While The Mice Are Away

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.

Tokyo seems to be a beautiful city. And you've done your research again.

Yeah, I was looking up things a lot during the writing of that chapter.I needed a backdrop for that last scene and when I came across a photo of the Rainbow Bridge I thought "I have got to use that."

CHAPTER 11

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,”Nina said soothingly.

Annie was lying in bed with her head buried in the pillow, a position she’d adopted as soon as she’d got home and got changed.“It is,”she replied,“When did I start giving in to all these stupid impulses?”

“Tell me again what happened.”

“I kissed Jai.”

“Like I said, it’s not that bad.”

“Are you joking?”Annie turned over until she was lying on her back.“He probably will think I want to marry him.”

“Well…why do it then?”

“Because…it just felt like an amazing moment, like we were on top of the world, and he was there and he was Jai and I could tell that he thought it was amazing as well and I just wanted to share that moment with him so I kissed him.”She groaned.“And that makes no sense whatsoever.”

“Well, maybe it will to Jai, if you explain it like that.”

“You don’t understand.Jai and I, we’ve got this whole weird ex-couple history, there’s all sorts of tensions and…we’d only just got to the stage where we could manage to be friends and I’ve gone and done this and put us right back to square one.”

“I’m sure you’re worrying about nothing,”Nina told her calmly,“Jai probably knows exactly what the situation is.”

“We are definitely getting back together,”Jai proclaimed.

Boshirou looked at him in confusion.“You and Annie friends?”

“That’s right…”

“Not more than friends.”

Jai paused slightly at the comment.He had to admit there was still a niggling doubt at the back of his mind, after everything Annie had said about it being over between them.But still…“Friends was like the first step,”he decided,“Now that we’ve done that and we’ve spent time with each other, she realises we’re meant to be together.”

“You ask Annie to the dance.”

“Yes…”

“She say no.”

Jai thought again.“Well, Nina organised for her to go with one of her friends,”he remembered,“She couldn’t really say no.”

Boshirou seemed to think this over.“Still not sure.”

“She kissed me,”Jai insisted,“Annie wouldn’t do that if she didn’t want to be with someone.”

“You going home now?”Jai asked at the end of school the next day.

“Yeah, I’m walking back with Nina and the others.”A part of Annie wanted to end the conversation there. But she knew they had to talk about what had happened in Tokyo.“Look, Jai…”

“I was just wondering, maybe you wanted to go and see a film later…”

“No.”The answer came out more abruptly than Annie had intended but she needed to stop that line of thinking dead.

Jai looked at her, befuddled.“Why not?”

“Because I’m not your girlfriend anymore.”

“You kissed me,”Jai reminded her,“I didn’t make you do it.”

“I know, I…Everything here’s just so new and exciting and I was happy and I just kissed you.It wasn’t because I want to be with you, it was just a kind of spur of the moment thing.”

Jai looked crestfallen.“So…we’re not getting back together?”

“Jai, you’re a really good friend and I really care about you but we’re not together anymore and we’re not going to be.I’m sorry…”

“Oh, you’re sorry,”Jai snapped,“That makes it all right then.”

Annie was shocked by the sudden anger in his voice.“Jai, I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

“No, you just wanted to make me admit that I still like you so that you can toss me aside again.”

“Jai, I didn’t,”Annie began.

“I wish you’d never come here,”he interrupted, his tone full of bitterness.

He stormed off down the corridor, pretending he hadn’t seen the tears in her eyes.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you very much for your comments, everyone, you do really give me the motivation to keep writing.

Phew ! For a time there, at the end of the previous chapter, I thought they were just going to get back together because of one impetuous kiss, and end the fic.

Glad there's some more twists and turns left.

As if it would ever be that simple...

CHAPTER 12

“Jai, please wait!”Annie was relieved when he paused, even though his expression remained sullen. Another day had passed in awkward silences, both of them avoiding any contact with the other.She didn’t want to carry on like this but breaking through the wall that had sprung up between them seemed like an impossible task.

Jai’s next words didn’t give her much hope.“Annie, we’ve got nothing to say to each other.”

“I don’t like it when we’re not talking.”

“Do we need to talk?”Jai let the question hang in the air.“I mean, I’ve got my friends, you’ve got yours. Maybe we should keep it like that.”

“Is that what you want?”Annie asked.

“I think it’s best.”

“Then I guess I’d better go and find Nina then.”

Jai watched her walk away and it was only then that he remembered that Boshirou had been standing close by throughout the conversation.“You and Annie friends,”he stated.

Jai sighed.“Yeah.Not more than friends.”

“You and Annie friends,”Boshirou repeated,“You should not argue.”

Jai looked at him, surprised by the comment.Thinking about it, these past few weeks, they had been friends.Real friends.And he’d enjoyed it.Not just because of the hope that it could lead to something moreBecause having her around had made being so far from home a lot less scary.

But could he do that though?Could he put aside the feelings he had for her and just be her friend?He didn’t know.

“There they are.”Annie caught sight of Aki and Deiji outside the bar where they were supposed to be meeting and gave them a wave, before turning to Nina.“Come on.”

Nina hung back.“Actually, can you go on without me?”

Annie looked at her in surprise.“What?Why?”

“I’m meeting up with someone else.”Nina looked as cagey as Annie had ever seen her.

Annie suddenly felt very uncomfortable, suspecting she’d been dragged into something that she didn’t really want to be a part of.“Do your parents know about this?”

Nina sighed.“They think I’m going out with you lot.”She saw Annie about to argue and cut in.“Look, Annie, please, can you do this for me?”

Annie glanced across at the figures of Aki and Deiji and nodded reluctantly.“Okay.”

Annie liked Aki and Deiji, even though their grasp of English wasn’t as good as Nina’s and her grasp of Japanese was even worse.Normally she’d have enjoyed spending a night at the bar with them, drinking their soft drinks and listening to people make fools of themselves with the diverse selection of karaeoke tracks.But at the back of her mind was the fear of what was going on with Nina and what exactly it was she was keeping secret.

She made her way cautiously in through the back door of the house and through to the front room where Nina’s parents were.“Nina?”she asked.To her relief, they pointed upstairs.

Annie hurried up the stairs towards the room she and Nina shared and opened the door.“Nina,”she began and then she froze.

The two bodies in Nina’s bed scrambled about wildly, trying to cover themselves up, as the embarrassed faces of Nina and Hugh peaked over the top of the covers at her.“Annie, we were,”Nina began uncertainly.

Annie backed out of the room and back down the stairs, hurrying past the front room and back out the door, suddenly wanting to be as far away from the house as possible.

The rest of the house had already gone to bed when Jai headed up to his room to change.He was just starting to remove his shirt when he heard an odd thump! noise.He paused and listened and when he heard the noise again he recognised what it was:Someone throwing a stone against the window.

He pulled back the curtains and opened the window, seeing Annie standing outside.“Annie, what are you doing?”he demanded, slightly annoyed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go,”she replied.

Jai heard the slight catch in her voice and looked closer at her, noticing the moisture on her cheeks glistening in the moonlight.“Why are you crying?”he asked, his tone softer.

Annie didn’t answer.“Can I come in?”

Jai looked around.Miraculously, the noise didn’t seem to have disturbed the rest of the house.“I’ll come down and open the door,”he told her.

Annie didn’t really know why she’d gone there.In retrospect, her actions seemed rather silly.But the situation she’d come across had come as such a complete shock to her, so outside what she’d been prepared to cope with, that running had seemed like the only option.Jai had been the only person she could think of to talk to, the only person within thousands of miles who’d understand.She’d followed him up to his room and he’d listened quietly as she’d explained the events of the evening.

“Bet you think I’m a right child,”she sighed.

Jai shrugged.“You were surprised, I get that.”He shook his head in bewilderment.“Nina and Hugh?I didn’t even know they were going out.”

“Neither did I.”

“Still, I suppose he has been out with most of the class…”

“I’m surprised by Nina, though, I didn’t think…”Annie sighed.“I don’t know.”She rubbed at the tear stains across her face.“I’m a right mess.Have you got any tissues?”

“In the drawer,”Jai replied, pointing to his bedside table.

Annie opened the drawer, quickly found the box of tissues and used one to dry her eyes.She was about to close it when something else caught her eye:A packet with writing on it in English.She picked out a few words and her eyes widened in shock.She snatched it up and waved it at Jai accusingly.“What are these?”

Jai looked slightly embarrassed but also annoyed at the question.“You can see what they are.”

“Did you think I’d sleep with you?”

Jai seemed even more bewildered.“What?”

“Jai, you’ve got a packet of condoms in your drawer!Did you think I’d sleep with you when I kissed you?”It suddenly occurred to her that the writing was in English.“Or did you bring these from home?Did you think I’d forget about Romeo and throw myself at you?”

“Annie, will you listen to yourself?”Jai snapped,“Just because you don’t want to have sex, you think no-one else can!”

Annie threw the packet down onto the bed in disgust and stormed past him.“I don’t know why I came here.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for your comments.Hopefully there'll be a few surprises in here(and people won't have already guessed most of it...)

CHAPTER 13

“Ann-chan?”

The soft voice and gentle shake nudged Annie back into wakefulness and she slowly opened her eyes.She felt the hard structure of the sofa underneath her, aches and pains where her body hadn’t quite managed to get comfortable.She saw Nina crouched next to her, looking worried.“Morning,”she said quietly.

“Why did you sleep down here?”Nina asked.

Memories of the previous night came flooding back to Annie.“I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Nina looked as awkward as Annie felt.“Hugh went soon after you did.”

“Your parents..?”

“They don’t know he was there.”Nina gestured for Annie to move up and sat down next to her.“I looked in the front room when I came home, told them that I was back and I was going to bed and that you’d come home later.They didn’t know he was with me.Didn’t notice him leaving either.Or you.”

“I won’t tell,”Annie said,“I mean, I don’t want to lie to them but I guess if they don’t ask me if I saw Hugh in your bedroom…”

“Thanks.”

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Annie asked,“What were you doing?I mean, I know what you were doing but…what were you doing?”

“Exploring a new culture?”Nina suggested.She sighed.“He asked me out.”

“That’s it?”

“I suppose I thought he was kind of cute.He’s exotic, like you.”

“I guess we have different ideas of exotic.”

“I didn’t tell my parents.We went out, we went to a disco, we had a good time.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“I think so.”

“And…sleeping with him?”

“It was…nice, I guess.I mean, he seemed to want to and I suppose I was curious.Isn’t that what you do where you come from?”

Annie thought about her answer carefully.“Not everyone,”she said at last.

Nina caught the implication and her eyes widened.“You’ve never..?”

“No.”

“Jai?”

Annie thought about the other thing that had happened the previous night, the packet she’d found.The packet, she now realised, that was still sealed in cellophane.“No.I don’t think so.”

Annie had taken a seat in the school yard before classes, intending to gather her thoughts, but she didn’t stay alone for long.Jai came over and sat down next to her.He looked straight ahead for a moment, not meeting her gaze.“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,”he said at last.

She looked askance at him.“What do you mean?”

“I’m tired of falling out with you, Annie.It feels like we’ve been doing nothing else for the past six months.I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I,”she admitted.She hesitated.“What I found…”

“I didn’t get them for you.I mean, not that I don’t think about it sometimes but…”He checked himself. “You don’t want to hear that.”

“Then…why?”

“Hugh gave them to me.He said it was best to keep some around just in case.”

“In case of what?”

Jai sighed.“You know what they’re for, Annie.In case I…meet a girl I like.”

Annie looked at him disapprovingly.“Jai…”

“What would you rather I did, Annie?”Jai snapped back,“Would you rather I got a girl pregnant?”

“I’d rather you didn’t have sex,”Annie replied.But she said it quietly, as if she understood.

Jai’s tone matched hers.“Not everyone thinks like that.”

“I know.”

She saw the sincerity in his gaze.“I would have waited, you know.If that’s what you wanted.But… anyway.”He looked away again.“I mean, I might never meet anyone.”

“I hope you do.”

He felt her hand brush against his and grasped it briefly.“Friends?”he asked, looking at her.

She smiled.And he realised that being friends with Annie Campbell was still pretty special.

It would probably have been called a special assembly back home.The students had been summoned to the hall and sat in rows.Hugh had sat next to Nina.They’d looked nervously at each other for a moment and then held hands.It was a sight that Annie and Jai decided would take time to get used to.

Principal Akeda was speaking.Annie tried to follow the speech but her Japanese wasn’t good enough.But there was something about his tone and about the reaction of the other students that worried her.When she heard an involuntary gasp from some of them, she could contain herself no longer.She leaned closer to Nina.“What did he say?”

Nina looked back at her.“He said the school’s being closed down.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Hopefully there'll be a few surprises in here(and people won't have already guessed most of it...)

My apologies, you're right, perhaps I should have put spoiler tags on some of my comments. Never thought about it for fanfics. Patience is a hard virtue to come by. That's assuming you were referring to my guesses. If not, humility is an even harder virtue.....

Actually, I wasn't thinking of you specifically but having read your post again...Not going to say any more.

Hope you all enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 14

“Yes, I’m afraid it is true.”

Jai, Annie and Hugh had gone to see Mrs.Hayashi after the assembly, to have what Principal Akeda had said explained to them properly.Any hope that what they had heard was wrong vanished straight away.

“But why?”Annie asked.

“It is a question of money.We have lost much of our funding recently.The exchange programme has helped and has encouraged many to support us but it is no longer enough.”

“So when will it close down?”Jai asked.

“We don’t know.We hope we can remain open until the end of term.”

“And what’ll happen to us?”asked Hugh.

“That is a decision for the exchange programme.They may find you a school somewhere else but…I am afraid you may all have to be sent home.”

An impromptu council of war seemed to have been convened in Nina’s front room:Jai, Annie, Nina, Boshirou, Hugh, Aki and Deiji.“It’s not fair,”Annie complained,“I’ve really loved it here and I’ve loved being with all you lot and now…”

“What are you gonna do?”Hugh asked Nina.

“There are other schools nearby,”Nina pointed out,“I’m sure we can go to one of them.But it won’t be the same.”

“Is there anything we can do?”Annie asked.

“I cannot think of anything,”Deiji replied.

“But…it’s just money, right?If we find enough money, the school can stay open.”

“But where are we going to get that sort of money from?”Hugh asked,“Do you happen to know any millionaires who fancy financing a school?”

“No but…Could we maybe do something to encourage people to give the school money?”

“I could play my flute,”Boshirou suggested.

Annie smiled at him gently.“I don’t think that would do it.”

“No, wait, wait, wait,”Jai interrupted,“He’s got a point.”

Annie looked at him in confusion.“A flute?”

“A concert!”

“Wouldn’t that just cost more money?”Hugh asked him.

“Not if we do it right.”He looked at Nina, Aki and Deiji.“Do any of you play an instrument?”

“I play the biwa,”Nina remarked.

Jai looked at her in slight confusion.“What’s that?”

“It’s a traditional Japanese instrument, a bit like a cross between a lute and a cello.”

“That’s perfect!Could you teach me?”

“I…could try, I guess.”

“You learn the biwa?”Boshirou asked in confusion,“Why?”

“Don’t you get it?This is perfect!”Jai looked round at the sea of blank faces.“Mrs.Hayashi said that the thing that kept the school open the most was the exchange programme.Well, this is the best way to show people what that means.Japanese students and exchange students playing music together.”

“So, should I be in this concert?”asked Hugh,“I mean, if it’s exchange students you’re after…”

Jai looked at him for a moment, the idea of Hugh learning a musical instrument being a bit beyond even his imagination.“You can play the drums,”he decided at last.

Somehow, the conversation had ended up moving to one of the local bars.Aki and Deiji were on the stage, performing one of the karaeoke tracks, which left Jai, Annie, Nina, Hugh and Boshirou grouped around a pair of tables.“What sort of music were you thinking of?”Nina asked.

“Something traditional, Japanese,”Jai suggested,“But some western stuff as well, give it a bit of variety.”

“Okay, you can play pop music on the biwa but it doesn’t happen very often…”

“Well, you can sort that, can’t you?”

Aki and Deiji came back over to the table and grabbed hold of Annie.“You now,”Aki told her.

“What?”Annie stuttered.“No, no way am I going up there.Jai, tell them.”

“Yeah, you’ll be great,”Jai assured her, not really paying attention.

Annie found herself somewhat unwillingly dragged up onto the stage, desperately wondering what she could sing.She could barely speak Japanese, let alone sing it, and none of the pop songs she’d heard back home seemed right.Then she remembered a girl from church who used to babysit for her and a song she used to keep playing, on the basis that she liked the two men singing it and it was the only CD her parents didn’t object to.It was nice, it was tuneful…and best of all, it was short.

She thumbed through the playlist, thankful that the English songs were written in an alphabet she understood, and pointed it out to the man working the machine.

“We need a singer,”Hugh announced out of the blue.

“Why?”Nina asked.

“Because…every band has to have a singer.”

“He’s got a point,”Jai conceeded,“Boshirou, you sing?”

Boshirou shook his head emphatically.“I play flute.I do not sing.”

“Nina?”

“You’ve already made me your music teacher, I’m not going to sing as well…”

“Well, someone’s got to do it!Who else…”

Jai broke off as he heard a voice suddenly break into song somewhere close by.“I believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows, I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows…”

He, and everyone else at the table, stopped and looked round, picking out Annie on stage.She looked incredibly nervous and self-conscious but she sounded perfect.

“I believe above a storm the smallest prayer can still be heard, I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word…”

Jai looked back at Nina and saw the grin plastered across her face.“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for your comments.

CHAPTER 15

It took Annie a while to realise exactly what the others were suggesting and even then she thought she must be mistaken.“You want me to sing?”

They were back in Nina’s front room, her and Nina plus Jai, Hugh and Boshirou.And all of the others seemed to have a determined look on their faces.“You’d be perfect,”Jai insisted,“You’ve got that whole sweet and innocent thing about you that adults go for.”

“Yeah, I’d also need to sing.”

“But you can sing,”Nina replied,“We heard you in the bar, you were great.”

Annie looked at Hugh and Boshirou for support but they just nodded in agreement, Hugh looking a lot more certain than Boshirou, she had to admit, since he had a faint air of bemusement about him.

“Look, you agreed the concert was a good idea,”Jai pointed out.

Annie had actually said nothing of the sort but she didn’t feel like pointing that out.“Yeah, maybe…”

“So be a part of it.”

“Can’t I just play an instrument or something?”

“We’ve got loads of people playing instruments, we need you to do this for us.”

Annie shook her head.“I’m sorry but I can’t.”

“You’ve done it before, Miles told me.At his sister’s farewell.”

“I had the rest of the class singing with me then,”Annie pointed out.

“Well, you’ll have all of us there to help you…”

“Jai, I said no,”Annie snapped suddenly,“Just deal with it.”Aware of how childish she looked but not wanting to be there any longer, she stormed out of the room.

Annie sat propped up on her bed, brooding.She didn’t like letting people down but she didn’t like being forced into things either.She wished she’d handled things better with Jai and Nina though, she was aware she’d come across as petulant.

Nina came into the room quietly.“Sorry, Ann-chan,”she said softly.

Annie sighed.“I’m sorry too.”She paused.“Did you really think my singing was good?”

“Yes, we did,”Nina assured her eagerly.

“Oh.”Annie wasn’t sure what to make of the fact.It pleased her but it also made refusing more difficult.

“Why don’t you want to sing?”Nina asked.

“I guess…I’m not comfortable being the centre of attention.I stand out enough here as it is without getting up on stage in front of everyone.”

“We’ll all be on stage with you.”

“Yeah but I’m the one they’ll be looking at.”

Annie waited for Nina to say something else, to try and persuade her.But instead she stayed silent.

Somehow that made it even harder.

“Is there anyone else that can do it?”Hugh asked.

Jai glanced at Boshirou.“You sure you can’t sing?”

“I do not sing,”Boshirou replied firmly.

“Well, I’m already taking…biwa lessons, I can’t take singing lessons as well.What about you?”

Hugh shook his head.“Singing in the bath after a game is the best I get.”

Annie appeared in the doorway, Nina beside her.“How many songs do you want me to sing?”she asked.

Jai thought quickly.“Two,”he decided,“One with all of us and one with just me and Nina.And then the rest of us can organise some instrumental parts.”

“What are the songs going to be?”

“Well, you can help us choose that.”

“I can suggest some Japanese songs to you,”Nina suggested.

Annie nodded slowly.“All right, let’s see what the principal says.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments.

CHAPTER 16

Akeda had listened carefully as the students had outlined their ideas, Jai and Nina doing most of the talking with frequent interjections from Hugh.Annie and Boshirou had stayed quiet throughout.“It is an interesting idea,”he said at last.

There was a long pause.“And interesting’s good, right?”Jai asked.

“I am not certain that it will achieve anything.”

“Well, what have you got to lose?We’ll provide the music, all you have to do is fill the hall and you keep all the money.Sensei,”he added hastily.

“You can invite anyone you think might want to invest in the school,”Nina added.

“And what if none of them come?”Akeda asked,“Or if they are not impressed?”

“Then you can keep the money from the concert, maybe that will help.”

Akeda looked over the other students.“You agree to this?”

“Totally,”Hugh replied.

Annie noticed Akeda’s puzzled expression.“Yes,”she translated.

“Hai,”Boshirou added helpfully.

Akeda nodded.“I will ask Hayashi-san to study your plans and make sure they are suitable.If she approves, then you have my permission.”

“Nennen korori yo, o-korori yo.Boya wa yoi ko da, nenne shina.”Annie lay on her front on the bed, the music sheet Nina had given her spread out in front of her, trying to match the unfamiliar words with the notes.“What does it mean?”

Jai was sat propped up on the other bed, leafing through an English/Japanese dictionary.“Years… continually…over.”He looked up, confused.“Maybe.”

Annie groaned.“Okay, so I’m gonna be up there singing a song that I don’t even understand.Why did I agree to this again?”

“Save the school, save the world,”Jai replied sagely.

“You’re a big help.”

“Look, do you want for us to have to go home early or get sent to another school or for Nina and Boshirou and the others to have to change school?”

Annie sighed.“No.”

“Well, somehow, this has ended up being their best shot.”

Annie brightened up for a moment.“At least I’ll be able to understand the other one.”

Jai grimaced slightly.“Couldn’t you have chosen something more modern?”

Annie smiled innocently.“Well, it is called Annie’s Song…”

Annie waited until Jai had left before picking up the phone and dialling a number, making a mental note to tell Mr and Mrs.Komano that she’d made an international call at the earliest opportunity.Talking to Jai or Nina was all right but there was someone else she felt like talking to, someone she should have spoken to before.

She heard the ringtone at the other end and a familiar voice asking,“Hello?”

“Ruby?It’s me.”

“Annie!”The delight in her friend’s voice was obvious.“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has.”Annie paused awkwardly.“There’s been a lot going on.”

She could almost imagine Ruby sitting crosslegged on the bed, phone in hand.“Go on.”

Annie told her what had been happening, about the school facing closure, about Jai’s plan and how he’d roped her into it.“That doesn’t sound so bad,”Ruby said when she’d finished.

Annie was aghast.“Ruby, singing in front of everyone?”

“You can handle it.”

“Right, remind me to volunteer you to sing on stage some time.”Annie paused before asking,“How’s Geoff?”

“Well, you spoke to him not that long ago…”

“No, I mean…how are you and Geoff?”

There was an uncomfortable pause at the other end of the line.“We’re good,”Ruby said at last,“I mean, it’s early days, it might not work out but…I like him.”

“Good,”Annie replied.It was all she could think to say but surprisingly she meant it.

“I know I should have said something before you left but I didn’t know how things were going to work out with Xavier then and…I guess I felt strange talking about your brother like that.”

“Rube, you know I just want you to be happy, right?No matter how weird it is for me.”

“Yeah, Annie, I…I know you’d want that.”

Annie smiled.The conversation wasn’t going as badly as she’d feared.“I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier.”

“That’s fine.It’s just good to hear from you now.”

Annie sat down on the bed.It looked like it was going to be a long conversation.“So how’s things with you and Charlie?”

“That’s a B, Jai,”Nina said testily.

Jai looked confused.“What was I supposed to be playing?”

“An A.”

“Oh.B’s next to A, though, right?”

Jai was beginning to understand the workings of the biwa.Slowly.The instrument was small enough to rest on the lap but with a long neck that required it to be held vertically.He’d mastered that part quickly. Working out which notes were where…that was the hard part.

“There’s only four strings, Jai,”Nina complained.

“Yeah but you’ve got all these…places where you’re supposed to put your fingers.”

“Frets.”

“We’re having threats now?”

Nina sighed.“All right, Jai, take a break.”

Jai was relieved at the opportunity to put the biwa down.He hoped he’d be ready in time for the concert but until then…“How’s Hugh going with the drum part?”

Nina grimaced.“You wouldn’t think hitting it at the right time would be hard, would you?”

“But I guess you like spending time with him, huh?”

Nina looked awkward.“Actually, Hugh and I have kind of gone our separate ways.”

“I thought you were getting on well.”

“We were but…he’s not exactly the deepest person.”

Jai smiled.“I guess not.”

“Sometimes you just have to accept it’s not meant to be, right?”

Jai’s smile faltered slightly.“I guess so.”

Mrs.Hayashi had given her approval and the hastily put together band had met up to practise.Hugh had managed to persuade his host, Piko, to join him on the drums and Aki and Deiji had volunteered for backing vocals, leaving Jai and Nina on the biwa, Boshirou on the flute and Annie as lead singer.

“It didn’t go too bad,”Jai commented to Nina as they packed their instruments away.

Nina patted him on the arm.“You’re picking it up well.I’m beginning to think this might actually work.”

“Here’s hoping, anyway.”Jai looked over at Annie, who seemed to be standing in the corner, quietly going over the lyrics to herself.“How’s Annie coping?”

“In need of a bit of a reassurance, I think.I’ll talk to her.”

Jai glanced around and saw Hugh looking over at the girls.He went and joined him.“Sorry to hear about you and Nina.”

Hugh waved a hand dismissively.“Hey, we had fun.Too young to be getting serious, hey?”

“I guess so.”It wasn’t quite the response Jai had expected.

“What about you and Annie?”

The question wrongfooted him slightly.“What about us?”

“Is there anything going on there?”

Jai followed Hugh’s gaze closely.He’d thought before that he was looking at Nina but seeing her in conversation with Annie, maybe…“Why do you ask?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of a mate, would I?”

All sorts of responses occurred to Jai, all of them designed to dissuade Hugh.But making a claim to Annie, if it got back to her, was likely to make her very unhappy with him.And that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

“We’re just friends.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Massive thanks for the comments.Hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 17

Annie was wandering back and forth in a pattern that carefully avoided going too near any of the others, singing the unfamiliar Japanese lyrics under her breath.Jai was plucking away at his biwa, with Nina wincing at every other note.Hugh and Piko were sitting astride two large taiko drums, seemingly in the middle of a quiet but heated argument about whose was the biggest.Aki and Deiji looked as though they might throw up any moment.Surprisingly, Boshirou seemed the most at ease, quietly practising with his flute and oblivious to everyone around him.

Mrs.Hayashi appeared around the curtain.“Is everything all right here?”

“Everything’s good,”Nina confirmed.

“We will be ready in five minutes.”

It had been decided that Principal Akeda would provide an introduction, followed by Nina, and then the concert programme would begin.“Are there many people out there?”Annie asked nervously.

“Many,”Mrs.Hayashi agreed before disappearing back behind the curtain.

“Oh boy,”Annie whispered.

Jai made a step towards her but Hugh moved in first, touching her on the arm.“Hey, look, you’re gonna be great, okay?We couldn’t do this without you.”

Annie gave him a grateful smile.“Thanks, Hugh.”

Hugh moved off and Jai suddenly found himself standing closest to Annie, who was looking at him expectedly.He pointed after Hugh.“What he said.”

The rest of them waited in the wings while Akeda and Nina made their introductions.The two taiko drums had been placed on the stage beforehand, while Jai and Boshirou were carrying their instruments.Nina rejoined them and picked up her biwa.“Go on,”she whispered to Annie.

Annie took a last deep breath before leading the group onstage.She waited, listening to everyone else taking up their positions, until the instruments started up behind her, giving her her cue to come in.

“You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain…”

Jai and Nina were taking a break.Annie’s opening song had gone down well, as had their biwa duet for which Jai had persuaded Nina to write an arrangement of Fray songs.Boshirou was on stage now, giving a flute performance, while Hugh and Piko managed to stick to the carefully defined percussion accompaniment they’d been given.

“What do you think of him?”Jai asked.

“Boshirou?He seems a bit more confident lately, I think having you as a friend has helped him…”

“No, I mean Hugh.”

Nina thought for a moment.“He thinks a lot of himself but I don’t think he’s a bad boy.”

“And he was all right with you when you were going out?”

“I suppose so…”

Jai tried to work out a delicate way of phrasing it.“Annie told me that you…went pretty far with him, did he..?”

“He suggested it but he didn’t pressure me.”Nina looked uncomfortable with the questioning.“What’s this about?”

“Nothing,”Jai said quickly,“Just wondering.”

Annie’s performance of “Komori-uta” had gone without a hitch, as had the rest of the scheduled performances.Akeda was supposed to be making the closing speech but Nina had asked him to wait for a moment, explaining there was a surprise that they’d been working on.“Does everyone want to do this?”she asked the others.

“It’ll go down a storm,”Hugh promised them,“I’m telling you.”

“You realise you’re turning us into complete cultural stereotypes here?”Jai asked,“I’m surprised you didn’t bring a hat with corks on.”

“It’s part of our culture, man!”

“Or you’ve just been to too many Wallabies games.”

Nina looked at Annie.“Are you all right to do it?”Annie nodded nervously.“All right.”

Nina went up on stage and made the announcement that there was a surprise finale to the concert then Annie led the rest of the party back on.

The instruments began to play the traditional melody and Annie started to sing.“Once a jolly swagman sat beside a billabong, underneath the shade of a coolibah tree, and he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled, you’ll come a-waltzing matilda with me.”

To her relief, the rest of the group joined in as planned.“Waltzin’ matilda, waltzin’ matilda, you’ll come a-waltzin’ matilda with me.And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled, you’ll come a-waltzin’ matilda with me!”

She was even more relieved to see everyone was smiling.

“And his ghost may be heard as you pass on by that billabong, you’ll come a-waltzin’ matilda with me!”

“Told you they’d love it,”Hugh pointed out as they came off stage.

Jai patted him on the shoulder.“Okay, you were right.”

There was a sudden silence as Akeda joined them.He stood in silence for a moment before giving a small bow.“Thank you.”

The students bowed deeper in return before Akeda headed on stage.

Annie was surprised when Hugh came over to her.“You were great out there,”he told her.

“I guess it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.”

“Listen, what are you doing Friday night?”

The question caught her offguard.“I hadn’t really decided.Why?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to catch a movie together.”

Annie wasn’t entirely sure she was grasping what he was saying.“You mean like a date?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Annie could think of a lot of reasons why not.There was Romeo, who she still found herself thinking about a lot of the time even though their e-mails had become less frequent.There was Jai, who still had a tendency to get jealous of other guys and whose friendship she didn’t want to lose.There was the irony of travelling thousands of miles to date a boy from Australia.There was her date with Dake and how that got messy.And there was Hugh, who didn’t have the best reputation when it came to relationships.

But then, new experiences were what she’d come here for.So she just smiled at him.“Yeah, why not?”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 18

Jai, Annie and Hugh were waiting outside Akeda’s office.Nina, Boshirou, Piko, Aki and Deiji had gone in ahead of them.Jai and Hugh had both listened at the door a few times to see what Akeda was saying but since the conversation was in Japanese it hadn’t been very enlightening.

Eventually the door opened and their friends came filing out.“What happened?”Annie asked.

Nina hesitated for a moment.“He wants to see you now.”

The three of them headed into the office, closing the door behind them, and stood in a line in front of the desk.Akeda picked up a pile of papers.“Do you know what these are?”

It took them a few seconds to even recognise the printed characters on the sheets as Japanese letters. Beyond that they couldn’t even guess.“No, sensei,”Jai said at last.

“Letters,”Akeda explained,“From many local businessmen who attended your concert.”He smiled.“They were most impressed.Both by your willingness to embrace our culture and by the aspects of your own that you introduced.And also by how well you worked with the students here.For this reason, they feel that this school and the exchange programme are something that they wish to be a part of.They have offered to provide enough investment to keep this school open.We will not be closing.”

All three of them smiled at that.“That’s great!”Annie exclaimed.

“There is something else,”Akeda continued,“As you are aware, we will be breaking for holidays in a month’s time.Your time with the exchange programme will be coming to an end after that.However, because the school was supposed to be closing, we have not selected anyone to take your place.For that reason, and in recognition of what you have done for us, I have spoken to the exchange programme.They have agreed that, if you wish so, you may remain with us for another six months.”

“Six months?”Hugh repeated,“That’s practically all year.”

“That is so.”

“How long do we have to decide?”Annie asked.

“You have as long as you need.It is unlikely we would be able to fill the places at this late stage so you are, in effect, the only candidates.”He smiled again.“And may I add that I would be very happy if you do decide to stay.”

“You will stay?”Boshirou asked.

He and Jai were sat in Jai’s room.Jai considered the question for a moment.“I don’t know,”he said at last, “I mean, I like it here…”

“But…you like home?”Boshirou ventured,“There are people there.”

Jai sighed.“Not that many.”He knew he was exaggerating.He had friends.He had a family of sorts, even if it wasn’t the one he’d left behind.He had…well, no, he didn’t have Annie.For a start, she was in Japan with him and besides, even if they were both in Summer Bay their relationship wouldn’t be the same as it was before.

“You have friends here,”Boshirou told him, a slight awkwardness about his tone.

Jai smiled at him fondly.He had to admit he liked Boshirou.Perhaps, he was forced to admit, at least partly because the boy seemed to look up to him and he wasn’t really used to that.“Do you think your parents would want me to stay here?”

Boshirou nodded decisively.“My parents love you.I will tell them.”

“No, no,”Jai told him hastily,“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Do you think Annie will stay?”Boshirou asked.

It was a question Jai had asked himself a few times.After all, Annie had a lot more in Summer Bay than him:More friends, more family and a guy who might still be waiting for her.“I don’t know.Maybe.”

“Do you think Hugh will stay?”

Jai was even less sure about that one.But somehow the question reminded him of the last time he’d seen Hugh, sharing some joke with Annie as they headed off together.“Maybe.”

Annie and Hugh had set up camp in a café for an early evening meal.“So how does it feel to save the school?”Hugh asked.

Annie shook her head modestly.“Well, the concert was Jai’s idea, really, and he and Nina did most of the work.You did just as much as I did.”

“You were the star of the show.Everyone knows it.”

Annie didn’t contradict him again.She smiled slightly.“Well, how do you feel about it all?I mean, we’ve got a chance to stay on here now.”

“Yeah.”A look of indecision crossed Hugh’s face, perhaps the first one she’d ever seen from him.“I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I suppose you’ve got a girl waiting for you back home.”

“No-one special.You got a boy waiting to sweep you off your feet?”

“Kind of,”Annie admitted,“But it’s a bit up in the air right now.”She quickly changed the subject.“So what else have you got planned for tonight?”

“I was thinking we’d go and see a movie.”

Annie shot him a sceptical look.“You want to see a Japanese movie?”

“No, no, they’ve got movies in English on.”

“So how do people understand them?”

“They’ve got subtitles but we can always ignore them.”

“Well,”Annie considered,“I suppose that’s a kind of culture.”

Annie had enjoyed the evening more than she’d expected.Hugh had taken her hand as they’d left the cinema and for some reason she hadn’t minded.They’d had a short ride on the local three-stop train service before arriving back at the ward where their host families lived.“So, has it been what you were hoping for?”Hugh asked.

“Let’s say it’s been educational,”Annie decided.

“Educational?”Hugh laughed slightly at the remark.“Okay, don’t think I’ve been called that before.”He stopped suddenly, turned round and kissed her.Annie returned the kiss slightly before he broke off.“That all right?”he asked.

“Bit unexpected,”Annie admitted,“but not too bad, I guess.”

He led her a few more steps before nodding to the nearest house.“This is my stop.”

Annie glanced at him in bemusement.“Isn’t it the guy that’s supposed to walk the girl home?”

“Well…I guess that depends where you want to end up.”He kissed her again, more intensely this time, before gesturing to one of the upper floor windows, one which Annie suspected marked his bedroom.“You can come in if you like.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments.I'm going to be away for the weekend so there won't be any more updates until Monday at the earliest.Not that anyone would probably have noticed, I've been a bit tardy(or careful?)with the updates on this one.Hope you like this.

CHAPTER 19

Annie let go of his hand.

“Is that the only reason you asked me out?”

“Course not,”Hugh replied, faintly bewildered,“I just thought maybe you’d want to.I mean, we don’t have to.”

“So, why did you ask me out?”

“Because I like you.”

He sounded sincere.But somehow Annie felt there was more to it than that, more than he realised.“Like you liked Nina?”

“I guess so,”Hugh replied uncertainly.

“And like in a couple of weeks time you’ll like Aki or Deiji or someone else?”

“I dunno, I mean, I wasn’t planning to…”

Annie sighed.“Goodbye, Hugh,”she said as she walked away from him.

Annie hadn’t really thought about what she’d do if someone else answered.She raised her hand to knock on the door but before she could do so, Jai opened it.“I saw you coming down the street,”he told her by way of explanation.

Annie nodded.“Can we have a talk?I mean, in private.”

Jai motioned for her to come in, gesturing for her to remain silent.“I’m going to bed!”he called out,“Good night!”

There was an indistinct reply from Boshirou’s parents.Then Jai led Annie upstairs.

They sat side by side on the bedroom floor, leaning against the wall, as Annie explained the events of the evening.“Do all boys think about sex?”she asked at last.

Jai considered several answers.“Pretty much,”he admitted.

“Great, that’s something to look forward to.”

“They’re not all going to expect it on the first date,”he added hastily.

“So why did he choose me?Did he think I’d go for that or something?”

“Maybe he does actually like you,”Jai suggested,“He’s just used to a certain type of relationship.”

Annie hesitated a moment before asking her next question.“Do you think Romeo thinks about sex?”

Jai sighed.The old elephant in the room.“I don’t know.Probably.”

“Has he had girlfriends before?”

Again, Jai found so many answers going through his head.Answers that would put her off, things he knew were true, things he could only guess at.In the end, he didn’t use any of them.“I don’t think he’s ever felt about a girl the way he feels about you.”

The answer seemed to surprise Annie as much as it did him.“Really?”

“Arranging for you to come here…you don’t do that for a girl you don’t care about.”

Annie’s hand encircled his suddenly, their fingers interlacing.“You’re a good friend, Jai,”she said at last.

Jai wasn’t sure if she meant to Romeo or to her.But the small contact reminded him of the decision he’d made.“I’m going to stay here.”

Annie blinked in surprise.“What?”

“The extra six months.I’m going to take it.I’ll tell Principal Akeda in the morning.Then I guess I’ll have to tell Miles.”

“Can’t you tell him when we go home for the holidays?”

“I’m not going back.Guess I need to explain that to him as well.”Jai saw her surprised expression and shrugged.“Things won’t be the same for me back there, not after everything that’s happened recently.”

Annie hadn’t expected the announcement at all.“But, Jai, I always imagined us going home together, telling everyone what an amazing adventure it’s been…”

“Annie, as soon as you get back there, you’ll get together with Romeo.You won’t want me hanging around making things weird.”

“I don’t know.After what’s happened with Dake and Hugh…I think I’m going to be a bit cautious on that one.”

“You should do what makes you happy.”Jai paused before asking,“Are you going to stay the extra six months as well?”

Annie sighed.“I’m not sure.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Hope you had a great weekend.

Thanks, Barbara, yes, I had a great weekend.Hope everyone likes this chapter.

CHAPTER 20

As soon as Annie woke up, she realised something was wrong.For a start, she seemed to be a bit more upright than usual.She slowly opened her eyes to discover that she was still sitting next to Jai on the floor, her head resting on his shoulder.He was asleep as well, leaning against her.

“Jai?”she whispered cautiously.

He opened his eyes, moving slightly away from her and looking around the room in bewilderment.“I guess we fell asleep.”He noticed the anxious look on her face.“We haven’t done anything wrong, right?”

“Jai, I’ve just spent the night in your room and no-one knew I was here.”

“Yeah, okay, that looks bad.Do you think Nina’s parents will have noticed you weren’t there?”

“I don’t know, Nina might have covered for me…”

Jai pulled her to her feet.“Okay, well, all we need to do is get you out of here and back into your own house before anyone sees you.”

He opened up the door, looking cautiously around the landing, seeing no-one in sight.He took Annie’s hand and led her towards the stairs.

They were halfway down when Boshirou’s parents appeared in front of them.

Jai and Annie had found themselves in front of Akeda again, his expression stern but sympathetic.“I have to remind you that visitors to this school are expected to conform to certain standards.This programme is not an excuse for you to spend time together away from parental supervision.”

“Look, nothing happened,”Jai insisted,“We were just talking and it got late and…I guess we fell asleep.”

“It was my fault,”Annie revealed,“I came to the house last night to talk to Jai, I should have let someone know where I was.”

“No, it was my fault,”Jai interceded,“I let Annie into the house, I took her up to my room, I should have told Boshirou’s parents she was there.”

Akeda held up a hand to forestall their confessions.“I accept that you say that your involvement was purely platonic.But you are here because of the generosity of your host families.”He looked at Annie. “Nina’s parents are responsible for you while you are here.They have spent the night unaware of where you are because you chose to go to Jai without telling them.Is that fair to them?”

Annie looked down at her feet guiltily.“No, sensei.”

“And, Jai.Because you concealed Annie’s presence from them, Boshirou’s parents were unaware that they had another house guest for the night.Was that fair to them?”

“No, sensei.”

Akeda nodded.“I accept that you have both learnt your lesson and there will be no repeat of this.I will speak with your host families and explain the matter to them.You may return to your class.”

Annie turned to go but Jai hesitated.“Ah, Principal Akeda?Is that invitation to stay on another six months still open?”

Akeda looked at him impassively.“It is.”

“Then…I’d like to accept it, if I can.”

There was a long pause and then Akeda nodded.“Good.I will let the exchange programme know.”

Jai had hurried back home after school, said a quick apology to Boshirou’s parents and then rushed upstairs to his room and turned the computer on.He quickly selected the e-mail screen, typed in the recipient’s name…and then paused, unsure what to say.According to Alf, Miles had been better since Christmas but all the same, he didn’t know how he’d react.He steeled himself and then started typing.

Miles, I’ve got something I need to tell you.You know that concert I mentioned, to keep the school open?Well, because of that, Principal Akeda’s asked us all to stay on another six months.I’ve decided to take it.I’m not going to be coming back for the holidays either, I’m going to stay here in Japan.

Jai took a deep breath before continuing.

You know I’m grateful to you for taking me in.I was a bit of a mess before I came to Summer Bay, I didn’t think anyone cared about me, I didn’t care about anyone, and living with you changed that. But things have changed again now.If I did come back to Summer Bay, it wouldn’t be the same.I still want to keep in touch with you, you don’t get rid of me that easily.But I think a fresh start is what I need right now.

For Annie, the day had seemed to go on forever.Everything just seemed so up in the air.The realisation that Jai really wouldn’t be going home with her had been a shock.And then there was Hugh, who she had carefully avoided for most of the day.After the second time she’d turned round and walked the other way when she saw him waiting for her, he’d seemed to get the message and stopped trying to talk to her.

She stepped into the house and found Nina’s mother waiting for her.She bowed slightly.“Komano-san.I apologise for not being here last night…”

Mrs.Komano shook her head.“Not important.You have visitor.”She gestured towards the lounge, seeming more excited than usual.

Cautiously, Annie went through and the blonde boy got to his feet.Her mouth dropped open.“Geoff?!”