Love Season
Part 1 - Truth

Two souls in one room
Either one
Not bothering to speak
To the other
For they have nothing to say
But the truth
…love is everywhere ^^

"And since," Mr. Terada, their teacher, paced in front of the class. "you are all growing children, and are how old? 10, 11, and so on. You are now officially, pre-teens. You are no longer children like at the age of 9 or 8. You are almost a teenager, and will be experiencing…growths. And so," He pulled out a box full of papers. "Over the last week I've allowed you to write down questions and throw them in the box. I will answer all of them over the course of this week." He reached is hand in to the box. "…let's see. Is it still possible to catch cuties when you're older? …Hirokazu."

"How did you know I wrote it?!" Hirokazu cried, nervously.

"Because," Mr. Terada smiled. "No one I know spells "cooties" with a "u"."

"Ugh," Hirokazu slumped back in his chair.

"To answer you're question, no, it's not, because there's no such thing as cooties."

"That's not what I heard…" Hirokazu smirked.

"Next," Mr. Terada pulled out another question. "Is it possible to fall in love? …ah, yes. Love…"

"I think it doesn't always have to happen to everyone." Kenta nodded, knowingly. "I mean…I have my books and research. I don't…need a love life, do I?"

"Everyone needs love. Whether it's from a mother or father, sister or brother…or admirer."

"The family's fine." Kenta gulped. "I mean, I don't want to have to fall in love with…a girl."

"Please." Hirokazu smirked. "It happens to everyone. 50% says you'll be married and have a divorce before age 27, and 30% of people actually stay together till their first anniversary."

"Where…did you hear this from?" Mr. Terada asked.

"…Love Loners. It's the best show on TV." He nodded. "…don't tell me you haven't heard of it!"

"Fine, I won't tell you." Mr. Terada sighed. "My job is to teach you, not entertain you. Now…back on topic…Juri." He walked up to her, briskly.

Juri whispered to her puppet, quietly, "I'm done for…he figured me out…"

"Don't you think you're getting too old for puppets?"

"Nope, sir. I got Marbles when I was 3." Juri nodded.

"Ah…well, would you want to fall in love with a boy?" Mr. Terada asked.

"How did you know I wrote it?"

"Please, I know everyone's writing format," He smiled, reassuringly.

"That's why I never put anything in…" Takato whispered.

"Answer the question." Mr. Terada nodded.

"…possibly." Juri muttered.

"Well, it's like girls to be more compassionate about these things." He smiled. "…anyone in mind?"

"Mr. Terada…" She muttered, pointing behind him.

He turned around to see all the boys in the class, pulling their chairs up closer to her desk, and smiling at her. "…what is this?"

"We're…interested." Kenta nodded. "In what Miss Juri likes in a boy."

"Miss Juri?" Everyone asked.

"Obviously. In Love Loners, it's what all the guys call the girls. Miss Mikado, Miss Hana,"

"Miss Makoto," Takato sighed.

"Miss Sera,"

"Miss Ai,"

"Miss Tomoe,"

"Miss Tomoya,"

"Miss Mayumi…"

"Miss…Juri."

"It's all the rage." Hirokazu nodded.

Mr. Terada sighed, "So I see…" He walked back to his desk. "To conclude, yes you'll all be falling in love one way or another, so expect it, if you start getting weird vibes when you're around your best friend."

Kenta waved his hand in the air, frantically.

"What?"

"What if your best friend is a boy?" Kenta asked.

"…your "girl" friend, I meant."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Takato sighed.

"They say on Love Loners, people at age 10 shouldn't be involved in any relationships and if they are, it should only be temporary."

"Hirokazu," Mr. Terada began. "Forget about Love Loners-- for Piitu's sake, they're loners!!"

Hirokazu gasped, "Why Mr. Terada! How DARE you!?"

Mr. Terada sighed, "…class dismissed."

"But we still got 5 minutes." Kenta pointed out.

"Leave early." He ordered. They instantly got up and fled, muttering, The teacher's in a bad mood…

******

"Wow…" Takato beamed at himself, while at the park that day (the monument thing that looks like a duck which is seen on the first episode where they battle in). All Hirokazu and Kenta could do was stare at him, with odd looks. "Wasn't today beautiful?"

Hirokazu sighed, "There's a word for this." He nodded. "But I don't know what it is. So," He pulled out of his bag, a small colorful book. "The Love Loners guide shall help. It says that people who look like him, can either be…insane or in…in…"

"Insane or in. Which one?" Kenta asked.

"No…in…in…" He fearfully gave the book to Kenta to read.

"In?!" Kenta gasped. "In…in…"

"In love?" Takato asked.

"Yes!!" Hirokazu screamed. "…oh. You must feel awful. I hope you can come to school tomorrow."

"I'm fine, though, honestly." Takato nodded.

"Check for a fever."

"You guys, leave me alone. I mean it. I'm…fine." He nodded. "I don't feel sick."

"It says," Kenta read from the book. "That when you're in love, you won't feel sick. Because…you're not."

"See?"

"But…" Hirokazu read on. "…you could be."

"There's a keyword, guys. Could. It's a powerful word." He backed away cautiously. "Could…coul- ah!" He accidentally, "sort of" went over the edge. But instead of falling, grabbed on to the ledge before he fell. "…thank god."

"Hey Takato,"

"Ah!" He instantly let go, and fell anyway. He opened his eyes slowly, to see an auburn-haired girl standing in front of him. "…do you need any help?" Her sweet voice echoed throughout the air.

"…uh…" Takato muttered. "No…I'm fine." He got up, quickly, but painfully. "…Hi Juri."

"Hi." She smiled back at him.

"So, uh…what are you doing here, exactly?" Takato asked, dusting himself off.

"Well, your mom told me to find you, because she has to go somewhere, and needs someone to look after the store, and since I can't bake or cook very well…uh…you were her first choice." She said, uneasily.

"Oh…okay." Takato said, picking up his stuff from the floor. Luckily, and yet very unluckily, he never saw the mischievous grin on her face.

Hirokazu watched from the roof of the monument they called a battle centre, and held up his telescope. He peered around, until he spotted Takato and Juri walking towards town. He grinned, "Ahoy! A hahahaha!"

"Shut up," Kenta called. "And come down here! Read what this viewer said about a Love Loner situation."

Hirokazu went down the pole, and into the main area of the structure, where Kenta was reading a paragraph. "What's this?"

"Some guy named Tomoku Harada explains a situation he had." Kenta nodded. "Read…"

Hirokazu looked down at the page and read aloud, "…A few weeks ago, I let my best friend go off with a girl. And they've been together since. He hardly ever talks to me anymore! What should I do? …that's harsh."

"Don't you see?" Kenta snapped. He pointed in where Takato and Juri were walking. "Our best friend went off with a girl! They could be "together" for weeks!"

Hirokazu gasped, "Quickly, read! What should we do?"

Kenta looked down at the page and read the line, "…Get a new best friend…" Kenta and Hirokazu looked at each other and shrugged.

"Takato's our friend. He won't forget us…"

"…will he?"

******

"Well, um…take good care of my store." Mrs. Matsuda smiled, cheerfully. "…although it's beyond me why you insisted on watching it. I mean…I'm free for the whole afternoon-"

"You told me you needed a break from work, remember?" Juri smiled. "…Remember?"

"…oh. Right. I have-"

"Headaches, and need to go home." Juri added, quickly. "Good bye. Sleep well. Rest well. Me and Takato will look after the store. Bye!" She smiled, nervously.

"Alright." Mrs. Matsuda got into her car. "Takato, no higher than 400."

"Okay." Takato nodded. The car drove away.

"400 what?" Juri asked.

"…on the stove."

"Oh." She giggled. "You know, it's really cool that your parents actually allow you to watch the store by yourself. My parents don't even let me watch the dog while they're out of town."

"That's because they know what you do to your puppet." He said.

"…they do?"

"Making him speak isn't my idea of "just for fun"." Takato smiled.

Juri smiled too. He has such a nice smile…just like a new born child…wait a second. New born children don't smile…if they did, it would be very scary. Never mind.

"Hmm…" Takato walked into the kitchen where unbaked goods lay everywhere. "I guess she never got around to baking them all, huh?"

"Or delivering them." Juri picked up a delivery book with a long list. "…Mari, Orikasa, Harada, Ichijou…Lee."

"Lee?"

"Isn't that your friend's name?" Juri asked.

"Yeah, it is…what did they order?" He walked over beside her to read from the book as well. "…3 Apple pies, Strawberry Okinawan Bars, Tempura Cake Bars, Sweet bread, Okinawan Sweet Bread, Bread Cake, Cake Bread and…sugar."

"You don't sell sugar."

"Very strange."

"…what's Cake Bread?"

"I dunno."

"They must love sweets."

"It's his sister, trust me."

"…okay." She smiled, closing the book. "So, what do we have to do exactly?"

"Pop stuff in the oven, time them, take them out and deliver them." He smiled. "It's not that hard. Plus, if we actually get through all of this, we'll have enough time to bake a cake for ourselves."

She smiled, "Okay, sure."

Takato walked over to the counter, pulled out a tray of sweet buns and popped them into the oven. He glanced over where Juri was standing, then looked her up and down. "…so…what's with the question?"

"What question?" Fear instantly built up in her voice.

"That question that has to do with love and stuff that makes you wanna puke." He said, deviously.

She flashed annoyed glances at him.

"…sorry 'bout that."

"Well, if you really wanna know…I'll tell you." She nodded. "…there's this one guy is our class who's nice, sweet, thoughtful and cute."

Takato gawked, So she's not talking about me, huh? "…uh…w-who?"

"I was talking about you!" She stated, raising her voice, slightly.

"Oh…" Takato said. "I wouldn't know. I'm not a girl."

Juri sighed.

"…oh wait. …y-y-you were talking about me?" Takato stuttered.

She nodded, smiling and blushing slightly.

"Okay…" He muttered, quietly. He walked over to the oven, and turned it off.

"Don't you have anything to tell me?" Juri asked. He shook his head instantly. Juri smiled, "That's not how it works on Love Loners…"

"So what? They're loners! A-And don't tell Hirokazu I said that…"

"The show comes on in a few minutes. Do you wanna watch it?"

"I dunno. I have to get the rest of these done soon, and deliver most of these at least." Takato nodded.

"Just 5 minutes of the show, please?" She asked. "…please?"

"Fine. There's a TV upstairs." Takato said.

"Goodie!" She beamed. "Come on!" She grabbed him and raced up the stairs, to a small quiet room with a TV and sofas.

"This used to be Elwood's home."

"Who's Elwood?"

"Correction. Who was Elwood."

"Fine. Who was Elwood?"

"Our American dog. We found him on a ship. He died when he jumped out the window."

"Oh. So sad."

"It's okay. I never liked him much anyway."

"Shh! It's starting!"

***

"…Hirokazu?" Takato asked. "Our Hirokazu?"

" You've got to be kidding. What did he have to tell them anyway?"

(screen starts showing video)

Takato sighed, and glanced over at Juri who was writing something on a paper. "…what are you doing?"

"Writing comments." Juri smiled. "Read it, and tell me what you think."

Takato took the paper from her and read it. "…I have tears…it was beautiful."

"It really was." She smiled again. "You write a comment." She gave him a paper and pen.

"I didn't even pay any attention to it." Takato muttered. He sighed, and finally wrote something on the paper. He gave it back to Juri, grinning.

She took the paper from him and read it, "…it was lame. …you have no compassion." She said. "…but that's okay."

Takato sighed, while fixing his goggles, nervously, "…uh…Juri. Do you…really think I'm cute?"

"Of course!" She beamed, grasping him in a breath-taking hug. "The goggles are extremely excessive, very cute."

"Uh…thanks…I guess…" Takato said, still fiddling with his goggles.

"Here, let me help you with them." She quickly grasped them off his head, and placed them on top of hers. Then, she began giggling, uncontrollably.

Takato sighed and smiled as the show came back on.

*****

"This is the BEST episode of the BEST show ever!" Hirokazu beamed. "They read my letter!!"

"Quiet down, Hiro!" His father cried from the kitchen table. "We're trying to eat!"

"Sure thing," He muttered.

Karu: Hey! Hope you liked that series! It's on every day, here at Love Loners. Now, since the show's almost over, we'll have a quick love tip for those of you who don't want to be Love Loners. Here's a tip from a man who's been married and divorced. His name is Koro. Koro writes: Never go out with their best friend. …Thanks, Koro! You helped us a ton! See you all later on Love Loners! To get your comments in, send them to
Love Loners
c/o Japan
They'll know where to send them from there! See you all tomorrow! This has been Karu Karu in another exciting episode of Love Loners!

"WHOA!!" Hirokazu beamed, when he was on the phone talking to Takato. "That episode rocked, Takato! You watched it, right? It rocked! The skit was the best, and so was On the Wrong side! Did you watch it?"

"Yeah," Takato replied. "It was okay. The last one was better."

"My dad helped me tape when they read my comment live on the air!" Hirokazu nodded.

"Yeah, but Hiro, you don't know anyone who ran off with a girl, do you?" Takato asked.

"Who knows," He sneered. "But anyway, half those people who send in comments just send it in for the sake of being on TV. Hey and did you hear? They're recruiting new cast members on On the Wrong Side. I'm gonna call!"

"Good for you," Takato sighed, smiling.

"Where are you, anyway?"

"At my parent's store. Me and Juri have to watch it while my mom is…somewhere." Takato said.

"Why you AND Juri?" Hirokazu asked, suspiciously.

"I don't know. You don't think she set this up on purpose, do you?" Takato asked, sort of worried.

"Of course not." Hirokazu stated. "…mind if I, stop by?"

"I dunno. She's locking the door."

"…oh." Hirokazu sighed. "When you're done, meet me and Kenta in the park for our annual Love Loners Meeting."

"Sure. Bye." Takato hung up, and set the phone down on the counter. "How's the cake coming along?"

"Just fine." Juri smiled, nervously. "…I think."

"Okay." Takato walked over to the stacked boxes. "So far, we have almost all of Lee's orders done. We have to call him to pick them up. There is no way we're ordering a taxi like what happened last time."

"A taxi, huh?" Juri asked, smiling. "Wow…"

Takato glanced at her, nervously. "…is it explanatory that you are all of a sudden fascinated in whatever I say?"

"I dunno." Juri sighed. She got up and stood beside him, staring at the boxes. 6 boxes stood high that all labeled "Lee" on them. She then turned her attention slowly to Takato beside her. As if without thinking, she quickly wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ah…um…" Takato stuttered.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Juri instantly got off Takato, and looked behind her, as so did Takato. "Oh, hi Lee."

"Hi…"

"These are all yours." Takato said, showing him the 6 boxes.

"Thanks." Lee nodded. "…I think…" He bent down to Shiuchon's height and sighed. "Mom is going to be very angry with you. She never told you to help with shopping."

"But she never buys what I like." Shiuchon complained.

"She never buys sugar?"

"She never buys cake bread." Shiuchon scoffed. She climbed up on the table, got the first two boxes, and jumped off the table. "Whee! That was fun."

"Right. Keep walking." Lee sighed, carrying the rest of the boxes.

Takato sighed, and took his goggles off Juri's head. "Please warn me next time you do that."

"I only did that because hugs are nice, everyone needs hugs, and they're very nice."

"…anything else?" Takato stuttered.

"Nope, uh-It was fun baking and everything." Juri smiled. "Maybe next time. Bye!" Then, she left.

Takato didn't reply. He was still fixing his goggles on his head. He looked up at the clock, "It's 5! I'm supposed to be in the park with Hirokazu and Kenta! They'll kill me if I'm not there on time!" He turned the oven off, and raced out of the store and down the street.

********

End of part 1! ^^ Hope you liked it. Pleeez review, BTW!! ^^ Thanks again!