Team of My Ear [Open]

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke no longer had any real idea why he was currently hiding inside a janitor's closet in the "prestigious" Washizu Academy. Some time during the last week or so, after the Karasumori team had encountered the Washit-ians (as Ryosuke liked to call them) and endured another onslaught of pathetic Team Tumbling bashing, the thought of slipping into their frigging school and vandalizing the hell out of it had seemed like a great idea. Now, hiding in their damned janitor's closet, which looked more like the elaborate office of a lowerclass businessman, Ryosuke had begun to realize that just barging into the school with the purpose of painting stupid faces all over the Washizu walls was probably not all that good an idea.

He hadn't told Wataru or Nippori about it, not just because he didn't think they would have agreed, mainly out of concern for the Tumbling team, but also because he hadn't really thought to. His venture to Washizu today had been purely impulsive and a tad coincidental. What was most amusing, so far, was that no one in the school had noticed him. And considering he was fairly big for his age and bore the appearance of anyone but one of the Washizu Upperclass Snobs, he had to confess himself surprised.

Anyway, the idea--no, longing--to spray paint the Washizu walls with utter nonsense seemed out of the question now. Ryosuke had heard the short tune that signaled the end of class, and that was when he'd dived for cover in the over-elaborate janitor's closet. Now he was sitting on a single chair in the small room, tapping his foot, annoyed.

What the hell...He'd have to wait for all the students to get wherever they were going or hope that he didn't run into any of the Washit-ians he knew if he did slip out before then...

In the end, Ryosuke did wait a good amount of time, moving for the door and pressing his ear to it to listen for the sound of anyone around. It took quite some time before things began to silence at all (he was secretly pleased to note that Washizu kids talked just as loudly and obnoxiously, if not more, as Karasumori kids), but as soon as he was sure the last of the footsteps in the hall had died away, he pushed open the door to the room ever so slightly to peer out.

Looking left...empty. Right? Empty as well.

Ryosuke pumped the air with one fist, "Yoshi!", then slipped out. So now he had to figure out how to get back to the main entrance, or find another exit, if that wasn't possible. He had to make sure to be pretty careful about wandering too, he knew, because if he got caught by a teacher and was brought into the principal for being "out of class", he'd been in even worse trouble once it was discovered he didn't even go to the darn school. He momentarily considered just getting caught on purpose so he could feign being one of the Washizu Tumbling Teams' members and get them in trouble, but after being unable to recall any of their names, he gave up on that idea. Instead, double-checking the coast was clear again, he resumed his trek down the hall.

It was maybe five minutes later when he came across it.

A pretty grandiose-looking door with the words "The Washizu Tumbling Team Headquarters" branded across it in gold letters.

Ryosuke whistled. "Wow."

He didn't waste a second, sneaking across the hall in the direction of the door, then silently cheering himself on once more when he found that the room was unlocked. He was on a roll today! Ryosuke slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

Glancing around the room, he had to admit that the Washizu guys had a pretty nifty planning space. That was partly what made it so impressive....they didn't have to pick any random old spot to meet like the Karasumori Team did, they actually had their own meeting headquarters. Ryosuke read the sign on the door again and sneered. Snobs.

But now that he was here, in the very headquarters of his favorite team to hate, he figured he could get some of his dirty work done after all. Maybe he wouldn't be so obvious as to vandalize the place, but he knew there were likely other things he could do to get even with them. Maybe......
Ryosuke studied the room again, and then his eyes fixed upon a line of trophies in a glass case against the wall. He almost walked over to them automatically, reaching out one hand to press against the glass as he gazed inside.

"Team of the Year," "1st Place in All-Nationals," "MVP-Sato Shinichi.."

"Blah blah blah," Ryosuke interjected, getting tired of the same monotonous titles. What he wouldn't give to have a screwdriver around so he could change around the titles a bit. He could see it already:

"Team of the mYear", "1st Place in All-NAtionals"....Damn, he was so immature. But he couldn't help chuckling all the same. Ryosuke began moving past the trophy case for something else of interest, something that looked to be some kind of an electronic wall-chart showcasing the setup for the group's next Tumbling routine, when there came movement from the door.

Ryosuke froze, scanned the room quickly for a place to hide, and when he found none, he found himself backing into the corner by the Trophy Case like a cornered animal. Damn, this wasn't good.

The knob turned, and someone walked in.

TAG: Anyone!

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Hopping in! Mizusawa's outfit HERE.

ic: Mizusawa was doing the unthinkable.

He had taken a job at Washizu Academy.

There weren't any shady reasons behind his decision, as much as he was sure students both here and Karasumori would think there were. He'd already been accused several times now by the Washizu tumbling guys that he was trying to 'steal their secrets' for his 'own mediocre team', but that really wasn't the case.

The truth was, he needed to make a little extra money. Not only did he want a little more pocket money of his own, to spend on what he wanted and also for emergency situations, but also because for a while now he had been saving up to put money in his own tumbling team's funds. He knew he could only do so much for the team, but even a little extra money helped. Who knew when they might need to purchase new equipment? They already needed new mats badly. His meager donations couldn't help with that at the moment, but if they were saved for the future...

Anyway, needless to say, he felt he had a good reason for working at Washizu. Even if he really didn't want to be there.

Truthfully, the kids at Washizu really were snobs. He only worked on weekends, but there was still Saturday school for most of the kids, and he hadn't liked any of them. He hadn't met a single nice male or female student for the past few weeks he'd been working. This might be a temporary job, and he might not be a student at the school, but he didn't see that as a reason for getting bullied. It wasn't even like he had a specific job. In fact, mostly he was running around the school, acting as either a teacher's assistant or a janitor. It didn't help that the place was so big and that he'd gotten lost his first two weeks here.

Today, he was supposed to be taking out the garbage from the massive cafe at the school, a task which he knew was going to take some time. He'd been towing the necessary bin in front of him on the way to the cafe, when he suddenly passed by a room that had been catching his eye since the moment he'd got here.

The Washizu Tumbling Team Headquarters. A room that was devoted entirely to the school's male tumbling team. Seeing that room always gave Mizusawa a strange feeling. Compared to his own school's team, Washizu treated their team like royalty. To have their own room like this, not clogged with broken school items and equipment from other sports. It must be really nice to be a member of the Washizu Tumbling Team, he had always thought.

At that moment, Mizusawa suddenly had the urge to do what he had been too afraid to do before. Take a peek inside. He had no idea where this feeling had come from, and even fought with himself for a moment, knowing he shouldn't.

But he decided to anyway. He was far too curious for his own good.

So, leaving the large trash bin behind, trash bags still in his hands, he slowly made his way over to the door, pressing an ear to it. He didn't hear anyone inside, but then again, the door was pretty thick. He'd have to take his chances.

Turning the knob slowly, he pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside.

The room was massive, like an empty classroom but decorated to look more like someone's apartment. There was a full kitchen in one corner, complete with bar stools and an area to eat at. The area nearest him was much like someone's living room, with several very fluffy and comfortable-looking couches all facing each other, a coffee table placed in between them--Probably where they plan out their routines, Mizusawa couldn't help thinking.

His eyes left the table and wandered some more around the room, over to a particularly large trophy case.

And that was when he froze.

Because standing right in front of the case was none other than Tsukimori Ryosuke, a Yankee from his school.

He dropped the extra trash bags in his hands.

"R-Ryosuke...?" He asked cautiously, his mouth falling open in shock.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: Oops! Forgot me outfit! (Loved that response, by the way) And by the way...my post outright sucks and I hate it.

Outfit here

The cornered-animal feeling was alive and strong, and Ryosuke was definitely feeling it....

......until Mizusawa walked in.

If Ryosuke hadn't already been gripping the corner of the trophy case and a nearby shelf like a man going to his death, he might have fallen backwards and taken everything down with him.

Mizusawa?

However, the other classmate seemed just as stunned. The heavy-looking bags he'd carried into the room with him fell with two loud, unified thunks as they hit the floor. "R-Ryosuke...?" Mizusawa's mouth fell open.

Ryosuke somehow managed to properly propel himself back to his feet, then moved forward, astounded. He definitely didn't belong here, and didn't he look it--he hadn't thought to wear his school uniform, baka that he'd become--but Mizusawa? Yeah, maybe his classmate wasn't half as vocal about his dislikes as he himself was, but Ryosuke knew Mizusawa liked Washizu and it's Snob Crowd probably about as much as the average girl likes dead raccoons.

And....

Ryosuke began moving forward, oggling the student across from him, still quite in disbelief, and almost tripped over the coffee table in the middle of the room. Mizusawa's appearance had completely disoriented him. He was beginning to feel very much as though he'd somehow tumbled into the Washizu Hole of Hell in Alice in Wonderland, and he might walk out the door and find out that the Washizu Tumbling Team suddenly owned the world (Washizu Tumbling Team headquarters, after all.....who really named their meeting spot something like that unless they were seriously important?)...then he realized he was being a complete doofus and letting his imagination run away with him.

But he couldn't help his next question.

"What's with the glasses?" Ryosuke actually cracked a grin, then folded his arms, watching the other carefully. "Oh, and yeah...what are you doing here and all that other boring jazz."

He noted the fallen trash bags, and feeling a little bad that he seemed to have scared the other student just as much as he'd been scared in return, he moved for the door and picked them up for his classmate, stuffing the bags back in his hands.

"You're.....not their waterboy or anything like that now, are you?"

Somehow, it didn't seem out of the question. That led to a train of thoughts about blackmailing and Mizusawa giving away Karasumori secrets, and Ryosuke suddenly reached forward, pressing a hand on the door behind them to make sure Mizusawa didn't try to leave and no one else came in.

"What's going on, Mizusawa?"

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Your post does NOT suck.

ic: It took him a moment to adjust to the scene in front of him, a very scared-looking Ryosuke, pressed against the trophy case behind him, gripping it with both hands as though his life depended on it. Clearly, he had been as shocked by Mizusawa had been.

Although that didn't quite explain what he was doing there.

He watched as the Yankee let go of the trophy case, moving forward towards him with an extremely stunned look on his face. He was staring so hard that he nearly tripped over the coffee table, which would have been funny, had Mizusawa not suddenly felt as though he were in some trouble.

"What's with the glasses?" Ryosuke actually cracked a grin, then folded his arms, watching the other carefully. "Oh, and yeah...what are you doing here and all that other boring jazz."[/i]

Mizusawa just stared down at the other as Ryosuke bent to pick up the fallen trash bags. He didn't even think to tell Ryosuke that the glasses were just his way of disguising who he was from the Washizu students. He was still staring in disbelief at Ryosuke, before he gratefully took the trash bags back.

"You're.....not their waterboy or anything like that now, are you?"

"What--?" Mizusawa breathed, staring up at Ryosuke now, confused. What was he talking about? Why the hell would he do something like that? Yuuta might have a friend here at Washizu, but Mizusawa certainly didn't approve of him. He really disliked all of the guys on the Washizu team. They might be talented, yes, but they lacked a skill very important to group tumbling--sportsmanship.

Suddenly, against his will, Ryosuke drew his face closer to his, so their noses were a mere inches apart. Ryosuke put a hand up against the door behind Mizusawa, as if preventing any hope of escape Mizusawa had. He felt himself grow a little uncomfortable by the close proximity the Yankee had taken to him.

"What's going on, Mizusawa?"

Mizusawa avoided Ryosuke's eyes. He wasn't sure, even if he did explain, that the other would be able to fully understand.

"...It's...not a big deal," he finally replied, turning his face away from Ryosuke's. Why did he have to get so close? "...I just needed an extra job. I'm trying to save up some money...for myself, and the team."

That was the truth, after all. Ryosuke should know he wasn't lying.

But then he realized something. None of this...none of this explained what Ryosuke was doing here.

Feeling a tad more confident, he turned back to face Ryosuke, now shrugging his way out from between the bigger boy and the door. Once he felt free enough, he set down the garbage bags beside him and folded his arms. "...And what about you, Ryosuke? What are you doing here?" his brow furrowed in concern.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: I think you were reading someone else's.

Ryosuke actually felt semi-bad for Mizusawa, with the expression that crossed the other boy's face. He didn't know Mizusawa as well as someone like Yuta, for instance, but from what he did know about the guy, he couldn't imagine him being some kind of traitor to the team. That's partly why it was so shocking to see him here. Though the look on Mizusawa's face spoke more that he was the shocked one.

Still, though he felt a bit of sympathy, Ryosuke didn't move. Mizusawa was definitely shocked, but he looked a tad nervous as well. The Yankee couldn't help wondering why that was. Guilt? He'd seen the same kind of look on people he'd helped beat up before, the people who were constantly at work betraying each other, seriously cheap bastards.

When Mizusawa started speaking again, Ryosuke watched him closely.

"...It's...not a big deal." Hewas still looking anywhere but at Ryosuke. Even the floor suddenly seemed more appealing to him. And despite his words...

"It seems like a big deal," Ryosuke said softly. He still didn't move.

"..I just needed an extra job. I'm trying to save up some money...for myself, and the team."

Ryosuke pondered that explanation, wondering if maybe he was being a bit too harsh. It was plausible, what Mizusawa was saying. Nippori was in a similar situation, having taken up a part time job at night to care for the serious funds needed at home. Ryosuke had no real right to try and refute that argument. He just......Washizu? Of all places....No wonder the team here looked down on the Karasumori Tumbling Team. One of their very own was practically a slave here.

As if hearing Ryosuke's thoughts and determined to fight back, Mizusawa finally returned the Yankee's gaze. He shrugged out of Ryosuke's hold and moved for the middle of the room, still looking as nervous as before.

Ryosuke didn't attempt to stop him. Instead, he moved into the now-empty space, resting his back against the door, and reached up to scratch his head. For having legitimate reasons and all, Mizusawa was certainly acting weird. Ryosuke watched the smaller boy put his trash bags down so that he could fold his arms. He was suddenly looking a lot more upset and less nervous. Ryosuke knew why; he prepared himself for the onslaught.

"...And what about you, Ryosuke? What are you doing here?"

Ryosuke merely smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you?" Then he shrugged. Truth be told, he no longer knew why he was even here either. It had really been poor judgment on his part. "I have my reasons. I'd say you have no right asking me about my business, but since I asked yours.....well...." He pouted and scratched his head again. "I don't really know why I'm here. Except out of curiosity, maybe imagining disfiguring certain trophies, fiddling with team formation charts, stuff like that..." The last bit had been barely a mumble, as he was aware it was now out that unlike Mizusawa, he'd obviously been here for not-so-good reasons.

[Mizusawa Taku]

A smile crossed Ryosuke's face as he began to answer Mizusawa's own question.

"Would you believe me if I told you?"

Mizusawa just stared at him, and the other boy shrugged. It sounded a lot more like Ryosuke had no good reason to be here now. And the more he thought about it, the more he had the feeling that no matter what the reason was that Ryosuke had come here, it couldn't be a good thing. He was a Yankee, after all. Feeling as though Ryosuke were patronizing him, Mizusawa's eyes narrowed a little, waiting for a more specific answer.

"I have my reasons. I'd say you have no right asking me about my business, but since I asked yours.....well...." He pouted and scratched his head again. "I don't really know why I'm here. Except out of curiosity, maybe imagining disfiguring certain trophies, fiddling with team formation charts, stuff like that..."

The more Ryosuke spoke, the more relieved Mizusawa became. Not that Ryosuke's reasons were good enough to be relieving--Mizusawa had just suddenly gotten the strange fear that maybe Ryosuke was doing something dirty behind the team's back, like trading secrets or giving away their team's routine or something. Knowing that wasn't the case, he felt much better.

Sighing, he looked down at the floor again and ran a hand through his hair.

"As much as Washizu might deserve that, do you really think it's a good idea?" He looked up at Ryosuke with concern. "You could compromise a lot more than Washizu's trophies, you know. If Yuuta found out..."

He looked away, suddenly feeling tired. Wow, he sure hadn't expected this to happen today.

There was a long pause, before Mizusawa sighed again and bit his lip. "Look," he began, finally glancing back up at Ryosuke. Even though they were on the same team, he knew Ryosuke could have a short temper at times. He didn't want to set him off now. "Maybe it's just better if you go home." He kept his voice gentle, even though he really just wanted to tell Ryosuke to get the hell out of there. "I mean, if we're caught in here, we could both get--"

Suddenly, there was the sound of the door opening. Mizusawa froze and looked at Ryosuke.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke saw Mizusawa's expression change quickly from one of nervous suspicion and back into his usual more passive look, and he too relaxed a little. It wasn't that he was afraid of his classmate. He could take the other guy any day and beat him easily, especially being considerably bigger than him. Not that he would, anyway. Ryosuke had the feeling that even though his Yankee tendencies obviously hadn't completely disappeared, given what he was doing now, he was becoming considerably less hot-headed than he used to be.

"As much as Washizu might deserve that, do you really think it's a good idea?"

Ryosuke smirked. "Oh good....I was wondering when I was gonna get scolded for this..."

"You could compromise a lot more than Washizu's trophies, you know. If Yuuta found out..."

Ryosuke shrugged. He didn't think Washizu's trophies were anywhere near as important as Karasumori's Tumbling Team was. At least, he figured that was what Mizusawa was insinuating. Yuuta definitely wouldn't be a happy camper to know what he was doing, or even Mizusawa, for that matter, but....

"Look..." Mizusawa was looking Ryosuke's way once again, his face very serious. Though there was something about his expression that gave Ryosuke the feeling that the other boy was actually fairly sad. He hesitated, waiting to see what had to be said.

"Maybe it's just better if you go home. I mean, if we're caught in here, we could both get--"

Ryosuke started to stand up a bit more, frowning, when he felt the doorknob jiggling. Someone.....was.....

"Oh shit." Ryosuke threw his weight against the door and tried to figure out what they could do. Sure Mizusawa was a worker at the school, but if he got caught in here, he was probably dead meat. And never mind Ryosuke. He didn't know what would happen, if they found him. More used to fighting then running or hiding, Ryosuke tried to think fast. Whoever was trying to open the door was getting agitated. He could hear them huffing on the other side, hitting the knob hard in frustration.

He had an idea.

It wasn't the best of ideas, and if the whole Washizu Team was trying to enter, Ryosuke knew it wouldn't work, but it was worth a try. Better than standing around doing nothing, at least....

Quietly as he could manage, Ryosuke started gesturing for Mizusawa to come his way. When the door swung open, the two of them could hide behind it, then hopefully make their way out once everyone was inside. Or stay behind the door if no one tried to shut it. But first they actually needed to be behind it.

"Hayaku!"

[Uchida Kaoru]

Uchida Kaoru stormed down the hallways of Washizu Academy, practically seething. She was pissed.

She hated boys. Or rather, the boys. Of the Washizu rhythmic gymnastics team. Skilled they might be, but as popular as they were, they were also irritatingly haughty... even compared to most of the Washizu crowd.

She wasn't exactly happy with the task that her teammates had dumped on her -- she had to go to the boy's team office to borrow some props, as the girls team didn't have everything they needed for their current routine. It was very telling of the situation at the school. The famous boys team got the attention, and the donors money, which the school could only pump back into its pride and joy. It wasn't just the girls team that got shafted, but all the other extracurriculars at the school. Just thinking about the bureaucratic BS got Kaoru heated under the collars, but it was something she rarely, if ever, heard anyone else complain about.

"Uchida-sempai!"

She turned around to see two underclassmen smiling at her, and quickly put on one of her own. She recognized their faces but couldn't recall their names... but she did remember they were probably second-years, and that the second-years had a very difficult test coming up. That would be a good enough talking point.

She waved to them, and pumped her fist in that "'fighting' pose. "Hey girls! Good luck on that history exam!"

The pair of girls gave their thanks and scampered away.

Kaoru sighed, her smile faded just as quickly as it appeared, and she continued on her way. A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the door of the magnificent Washizu boys team office, which its classy stained oak and its gold-embossed lettering. She groaned before turning the doorknob. Except that it didn't turn.

She stepped back, confused. The boys captain, Tsurumi, had assured her that it was unlocked. Or was even that stick in the mud pulling her legs? She jiggled the doorknob again to find that it gave, more than it had the time before. She tried again to see that it almost had no give at all. She narrowed her eyes.

There was someone on the other side.

Kaoru briefly considered if she should try to find a member of the boys team, or a teacher to investigate. That would probably be better, lest she get into trouble, along with whatever trespassers there might be. In spite, she turned the knob again, before she would turn to walk away...

,,,only to find that the door swung open this time, and she was suddenly staring at boy about her age.

The first thing she noticed about him was that he was wearing a pair of rather goofy-looking glasses. The second was that he looked very nervous and almost mousy. The third was that there were a couple of garbage bags near his feet... hmm, maybe he was one of the poorer local kids the Academy decided to let work on the weekends? They couldn't employ them full-time, so they couldn't qualify for benefits and pretty much treat them any way they wanted. More Washizu bureaucratic BS. Sometimes she really hated her school.

Either way, glasses kid didn't look threatening at all, so she shut the door behind her.

"Y'know, you shouldn't be in here," she said, walking towards the closet. She felt sorry for the kid, so she wouldn't rat on him... hell, it could've been an honest mistake. Who would guess that the boys gymnastics team would be so serious that their office would be so under wraps... or that they would have an office at all?

She then noticed that glasses kid wasn't looking at her, but past her. She spun around to see a much taller boy standing where the door would've hidden him if it was still closed. The new kid had bleached blonde hair tied up in... well, a weird way she couldn't really explain at the moment. But it made her take a step back. Hair boy was obviously one of them. A troublemaker, a delinquent... a yankee.

Kaoru suddenly felt threatened, angry, and even a bit sickened, but there was something else... something in the back of her head that she was trying to remember. She looked at the blonde's hair again... long and hard. It was so weird-looking, but she knew that she'd seen it before... amongst a sea of other strange hairstyles... for instance, bright red spikes, a dorky-looking crew cut, and a freaking pompadour. Maybe at one of the meets? Kaoru turned to look at the glasses kid again, suddenly thinking that maybe he looked familiar, too.

"Karasumori spies."

The words came out as more of a question than a statement. But they did come out, and Kaoru found herself wondering if she should retreat to the door, or stay and confront the two. Yet, for some reason, her feet stayed planted to their spot, and she was unable to do anything but look between the two boys and hope that her half an accusation wouldn't bring up any aggression in them.

[Mizusawa Taku]

"Oh shit."

Clearly Ryosuke knew as well as Mizusawa did that they were officially in trouble now. What Mizusawa had not been expecting was for Ryosuke to actually hold the door shut with his weight alone. Mizusawa watched what the other boy was doing, his eyes widening. His mouth fell open, wanting to tell Ryosuke that this was not a good idea, that it would be better, much better for them to just pretend they'd gotten lost in here or something. Because holding the door only made them look all-around guilty.

But Ryosuke was already set on his mission and, as Mizusawa could now hear, whoever was on the other side was grumbling to themselves, clearly well-aware now that someone was keeping the door shut on them. He bit his lip when Ryosuke gestured him over.

"Hayaku!"

The other boy's voice was low and frantic, but Mizusawa didn't move. He opened his mouth, about to whisper to Ryosuke that it would be better to just let whoever it was open the door and find them, since there was really no good place to hide, nor the time--

And then the door somehow opened.

Mizusawa really had not been expecting it. Nor had he been expecting the equally-stunned girl on the other side of it. He watched silently as she sized him up, before seeming to decide that he wasn't any threat to her, and closing the door behind her, she stepped closer into the room to him. He bit his lip, unsure of where this was going. He knew she was a Washizu student, by her clothes alone.

"Y'know, you shouldn't be in here," she said, walking towards the closet.

Despite his nervousness, he held his ground, glancing over at Ryosuke and wondering if he could somehow convey with his eyes that Ryosuke should get the hell out of there.

Unfortunately, that glance had the opposite effect. The girl in between them followed his gaze and spun around, now finally seeing Ryosuke. Mizusawa could sense an even bigger tension become apparent in the room. The girl must have really realized what was going on here. He might have come in for an innocent peek, but that wasn't Ryosuke's case at all. They were in big trouble for sure. He'd probably get fired on the spot.

"Karasumori spies."

Yes, definitely in trouble.

"No, wait...You don't understand--" Mizusawa took a step towards her, his voice pleading. As much as he knew he could just admit the truth, that he'd come in here to look at the room, nothing more, and that he hadn't been expecting to see Ryosuke here, he didn't want to sell out his team mate and peer like that. Ryosuke's reasons for being here were dumb, obviously, but he was friends with the Yankee crowd. And besides, no matter how much Mizusawa didn't like Ryosuke's outside friends, he still respected the other, as his team mate.

Now he just needed to come up with something realistic.

"We...sorry, you scared us. So we held the door shut. We, uh--" he was pretty sure the girl wasn't going to buy anything he was saying, so instead he looked at Ryosuke, helplessly, hoping the flirt could figure out some way to charm the Washizu lady.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke realized he'd made something of a mistake when he backed away from the door, hurriedly gesturing Mizusawa to follow him. He'd barely even taken a few steps back before the door itself had swung open madly.

Thank God for his quick Yankee reflexes. He'd only just managed to put a foot out in time to keep the door from slamming him in the face and giving him a nasty--though probably deserved--bruise and a possibly broken nose.

There was a great deal of unnerving silence before anything really happened. Ryosuke actually found that he'd completely tensed, hiding behind the door. He wasn't one to hide, and it was a bit embarrassing to think that he was probably hiding from Washizu losers when he didn't even normally hide from full blown gang members. The thought alone got him going, and he briefly considered marching out there to Mizusawa's aid....

...until she spoke.

"Y'know, you shouldn't be in here."

And as if to accompany her words, the speaker slammed the door closed behind her.

Ryosuke wondered only briefly how stupid he looked, just standing there, even though the girl had not turned around. Another large chunk of his being had now zeroed in on the fact that it was a girl not a bunch of dumb-looking, prissy boys, who'd entered the room. The girl's voice had--while not providing the most comforting of words--soothed him. Even just seeing her had brought some sense of warmth to him. Girls just had the effect on Ryosuke; he absolutely loved them.

How much different could this one be?

The girl began moving forward towards Mizusawa, who looked a bit like a mouse cornered by a rather serious cat--a very pretty cat, Ryosuke thought, watching her move. He momentarily pondered making the cat paws gesture and mewing, "Kyyyuuunnn!" then waved the thought away not out of fear of getting caught, but thinking about how much more of a loser than even the Wa-Shit-sus that would make him. Instead, he remained standing there for a bit longer, absolutely silent.

That was when the silence continued, and suddenly, the girl turned around.

Ryosuke recognized the look on her face, though it didn't hit him until after it had registered just how pretty this random girl was. Karasumori had really pretty girls, Ryosuke wasn't going to lie, but it seemed unfair that Washizu had whoever this she-being was, especially when they seemed to get everything else that was pure and good. She was....stunning. Ryosuke actually felt his heart skip a beat, and typically, that only happened when he'd really fallen for a girl.

But the look on the girl's face was dark. She was obviously upset, but she looked scared now too. And that didn't bode all that well with Ryosuke. He made it a point to avoid hurting girls even emotionally. In his mind, at least.

"Karasumori spies."

Ryosuke, now that the secret was out that he was out and about, couldn't help laughing slightly. He wanted to find a way to comfort her, make her realize neither he nor Mizusawa meant any harm. At least not to anything more than a few nasal-looking trophies.

But Mizusawa was taking everything very seriously. Ryosuke felt a twitch inside and wondered if, possibly, he was jealous. The girl was looking back to Mizusawa.....No....Ryosuke wanted her attention; Mizusawa didn't like girls anyway. "No, wait...You don't understand--"

Mizusawa was even moving closer now. Ryosuke pouted.

"We...sorry, you scared us. So we held the door shut. We, uh--"
Suddenly, Mizusawa was looking Ryosuke's way. The blonde Yankee pointed to himself and rolled his eyes. Finally.

Now Ryosuke moved forward, though slowly, not wanting to alarm the pretty Washizu student. He grinned at Mizusawa as he folded his arms and jerked a thumb at the new arrival. "She's cute, huh?"

The Yankee turned back to her. "You know, with the force of the way you opened that door, I thought the whole Washizu Guys' Team was storming in here." He shrugged. "Then I remembered they're actually a bunch of sissy boys and decided they couldn't open a bottle of milk on their own, let alone an actual door. Oh man...bad manners. I'm Ryosuke, that's Mizu, and we're both in trouble, I'm sure. What's your name? Probably better I know the name behind the pretty face of the girl who's gonna get me kicked out of school."

He smiled and waited for fate. Fate being one of two inevitable things: Acceptance or Rejection.

He'd gotten a lot more of the former than the latter, but if it was the latter..........maybe he'd be able to barter his way out.

[Uchida Kaoru]

There was a pause, and hair boy even chuckled a bit... but glasses kid was actually the first one to speak.

"No, wait...You don't understand--" The boy took a step towards Kaoru, immediately cause her to take a step back. On his own, he didn't seem threatening at all, but the fact that he kept company with... that crowd didn't make her feel any safer. Also, he was beginning to sound desperate. He probably knew how serious his situation was -- or how serious this situation was about to become. "We...sorry, you scared us. So we held the door shut. We, uh--"

Despite her discomfort, Kaoru couldn't help but roll her eyes. Glasses kid was failing her; his lips were flapping but he wasn't saying anything. But it seemed that he was placing his hopes in his friend. She was able to catch the helpless face signalling that he was giving up on his explanation... or excuse.

Kaoru turned to the other boy, hair boy, and was reminded that she had no reasons to get her own hopes up.

He started moving towards here, too... she found herself regretting shutting that door, and hoping that the Kara High boys' only problem was their lack of respect for personal space. She prepared herself to move again, but luckily, hair boy would stay at a distance she could deal with.

She eyed the blonde defensively. What was going to happen... it was going to be good, she could feel it.

That's when hair boy smiled, looked to his bespectacled friend, gesturing towards her. "She's cute, huh?"

Kaoru stifled a sigh. Yeah, she should have expected that.

She fidgeted, trying not to look as annoyed and anxious as she really was. Hair boy continued. "You know, with the force of the way you opened that door, I thought the whole Washizu Guys' Team was storming in here." Jeeze, the more he spoke, the less seriously she found herself taking him. "Then I remembered they're actually a bunch of sissy boys and decided they couldn't open a bottle of milk on their own, let alone an actual door. Oh man...bad manners. I'm Ryosuke, that's Mizu, and we're both in trouble, I'm sure. What's your name? Probably better I know the name behind the pretty face of the girl who's gonna get me kicked out of school."

Again, she looked between the two boys. Ryosuke and... who? Kaoru really had a problem with remembering names, which was something she really hated. In any case, she figured that she probably wouldn't run or... R... R... it started with an 'R', didn't it? Well, she wouldn't seem them again so it didn't matter, and neither did her giving her own name.

She was going to turn them in, right?

Kaoru looked up and at hair boy's face for the first time. Something about it tugged at the corners of her cheeks and made her heart beat faster. She then realized that she really had the desire to throw the book at him, and to club him in the face with it, break his nose, and ruin that charming visage he probably used to weasel his way of all kinds of trouble...

But something else about him... the way he talked about the boys team. The (mostly one-sided) rivalry between Washizu and Karasumori was well-known amongst the athletes... Were the two trespassers doing something to sabotage the team she despised so much? She could rat on the Kara High kids any time, so the possibility of a twofer absolutely enthralled her. Pulling something on the guys and getting credit for turning in the offenders for spoils? And one of those was a yankee, no less. It was a three-for-one deal of sweetness.

Kaoru gave a sidelong glance before looking to be boy before her once more. She opened her mouth to address the both of them, but came up short, and ended up giggling nervously. Oh yeah, forgot. Depending on how tool-ish the boys she deal with were, they might like that. Particularly hair boy, she figured.

She looked straight up into his eyes and smiled. Nothing too cheesy, but enough to set him at ease, she hoped. "It's Kaoru," she started. Usually the first name was something to be earned, but she didn't want to seem too stand-off-ish... "And... I dunno. Maybe you and your friend could tell me what's going on here? Maybe we can work something out."

[Mizusawa Taku]

Mizusawa could see Ryosuke getting that bold, "I know what to do" look on his face, and he wondered if that was really the case. Maybe asking Ryosuke to come up with a better excuse than he could wasn't the right thing to do. Well, at least he wouldn't mind lying as much.

But Mizusawa knew his decision probably hadn't been the best, the moment he saw a grin make it's way onto Ryosuke's pretty-boy face.

"She's cute, huh?"

Mizusawa just stared at Ryosuke, before sighing and looking away. Yeah, that was great. Well, I suppose it's better than me coming up with some obvious excuse, he thought, wondering what the Washizu girl thought about the two of them. She didn't look all that surprised about Ryosuke's reaction, that was for sure. And she probably thought they were both completely stupid.

"You know, with the force of the way you opened that door, I thought the whole Washizu Guys' Team was storming in here." He shrugged. "Then I remembered they're actually a bunch of sissy boys and decided they couldn't open a bottle of milk on their own, let alone an actual door. Oh man...bad manners. I'm Ryosuke, that's Mizu, and we're both in trouble, I'm sure. What's your name? Probably better I know the name behind the pretty face of the girl who's gonna get me kicked out of school."

There was a pause, as Ryosuke smiled at the girl. Mizusawa felt like face/palming. If he knew Washizu students, then this wasn't going to blow over very well. And he doubted, no matter how much of a flirty, hot boy that Ryosuke was, the girl surely wasn't gonna fall for something as obvious as that--

And then she giggled.

It wasn't a flirty giggle, or anything like that--maybe more nervous than anything else. But she still giggled. Mizusawa frowned, having not expected this sort of reaction from her. He'd expected to see her whip out her expensive phone and call the police, or maybe just scream for help and hope someone would hear. Even if he and Ryosuke didn't look dangerous, that would have been the first thing he could see a Washizu student doing in this situation, especially a female one.

But obviously, that was not the case. She wasn't exactly looking at Mizusawa anymore, just Ryosuke, and now she was smiling at him. "It's Kaoru," she started.

Mizusawa frowned further. Was she seriously falling for Ryosuke? That quickly? Yeah, Ryosuke was good-looking and all, but really? Even though he was currently the one in trouble right now, Mizusawa actually felt disappointed that the girl was that stupid.

Or maybe it's all an act, he realized, now watching the two of them carefully. Were they both playing with each other right now?

"And... I dunno. Maybe you and your friend could tell me what's going on here? Maybe we can work something out."

"Work something out?" Mizusawa suddenly found himself speaking, even though he hadn't been the one being addressed. But he was confused. This was not how he had expected things to go. And he certainly hadn't been prepared for this one today. "What do you mean?" he asked her cautiously, staring at her. He eyed the door again, but he knew that running away wasn't an option. Even if he ran away, he still worked here. He'd easily lose his job. Although, considering what was happening right now, that was a glaringly likely possibility anyway.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: Oh my goodness...that was the best post by Kaoru ever! I loved the "sweetness deal" thing! XD

Ryosuke watched the Washizu girl carefully to see what she would do. She seemed unable to decide who to trust. One second she would be watching Mizusawa, the next, she would be looking Ryosuke's way, maybe sizing him up. Truth be told, Ryosuke didn't like feeling like the girl thought he was some kind of piggish guy who was gonna attack her or something like that. It really went against his personal beliefs about how to treat women. Though....he was standing in front of the door and kind of....guarding it in the event she tried to run and get them in trouble. That couldn't look too good.

The girl, who hadn't yet introduced herself, gave two more unsure looks, one to Mizusawa, and one back to Ryosuke, before she suddenly broke into giggles.

Ryosuke's eyes widened, and he angled his head to the side, confused. That hadn't been the response he'd been expecting. But then she moved forward slightly, looking him straight in the eyes now, and Ryosuke felt his heart skip another beat. She was even prettier when she wasn't staring at Mizusawa. But truth be told, he hadn't really expected her to just "fall" like that. Did she have something else up her sleeves? Ryosuke had always imagined that Washizu girls were the ultimate snobs...he couldn't see this girl, however pretty or sweet she seemed, suddenly doing a complete turn-a-round.

"It's Kaoru. And... I dunno. Maybe you and your friend could tell me what's going on here? Maybe we can work something out."

"Kaoru..." Ryosuke spoke her name under his breath, trying to commit it to memory as he pondered her words. She wanted to work something out, huh?

"Work something out?" Mizusawa seemed to have the same inkling.

Ryosuke intended to look his classmate's way, at the sound of his voice, but he realized Kaoru was still looking at him, and he suddenly found he couldn't take his eyes off hers. Ryosuke bit his lip. Damn, she'd pretty much one-upped him on this one.

"What do you mean?"

Ryosuke finally mustered enough self-control to break eye contact with Kaoru. He looked at Mizusawa, and tried to calm his heart rate a little; he'd begun to feel all antsy when it seemed like Kaoru had started playing with him. What kind of game she was playing, whether for his and Mizusawa's good or bad, he didn't know, but playing was playing. And he was a guy. Who really liked girls.

Still, he needed to try to be level-headed. He liked playing around and he liked making fun of the Wa-shit-sus, but he didn't want to compromise the welfare of the Karasumori Tumbling Team, if he could help it.

"Yeah, uh...what do you mean?"

[Uchida Kaoru]

OOC: I've been loving the cheesy Ryosuke, too! XD

"Work something out? What do you mean?"

Kaoru turned to look at the kid in glasses. He looked and sounded suspicious... of her. Really, now?

"Yeah, uh...what do you mean?" hair boy repeated. Damn, was she losing him to? He had seemed so taken by the eye contact... was she coming on too strong, or were the Kara High kids sharper than she'd given them credit for?

She grit her teeth, taking a short break to look at the wall. it didn't seem fair that they were questioning her,when they were the ones trespassing, they were the ones up to no good. In fact, it really irritated her...

Kaoru briefly considered making a break for the door, but the tall blonde punk was conveniently in the way. She also didn't want to admit any guilt... No, she could still fix this, she was sure she could.

"I mean," she began, looking to glasses kid, "I guess I don't know you, but this is my third year at this school, and I've known a lot of kids like you. This only reason someone like you would work in a place like this is because you either want or need money this badly. Right? You'll definitely be fired in a heartbeat if this gets out."

Kaoru would pause before she continued. Her voice had been serious, not too forthright, and showed a hint of concern -- not too bad. She turned to hair boy again; this would be a bit more difficult. Four-eyes had his job to worry about, but what did the yankee have going for him?

His face.

Jeeze, it became more hilarious the more Kaoru looked at it. She couldn't decide if it was because of the particular expression he wore in that moment, or if it would be funny to her any time she'd see it. She covered her mouth to hide her smile, slowly raised her eyes to meet his again, and decided she'd work with it.

"And you..." Man, was she actually about to say this? "I think I just want to help you out."

Ugh.

After another lingering bout of eye contact she traded her grin for a face of apprehension, and looked between the two again before turning her gaze to the ceiling. "If you aren't doing anything serious, or if you didn't manage to do anything yet, I was hoping no one would have to get in any trouble, but..."

She eyed the door, wondering if there was a way to really get away... but mostly for show. She wrung her hands and frowned.

"But... if you're really doing something bad to our team, maybe I should..."

Without finishing her sentence, Kaoru started inching towards the door, nervously eying the Karasumori pair. And she really was nervous. In the past few minutes, she'd gained a sense of ease with them, but she still didn't know if they would try to physically prevent her from leaving the room, or if they would merely implore her to stay. Yet, she was pretty damn sure they would not allow her to leave.

Because she knew they didn't want any trouble, that the glasses kid didn't want to lose his job, and that the hair boy had taken some kind of liking to her... and if they were serious about their own gymnastics team, controversy like this could ground their team for the rest of the season.

[Mizusawa Taku]

"Yeah, uh...what do you mean?"

Ryosuke suddenly sounded very unsure of himself--or at least, that was how it came off to Mizusawa's ears. He bit his lip, knowing how very bad all this was. Had Ryosuke really fallen for this...Kaoru so easily? Mizusawa had never really thought the Yankee was stupid, but if he hadn't been able to see right through that...

At the sound of his own voice, he saw Kaoru look his way, her expression not nearly as flirtatious as it had been with Ryosuke. Despite the intense look in her eyes, he held his ground, just staring back at her as he waited for an answer.

There was a pause, before she spoke again. "I mean," she began, looking to glasses kid, "I guess I don't know you, but this is my third year at this school, and I've known a lot of kids like you. This only reason someone like you would work in a place like this is because you either want or need money this badly. Right? You'll definitely be fired in a heartbeat if this gets out."

Mizusawa felt his heart sink at her words. Of course, it wasn't like his life depended on this job, but he wanted to do as much as he could for the team. They needed all the help they could get, considering their own school barely supported them. Being fired sure wouldn't help. He looked away for a moment, avoiding her gaze. And it was true, he was poorer than her, though not exactly poor compared to other students at Karasumori. Still, she had otherwise nailed it. It really seemed like she did know many kids like him. Which was weird, for a Washizu student to even bother to get-to-know people like him.

"And you..." Man, was she actually about to say this? "I think I just want to help you out."

Mizusawa slowly looked up again, and saw that Kaoru had now returned her attention back to Ryosuke. There was a smile on her face.

Despite her words from before, Mizusawa still felt he couldn't trust her. And yet, he knew that if he wanted to keep his job, he'd have to do what she said. All the other janitors here were older men and women. If she wanted to rat him out, all she had to say was that it had been the kid janitor, and he'd be fired on the spot. There was no way out of it. And as for Ryosuke, well, he had less to worry about, since he wasn't working here. But what deal could Kaoru possibly make with Ryosuke that would work out? Asking him out on a date?

Looking at how she stared at Ryosuke with that big smile of hers, if it wasn't all an act, Mizusawa could believe she might actually want to do that. Lots of girls liked Ryosuke. Maybe that included the Washizu girls too.

A moment later, and the girl returned to looking between both of them, the grin disappearing for an apprehensive look. Mizusawa stared at her as she moved her gaze to the ceiling. "If you aren't doing anything serious, or if you didn't manage to do anything yet, I was hoping no one would have to get in any trouble, but..."

Mizusawa felt some hope spring into his heart. Was she serious? Did she really mean what she was saying? He saw her glance quickly at the door, and then bit his lip again. Maybe not...

"But... if you're really doing something bad to our team, maybe I should..." Now she was slowly backing up towards the door, staring from him to Ryosuke.

Why had she suddenly changed her mind? Why had she suddenly given up her act? Because now he was sure it had all been an act, considering she wanted to leave rather than hang out a little longer with Ryosuke. She'd been doing a fair job of pretending to like him too--at least, Ryosuke seemed to have fallen for it.

And that was when it occurred to him. What...what if she found out that he and Ryosuke were on the Karasumori Tumbling Team? If she thought they were here to sabotage Washizu's male tumbling team, then this could end very badly for their own school's. The principal at Karasumori already saw them as more of a burden than an official school club--he'd need no other reason than something this girl would say to disband their club. And since that was the whole reason why Mizusawa was here in the first place--since that was basically his life--he couldn't let it happen.

"Wait." Mizusawa suddenly sprang back to life, flitting past the girl quickly and slamming a hand against the door. He couldn't let her leave. Not yet. "We haven't done anything wrong," he told her, his heart pounding with fear he was trying to conceal from her. "I only came in here to make sure the room was tidy, right? That's my job." He mentally berated himself for lying to her, but continued on. "And...." He motioned to Ryosuke, "he's just a friend. He doesn't mean any harm."

Staring down a little into the girl's eyes, he asked her earnestly, "Now...what did you mean, we could make a deal?"