chapter two
At Tokyo Tower
Mika stood all by herself, in the corner of the room, hoping no one would see her. She felt embarrassed and also left out. She didn’t belong in this society, and she was afraid that someone might approach her.
"Why do I always have to come to these stupid functions?" she muttered to herself. Looking down at her dress, she blushed in self-consciousness. The blue dress that she adorned looked totally different from what it had first looked like when newly bought. Instead of the stiff, big bow that was meant to be at the front, it was limp, creased and leaning much to the side. The pretty embroidered hem was becoming unstitched, and on one of the sleeves, there was a huge tear. Also, stains that could not come off with any amount of washing stood out conspicuously against the blue satin material. She had tried with all of her might to keep this dress clean, but to no avail. For some reason, she always ran into some kind of trouble. From being chased by wild animals to a trip on the sidewalk, she was always targeted by bad luck. That was one of the reasons why she felt as if she didn’t fit in with the rest.
Looking around at the refined and courteous people, she felt as if she was the black sheep in the family. In a family as prominent was the Imonoyama group, being one of them was a challenge to her. Her family was filled with geniuses and talented beings, and not to mention rich. Unlike her siblings, she did not have the brilliance of knowledge which some possessed, or the musical ability, the physical or even the beauty that was passed through the genes. She felt that she was plain and too ordinary to be an Imonoyama. Even her name was boring compared to the others. Mika was so simple measured up against her sisters, Arazandoria and Okeneirika. That was the reason why she dreaded these family functions.
"Why am I an Imonoyama?" she sighed.
"Mika-chan!" shouted a familiar voice. Mika looked up and saw two stunning ladies approach her. Both were tall, beautiful and graceful. One looked in her early twenties, and had wavy long blond hair, while the other was still in her late teens, and had wavy, short emerald hair. The two also possessed the long lashes that framed the slanted blue eyes which were an Imonoyama trait.
"Mika-chan!" said the elder, as she violently hugged Mika. "Why are you here all alone? Why won’t you come join the party?"
"I don’t want to," Mika gasped, trying to free herself from her sister’s iron grip.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes," came out the struggled reply. "Ah, Doria, could you let me go?"
"Oh," said Doria, letting go of her youngest sister. But in her place, the younger of the two ladies grabbed Mika’s hands, eyes full of with concern.
"Mika," the emerald-head cried, "Tell us what’s wrong! You have been hiding in the corner all night!"
"Nothing." Mika said slowly. "Nothing is the matter, Okenei"
Okeneirika stared down at Mika with doubt. "I know!" she suddenly cried. "You’re in love!" Okenei’s eyes shone as she said this, and being the romantic she was, continued with, "But your love is unrequited! For he is still mourning over a girl he had just recently lost. Oh, Mika, I know exactly how you feel!"
Mika and her eldest sister, Arazandoria gave each other strange looks. What was Okeneirika going on about? Ignoring Okenei’s remark, Mika said, "Don’t worry about me. Just go and have fun! Leave me!"
However, both of the ladies cried out in refusal. This caused many of the other guests to turn and stare at the trio.
"Please! Go away!"
"Never!" Okenei cried.
"We will never desert you!" added Doria.
"You’re embarrassing me! Please leave me alone!"
"Oh, so your embarrassed by your sisters, eh?" asked Okenei with a smile.
"YES!"
"Well then, we will leave you alone, your highness." And with that, and also a last hug and smile, both ladies left Mika alone again in the corner.
Mika sighed. I will never be like them, I know that. So why am I so hurt by this fact? Mika looked around the ballroom again. Nicely clad people strolling around a room, laughing and chatting with one another; that was what she saw. I don’t belong here. I should never have come. I have only made myself feel like the reject even more. I really should have stayed at home.
And with that last thought, Mika searched for an exit. Looking, looking, looking. There! A door leading to the hallway was open, and so she decided that she would slip out, and then only come back at the very end of the function. So, trying to look inconspicuous, Mika slid out of the room, and walked out into the hallway, sighing with relief at her escape.
As she strolled around the hallway, not knowing what to do, she suddenly heard a voice calling her to stop.
"Oh no," she muttered. "Hopefully, if I pretend I didn’t hear…" Mika sped up her pace, hoping to get away from the person who was calling her.
"Wait!" came the voice. "Please wait!"
Damn! she thought. I have to turn around, don’t I?
And, ever so reluctantly, Mika turned around and began to glare at the oncoming figure. However, the glare was suddenly wiped out and a look of surprise and shock replaced the scowl.
"T-T-Takendo-sama!" gasped Mika.
" Fancy seeing you here," replied Takendo, giving Mika a shy grin.