Advent '09 [2/25]
Advent 09
December 2nd - 23 days to go
Kanae watched as Kyoko scrubbed at the same bit of floor that she had been scrubbing for an hour.
Usually, this type of behaviour meant that her friend was thinking about something, or irritated, or angry, or fantasising...
Ok. There were a lot of things that that type of behaviour could mean. But Kanae would bet the bright pink uniform that she was wearing that it was more along the lines of angry or irritated. And yeah, the dark cloud of swirling miasma that was currently seeping its way down the hall was a clue.
Kanae had already stopped her own work quite some time ago and was watching her friend work, vaguely wondering if she should say something...or if there was even any floor left underneath Kyoko's scrubbing brush.
From where she was standing, leaning against her mop, Kanae could see workers and visitors turning into the corridor and then immediately turn back around again and leave as quickly as possible.
So far, Kanae had counted twenty four.
She couldn't decide whether to be amused at their reactions or just find them pathetic.
Eventually she decided on a strange mixture of both. However, when Kyoko started to mutter under her breath, she knew it was time to stop this...whatever this was...once and for all.
"Kyoko?" She asked hesitantly. Normally she would have just barged in, ignoring everyone's feelings, and come straight out with what she had to say.
But the mood Kyoko was in now, the mood she had been in since yesterday morning...
She really didn't want to tempt any Higher Powers.
Kyoko stopped scrubbing and turned her head jerkily until she could she Kanae out of the corner of her eye.
Kanae shivered. With Kyoko's hair shadowing her face like that and the flash of florescent lighting catching her eye...she looked like a demon.
An extremely pissed off demon.
Kanae went to speak again but she only managed to force a squeak past her tight throat muscles.
She frowned, irritated with herself that she would let something like the sight her friend was in terrify her. She had faced hoards of sugar-deprived children with nothing more than a pillow and her toothbrush! She could handle this.
"Kyoko." She said again, mentally congratulating herself when her voice came out much stronger, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Kyoko answered tersely.
Kanae eyed the hole in the floor that Kyoko had scrubbed. "Really." She said disbelievingly.
Kyoko looked from Kanae to hole in front of her and blushed a dull red. Embarrassment was quickly overtaken by anger. "Urgh. It's just..."
Kanae raised an eyebrow.
"It's Sho!" Kyoko shouted, standing suddenly and throwing down her scrubbing brush. Kanae watched as it skittered down the hallway.
"What's he done this time?"
"Everything! Nothing!" Kyoko gripped her hair, "Argh! I don't know any more."
"You're making perfect sense. Tell me more."
Kyoko shot her friend a glare at the sarcasm. Kanae was unperturbed. "He's being annoying lately, always following me around - like a stalker! And I had just gotten rid of the last one too. But now he's all like - 'Oooh, Kyoko. I saved you so you owe me now' - and I don't!"
"He's trying to get you to pay him back because he saved you..?" Kanae asked hesitantly, unable to completely follow Kyoko's logic in this.
"Yes! No. I...maybe?"
Kanae looked at her blankly.
"It's just," Kyoko continued, "he's been acting really close, like I owe him something, then yesterday he stalks me and tells me that his manager is taking him away on holiday!"
"I'm not really following. What has the holiday got to do with any of this?"
"Don't you see? He wanted to rub my nose in it that he has a manager! That he's successful and I'm not! That he's going on holiday and I'm stuck here!"
Kanae looked at her friend. "You got all this from - 'I'm going on holiday.'?"
"Yes!" Kyoko nodded her head emphatically, "Don't you?"
"Um..."
Kanae was saved from having to answer that loaded question when an announcement blared over the speaker systems.
"Could the members of Love Me please report to President Takarada's office immediately. I repeat, could the members of Love Me please report to President Takarada's office immediately. Thank you."
Kanae and Kyoko stared at the speaker in slight shock.
"When did we get a P.A. system?" Kyoko asked.
"Who knows? I try not to think about these things too much."
-/-
Lory chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the last two members of his little gathering slip through the doors.
Finally! It was finally time!
Standing he brushed down his General uniform. He had chosen it specifically for today. True it wasn't in the festive spirit but for how he had arranged everything over the last two days he felt that the uniform was warranted.
And no, he didn't think it odd.
To their credit, his gathered attendees didn't even blink at his outfit. Not even when the sunlight caught his pips and practically blinded them. This was good!
He had trained them well.
He brought his riding crop out from behind his back and slammed it down on the desk, at the same time yelling "ATTEN-HUT!"
He felt only the briefest amount of pleasure at the sight of them jumping.
"Soldiers!" He called out passionately to the room, "Tomorrow all will be well!"
There was silence.
Lory waited until one of them spoke up to ask just what he was going on about.
He was not to be disappointed. After a few moments where it seemed that no one was going to speak up, Yashiro bravely stepped to the plate.
"What's happening tomorrow, Sir?"
"Why! I'm glad you asked that!"
"...You are?" Yashiro looked uncertain.
"Tomorrow," Lory continued, ignoring Yashiro, "We invade Italy!"
There was silence again, but this time it was disbelief.
"What?" Ren asked.
"Isn't that illegal?" Kanae said blankly.
Yashiro just looked at Lory like he had grown another head and put on a dress.
Lory brushed off their questions and weird looks.
"Um..." Kyoko said hesitantly. "Why?"
"Aha!" Lory shouted and whipped his riding crop up until it was pointing straight in Kyoko's face. She took an alarmed step back. "That's a very good question!" He continued. "We're doing this because they have taken my snow hostage!"
"That's it, he's crazy." Kanae muttered under her breath. Yashiro looked like he joined her in her thoughts on their President.
"H-hostage?" Kyoko swallowed nervously, taking another half step back from the riding crop.
"Oh no!" Maria breathed, "What will we do?"
Lory smiled at his granddaughter and scooped her up in his arms, sitting her on his hip. "That's why we're going to invade! To take back the snow!"
Maria's eyes brightened. "We're going to Italy?"
At this all the others in the room perked up.
"Yes, that's what I've been saying."
"Really? Italy?" Kyoko clasped her hands, her eyes sparkling. "I've never been out of the country before!"
Her joy was brought crashing down by Kanae, who crossed her arms over her chest. "How can we go? We don't have passports or the right clothing or money to pay for anything."
Lory waved off her protests. "I've already arranged everything. Mine-san has your passports and suitable clothing."
"What?" Kanae asked, a little bit disturbed. "Don't we need to fill in a form for that? With a picture and signature and -"
Lory just laughed at her worries, which in turn just made her more alarmed.
"I already have all that on file!" He said happily.
"What about Visa's? I know you need a visa to go to Europe."
Lory smirked. "I have friends in high places. Now, that's all I have to say. You are dismissed."
"Wait a minute!" Yashiro cut in, "When are we leaving?"
"Oh! How silly of me! We'll be leaving tomorrow!"
They stared at him.
"Bye now!" He said jubilantly, ushering them quickly through the door before dumping Maria into Ren's arms and slamming the door shut behind them.
His plans were unstoppable now!
-/-
The dumbfounded group stared at the closed door for a moment before looking at one another.
There was silence before Yashiro sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose at the same time as flipping open his leather planner. "I guess I should cancel the appointments for the rest of the month then. I'm going to talk to Mine-san, see if she can give me any more information then - 'You're going to Italy tomorrow whether you like it or not. Don't worry about anything.'"
"I'll come with you." Ren said, tightening his hold on Maria who was sitting on his hip.
Kyoko and Kanae watched as they disappeared in the direction of Mine-san's desk.
"Well..." Kanae trailed off. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Moko! We're going to Italy tomorrow!"
Kanae looked at her friend, hiding her amusement. "Yeah, I heard."
"Do you know what this means?" Kyoko asked. When Kanae shook her head in the negative she continued. "It means that Sho's not the only one going on holiday! He's going to be in for a surprise when he gets back and he learns that I went on holiday too!"
"He'll be surprised alright."
Kyoko just laughed, her bad mood that had followed her around since yesterday completely disappearing as she skipped off down the corridor to get back to cleaning.
Kanae just rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.
She could only wonder at what tomorrow would bring.