felt sorry for her. It was a damn shame for a father to feel that way for his daughter—no matter what she did. Then, they looked up when they heard footsteps coming towards them. Yoko was sitting before them looking slight embarrassed.

“He’s coming,” she said. Emma and Fujisaki kept quiet on that note. Yoko smiled once again.

“Hey!” she called. “Would you like to see little Sakura-chan?” Emma looked up at her quickly.

“#What?!?#” she asked in surprise. The poor soul felt herself being put upon in the spotlight. She didn’t know if she should do such a thing. But before she could say a word, Yoko walked over to the crib and picked the little baby up. She was walking over to the girl with little Sakura. Emma stood up slowly. The poor Aussie was nervous all over. She wasn’t expecting all of this. She didn’t want to say no and look very rude. But before Emma could speak, Yoko shoved Sakura-chan right into her arms. Emma didn’t know what to do at all. This was her half-sister in her arms. The Aussie looked over at Fujisaki. He was just watching her in silence. Emma felt a little better as she turned back to the baby.

Sakura-can was a little cutie. This girl was so tiny and pink. They had her dressed in pink and white today. The baby was sleeping at the moment. Sakura-chan was just so precious in her arms. Yoko and Fujisaki looked on smiling. Emma began to relax some. “Okay,” she thought. “Everything is going good so far. Maybe this could work out after all…” But then, Emma froze up once again and dropped Sakura on the floor. Yoko and Fujisaki looked on it shock. The Aussie’s eyes grew big in horror. She couldn’t believe that she just did that! Oh, she was screwed now! Emma didn’t really know what to do.

“#I’m so sorry!#” she cried out. Then, she ran out of the house as fast as she could.

“Emma, wait!” Yoko called. But the Aussie girl was already gone. Fujisaki stood up and bow to the woman.

“I’m so sorry for her,” he said. Then, he headed out after his mate. Fujisaki looked around half the city for her. He couldn’t find the Aussie at all. But then, he remembered one more place he hadn’t looked yet. It was a five minute ride to the cemetery. He looked around at all of the graves. Within minutes, the keyboardist found his little Aussie friend sitting by a grave smoking. He hurried all the way over to her. Emma looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“#How did you know to find me here?#” she questioned. Fujisaki gave her a little smile. He looked over at Chelise’s grave.

“Because,” he said. “You come here you are upset.” Emma didn’t say a word. Suguru sat down beside of her. Both looked out quietly. Emma took another puff of her fag[1].

“#She was good to me, yeah?#” she said. Fujisaki looked up at her.

“Hm?” he asked her. Emma looked at him with sorrow in her eyes.

“#We were both in the Girls’ Club after school when we were younger,#” she went on. “#She was is the Tigers group and I a cub. The Tigers were the cool girls. Everyone wanted to be like the Tigers. Anyway, we were all have a slumber party at the head Tigers’ house. I hung out with the cubs and Chelise hung out with Tigers like we all normally did. The party was going nice so far. But then, I had to go to the bathroom. I tried to make it there, but a little girl was blocking my way. I couldn’t hit or push her because she was such a little ankle bitter. I was looking for a way to move around her, but I couldn’t past her. Finally, I just screamed, ‘Move out of my way you little whacker[2]!!!’ Suddenly, everyone was laughing at me. Now, I didn’t know if they were laughing at me because I wet myself or I said little whacker. When I covered up my pajama bottoms with my hands, they all were laughing louder. I was just so embarrassed at that moment. I just wished that the ground would swallow me up whole. That was the worst night in my life. But then, Chelise stood up and took me into the bathroom. She gave me her hoodie to wear for the rest of the night. She just had on a black sports bra and short shorts. Nobody laughed at her.#” Fujisaki listened the whole time in silence. He felt a new pity for her again. She might have been a wild party girl on the outside, but Emma was really lonely and sad when she was all alone.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Suguru said to her. Emma nodded at him. They stayed by Chelise’s grave for a few minutes more. Finally, Fujisaki rose up to his feet.

“Ready to go?” he asked her. The Aussie nodded at him silently. Her mate helped her to her feet. Emma left her fag on Chelise’s headstone and the pair headed off of the graveyard. Her tombstone read: Chelise Elizabeth Miles: 1984-2000 Beloved daughter, sister, and angel. We miss her so much.

That night, Fujisaki and Emma met the crew at a local bar. Their friends were already waiting for them. Hiro looked up and noticed them.

“Hey!” he called to them. Fujisaki waved back at him.

“Hey there!” he said. Emma just kept quiet. They made their way over to the bar.

“I’ll have a sake,” he said. Fujisaki turned to Emma. “You want anything? It’s on me.” Emma just shrugged and shook her head.

“#Just order whatever,#” she said. “#I don’t care.#”

“Okay then,” Fujisaki said. Then, he turned to the bar tender. “Get her some vodka.” The bar tender nodded got right to work. Fujisaki looked over at Emma.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered to her. “It’s going to be okay.” His little Aussie friend just sat there in a silent daze. The reality of losing everything had hit her hard. Meanwhile, Sid was hiding in the Sid bathroom trying to wash out his shirt. He had slipped beer onto it and was trying to clean it out. He was just about done when the English boy felt someone breathing on his nape. Sid slowly turned around and saw Arisu standing behind him. She had on a black and gold kimono-style dress. The gold leaves in her boyishly short hair seriously attracted attention. Once again, the Japanese girl had her make-up done like a Goth on Halloween. Sid looked at the girl confused.

“Arisu!” he said. “What are you doing here?” Arisu didn’t answer at first. She just breathed in hard.

“I want you to go out on a date with me!” she said quickly. Sid looked at her shocked. He wasn’t expecting this at all. The man was just blind-sighted by this request. The English boy didn’t really get time to think at all. That didn’t stop Arisu at all. She just kept going.

“Please Sid,” she pleaded. “Please say yes!” Sid was really trapped now. Then, the unexpected came out of his mouth.

“S-Sure!” Sid said quickly. “When?” Arisu looked at him happily.

“Great!” she said. “Tomorrow sounds good?”

“Sure, I guess,” the boy said. Arisu smiled again happily.

“Oh wow!” she called. “I’ll see you at seven tomorrow! Love you, bye-bye!” Then, Arisu kissed him on the lips and headed out the bathroom. Sid stood confused once again. “Uh… what just happened?” he thought. The boy sighed aloud and joined his friends in the bar once again.

Alas, there was some hope for Emma after all. Ken-san took pity upon her and talked to the school board about her situation. He pulled some strings and got her some new living quarters in the Tokyo Cram dorms. The sensei gave her a call at the bar. Emma’s eyes grew big in surprise at the number. She ran straight out of the bar to take the call.

“#Hello?#” she asked.

“Emma!” Ken-san said to her.

“Ken!” the Aussie girl said in surprise in Japanese. “What’s going on?” Ken-san explained the whole deal to her. Emma’s eyes grew big again and she ran all the way to the school. Within twenty minutes, the Aussie was being led down the hall by Ken-san with her backpack and two laundry bags of her things that the crew managed to steal back from the house in her arms. Ken-san managed to get Emma a dorm to live in. They came to dorm number 280. The English sensei turned to her.

“It’s not much,” he said. “But it will help you until graduate. Oh and here!” He handed her a small orange and white goldfish in a small jar of water with the key. Emma looked on surprised.

“I heard that you really liked fish,” he said. “So I thought that I would get you a little welcome home present.” The girl nodded as she took the fish. Ken-san stepped away from her.

“Well then,” he said. “I’ll leave you to your new place. Good night, then.” Then, Ken-san headed home for the night. Emma watched him in silence. She turned around to her new dorm. This was her new home now. There was hope for her after all. The Aussie wasn’t a lost cause in the end. Fujisaki was right; everything was going to look up for her after all. Emma could barely contain her excitement at such happiness. She had to take in a few breaths to calm down again. “Right!” she thought. Then, Emma pulled out her key and unlocked the door. She slowly opened the door.

The inside looked very clean. This was the same size as her bedroom. Emma just herself a little smile. Ken-san was right; it wasn’t much but it would have to do for now. But Emma didn’t care. She was happy to have a place to live now. The Aussie girl set down her things and sat down on the bed with her fish. Emma looked all around at the wall. In a few days, everything would be touched up just beautifully to fit her. Emma reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an almost empty case of pills. She popped the last one in her pill. Then, she covered the jar with her hand enough to drink and not try to kill the new fish. She took a quick sip and swallowed the pill. Then, the Aussie stuck the empty pill case up against the wall. Yes my friends, she was home at last!


[1] Fag= Cigarette to the English

[2] Whacker= Idiot or dickhead in Australian


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