Chapter Five: The First Chair
The bell rang out, punctuating the beginning of another school day at Tokyo Jokyu, a cluster of low brownstone buildings situated near the calm Ueno Park. Students, clad in their freshly laundered and ironed uniforms, were either settled in their homerooms or attempting to reach them before being counted as late and having to face a punishment.
In the Upper School, in a room marked High School 3-A, the class was rustling around before they knew they would have to settle down and begin their day. There was a faint buzz of conversation and the sounds of cell phones reassuring their owners that they would remain silent throughout the school day. The class hushed when the door slid open and in came Mr. Koyanagi, holding the day�s lessons in his hand. At that moment, Mariko rose from her seat in the front row and turned to face the class.
�Stand up!� she called out, and the rest of the class stood up. She whirled around and smiled at Mr. Koyanagi. �Bow!� The class bowed to Mr. Koyanagi all at once. �Sit down!� With a cacophonous shuffling noise, the class sat down again and began another day. Sanae sat next to a window, staring out at Ueno Park as the cherry blossoms began to bloom. Shuya was towards the back, recapping last night�s pre-season baseball game to a friend. Yurika was in the second row, humming a song as per usual, while Asuka and Rumiko sat next to each other nearby. Reiko seated herself in the very back and was picking at a fuzz ball on her long, floppy knee socks. Yuichirou sat in the front as well, his hands folded, awaiting the lesson. Ryuhei struggled to hide his manga magazine in his textbook to make it invisible. In other words, it was just a normal day.
The bell rang and the children shuffled from their homerooms to their elective classes, which were either art or music classes. Courses such as drawing, painting, photography, chorus, band, and orchestra were offered at Tokyo Jokyu, and everyone had something to go to. Mariko found herself in the orchestra class, as usual. Due to Tokyo Jokyu�s small size, everyone in either junior or senior high who expressed an interest were all lumped into one orchestra class, with the more advanced players acting as the peer leaders under Mr. Toshizawa, the teacher and de facto conductor.
A group of junior high girls who played the violin idolized Mariko and were always overjoyed to see her enter the room, sit down in the first chair, and start warming up immediately, without any cues necessary. The way she played the violin made it look like she was born for the express purpose of playing it. She didn�t even need to use the sheet music anymore when she was warming up because she knew exactly what to do.
�She�s so graceful, isn�t she?� one of the junior high girls, who always had her hair in a messy ponytail, asked her three friends as they seated themselves so they were able to share the sheet music.
�Mmm-hmm, I want to be first chair like her when I get to high school,� another, who had her hair in two long pigtails, replied as she took out her own violin and began warming up. She still needed to see the sheet music to remember the scales she had to warm up on.
�Nao, you�ll just have to be second chair to my first chair,� another one, with her choppy short brown hair always falling in her eyes, said jokingly, taking out her violin and starting to practice.
�Saki, don�t discourage her,� the last one, her long black hair descending down the back of the chair, said with a hint of a nag as she took out her violin and rubbed an amber block of resin up and down her bowstring.
�Saki, Nao, Megumi, Sayaka,� Mariko said, pointing with the end of her bow towards where the four junior high violinists sat. �Come on, you guys, stop chatting and start warming up, please.�
�Yes, Miss Yoshihara!� the four replied in unison, hurriedly getting to their scales. As soon as the teacher came in and listened to everyone, from the violins down to the deep, vibrating basses, doing their scales, he declared warm-up time over. This was the part of class where everyone split up into small groups to practice what they would be doing at the Ongakukan in a week. The Ongakukan, a favorite event ever since the establishment of the school, allowed the band, orchestra, chorus, and any singers daring enough to show off what they had been working on for the semester.
The entire orchestra would be doing the Blue Danube Waltz together, but each group would do something as a solo team. Mariko�s team, composed of a smattering of the violinists, the two lonely viola players, three cellists, and one bass, would be performing a song that would be considered by some of the more stuck-up audience members to be �avant-garde�, �too modern�, or �trashy� at the very worst. Yurika Kumai convinced the team, which she nicknamed Akagumi, or �Red Team�, to perform a classical version of a song by one of her favorite groups, which she would be singing along to. She also commissioned her mother to make special red outfits for this event, flatteringly beautiful dresses for the entirely female group.
Just as she did every day, Yurika came in about five minutes into class.
�Good morning!� she called out cheerfully. �Good morning, Mariko.� She carried under her arm a lyrics sheet in case she needed it. �Are you ready to practice?�
�I think we are,� Mariko said, and the rest of the group agreed with her. �Okay, everyone, take out your Renai Revolution 21 sheets.� There was an assorted rustling as the entire Akagumi took out their binders or folders, opened them up, and propped them up on their stands.
�I want to take it from the top today,� Yurika told Mariko.
�Great! I was hoping this day would come. We�ve only got about a week yet, Yurika.�
�I know, I know�I�m just so excited today. I really feel the spirit. I�m ready when you all are.� She took her position and stood up straight so as to allow the singing to come forth as strongly as possible. The rest of the class quieted down because they wished to hear Yurika sing instead of practicing their own songs. Mariko decided to be the conductor for this song, instead of performing, so she took her place in front of the Akagumi with a pencil and tapped it against the stand to create the rhythm.
The Akagumi played the introduction to the song, free of the cutesy remains of �Woo love revolution� that Yurika was used to. Still, she made a few small movements to catch the rhythm for herself.
�Kanpai baby! Kami koppu de yeah iin ja nai,� Yurika began with as much energy as she could muster forth. �Oh yes, kimochi ga daiji�� Mariko smiled, shamefully admitting to herself that she loved this little piece of fluffy pop. �Kazari wa baby! Aru mono de yeah in the night! Oh yes, aidia shoubu.�
At this point, some of the other girls started to clap to the rhythm, but Mariko, the Akagumi, and Yurika were unaffected.
�Aisuru hito yo tell me, tell me, samishii toki wa baby, baby, donna hito ni mo tell me, tell me, aru to iu no wa hontou na no?� Yurika sang. At this point, the part coming right before the chorus, most of the girls joined in.
�Cho cho cho, ii kanji, cho cho cho cho ii kanji,� she sang four times over with a backing chorus of the other orchestra girls. �So come on!� she commanded, leaping up and punching the air. �Koi wo shite, shigoto shite, rekishi kizanda chikyuu�naichatta, hara hetta, love revolution 21!� On the word �love�, Yurika pointed up high in the air, on �revolution�, she spun her arm around, and on �21� she first made a 2 and then a 1 before cheering before lapsing into a dance common throughout the song. This dance involved making the hands into fists and acting as if she were repeatedly pulling something close to her, circling the air with both her arms, sweeping her right hand across her face, and returning to the pulling phase. A few of the girls were even dancing along.
�Yukouze baby!� Yurika sang, punching the air. �Jitensha de yeah iin ja nai�Oh yes, yuuki ga daiji! Utaouze baby! Hetakuso de yeah in the night! Oh yes, aijou de shoubu.� Mariko was elated to be the conductor for this fun, upbeat song. �Aisuru hito yo tell me, tell me, tanoshii toki wa baby, baby, donna iro shita, tell me, tell me, fuku de kimereba ii no ka na?� With most of the female class singing along, Yurika repeated her battery of �cho cho cho ii kanji�. �Koi wo shita, nebou shita, subete mite kita chikyuu�ai yue ni dakishimeta, love revolution 21!�
Unlike in the recorded version of the song, which included a rapping portion right after this chorus, the orchestra version included only 30 seconds for Yurika to do a little solo dance, which she did beautifully.
�Kono hoshi wa utsukushii futari deatta chikyuu�all together now! All together now! Minna de renai kakumei! Koi wo shita, nebou shita, subete mite kita chikyuu�ai yue ni dakishimeta, love revolution 21!� Yurika leaned forward, her hand making a horizontal line over her chest, and shouted �Hoi!� as she headed into the final part of the song. �All together now! All together now! Minna de renai kakumei! All together now! All together now! Love revolution 21�!� The orchestra played the outro while Yurika finished her dance and stopped in her final position. She panted a bit and realized she didn�t have to use her lyric sheet even once as the entire class clapped for her, so she did a graceful little curtsy.
�Ms. Kamei is probably expecting me back at chorus class now. I gotta go, everyone!� Yurika announced to the orchestra class, who all seemed disappointed to have her go. �Bye bye!� She skipped to the door, slid it open, and disappeared through it.
�Mariko,� one of the Akagumi�s violinists said after Yurika left. �That was amazing. You did so well.�
�Oh guys, it wasn�t me, it was all of you. Honestly, I�ve never heard you sound better. We�re going to win this Ongakukan, I just know it!� Mariko pumped her fist and grinned brightly.
Sure enough, on that balmy Saturday night in Ueno Park, where most large Tokyo Jokyu events were held, the Akagumi received the yearly Ongakukan award, accompanied by a raucous applause for both Yurika, dressed in a yellow two-piece outfit with large black platform boots and a multi-colored fake fur stole, and the Akagumi, dressed in matching shimmering red dresses with short princess-style sleeves and empire waists.
Mariko opened her eyes after hearing that applause again and remembered her current surroundings. Apparently, she had fallen asleep in the seat she used to seek refuge from her classmates, except that she now had a plate of food sitting in the seat next to her on the left and Yurika sitting on the right.
�Cho cho cho, ii kanji,� Yurika sang.
�Cho cho cho cho, ii kanji,� Mariko echoed with a small smile.
�You know,� Yurika said quietly. �I don�t really care what anyone thinks about Reiko. Is that bad?�
�Not at all,� Mariko replied, shaking her head slightly.
�She�s her own person. I think she knows what�s best for her, and I think that we are truly devoid of anything to talk about if she keeps on being the topic of discussion around here. We�re just about to play a game. Come on, join in with us.� Yurika tugged on Mariko�s sleeve.
�Okay, okay, I�ll come.� Mariko took her food up in one hand and followed Yurika to where the students, sans Reiko, who was making good on her promise to stay away from the beach, sat in a circle, finishing up their breakfasts.
�Hey, hey, guys, we got Mariko to come over! Now we�ve got a nice round eight to play our game with. Come on, Mariko, have a seat.� Yurika gestured to a patch of sand and Mariko seated herself in it. �Okay, so here is the game and its rules. This game is called �What do you miss about Japan?� It will work in a round-robin style, like I�ll go first, and then it continues in a clockwise formation. Please, don�t go on big tirades about your choice, because you�ll have to name more than one. We�ll keep going until we run out of things to say or something cool happens.�
�Sounds good to me,� Mariko said, smiling. Maybe her classmates would warm up to her again, she pondered as she thought of the first thing to say when it was her turn.
�Okay, I�ll start off with�good music!� Yurika smiled and pointed to Shuya. �It�s your turn.�
�Yurika, I thought you would say �Morning Musume�,� Shuya commented, grinning. �Hm�let me think. I know! My bed.�
�Trains that can get me anywhere, anytime,� Sanae said with a nod.
�Electricity,� Yuichirou said.
�Manga,� Ryuhei said, nodding.
�TV,� Asuka said.
�Ovens,� Rumiko said, smiling as she thought about being able to cook food, instead of merely reheating airplane food.
�My violin,� Mariko said proudly, almost as if she were a doting mother bragging about her children.
�My house,� Yurika said.
�My mother,� Shuya said.
�The internet,� Sanae said.
�News channels,� Yuichirou said.
�Akihabara,� Ryuhei said, referring to the district of Tokyo best known for electronics and anime stores.
�Convenience stores,� Asuka said.
�Good food,� Rumiko said, making her friends nod vigorously in approval.
�My family,� Mariko said.
�Morning Musume,� Yurika said, sticking her tongue out at Shuya.
�The Yokohama BayStars,� Shuya declared.
�The Hanshin Tigers,� Sanae declared with a sly smile, squeezing Shuya�s hand.
�The Mainichi Daily News,� Yuichirou said. �Do you think they�re talking about us?�
�It would be absurd if they didn�t talk about something like this. A plane crash like this one is journalistic gold. As for my thing I miss, snack food,� Ryuhei said.
�When our family all eats dinner together,� Asuka said sadly. �I miss them.� She began to cry a bit.
�When I�m just with my family,� Rumiko said, also beginning to cry.
�I miss my family, too�game�s over, all of us girls are crying too much,� Mariko declared, sniffling, and in this moment her fellow students stared at her in a combination of admiration and amazement. Over the years since Mariko was chosen to become the class president, nobody in her class had seen her cry even once. She cited that she was too adept at keeping calm to ever let tears get the best of her, which helped to make her a more decisive leader. However, the other running island theory was that everyone changed after 714 crashed, and perhaps this was the way Mariko�s change was manifesting.
�Mariko, are you okay?� Yurika asked, leaning forward and reaching out to touch Mariko�s face.
�Do you all hate me?� she asked.
�What?� Asuka asked, shocked.
�No, we don�t!� Sanae exclaimed.
�What would make you think that?� Yuichirou asked innocently.
�Just the way you all treated me after that whole Reiko and the medicine incident�Maybe I was misinterpreting all of you, but it seemed hostile.�
�Did we seem hostile?� Rumiko asked. �I think maybe we did.�
�We�re sorry, Mariko, we really didn�t mean to. I think we were all really confused at the time. I mean, how often do you see a girl collapse and die of an allergic reaction?� Ryuhei queried. �Our judgment was clouded up.�
�So you don�t hate me?� Mariko asked, searching for final reassurance.
�No, none of us do,� Yurika said cheerfully. �I don�t even think Reiko does.�
�Now, that might be wishful thinking,� Mariko said, pouting.
Guarding the supply of airplane food was an extremely important task delegated to the four American teachers; they were operating under the assumption that anyone wishing to steal food would be too alarmed by three white guys who were all above six feet tall to carry out with their mission. Daniel sat counting the remaining bowls of food with a befuddled look on his face.
�How many people are there here?� he asked.
�33,� Stephanie replied. �We had 34, but then that one girl died. I didn�t see anyone else die, so I�m assuming 33. Why do you ask?�
�I don�t think we have enough food to feed everyone three more meals,� Daniel reported. �We�re going to need to find something after the supply from the plane runs out. More food is probably going bad right now just from not being refrigerated.�
�Nobody can understand us, right?� Stefan, the brown-haired man who was once a teacher in Nara, asked.
�I�m not sure. If anyone can, they need to get off their asses and help find stuff,� Charlie, the black-haired man who was known as Charlie-sensei to a smattering of students in Niigata, declared bitterly.
�Our water is running out, too,� Stephanie reported, looking down at the dwindling supply of bottled water stamped with the Aloha logo. The policy was to give water out based on need, and because of this liberal policy, the supply was getting low. �We can�t drink the ocean water, of course.�
�So, are we pretty much fucked?� Charlie asked.
�No, not yet. I mean, we don�t know what�s out in the jungle,� Daniel said reasonably, pointing to the jungle. �There could be a spring in there. Who knows?�
�He�s right. None of us knows what�s in that jungle,� Stephanie said with a shrug, looking off towards the jungle. �I�ll ask some of the others if they want to go exploring. You guys need to stay here and keep watch over the food.� She stood up, groaning as the blood rushed back into her numb legs, and limped off towards the common area of the beach. The gentlemen�s club, as it was called, was now playing poker with the same deck of cards Shuya played with just a day ago. This club consisted of Masaharu, Masao, Mr. Koyanagi, and two businessmen whose suits were becoming dirtier and dirtier by being exposed to the elements without any protection.
�Ah, a girl,� one of the businessman said, nudging the other and laughing.
�Darling, this is the gentlemen�s club. That means no ladies allowed,� the other said, chuckling.
�It�s too bad I speak fluent Japanese, isn�t it?� Stephanie asked cattily. �Come on, guys, you can all play poker another time. Our food and water supplies are getting low! You won�t like playing poker when you don�t have anything to eat or drink, will you?�
�She�s right,� Masao said ruefully.
�I want someone to help explore the jungle with me, and I think all five of you guys will be the best helpers. If we find any food or water out there, which I expect we will do, I�d also like some of you to make a note of it. Make a map, do what you need to do, just remember where we found this sustenance so we can bring it back to the others. Be considerate!�
At first, the gentlemen�s club didn�t seem keen on the idea of leaving their game, but when Stephanie brought in concerns for the others, this got their attention.
�I can�t have my baby crying because she�s hungry,� Masao said, dropping his cards in the sand.
�I can�t let my students down,� Mr. Koyanagi said, dropping his cards.
�I know what happens when you don�t eat,� Masaharu began, dropping his cards. �None of it is pretty. I�m going, too.� Upon seeing the majority of the gentlemen�s club dropping their cards and declaring that they would follow Stephanie into the jungle, the two businessmen shrugged sheepishly and let their cards fall.
�Hey, I�ll come along,� Ryuhei declared. �I can draw a map of the area.� He held out his sketchbook and favorite drawing pencil.
�That would be perfect!� Stephanie said cheerfully, smiling brightly. �It looks like we have a good group. I think we should take along a few bags, though. Also, we should bring some of the bottled water to fill up if we find a source of fresh water.�
�Should we just borrow people�s carry-on bags?� Masao asked.
�Yeah. Just tell them that it�s important and that you�ll give them right back.� Stephanie watched as the men dispersed to ask people if they were all right lending their bags out to an important cause. Most people seemed all right with lending their bags out, as long as they were emptied out first. The gentlemen�s club stuffed some of the bags with near-empty bottles of water and left others empty, following behind Stephanie as she set out.
�Hey, how come you�re the leader of this group?� one of the twin businessmen complained.
�How come? Because I was able to find my way around Fukuoka in a matter of hours using nothing but mental maps because I left my map at home. That�s why I�m the leader,� Stephanie replied. �Come on, we�ll never find anything if we stay back here fighting.� She walked defiantly into the jungle, with the gentlemen�s club behind her and Ryuhei hastily drawing the surroundings, noting anything that could be used as a landmark.
After the beach was no longer visible through the foliage, Masao looked over and saw a tree almost overflowing with bananas that were mostly yellow, with only a few bearing a green tinge. Masao picked as many as he could and carefully packed them into his shoulder bag.
Mr. Koyanagi found what appeared to be a grove of mango trees, picking each and every one of them clean of their bright, ripe fruit. Masaharu picked up some oranges, and the twin businessmen walked farther ahead, defying Stephanie�s command to stay behind her. They heard a soft sound emanating from nearby, so they ran closer and closer to it, hearing it get louder and faster, and shoved aside a large palm frond to discover a spring of fresh water. The spring was fed by a fast-moving flow of water that originated from a river snaking through the jungle. It was marked by low palm trees and a few bushes.
�This is perfect!� they cried out in unison, kneeling at the banks and opening up their bags full of empty water bottles. Splashing some water on their faces and lapping it up out of their cupped hands, they declared it to be the most delicious water and started gleefully scooping it into the bottles. When the bottles were almost full enough to have their contents spill out of the sides, they were stuffed back into the bags. Ryuhei was able to sit by the banks and draw a detailed picture of the trail taken to reach this spring. Mr. Koyanagi, whose bag was filled with the mangoes, waddled over to him.
�Ah, Ryuhei!� he said in his booming loud voice. �That is a very, very good drawing. It�ll help us all get to this water, I bet.�
�Thank you, Mr. Koyanagi,� Ryuhei said, embarrassed, as he got back to drawing. When he was finished, he placed his pencil in the spiral bindings of his sketchbook and stood up, dusting himself off.
�I�m finished with the drawing!� he shouted.
�We�re almost finished gathering water,� Stephanie reported as she shouldered one of the bulging bags, groaning under its weight. �I forgot how heavy water can be.� She made a frowning face. Masao was the last to finish water gathering, and when he raised his bag onto his shoulders with a groan, the group staggered back to the beach, considerably less comfortable than when they came.
Daniel, Stefan, and Charlie saw the water and food brigade coming, so they helped prepare a comfortable landing by taking away the bags on Stephanie�s and Mr. Koyanagi�s shoulders.
�What�d ya bring for us?� Charlie asked, opening Stephanie�s bag. �Water!�
�Yeah. We found a spring. It�s not that deep in the jungle, either,� Stephanie reported, sitting down and massaging her shoulders.
�Next time, let�s definitely not bring back this much water,� Masaharu suggested. �We could have pulled some muscles back there, and that would be bad.�
�Speaking of, I was feeling a headache and was starting to wonder if there is any medicine around. I know that that one girl got medicine, and though it was the wrong kind, it was still medicine,� Stefan said, touching his head.
�I�m not sure. I still think that the cargo hole was ripped open while we were flying,� Masao pointed out.
�Maybe, maybe not. None of us knows for sure,� Masaharu added. �But, Stephanie, you can come with me and we can go looking. Who knows, maybe some medicine fell into the jungle?�
�I�d like to have an orange first,� Stephanie said with a grin, pointing to the bag of oranges. �Hey, I�m from Southern California. I was practically born eating an orange.� She was given an orange and started to remove the peel using her fingernails, tossing the pieces on the ground and getting to the good part inside. She was content to slurp the juice out of the orange and eat the fleshy fruity part for a few minutes. Then, she swallowed the last bite, wiped her hands off on her jeans, and smiled at Masaharu. �Okay, lead me around!�
�I have a good feeling about this path,� Masaharu told her, referring to the path that Reiko and James wore without thinking about people coming to trace it. �I don�t know how, I just have a good feeling.�
�Sometimes, gut feelings are the best,� Stephanie replied.
�Stephanie, how did your accent get so good? You almost sound like a native Japanese speaker.�
�Don�t flatter me! I spent the most time that I could teaching English in Fukuoka. Eventually, the government was just forced to kick me out because my visa expired and I couldn�t renew it unless I married a Japanese guy.� Stephanie chuckled. �There�s only one problem. I don�t like men.� She saw Masaharu experience a moment of shock before replacing it with a shrug. �Don�t care? That�s good. Most people back in Fukuoka thought I was just going through a phase.� She and Masaharu approached the razor branch.
�Razors,� Masaharu whispered, pointing to the branch. �Someone�s in here.�
CONTINUE to Chapter Six: The Phoenix and the Dragon
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