Can I Be Fleeting Too?

Chapter 2 - So Basically... It's... You Know...

"F-fleeting?" Ako asked. "What does that mean?"

"I... don't exactly know myself, Ako." Tomoe replied sheepishly. "But Kaoru-Senpai says it a lot, and Himari likes it, so it must be a good thing. If she likes it so much, I guess I'll just become 'fleeting'."

"Fleeting... hmmm..." Ako concentrated hard to find a possible solution. She then beamed, before taking up a 'cool' position, and a demonic look on her face.

"Fufufu... Princess Ako knows what to do! Simply ask someone who knows Kaoru well! Maybe they can give you the answer to what it means to be 'fleeting'! It must not be that hard to find the meaning with everyone's help!" Ako grinned.

"Ako, you're a genius!" Tomoe hugged her younger sister enthusiastically. "Tomorrow at school, I'll ask Yamato-San! She's in the drama club, so she would know Kaoru well! I've also heard from the rest of Pastel*Palettes that she sometimes acts a bit like Kaoru, so she's bound to know!"

The hours went by, and the sun set on another peaceful day. Tomoe lay in bed and thought of what great change was possibly going to occur tomorrow.

Just wait... Tomoe thought. I'll be just like Kaoru, charm Himari, and then she'll like me more!

The morning arrived, and Ako and Tomoe strode along the path on their way to school. Ako then spotted someone she knew along the way.

"Rin-Rin! Hi~!" Ako bounded up to Rinko and delivered a stealthy hug from behind.

"Ah! Oh, Ako-Chan! H-hello!" Rinko smiled softly. "A-and Udagawa-San, h-hello to you too."

"Rin-Rin, are we still playing NFO later today? There's a new item I reaaaaalllyyy want to get!" Ako asked cheerily.

"Of c-course, Ako-Chan." Rinko replied.

Ako took up another 'cool' pose. "Fufufu... then the Princess Ako can obtain the Demon Sceptre, and rule the dead! Come, my pretties! Princess Ako calls you forth! How cool was that, Rin-Rin, Onee-Chan?"

"So cool!" Tomoe and Rinko said in unison.

"A-anyway, Ako-Chan, I need to get g-going. See you later!" Rinko walked off in the other direction towards her school.

"Oh Shirokane-San, just before you go...!" Tomoe shouted. "Do you know what it means to be 'fleeting'?"

"F-fleeting?" Rinko asked. "Well... I g-guess the dictionary w-would suggest it m-means... 'lasting for a v-very short t-time', and 'w-with haste'? As in 'for a f-fleeting moment I saw a r-rainbow'..."

"Wow, Rin-Rin, that was so cool!" Ako squealed.

"T-thank you, Ako-Chan, U-Udagawa-San. Anyway, b-bye!" Rinko walked off towards her school.

Tomoe felt enlightened by this definition, but still had no clue what it meant.

Fleeting... Tomoe thought. As in... quick... so... like, being able to run fast?

"C'mon, Ako, I'll race you to school!" Tomoe yelled, before sprinting off.

"Oi! No fair!" Ako ran after her.

As they arrived at school, they passed Lisa and Yukina. Yukina looked very flustered as Lisa gave her a cat cookie she had made the day before.

"Onee-Chan, I'm going to go talk to them! See you later~!" Ako bounced off to Yukina and Lisa. They greeted her with a smile.

Right... so... now to find Maya...

Tomoe kept up her pace and ran to Maya's form. She'd never really talked much to Maya, but she hoped Maya would give her some great Kaoru tips.

When Tomoe arrived at class 2-B, she was met by Maya.

"Yamato-San! Hello!" Tomoe stopped a bit to catch her breath.

"Hello Udagawa-San. Looking for anyone here?" Maya wasn't used to much social interaction, but she had learnt a bit from Chisato and the rest of Pastel*Palettes.

"Yes, in fact, you're the person I wanted to speak to!" Tomoe grinned. Soon she was going to learn the secret of the 'fleeting', and she would finally have a chance with Himari!

"Me? Huehehe... aw shucks! What about? Is it about your drum kit? I have to say, your drum kit is very well refined, and it has a very stand-out sound in your performances! How do you manage it? How often do your sticks break? How often does your kit need tuning? Do you..." Maya was unaware of how much she was rambling.

"Sorry Maya, but I actually need to ask you about something else." Tomoe tried to sound as polite as she could. "You're in the drama club with Kaoru-San, right?"

"Yeah... well... I do the lighting and effects..." Maya tried to keep her sentances short to prevent rambling now. It was a habit that she had not seemed to break out of yet.

"Do you know what the word 'fleeting' means by any chance? As in, what it means to be fleeting?" Tomoe asked.

"Why do you ask?" Maya was a tad bit concerned.

"Uhm, well, there's someone I want to impress, so I thought being more like Kaoru would impress them..." Tomoe didn't want to reveal the main motive, but it slipped out.

"Okay. Well, prepare for this!" Maya did one of Kaoru's poses.

"So, basically..." Maya did another of Kaoru's signature moves. Tomoe braced herself for the knowledge that was about to flow from Maya into her. Maya did another of Kaoru's signature poses. "It's... you know..."

"I know what?" Tomoe kept her mind open and her attitude positive, but she was getting nowhere.

"Uhmm... I don't know... but whenever I ask Kaoru what the word fleeting means, that is her reply." Maya's cheeks flushed red. "Sorry if that wasn't helpful, Udagawa-San."

"Don't worry, I got some sort of idea. Thank you!"

"Huehehe, no problem Udagawa-San."

The bell's ring echoed through the halls, and Tomoe dashed off to her classroom.

"Oh, and another thing, Udagawa-San!" Maya yelled after her, but Tomoe had already sprinted out of sight. Maya sighed.

"I wonder what's so wrong with Udagawa-San just being Udagawa-San."