Amanda Honey-Crisp's Story

Kotone Ryokucha

The chattering of the crowd was loud and jumbled up in the dome-shaped newly remodeled stadium, the Nomimono Stadium. There were four platforms, each were empty and had four squares on them each. Meanwhile, underneath the stadium were a network of dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms. And under each platform was a group of four, and in the middle was the infamous idol, C.C. Lemon-tan, peppy and ready to go. Then suddenly, all the lights were turned off in the main stadium, silencing the chattering audience.

"Good morning everyoneee!" an obviously excited voice echoed throughout the stadium, most people recognizing it instantly. It was C.C. Lemon-tan's voice, and her platform was being raised up to the main stadium in the darkness. Handfuls of citzens shouted and clapped as the spotlight focused on the girl, and meanwhile, all of the other beverage groups were being raised into the stadium through the platforms in the darkness.

"Welcome to the once-a-decade Nomimono Beverage Wars! Let's begin by stating the rules!" she hopped in the air, and then pointed to the screens that hung above her, which flashed the rules as she read them aloud.

A girl, whose appearance is of a mature late teenager stood in the upper left square, her posture elegant and poised. Her hair was a reddish-brown, which was put in a taut bun, topped off by an oriental kanzashi. She wore a kimono that was a jade green, with a lotus pattern, and though her appearance is that of a mature young woman, her thoughts and personality were far different.

"This kimono is so uncomfortable! I want to go play at the pet store with the animals!" she whined under her breath. I wonder how Rose-chan is doing back there.. Koto turned around, peering at the slightly taller girl behind her, with the rose in her hair as usual.

"Psst! Rose-chan! Can we go to the Nomi Forest later?" she poked Subarashi Habuti's arm, hiding her face from the rest of the teas as usual. She then quickly returned to her elegant mode as the lights flashed on the Soda group, C.C. Lemon-tan introducing them to the audience. She glanced over at Coke, and recalled a few childhood memories, then pinched herself before nodding her head, her lotus kanzashi silently jingling. All the groups were expected to dress how they were viewed, the Teas had to wear kimonos, Alcohols were to be wearing their formal western clothing, Juices were to wear something fancy, yet nature-related, and the Sodas had to wear something fancy, but related to their company. How come we're the only ones who have to wear stuffy kimonos?! Koto pouted slightly, but was once again surprised by the spotlights flashing on the Alcohol group, C.C. Lemon-tan doing the introductions, but it's not as if Kotone actually paid attention this whole time. (Which means that whoever's in the Alcohol and Soda group, you can put your group's introduction in more detail.)

"Ah, we're next." she quietly muttered, peering up at Koucha Ishikawa, who was about a head taller than her. She stood, poised and refined, as usual and expected, and soon enough, the spotlights flashed upon her group.

"Next is the Tea group! The members being: the Green Tea, Kotone Ryokucha!" The square she stood on lit up, and she waved, then with the flick of her wrist, she pulled out her lotus kanzashi and tossed it into the audience behind. Her hair was released from the bun and was let out into maroon shiny waves. The crowd cheered as they did with the other groups, Kotone watching the shocked reactions of the elders in her clan in victory. How's that, you uptight geezers! C.C. Lemon-tan continued on, the next person to be introduced being Subarashi Habuti.

Shinko stood straight and poised with her head held high as the lights flashed at the Soda group. She donned a dress with an exotic green print displaying paisley and ombre going around the entire dress which is then overlaid with delicate emerald tulle. At the waistline, a lime green sash holds tight to her body and under it, a cute skirt that gave her easy access to move around in. Her hair was in a high ponytail with her infamous twin braids framing her face.

“The first group we have here is……. The Soda group!” Shinko was usually able to tolerate C.C. Lemon-tan but she was starting to put her in a bad mood for some reason today (she didn’t let the annoyance show- that’d be unprofessional of her). She didn’t know if it was her being extremely loud right now or if her heels were just making her uncomfortable. She highly doubt it was the latter, though, since her ears are a bit sensitive much to her liking.

The first to be introduced in the group was Coke. He cockily waved at the crowd with a smirk plastered on his face. So conceited… she thought to herself as chrome green orbs scanned the other groups before landing on Green Tea. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she skeptically looked back at Coke. She knew of his relationships with some of the female members of the Teas and she was starting to think that it’d be a hindrance in the future. We better not lose just ‘cause he has a soft spot for them, her eyes shifted towards June Tsugami. And I’ll just have to get along with this one, too, she almost cringed at the thought of working together with her rival but she knew that team work would have to be important if she wanted to win.

“Next of the Soda group, give it up for Sierra Mist, Shinko Misuto!” She then averted her gaze back to the crowd and waved with a small, polite grin as the spotlight shined upon on her. "Aww! Such cool beauty, ne?" After C.C Lemon-tan gave a high pitched giggle and moved on to the next group, her game face was suddenly on, intsantly going into her competitive mode. If any drinks are going to win, It'll be utter bullpiss if it isn't us Sodas.

кιуσѕнι кσнαкυ~ нαкυ's heart thudded inside his chest as if threatening to burst out at any moment, right in front of the massive crowd. They weren't even looking at him yet - their attention was elsewhere - and he could already feel the speeding beat of the blood-pumping organ begin to hike up into his throat to choke him. He didn't do well with crowds, he never had. But at least the block in his throat wouldn't abstruct him - there was no speaking involved. That Idol girl was taking care of all the introductions. All he needed to do was stand there and look pretty. Looking cool was officially out of the question; he stood there in a stuffy, slightly feminine kimono with his hair straightened and pinned back on one side with a silver string tied in a bow, looking meek with his hands fingering the hem where the front of the kimono criss-crossed. The Kimono sported pale, delicate colors, with shimmering silver accents. The ensemble together with his pale skin and soft features gave him such a doll-like appearance, and his bright eyes and dark hair stood out with due emphasis. Even his fingernails sported a blue polish with silver metallic tips. He personally wasn't quite sure why he'd agreed on the particular style, and worried that it perhaps made him look too feminine, but it was too late now. He could only hope the moment of being on display would be quick, and he would be able to change soon enough. Even if he did like looking cute, this was excessive, and he felt like a collector's doll on display. Not to mention that this kimono buisiness was completely ridiculous in the first place; most teas originated from china, and were later distributed to other asian cultures and so on, so forth. But whatever. Steriotypes aside.

He watched as a couple other groups were introduced, each member giving their own little wave or smile. Depending on what they did, they seemed to either be trying to convey a certain attitude or just trying to be themselves. Maybe even just trying to leave a lasting impression. Sh*t, He thought, biting down on the inside of his lower lip, but catching himself just before breaking through the skin. What am i supposed to do? Just smile and wave? I don't wanna look stupid or anything, but they'll probably forget about me later on anyway.... Maybe it'll be okay...

Kohaku's hands clenched as the lights shined on the teas. Sh*t. This was it, wasn't it? Everyone was going to be staring and looking. Haku gave a quick glance around the group, biting his lip again and looking for any sort of slight glance of approval from any of his teammates. The others seemed so much more confident. If any one of their hearts were beating at half the pace of his, it certainly didn't show. His eyes landed on Koucha Ishikawa, a friend of his that he at least felt a little familiar to, and felt a small tinge of jealousy. The much taller boy was strong and confident, poised and... ready, at the very least. Haku felt quite the opposite; small and nervous and shy. He let his eyes drop once again, giving off a shakey sigh.

The spotlight dropped on Ryokucha Kotone, and the girl's introduction was nothing shy of outgoing and bold. Jealousy tinged again, but he tried to take a deep breath and gather himself at least slightly before the spotlight was on him.

The spotlight still caught him pretty off-guard.

"White Tea, Kiyoshi Kohaku!" the idol called out as the light hit him and he tried as hard as he could to swallow his heart back down into his chest. He blinked wide-eyed for a moment, but caught himself, and forced his expression into a sweet smile, giving a shy wave before quickly retreating back into his previous and shy position. As the polite applause (he assumed people were only clapping because they figured they had to) roared in a mixture of claps, giggles, and 'aww's, a light blush of embarrasment settled into his cheeks. "Aww, isn't he sweet?"

Haku bit his lower lip, tugging lightly at the hem of one of his sleeves and lowering his head a bit to hide the light embarrasment. This was almost worse than being forgotten about, or being boring. Now everyone thought he was cute; not that it hadn't been inevitable. He would simply need to buckle down and tolerate it, but he simply didn't care for all this attention. As if the crowd wasn't bad enough.

He took a deep breath of relief as the attention turned to the next person and could relax, even if it was only slightly. At least this would be over soon enough and he could change into something a little more comfortable, or, his own style at least. He wasn't quite sure the exact layout of rooming and such, but he hoped anyone within earshot of him didn't mind the violin. He had to do something to unwind, and the instrument normally calmed him down. The unfortunate part was, despite him being able to play the violin quite well, many of his sessions for thinking or unwinding resorted down to him mindlessly plucking the strings in a random and not-so-ear-pleasing order. Screw anyone who complained, of course, because he found the action necessary. And yet..... it could go on for hours. Well, depending on how many people would be saddled with hearing the abnoxious noise, he figured he'd try to make the length of the session shorter. Very considerate.

Takashi Kuran

A pair of pale scarlet orbs scanned the area as the platforms were raised, humming a playful tune under his breath. Being one of the most hyper-active and party-loving people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, Takashi's been the one who attracts the attention of almost any crowd. As he's always said, "The more the merrier,". The redhead quietly whistled to himself while he stumbled along the platform, softly nudging his fellow Juices along the way just for the heck of it. He then stopped as C.C. Lemon-tan's voice rang out and introduced the first group.

Giving a hearty laugh at Coke's usual naive cocky attitude, as the introductions took place, Takashi had a bright smile on his face, that is until his gaze fell on none other than his so called 'twin', Wine. The baby-faced Kuran's face dropped faster than a heartbeat, but quickly composed himself when he felt the eyes of the massive audience burn holes through his body. Tearing his eyes away from the look-alike, Takashi fidgeted with the tie that seemed to tighten around his neck. The redhead never actually hated Wine, in fact the two used to be the best of friends, until one day Wine just turned his back on him and fell into the world of players and popularity. It didn't help that every time someone saw his back, they automatically assumed he was the Alcohol. Shaking himself from the reverie, Kuran suddenly felt a new pair of eyes fall on him, and not just another one of the hundreds of the audience either, this pair felt... different. Turning to face the Alcohol group completely, he found the eyes of none other than the 'Champ' herself, Takara. A beam of light suddenly fell upon the girl and Takashi just as quickly snapped back to face the other way.

Wearing a red, flower-printed tux vest, with a plain white collared shirt underneath, while a bright, heat-packed spot light occasionally shining down on you, really turned up your body temperature. Takashi also had a pair of freshly polished dress shoes and black slacks to match. Finally, the spot light froze on the four members of the Juice group.

"And here we have the group of never-ending enthusiasm, the Juices!" C.C. Lemon's voice instantly grappled Takashi's attention. The spotlight raining down on their Leader-figure, Orange. After the man's self action to grant himself some attention, the light stuck itself onto Takashi. "And here we have the twin of Wine himself," That brought down Takashi's ego more than he let show on his face, but forced a bitter smile on before it could be caught by more people than he would want. "Takashi Kuran!" The red head puffed out his cheeks and made a peace sign towards the audience. He would usually be against exploiting his 'baby-face', but this was a special occasion and they needed to rile up the crowd to be on their side. The action sent a rippling wave of shrieks through the females in the crowd while the males simply chuckled at the childish motion. After we win this, I don't want anybody to mistake me for him.

Kotone Ryokucha

Koto twitched slightly as one of her curly waves of hair was poking her neck, which bothered her quite a lot, as it would most people. She quickly flicked it off in a split second, hoping that no one was watching her, and then felt a certain pair of eyes on her. She carefully redirected her vision to Coke, who was staring at her, and then suddenly looked away. He scoffed from afar, running his hand through his hair. The kimono-clad girl questioned his actions, since he had been acting like he'd known her for a long time since she had returned from the extreme training, oh well, she can just ask Rose. She stood silently, and slipped her hands into her kimono sleeves, at first groping for the tiny, fluffy, yet slightly worn, rabbit plushie. She fiddled around with it to pass the time and to warm her lukewarm fingers. Agh! How long will this take?! This stadium scares me since it speeds up your lukewarming rate by ten..! I wanna go play with the animals in the Nomi forest...

After the introductions, C.C. Lemon-tan took a swig of her drink, and then winked to the crowd, as attention-grabbing as ever, isn't she?

"Okay~! Now, everyone, I announce the Nomimono 137th Beverage Wars, official! It will be on TV and live here, at the stadium, Every Friday, and the times will the announced two days prior to the tournament! Thank you all for coming and watching the opening ceremony! Now we shall mark this with the traditional...." C.C. Lemon-tan paused, raising her arms in suspense, "Celebratory Nomimono Exclusive Party! Now will all V.I.P.s please go through the gold doors on the south wing and flash your ID!" she gestured towards the golden double doors packed with beefy men who have a scanning device in one hand, a tazer in the other. I bet if they didn't have those tazers, then they couldn't stand a chance against me, or nee-chan! Now, all I have to do is sneak out during the the whole chaos with people leaving and all and then I can go play! she thought optimistically to herself, smiling ever so slightly.

"Okay, now will all beverage contestants please leave and get dressed for the party?" C.C. Lemon-tan for once, stood still and smiled like she should have in the first place. Koto silently stepped down the stairs of the platform and quickly went to her dressing room, sprinting through the last few halls and then quickly slamming the door shut behind her back and sliding down in relief.

"AHH! This kimono is so freaking stuffy!" she recklessly threw off the endless layers of clothing and tossed it onto a chair, her tone of voice was childish and a more higher pitch. She was just about to slip on her shorts until she heard some rustle. Koto quickly slipped on the lavender shorts and white tee, grabbing a dagger in case. She put on her elegant mask once again, changing her tone of voice completely.

"Who is there? It is quite rude to interrupt the Ryokucha heir in her dressing room." She ran her finger across the shiny, scrubbed blade as she corrected her posture immediately. A familiar figure emerged from the wardrobe.

"Ah, Koto-sama, you are as sharp as usual." her clothing attendant chuckled, holding a blue kimono to change into. Koto grimaced, and then held the blade towards the woman's neck. She held a glass bottle in front of the woman's face, and sprayed a secret memory-erasing concoction in her face which erases the victim's memories of the past five minutes. Koto swiftly pushed the woman back into the wardrobe and sat on the chair, discreetly hiding away the blade as the woman snapped out of the ten second trance that followed afterwards. Ha, as long as the family secret medicine is in my hands, I can be myself easily, just as long as no one remembers, which can only be achieved by drinking the 'blood' of the Ryokucha... I don't think anyone will be getting to my blood at least. But sadly, it's immune to the Ryokucha themselves.

"Come on out, Asami-san, I know you're there." The same woman emerged from the wardrobe, chuckling, and then held the same kimono in her hand.

"As sharp as usual, Koto-sama, but unfortunately for you, the family has already predicted you escaping, so they sent me. Now be obedient and put it on." the woman removed Koto's clothing and and slipped on the first piece of robing.

"No, I refuse, unless I get to wear western clothes, I will not go and will be going outside." the girl slapped away the attendant's hand and tossed away the robe. The woman smirked and took out her attendant's earpiece, calling one of the elders. Koto sat there, grinning in victory, and poked at her plushie.

"Yes. Yes 'mam. I'll tell her that. Okay, have a great evening." the woman clicked the earpiece, followed by a thud at the delivery chute. She walked over to there and opened it, taking out and opening a box.

"Here you go, o-jou-sa-ma." she said, passing the box over, her tone of voice had a slight mix of irritation in it, well, who wouldn't? It's either get fired of follow the brat's every beck and call. Koto bitterly put on the outfit, even though it was western style, she just hated parties that were formal. She looked at herself in the mirror and waved at the attendant.

"You can leave now, after all, I do keep my promises." the attendant quickly left, and Koto grinned at the stylish and cute outfit she wore in the mirror. She grabbed the leg strap and strapped it under the skirt, equipping a few blades. She stared at her faithful katana from her sister and then regretfully left it in her kimono for the attendants to put away. She threw on a soft black scarf to drape around her arms and then set off to the party, heading to the sleek two-seated Benz that her family had prepared, just to show off. She looked around and sighed after the coast was clear.

"My family, showing off to the max, especially to the Ishikawa family. The elders are so competitive with them.. Oh well, I'm just their puppet anyways. I'll be fighting for you, nee-chan! And then afterwards, I can play with the animals! Yay!" she did a little spin as she happily held the white bunny plush in her right palm.