C-ko's Sweet and Sour 16

Before we begin, I need to point out something. I'm not following the time-line established by Henry Cobb and the Role-Playing Game about when certain events take place in the Project A-ko universe. I believe that both A-ko and C-ko are already 16 when they transfer to Graviton High.

The Japanese school year isn't quite like the American one, and people change grades at different times. It's my belief that A-ko and C-ko transfer to Graviton High in spring after all three girls turn 16. After all, they are transferring into an already existing class structure. Add to this the fact that summer break takes place during movie #2, according to the opening narrative is only a few short weeks after the events of movie #1. Most Japanese schools have their summer break in August, so the series must open in spring of the year following the first year of a 3 year High School career.

Also, add to this the idea that movie #3 takes place in Spring break of the year following, and that A-ko and B-ko are actively pursuing men (well, Kei at any rate). In Japanese culture this would be more acceptable (at least in movies and manga) for a 17 year-old, not a 16 year-old, so I think I'm right.

And even if I'm way off base, my method is more fun because it allows me to do something I've always wanted to do. Write a prequel to the series.

When Henry decided that this year's Project A-ko Fanfic Contest would be about C-ko's 16th birthday I had my title almost instantly. But how to make it work...

Ah! Early in the first movie there's a line from A-ko that belies how much trouble C-ko has gotten into in the past because of her cooking. So how can I resist?

(I am C-ko of Borg! Eat this! Resistance is futile!)

Anyway, here you go....

* * * * *

"Lunchtime!" C-ko shouted gleefully, placing a box of food in front of A-ko. "I made it just for you!"

C-ko had gotten the idea of presenting her close friend A-ko with a private lunch from her favorite television show, Orange Angel. But A-ko didn't look like she was taking it too well.

"Uh, thanks..." A-ko stammered, looking a bit zombie-ish. "You remember the last time you cooked...?"

* * * * *

A-ko can be so mean sometimes! I'll forgive her, because I know she really doesn't mean it. That was a whole lifetime ago, it seems! Besides, we were at a different school last term and you just knew that everything was going to go wrong!

But what a birthday, let me tell you!

It all started during entrance exams to get into Crater High School... (cultural note: in Japan you have to take placement exams to get into high school)

* * * * *

A-ko and C-ko sat on A-ko's bed in her room, each with math book before her. Although they had teamed up to study for the make-up exams that would take place next week, neither one of them was doing much studying. A-ko had put on a Queen record and was humming along, while C-ko was drawing bunny rabbits in her math book.

Thru no fault of their own, both A-ko and C-ko had missed their exams at the end of the school year. A-ko because she was traveling with her father, and C-ko because of a traumatic event involving a chicken and a motorcycle. C-ko was well known for having something of a fragile psyche so the school administrators agreed to let her take the make-up exam.

So there they were, in early September, both trying hard not to look like they weren't studying. And failing.

"A-ko," C-ko said.

"What is it C-ko?" A-ko asked, rolling onto her back.

"When we're done here how about we go swimming at the pool?"

A-ko smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me," she replied. She rolled back over to look at her book, frowning. "But we could be a while, so how about tomorrow instead?" A-ko sighed. "There's so much to know for this test!"

C-ko sighed. "At least we'll be taking it together!" she beamed. "With the two of us together we won't have any problems at all!"

"We won't be able to help each other on the exam. We'll be lucky to be seated in the same room!"

C-ko frowned with a "Humph! Oh they'll seat us in the same room all right, or I'll cry the place down!"

A-ko laughed. "You always say that!"

"It always works!" C-ko stood up. "Hey, I'll tell you what! After the exam let's go into the city and explore!"

"I don't know," A-ko replied. "We're both probably going to be pretty tired..."

"But it's my birthday!" C-ko's eyes moistened up.

"The exam is on your birthday?" A-ko asked, astonished.

C-ko sniffed. "Uh, huh!"

A-ko knew what was coming; tears like a waterfall, but was also honestly astonished for a change. They had known each other over 9 years and she had forgotten C-ko's birthday! Again!

"Okay, let's do it then," A-ko said.

C-ko brightened again, like a switch being thrown. "Yeah! I'm going exploring with A-ko, I'm going exploring with A-ko..."

* * * * *

After C-ko left A-ko turned off her stereo and switched on the television. Ranma Flash was on, which she didn't much care for, so she fell back onto her bed and just used the television for background noise.

"I can't believe I forgot C-ko's birthday!" she fumed to herself. "I suppose it understandable, what with the exams and all, but still! I forgot it last year, and the year before that too!

"What on earth am I going to get for her this year?

The last year she had forgotten C-ko's birthday by nearly a week, and felt so guilty about it that she gave her best friend a briefcase with her name in a circular medallion attached to the handle. It had cost her a month's allowance.

But she honestly had no idea at all what to get her. C-ko didn't have much in the way of personal possessions, and being a ward of the state she had all the clothes she could ever need.

She thought back over the long time they had known each other. From the day A-ko had rescued her from that bully (what was her name? Aw, who cares at this point) and had stuck up for the little girl from the orphanage they had been very close. C-ko had needed a protector and A-ko had wanted someone to show off to. They had been a perfect match, and even though A-ko no longer needed to show off her strength to anyone (the lecture from her father still rung in her ears) they had remained close, and A-ko had remained her protector.

C-ko was still an orphan, after all, from the time of the original meteor strike nearly 16 years ago. A-ko snorted. Knowing her luck C-ko was probably born the same day the meteor hit.

But what to get her? What do you get for someone who lives in an orphanage and can't keep much of anything besides her school books and her clothes?

Light bulb!

A-ko sat up quickly in bed. "Got it!" she shouted.

* * * * *

The next day saw A-ko and C-ko lying on deck chairs at the local public pool, hoping to get a bit tan. It never seemed to work for A-ko, but still she tried. She had even taken off her wrist bands to make certain her arms would match the rest of her. She moved slowly because of that. It wouldn't do to be banned from another swimming pool.

C-ko was eating an ice cream and amazingly not dripping anything on her. A-ko turned her head to look at her friend. "I don't get it," she said. "How is it that you can eat so much and stay so slim?"

"What are you talking about A-ko?" C-ko asked. "You're not fat or anything like that."

"I know, but I'm bigger than you are, and you eat at least as much as I do, and I eat a lot!"

C-ko shrugged and took a big bite of her ice cream. "I never really thought about it," she answered. "I've never learned how to cook so I really don't give food much thought."

"Don't you ever use the kitchens at..."

"Nope! I never need to. The staff always have breakfast and lunch ready to go when I wake up, and dinner is always ready when I get back, unless I'm out with you. I suppose I should learn, but there's never really been a need."

A-ko sat up. "It seems to me that you should learn," she said. "After all, in another three years you won't have other people around to cook for you, and even if we're roommates than I'm not going to cook all the time."

C-ko nodded. "So will you teach me?"

A-ko smiled. "Sure! Tell you what, let's go downtown and get a couple of cookbooks. Call it an early birthday present, although I actually have something else in mind for your birthday itself. Then let's go back to my place and see what we can whip up, all right?"

"Sounds great!"

* * * * *

Once they were back at A-ko's house they secluded themselves in the kitchen with their textbooks and cookbooks and started to see what they could rummage up. They finally decided to try a simple teriyaki rice dish wish vegetables. C-ko referred back to the cookbook frequently, while A-ko asked her math questions.

"What's the easiest way to find a square root?" A-ko asked.

"Three!" C-ko answered.

A-ko looked up. "Three?"

"Four!" C-ko was pouring teaspoons of soy sauce into the pot the rice was cooking in.

"C-ko," A-ko admonished. "We need to know this stuff by next Monday!"

"I know, I know," C-ko replied. "But this is fun! I could really get to enjoy this! Say, do you need to know math in cooking school?"

"Probably," A-ko answered, a bit upset. "How many teaspoons in a liter, that sort of thing."

"Oh, I know my metrics, don't you worry about that. I wouldn't want to try making an American dish for a while yet so I won't have to worry about pints and acres and stuff like that. Maybe I've found my calling!"

A-ko laughed. "Maybe so. But let's wait and judge when the rice is done."

C-ko nodded and turned back to the boiling pot. "Where are your peas?" she asked.

"Refrigerator," A-ko answered, looking back down at her textbook.

C-ko opened the door and rummaged around, climbing deeper and deeper into the refrigerator. "I can't find them!" she shouted.

"They should be right in front," A-ko replied, not looking up.

"Well, I don't see them... Oh! I know! I'll just chop up these!"

"I don't think you're supposed to cut up peas."

"It will work, trust me!" C-ko climbed back out of the refrigerator, shivering a bit but warming up quickly.

A-ko, realizing that C-ko would not be able to study until she was finished, returned to her book. Her algebra was a bit off, so she spent the next half hour silently going over formulae while C-ko hummed happily and cooked. The next time A-ko looked up a plate was before her with the meal C-ko had just cooked.

"Here you go," C-ko said. I made it just for you! Try some!"

"It looks good," A-ko said. Rice browned in soy sauce and sugar, with carrots and chopped peas. A-ko suddenly realized that she was hungry, so she took a pair of chopsticks and shoveled a large helping of the rice into her mouth.

C-ko, sitting across the table, looked on eagerly. "Well?" she asked.

A-ko was starting to turn red. She looked around frantically for something to drink, and finally had to run to the kitchen sink and bring her mouth up to the faucet. She drank deeply.

"A-ko?" C-ko asked. "Do you like it?"

A-ko still drank, but after a moment turned the water off and opened her mouth to reply. Steam escaped instead. She tried again. "Spicy!" she shouted.

C-ko frowned. "Spicy? Oh come on A-ko, it's hardly spiced at all!"

A-ko waved her hand at her face, trying to cool off. "Just the same it's very very hot!" How did you manage that with what soy sauce, sugar, rice, carrots and peas?"

"Oh I never did find the peas," C-ko said.

"Then what's the green stuff?"

"I found this bag of green vegetables and decided to chop it up to look like peas. I'm not sure what they were, but they smelled great."

A-ko looked down at her plate. "Jalapeños! You chopped up a bunch of jalapeño peppers! Those things are special from Mexico that dad got on his last business trip. They're extremely spicy!"

C-ko looked dubiously at her plate, then took a small bite. "Ahhhh! Hot hot hot hot hot hot hot!" She ran for the sink and drank the same way A-ko had just done, while A-ko just watched. When C-ko could breathe and speak again she sat on the kitchen floor and started to cry.

"Oh A-ko, I had wanted this to be perfect!" C-ko shouted.

A-ko sat down on the floor next to C-ko. "It's all right," she said. "After all, this was your first try. You'll do better next time."

C-ko sniffed, calming down. "Think so?"

"Oh, come on. I know so! besides, everyone is allowed a kitchen disaster now and then."

C-ko nodded. "Okay." C-ko jumped up quickly, smiling. "Should we try now?"

A-ko shook her head. "Let's just order a pizza for now. We have studying to do!"

C-ko groaned. "Oh, all right. But just you wait! I'll cook you a gourmet meal before my birthday!"

* * * * *

I wish it had actually turned out that way. But A-ko was serious about studying and I really can't blame her. She helped me get focused too, because I wanted to stay in the same class with my bestest friend no matter what!

I didn't even get to look at my new cookbook again until the day of the exam...

* * * * *

Din - don!

A-ko rolled over, covering her head with her pillow.

Din - don!

A-ko rolled again, this time off of her bed completely. She sat up with a start. "Huh? What?" She glanced around the room, uncommonly bright.

"What time is it?" She asked aloud.

Din - don! Din - don! "A-ko! Wake up!" C-ko's voice came from downstairs and in front of the house. "We just can't be late today!"

A-ko stood up so fast that it took a moment for her blood to catch up. "Oh my gosh! The exam!"

Don't bother trying to understand the next 15 seconds. It could be replayed in slow motion and you probably still wouldn't see all of it. Let's just say that the house shook, A-ko got dressed in her red white and blue sailor uniform, a flock of birds suddenly went alight from the roof of the house, a noise approximating the whispering scream of an elephant with a piano dropped on it's tail emanated from the front window, and then A-ko burst out of the house, grabbing C-ko's arm and running towards the school, down towards the crater floor of Graviton City.

"We've only got 5 minutes to make it to school!" A-ko shouted back to C-ko.

C-ko just gritted her teeth and hung on. "Shortcut?" she asked, half-frightened yet half excited.

"Um!" A-ko managed, nodding against the wind resistance. "Hang on!"

A-ko jumped into the air, and using a roof as a springboard, proceeded to leapfrog three blocks. Then she did it again.

"Whee!" C-ko yelled.

At the second landing (only ten blocks from the school) A-ko had to turn a sudden corner. She did so without slowing down, unfortunately for the brown-haired man walking towards the school from that exact position.

KA-POW!

A-ko slowed down, but only slightly. "Sorry!" she called back.

"Did you see who we just hit?" C-ko asked.

"Nope! Too busy!" A-ko yelled. They were only a block away from the school now.

"It was Yuukoso-sensei!"

A-ko slowed down. Then stopped. "Our teacher?" she asked, wide-eyed.

C-ko turned and looked back down the road. "That's him all right," she said.

A-ko turned slowly around, fearful. When she finally faced the way they had come, there was Yuukoso-sensei, limping towards them at a distance of five blocks. A-ko slapped her hand to her forehead. "I'm doomed!"

A-ko quickly ran back to her teacher. "Are you all right?" she asked, helping the teacher towards the school. "I'm awfully sorry about that. I simply wanted to make absolutely certain that we were on time for the exam and I... I..." she paused to look at her teacher, who didn't look pleased.

"I'm so very sorry," A-ko said.

The teacher stood up straight, with some effort. "At least you want to be here," he said. "That shows character. Head for class, and I will be there momentarily to begin the exam."

A-ko bowed deeply, blushing. "Sensei!" she said, running back to C-ko.

Yuukoso-sensei looked towards the retreating girl. "As if taking the exam will help you now," he muttered under his breath.

* * * * *

A-ko and C-ko sat in their desks, three seats apart.

"The exam will last three hours," Yuukoso-sensei stated quietly. "Begin!"

As both A-ko and C-ko began reading and scribbling furiously, the teacher looked closely at both girls. "C-ko will be quite pretty when she's just a bit older," he thought to himself.

* * * * *

The three hours passed faster than either A-ko or C-ko would have imagined, but pass they did and soon they were ready to leave.

"When will we know our grades?" A-ko asked.

Yuukoso-sensei smiled. "If you like, I will grade them today," he stated. "Come back in an hour and I'll give you the results."

C-ko nodded at A-ko. "Good!" she yelled. "We have just enough time!"

A-ko looked puzzled. "Enough time for what?"

"We're going to make some bread!"

As A-ko and C-ko left, Yuukoso-sensei watched C-ko with a bit of wonder. "And she can cook too," he thought. "I'll have to see what I can do to keep her here..."

* * * * *

C-ko almost ran to the kitchen upon their return to A-ko's home. A-ko started calling out the ingredients they would need while she went upstairs and changed. Occasionally C-ko would ask where something was, like the eggs for example, but she managed to find all the ingredients necessary and only the ingredients necessary by the time A-ko had changed and joined her in the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't want to make a cake?" asked A-ko. "After all, it is your birthday."

C-ko nodded. "I can have cake all the time," she replied. "I'm sure I'll have some at home tonight. But bread is kind of special, and I've never made it before."

"You've never made cake before either, you know. Bread is harder than cake. It has to rise for a while."

C-ko looked at A-ko from the kitchen counter. "I know," she said. "I've been reading on how it's prepared. We're still going downtown to look around, just like you promised. The dough can rise while we're out, and then we can bake it after we come back from the school and get our grades."

A-ko smiled. "Sounds like a plan!"

C-ko carefully mixed all the ingredients under A-ko's supervision, and with A-ko's help kneaded the bread. They then found a clean bowl and covered the dough with a towel, then stored the whole thing in a warm spot.

"According to the recipe book it needs to rise for about an hour," C-ko said. "That's just enough time to do our errands and get back."

"Do you want to swing by home and get changed from your school clothes?" A-ko asked.

"Yes!" C-ko replied. "Come on, A-ko, let's go!"

* * * * *

They explored around the inner city at the bottom of the crater for about 45 minutes, eating some crepes and running from shop to shop looking at things. C-ko wanted to spend a lot of time at her favorite doll shop to look at the kappa dolls, but after discovering that her favorite one had been sold a few days earlier C-ko seemed a bit depressed.

"I was going to buy that one for myself today," she sobbed.

"That's a shame really," A-ko replied. "Hey, maybe we can go find another one!"

C-ko just shook her head sadly. "That kappa doll was a one of a kind. I asked about it last week, and the store owner told me that only about a dozen were made and that that was the last one around. So I guess I won't be getting one..." Tears flowed slowly down her face.

A-ko looked at her friend with a look of determination. "Then let's investigate!"

"Hmm?"

"Let's see if we can find out who bought it and track them down. Then maybe we can convince them to sell or give the doll to you!"

"You think so?"

"Sure!" A-ko gave C-ko's left cheek a gentle squeeze. "Besides, how could anyone resist a face like that?"

"You mean it?" C-ko's face brightened. "Yay!"

A-ko went and found the shop owner and had a quick discussion with him, then returned. "He says that the man who bought the doll was fairly tall, with sharp glasses. Strong looking, with a lock of hair dangling down his forehead."

"Sounds like your father," C-ko said.

A-ko took a surprised step back. "Yeah, er... uh... I guess so. But it's not my birthday or anything and my dad would never buy something like that for me, so it must be someone else!"

C-ko hung her head down. "Yeah, I suppose so." While looking down she noticed her watch. "A-ko, the time! Sensei should have the test results by now!"

A-ko grabbed C-ko's arm and dashed out of the store, the front door swinging off in their wake. "Let's hurry!"

* * * * *

Yuukoso-sensei was waiting for them when A-ko and C-ko arrived. He had a self-satisfied smile on his face, which brought both girls up short.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," C-ko said. "Sensei, what are the results?"

"Miss Kotobuki," Yuukoso said, grinning. "Your grades are just enough. You can start high school."

C-ko leapt high into the air. "Yay!" She hugged A-ko. "Great! We can move on up together!"

"However..." Yuukoso began.

C-ko froze in mid-hug. "Huh?"

"Miss Megami, I'm afraid your scores were not quite... enough. While your scores would be sufficient to gain you entrance to another school, I'm afraid that the program of excellence this school requires of it's students means that your scores are not enough to gain you admittance to the next year."

To A-ko the blow was crushing. "You mean..." she stammered.

"I mean that you cannot advance within this school's program."

"That can't be!" C-ko yelled.

"I am sorry," the teacher said, hanging his head, "but the scores do not lie. There is nothing I can do."

C-ko began to wail, while A-ko simply stood there, stunned. "What will I do?" she finally asked.

"I can give you the names of other schools with programs that can help you bring your grades back up to this level," Yuukoso-sensei stated. "Graviton High for Girls for example. Or you can repeat 3rd year middle school again. I will send a list of options to your home in a few days."

A-ko gulped and nodded. "How am I going to explain this to my parents?" she thought.

C-ko's tears flowed like a river. "A-ko, we'll be separated," she cried. "What will we do?"

The teacher watched the scene impassively, as his role as teacher required. But behind his mask he was happy with the turn of events. Test scores do not lie, but people do, he thought. I can have words with Miss Kotobuki at a later date. Then I can arrange to have her placed in one of my classes. He smiled. Perfect!

* * * * *

After receiving the bad news A-ko no longer felt like going home. She was angry and depressed, and slowly walked away from the school, in the opposite direction of her home. C-ko walked behind her, uncertain what to say.

"I'll have to change schools," A-ko said, hanging her head. "This is terrible!"

"I don't know what to say, A-ko," C-ko said.

"I know. At least you did well." A-ko looked up. "I'm happy for you that you'll be moving up C-ko."

"But if you won't be there what fun will that be?"

A-ko stopped and looked sternly at her friend. "We'll still see each other," she said. "Just after school, that's all. C-ko, school is too important for you to be worrying about having fun during the day."

"I know," C-ko sighed. She brightened. "Hey! Maybe I can transfer schools with you!"

A-ko smiled. "Transferring for no reason? That won't be easy. Besides, I need to figure out which school I'm going to transfer to! There's the tech school downtown, there's Graviton School for Girls up at the top of the city..."

"Well, wherever you wind up I'll find a way to join you, don't you worry. I'll cry the whole city down if we can't be together!"

A-ko finally laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you would. We need to figure this out, don't we?"

"Yeah. " C-ko looked down the street. "Hey! There's Yuukoso-sensei! Let's see what I would need to do to transfer." C-ko ran down the street towards the teacher, who looked up startled.

At first A-ko kept back, not wanting to see the teacher right now, but it quickly became apparent that C-ko and the teacher were fighting so she ran up to join them. When she got there, C-ko was crying.

"C-ko! What's wrong?" A-ko asked.

"Sensei won't let me transfer! He says that I can't go with you to your new school!"

Yuukoso-sensei stood up straight and coughed. "How proper would it be to let a student transfer schools for purely social reasons?" he asked.

A-ko nodded. "I know, but look at her! This is what you'll see every day if she doesn't transfer!" C-ko was bawling now.

Yuukoso-sensei looked down in concern. "Miss Kotobuki," he began, then stopped. He was unprepared for how much the girl was crying. "...Miss Kotobuki, just because I decided to flunk your friend..." He slapped his hand to his mouth, realizing what he had said. He slowly looked up at A-ko to see if she had heard.

She had.

A-ko looked at the teacher with venom. "Do you mean that my grades are good enough, and you just decided to flunk me!?"

Yuukoso-sensei took a step back. "Well... I..." He stood up straight again. "And what if I did? What could you possibly do about it? This young girl," he pointed to C-ko, "will do well in our environment on her own. Where she can be led hand-in-hand with her teacher..." Again Yuukoso-sensei stopped, suddenly realizing what he had said. He looked over to C-ko to see if she had noticed what he had said.

She had.

C-ko stopped crying. "You want to separate us so that you can spend time with me?" C-ko was shocked.

A-ko stared fire at the teacher. "Now I'm really... really mad!" A-ko stomped her right foot down as she said the word "mad". The pavement cracked, then buckled completely. Yuukoso-sensei was propelled fifteen feet into the air. He landed with a satisfying sounding "thwack!"

A-ko stalked over to the teacher, who sat up slowly, stunned. "We're transferring, right?" she demanded.

"Yeah! Right?" C-ko added.

The teacher looked around, realizing what had just happened to him. "I will start the paperwork today..." he stammered.

"Good!" A-ko yelled. The teacher was propelled back another foot. "You wouldn't want me any angrier, would you?"

"No no, of course not! I'll have the proper forms to each of your homes by the end of the week!"

A-ko took a step back and relaxed. "Arigato, sensei." She turned to C-ko. "That was easier than I thought it would be!"

C-ko nodded happily. "We'll still be together!" she shouted. She jumped into the air, then her mood suddenly changed when she landed. "A-ko?" she asked. "What about our bread?"

"Oh no!" A-ko shouted. She grabbed C-ko's arm and began to run.

"Sayonara!" C-ko called back to the teacher, who still sat in the middle of the road.

Yuukoso-sensei looked away, knowing his plans had been ruined. A tear came to his eye. "C-ko-san!" he whispered.

* * * * *

They returned home to find a small fire in the kitchen. They had left the bread in the oven to rise, and while the oven was in fact not even on the bread had been allowed to rise for too long. It had overflowed the pan and covered the inside of the oven, and had finally reached the gas pilot light. Thus the fire.

A-ko grabbed a towel and quickly beat out the flames, putting a couple of dents into the oven while she was doing it. Meanwhile C-ko ran around the house and opened windows to let out the smoke. They regrouped in the living room, away from the smoke.

"So much for the bread," A-ko commented. She looked at her friend. "Today hasn't exactly gone as planned, has it?"

"Yeah, some birthday this turned out to be," C-ko replied. "First the test, then we couldn't find the doll I wanted, then a teacher conspired to separate us, and now we're both changing schools!" C-ko sat on a chair. "What a day!"

"Well, once the smoke clears and we can clean up in there, maybe we should try again and plan dinner. We can recover this day yet!"

"You think so?"

"Sure." A-ko sat down as well. "We need to decide where we're transferring to."

"Any ideas?"

"I'm thinking Graviton High School for Girls. It's not that far away, and it might be fun to have classes at the top of the city instead of down in the crater."

"Umm," C-ko said. "I suppose so. I guess that would mean that I would be picking you up instead of the other way around."

A-ko smiled. "I suppose so. Hey! That means I can sleep in a few minutes more in the mornings!"

"Oh no you don't! We're late all the time as it is! I'll be outside your door in plenty of time to make it to school. I'll wake you up if I have to!"

Both C-ko and A-ko laughed.

* * * * *

An hour later, C-ko was working in the kitchen making dinner while A-ko cleaned up the house to get rid of the smoke smell. This time C-ko wasn't asking for any help, but told A-ko that all she was going to do was put together a few things she already knew tasted good. Every once and a while she asked A-ko where something was, and judging from the list of ingredients that A-ko knew it would probably turn out all right this time.

She was wrong.

After the first bite, A-ko's face turned a slighter shade of pale, then a sort of blue. Then she spit out the food. "Ugh! That was awful!" she yelled. "What's in this?"

"All kinds of good stuff!" C-ko said gleefully. "Pickles, chocolate, beans, rice, shrimp, say sauce, sugar, pepper, oranges, carrots, milk..."

A-ko was stunned. "You mixed all of those things together?"

"Yep! Used your blender and then simmered the rice in the mixture! Good huh?"

A-ko had to fight to keep from turning green. "Why don't you give it a try?" she asked, pushing her plate towards C-ko.

C-ko took her chopsticks and sampled the food. Her smile faded. Then she ran to the sink to spit out the food. "Ugh!"

A-ko laughed. "You can't just mix things because you like them!" she said. "Face it, C-ko, you're a terrible cook!"

C-ko looked up from the sink, the tears flowing again. "A-ko, you're so mean!" she shouted. C-ko ran out of the kitchen, then out of the house.

"C-ko?" A-ko said, bewildered by the sudden change in mood. After a moment, she decided to give chase.

* * * * *

A-ko lost track of C-ko quickly and after a few moments of searching she gave up and returned home. She then got her school bag together and decided to head over to C-ko's home, figuring that if all else failed they could meet there.

A-ko felt a bit bad about how she had treated C-ko. Not that it was her fault or anything. After all, C-ko hadn't used anything resembling common sense about preparing the meal. But still A-ko felt bad.

"She always does this to me," she muttered to herself as she walked to the orphanage. "Every time I feel that she's done something wrong it all gets twisted around like it's my fault!" A-ko grimaced in anger. "It gets me so steamed!"

She looked down at her school bag and the anger went away. "Ah, well then, it's just the way she is," A-ko said. She looked up at the trees that were planted in front of the place C-ko stayed. "It's like asking the Cherry Blossoms not to bloom. It's just how things are." A-ko smiled. "I'll make it up to her..."

"Kyaaaaaa!"

A-ko looked down the road, startled. She couldn't see anyone, but she knew that scream. It was C-ko. She began to run towards the scream.

* * * * *

C-ko had decided to simply return home. Things would probably be all right soon enough, but it still hurt to have had A-ko say how bad a cook she was. Deep down, she knew A-ko was right, but it still hurt to have heard the words.

She was slowly approaching the street she lived on when she heard a voice say "Hey little girl..." She looked up to see three men, probably seniors in High School from the look of their clothes. She stopped and took a step back, frightened.

All three boys took a step forward. One had red hair, another was blond, while the third, the one who had first called out to her, had hair of a blue-ish silver, like an anime cartoon. All of them were smirking.

"Do you want to learn the ways of the world?" Blue asked.

Red patted Blue on the shoulder. "I don't know about this one," he said. "She looks too young."

Blue shook his head, but Blond answered. "I've seen her around. She's High School age."

Red laughed. "Maybe barely."

"Old enough," Blue said with a frown. He turned to C-ko. "We can educate you about the ways of the world, my dear. Would you like to go with us on... well... a date?"

Red laughed again. "Yeah, a date!" All three boys started to approach C-ko. That was when she screamed.

A moment later all three boys started to uncover their ears. "Impressive lungs," Blue said. "We should really put those to the test." Blue was only one step away from C-ko now, but he hesitated. A rumble had begun, feeling like a small earthquake. He looked up and turned around just in time to see his two companions fly into the air in a blur. The both landed several meters away, obviously out for the count. Blue looked to see what had caused this.

It was another school girl, with red hair. She looked pissed.

"Oh! A-ko!" C-ko yelled, jumping happily.

"Are you all right?" A-ko called to C-ko.

C-ko only nodded, but looked up at Blue fearfully. Blue, for his part, took a step towards A-ko and them bowed. "A-ko is it?" he said. "Strong spirit. But those two," he pointed to his unmoving companions, "are weak. I'm not, and apparently neither are you. Would you like to accompany me for a fun time?"

A-ko blushed briefly, then the anger returned. "Why would I want to go with a jerk like you?" she asked. "You tried to hurt my friend. That's not forgivable!"

Blue bowed again. "Well then... I'm going to have one of you tonight, so we had best come to a solution."

"The only way that will happen is if you manage to knock me out..."

"So be it!" Blue ran towards A-ko, much faster than she had expected. Blue landed the first blow, which sent A-ko back into a wall.

Blue stood back and let the damage sink in. "As you can see, my dear," he said, "I'm as fast as you, and maybe as strong. Maybe stronger because I'm a guy. Still want to stay to that knock-out claim?" At least that's what he would have said if not for the fact that A-ko had launched herself at him, slamming into him mid-chest as he said knock-out. Blue was knocked back almost ten meters, flat on his back.

"Still think you're as strong as me?" A-ko asked.

Blue got up slowly, then bowed again. "This is going to be fun," he said, smiling. He ran at A-ko again.

They fought for several minutes, knocking each other through trees, walls, and once even into the sewers below the street, while C-ko cheered A-ko on. It could have continued for a long time, but finally Blue and A-ko stood five meters apart, both trying to catch their breath. Then A-ko had an idea.

She looked at her opponent and noticed that he didn't have a hindrance that she did. She took a step back and bowed. "So much for round one," she said, removing her wrist bands.

C-ko saw what A-ko was doing and cried out, "A-ko!"

A-ko looked at C-ko and smiled. "It's all right, I know what I'm doing." She looked back at Blue. "After round two it will be your turn," she said. She motioned with both hands, urging Blue to resume the fight.

Blue smiled an evil smile and charged A-ko. When he reached her A-ko grabbed his shirt and used his momentum to spin around. She built up speed, and then let go.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh...." The voice got smaller and smaller as Blue flew away into the distance, towards the harbor at the bottom of the crater. Blue landed on the water, skipped like a flat stone 27 times before stopping on the shore at the far side with a crash.

A-ko brushed herself off. "That may have been a record. So much for round two," she said, replacing the wrist bands. She looked at C-ko. "Are you all right?" she asked again.

C-ko nodded happily. "Um!"

"Good! I have something for you." A-ko retrieved her school bag from near the (still) unconscious boys and brought it over to C-ko. She opened the bag and pulled out the Kappa Doll that C-ko had wanted.

C-ko looked up at A-ko in surprise. "You found it?" she asked.

A-ko shook her head. "No. I had it all along. I asked my father to get it while we were taking the exam. Happy birthday C-ko!"

C-ko took the doll and hugged it, then in a rush hugged A-ko. "Oh A-ko! This is a birthday I'll never forget! Not as long as I live!"

* * * * *

And I haven't. We've both started Graviton High School for Girls today, and today I'm going to do my best to thank A-ko by feeding her lunch. So when A-ko brought up that last time I cooked for her, back on my birthday, I had a response all ready!

"Oh, I can cook a whole lot better now. Besides, that was a long time ago........"

THE END......................(not!)

And that's the end of my entry for the 1998 Henry Cobb Fanfic contest! Hope you liked it! To go back to The Graviton City Gazette click HERE